How to Count Calories Per Day

Weight loss can be one of the most difficult objectives to achieve. It often involves careful planning, hard work and constant vigilance. Maintaining a healthy diet is an essential part of weight loss, and it's common for people to not understand how much food they are actually eating in a day. Counting calories can help you keep your food consumption under control and in turn help you lose weight.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring cups
• Food scale
• Food calorie database
• Journal or spreadsheet program
• Calculator

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Instructions

• 1

  Decide what tools you would like to use to keep track of your calories. A notebook is a good portable solution, since you can carry it to work or school and immediately record the food you eat while using a spreadsheet can ensure that your calories get added properly. Use either of these options or both in combination depending on what you think will work best for your situation.

• 2

  Calculate how many calories you need to consume in a day to maintain your weight or lose excess weight. This can be done manually with a complicated formula or more accurately by using an online calorie calculator.

• 3

  Read food labels and measure foods to determine how many servings you are consuming. Refer to your calorie count database or book for the calorie counts in foods without a label.

• 4

  Measure your portions carefully using a scale, measuring cups and basic estimations for produce. When you are first beginning to count calories, eat normally for one week and then compare the total to the number of calories you should be consuming daily. This will allow you to determine how many calories to add or remove from your diet.

• 5

  Write down everything you have had to eat or drink each day and add up the number of calories you have consumed.