What is a good way to count calories?

The answer to this question depends on how long you intend to count your calories for. If it is just temporary and you're only counting for a week to check your eating patterns then a small notebook or piece of paper will do fine. Write down the calories of the foods you eat as you go along with any other information you're tracking (fat, carbs, protein, sodium) and add it up at the end of the day. If your counting will last longer, or is a permanent change, you can start a spreadsheet. Make one spreadsheet with all the foods you eat and the calories they contain. That way when you eat a food, all you have to do is copy and paste. At the end of the day you can use the sum function to add up all the numbers for you.

FoodTemplate.xls - Here is a food template with a lot of popular food items that you can download.

You can also download software that will count your calories automatically for you. They may be the simplest option. All you have to do is click on the food you ate and they do the rest for you. Remember to keep track of your total intake throughout the day. You don't want to find out at the end of the day that you're over your calorie goal by 1,000 - it'll be too late to do anything. For more information on how to calculate calories for your specific weight goal, visit the Nutrition Guide. You can also check out how others are counting their calories or share your own tips at the diet and nutrition forums.

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