Healthy Weight Loss Requires the Use of a Calorie Counter and an Exercise Journal
Author: Vigdis S. Aas Added Time:
It's summer, and time for those tank tops and shorts, not to mention bathing suits, to come out of mothballs and into your clothing rotation. If you've decided that it's time to drop a few pounds, you will discover that there are some excellent online tools available that will make it easier to reach your weight goals. Most doctors recommend losing weight slowly, and it is considered healthiest to lose usually no more than one-half to one pound of weight per week. Losing the correct amount of weight each week, over a particular length of time, requires some careful monitoring of your food intake as well as exercise routine. Many who have been successful at losing weight have found that healthy weight loss often requires the use of an exercise log as well as calorie counting.
Most of us are busy and might not have time to keep an accurate written food diary of what we consume daily. Keeping track of this, however, is essential so that you get enough needed nutrients without overeating. An online calorie calculator takes most of the work out of this vital task. A good online food diary will have you enter the type of food and the amount that you ate at each meal. That is the end of the work on your part, because the online calculator takes over at that point. What you get in return is tremendously helpful. Your calculator will tell you the number of calories consumed, along with the number of grams of protein, carbohydrate, and fat, both for each meal as well as daily totals. Along with carefully recording your food, you can also keep track of how much water you are actually drinking each day. Water consumption keeps you hydrated, especially when you are exercising, and it has the additional benefit of adding no extra calories yet helping you feel full.
Along with calorie counting, people who have lost weight successfully also utilize exercise journals. An exercise journal can have several parts. One component is determining a weekly plan that helps you start out slowly and gradually improve your fitness. You will want to devote a portion of your time to cardiovascular endurance, strength training, and increasing your flexibility. An online exercise log allows you to select the exercises you like, and sets up a program that is customized to your particular fitness needs. Another aspect of an exercise journal that is useful for healthy weight loss is recording the amount of exercise you do and how that counts as calories burned. Exercise allows you to eat a bit more food than you might otherwise be able to on a weight loss program, and yet still lose weight. This helps many people stick with a program, and achieve results. It also provides a great motivation, because you can see for yourself that your program is working, and that you are assuredly reaching your goal of your ideal weight.
Susan Slobac is a nutritionist and dietitian who offers free workout plans and advice on how to find the best weight loss program for natural weight loss.
