In the course of writing for this blog, I find myself looking up the calorie content and nutrition information on a variety of food products, from the exquisitely healthy to the very unhealthy. I use a number of free online tools to find this information, and it occurred to me that our readers could benefit from a quick run-down of the different sites out there and the resources they offer.
First and foremost, all of these sites will tell you a reasonable portion size for almost any given food and its corresponding calories. You can search both name-brand products and generic types of foods. They will also give you a “Nutrition Facts” panel such as you would find on a food package, that include varying degrees of detail. Many of these sites will also give you some sort of composite grade or score, which makes it easier to compare the nutritional quality of foods. A few of these sites also offer a visual tool to accompany this information.
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Social expectations can be huge pitfalls to healthy eating. It feels wrong to skip the cake at a friend’s birthday or a cocktail when celebrating your co-worker’s promotion. How do we get out of these situations without being a wet blanket? We’ve got solutions for some common food temptations.
Temptation: Office Birthday
Solution: Bring your own mug of coffee or tea, which will keep your co-workers from offering you soda, plus hot liquids can help you feel full. It is probably obligatory to eat a few bits of that store-bought cake, but don’t feel bad asking for a thin slice or ditching your portion at an appropriate moment.
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Food journaling is a great way to become more aware of how much you eat and how many calories you consume each day. If done with dedication, it’s a great tool to help you achieve your weight loss goals. Although keeping a food journal can be tedious, there are a variety of apps to help speed up this process and even provide you with a more detailed look at your daily nutrition.
Foodurama is one such app, which is now available in the Mac App store. You can use the database of over 7,000 different foods to record your diet, create daily meals plans and track calories. Foodurama will also tell you how much fat, carbs and protein you’re eating. You can also record any physical activities you do throughout the day, and the app will automatically adjust your requirements.
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Counting calories can be an excellent way to lose weight. After all, to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you take in. By tracking your calories each day, you can better balance how much exercise you need to create a deficit. The more you go over your calorie goal, the more you’ll need to burn in the gym or compensate for with your next meal. Remember, you need a 3,500 calorie deficit to lose one pound.
So, just how do you count calories? Well, it’s pretty easy. First, you determine the best way for you to track your calories. There are many online places to log your calories, food journals you can buy, or you can even make your own food diary using a plain notebook. Be sure to pick the method that is most convenient for your lifestyle. Next, you need access to a reliable calorie-counter book or website, such as CalorieKing.com. From there, you just write down every little thing and bite that you have no matter how small it is, along with its amount of calories. At the end of each day (or as you go), tally up how many calories you’ve eaten and see if that number meets your calorie-restriction goals. Adjust as necessary!
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When you think weight loss you think food and when you think food you think kitchen and when you think kitchen you think refrigerator. So what better place to visually keep yourself on track than with a meal planner right on the front of your refrigerator? The new Biggest Loser White Boards from Expo do just that. 
I’m a big proponent of this tactic, and have shared here the benefits of weekly meal plans. You’ll save calories, money and time that you can’t afford to lose. I personally use a tear-off pad with seven spaces that stays on the front of the refrigerator and revise it each Sunday.
So in that spirit, these new wipe-off boards from Biggest Loser and Expo could be just one more simple (and affordable) tool to eliminate the excuses and start holding ourselves accountable for making healthier decisions.
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