How to Calculate Calories Eaten

Calories are units of heat energy, and all foods contain them in the form of fat, carbohydrate and protein. Your body needs a certain number of calories to maintain your current weight. If you want to lose or gain weight you have to adjust the number of calories you take in accordingly. Fats contain 9 calories per gram; carbohydrates and proteins both contain 4 calories per gram. Knowing these basic facts can help you keep track of the number of calories you are consuming.

Things You'll Need

• Notepad
• Pen

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Instructions

• 1

  Create a food journal by writing down every bit of food and drink you put in your mouth. In order for calorie counting to be successful and accurate, you must account for everything you eat or drink.

• 2

  Consult the nutrition label for processed or fast foods either on the packaging or posted on the Internet. For example, suppose you ate a cheeseburger and a small order of french fries from a fast-food chain restaurant. Check the restaurant's website to see how many calories you consumed. Record this amount in your food journal.

• 3

  Assess the size or weight of foods such as produce, meat and grains that are not processed -- which means they do not come in a package with nutritional information. For example, in order to know how many calories are in a baked chicken breast, you will have to weigh it first. Be careful with using words such as "large" or "small," because they're subjective and do not give much valuable information.

• 4

  Visit a calorie reporting website such as My Food-a-Pedia. Enter the food you have consumed item-by-item, adjusting for the size or weight. Record the calorie amounts in your food journal.

• 5

  Total your calories for the day in your food journal. After a few days of doing this, you will develop a sense for the number of calories in certain foods. You might become tempted to stop writing down all the food you consume, but don't end this part of the process. If you do not write it down, then it is easier to tell yourself you didn't eat it -- and your calorie count will be inaccurate.