Calorie diary – how to keep?
Content:
- How to properly keep a calorie diary
- The rules for successful calorie journaling
- The right strategy for keeping a calorie diary
- Kitchen scale
- Note snacks
- It’s also important not to obsess
It is known that achieving the dream figure requires a lot of effort. And everyone starts towards the goal with the clear idea that he will reach it not with a sprint, but slowly and consistently. However, sometimes we encounter stumbling blocks. We often feel hopeless when it seems like we’re doing everything right, but our goal seems to be slipping away and we’re running against the wind.
Practice shows that most often the delayed progress is due to a problem not in training, but in nutrition. Even if it is healthy, we may not have a clear idea of the amount of food we are taking.
This is true for both weight loss and weight gain regimens. Here, the best friend turns out to be the calorie diary .
Many people begin to lead one enthusiastically, but quickly find themselves. The truth is that this type of exercise is extremely beneficial in the long run.
How to properly keep a calorie diary
Don’t rely on your memory. If you try to enter all the products and their quantities at the end of the day, chances are you will miss one of them. For example – if you don’t add olive oil to the salad, the calorie diary will show that for the day you took between 200-300 calories less. By skipping a few pieces of dark chocolate as well as the milk you put in your coffee, at the end of the day you can easily find yourself taking in more calories without even knowing it.
The rules for successful calorie journaling
The right strategy for keeping a calorie diary
Introduce everything at the moment you start eating it, afterwards, and preferably before the meal. In this way, you will create a habit of being strict. It is important to introduce even fruits and vegetables. Calorie calculators , especially those in the form of a mobile application, give valuable information not only about calories , but about the correct distribution of macronutrients .
Kitchen scale
If you don’t have a kitchen scale, buy one. If you have it, but don’t use it – start. There’s no point in your calorie diary if you don’t know the exact amounts you’re eating. 50 grams of cheese is much less than you think. As well as 50 grams of nuts. You’ll get an idea of the quantities over time, but still don’t rely on it alone. For higher calorie foods, even an extra 10-15 grams or less can have a serious impact on your final energy intake for the day.
Note snacks
Don’t forget to include snacks, even if they’re a handful of nuts or two pieces of fruit. Several such meals during the day are valuable for the proper functioning of the metabolism , but they can mislead us if we forget to count our calories. If one of your snacks is 50 grams of nuts and the other is 1 fruit with yogurt, the calories you’ll miss entering are between 350 and 450.
In the long run, they can prevent you from losing weight or gaining weight. Add all the fats – 2 spoons of olive oil in the salad affects the final result. This does not mean restricting it, but counting your calories, especially if your goal is to significantly reduce your energy intake.
It’s also important not to obsess
There’s no need to turn down dinner with your husband or birthday cake for a girlfriend because you can’t read the label and count the calories in them. The goal is to be strict when you can, not fanatical. If you know you have a higher calorie meal coming up, try to limit other calories for the day. You should not starve until dinner.
Instead, choose lower-calorie foods and focus on protein and vegetables. And the advice of the experts – when dining out, always assume that the calories you will take in are more than what you would eat at home. If you’re trying to gain weight , stick to your standard eating out routine.
Look more:
– Benefits and tips for keeping a calorie diary.
