Check out the CDC’s website for a good overview of caloric balance.

Most people know that the foods the eat– both in type and in quantity– have an incredible impact on their well-being, even more so than exercise.  It’s common to hear athletes and coaches say, “You can’t outtrain a bad diet.”  That’s a sad but true reality.

Keeping records of what you eat can work to motivate you in the same way that keeping an exercise log lets you realize how much effort you’re putting in to your workouts.  Similarly, planning your meals helps keep you on track just like calendaring your workouts holds you more accountable.   But where do you start when you want to get a better understanding of what you’re eating?

A Calorie Counter can be your new BFF

Fortunately, the world of app technology has made keeping a food log pretty darn easy.  Apps like Spark People and My Fitness Pal allow you to track both food intake and calorie expenditure (exercise!) in one simple interface.  These work really well for a lot of people, particularly if your eating is simple and straightforward.

But if you’re the kind of person who does a lot of cooking one-dish-meals, it’s a bit more challenging to guesstimate the number of calories on your plate.  That’s where I feel like the app Calorie Counter has a real advantage.  It allows you to enter your recipe into its website, and it will determine the calories-per-serving size for you.  This saves the headache of having to enter individual ingredients time and time again.  Furthermore, you can scan barcodes of packaged food items, from which it determines the nutritional profile.

There’s one area where I think all of the calorie counting apps could be improved: I’d love to see a row of faces with different emotions on them so that I could click on how I felt both before and after eating particular foods.  Because so many of our food decisions are emotionally-driven, having the record of a certain craving being not-as-fulfilling-as-hoped could help me make a better choice the next time.

Finding the patterns in your eating habits

I always encourage my health coaching clients to track what they eat.  It doesn’t have to be an every day chore, but giving yourself the challenge of reflecting on your nutritional intake can make you more aware of how you eat (and why!).  You may also see patterns emerge regarding when you eat. This is all important information for you along your wellness journey.

Once you can identify patterns in your eating habits, you can start to make small changes to support your health. Maybe you notice that you always grab for something sugary at 3pm. Rather than go for the chocolate, eat something to balance your blood sugar and give you more sustained energy. Or perhaps you notice that the cheeseburger you’ve been craving sat like a rock in your stomach all afternoon. Whatever feedback you can give yourself sets you up to make better choices next time.

Will a calorie counter turn me in to someone who eats only boring food?

Even if you eat at restaurants often, there are ways to cut calories when eating out. Being mindful of what you order and how it is prepared is a good first step. Advocating for yourself by asking for a simple preparation, no sauce, or a doggie bag at the beginning of your meal all help cut calorie intake.

Remember that there’s always room for a splurge in any eating plan.  It just makes keeping track of the big picture– over a week, for example– all the more important!  Knowing that you come out in a balanced position at the end of the week is far more important than what happens on any one day.

Do you use an app or online calorie counter?  How has it helped you reach your fitness goals? Let me know in the comments!