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Nutrition Data:
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You can't balance your checkbook unless you have complete and accurate data. If you forget a purchase or mis-write just one amount, your balance will be off.
So how can you lose weight if you don't have a handle on your numbers? If you forget you ate something, or misjudge how many calories you've consumed, over time, your balance (on the scale) will be off.
Having decent calorie awareness will help. Use the nutrition data charts below to get a general sense of how your protein choices add up...
...and then adjust your choices as you see fit! Fish, poultry and meat don't usually come with a food label so the charts should help with these choices. Read nutrition labels to get additional nutrition data and/or use Calorie King to look up foods you are unsure about.
Wanna know one difference between chicken and beef?
Approximately 20 calories per ounce! That means if you eat 6 oz. chicken fajitas for example, in place of 6 oz. beef fajitas, you save 120 calories...and you didn't even have to reduce your portion size to save those calories! This saving translates to ~12 pound weight loss in a year.
There are three grades of beef based on the fat content of the meat. Select grade is the leanest, choice is in the middle, and prime is the fattiest grade.If you buy lean meat in the grocery store, you are probably getting the select grade. In restaurants, choice grade is more common. Upscale steakhouses often buy prime cuts of beef because the extra fat adds more flavor. However...
The extra fat also contributes an additional 5-10% more calories and 10-25% more fat than choice!
(Read more about why calories matter.)
The charts above provide calories per oz. of cooked protein rich foods, so portions matter! You'll need to multiply according to your portion size to get your actual caloric intake.
(Learn more about standard serving sizes.)
If numbers aren't your thing, don't worry...
...you don't have to be a mathmatician or meticulous calorie counter to be successful at weight loss.
A better approach for you might be simply collecting nutrition data in a daily food journal without calculating any numbers. Just the act of writing down everything you eat and drink will help you eat less.
Studies show that people who keep a daily diet journal lose more weight than those who don't.
Write it down and you'll see. See and you'll believe.
Either way, if weight loss is your goal, you must find some way to keep track of your nutrition data...
So either improve your calorie awareness, or simply get down in black and white everything you eat and drink!
More weight loss.
Back to Personal Nutrition Guide Home.
