Does Counting Calories Really Work?

Lets be honest, counting calories can be a pain in the butt. If you are a grazer, counting all those calories is the last thing you want to do. I think counting calories is a great tool to let you know where you are at. I have used dailyplate in the past to count calories. It has helped me learn how much I SHOULD actually be eating throughout the day and how much I ACTUALLY eat. When you start counting your calories, don’t change your eating habits, simply count what you eat in a normal day and then compare it to how much you actually should be eating. When I first did it, I was shocked. I could not believe that I actually ate that much. A lot of times it is easy to forget what you ate earlier in the day if you are not being intentional about it and it is easy to eat sweets after every meal rather than just one. I learned that it is important to pay attention to the quality of your food. For example if you are drinking a soda, you are fueling your body with empty calories that could just turn into fat. I think counting calories is a good thing to do for a period of time until you get an idea of how much you should actually eat, but I would not live my it. Of course you are going to go over some days, so start out each day fresh. Once you get an idea of the average amount you should eat you don’t have to worry about counting as much. It is just a tool to help you put your portions into perspective.

It was not until I started counted calories, that I actually started seeing results. A year before my wedding I workout five days a week doing P90X at 6am and cardio a few days a week for a whole semester, but at the end of the semester my weight did not change at all. I was very disappointed. Once I started counting calories, I realized that I was eating way more than I should if I wanted to lose weight, so I started eating smaller portions. The next semester I continued to do P90X, cardio and added counting calories. I finally was able to see results. It was very rewarding in the end. After I met my goal, I stopped counting calories, but I am still cautious about the amount I eat. You will learn that you can eat all the lettuce and veggies you want if you feel like grazing. Overall I think it is a great tool to use for a period of time until you have met your goal, but don’t stress out about it. What are your thoughts or experience with counting calories?