Calorie Counting

[ladeejoi]

I'm having a really hard time counting calories. It's not keeping the calorie count low when i eat, it's only the actual counting. I just think it's too much work to measure the exact amount of cereal and milk i put into the bowl. Any tips? Or do i just have to suck it up and measure everything?

Also, what about eating out? If i'm going to Red Lobster or Outback, how do i know how many calories I'm eating?

[JenniLacey]

I measured everything that went into my mouth religiously while losing weight. Now there's just a few things I measure/weigh, calorie dense foods like fats (cheese, nut butter, nuts, seeds, etc.), I still weigh meat and measure grains like oats. Even those, I don't always measure... just every now and then to keep myself in check and remind myself how much a serving of it is so it doesn't grow bigger in mind, lol. I've measured/weighed for so long that I'm usually pretty spot on with just eyeballing it now. It *does* help to learn portion sizes and exactly how much you're eating. Otherwise, it's easy to overestimate and portion sizes to grow. At least until you get the hang of it.

For restaurants, you can find their nutrional information online.

[SunsetRunner]

If you link your fitbit account to myfitnesspal.com (or vice versa) they have a huge database of foods and its easy to track. And it syncs to fitbit

[SLS]

Counting calories is an art (I think).  If you have weight to lose, you may want to consider Weight Watchers.  They make it so simple (by counting "points") and it's a tried and true lifestyle, not a diet.

[KateDu]

I lost 47 pounds through Weight Watchers and have kept the weight off for 5 years.  I had to learn to listen to my body and eat when I was hungry and stop when I was full. My WW leader said to pay attention for a sigh while I was eating.  That was my body telling me that I had had enough. I never noticed a sigh, but when I paid attention, there it was.  It helped me cut down on my food intake and I didn't have to count calories or points, which I think takes some of the fun out of food.  And I enjoy food too much to make it a chore. I also cut out processed foods.

[SunsetRunner]

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@ladeejoi wrote:

I'm having a really hard time counting calories. It's not keeping the calorie count low when i eat, it's only the actual counting. I just think it's too much work to measure the exact amount of cereal and milk i put into the bowl. Any tips? Or do i just have to suck it up and measure everything?

Also, what about eating out? If i'm going to Red Lobster or Outback, how do i know how many calories I'm eating?

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There is no "right way" to lose weight.  What works for person X may not work for person Y.  Personally, I find counting my calories and staying below a certain # is working for me.  I tried Weight Watchers, Nutrifast, etc. and never had much success with them.  I viewed them more as "diets" which by definition will fail.  In order to truly be healthier you need to change your lifestyle for good.  Best of luck on your journey no matter which way you go about it.

[dangbat]

At restaurents you know how many calories you're eating because all of the nutritional info is available online. Use your phone.

As far as acounting for milk and such, you just need to learn what 8 oz looks like (1 cup) and you're pretty much set. 

[Suzy]

There are bowls and plates that have measurements that are helpful for those who don't want to bring out the measuring cups. 

[SunsetRunner]

Hi @ladeejoi . Practice makes perfect. You'll find the way that suits you and fits easiest into your lifestyle.

After I go grocery shopping I spend an extra 30 minutes or so seperating snacks and veggies into portion sized ziplocks. In my pantry I have a big box of snack packs that are around 130 calories and ready to go in a second. Things like cheez-its, crackers, cereal, etc stuff that is easy to eat too much of.

Measuring milk etc can be tedious but it is important to do. A set of measuring cups and spoons will only cost a few dollars and will last a lifetime. Many people stop measuring after a while, thinking they know how much a cup of milk looks like in a bowl. However this is an easy way to creep calories back in because actually that 'cup' of milk is closer to 'two' cups. In the past I have done this ahead of time too. Using empty water bottles, I've measured out several one cup servings so I don't have to do it in the morning. Mark on the bottle how much a cup in and its even easier next time.

Restaurants often have a nutrition guide on the table, hidden behind advertising but often it's there. If not, they will have one you can look at if you ask. If your meal is planned ahead of time, check the website and find the nutrition guide there to plan what you're going to eat. Failing both of these things, give yourself a break for a couple of hours. Eat whatever you want to eat while you're out. So long as you've been 'good' outside of the restaurant, you can be 'bad' inside!

[slysam]

In my opinion the easiest way to get your portions correct is to use a digital food scale that is flat surfaced and allows you to zero it with something on top. Also it helps if it can toggle between grams and ounces. Then if you are serving yourself cereal--put your bowl on the scale then zero the weight, add your cereal, log by weight (either grams or ounces) or follow the serving size (by weight--I find the volume they list usually weighs more and is more calories), zero it again, pour on your milk and log it by weight. Done. This is easiest if you have a smart phone and even easier if you use an app like Myfitnesspal (or others) that allows barcode scanning. Another trick, for items in a container i.e. a peanut butter to see how much you ate without using measuring spoons--set the jar on the scale then zero it, take out what you use. Then the weight will be listed in negative, i.e. if you use 20 grams it will say -20 grams. This saves time and extra dirty dishes to clean. Sadly, when you eat out or are at a friends, this method isn't practical so you have to guesstimate or use restaurant nutrition data. But the plus side is that you also train your eye to recognize your usual portions, logging my muesli or greek yogurt this way long enough I know what my desired serving looks like in my bowls and this also makes guestimating a little easier over time. But a warning, when I guesstimate too long, the portion sizes creep up and I start underestimating intake.