by Michelle Wilkinson

Created on: June 08, 2009   Last Updated: April 30, 2012

Calorie counting can be effective in enabling you to manage your weight, as monitoring your calorie consumption means you are able to make adjustments to your diet or activity levels when you realise that you are not losing or gaining weight, depending on what your goal is.

Even if you simply want to maintain your weight it is useful to know how many calories you are using and the amount you need to keep you sustained without leading to weight gain, although you probably don't need to be as methodical as if you have a specific weight goal.

Indeed, it can be helpful for people who are trying to lose or gain weight to keep a record of what they eat and how much, so they know exactly the number of calories they are consuming. This requires making a note of everything that is consumed and the quantity, and if you are the kind of person who comfort eats you might also want to write down your emotional state when you eat so you can learn to deal with your feelings without turning to food.

Once you know the impact of what you are currently eating on your weight or body measurements you will be able to make changes to what you eat in future if you are not achieving the results you'd hoped for.

Counting calories involves examining the nutritional information of the food you eat, which is usually printed on the back of your food purchases. Fresh food is less likely to contain such information, but there are websites which break down the nutritional content of a whole variety of different foods, and you need to remember that even though fruit and vegetables may be good for you; they still contain calories.

That goes for the drinks you consume as well; orange juice may provide you with nutrients, but it can also be calorific, thus you need to keep an eye on the beverages you consume.

You also have to give more thought to measuring out your food. If you are trying to lose weight you might have got into the habit of eating bigger portions than are considered 'normal', and so and up consuming more calories than you need, and so you need to retrain your brain to think in terms of smaller portions.

Likewise, if you are underweight or want to build muscle you need to make more of an effort to eat more, which may mean eating larger portions or eating more frequently to ensure you get enough calories to reach your goal. Often the information on food packaging gives you a recommended portion size so that you have something to work with. You also have to keep in mind, though, the additional ingredients you may be adding to the meal such as various sauces, which can also contribute to your calorie intake.

Counting calories can be used to manage your weight, but only if you are honest about the calories you consume. If you simply ignore some of the things you eat, telling yourself that 'they don't count' the benefits of tracking your calories may be lost.

How successful you are at controlling your weight can therefore depend on how committed you are to monitoring your calorie intake.

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