(PCM) People who keep track of their calories lose twice as much weight as those who don’t, according to Men’s Health.
That’s a significant difference! Studies have shown that writing down your daily food intake helps people lose more weight than those who don’t, and helps them keep it off, too. It could be the act of physically writing everything down and holding yourself accountable for every morsel; it’s easy to forget about that handful of cereal, or those Jolly Ranchers you ate at the office. Recording what you eat throughout the day can take care of this.
If you don’t want to carry a food journal around all day, there are plenty of discrete smart phone apps that work just as good, if not better! Calorie Counting apps do all the work for you, and help you track your calories, fat, and carbs more accurately. Not sure how many calories were in your morning bagel and cream cheese? Instead of underestimating, and therefore going over your caloric requirements, just search for it in the food database! It doesn’t get much easier than this.
If you really don’t want to take the time to record everything you’re eating, that’s okay. Some people are fine with keeping track in their mind, but in order to do this you have to be accurate with your calorie counts. Studies have shown that people pretty much always underestimate calories. A 2011 Harvard Medical School study found that 80% of young people underestimated the calories in their takeout meals – those who ordered 1,000-calorie meals underestimated the amount by an average of 350 calories, and those who ordered 1,500-calorie meals were off by 700 calories.
Another study found that women who consume an average of 2290 calories a day report they eat only 1650!
Be realistic and accurate with your calorie counting – it could mean the difference between losing 10 pounds or 5. And if all it takes is downloading a free app, well, what are you waiting for?!
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Write Your Way to Fitness
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