Calories

Posts: 24
4/25/12 9:21 P

Thank you so much everyone!! I have some wonderful ideas for food and what to eat ... I am still learning.. that has always been my biggiest thing is " I don't know what to eat " eventually I hope to be able to tell the calories of food and all that stuff. looking forward to the me I use to be!!

Posts: 1,370
4/25/12 8:35 P

I don't pre-plan my meals to stay within my calories..but I know what a 300-400 calorie breakfast looks like, what a 400-500 calorie lunch looks like, and what a 500-700 calorie dinner looks like, as well as what 100-150 calorie snacks look like. So once you have meals that you know are low-calorie, all you need to do is eat 3 of those meals in a day and have low-calorie snacks and VOILA super easy to eat within your range for the day. I even had room for a 522 calorie piece of French silk pie today. :)

SparkPoints: (31,648)
Fitness Minutes: (25,713)
Posts: 2,042
4/25/12 7:59 P

I just have to echo the others in saying, it's all about having a good plan and even adding all the food you plan to eat for the day into the nutrition tracker early in the day. This way you can play around with the numbers and if you can figure out a way to get in a few licorice ropes or whatever, then you need to look at the rest of your day and say, where can I cut back? This way you are MINDFUL of what you eat instead of just feeding some emotional or physical hunger that is controlling you. And make sure you eat at regular intervals during the day, meaning 2 to 4 hours between meals, because if you get too hungry, you will most likely grab the quickest thing you can get into your stomach! Don't keep tempting snacks around you all day! Plan out all your meals so you know what you are going to eat that day.

Posts: 2,483
4/25/12 7:49 P

I simply follow my own self-imposed rules.I have a dietary protocol that tells me what to consume each day. It keeps me on course and helps me to achieve the objectives I desire. I wish you well on discovering a method that works for you.

Posts: 14,153
4/25/12 4:19 P

I like to pre-plan the day, then cook up all my meals for the day, then have breakfast. Then I forget about food, and just find something to do. I set my alarm for the next meal time, and when it chimes, I reheat , and eat. My food is done, so no excuses, no other temptation, because I am not searching . I know what I will be eating for dinner already. It's in the fridge. DONE.

The worst thing you can do is be looking for food when hungry.

Posts: 33,295
4/25/12 3:40 P

Chances are, if you're significantly exceeding your goal range every day now, you ate even MORE before you started trying to be healthier, right?

Baby steps!

If you find it difficult to drop your intake significantly all at once, it's okay to take it a little by little. Try tracking what you do eat without a "goal" in mind. Right, now just try eating less than that. Even if it's 100 calories less than that every day for a week - that's still 700 calories you didn't put in your body this week! That's a START.

It's not absolutely necessary to cut right back to the range itself right away. If you're struggling, go up, and come down slowly.

Besides - maybe your range is too low? If you have set an aggressive goal you may have a range unrealistically low.

SparkPoints: (7,841)
Fitness Minutes: (2,813)
Posts: 638
4/25/12 3:23 P

It sounds to me that you need to really work on pre-planning your meals. You could do this as far as a week in advance and plan every meal for every day, or just wake up in the morning and map out your breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Every single thing you plan on eating for the day on a piece of paper, not just in your mind.

Sure this sounds like a big hassle, because it is. If your problem is caving in to temptation, making what you eat much more formal means that to eat something not on the list you REALLY have to violate your own rules. If you are sitting there, pondering a blueberry muffin, but holding a list of everything you plan on consuming for the day there really is no excuse to have the muffin. You can't say "I have been good" or "I will make it up with something else", etc, because it is so far out of the plan.

For many people, totaling calories as they go means they end up over their limit before they even get to dinner. We didn't get overweight by being able to eyeball our food intake property so don't trust yourself to do that. By mapping out your food and drink for a day, you take the guesswork out of everything.

SparkPoints: (42,021)
Fitness Minutes: (12,476)
Posts: 7,865
4/25/12 3:16 P

The biggest tool you have at your disposal here is the nutrition tracker... use it! Staying in your range is key. Make sure you track every bite of everything. Even if you're over! Measure and weigh everything... don't try to eyeball it; you need to teach yourself what healthy portions look like.

You'll have a hard time at first, no doubt... but as you do it, you'll start doing the math in your head. I've found myself many times looking at the back of a box, reading the calories, and putting it back because I just don't want to spend my calories in that way. I think of calories like money. :)

Now, the other thing to start doing is planning... it's a lot easier (And I suck at it) if you plan ahead of time what you're going to eat. Be sure to include treats and snacks in your planning! There's no need to deny yourself.

I have a hard time with self control, myself, especially lately. Coming here and talking to other people helps a LOT. They are incredibly supportive, and I've learned SO much.

Start making healthy, small changed; you don't have to become a health nut right away; something as simple as changing your normal refined white bread for whole wheat is a great step towards being healthier! Measuring the portions of the food you love teaches you what a good plate looks like.

I've gone from regularly eating 3,000-3,500 calories a day to 1,500-2,000 with JUST these steps. I have a long way to go, and still have a tough time with willpower, but I never, ever go over around 2,200. So I'm not gaining. :) That, in itself, is a victory.

Remember that you just need to take baby steps. Start right now! Make your next choice a healthy one, and TRACK IT! If you don't have a scale, go get one (You can get digital scales at Walmart for $20, analog scales for less than that at any dollar store) and start tracking faithfully. Start blogging, participate in some Sparkteams, and if you're feeling like you need help, ask! The panic button forum is great, diet's great, and fitness is great.

I'm going to make you a challenge, right now: I want you to get up and exercise for 10 minutes today, if you haven't already. Do this at least three times this week.

See if it helps you feel a bit better!

Posts: 24
4/25/12 2:49 P

Hello wonderful sparkpeople!!
I am wondering how everyone stays within their calories that they have set for everyday?? I am having a huge problem with it. One of my biggiest things is drinking and eating things that I know I shouldn't. I am so ready for a change and not to feel and look like this anymore but am getting so frustrated because it seems like every single day I am starting over... I do not want every day to be a new start...I just want to be me again, I have never been this big, I am so frustrated.