Keeping it simple, counting the calories.

In my humble opinion My Fitness Pal (other calorie counting apps are available, I just haven’t heard of any) is a key weapon in my battle (bit dramatic) against fat.

My first step on this fat loss journey is cutting calories. You know calories, those monsters that climb into your wardrobe at night and shrink your clothes. Simple strategy. Very basic. No frills but, for me, so far effective.

I didn’t go for a dramatic cut (I can’t stand feeling hungry), I just aimed to cut 500 calories out of my diet per day. On paper simple.

So my target is around 2000 calories a day (exact figure 1920 for the scientist) and the easiest way I have found to track all this grub is through the My Fitness Pal app.

I literally input everything I eat (scanning barcodes or looking up on the app) and it is working for me. Sounds boring but as I tend to eat similar meals, I am not finding it too difficult. Eating out is hard to monitor but most restaurants have actually put their menus on the MFP database. Very thoughtful.

It took a few weeks to get used to and get in the habit of logging but it really has helped me to raise awareness of what I am actually eating. It’s also an eye opener on what food contains BIG calories.

Not a scientific study but I have lost about 2 pounds each week, I have kept to a daily average calorie count of 2000

Give it a go but be honest. Log everything!

Here are a few tips from the experts for cutting calories in a smart way:

1 CUT GARBAGE CALORIES. Start by cutting foods that don’t offer any nutritional benefits. Alcohol, junk food and baked goods are just a handful of obvious foods to look at cutting.

2 USE VEGGIES TO FILL GAPS. Snacks like carrot sticks and fruit help to fill the gaps. I have also found Vegetable soup to be a low calorie filling meal.

3 SWAP LOW-FIBER FOODS FOR HIGH-FIBER. Foods that are high in fiber (e.g., apples, barley, green beans, cauliflower, oats) tend to be more filling, less energy dense (i.e., fewer calories for the same volume of food), and digest more slowly than low-fiber foods. This means you’ll likely eat less and stay full longer, which can help you lose weight over time.