Counting Calories

I recently started counting calories again. I find I am at 2100-2500 calories a day. I understand why I am not losing weight and in fact gaining a little all the time.

We do have to be smart about balancing out our caloric consumption and expenditure in order to manage our weight. Most of us middle aged women only need about 1500 calories a day to maintain a 150 pound body. (Your exact caloric requirements can be determined by a registered dietician or a good on-line source is mypyramid.gov.) When we were younger our bodies required more calories, as we age we lose muscle. The average person loses 10 pounds of muscle every decade after age 40. We can combat this loss with strength training. Having muscle increases our basil metabolism. Limiting ourselves to a reduced calorie diet can be a difficult transition and it certainly doesn’t feel fair!

We have to change our thinking regarding food consumption. The first step to understanding how many calories are in a serving, is to be a label reader and count them. Once you educate yourself on caloric content you will be more able to make healthier choices naturally. I don’t recommend being obsessive about calorie counting that will feel like a diet. Shoot for healthful lifestyle changes and not diets. Try counting calories for 21-28 days as an educational tool. Knowledge is a good foundation to build your strength upon.

Proverbs 10:14 “Wise people store up knowledge. But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.”