| Ask yourself "Is it worth the calories?" | | | | of pounds or even when you are consciously |
| One problem we all have when it comes to dieting | | | | trying to maintain your current weight it is very |
| is having to count calories. While it can be laborious | | | | helpful to be able to weigh your options when |
| and drudgery it is a necessary evil if you're trying | | | | choosing your foods. If you know that you are |
| to lose weight. You simply must know what you | | | | only allowing yourself 1500 calories in a day it |
| are putting in your body on a daily basis. As long | | | | becomes more important where those calories |
| as you are able to do this one simple thing and | | | | come from. Asking yourself "Are these calories |
| stick to your plan you will have success with your | | | | worth it?" lets you focus on your goal more and |
| diet. | | | | will often help you to make the right choices. |
| But how to count those calories? Some people | | | | Of course most times you will make the lower |
| opt for the paper and pencil method. I've done | | | | calorie healthy choice when you ask yourself if |
| this in the past and find that it IS laborious. Finding | | | | the calories are worth it, but that doesn't mean |
| all the necessary information about calories for all | | | | you have to be a slave to your diet. There are |
| the food you eat and carrying your little notebook | | | | going to be times when you will want to allow |
| is just too much for some. You can also do the | | | | yourself the pleasure of an indulgence and the |
| same thing with a spreadsheet, but again you | | | | calories WILL be worth it. If you are having an |
| need to find all of the nutritional information for | | | | especially stressful or challenging day it won't kill |
| your self. The best way I've found to keep track | | | | you to have a Snickers bar, just don't make it an |
| of my calories and nutrition is through the FitDay | | | | everyday occurrence. |
| database, available for free at | | | | If you're out on a special date or an anniversary |
| FitDay will allow you to track not only your | | | | dinner with your spouse or significant other of |
| calories, but also your exercises and weight loss | | | | course you want to treat yourselves. Go ahead |
| goals. There are thousands of items in its | | | | and order that chocolate dessert that has 1500 |
| database which makes it a breeze to track your | | | | calories per serving. In this case the calories are |
| daily food intake. | | | | worth it. |
| One big issue that will become immediately | | | | The point is that what you feed your body is |
| apparent to you when you start tracking calories | | | | entirely up to you. It is all about the conscious |
| is how easily empty calories slip into your diet. | | | | choices you make when eating. Too many of us |
| You'll be so much more aware of what you are | | | | use food as an emotional crutch and we don't |
| taking in. Take something like soda; any non-diet | | | | consider the impact of our choices. In fact, many |
| soda contains around 160 calories in a 12 oz | | | | times we are not even doing the choosing we are |
| serving. Well, 160 calories isn't a lot. But if you are | | | | simply reacting in a pre-programmed fashion. |
| tracking your calories you will see that 2 or 3 | | | | Once you start to track your calories and you |
| sodas a day is going to give you close to 500 | | | | see what an impact making the right choices can |
| calories. For a woman that's 1/3 of her normal | | | | have you will break out of that programming. You |
| daily allowance and even for men it is 25 percent | | | | will finally be able to feed your body what it |
| of a normal daily allowance. Once you see this in | | | | deserves rather than just stuffing it with empty |
| writing you begin to understand how you became | | | | calories. You will be making conscious choices to |
| overweight in the first place. | | | | keep some foods out of your diet except for |
| Personally for me soda is the first thing to go if I | | | | special occasions. And you will be on the way to a |
| want to lose weight. I find I can drop a pound a | | | | healthier slimmer life. |
| week just by dropping those 2-3 Cokes or | | | | Start today by tracking what you eat and then |
| Mountain Dews a day. And it is so much healthier | | | | you decide if it's worth the calories. |
| to drink water anyway. This is a conscious choice | | | | The author has held a diversity of jobs from |
| I am making about my diet and once I get into | | | | English teacher to steelworker. Currently he is in |
| the mindset of thinking "Are these calories worth | | | | the IT field and is a budding internet entrepreneur. |
| it?" I can apply the same concept to all of my | | | | Interests include travel, fitness and health, |
| food choices. | | | | computer gaming, website development and |
| You see, when you have a goal to lose X number | | | | enjoying life. |