How To Track What You Are Eating

As of 2009, many establishments in California have been required to include the amount of calories in each dish, on their menu. While this is useful for the most part, the reality is it is sometimes not all that accurate and can lead you to overeat or under-eat.

Since the opening of ShowUp Fitness La Jolla I have been traveling up and down the California coast almost 20-hours per week which means I have been eating out quite a bit. So, I have gotten pretty good at tracking my calories and keeping myself accountable for the items I choose to put in my body. One rule that many ignore or do not know about is when counting calories (even if it is written on the menu) you should add 50% of whatever you think the total amount is for the sum total. The average American UNDERESTIMATES how much they consume by 50%.

For example, How many calories do you think are in this burger????

This burger is roughly ~500 calories. What we have our clients at Show Up Fitness do is multiply the number of calories by 50% which makes it closer to 750 (this is the number I would track.) This keeps you tracking your calories somewhat accurately and also keeps you accountable and realistic.

Notice how I didn't eat the fries? If you wanted to eat the fries, you'd need to take another 500-calories and multiple by 50%, which now makes this burger and friends over 1,500 calories.

Here's what a typical dinner looks like for me when I eat out protein with veggies (and a few drinks.) Sure you could nix the alcoholic beverage of 120-150 calories, but I enjoy drinking. I also workout 2x a day and don't have any mental or physical issues with my body.

I recently did a poll on Instagram (if you don't follow us, make sure you do!) How many calories do you think are in this Chicken Piccata? 500, 750, 1,000 or 1,000+?

MORE THAN 50% of the people who took the poll thought it was roughly 750 calories. WRONG. It would be closer to 1,200 WITHOUT the wine (add two glasses) you're looking at a DELICIOUS meal consisting of roughly 1,600 calories. As a nation, we UNDERESTIMATE how much we consume, hence over 60% of the nation being overweight – obese. It's not the carbs, it's not the sugar, it's not the booze and it's not the cookies, IT'S CONSUMING TOO MUCH OF ANYTHING. In order to change the obesity epidemic, we need to address the body mass equation

I challenge everyone to give me 8% of your year. You know what 8% equates to? 1-month. For one month, track & weigh your food to see how much you're overeating. It's not your hormones, it's not your metabolism, it's the fact that you're oblivious to how many calories you're consuming.

Here's an example of some calorie counting&.