If the thought of counting calories makes you all stressy inside or you just can’t seem to keep track of what you’ve eaten all day, maybe this is the system for you! Use this handy visual calorie control guide from Precision Nutrition. Put away your measuring cups, spoons and scale and all you need is a hand! Well, and a mouth… to put the food in.
calorie-control-guide-for-women-image One quick point regarding carbohydrates and fats:
Note that both the carbohydrate and fat entries mention “if extra carbs/fats are to be included”… so when are they to be included? When not?
If you are trying to reduce body fat or lose weight, you might not require an additional portion of carbohydrate at each meal. A portion of lean steak, some brussels sprouts and a few fingerling potatoes is a solid meal; however, lean steak, brussels sprouts and a leafy green salad will encourage the body to use some of its stored calories (i.e., muffin top) in the absence of those added carbohydrates. Remember – vegetables provide carbohydrates! Omitting rice, pasta, potatoes and the like does not mean you are omitting carbohydrates; it means you are not adding a second portion of carbohydrates.
Ditto the added fat. If you have cooked in olive oil or butter, for example, you can skip the olive oil drizzle on those veggies when leaning down is a top priority. Fat is good – don’t get me wrong. But too much food is too much food, and too much food does not encourage a body to burn its fat stores, even when the food is healthy. A good time to use that added fat? Imagine you’re having a can of tuna on salad for lunch – use the above guideline to determine how much olive oil you should splash on to help absorb those fat-soluble vitamins and (let’s face it) choke down that canned tuna.
Want to get your hubby on board? Download the Precision Nutrition calorie control guide for men and slap it on the fridge!
Thumbs up everyone.