Calorie Counting 101

I have countless clients that will work their butts off and barely lose any weight. The reason is ALWAYS food. Read more on how to get a grip on your food and calorie intake...

I know you've heard it a hundred times, but  the #1 key to losing weight is to COUNT YOUR CALORIES! Now, how do you actually do this? Well, the most effective way is to write down EVERYTHING you eat and drink. If you are computer savy (which you should be if you're reading this blog!) then you really need to use http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ to catalog your food intake at the end of each day. They also have a handy dandy iPhone app that you can use on the go. My favorite thing about My Fitness Pal is that you can email your weekly calorie log to your trainer or me (if you're in one of my bootcamps) so that we can figure out where you are messing up.

So, how many calories should you actually consume?

·        Limit the amount of calories you eat to your goal weight times 10. This is for males or females. For example, if your goal weight is 185 (male), then eat about 1,850 calories a day. If your goal weight is 140 (female), then eat about 1,400 a day.

·        When I say “EAT” 1,500 calories a day, that means EAT, NOT DRINK! Don’t let any liquid pass your lips that contains calories… Coffee and water only.  1 or 2 diet sodas is acceptable, but no more than 2!

·        3,500 calories equals about one pound of fat. Therefore, you have to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in to lose one pound. For example, if you cut 500 calories from your diet every day, you would lose about one pound a week. Or, if you are physically active, you can eat 250 calories less every day and burn 250 calories per day with your workout. The healthiest option is to eat less AND work out.

Other weight loss thoughts....

•   I am always amazed when people say they are hungry when they start to diet. DUH! Of course you’re hungry! You have stretched out your stomach to accommodate the crazy huge portions you’ve been feeding yourself. You must realize that you WILL be hungry when you start to eat less.  Your stomach needs to shrink back to its normal size.
• If you are used to eating huge portions, then it will take about 2 weeks for your stomach to shrink to adjust to the correct, smaller size portions. One portion is the size of a deck of cards.
• EAT CLEAN… no pizza, fast food, liquor, beer, etc. Don’t expect to get ANY results if you are eating junk!

The way your body looks is 90% up to you! It is 70% what you EAT!, 20% how you workout &  only 10% genetics. So be careful what you EAT!

Email me with any questions at mariettasmcclure@gmail.com. Happy calorie counting!