[hpnodat]

For the last 3-4 years I have been doing low carb off and on. More off than on I might add.

I have learned to eat this way, it is like it's almost part of who I am. I'm having a hard time switching over to calorie counting. I feel like I'm doing something wrong when I'm eating bread or pasta, etc... It may not sound like a big deal but for me it is.

The other thing is how in the crap do you all keep up with how many calories you are consuming when you make food at home. Yes, all that prepackaged food is great because it tells you on the package. But I don't want to eat processed food. When I make something at home with so many ingredients and you really don't know what a serving size should be... how do you keep track of that?

Am I making a mountain out of a mole hill?

Isn't there some site I can visit to decode all this for me?

[Priscatip]

Ok, so I don't know anything about low carb, I've never tried that one before. So I'm sure someone else would be able to answer that part of the question better.

For recipes, depending on the recipe, I have a few tactics. For recipes online that I just want to copy and paste and see if there is even a remote possibility that they would fit into my count for the day, I put them into this website for a general idea: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php.
If I'm going to make a family favorite, or switch up ingredients from a written recipe (like changing sour cream for non fat sour cream), I calculate calorie counts for each item, add them up and divide by servings.
I keep a little book for my calorie counting, and in the back I write in recipes and their calorie counts (but I'm kind of a recipe goon, maybe that's not something other people do ) as well as counts I've already looked up for favorites at restaurants and my regular items (like a list of under 200 cal snacks that I can have).
Serving sizes... depends... for a casserole, I divide it up by 4 or 6 or whatever - whatever makes a serving fit into my calorie count. If that is 2 bites, it's not a serving size worth my time. For soups and stews, I measure out how many cups it makes and divide by that.

It was a little hard at the beginning, just because I didn't know how many calories were in anything. I know lots of people on this site use online programs that work for them, and I'm sure they will chime in with what those sites are. But it definitely gets easier as you get used to it - I could probably keep a running tally in my head by now if I wasn't worried about forgetting about all my 'just a bites'.

Good luck!! I look forward to hearing everyone elses great advice on this one.

[JayEll]

Hey!

When you decide to change plans, you can expect some difficulties getting used to a new way of looking at things.

Most recipes tell you how much of each ingredient you're using, and you can look up the calories that way. Most recipes also tells you how many servings you're getting. Once you figure out the calories and servings, you don't have to do that again. I use the downloaded version of FitDay, and I have entered some recipes into it so I don't even have to look up my calculations.

Eating with calorie restriction doesn't mean you have to load up on carbs. A measured amount of carbohydrates is actually good to have. Tell yourself that!

Jay

[rockinrobin]

Okay, you're new to calorie counting and it DOES take a while to get the hang of it. Once you get accostomed to all the calorie counts of the foods that you're eating, it will get easier. The calorie recipe analyzer that Priscatip left a link to is one that I've used often.

I am a calorie counter, but I make those calories COUNT. Bread is something I rarely, rarely eat. As well as pasta, rice, and added sugars. Even though I'm counting my calories, I'm most definitely watching my carb intake. ESPECIALLY the not so good carbs. The ones with no nutrients. The ones that leave me clamoring for more- not so good carbs. In other words, I need to stay away from bread, pasta and rice. I love them, but I OVEREAT them. My carbs, and I eat a lot of them, comes from tomatoes, and butternut squash and cauliflower and onions and other VEGGIES. They're GOOD carbs. They're nutrient rich, satisfying and extremely FILLING. I get to eat a large amount of them, which is something I greatly require.

You will see as you progress, that your choices will evolve. You too will want to get the most mileage out of those calories and you will learn to choose wisely.

[bargoo]

I am a calorie counter, too, and watch my carbs and sodium. I use calorieking, it has tons of information including fast foods and restaurants. I use the book as I can carry it with me, some prefer to go online. It is just a matter of personal preferance.