Calorie counting is an important part of maintaining a healthy weight. Experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, say to lose weight healthfully you should cut your daily calories by 250 and burn an additional 250 calories through exercise. Tracking the amount of calories you consume is an important part of this weight loss strategy. Free online calorie lists help you discover the amount of calories in the food you eat, making tracking quick and easy.
Government Issue
The USDA National Nutrient Database is a free, online catalog of food nutrients, including calories. This list includes 7,538 different foods and can be searched based on keyword, then narrowed through food group labels. Searching is not limited to calories. You can search the list based on a specific nutrient such as protein or fat, as well. Downloads are available, including searchable programs for computers and PDAs. The information is extensive, but the presentation can be confusing.
Basic Tool
Another free online tool entitled A Calorie Counter utilizes the USDA Nutrient Database. This program employs a user-friendly interface, and displays the information in a familiar format similar to the nutrition labels on packaging. It also provides nutrition articles and a frequently asked questions section to assist you.
Lifestyle Programs
Programs are available that provide calorie lists and an electronic food journal to help you count your daily calorie intake. Livestrong.com's Daily Plate is an example of this type of program. You can search the food database, find the food nutrition information and record it in the electronic food journal in one place. Users are able to enter foods themselves to grow the database. Additional lifestyle guidance is provided through articles on diet, nutrition and exercise, and you can calculate the calories in your favorite recipes using the recipe builder.
Calorie Calculator
An important part of calorie counting is figuring out how many calories you must consume each day. Lifestyle programs take you through a set-up process which calculates your needs for you, but if you're using a basic online list you'll need to do the calculations yourself. The University of Maryland provides an easy equation to help you discover your calorie needs. First, decide if you are a moderately active person or relatively inactive person. Inactive would be a couch potato while moderately active would be active but without planned exercise. If you exercise you'll need to account for the calories you burn in the equation total. To calculate, multiply your weight in pounds by 15 if you are a moderately active male or 13 if you are sedentary. Women use 12 for moderately active or 10 if you're inactive. The final answer is the number of calories you'll need each day to maintain your current weight. To lose weight, follow the MIT recommendations by subtracting 250 from this total. Burn the rest by going for a 60 minute walk, which uses approximately 277 calories.
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