[azcyn]

I was reading a post by Heather awhere she said she started out with 2000/day. Hope Im not mis quoting you Heather lol.

My question is how do you keep track? Meaning, if you eat say one of those yummy frozen dinners lol the calories are already on there. So that is easy. But like some times I take a sandwich to work, an apple a handful of chips, granola bar. Now the granola bar has the calories and the chips BUT like the sandwich does not or the apple. Is there somewhere you can go to chekc these?

Also should I only track calories? I know at work you hear people talking about watching sodium, fat, all kinds of things.

just wondering what everyone else does. I need to start writing it down I think that would help!

[texarkgal]

There are many web sites now that help you count calories and also you can log exercise and/or daily activity. I have tried FitDay, Calorie Counter and The Daily Plate and have finally settled on The Daily Plate as my favorite. It's data base for food seems to me to be the largest and most varied.

What I do for sandwiches, salads, etc. that I make myself I enter the ingredients individually for these items. Also, with The Daily Plate there is an option to enter all these ingredients as a "meal" and save it so if it is something you eat all the time you can enter it as one item as opposed to individually.

I am basically counting calories, but I do go for low fat whenever possible. I don't really track sodium since I don't have blood pressure problems and drinking lots of water has eased most of the swelling i used to get in my legs and feet.

My doctor has me on 1200-1300 calories per day and I usually average about 1250, but you and/or your doctor must determine the number that is right for you. Many times in the past I've been told to write down everything I eat and count calories, but I was always too lazy to do it manually. Now with these web sites it is so easy I'm having more success than I ever did before when I tried counting calories.

[HeatherAngel]

Hi Cyn -

I do exactly as the previous poster - I track everything individually, or settle on something as a 'meal' and then enter that (and hardly ever change it the next time I have it!)... so, there is a LOT of entering info in the early stages, but it pays off. So, for example, if I am having a sandwich, I will enter for lunch: the bread (2 slices), the turkey (and weigh it), the spread, the lettuce... and then if I have that again, say, two days later, I can just copy it over. I did find the entering quite time consuming, but honestly worth it 'Guess work' just doesn't work for me - I learned this the hard way with peanut butter - what *I* thought was a tablespoon on my knife coming out of the jar was actually TWO!

I have changed my eating habits tremendously, but at first, I didn't worry about sodium and fat and sugar and such - I just counted calories. As time went on, I started making different choices; for example, instead of a Lean Cuisine (which is not a WHOLE lot of food but a lot of sodium) I started having a grilled chicken breast, couscous and salad - a HUGE meal for the same calories and less sodium.

I cannot stress enough how gradual those changes were, for me. On my birthday in May, I went to the Dairy Queen and had one of those waffle sundaes (the nutritional info is on their website) - now, I wouldn't dream of spending half my day's calories on that, but back then I didn't worry about sugar and such. It is all about small steps.

Good luck!
Heather

PS - OOPS! Realized you probably didn't mean me - how arrogant of me!

[NotTheCheat]

Cyn - I use another calorie counting site that is unmentionable here (starts with an S) because I guess at one point they sent over a bunch of spammers. Too bad, because it is a great site. But it is similar to the other sites that Johnnie mentioned. I chose it over fitday because you can break your day up into meals which I really like. Also when I started it was much prettier than fitday. A lot of people seem to like The Daily Plate. One thing about choosing a site is that once you do you will want to stick with that one because you will end up entering a lot of the foods you eat that aren't necessarily in their database.

I started at 2000 calories as well and it worked really well for me. There is enough room there to not feel deprived but you should be able to lose well there to start. I know the site I am on suggests a calorie range based on your weight and goals and mine is currently 1790 - 2140. I now tend to try and come in at around 1850. Some days I am a bit under and some over. Unless your doctor suggests it, I don't see a reason to go as low as 1200 to start with. One thing to keep in mind is that you don't have a lot of wiggle room to make changes when you start out that low. When you start higher you can always come down, but I have read from multiple sources that you don't want to go much lower than 1200. Also, I find it much easier to stay on plan when I am not hungry and eating more helps me do that.

[Heather]

Cynthia -- I do exactly as stated here. I DID start at 2000 calories and used an online site to count. I actually have a scale and nearly always weigh my food. Most sites give weights for a lot of the foods. I know it's not 100% accurate, but it has done the job of keeping me accountable.

When I started, I actually didn't even calorie count -- I just brought snacks and lunch to work and watched portions. Then I counted calories. Then I moved to making healthier choices and paying attention to nutrition and where my calories come from.

If you're feeling at all overwhelmed, I would recommend starting by calorie counting and going from there.

There's a forum on 3fc for calorie counters you could also check out. Feel free to keep asking questions!!!

[bargoo]

Or you can by a calorie counting book, you can carry it in your purse to use anytime, at work or shopping, etc. I like calorie king which gives you calories, and fat and carbs for almost anything you can think of. It also has fast foods and restaurants and a lot of other useful info, you can find them on the interenet also, try www.calorieking.com

[azcyn]

Thanks for all the advice! yall are the best!!! REALLY!! I am going to buy a nice journal tomorrow if the rain stops lol. Here in Arizona we dont go out in the rain lol. AND I am going to buy a calorie counting book..maybe Santa will bring me one lol

[rabidstoat]

Calorie King is my favorite. I use it to 'guesstimate' when I have no idea what I'm eating -- like when I went out to a local restaurant for a Christmas dinner, and there was no nutritional info posted. I just find something that sounds similar.

[kimmieone]

I use a notebook and a pen, I have a the calorie king calorie book and use online resources if what I'm looking for isn't in the book. I only count calories but I try and choose lean meats, fresh fruits and vegetables and the like for most of my meals. I'm all about simplicity.