Counting 1, 2, 3 … Calories In, Calories Out

Diets Schmiets … let’s face it – I love to eat! But I would also love to look in the mirror and not see the effects 2 children have had on my waistline and thighs! I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I’ve tried a dozen or so diets over the years, only to watch the numbers on the scale go up and down like a yo-yo. Then a friend recently introduced me to “The Daily Plate”. It’s a really cool, easy to use calorie counting site – and the best part is its FREE! All you have to do is sign up and start tracking.

Start off by creating your personal profile based off your age, height, weight, daily activity level and weight loss goals. The calorie calculator then provides you with you daily calorie goal. Just be sure to update it frequently as you start to lose weight so your goal can be readjusted.

Then, each day you keep track of all the foods you eat. They have a database of just about any kind of food you can think of from something as simple as a banana or an egg to your favorite brand names such as Kellogg’s Smart Start cereal or restaurant foods like Nothing But Noodles Pad Thai. Once you track something, it goes into your personal food bank so you can easily go back to the foods you eat frequently. As you add food to your Daily Plate, you are reminded how many more calories you have left for the day. And as an added bonus, all of your nutrition information is tracked as a percent of your daily value (I am constantly shocked by the amount of sodium in certain foods!) What about your favorite concoctions? Create a new meal for yourself and you can track those too! For example, my morning coffee with fat free half and half and 3 sugar packets (54 cals) or my favorite salad creation at Dean & Deluca (340 cals). Easy Breezy!

Lastly, track any additional exercise or calories burned above and beyond your normal activity. Again – massive database to help you calculate how many calories an activity burns. See how easy this is? There are a lot of other cool features about this site, but I won’t bore you with them here – check it out for yourself!

So now you’re probably wondering how it’s working out for me … well, I’d love to say I’ve lost 15 pounds and I’m ready to rock out my bikini at the pool – but not quite! I will say, tracking calories like this feels more like a competition than a diet though. I’m always trying to find ways to shave off a few calories here and there so I can beat my goal. I definitely notice a change in the scale on the weeks I stick with it and stay below the line each day. I think just being more aware of what I eat … and the true nutritional value of my favorite foods … really is half the battle. I’m happy to say I’m 6 pounds down and still counting!

According to a recent story that aired on the Today Show, “All that really counts is cutting calories and sticking with it, according to a federal study that followed people for two years.” The research found that the key to losing weight boiled down to a basic rule — calories in, calories out. Check out the full story here.

Share your calorie saving tips with the rest of us! Or do you have a super Smarty site or tool that you really like to help maintain a healthy lifestyle?