Counting Calories

Is it good to count calories? I don't think it is absolutely necessary, but I do find it useful.  Keeping calories consistent can be beneficial for our bodies.

When I first started going to the gym back in 2005 I wanted to lose weight badly.  I felt like I knew a lot about eating healthy.  I didn't keep track of anything.  I just kept a checklist going in my head.  Choosing portions that looked right and keeping starchy carbs to a minimum. I substituted sweet potatoes where I used to eat white potatoes.  My consciousness about the food I ate rose considerably.  Unfortunately, the number of pounds that I lost in those first couple of months were very disappointing to me.  The scale wasn't moving at all. The weight was not coming off of me.  My trainer asked me to write down everything I ate over the next couple of days so he could determine if I was doing something wrong.  I didn't see the point.  My choices were all good choices and my fat intake was at an all time low.  At least I could get his opinion.  Over the next couple of days, I logged all of my food with approximate portion sizes.  I didn't weigh or measure a thing. Well I couldn't believe it.  It may have only been a coincidence but didn't my weight start to drop at that exact same time I began to keep track.  My trainer looked over my choices and couldn't find fault with what I was eating.

 The results I continued to have over the next couple of months were very fulfilling and I was reaching all of the goals.  Even though I had stopped logging my food after only a week. Because I had stopped counting calories  I never considered it to be advantageous.

Several months passed and I continued to be pleased with my progress.  It was then that a friend suggested a program to me for keeping track of calories.  He told me that it was very simple to use.  There was a log for both food and activity.  It sounded too good to be true as far as diets go.  I decided to give it a try,just to see what it was like.  The program's name is Diet Power.

Right from the start I was impressed with how easy to use it was.  I could record my weight every morning.  Its' food and exercise database is quite extensive which made it easy to find  a close proximity for all  my choices.  The program gives a rating to you for how well you are doing.  I haven't really figured out how it does that and what criteria the rating is based on.  It inspires me none the less.  What I found so interesting about this program was the way it made me more accountable to myself.  Causing me to make the best informed choices.

Calorie counting may not be for everyone.  Then again it may show you a whole new way to appreciate why it makes good sense to make wise choices. If you are on a good eating plan and always eat whole foods you won't have any weight issues.  Even then you may like experimenting a little with something new.  These new programs can add a little fun to becoming calorie wise.