If you’re focused on losing weight this winter, then chances are, you’re counting your calories. It’s easy to keep track of everything you eat and add it all up each day, but actually reducing your calorie intake is something else altogether. No worries! I can help. Here are my top ten ways to reduce your daily calorie intake.
1. Figure out how many you need
Photo Credit: Beth Rankin
The first thing you need to figure out is how many calories you actually need reach day. There’s a fantastic, easy-to-use calculator at http://www.mypyramid.gov that can help. It takes into account your age, sex, height, and current weight, along with your level of activity. Once you plug in all of these factors, the calculator will give you a personalized diet plan, and as part of your plan, it will tell you how many calories you can consume each day (along with how many of those can come from junk food).
2. Know the numbers
Photo Credit: .CellarDoor Photography.
Did you know that the different types of macronutrients have different numbers of calories? It’s true! Protein and carbs contain 4 calories for each gram, alcohol contains 7 calories for each gram, and fat has a whopping 9 calories for each gram… now that you know how many calories are in each gram of fat, it makes sense that cutting fat is the best way to cut calories.
3. Keep track
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Buy a small notepad or memo book to record the foods you eat, and the corresponding calorie count. Once you keep track or a week, you can look back and see which choices were the best, and which food choices left you unhappy and embarrassed. It’s shocking how many calories you will be able to cut, once you see where your weaknesses are.
