The amount of calories you consume each day has a direct impact on your ability to lose weight. When trying to lose weight, people often forget to factor in that handful of M&Ms they had for a midday snack or they might grossly underestimate what a correct serving size is, resulting in plenty of hidden calories. Learning to correctly count and record your daily calories will make you more aware of the good and bad foods you eat each day.
Step 1
Learn to read nutritional labels and educate yourself on serving sizes. One serving of Campbell's Chicken and Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup contains 210 calories. One can of that same soup is a little over 2 servings, therefore if you sit down for lunch and have a can of soup and 4 saltine crackers, you will have eaten over 500 calories and that doesn't even include a drink.
Step 2
Purchase a pocket-sized book on calorie counting. It should list common foods, their serving size and amount of calories per serving. Keep that book with you at all times to help answer any nutritional questions that may arise.
Step 3
Start a food journal and be diligent about writing down everything you eat. This will allow you to keep track of your daily caloric intake, plan for future meals and find any weaknesses you may have in your eating habits.
Step 4
Log on to Internet websites such as sparkpeople.com, fitday.com or my-calorie-counter.com (see Resources) and take advantage of the free tools they offer to help you easily and accurately keep track of the calories you consume.
Things You'll Need
- Calorie book
- Food journal
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