Counting Calories

Calories matter when it comes to changing body composition, losing fat or weight, and even for athletic performance. The foods we eat are sources of calories. The activities we do each day such as cleaning, walking, exercising, burn calories. Over time, if you are consuming fewer calories than you are burning, you will lose weight, and vice versa.

For some clients, I teach them how to track calories and macronutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates) depending on their goals. I want to note that this strategy isn’t always the best.

So how do we count calories?

1. Download a nutrient tracker such as MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, or nutrient tracking related app.

2. Record what you eat and drink each meal.

3. Once everything you have consumed is recorded, the app will reveal the number of calories and other additional nutrients you ate in total.

Sounds simple? Step 2 is where many people struggle. Let’s say for breakfast you want to make yourself a vegetable egg omelet with bacon and a glass of orange juice.

Here would be the steps for proper tracking:

1. Record the number of eggs you use and the size of them. For example, 4 large eggs will give you a different calorie and nutrient breakdown than 4 medium eggs.

2. Next, you need a food scale to measure the vegetables you use. So, let’s take peppers, onions, and spinach. You would weigh each vegetable separately before putting them in the omelet. Record the vegetable and the weight you used on the app.

3. Lastly, you would scan the back of the label of the bacon and orange juice with your phone. If it is in the app’s library, then you just put how much you used (i.e. 3 pieces of bacon, 10oz juice). If the scan does not work, then you must manually put it in the app. Once that's completed, you have the calories and nutrients recorded for that meal.

Then you must do this for every meal, snack, and drink. This seems tedious but is necessary if you want to count calories.

Now let me note again that you do not need to count calories to reach your fat loss, performance or body composition goals. Personally, when my goal is fat loss, I count calories because I enjoy tracking data. But for some people, this task can be daunting and stressful. So other approaches can be used that are just as effective.

JL Fitness and Nutrition coaching can guide you in making sure you are using the right strategies for sustainable, long-term success.