Calorie Counter -The easy way to count and calculate calories

The art of successfully balancing a diet involves eating enough food to stay healthy, yet lose weight. For many overweight people this may mean they will have to break some old and unhealthy habits. Meal portions may need to be reduced and they may have to record exactly what foods they are eating every day. The routine trip to the hamburger joint will in all likelihood be eliminated and the fridge may also be stripped of calorie-laden temptations. At first this may all seem a bit harsh, but truthfully, managing calories is one of the key elements that will make or break a diet.

What are Calories?

Calories are units of energy. They are measurements that will tell us the amount of energy that is released to our body when we eat. No doubt about it, to properly function, we do need calories and the energy they produce. Unfortunately, most people get too many, which then manifests itself in excess weight. A calorie is also the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius.

Why should we count calories?

The calories in our food come from sources such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Anyone who wants to lose weight will have to figure out where their calories are coming from and they will have to calculate the amount of calories allowed by their diet. This means, they will have to count calories to prevent overeating.

Many diets will suggest that portioning meals is the key to success. This may indeed be the case in a variety of weight management plans, yet it should not fly solo. Counting calories is equally important, because it will bring much needed awareness to what we eat. Just think about it, when it comes to our favorite foods, we often pretend to be blind or just don’t know. Do you know exactly how much sugar, grease, and other weight-packing ingredients sneak into a triple chocolate fudge cake?

How can calories be counted?

The amount of calories consumed per day will largely determine how much weight a dieter will lose. Counting these calories can be accomplished in various ways. We can verify our daily calorie count by listing them on a piece of paper and adding them up every day, or we can use convenient, free food diaries and calorie counters online. These programs are easy to use, show great nutritional facts, and eliminate a lot of research and guesswork. Just type in any type of food and instantly the <a onClick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" href="http://www.alfitness.com.au/calorie-counter.asp" title="calorie counter">Calorie Counter</a> will show you its calorie content.

Calories and BMI

The best way to find out if you need to reduce your calorie intake is by checking your BMI, or Body Mass Index - a measure that compares our weight in relation to our height. This calculation will determine if you have too much body fat. A doctor or dietician can determine your body mass index, or you can type in your height and weight into easy-to-use online BMI counter. You will know your result instantly. Comparing it to a BMI chart will tell you if a diet would do you good. As you can see, knowing how many calories you consume will help reduce your BMI and can bring you back to a healthy weight range.