Counting Calories

I hate counting calories. I’ve tried dieting in the past, and the only thing counting calories has done for me is leave me with a splitting headache. There’s too much measuring and estimating when you’re trying to figure out how many calories you’re consuming.

Just to see where I should be at, though, I took the daily calorie needs test on the website and found that even if I just have a sedentary lifestyle, I need almost 3,000 calories to maintain my weight. That surprised me.

Too many of us, I think, see food as the enemy. We tend to forget that calories are actually energy, and in order to get through the day, we need to eat. Off the top of my head, I can think of a handful of people who have lost weight by not eating meals or by cutting their daily calorie intake to dangerously low levels. It worked, but at what expense?

To be honest, skipping meals and essentially starving myself has cross my mind on quite a few occasions, but it’s always just a passing thought. I don’t know about you, but I like food too much. I enjoy cooking and being able to try new recipes. I love being able to go out to dinner with family or friends and making it a social event. Movies wouldn’t be the same without popcorn. Sometimes regret follows as I look down at what I ate, but I try not to let it ruin my day or evening.

My mom has always said that nothing is bad for you as long as you eat it in moderation. As long as I follow that rule and listen to my body to know when it’s satisfied (and not stuffed), it will pay off. No one is saying you have to be perfect or get your calorie intake down to 800 calories. You need food, so enjoy! Just remember, moderation is key. Don’t use this as an excuse to consume all the calories you want today. Just know that food is not out to get you.