I feel like a big dummy! I haven't really ever counted calories before, and I don't know if there is a "technique" to it.. I started by writing down what I've eaten, measuring, watching portion sizes, but my question is.. is there more to it than that?
Also do you all think its better to plan ahead? And where do you find how many calories to eat in a day? I keep finding totals in the HIGH 2,000's! That seems a LOT too high for me.
Any other advice you have would be GREAT. I am not entirely looking forward to this... sooo time consuming!! But, I want this weight off, and this is what needs to happen.
For your h and w, I would guess 2200 would be a good place to start. I would try this for a week and check the results via scale to determine the outcome. Yes, measuring and weighing to count calories is a great way to go. Write down as accurately and as quickly as you can after eating. Calorie counting has made me very happy. I eat anything I want just in moderation. You can do this and it's worth it.
Well counting calories is the only thing i do.. i use my measuring cup for my cereal especially....10 lbs gone in 2weeks...calorie counting works for me! the daily journal is really good..ive been keeping one too..
ohmanda: goood job! i havent had one since 1/16! we can do it!
It's actually not time consuming at all. You can use Fit Day or The Daily Plate to track calories, it only takes a few minutes a day. If you're using daily plate though, be careful, because users can enter calorie values, so you might want to verify on calorieking.com.
As for how many calories you need, you might want to make your Basal Metabolic Rate your starting point. It will at least give you a ball park idea. Here's a site where you can calculate what it is.
I agree that 2200 would be a great place to start. Monitor your losses and adjust it up or down if you need to. 2 lbs a week is a good goal to shoot for, although it may slow down as you get closer to goal (a .5 lb a week loss is a very good loss for me now).
As time goes by you'll probably start to notice what foods make you feel fuller longer, how many meals to eat during the day, which foods have the most vitamins and minerals, etc. I plan my meals ahead of time now when I can, but when I first started that would have been overwhelming. It sounds like you're doing pretty good so far to me, so I'd keep it simple
Thanks everyone for replying, I really appreciate it
Do you all think its better to log your calories online? I've been using a notebook to write everything down so far. I did use fitday a few years ago, I found I was spending a LOT of time trying to either add foods, or find the foods on there. I am making sure I am having at least 6-8 servings of fruits and veggies (sometimes its more like 10-12). Also, I did a little research this afternoon on how many calories to eat, and I think I will start at 1,800 and go from there.
I'm on the south beach diet, but I have to count calories because I tend to undereat (~900 cals/day). I try to eat 1200-1500 cals/day to shed the weight and not starve. I eat mostly veg and lean meats.
This is from my excel diet journal
Sunday, February 1, 2009
breakfast:
1/3 cup berries
2 hard boiled egg (no yolk)
1 cheese (LF laughing cow)
1/2 lean ham
snack: salad
lunch:
1 cup fried veggie brown ice
1 egg (no yolk)
4oz pork loin
snack: 0.5 oz almonds
Dinner:
cucumber salad
asian turkey soup (mung bean noodles, broccoli, green beans and cabbage)
~1300 cals
Last edited by redflatshoe2; 02-01-2009 at 10:09 PM.
i'm a big fan of the notebook and pen for several reasons. one is we eat out more often than we should. i went to all the restuarants web sites and wrote down options that r in my calorie range for a meal and that's in my notebook. i take it with me everywhere. when i'm out if i have a granola bar i have it right there so i can write it down before i forget bc let's face it i have two kids and my mind is so rattled sometimes i forget to eat much less remember at the end of the night everything that went in my mouth
I use a small notebook that I carry around with me so I can right down everything then also. I find it easier and keeps me more accountable for what I eat.
sparkpeople.com also has a calorie counting tool. in most cases you can find the every day stuff but you will most likely need to manually enter other things. that info can be found on the packaging. once you enter it the first time, you won't need to do it over and over again. it's saved under your "favourites" list.
I used to think fitday was annoying too because it didn't have a lot of foods in its databse, but i started using it again a few years later and found it has dramatically improved! it has a lot more foods automatically programmed in now and it "remembers" the amount you entered the last time you recorded a certain food.
i used to use a notebook and write everything myself... but im a little ocd and a list MANIAC so i would spend all this time like drawing my own spreadsheet and labeling and stupid crap like that. so i ound a pocket diet journal in a book store and I LOVE IT! all the little lists are already labeled for me- it has a place to write food, exercise, even water intake and vitamins and make notes! other bonuses are a graph for chart your loss, a big index of nutritional facts in the back, and- my personal favorite- little gold stars to place on the days you meet all your goals plus it's small enough to carry in my purse and has pages for 6mos. me and my journal are bffs!
I have counted calories for years - after a while, you'll have calories and portions of things memorized. I rarely have to look up calories in anything any more, unless I'm going out to eat. Stick to it. I have a white board stuck to the inside of a cabinate in my kitchen. I write down everything I eat in there during the day as I eat it, or when I get back home. I also just jot them down on paper and add up, or I just keep a tally going in my head. I wish you luck - try new things, one of the options will work for you!
This notebook thing is working out VERY well for me! I can almost say I'm enjoying it, lol. I even survived going out for dinner! I am also down in pounds, 3 pounds to be exact! Amazing! I settled on aiming for 1,500 - 1,800. What have I discovered so far? Egg whites are my breakfast friend, so low in calories!! Snacks? And orange and 100 calorie pack of raw almonds. Dinner? Omigosh, roasted veggies! Best side ever!
Anyone else got any good finds? I know I can't eat an orange with almonds for every snack for the rest of my life.. lol..
Counting Calorie question..
I am not entirely looking forward to this... sooo time consuming!! But, I want this weight off, and this is what needs to happen. 
