How am I doing?

Posts: 1,205
10/4/11 2:12 P

I think you're off to an excellent start!

One thing that I would really recommend, if you don't have one, is a food scale. It's really not hard to weigh your foods (just takes a minute) and it's a much more accurate way to know how many calories you're eating than eyeballing, counting or even measuring. I was pretty surprised at what I found when I started weighing my foods. Not only was it eye-opening, but I also found it kind of fun. You can get an inexpensive food scale at Target/Walmart or on Amazon (there's one model that's very popular on Amazon and which has a ton of reviews).

Anyway, best wishes and keep up the great work!

SparkPoints: (1,327)
Fitness Minutes: (0)
Posts: 23
10/1/11 3:04 P

I think it's fantastic that you're here, you're tracking what you take in, and you're paying attention to portion sizes. Sounds like you're halfway there already!!!!

Posts: 330
10/1/11 12:55 P

looks like your doing great! 2 suggestions I have to slash calories is to switch your reg cheese for light, and work on cutting a full bagel to a half-bagel or switch to english muffin or 2 thin slices of toast. Doing those 2 things alone will save you 300 cals per day!

Posts: 2,066
10/1/11 12:25 P

I think you're doing pretty well. You're pretty high on bread, and I can't tell how nutritious the bread is. I'd consider dropping some of it out, and substituting whole grain bread if you can. Also, you can get the taste of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with peanut butter on an apple; add a big salad with some garbanzo beans, and you've got a very filling lunch.

I used to eat bagels for breakfast, but found that they didn't keep me full for very long. Now, I mostly do oatmeal or yogurt for breakfast, and that takes me through lunch. Also, once I started tracking fiber and sodium as well, that really helped me to make better choices and eat more veggies. Good luck!

SparkPoints: (3,377)
Fitness Minutes: (3,227)
Posts: 158
10/1/11 11:56 A

I definately think you are on the right track...
In my opinion it is not that importent of what you eat, as long as you keep an eye on your portions (and of course stay away from fried foods when possible). A perfect example is your one beagel (not 1.5 or 2).
As long as you keep that up together with your walking, I am sure the pounds will come off.

Tip: if I feel hungry I drink some water, if that does not help I eat something like a raw carrot, coliflower or celery stalk.

SparkPoints: (945)
Fitness Minutes: (110)
Posts: 10
10/1/11 11:30 A

I am on day 6 of sparking and I am loving it! I am so glad I signed up for sparkpeople. I think I am doing pretty well with the eating portion of the plan. Still need to work on exercise, but I am doing baby steps!

I have been for a walk 4 days this week which is definitely more than usual, so that's a start. I have also started parking further away in the parking lot when I go shopping or to the library or something

I would love it if a few people would look at my food trackers and give me some feedback. I know I still need some tweaking and am working on a few things. My breakfast is kind of high cal because I LOVE my habit of bagel with peanut butter in the morning. However, before I started sparking I would eat 1.5 or 2 bagels slathered with pb and now I am eating one and measuring 2T of pb. I am also going to start alternating days having an english muffin instead and maybe eventually I will be happy with the english muffin instead of bagel and that will lower the calories a bit.

I never realized how few fruits and veggies I ate until I started tracking! Definitely working on that.

I have always been a huge over eater, my portion control was out of control. It has been surprisingly easy to adjust to smaller portions. I also haven't had any cravings for sweets since I started. I really don't know what has come over me! But I know if I do get a craving I can have a small portion and adjust my cals somewhere.

So, I would love some feedback on my food trackers. If there is a better place to post this kind of request, let me know.

ETA: I am plugging in today's food so far and I know I have had a lot of bread and peanut butter/nuts, so no need to comment on that! LOL I will be sure to make up for it the rest of the day. Which is what I love about sparkpeople!

Thanks!

Julie

Edited by: JULIEMW1 at: 10/1/2011 (14:06)