I was responding to another thread here where the OP was surprised that the calorie levels she was eating. It got me to thinking about how much I used to eat. I never counted my calories BEFORE I started eating more healthily. I didn't start counting calories until after I'd started working out and made significant changes to my diet. So I played a little. I just thought about what I would eat on an average day and I put it into my Daily Plate.
Every morning I would go through the drive through at Einstein Bros and get an everything bagel with extra cream cheese and a coffee with cream. On mornings that I really wanted to treat myself I'd go through McD's instead and get a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit with extra cheese and hashbrowns.
I used to go out to lunch every day with a friend from work and usually got a salad - because they were healthy. Uh huh. And if we went to Chili (which we did probably 2x or 3x a week) there was ALWAYS an order of chips and salsa - with refils.
I always hit the snack machine for a snack in the afternoon. I always had a Snickers bar - I'd tell myself they had peanuts so the protein in there was healthy and would keep me going through the afternoon. Every day I did this. A Snickers and a Diet Coke. Yeah, who was I fooling.
Every night I'd cook dinner or we'd go out. I never ate a single portion of anything. A box of Betty Crocker scalloped potatoes that was supposed to serve 4? DH and I would split it evenly and lick the pot. Veggies? We both love veggies ... but we'd steam them and douse them in cheese sauce.
And always dessert or a late night snack. We'd wait until about 9:30 or 10 and then decide if we wanted salty or sweet. Then we'd go to the store and get our "treats". Either potato chips or Steak N Shake for a strawberry shake or a pint of Ben & Jerry's (Cherries Garcia for him and Double Chocolate Fudge Chunk for me). And don't think we'd eat one serving. It was a large shake with whipped cream or 2 servings (i.e. 1/2 a pint or more of icecream eaten right out of the container) or 1/2 to 3/4 a bag of chips.
And this was NORMAL. We never thought anything about it. We knew we weren't being completely healthy but we never thought it was THAT bad. I mean - a bagel? That's healthy whole grains. A salad for lunch? It's a SALAD!! And dinner was well balanced with a protein, a starch, and a veggie. Right? Right!!!
So I thought about that and entered it all into the Daily Plate. Are you ready? Really? You're sure??? (Calories are in parentheses.)
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Breakfast:
Einstein Bros Bagel, Everything (340)
Einstein Bros Cream Cheese - Whipped Plain (140)
Einstein Bros Coffee, Cream (140)
Lunch
Chili's Grill and Bar Bottomless Chips And Salsa (480)
Chili's Grill and Bar Caesar Salad W/ Grilled Chicken (1,010)
Afternoon Snack
Snickers Candy Bars (280)
Dinner
Meatloaf - my homemade with extra breadcrumbs and eggs (506)
Betty Crocker Scalloped Potatoes (260)
Broccoli (31)
Velveeta Cheese (110)
Dessert
Ben and Jerry's Double Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream (520)
I look at this and I want to throw up. And I want to stress again that this was a NORMAL day. Every day was like this and weekends were much, much, much worse.
That amount of sodium frightens me. And the fat?
I cannot even conceive of eating like this again, but if you had asked me then was I eating badly .. I honestly would have told you "Eh, not great, but not too bad!"
I used to think the same thing about salads at all those restaurants and I'd eat that because I thought I was being healthy too.
Only lately restaurants have been publishing caloric counts for their foods and when I saw that those salads have 1000 calories and up I felt so cheated. It is true that I'd probably be better off eating a burger but that's not healthy either.
I still have troubles going to most restaurants and figuring out what to eat, so I don't do it very often and when I do I just see it as a treat while still trying to make the smarter choices.
While working at a former jog I had the chance to talk to a few women who were trying to lose weight and were being unsuccessful while in their heads they were eating "right" and I would always suggest they journal what they ate because I knew that for myself, when I did it, I got quite a surprise just like you.
I did this same experiment with one of my "normal days". I also would have told you I ate fairly well...healthy stuff...lots and lots and lots of healthy stuff...about 3,100 calories worth is what I came up with. Ick...
It's eye opening, isn't it?
When I think back to how I used to eat, I could vomit. I would seriously eat at Wendy's or McDonalds 5-6 times a week. Always got a hamburger with TWO patties on it, with fries, and NOT diet pop. 5-6 times a week! I save a lot of $ nowadays!
I think this is the reason why a food journal is so important when changing your lifestyle.
I hardly ever went out an brough my breakfast and lunch to work-thinking it was healthier then a 'sensible' dinner. but the biggest downfall for me was the wine that I drank in the eve...some with dinner some after dinner. one before I went to bed all that added up to oh about 3100-3500 calories per day
no wonder I would gain 30-40 pounds a year...lose it then do it all over again
Me going out for Mexican food mindlessly: Endless, uncounted chips with salsa and sour cream. This is BEFORE the food comes...
Oh, does Plato Grande come with a salad? How healthy-ish! Blue cheese please....
Then comes the taco (fried,) chili relleno (ditto,) AND rice and beans.
Did I mention the margaritas? Is everybody else having another? OK, you twisted my arm.
Me eating Mex mindfully: counting out chips (8!) then pushing the basket away; ordering a la carte; soft (not fried) shrimp or fish tacos - iced tea at lunch, one drink with dinner.
I never really figured out but I think there's probably 1500 calories between styles there.
Oh man, I did some of the SAME things. I thought anything was healthy as long as it was organic, natural, or whole grain. I didn't think I ate that much unhealthy food (or even that much food, period) and had no idea why I was overweight when other people were thin.
