As I stated previously, you don’t have to count calories to lose weight. Some “systems” use other tracking measures that may seem more simple, but ultimately do count calories. Weight Watchers uses a point system. The higher the calories, the higher the points. So if that works for you, go for it. If you want a tool to help you count calories, there are a couple of online calorie counters that I really like. One free site is www.fitday.com (I use this with many of my clients) and then there’s www.calorieking.com that’s a subscription site that is very easy to use.

You can also focus on other aspects of nutrition that can help you lose weight. A couple of those are:

1) Portion control. Making sure that what you dish out onto your plate is what is an appropriate amount, here are common serving sizes.

Grains- 1 slice bread, ½ cup rice, pasta or cooked cereal, 1 ounce cold cereal, ½ English muffin, ½ tortilla

Vegetables- ½ cup cooked, 1 cup leafy greens

Fruit- a medium sized fruit is about the size of a woman’s fist (1 cup), ½ c. juice, ½ grapefruit, ¼ cantaloupe, ¼ cup dried fruit

Meat/fish- 3-4 ounces is about the size of deck of cards.

Dairy- 1 c. milk, 1 c. yogurt, 1 ounce cheese (the size of a thumb from the knuckle to the tip, or the size of two saltines), ½ c. cottage cheese, ½ c. ice cream

Other non-dairy protein sources- 1 egg, ½ cup beans, 2 Tbsp peanut butter, ¼ c. nuts or seeds

2) Frequency of eating. Your metabolism rises every time you eat. To keep your metabolism and energy levels higher throughout the day, more frequent, smaller meals should be consumed. It is generally recommended to have 5-6 meals/day, beginning with breakfast. So breakfast, mid-morning snack (mini-meal), Lunch, mid-afternoon snack, Dinner, before bed snack, is a good eating schedule.

3) High Nutrition/Low Sodium and Saturated Fat. Making better choices for higher nutritional value is another weight loss strategy. Lower nutritional values, high saturated fat, and higher sodium foods all are less healthful choices. I grew up on Wonder bread and Velveta cheese. Here are 2 classic examples of heavily processed, low nutritional value choices. Now I eat double fiber, whole grain breads and lower fat cheddar cheese… better choices. It’s not about being perfect, just make better choices. Read labels.

 

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