Where can I find the calorie and fat content of different foods?


Visit our Calorie Counter guides section where there are some excellent little books that contain a wealth of information about the calorie content of foods. They are small enough to keep in your bag and many contain values for foods in restaurants, branded and generic foods.

There is a web site at www.caloriecountercharts.com which has a comprehensive list of the values of over 1000 foods.

Why not check out www.weightlossresources.co.uk where you can enter the values of the foods you have eaten, and the calories burned through exercise?

Is there a software program available which will calculate my calorie intake and help me reach my goals?

I have found an excellent program called Diet Power, which does exactly this and more. Visit their web site at www.dietpower.com where you can download a fortnight trial.

How many calories do I need to burn to lose 1lb?

1lb is the equivalent to 3500 calories. Loss can be achieved by either eating less calories than usual or burning them off with exercise. When dieting it is sensible to aim for a loss of 1-2lb per week – losing weight slowly makes it easier to keep off!

What is the formula for BMI?

Firstly you need to know your weight in kilograms, if you don’t have this measurement use a chart or simply divide your weight in pounds by 2.2

You then need to know your height in metres (divide inches by 39.4), then square this amount.

Finally divide the first number by the second to find your BMI.

Please note that the BMI calculation does not account for muscle mass, which is naturally heavier than fat, so if you are muscley the reading might be confusing, this is often the case with muscley males.

Can you help me with my homework/essay?

You can quote any part of our site in any not-for-profit article. If you want speedy assistance, the best place to ask is our message boards.

I’m not overweight, but your charts say I am!

We have also received lots of queries about our BMI calculator, especially from our male visitors. We would like to make clear that the BMI counter does not take muscle mass into account.

Muscle weighs more than fat – if you work out you may find you lose inches but gain weight!

We apologise for any confusion and are working on a solution. However, as the statistics we do use are based on World Health standards, and British medical recommendations we’re not sure how we can do a better job!

Remember that the most important thing is to be happy with your body, and to look after it so you feel your best.