a wednesday afternoon discussion: {calorie counting}

a wednesday afternoon discussion: {calorie counting}

afternoon!

happy hump day, friends.  it is a cool, crisp morning out here that began with a brisk 3.5 mile walk with the pups.  i love walking early in the morning when the streets are quiet and the environment peaceful.  as most days tend to get pretty crazy, it is nice to have this time to myself.  even if you’re not a morning person, i would challenge you to set your alarm just 10 minutes earlier one morning this week and take a quick stroll around the block.  i guarantee it will clear your head and set a wonderful tone for the day.  sometimes it’s the simple things in life (and it poops the pups... mocha has been sun bathing all morning!)

onward!  i had an early morning doctor’s appointment down in the city that required me to fast for 12 hours (!).  everything went well but, needless to say, i was famished leaving the office and stopped at a little café to grab a bite and get some work done.  i munched on egg whites stuffed with veggies (spinach, zucchini, broccoli + mushrooms) plus a side of toast and some cantaloupe. 

while eating breakfast, i started thinking about the practice of calorie counting and it’s place in my personal life.  i believe calorie counting has become somewhat of a taboo subject in the healthy living community because of its potential to perpetuate obsessive, unhealthy behaviors.  however, counting calories is also a great weight loss tool, when used appropriately and responsibly.

 

i personally have used calorie counting to both extremes and, as such, the practice has had both a negative and positive effect on my life.  as i do think calorie counting can be a very useful tool for those trying to lose weight, i put together some guidelines to ensure it is used in a beneficial manner.  {please note, these opinions are entirely my own.  always check with your doctor before embarking on any weight loss program}.

DO

• know your basal metabolic rate (bmr).  bmr is the number of calories your body burns to stay alive.  in other words, if you laid in bed all day, this number is the amount of energy (measured in calories) you would expend. 
• know your exercise expenditure.  having a rough idea of the calories you burn through exercise will help ensure you do not consume too few calories for your activity level.  there are plenty of websites that calculate common exercise activities.  
• keep a food log.  when i have tried to lose weight in the past, this was the most helpful tip i utilized.  this doesn’t have to be fancy, it can be just a scrap of paper, but it will help you keep track of daily calories and also identify any problem spots in your daily habits.  it took a week of logging my eats to realize i was often skipping breakfast, backloading calories, and consuming over half of my total daily intake between dinner and a bedtime snack.  
• cut calories responsibly.  it is widely agreed upon that females should not consume less than 1200 calories  per day.  rather, reduce calories in maintainable way.  if you add your bmr and daily exercise calories, this will give you your calorie burn for the day.  consume 500 calories less than that number per day and you will lose one pound per week.

DON’T

• obsess.  as a self-professed perfectionist, i struggled with this point.  you are not going to know the exact calorie count of every food you eat, and that is ok.  many websites (calorieking.com, caloriecount.com) have food databases that will give you at least a rough estimate on almost any food out there (including restaurant items!)  but, if it is a special occasion, or you just don’t feel like counting, don’t!  one snack, one meal, even one day, will not make or break you.  
• miss out on life.  there is no experience, food relate or not, that is worth missing to stay within your calorie goals.  you see a movie spur of the moment on a sunday, have a handful of popcorn!  your boyfriend surprises you with cupcakes, enjoy a couple bites!  maybe then you have a lighter dinner, or a smaller breakfast the next day.  the beauty of calorie counting is that you can account for treats throughout the rest of your day.  take a little here… give a little there. 

with those thoughts, i'm off to find a snack!  breakfast is still sitting in my stomach but i'm feelin' a little munchy.

what are your thoughts on calorie counting?  

any interest in seeing a sample food log from my calorie counting days?

 

Comments

[jamie @ cueyourlife]

Loving your blog, a great find! The link to it hasn't worked the last few days from HTP comment's section. Just a head's up!

I am WAAAAAYYY too much of a type A (+++) personality to get on board with calorie counting. I become totally obsessed over it. I am a crazy list person..and that is one I have never dealt with very well!

I think though, for those less up on health and nutrition, it's most important in calorie counting to remember to eat the RIGHT calories. It's really easy to get on the "eh, this candy bar is 280 calories and so is that piece of chicken with broccoli" wagon and go for the candy bar you know? Weight Watchers recently overhauled their "points" system (which is based on calories..regardless of what they say) to count fruits and veggies as 0 POINTS..no matter what. Yay! In calorie counting, as long as you're not taking in empty candy and drink calories (i.e juice, soda, alcohol)..I say, forgo counting the fruit and veggie calories. If you know you can eat as much of that as you want...you're going to eat more of it which I believe will lead to you eating less of everything else! Yay for fruits and veggies!

Food logging, I'm totally in on though...it's awesome to see what you've put into your body throughout the day. THAT'S a lasting weight management tool in my opinion!

[kathleen @ the daily crumb]

hi jamie! i think you're my first commenter :) excellent point about the quality of calories. YES a calorie is a calorie BUT there is so much more that goes into it.

thanks for let's me know about the link on HTP. should be all fixed!!