Caloric WAKE-UP Call!
 

I know I have been slacking on my weightloss efforts the past couple of months. I have been hovering around the same 12 pounds.. between 250-238 for some time now.

I know that I am successful when I plan things out. So today, in an effort to get back on track, I opened up my FitDay and Food Journal and started listing the foods I have already consumed today.

OMG!! IT'S ONLY LUNCH TIME AND I HAVE ALREADY HAD OVER 2200 CALORIES!!!

I know I was eating a lot but I had no idea my calorie intake was that high. It's no wonder I haven't lost any weight.

hi!
2200 calories by lunch will not help weight loss.
Maybe you can post what you ate, and we can suggest things?
good luck with this. cheryl

Yah, maybe it's a good idea to start measuring out portions. I find that when I "eyeball" a cup of something, it's often more like a cup and a half.

Fitday - quite the eye opener. It sounds though as it was just the wake up call that you needed. When you know better - you do better, and now you know. Good luck taking it from there. Any help you need, we're here for you. :)

Ok- so far today...

1 little can mandarin oranges
1 celery stick
1 buffalo wing w/ blue cheese dressing (boss brought 'em in)
1 snack size bag of Dutch Crunch BBQ chips
1/4 gallon Arizona Green Tea w. Ginseng and Honey
1- 6" Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Sub - Subway
1- 6" Turkey and Ham Sub- Subway

I think it was the huge lunch that did me in. I don't have groceries at home right now tend to buy lunch often.

I know what you mean - since I am doing WW and becoming more aware of labels, I can't believe how much I was consuming in one day! Maybe this was just the wakeup call you needed!

I love to go to Subway for lunch. Because of the diet that I'm on, I'm trying not to eat too much bread (it's bad for me, personally, because if I have it...I want MORE!!!). I don't want to totally deprive myself, so I noticed that Subway allows you to have your favorite sandwich as a salad for just $1 more! I have my dressing on the side and just dip my fork in it instead of putting it all over the salad. I use a lot less dressing, and it saves on a lot of calories. Oh, also...do you drink the diet green tea? Check how many grams of sugar are in it. You may be surprised.
I figure every little bit helps!! Best wishes on your new lifestyle! You can do it!!!

Well that would be a bit of a wake-up call. Now where's the nice healthy breakfast that would have started off the day on the right track? A can of mandarin oranges isn't going to cut it.

Not much to add to the good advice already offered. Just wanted to say that I missed your posts, Kae, and it's great to have you back! Good job deciding to be accountable for your food intake. I know you'll conquer this!

Thanks everyone for the responses!

Hi again,
Where are the fresh fruits and veggies? healthy breakfast?
1 celery stick is not veggies. It is a nibble
Buffulo wings, blue cheese dressing and bbq chips probably did it, and 2 sandwiches too. I think if you started with a healthy bkfst you wouldn't be so hungry later on.. I know you can find what is right for you!!!
cheryl

I dont even want to begin to think of how many calories I was consuming in a day before I started this journey. Im sure it was WAY up there!!! You can do this. Tomorrow is a new day, get up, eat a good breakfast, get those fruits and veggies in, take you a sand for lunch... maybe turkey or chicken breast on wheat (tomato and onion in a baggie) to add on. Lite may or mustard. Good luck!

Does the tea have calories?

Hi again!
I was looking at the tea....
My husband loves Arizona Sweet Tea. I don't drink the stuff. I checked on the label:
23 grams of sugar (almost 5 tsp)
90 calories ..................PER 8 OZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!
I realize the tea you drink may have honey in it...but I'd check on how many grams of sugar is in it....sugar is sugar (although honey is more nutrittional than white sugar). It will still raise your blood sugar level, which may affect appetite, cravings, etc.
Just a thought..............

I drink Lipton tea in a bottle. Use to drink the sweetened kind. Now I mix one bottle of sweetened ( not the extra sweet ) and one bottle of unsweetened. This means 16 oz of tea is 16 carbs. I have two of these a day. Works for me. Might help you start getting the carbs down. I figure in another month or two will do without the sweetened tea all together. Little changes add up.

Just goes to show ya how important journalling what you eat can be. Like Robin said, now you know. :D

I went to Subway this weekend - they had a nifty meal with bottled water, a wrap and a yogurt. The turkey wrap was like 250 cals, the yogurt like another 120.

