The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define being in caloric balance as consuming roughly the same number of calories you expend, both through physical activity and simply by your body's metabolic functions. If you're in caloric balance, your weight will stay fairly stable. If you're out of balance, however, your weight will increase as you consume more calories than you expend. One of the easiest ways to identify problem areas in your diet and figure out where to trim the fat--literally--is by keeping a daily food diary.
Step 1
Write down every single thing that goes into your mouth, including breath mints, chewing gum and liquids. This is known as keeping a food diary.
Step 2
Record the calorie count from product labels in your food diary. This saves you the trouble of looking those foods up later. Don't forget to calculate how many portions you ate. If the nutritional information on a bag of fish sticks is for 1/4 bag but you ate the whole bag, you have to multiply the calorie count by 4.
Step 3
Weigh foods on a food scale before you eat them if they didn't come with nutritional information on the packaging. Measure liquids in a measuring cup. Record the measurements in your food diary.
Step 4
Determine the calorie count of the foods you've measured and weighed. Look these up in one of the many commercially available calorie-counting notebooks or websites (see Resources) to help you calculate how many calories are in what you've eaten. Add this calorie information to the measurements you previously recorded in your food diary.
Step 5
Tally your total calories consumed at the end of each day, or, if you're a morning person, calculate the previous day's calories first thing the next morning. You may also want to make a chart or table to help keep track of your calorie consumption over time.
Tips and Warnings
- Account for every ingredient you add--even the oil you cook in or bouillon cubes you add to broth--if you make your own food. Write each ingredient down in your food diary, along with its caloric value. You may find it helpful to carry a small pocket calculator for simple calorie calculations. If you're not sure of how to make the calculations and don't have a calculator with you, just write down the math you don't know how to perform in your food diary, then work it out later when you have access to a calculator. Counting calories while eating out can be a real challenge. Don't be afraid to ask for calorie information when you order. Some dining establishments can provide it; some can't. Your chef might be able to estimate the number of calories in the food for you, you might find a general estimate in your calorie-counting notebook, or you can query about the ingredients involved to make a better estimate of your own. If you want a really accurate calorie count, stick to homemade foods that you can weigh and monitor, or eat only at establishments that can provide calorie counts for the food you order.
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