Like many of you, I frequently ordered salads at restaurants because I thought they were healthy. Since the carb intake usually wasn't too bad (but they sure do get you on those fat grams ), I figured the entire caloric value couldn't be THAT high. Boy was I wrong. Now, I order salads with no cheese, no crutons, no *insert creamy fatty thing here*. Eating out is usually pretty boring for me because at most restaurants, there are only one or two items off the menu that I can order without heavy amounts of modification.
For breakfast, I had an oatmeal square from the vending machine at work. Infact, I usually had two, because one wouldn't cut it. I thought, "It's OATMEAL, so it's whole grain and lowers cholesterol. It MUST be healthy!" If I didn't eat two oatmeal squares, I ate one square and then one bag of Sun Chips around an hour or two later. Breakfast: 440 calories.
For lunch, I often went to Subway. I didn't realize the "6 under 6" rule only applied under certain conditions like no cheese and no creamy/fatty sauces So, I'd get one of the "healthy" subs with cheese, mayo, mustard, and a bunch of other stuff. I'd usually make it a combo and get the chips. I thought, "Well, ok, chips are not healthy, BUT I am only eating one bag, so what's the harm?" Lunch: 650 calories
Between lunch and dinner/when I'd leave work, I'd usually get a bag of chips, nuts, or trail mix. "Trail mix and nuts are natural!" I thought to myself. "I'm having a healthy snack." Snack: 250 calories
Dinner is where I'd go all out. My now ex girlfriend would make me fried steak, fried chicken, fried plantains, fried yuca, home made fried potatoes, deep fried corn sticks, empanadas, corn on the cob dripping with butter, and fried anythingeverything. We'd both eat a fairly large plate of that and I frequently had seconds. I knew this wasn't healthy (and I didn't eat fried stuff much before living with her -- back when I was thin -- except on special occasions like out to eat), but it tasted so good that I didn't care. Dinner: 1,000 calories.
Then, we'd have dessert an hour or two after. (300 calories) We'd eat another snack after that before bed, too. (300 more calories).
TOTAL: 2,940 calories --
and this, of course, was just a "regular" day. We went out to eat frequently and before I became weight conscious, I had the entire menu to choose from. A restaurant meal with a split dessert can equate to nearly 2,000 calories alone Sometimes, I got cravings and would eat an entire bag of Munchies party mix. Other times, Hot Fries and Chex Mix were my friends. I thought that since I wasn't eating potato chips or corn chips (never really cared much for either, honestly), I was eating healthy snacks
Oh, K8-EEE, I love Mexican food. Chinese food, too. I always loved buffets both while previously thin and while fat. While previously thin, though, I would eat pretty much nothing all day until I saw the buffet so I would be EXTRA hungry and get my money's worth. While fat, I ate at other times in addition to the buffet.
I have not seen a buffet in years. I almost miss 'em. Maybe when I make my trip up to DC, my sister and I will hit a buffet for old times' sake (we always went to those when I lived up there!) -- this time, I will just hit the buffet mindfully.
At least some of you ate foods that actually were in the same form as when they were in the ground. I never ever ate breakfast lived on ice-cream (ben and Jerry's cookie dough), twizzlers, oreos, gummy worms (the kind with the sugar) and french fries, on a healthy eating day I had an steak, egg and cheese bagel. I used to be the kind who every gas station attendant around where I lived knew and would comment on how I must make some children happy with all the treats I bought. I wondered why I always felt sluggish and faint turns out I was anemic b/c surprise none of these foods are a good source of iron and I had GERD to the point where I lived on protonix. Funny how whole foods have turned this all around. The embarrassment of eating like a child left to make his/her own food choices for so long still lingers a little.
broccoli - 31 cals ... I know! I laughed out loud when I saw that on the list.
Isn't it amazing how we used to fool ourselves?
And I would order dessert at the restaurant - one of my favorites was strawberries Romanoff at LaMad's. I convinced myself I was being healthy by doing so. But yeah, the Romanoff sauce is nothing but cream and sugar.
I never really was a "binge" eater. I just ate. A lot.
And then I think about the days that I didn't eat lunch. Of course I never *brought* my lunch, so if I didn't go out, then I skipped. Then DH and I woudl go to someplace like the Cheesecake Factory and have appetizer, two entrees, and dessert - because by then I was STARVING. Plus I ALWAYS had drinks out - either wine or a margarita or a vodka martini. I forgot to add that to my list. I probably consumed 300 calories a day in alcohol.
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Last edited by PhotoChick; 12-18-2008 at 07:27 PM.
I don't know what surprises me more about how I used to eat (3-5,000 calories of crap - similar to others who've posted in this thread): the fact that I ate all that, felt crappy all the time and lethargic - or the fact that I was so in denial about my poor eating habits.
I remember one time my friend and I (he is still overweight but we never, EVER talk about it) polished off 2 dozen krispy kreme donuts (yes, that's 24) in the span of a day and a half. We had a 2 for 1 voucher. Not to mention the 3 or 4 free samples we got standing in line, as they had just been baked.
I don't even want to think about this...but here it goes. XD
Breakfast: Prolly two servings of lucky charms with whole Milk.
Lunch: Wendy's...taco bell (Which I found can be managable but isn't when you order the ultimate nachos.)
Dinner: Either a pasta dinner (Which must have been like a whole bag of pasta with a full ring of sausage on top)
Snack: And I use the term loosely cause it was usually a grilled chicken sandwhich from Wendys
Bedtime snack after closing the store: Onion rings and a chicken parm sandwhich from sheets.
I can't count up all those calories...but I'm assuming it's in the 4,000-5,000 range.
Least now I have my sugar free jello and sugar free cool whip..I dunno what I would do without those guys. xD
How I Used To Eat
And if we went to Chili (which we did probably 2x or 3x a week) there was ALWAYS an order of chips and salsa - with refils. 