Hey - at least you didn't have a cookie! :D

I have been bringing my lunch (and snacks) to work for years now. It's a little extra work in the morning, but it saves money and I'm never tempted by vending machine food or going out unless maybe it's a special occasion. Way easier to stay in my calorie count when I have everything I need at hand.

Thanks everyone-- I did take a look at the Sweet Tea and the Ginseng/ Honey tea that I was drinking.. You were right about the sugar and calories. They are extremely high!! You can finish one bottle of it for about a 1/3 of your daily calorie intake. When I looked at the label I was like, "well this is the last time I'm ever going to have one of these."

Um... At least you didn't do Quiznos.

*hehe that stuff is evil I tell ya!*

Ok... Seriously now.

Breakfast... If you can't regularly sit down for a proper one then do what I use to do when I worked outside my home.

Slice celery, carrots, and sweet peppers (and any other veggies you like). Cherry/Grape tomatoes work well also. Set aside an hour to and hour and a half to do this every 3rd-4th night. Store them in the fridge in a sealed container with a bit of water in it to keep them crisp.

Buy grapes and pick them off the stems, rinse them.Let them dry, and then put them in the freezer. Great as ice cubes, good sweet snack, and easy to grab some and toss them in a container as you are walking out the door.

Apples: Slice them, and put them in a container with a bit of water, but if you are worried they might turn a bit brown. Squirt a little bit of Lemon juice into the container too. Close it, shake it an stick it in the fridge for the next morning (this is really a same day or same 24 hour treat).

Most of us have a kind of cracker, rice cake, etc. that we eat. Pre-wrap them in sets of 2 for rice cakes and 4 for crackers.

Cottage Cheese or Low Fat Yogurt can get expensive in those little cups so buy the larger container and divide off 1/2 cup portions into clean containers. Making them a grab and go item as well without the cost and less environmental waste.

Can you make tea/warm drinks at work? If so then keep a travel mug, and a few flavours of tea at work. The warm liquid will keep you fuller and keep you from nibbling. (I figured out I like Lipton Biscotti flavoured tea without sweetener...)

I am not saying to eat everything I have listed for breakfast but it will give you variety and taking a few options each day will mean there is something there if you are hungry in the mid-morning stage.

Each night after dinner you simply grab a handful of whichever you want to eat, put them in a more sensible sized container (sandwich containers work well for veggies), and put it in the fridge.

As for smaller sized items... I am not sure if it is in the US like it is here but you can buy sets like this in the grocery store:

Gladware
Mini Round: 8 Containers & Lids (1/2 CUP / 4 OZ)

Oh My Goodness! I just had a major wake up call. After enjoying my "so very delicious and healthy" salad for lunch, I happened to look at the bottle of my favorite dressing (I have no idea why I've never bothered to before)......160 calories for 2 tablespoons!!! Okay folks, exactly how do you dress a humongous salad with two itty-bitty little tablespoons of dressing? Needless to say, I've been using waaaaay more than two tablespoons. I absolutely despise the flavor of the low-fat or fat-free dressings, so its back to the steamed veggies for me! Maybe my scales will start moving down a little quicker.

BTW - Kae, I've missed you.

Maple Grove Farms Balsamic Vinaigrette
 

Been there. Done that. Maple Grove Farms Balsamic Vinaigrette is a very tasty dressing that doesn't taste like diet. Its secret is balsamic vinegar, and NO oil. I love it. Can get it locally, but here's a link is to Amazon for the image and the reviews.

Good luck :)

http://www.amazon.com/Maple-Grove-Fa.../dp/B0005ZWZX0

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Completed Beck Program-day 8. 34 to go. Keep going!

I haven't found a LF or FF dressing that I like either, so I make my own :):

Meg's Salad Dressing

Place all ingredients in a food processor:

1 cup low fat or nonfat mayonnaise (I use Hellman's reduced calorie mayo)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Splenda
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 small onion, quartered

Process until smooth. Keep refrigerated.

Per tablespoon:

25 calories (made with LF Hellman's mayo)
2 grams fat
1 gram carbs
0 grams protein

Caesar Dressing

1 cup mayonaise, reduced fat mayo, or FF mayo
2 T. olive oil
2 T. water
1/4 cup Eggbeaters
1.5 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. anchovy paste (optional)
2 cloves garlic
Splenda or Equal to equal 2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

Place all ingredients in food processor bowl fitted with steel knife. Process for a minute or so, until all ingredients are blended and dressing is creamy. Store in refrigerator.

I love Maple Farms FF Balsamic! <3

I've never liked light dressings, either. However, there are 3 that I have found that I really LOVE!

