How to Count Calorie Intake

The recommended daily amount of calories to maintain a healthy lifestyle varies depending on your size. The minimum daily amount is 1,200 calories, but this is not enough for most people. There are free calculators available on the Internet that just require information like your age, weight and height. These calculators will calculate the amount of calories you should eat each day to lose weight or to maintain your health. Once you know how many calories you need a day, all it takes is sticking with your plan to reach your goal.

Things You'll Need

• Food diary
• Calculator

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Get a spiral notebook or day-planner and make a habit of writing down everything you eat. Allow space to log all of your meals and snacks so that it is easy to review later. Sometimes when trying to lose weight, knowing you have to write down what you put in your mouth will help you resist unhealthy temptations.

• 2

  Pay close attention to portions and serving sizes. If overlooked, this can sabotage any plan. Many restaurants serve more than one portion as a meal. Knowing this, you can divide your meals into better portions to fit your desired caloric intake when eating out. Always log the amount of calories in your meal in your food diary.

• 3

  You may have to search harder in some restaurants, but most provide a printed list of nutrition facts about the meals they serve. Be sure to pay attention to recommended serving sizes when reading nutrition facts on prepackaged items because some are misleading at a glance.

• 4

  Reduce caloric intake gradually to lose weight. Simply reducing the calories you ingest daily by 500 can show results in a few weeks. Gradual changes are best because they give you time to create better eating habits and a better chance for sticking to your goals.

• 5

  Consider your exercise routine when setting goals. It is important to exercise and count calories together for the best results. One pound equals 3,500 calories. Knowing this, you can tailor your workouts and your meal plans to easily maintain a healthy weight.

• 6

  Add the total calories ingested for the day before you go to bed. If the label instead listed grams of fat, protein, carbohydrates and sugars, you can still count the calories with a little math. One gram of protein, carbohydrate or sugar is equal to four calories. One gram of fat is equal to nine calories.