Weight-Loss Software > Calorie Counts
Calorie Counts—Best Ways to Find Your
By Terry Dunkle, DietPower Editor-In-Chief*
The calorie counts in your food represent the amount of energy your meals provide to your body. It's important to track calorie counts if you're trying to control your weight, because they are directly related to the amount of fat your body will store if you don't use all of that energy. For every 3500 calories you don't use, you'll gain one pound.
Before tracking your calorie counts...
...you need to determine a calorie budget that will bring you to your goal weight on your intended date. To do that, use DietPower's calorie budget calculator.
Best Ways to Track Calorie Counts
Instead of counting calories on paper using the numbers on food labels, clever dieters use either a website or software that already knows the numbers and keeps a tally as they log their meals.
Many dieters prefer software to websites. Because software is installed on your computer and doesn't have to communicate with the web, it is usually faster and always more secure. The only drawback is that software usually costs $20 to $50, whereas websites are often free. (They force you to look at ads, however, and in some cases bombard you with email.) But DietPower, one of the best software programs for calorie counts, is absolutely free.
Calorie counts are only the beginning...
...of good nutrition. Look for software or websites that also track your consumption of carbohydrates, fats, protein, antioxidants, and other nutrients important to your health.
One brand of software, DietPowerŽ, covers 33 nutrients as well as calories burned in 1000 forms of physical activity. DietPower also ensures reaching your goal on a deadline, by automatically tweaking your daily calorie budget to cancel fluctuations in your metabolism.
*Terry Dunkle is a 30-year veteran medical journalist and consumer advocate who serves as CEO and chief editor at DietPower, Inc., a leading maker of nutrition and weight-loss software.