There are several complex strategies that can be found for dieting, but for some of us it is too much to handle at one time.  I have personally attempted using diets with food points, food portions sizes guidelines, pyramid charts, and all the who knows how many other techniques, but in the long run I just get confuzzled. I'm not very good at keeping track of everything I eat, and with so many different things to keep track of, I don't end up any better off in my eating habits than before. It took me years, but finally I found a solution that works: a food calories list.

I searched on the interwebs, and found an alphabetical list of calories in food when I was browsing the Web for dieting tips and advice one day, and was immediately sucked in. Essentially, with a list of food calories, all you need to do is keep track of just one factor: how many calories you inhale every day.

Although it might be just as good if not better to diet by reducing fat, increasing fiber, and eating the exact correct amount of protein, very few of us have the time or energy to do that. With a food calories list, however, you do not really have to at all. No matter what you eat, if you cut your calorie intake you will lose the weight. You could, in theory, eat twelve hundred calories of pure fat, and you would shed pounds. On the other hand, you could eat twenty-five hundred calories of fruits and vegetables every day, and I'm pretty sure you would put on some extra weight. It all boils down to calorie counts and intake in the end.

Of course, food calorie lists aren't nearly as simplistic as I'm making them out to be. You can't just take the number and apply it, a little bit of basic mathematics is a must. You see, a food calories list is depenent upon the size of the portion you eat. Obviously, a quarter pound of chicken provides many more calories than just one ounce, so it is vital to make every effort to keep track of exactly how much you eat. Once you have been using a list for a few weeks, however, you can sort of start to estimate measurements out. You will never get a precise count, but if you are observant, you can get close enough. Even just the casual use of the food calories list can make a major difference in your dieting. If you don't believe me, just try it yourself. Hopefully, you will be quite astounded with the results. I know I was!