Many career moms are typically busy with their careers, families, and countless social obligations. If you fit this category, you may be wondering how you can squeeze in fitness into your lifestyle. One way to do this is by learning to count calories. This way, you can make sure that you’re not going over your recommended — or preferred — daily calorie limit.
Basic Overview
Before starting calories, try to familiarize yourself with the dos and don’ts of the process.
The first step is identifying your daily energy needs. This will help you decide how much calories you should consume daily.
You may use a calorie calculator to determine your daily requirement. Your calorie limit typically depends on several factors, such as:
- Your age
- Current weight
- Intended weight
- Height
- Lifestyle
- Fitness routine
Once you’ve figured out your caloric requirement, it will be easier to plan your meals so you could achieve your weight loss (or management) goals. Regardless of any other factors, medical and fitness experts caution that you should not consume any less than 1,000 calories per day unless under the strict supervision and monitoring of a doctor.
The Process
The basic principle surrounding the calorie counting process is easy to follow. Upon establishing your daily caloric needs, you keep close count of the calories contained in the foods you consume and count the total number of said nutritional elements.
The Proper Method of Calorie Counting
Keep A Written Log
Fitness experts and healthcare professionals agree that you should keep a record of your calorie intake. Doing so keeps you aware of how much more calories you can take or if you’ve reached your limit. Adhering to such practices will help you maintain a clearer picture of your progress. Trying to commit daily numbers to memory alone is almost a surefire way of ruining the process.
Record Exercise Cycles
Maintaining a documented account of your exercise record is just as important as logging in your calories. When you have an idea of how many calories you are burning, making dietary adjustments would be easier.
Consume Smaller Portions
Source: ShutterstockA major key to proper calorie counting is the intake of smaller portions. You could achieve this by doing any of the following suggestions:
- Serve yourself portions that are no bigger than a tennis ball
- Use smaller plates
- Never eat directly out of a container
Snack Only On Healthy, Low-Calorie Foods
You will get the urge to snack from time to time. However, such cravings should be satisfied by eating only nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables.
Make the Right Choices
Granted, you can technically consume a specific percentage of unhealthy food and still meet your daily caloric needs. However, doing so often defeats the purpose of counting calories. Usually, people count calories to lose or maintain weight, attain better health, and achieve an improved fitness level. Therefore, eating 200 calories of healthy food is likely to yield optimal results than eating the same amount of junk food.
Calorie counting is an excellent way to monitor your diet, achieve various fitness goals, and maintain optimal weight. That said, success in said endeavor requires adherence to specific guidelines. However, if you are committed to the process, the action could help you attain most, if not all, of your health and fitness goals.
