How to Lose Weight by Counting Calories

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By pepper0617
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Healthy Eating

Spring is the best time of year to start a weight loss program. Losing weight is always a struggle. If you watch your caloric intake you can be successful. Incorporating daily exercise like a walking or aerobics will make it burn faster too.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Count your calories - I am not going to criticize anyone with a weight problem as I have had my own struggles. You have to take into consideration on what works for you, your medical problems, and stress and how bad you want to lose weight. Simple calorie counting has worked the best for me. You can buy a calorie counting book with all the foods and how many calories they are and keep track yourself.
Step 2

Keep Track of Caloric Intake - Now there is websites online that you can put all the data into. The one I use is caloriecount.about.com. There is a big support group for weight loss help if you fall off the dieting wagon, and need support, or just to ask a question to a nutritionist.
Step 3

Keep a Food Journal

Enter everything in a food diary- you eat every day. Women are not supposed to consume not less than 1200 calorie diet a day, men 1500 calorie diet a day. Stay on track and figure out how much weight you want to lose, if you exercise more you will burn calories faster.
Step 4

Eat Healthier Meals -The most important part of dieting is to eat healthy, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and cut out all the foods that are bad for you. You’d be amazed at how much better you feel when you change your eating habits.
Step 5

Exercise - When I start dieting (again) I always start an exercise program. Nothing big, because frankly I never can keep up with it, I enjoy walking, I always have. You can burn off a lot of calories just by walking. Then maybe some lite aerobics or weight lifting too as you gets stronger.
Step 6

Fitness strides

Buy a pedometer – See how many steps you’re actually doing a day. 10,000 steps are supposed to be the ultimate goal. Start slow then work yourself up to more. You also have a better chance of enjoying losing weight, and keeping it off. Get outside enjoy the sunshine, and walk.
Step 7

Losing weight at 1-2 pounds a week is about average, with the possibility of losing 15-20 pounds per month if you stay on your dieting program with an exercise program. Losing at a slower pace you’re more apt to keep the weight off. Eating small nutritious meals with 500 calories less than normal you will burn the weight off faster. Just remember if you consume more calories than what you need, you will gain weight not lose weight.

Comments

hdubs said

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on 10/8/2009 I find that counting calories is the only way I can lose or maintain my weight--in my opinion it's the only way to get an understanding of what you're putting in your body each day.

our5kids said

on 4/20/2009 Thank you for the tips on How to Lose Weight by Counting Calories 5* and recommended you!!

kittykat3 said

on 4/4/2009 I always watch my portions, even though I try to let myself enjoy my food as well. For example, I will have chocolate, but it is only dark chocolate and just a small piece. Then, I workout like 5 days a week. I WISH though I could eat everything I wanted all at once without gaining weight! lol That would be a dream come true. Like, I will have pizza, but it will be organic, with only cheese or vegetable topping, a small slice and it's a wheat bread dough. I have to drink a lot and drink green tea to keep my hunger or cravings at bay. I wish I could eat a whole cake and not worry about it sometimes or a whole unhealthy pizza, but that would be really, really bad for my body and mind as well! Great article!