Phase 2 Calorie Tracking:
Why Calorie Counting Now?:
Why count calories?  Well there are two main reasons.

1. Without doing so, you most likely don’t know which day you are eating more calories than you should; and consequently are no longer losing weight. 

2. Maybe you are not eating enough; allowing your body’s homeostasis process to keep you from losing weight. 

3.  It will help teach you what you should be eating on a normal basis.

Counting calories will give you an accurate picture of how much you are eating and the record of the foods you eat can show you an overall pattern of how well you are eating over time.

Counting calories should not be a lifelong endeavor.  It should be something you use as a tool until you reach your goals.  Along the way, you will start to become more conscience of how many calories are in the types of food you frequently use and about how much you are eating.

The more accurate you are on logging what you eat the better the picture of how much and how fast you should be losing weight will be.  But don’t get obsessive. Some people will try to count the calories for lettuce on top a hamburger and even for pills they take.  One or two calories will not make or break you so don’t be obsessive.  On the other hand, don’t skip recording things you eat.  No sense lying to yourself-you already know the truth.

How many calories?:
How many calories you should be eating can be a real challenge depending on the how much physical activity you perform and the intensity of your workouts.

*** NOTE ***  Don’t miss the directions in the next paragraph.
If you weight has been holding steady and not moving, follow these directions.  For at least one full week, preferably two, eat what you have been normally eating but just start counting and writing down the calories.  The reason for this is to see what your body has actually been using.  Charts are only very rough estimates. 

Now realize that if you have been eating 1800 calories maintaining your weight and the chart says you should be eating 2500, your body’s homeostasis process has likely kicked in. On the other hand, if you have been eating 2500 calories and the chart say you should be eating 2200, your body has been able to process calories better.  In this case, use what you have been eating as a baseline for daily maintenance then reduce calories for weight loss.

When it comes to calorie charts, there are several different methods to use.  The most commonly used method is the Harris-Benedict equation.  Keep in mind that the chart cannot tell if a person has more or less muscle or the intensity and amount of exercise they get.  So calorie charts are only a scientific estimates and their accuracy is very limited. 

Go to the following link and enter your information to see an estimate of how many calories you should be eating.

Calorie Calculator


*** Very Important Notes:

1. Depending on the source, some people consider your BMR  (basal metabolic rate) the bare minimum caloric needs as if you sleep 24 hours a day.  Others consider the BMR to be 8 hours sleep and a non-active lifestyle; a couch potato lifestyle.  It is the number of calories your body uses in a day if you have no activity other than watching TV and working at a computer.    

2. For the answer to the daily activity level section of the calorie calculator, use the “No Sport/Exercise” as your activity level.  This will give you your couch potato BMR. 

2. This program shows the BMR level if you are able to walk but live the couch potato lifestyle.  Use the figure under it that tells you the calories you need.  This is your couch potato calories where you should use as a base line.
The only exception to this is unless you have a physically active job (which is usually not the case if you are overweight).  Then you might select “Light activity”.  

Why should you choose inactive even if you are exercising?  Choosing “inactive” will show you what your caloric intake should be WITHOUT exercise (BMR).  Then if you burn off 200 calories on the tread mill, you know exactly how many calories your body has burned for that day.  It is far more accurate adding actual exercise performed to your inactive calories than using guestimates of your daily activities levels.  After all, no one buns off the same amount of calories doing exercise each day nor will they work out 7 days a week.  In the real world, the calories you burn will vary from day to day.

3. Each time you lose 10 pounds you should reenter your information.  Rule of thumb is for each 10 pounds of fat you lose, drop your caloric intake by 50 calories.  Remember, the less you weigh, the fewer calories your body needs.

Where do I find the calories of foods?
Most all foods will have a label telling the calories of that particular food and the serving size.  Keep in mind though, the same foods may very well have different calorie counts (like 70% lean hamburger vs. 96% lean).  Also, you must measure the quantity of food you are eating to be accurate.

To learn more about food labels, go to the Mayo Clinic's interactive guide to reading. You can point your mouse curser over the label to learn more about each item on it and what to look for.


Nutrition Facts: An interactive guide to food labels 
By the Mayo Clinic  (MayoClinic.com)

How to read a package label
by William Sears, MD and Martha Sears, RN
(AskDrSears.com)
Next: Phase 2 Techniques pg1:

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