Calorie Counting

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We are finally back and settled in after a Thanksgiving! It was so wonderful to spend time with Ryan's family.

Today I want to talk to you about Calorie Counting.
Seems like a perfect time considering 98% of us are on calorie overloads after this past week.

Now I know this can be a touchy subject, and by no means am I suggesting that I'm an expert or you should starve yourself, I'm just letting you know about Calorie Counting from my experience.

Last year, after the holidays, I was about 10-15 pounds over my normal weight.
Let's face it, I couldn't say no to my dad's famous red velvet cake or 5 pounds of mashed potatoes during the Christmas break.

So I decided to try and find a way to lose the pounds quickly, but healthy.
I started doing Jillian Michaels dvds 3-5 days a week & I began counting calories.
I really encourage everyone to write down what they are eating and the corresponding calories for a week.

It completely blew me away.

I was eating hundreds of extra calories a day in just condiments.
When I decided how many calories I wanted to eat each day and then carefully planned out how to get the most food for that number, I was shocked at how many stupid things I was wasting calories on prior to that.

I would eat an apple for a snack with peanut butter - healthy.
But then I would slather the slices with about 4 tablespoons of peanut butter - that's an extra 500 calories!!

I started realizing I could eat all of the same snacks, I just needed the right portions.
An apple with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter was healthy - and only 150ish calories.

So if you're wanting to drop some weight before you add on another 10 pounds for Christmas, I really encourage you to Calorie Count - even for just a day or two.
I think you will be amazed at how many "empty" calories you are consuming.

By all means, eat cheese and ice cream and pasta...
Just eat them in healthy portions.
Find out how many calories you should be eating and stick within that range.
And add some activity, even walking your dog for 20 minutes, to see increased results.

Counting Calories was an easy way that I was able to lose weight, even when I couldn't work out.
It allowed me to be aware of what I was choosing to eat and make smart decisions when it came to food.

I lost those extra 10-15 pounds in 6 weeks last year!
And trust me, I will NOT sacrifice eating delicious food this holiday season, so I'll most likely find myself following this article's advice, come January (:


Don't forget! The November Cara Box Reveal Link Up is tomorrow!!!
Get your posts ready!