Stop Counting, Start Moving! Don’t Focus On Calories, Focus on Quality & Activity

Often when someone is trying to lose weight, they become hyper-aware of what they are consuming and start counting every calorie. While it is important to pay attention to what you’re putting into your body, intense restriction and/or calorie counting can do more harm than good. Calorie counting is not the most effective way to lose weight because the amount of calories you should be consuming depends on your height, weight, and the level of physical activity you are getting. So deciding that 1200 calories is what you need to stick to daily to lose weight may cause more damage than you think if it’s well below what you need to fuel your body. There are also empty calories and healthy calories. So while a packaged meal might technically have fewer calories than a big bowl of fruits and veggies, guess which meal will actually help you burn fat and keep weight off?

Diet is extremely important and so is exercise, but if they are not combined, you are not going to see the best results. Help yourself reach your full potential by making sure you are getting enough exercise, as well as maintaing a healthy, balanced diet. Forget about calories and focus on creating delicious meals from a wide variety of whole foods. Also, get moving in any way you can! Every step counts and we all have to start somewhere. You can do this!