So the first thing you need to do if you are counting calories is know how many calories you should be eating each day. The number is based upon several factors including age, height, weight, and activity level. Also important is whether you are looking to maintain your weight or lose weight.
I reached my goal of losing those last 10 post-partum pounds a week or so ago, but have already gained two pounds back! So it’s time to count calories because I am clearly eating too much (and likely not exercising enough).
I found a great calorie calculator at Free Dieting: The Weight Loss Guide. I really like the calculator because it is simple and because it calculates calories for a maintenance diet, a fat loss diet, and an extreme fat loss diet. (Just looking at the calorie counts, I think the extreme fat loss diet might not be a great idea, but that’s not the point here.)
My calculation results? Eat 1774 calories per day for maintenance or 1419 per day for fat loss. I’m going with the 1774 and will step up my exercise.
The other thing I really like at Free Dieting is their idea about Calorie Cycling, which means that you eat a different amount of calories each day for a total weekly calorie count equal to eating the same amount every day. For example, to maintain my weight, Free Dieting suggests the following plan:
Monday: 1774
Tuesday: 1419
Wednesday: 2129
Thursday: 1774
Friday: 1597
Saturday: 1951
Sunday: 1774
I like this idea for two reasons. First, as stated at Free Dieting, calorie cycling “tricks” your body by constantly changing daily calories to help avoid weight loss plateaus. Second, if you “bust” your diet one day, you can correct it the next day! This is a great way to stick with my plan. Looking at my plan, I think I’ll switch Wednesday’s 2129 calories with Friday’s 1597 since my husband and I tend to eat out more on the weekends.
More about calorie counting tomorrow when I’ll show you a tool to make it easy.
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