First day of calorie counting....

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  • So in light of my new found dedication to weight loss and being honest with everyone, including myself, I decided to do calorie counting to shed some light on exactly what I'm consuming everyday. I knew it was going to be shocking, but I still wasn't quite prepared for this...

    * 3 chicken fajita tacos [250 cals/4 oz servings, 3 servings = 750 cals]
    * 1 foot long sweet onion chicken teriyaki w/swiss cheese from Subway [281 cals per 6" + 4 swiss cheese triangles, 7 cals/triangle = 590 cals]
    * 1 serving bag of Doritos [260 cals]
    * 2 cups of 1% milk [100 cals/cup = 200 cals]
    * 32 oz Dr Pepper [400 cals]

    Total for the day = 2,200 cals

    OMG. And today was a "good" day for me, considering the crap I've been eating for the past couple of weeks. Boy do I need to get my butt in gear.

    I'm not the only one who experienced this shock on their first day, am I?
  • Don't feel horrible. You are doing something GREAT for yourself. Imagine my shock when I logged a 'bad' day and got over 8,000 calories. The important thing is to be aware, keep logging, and make changes
  • You know, I see two great things in your post: tracking what you're eating (and drinking) and being honest with yourself. Those two things alone will benefit you immensely. Now you can start seeing where you can improve your eating habits and what changes you can make (maybe not all at once - whatever works for you) to get yourself further along on the path to healthy living.

    Oh, and I'm with Lyn - my typical daily caloric intake before a year ago would have been much higher than 2,200 calories! And virtually none of them from good, nutritional foods. What a difference a year makes!
  • It really is a shocker, isn't it???

    I remember logging what I ate about a month before I started my healthy lifestyle change (over a year ago now) and I got to about 2,500 cals. That wasn't AMAZINGLY horrible (just horrible)... but what really got me was that just about 3/4 of it (or more) was sugary junk food. What the h*ll was I putting my body for years?! No wonder I was huge, pasty and blotchy and bloated looking!
  • You are doing great so far the first few days were a tough adjustment. Something that has helped me is planning all of my dinners a week ahead of time, then figuring out breakfast, lunch and snacks based on the calories left, and how much I am working out that day. I generally have only two different types of breakfasts and only a handful of snacks to choose from so its really about deciding on lunch. I also have been making a little extra at dinner and having it for lunch on the next day. I find a little more work in the planning area pays dividends during the rest of the week, and helps motivate me to stay on plan so I don't waste food.
  • I agree that it's great you're tracking...it's the first step to seeing exactly what you're taking in, which is an awesome place to start. Taking accountability is one of the most important things for me personally, and when I've had a less than stellar day it's always good for me to log it honestly so I can see where I can improve.

    Congratulations on taking the first step. I agree with others upthread -- with 2200 calories counting as a bad day, it could have been so much worse. You're on the right track...hang in there!
  • Congrats for taking the steps to track what goes in! Now you know what needs to change.

    I am with the others, for me 2200 calories would have been a very controlled day for me. I know most days I consumed between 3000-5000 calories easy. I am ashamed at what a glutton I have been for years and how I have mistreated my body. The good news is, we can change! We don't have to deceive ourselves with words like, "This is just the way I am!"

    Good luck with your new journey!
  • Sounds like a positive day to me!

    Calorie counting is really enlightening. I'm always shocked when I eat whatever I want - I'll eat 2800-3500 calories a day.
    Now when I'm OP I'll lose 2 - 3.5 lbs a week on 1400 - 1600 calories a day.
    Amazing
  • Itīs a shocker, isnīt it?! Itīs amazing how easy it is to eat 3.000+ calories. With no effort... but trust me, it will get better and easier with time!! Today, if I try to eat that many calories (and it usually comes from junk food), I feel ill !!

    I remember that on my first day of "concious eating" I had decided that I wouldīt cut everything at once, I would start adjusting slowly. And that has worked wonders for me! And writing down everything I ate definately helped me to in the end, reach a point where I would eat only healthy foods... Denial wasnīt an option anymore, I had written proof of my sins!

    Good luck !! Youīll feel better and better as you start changing!
  • good for you for writing everything down and being honest (not even so much with us, but yourself! ) that's key!

    I can remember my first week of calorie counting, it was "WHAT?? a HALF A CUP??" hahahha it IS eye opening how little we actually need (on the one hand) and how MUCH you can get of certain things?! I still don't even really believe that 1/2 c of cottage cheese is only 100 cals LOL it's so filling and yummo! At the same time, i can't believe a QUARTER CUP of peanut M&Ms is over 200 cals?! and it's a mouthful LOL crazy business

    keep up the hard work!
  • Tracking & being honest & accountable with yourself is a HUGE first step! Congratulations on taking it!

    Keep it up!
  • 2200 is the middle part of my goal (weigh more and I am breastfeeding) and I hit that yesterday. Last week when I didn't "try" too hard I hit 4100 easily. Yeah.
  • You know, that's comparatively not too bad. You can't lose weight on it unless you exercise a lot, but there are people who maintain at 2200 if they are very active. That said, it's that calorie creep-up that I think defeats me in my weight loss sometimes.
  • It maybe shocking but now you know what are you dealing with and what you need to do to start changing the way you are eating!
  • I posted this back at the beginning of my journey.

    Quote:
    Just for kicks, I just went in and put in an old "typical day" of eating for me. I'm in shock and it's no wonder I am here!

    Breakfast: oatmeal, glass of milk
    snack: chips and coke
    lunch: sandwich, chips, apple, cookie
    snack: nachos
    dinner: spaghetti, garlic bread, ice cream

    Just guess! Don't even look at my number, just guess! It's shocking!

    6,824 calories in ONE day!!