Wishbone fat free Red Wine Vinaigrette (35 cals for 2 tbsp)
Newman's Own Lighten Up Sundried Tomato Vinagrette (60 cals for 2 tbsp)
Newman's Own Lighten Up Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette (70 cals for 2 tbsp)

I also use WAY less dressing than I used to. I find that if I keep stirring up the salad each bite does eventually get touched with the dressing and that's all you need to taste it.

Anyway, aren't you glad you took a look????? :D

I would definitely suggest Annie's Naturals organic Gingerly Vinaigrette - I love it!!

http://www.consorzio.com/ingredients/33333.php
http://www.consorzio.com/catalog/gin...p-1000024.html

After all this time, I still put my salad dressing on the side and dip the tines of my fork into the dressing before I spear salad bits. I barely use ANY dressing!

Rhonda, Trader Joe's Goddess dressing is one that I am in love with now. It is totally SB friendly - no sugar and healthy fats, but it's not lowfat or low-cal, but on SB that's not the main concern. It's 130 calories for 2 Tbsp, but I can use about half a tablespoon on a regular dinner sized salad. I toss it really well to make sure it's well mixed. It's also very thick so sometimes I thin it out with some vinegar to make it go farther.

The problem with using light dressings or reduced fat mayo is the added sugars. When I'm out of goddess, I usually mix up a vinaigrette, very easy, quick, and yummy.

Thanks to everyone for your wonderful salad dressing recommendations. You've definitely given me some great options that I'll be trying shortly.
Tricia, yes...I am so glad I finally realized the calorie count on my dressing. No wonder my weight loss has stalled. Schmoodle, I really love my Southbeach plan, but I also have to count calories to keep myself in check. I have a tendency to overeat the good stuff too.

Kae - How are you doing with your calorie counting?

How do you dress a salad with a little bit of dressing? Shake it up!

I have the infamous "Mom's salad thing", which is a small canister-style plastic container (like Gladware, but another brand) that holds 4 or 5 cups. I put my salad in there, top it with my veggies, and then my 2 tablespoons of dressing (or if I'm using lots of dense veggies rather than just lettuce, I put in half the salad, one tbs of dressing, then the other half of the salad and the rest of the dressing). Screw on the top and shake it all together. Dressing gets on every bit. I find that I use less and less dressing this way. If I just put it on top of salad in a bowl, I use way too much, and I get too much dressing with one bite and none with the next. Shaking my salad has worked wonders for me with the dressing thing.

I actualy started shaking when I started buying salads for lunch. Most places sell them in clam-shell plastic containers with lids... perfect for shaking.

Because I list everything I eat in FitDay, I actually did read the labels on my salad dressings. So, I knew! And, I actually do measure out tablespoons of the dressing with a measuring spoon. There is no "eyeballing" salad dressings--too big an Oops Factor.

I have found that a tablespoon of a full-fat dressing is enough. I use a large bowl, and I toss the greens well once I add the dressing. On days I have extra calories, I might splurge and have TWO tablespoons! whee!

When I go out to a restaurant, I always get dressing on the side. They bring you what is probably a quarter cup of dressing. A quarter cup = two ounces = four tablespoons. So I only eat half of what they bring, using the fork method.

If it's a salad bar, I avoid the dressings and perhaps add some vinegar and a little oil. If I have to use a dressing scoop or ladle, I only empty half of it onto my salad.

Jay

These are all fabulous ideas-- I am really looking forward to testing Meg's recipes for dressing!

Rhonda- Thanks. I have been doing the calories counting the past few days. I am still a bit higher than I would like to be with the calories but at least I am writing them all down now. I am being honest with myself. It seems to be working. I have dropped 3 pounds since starting the Fitday again.

Rhonda, I've been a calorie counter too, since I went on Phase II back in June. I got obsessive about it, like I do about many things. I never intended to continue to calorie count, I just had no idea about reasonable portions and that seemed like a good way to learn. I have logged every single bit of food since then until two weeks ago. I was travelling and couldn't log until I got home. When I got home, I had 4 days to enter, and when I sat down to do it, I just didn't want to, so I decided it was a good time to go solo. It has felt very liberating, but a little scary, but I lost last week, so far, so good. We'll see, I may have to go back to it at some point, if my loss stalls.

synger, shaking is a good idea. It reminds me of those "salad shakers" McDonald's used to have a few years ago. My DS loved their chef salad. Now he won't usually eat salad, but he thought that was cool. I wish they'd bring them back.