If you’ve initiated just one Google search about weight loss, we’d bet our bottom dollar that the term calorie counting has already breached your vocabulary. In short, this is one of the most commonly used phrases – and it’s for good reason.

Time to start that diet

The weight loss industry is full of myths and misconceptions and there’s no doubt that a lot of misinformation is published. Hidden amongst all of this is something that works – and that something is calorie counting. Sure, you might still need a visit to Sono Bello to remove excess fat, but in terms of a long-term approach calorie counting is worth its weight in gold.

It’s a simple formula; if you consume fewer calories than you expend you will lose weight. No questions asked.

Unfortunately, it’s not easy to maintain and as a lot of people have found, it’s not as easy as you might initially think to count your calories. It’s the latter problem that we are now going to focus on, as we take a look at some of the best ways to help you count calories and subsequently manage your weight.

Pen and paper can be your greatest tool

There’s no doubt that technology will help you emphatically in your battle to lose weight, but at the same don’t underestimate the power of traditional pen and paper. We’re now talking about food journals – and just how important they will be in your quest to keep your waistline as low as can be.

One of the hardest things about calorie counting is not knowing what you are consuming. Over the course of a day we lose track for what goes into our stomach – and a food journal can just act as a friendly reminder. By analyzing it every day, you will quickly see what things can easily be cut out and what things can stay. Suffice to say, it’s the former which will make the big difference.

But don’t underestimate the power of an app

At the same time, apps are powerful. Hugely powerful.

We’d advocate the pen and paper approach to start with, before moving onto an app as things get more serious. The beauty about an app is that all of the nutritional figures will be preloaded, meaning that a huge chunk of work has been cut out for you.

You don’t just have to rely on food apps either, but combine this with an activity tracker and you have the ultimate collection. Of course, this is all about calorie counting, so we’ll leave that topic for another day.

Have your go-to meals for counting

Another huge problem with calorie counting is the sheer amount of time that is needed. Counting how many calories are in each meal is exhausting at best, so a good strategy is to just do this for several meals at a time.

By doing this, and only concentrating on your favorites, you can get a good understanding of exactly what is in your dishes. Then, on your busy weeks, you can quickly put together a plan which already has the basic figures within it.