Calories-Do I have to count?

Oh dear, the dreaded calorie count. I know it sounds sooooo cumbersome, but if I asked you "How many calories do you consume in a day?", would you know? I have never met a client that could tell me or whom was accurate in their account. So if you think calories aren't just as important as what you're putting into your mouth, you're sorely mistaken. You see, healthy food can be consumed in mass quantities, just as not so good for you food can, and guess what? You'll stall your weight loss progress with both. Does this mean you have to count every calorie that goes into your mouth forever? NO. But if you're serious about weight loss, then for a period of time, YES. Keeping an accurate account of what you're consuming and just how much (calories) is truly the most effective way to access where it is that you are going wrong in your eating habits, and what a portion size truly is. It is also a sure fire way to see why the unwanted pounds have drifted on, and why they won't just drift off. So before you moan and groan at the mere suggestion that you should "count your calories",  remember, this is the fastest and most efficient way to assess your unhealthy habits and adopt new ones. And once you drop those unwanted pounds, counting calories can be a system that you revisit at different stages of your health journey. For instance, gained 5 lbs on a vacation? Food log for a week and get back on track before 5lbs becomes 10lbs. Same goes for holidays, falling off the food wagon, etc. It's easier than you think! And it's like anything......you must CHOOSE to want to make a change for the better, for YOU!

Here's how to get started:

Most phones these days have apps for counting calories/food logging. Plug those food sources into the app for a week, and see where it is your eating unhealthfully throughout the day, and just how many calories you're consuming.

One of my favorites: CalorieKING. Easy to follow and plug in your food, and the site adds up the calories for you. And if you're not one to use your phone for this, you can use this site on your home computer.

And don't forget, that it's not all about the calories. Healthy weight loss also comes from 3 key things:

PORTION CONTROL (use a food scale, your measuring cups and/or teaspoon measurements until you are able to "eyeball" a correct portion size)
HEALTHY VARIETY OF FOOD (not all about the calories, cake calories are different than apple calories, ya get my drift? wink wink)

SLEEP (most of us don't get enough, that's no excuse to try, relax, meditate, get some sleep, it's eye-opening just how important sleep is to choosing healthy food over sabotaging your weight loss journey, so get some sleep!)