I dislike counting calories as well, we all want to be able to eat whatever we want and not have to think about the ramifications but that isn’t realistic. My sister has this great app on her Ipad where you enter what you eat during the day and it keeps track of all the calories for you. She is on a specific caloric intake diet to help insure weight loss and it seems to be working well for her. Also if you workout during the day you are allowed more calories. I think they have this tool online as well, when I speak to her I will find out more about it and post the information.

I have really got into the habit of reading all the labels on every food product and even hair products that I buy to make sure that I am getting the best. I avoid anything high in saturated fats, oils and sugar and anything that is very high in sodium or hydrogenated. Any little bit helps so limit yourself where you can but also allow yourself to indulge every once in a while. I find that if you cut yourself off completely from all delicious high calorie foods then it is hard to stick with it. I also find that planning meals in advance helps me make better choices because I’m not scrounging around for food last minute and I’m less likely to eat something unhealthy.

You also have to watch for hidden calories and sugar, like some chocolate milk or yogurt will say fat free but then have tons of sugar in it which defeats the purpose. You also should try a variety of foods, don’t have salad every night and think you will want to stick to it, you have to be creative with your meals or it will get mundane and boring.

I also think counting calories is only half the battle, you also have to keep hydrated and work out as much as possible. I go to the gym at least 3-5 times per week on average and for the weeks when I don’t feel up to it I work out at home. It doesn’t always have to be a strenuous workout but something more slow pace like yoga, weights, or even walking. I like to switch it up from intense cardio to hot yoga and even step aerobics and kick boxing aerobics classes I try to do a variety of things because switching up your workouts will stop you from staying in a plateau phase and yield quicker results.