Does counting the calories really matter? Why should it be so important? For many people who are paid up members of the ‘serial dieters club’ It’s something they are very used to, but which many of them hate with a thinly disguised loathing! Does it produce results? Does it help you to lose weight?
There’s a very simple rule that states that if you want to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you consume. You need to take control of your energy intake and output.
f that’s the case you need to know a bit about calories. Is that difficult? Absolutely not. Our diets do not tend to vary hugely. We don’t always eat the same things, but you don’t have to be a genius to be able to keep track of what you eat and it doesn’t take much to remember roughly how many calories what you eat is worth.
Is it necessary to be accurate? Not really, providing you are not widely out. Don’t forget your food portions will vary quite a lot and it is impossible to get the calorie value of every portion spot on. If you vary between 15 and 20 calories you will be fine.
What you need to do is to develop an ‘informed judgement’ of calorie values of the food you eat. After a while you’ll get pretty good at it. You’re not counting the calories exactly, but with practice you’ll be pretty close.
Once you have developed your ‘informed judgement’ you will become quite skilled at knowing exactly what you’re eating which should prevent you from making any big mistakes.
It will pay you to be able to know about calories, about their values and to know how to read food labels properly. When you buy food and when you eat food you should know as much as you can about it. The only judgement you should trust is yours.
Getting the Calorie habit is important if you are going to be successful at losing weight permanently. Changing your eating habits does involve counting the calories – not obsessively, but with common sense.
