Calories...do you know what they look like?

 

I might be the only one in the competition without a smart phone, but if you need to count calories the old fashion way, I like the site: Calorie King. Lots of options to figure out how many calories you ate. And it has an easy/free “how many calories should I eat?” tool. (It said the same thing as our health insurance company, so there’s my “in the mouth of two witnesses…”)

In the past I have used a food journal to record my calories and that is what I am doing again. It’s really easy for me to eat something mindlessly and then forget to add those calories at the end of the day (or to think “I really haven’t eaten much today” and then when I really think about it, I discover “oh yes, I have!”) Keeping a food journal makes me more accountable for what I have put in my mouth. I keep it close by throughout the day and keep a running total of the calories. Once I’m in the groove of counting calories, I usually wait until just before dinner to add up all the calories and then base what I eat on how many calories I have left. (I try to keep a few very calorie options on hand for those days.) A couple of years ago I was very faithful in keeping a food journal and I lost weight—even on vacation—then I got complacent and the pounds slowly crept back on (ugh!). So as I begin again, I do so knowing it needs to be a lifelong commitment to my health.

One of the best parts about counting calories to aid in weight loss is there aren't any “forbidden” foods...I can eat whatever I want knowing that at the end of the day my calories have to be below a certain number.

But really, whose idea was it to make calorie counting the competition for February? Valentine’s Day is in February, remember? So for our romantic dinner out (can it really be romantic if you take your 19 year old son with you??) I ate a kale and Brussel sprout salad for dinner and then shared a crème brulee (with 2 others) for dessert and it was worth every delicious calorie!