Are you counting your calories? If not, you should. Most people underestimate the amount of calories they consume. Simply reading food labels and guessing what you are taking in is very wrong. More than likely, you are taking in way more calories than you think. You end up gaining weight and wondering why. “The nation’s food supply produces a whopping 3,900 calories per American citizen each day, yet men report eating just 2,618 calories per day and women report consuming just 1,877 per day”.
You must first understand how many calories you need to survive each day – which is your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Then, depending on your goal – losing or gaining weight – you have to find out how many calories you need to reach your goal. “The average moderately-active man burns 2,400 to 2,800 calories per day, while the average moderately-active woman burns 1,800 to 2,200 calories. If reported eating habits were accurate, most people would be at or below a normal weight. Instead, more than two-thirds of the population is overweight or obese”.
If you are serious about your weight loss/gain journey, you must learn how to properly calculate your calorie intake. Your diet is the most important part of your success. With new technology always on the rise, there are so many things available that can help you do this.
A couple of things I use are a food scale, a software app that helps me convert metrics, as well as a software app that helps me calculate calories based on what I have measured for each meal. Or, you can do it the old-fashioned way with a formula and a calculator.
Here are some links to some great resources:
http://www.metric-conversions.org/
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calorie-know-how-get-equation-right-to-get-results.htm
Thanks for reading,
Crystal’s Whole Health
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