Calorie Counting

My brother and sister made a pact sometime recently to count their calories.  Umm, you might be wondering (as am I) why I was left out of this golden chance of sibling comradery.  Some guesses include:  because I now only like to stare at sweet Baby Jude all day long, because it sounds boring, and because I only eat celery so I don't need to count calories...but I'm gonna follow my instinct on this one and say it's because I don't have an iPhone, and so I don't have the iPhone app that counts your calories. It's rough being the chronically uncool middle child and a Blackberry owner.  I know.  I know.  But listen up suckas, I'm counting calories with you foos anyway! 

 

And in the style of someone who has to invite themselves to a party, I'm going to tell you how to do it better.   

 

While there are many different strategies to losing weight, research shows that people who lose weight and keep it off usually have these 2 habits in common:  monitoring their food intake & weighing themselves regularly.  So this calorie counting business is a great idea!  The main reason for this is, having the knowledge and skill to count calories gives you quite a good amount of control over what you eat. This skill is useful both in the short term as well as the long term.
 
UNSOLICITED TIPS:

• Make a note of what you eat. And no, not a mental note. Write it down, key it in, or record it to your answering machine - whatever works for you. Since you can't always calculate your calories on the spot, small notes are key if you want to own up to what you eat.  
• Remember to include vitamins & diet supplements, beverages, candy, and sauces.  
• Since figuring out exact amounts can be tricky, here are some guides to help gauge healthy portions.

 http://www.manitobahealthyliving.ca/keeping-portion-size-under-control

Based on an average-sized woman’s hand:

• Use your two open hands to guide you in selecting a healthy serving of vegetables.
• Use your fist to select a healthy portion of grain products. Your serving of rice or pasta should be equal to your fist.
• Use your palm to measure a healthy serving of meat and alternatives. Your chicken breast, lean steak, or fish filet should be the size of your palm.
• Include a fist-size serving of fruit with or between your meals.
• Use a thumb tip-size serving of fat. Choose fats that are heart-healthy.

http://moveurbody.com/tag/portion-sizes/

 

**If you're like me and don't have an iPhone, don't worry!  Blackberry has calorie counting apps too!  And if you don't have a Blackberry, also don't worry!  The Internet has tons of free sites that help you keep track!  And if you don't have a computer, a pen and paper get you through (but you should really get a computer  so you can read my bloggy allll the time)!