Should I Count Calories or Keep a Calorie Tracker?

Do you want to improve your overall health? From keeping a calorie tracker to tweaking your diet, here’s everything you need to do to boost your health.

If you’re wondering whether you should count calories, you aren’t alone. This recent trend calls for counting calories by plugging everything you’ve eaten into your calorie tracker. But is it necessary to count calories? If you’re trying to lose weight, your calorie tracker can come in handy. It’s helpful to count calories because the idea of calories in, versus calories out, is the key to losing weight. But what exactly is a calorie?

What is a calorie?

A calorie is a unit of measurement. The amount of heat energy required to increase the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1°C is known as a calorie. The energy your body receives from food and liquids you consume is measured in calories.

Why do you need a calorie tracker to count calories?

Whether you want to lose weight or improve your overall health, it is always a good idea to track your eating habits. This practice can reveal your unhealthy dietary patterns and encourage you to make healthier food choices. However, your food diaries and journals are not always accurate. Studies show that participants significantly underestimate their calorie intake, often by as much as 2,000 calories per day. This is why you need a calorie tracker. It can help you count calories more accurately. According to a recent analysis, people who participated in weight loss programs that included calorie counting lost about 7 pounds more weight than those who did not. Hence, the more frequently you count calories, the more beneficial it is. But how can a calorie tracker help? There are numerous websites and applications that offer quick and simple calorie tracker solutions to log the food you eat to streamline the process.

How to maintain a healthy, balanced diet?

While using an app tracker to count your calories can help you improve your eating habits and achieve your fitness goals, it is not a substitute for healthy, balanced and mindful eating. A calorie tracker only tells you how much you’ve eaten. But, in order to improve your overall health, you also need to focus on the quality of your food. Here are a few lifestyle changes that you can make for healthy, balanced eating:

Eat healthy, fresh food

Your overall diet and the types of foods you eat can significantly impact your health. For example, 100 calories of vegetables d will affect your health differently than 100 calories of chips. Therefore, in order to boost your health, it’s crucial to cut back on processed food. Instead, incorporate high-quality, fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet.

Read food labels

Many essential details that help you count calories can be found on food labels. You should also double-check the package's suggested portion size.

Exercise

A calorie tracker can help you count calories. But, for best results, you must combine a healthy diet with exercise. Regular exercise can improve your digestion and speed-up your metabolism, thus improving your overall health.

Stay hydrated

In order to avoid dehydration, you must consume a lot of fluids. Consume at least 6-8 glasses of water every day. However, refrain from sugary drinks, as they are high in calories.