You know you need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight, but how can you tell if you are or not?

Tracking calories can be a useful tool and there are a few different ways you can do this if you fancy it.

1. Use an app like MyFitnessPal. You set your own calorie target, log all your food and drink, and it keeps a record for you

2. Write things down old school in a notebook / keep a running total in your phone

3. Plan in advance: plan out your meals for the day / week, with a rough calorie estimate, so that it adds up to a range of +/- 200kcal around your target – then stick to the plan!

Trouble is, these all require a degree of constant admin (especially 1 and 2). Plus, calories are all about estimates, especially if you eat home-made meals, meaning a lot of guesswork is involved and any degree of accuracy is quite tricky to achieve.

And, if you have any history of disordered eating, the extra focus on your food intake can become obsessive and not fun – not recommended.

Watch this little video for more of my thoughts on tracking before you decide.

Did you know, about 98% of my clients don’t track calories?

Sometimes it’s too much admin, but mostly because that tight focus on food feels too close to the bad old days of dieting that they are working hard to get away from.

The gentler way is to try a few small changes and see if there are signs of fat loss after a couple of weeks, then maybe adjust the approach or stick with it.

Changes like:

• changing your evening routine to break the association with snacking (eg do a jigsaw or play a game instead of watching tv)

• having a higher-protein breakfast to avoid calorie-laden snacks throughout the morning

• not being a bin (eg by not eating kids’ leftovers)

Easy(ish), right?