Counting Calories

The internet can be a nightmare when you are trying to figure out how to count calories in order to lose weight. Everyone has a different method, different graphs, and different equations to determine how many calories they should consume vs how many calories they should burn in a day to lose a certain number of pounds per week, and they are not afraid to voice how YOU should do it too.




So I pay attention, I take notes, and do whatever works for me best.

 Learn from others, note tips

but follow your own gut. 

There are one hundred websites and apps that can help you decide how many calories you should be consuming to lose weight, here are some:
1. TDEECalculator.com
2. MyFitnessPal
3. Calculator.net

The whole business of calories in vs calories out seems really complicated to me. I am no mathematician and I was told there would be no math in my life after graduating college req credits. You ain’t going to catch me outside counting, subtracting, multiplying and dividing calories in versus calories out to determine how much weight I would lose in 8 hours in 16 minutes.

We’ll keep it simple.

My advice is focus on how many calories you are consuming in a day, and forget about everything else. I have never cared about how many calories I am burning at the gym. I have a set number of calories to consume a day, and that’s all I focus on. It makes my life easy. At first, MyFitnessPal told me to consume 1350 calories a day, and that’s what I did, whether I worked out or not. Simple enough, right?

 Well.

 This is where it might get a little tricky.

 Two weeks ago (about 8 months into my weight loss journey), I started to workout more. Suddenly, consuming 1350 calories a day took a toll on my body, and working out felt heavier than normal, I was tired all the time, and hungry. This went on for almost two weeks until I realized: Well, no sh*t genius, you gotta eat more if you want to workout more! Fuel your body! It clicked. I was forced to look up more tips and suggestions on how to track calories.

This is what I’ve found through experience 

and little research online:

1. Every little calorie counts. Everything counts. Yes, veggies too. Count everything and be precise.

 2. There might be a million websites out there to help you determine how many calories you should be eating in a day to lose weight, but stick to one or two websites. If you keep digging, you will find new numbers, and the harder it will seem. Websites will give you different numbers because none are 100% accurate and our bodies work differently, even if we are the same height and weight. So use one or two sources, get the amount of calories to consume in a day, and then follow your gut. I chose one app (MyFitnessPal) and stuck with it. In hindsight, I should have looked for a second opinion. But no more than two. It gets confusing the more you dig.

 3. There is such thing as consuming too little calories. I might be wrong, but your body needs the energy that comes from calories in order to be healthy, functional and live. (Especially if you are working out a lot and building muscle.) You can easily live a 1350-calorie diet if you are choosing the most nutritious meals, but after 8 months of doing so, it took a toll on me. As much as I support doing extreme calorie deficit diet for a while in order to create structure for your life, especially at the beginning, I also support listening to your body when your body asks for more calories. So if your body is asking for more calories, it doesn’t mean it wants the piece of chocolate cake you might be craving: it means it wants NUTRIENTS! Fuel.your.body.

 4. Starvation mode can happen if an extreme low-calorie deficit diet is done improperly for a long time. Your body will start preserving any and all calories you give it in order to survive and have the energy it needs to live. It might stop you from losing weight, and it might slow you down from building muscle. You might also lose hair as a result.

 5. Counting calories normally works for weight loss. It’s simple math. But it all comes down to how well you track those calories. To me, everything counts. I track everything. Be precise, be strict about it. The weight will come off if you do it right.

 6. The only way to do calorie counting right is by using your intuition too. If you are losing hair, your body is tired all the time, and you can barely finish a workout: You might be needing more calories. Be healthy and be smart about your choices.

 7. Calories are not the enemy here. Poor nutrition is. I find it fine to go over my daily calories as long as those calories are nutritious for my body. If I go over my calories by eating chips and chocolates, I don’t feel my best. But if I go over my calories by eating an apple, I feel good.

 Track your calories in a way that will benefit your body the most. 

 Using that intuition is what led to me to do this thing called reverse dieting. I will get into reverse dieting when the time comes, but I’m still in the process of testing it. I went from 1350 calories to almost 1500 calories a day because I needed the extra push. I’ve been working out more and building more muscle. Tomorrow is the big day and will weigh myself. I’m ready to see a one- or two-pound gain after the week, but we will see. If it happens, I’m okay with it because my body has responded really well to the calorie increase. I shall keep you posted.

Youtube Video: All about increasing calories

 Thanks for reading.

 Be kind to people.

 -Cabi