Motivation Losing Weight
Article by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites
The Diet Albatross
Losing weight can be accomplished much easier by reviewing your personal diet. Begin by writing down the number of calories that you consumed over the last couple of days. Don't forget to count beverage calories.
What? You don't know how many calories you have consumed? If you don't know the number of calories that you ate today, therein lies the Dreaded Diet Albatross - THE reason why those bathroom scales are locked on the wrong number.
There is a quick and easy solution! Simply begin counting those calories. It's not as difficult as one might think and it's the best way to ensure that once you lose that unwanted weight, that it stays off the body permanently.
One of the biggest mistakes made by dieters is losing the weight then quickly regaining it after the weight loss plan has ended. While almost everyone can lose weight - even large amounts of weight, only a handful of post-dieters are able to keep the lost weight off permanently. Therefore it's vital to know how many calories your body requires per day and to manage your daily diet around the body's nutritional needs.
Diet Bites has a Calculate Daily Calorie Needs which can assist in determining your caloric requirements. Keep in mind that activity level, gender, rate of metabolism and several other factors influence our daily calorie needs - so use the numbers as a pattern rather than setting them in stone.
How to Count Calories for Weight Loss Results
Keep in mind that our weight is based on the number of calories consumed. When calories exceed our nutritional needs, any excess calories are stored in the fat cells. Weight isn't governed by the amount of carbohydrate grams consumed OR the amount of fat grams consumed OR even the amount of protein grams consumed - rather the caloric amounts consumed.
Tips for Keeping Calories Under Control - YOUR Control
- To count calories, start by looking on the packages of foods that you eat.
- Add up the ingredient calories when you make your special recipes and divide that number by the number of servings produced.
- Purchase a calorie book for quick reference.
- When dining out, ask your waitress or the order-taker for a nutrition guide which lists calorie content.
Fat Grams Count Too, as Well as Types of Lipids Consumed
- Pay attention to the fat grams contained in specific foods. The more fat grams, the more calories therein. Be especially cautious of saturated fat content and steer clear. Keep in mind that 'fat supports fat'. When we're seeking to get leaner, we must opt for leaner foods.
Energy Equals Calories
- Remember to count all calories because about the only food or beverage that contains zero calories is water. Even tiny calories - such as calories from an innocent cucumber will be stored in the fat cells if they exceed your body's caloric needs for the day.
Nutritional Summary
Let's get back to our list. If you know the number of calories that you've consumed over the last couple of days, then again - therein lies the haunting Diet Albatross. Obviously and unfortunately, your diet contains too many calories.
Calculating Calories
If you are consuming 1,500 calories per day, then try cutting back to 1,350 calories per day. If you are consuming 1,350 calories per day, try cutting back to 1,200 calories per day. But remember: Do NOT go below 1,200 calories or the Dreaded Diet Albatross might choke you!
If you are truly consuming 1,200 calories per day and experiencing no loss of weight, then it's time to plan a check up with your doctor. If you have only been dieting 2-3 days, give those scales a few more days to catch up with all the good things that you have done for your body.
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