Some people take counting calories to the heart. Have you ever had one of those friends who are constantly on their phones logging the calories of each food? Or perhaps you are one of those people. It is not necessarily a bad thing, however it is not an effective way to lose weight. Counting calories can also be associated with eating disorders because people often become more obsessed with a number than what they are actually eating. Georgie writes tips on how to stop calorie counting and gives advice on how to focus on what to eat to get a leaner and healthier body. Georgie Fear is a registered dietician and has worked the passed ten years as a nutrition consultant. She is an expert in the nutrition field and has helped many clients maintain a healthy lifestyle. In her blog, How to Stop Counting Calories with Habits, she shares several tips on how to substitute counting calories for other weight loss ideas.
Georgie breaks her tips up into six stages. The first stage consists of only eating when you are hungry and trying to eat 3-4 meals per day. Georgie explains that a lot of the extra calories come from eating a lot during one meal if people eat only 2 large meals a day. People who consume 5-6 meals a day can also encounter this problem. The second stage includes ways to stop counting the amount of fruits and vegetables that one eats through out the day. Fruits and vegetables do not contribute to a lot of calories and people should be eating a lot because they are nutrient dense. The third stage consists of not logging calories after each meal. Georgie recommends setting a minimum protein and fat intake goal for each meal, but not getting caught up in obsessing on how many calories you are consuming. The fourth stage includes eyeballing protein portions. It is good to control portion sizes of the meals you are eating. This will help because instead of focusing on how many calories are in a chicken breast, eating the right portion size will be more effective. Stage five consists of practicing to estimate fat content of your meal. Georgie explains that fat is very calorie dense and staying aware of how much fat is in your meal can help prevent calories from getting out of hand. Lastly, stage six includes staying flexible and just eating. Georgie’s last great piece of advice is to eat only when you’ve been hungry for 30-60 minutes, choose almost all whole foods, and stick to 3-4 eating occasions per day with each one having some protein and fat in there.
I thought that this blog was very interesting because I always hear about how people should be worried about what they are eating rather than the number on the scale. But, Georgie shares actual tips and steps to facilitate the change. A nutrition educator could use this information by informing people of the importance of nutrient density. They would find this helpful in giving ideas to clients on how to change their lifestyle by watching what they are eating rather than stressing about how many calories they are consuming.
http://askgeorgie.com/how-to-stop-counting-calories-with-habits/