I mentioned calorie counting in the first few weeks when I began my weight loss journey. I think it’s time  to come back to it again because it truly has been the key to my success.

For 14 weeks I’ve faithfully recorded what I’ve been eating and it really works! I’m having a lot more energy and I’m not as tired. That all translates into more sewing time for myself. Plus, when I sew more, I eat less because I don’t want to get my fabric dirty; it’s a win-win!

I lost 2 pounds this week for a total of 19.6 pounds so far. Whoo hoo! (Here’s where I was last week.) I’m over half-way to my goal and will post another picture next week when I get to 20 pounds.  That means in another 15 weeks or perhaps less, I can stop talking about my diet and start blogging more about quilting!!)

For my weight loss goals and my height, I’m trying to stick to between 1200-1500 calories a day. Here are this week’s tips on how to make your calories count!

1. Eat 6 times a day. Instead of splitting that up into 6 – 200 calorie “meals”, I actually eat 3 – 300 calorie meals and then try to have 3 – 100 calorie snacks. That totals up to 1200 calories. If I’m feeling a bit snacky or hungry, I’ll add an extra 100 calories to 3 more of the meals or snacks. But above all, I try not to eat more than 400 calories in any one sitting.

2. Write everything down. And I mean EVERYTHING! Sure, during this diet I’ve had 2000+ calorie “cheat” days. I’ve also had meals that were 500-600 calories. But by writing it down, that 2000 calorie day doesn’t turn into a 3000 calorie day. And that 600 calorie meal doesn’t evolve into 1000 calorie meal, which is easy to do! (Think burger, large fries, and a shake and you’ve already consumed almost a day’s worth of calories in just one meal!)

One more thing about writing it down that has really helped – blogging about it! Since I know I have to be accountable each Monday, I really watch what I’m doing all week. I can’t just quit when so many people are following my progress. (Even if they aren’t, I’ll pretend that they are so I can’t let them down – ha-ha-ha!!)

3. Estimate calories if needed. I like to use an online ap (my fitness pal) and calorie counting books to keep track of what I’m eating. However, there are times when I have no clue what how many calories are in certain foods I’m eating. If that’s the case, I’ll just estimate. Even if my count is off, the act of writing it down is just as important as whether or not the numbers are exact.

4. Eat quality calories. Sure, I could eat 100 calories worth of chips for one of my snacks but that wouldn’t get me very far. It would only be about 8-9 Doritos and that wouldn’t fill me up at all! Instead, if I can have a handful of nuts (more dense protein) or an apple and a large serving of carrots, it will curb my cravings and keep me satisfied much longer. I love to add fruits and veggies to all my meals so that doesn’t leave much room for the junk.

Here’s to another healthy week!