Here’s how to track calories if your weight is in the obese range.
Calorie tracking can be your best friend if you’re ready to lose a lot of weight and keep it off.
For whom does calorie tracking work best?
- People who enjoy keeping tight track of things.
- People who need to keep lists, charts and other documentation of the important things in life.
- Those who are very organized and require a lot of order and routine.
- Individuals who are detail-oriented.
- Dieters who haven’t had success with long-term weight loss.
Here are calorie tracking essentials from Prajakta Apte, RDN, owner and founder of Right Nutrition Works who helps people create a healthier lifestyle.
- Set a realistic calorie goal and weight goal that you can achieve.
- Keep a food log and enter the calories of each food and drink you consume throughout the day.
- Use apps to keep track of your calories such as MyFitnessPal, Lose It!, to name a few.
- Use measuring cups and spoons or a food weighing scale to measure your food at meals/snacks.
- Try to avoid using your eyes to estimate servings.
- Plan ahead and have a week’s menu ready; this will help cut down on making unhealthy food choices and excess calories.
When Tracking Calories Can Backfire
This article targets those who are drawn to the idea of tracking calories, rather than trying to convince every person who wants to lose weight to track and count calories.
That detail-oriented, list- and chart-keeping perfectionist will tend to gravitate towards keeping track of calories.
But even for the very orderly “everything in place” type of person, calorie tracking can ultimately become a drudgery or obsession.
Calorie Tracking Apps for the Obese and Overweight
In addition to the aforementioned recommendations, there are MANY apps for calorie tracking. You just have to find which one has features that grab your attention.
If you’re not into nit-gritty details, you may want to just track calories the old-fashioned way: in a notebook.
While some will see results from their calorie tracking fast enough for them to stay motivated, others might get frustrated and see the habit as a burden.
The most important thing for achieving weight loss is to find the strategy that works the best for you.
Prajakta Apte is the author of the eBook “Overcoming Nutrition Roadblocks.” Her personalized approach to nutrition therapies helps treat root causes of conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, GI disorders, hypertension and many more.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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