Counting calories is a very common way for people to lose weight, but one slimmer has argued there is a more effective method.
Personal trainer Charles Neisius lost 4st 2lb by changing his lifestyle habits, which helped him "transform" his body.
The slimmer said: "We've all heard to lose weight, it always comes down to calories in versus calories out and that is 100 per cent true and I do not refute it.
"But, it's not particularly useful. It's like saying to be a better basketball player, you have to put the ball in the hoop more. It's true, but not really useful."
The slimmer lost 4st 2lb by altering the way he tracked his food
Instagram/CharlesNeisiusWhen Charles started his fitness journey, he altered how he counted his calories by "pre-logging his food and diet".
He said: "Without a doubt, it was the top game-changer. Normally when people log their food, they're eating it and then logging. But there are a few problems with doing it this way.
"By the time you log it if you have already eaten the food and the meal may be way more calories than you thought it was, leaving you with very few calories left in the day."
The likelihood of exceeding your calorie intake in a day increases as you are not tracking your calories effectively.
The personal trainer said: "The second problem is that you are opening your food log multiple times a day.
"It makes it much more likely that you will forget, get behind on your food log or just fall off altogether because it feels way more tedious doing it this way.
"By logging it in advance, you can focus on portion sizes that are not too many calories and ultimately, the habit becomes less tedious because you are not pulling your phone out multiple times a day to log your food."
This works in tandem with the second hack the slimmer recommended, which is avoiding timing your meals.
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The slimmer tracks his calories before he eats them, rather than after
YouTube/CharlesNeisius
He explained: "Many people, myself included, get used to timing their meals and eating on schedule.
"Just because it was lunchtime, I felt the need to eat food. Meal timing was slowing me down and making it harder for me personally to stick to my diet."
Focus on following one rule with your meal timings: "Eat when you are hungry. Do not eat just because it is time to eat."
Charles stated: "Ask yourself, are you actually hungry and if so, how hungry are you? Could you get away with eating one of the lighter-calorie planned meals, instead of opting for the higher-calorie one? If so, go for the lighter calorie option and try to save more of your calories at the end of the day as a buffer."
