[indiblue]

I'm new to calorie counting and I think I need the advice of seasoned counters.

I currently live in India and I eat a decent amount of Indian food. Whether made by my housekeeper (yes I know ridiculous I have one, but it is par for the course in this country), or at a restaurant, or at the home of a guest, it is always home-cooked with the recipe that family has been using for generations. There is no standardized recipe for most foods, and almost never do people measure the amount that goes in. It's all "eyeballed."

For this reason I am having a VERY hard time counting calories. I don't trust what my online calorie counter generates for most Indian food. I try to keep my portions small, but if the calorie counter is wrong, I could be intaking as many as 300-500 extra calories per meal without realizing it.

I try to eat 'intuitively,' or stopping when I am hungry. I use the scale as a big source of feedback- am I gaining or losing?

I lost 4 lbs counting calories and limiting portion sizes, and then plateaud at 130.8 for over a week. After eating an Indian snack for dinner last night at a party (only 6 small pieces), I am back up to 131.2.

Bottom line is I don't trust my online calorie counter to count accurately. If I was eating Fiber One bars and Lean Cuisines perhaps counting calories would be much more accurate. But I have no idea the ingredients that go into this home-prepared unique-recipe food. At least at home with my housekeeper I have some control, but how do I overall count calories more accurately?

Thanks all.

[joyfulloser]

Mmmmmm.... I LOVE INDIAN FOOD!!!!!!

That said...I do all my cooking. I enjoy eating international cuisine. That said, I recently entered the wonderful world of Indian cooking. Oooo weeeee...I must say Indian Food is LOADED with FAT and CALORIES...although extremely delishous! Keep this in mind...and unless you are prepared to do all your cooking (such as I) wherein you can cut back on the fat and calories by using substitutes and less butter, etc., you are getting a very calorie dense meal.

My suggestion, is to do what you've been doing. Eat very small portions and limit the "meat" dishes sticking to mostly small fist size portions of the vegetarian style indian cuisine.

You are very fortunate to be able to receive such delishous authentic culinary delights...lean cuisine and "fiber one" bars are garbage..pure garbage...and yes, quality does count!

One last thing...Indian cooking has been the most difficult challenge for me as they use a TON of spices and the technique is a bit difficult from what I'm used to...I take my hat off to the men/woman who cook like that every day...they are truly "galloping gourmets"!!!

All the best!

[JenMusic]

I know your pain! I lived in China for a few years, and despite a diet heavy on veggies and other "good for you foods," I found calorie counting very difficult, and my weight loss was slow as a result.

I ended up stopping calorie counting, and just limiting portions and eliminating rice and sugar. I cooked at home as much as possible. I also tried to ramp up my physical activity (not hard living on the 7th floor with no elevator!) but for me, food, and not exercise, has always been the major factor in weight loss.

I know this isn't too helpful or encouraging, but I do commiserate. I do agree that CC-ing is MUCH easier in the States.

[martinimouse]

I don't think calorie counting is the best route for you. Indian cuisine simply has too many ingredients. Have you considered using ONE BOWL method by Don Gerrard? This teaches us to use a small bowl as a guide to eating, a form of intuitive eating. He has lots of experiments to try, to open our minds to our eating habits. You could try to do a bit of study about the density of calories in types of Indian foods, try to balance those with yogurt and veggies with the heavier curries and such. Rice and a small amount of pulse or curries may keep the calories a bit lower. Best of luck and I am envious of your meals! I love the flavours and combinations very much!

[indiblue]

Joyful I completely agree, and I'm so grateful I have access to not only delicious fresh cuisine but also fresh fruits and vegetables brought into the city daily from family farms for cents to the kilo. I'd take that any day over the heavily chemical overpriced produce found in most US supermarkets! What I meant by that comment about Lean Cuisines is that I think that's where calorie counting actually works- when you have labels and manufacture-provided nutrition information. 60% of my meals are total guesstimating so I don't think I am counting accurately.

Jen good to hear someone else who has had this same experience! I think I'm just going to have to be SUPER careful about portion size. I eat at home a lot but have to eat out at other peoples' houses or at restaurants for social reasons sometimes. Salads here are dangerous (fresh unpeeled vegetables like lettuce often carry e-coli) so it limits my choices even when I do go out. I guess I'll just have to be EXTRA strict with my calorie intake on days I plan to eat out.

martini I haven't heard of it, thanks for sharing! I'll look it up. I've tried intuitive eating before (and have lost weight on it before), but I think I need to get more educated about it before trying it again. It could work well, I just need to make sure I know how to do it correctly.

Thanks all for your input !

[theresac]

I live in West Africa and also don't have access to nutrition information for most of the foods I eat. It's annoying and frustrating and sometimes I use it as an excuse for being lazy.

This is what I do:

1) For foods I eat all the time (especially the ones that are "eyeballed" by my in-laws or street food or whatever), I plug the recipes into a calorie counter, using generous estimates for oils, proteins, and carbs. While the exact recipe may vary from person to person, I have at least an *idea* of what I'm eating. This step took me several hours spread over the course of a week or two. It was fastidious and annoying, but I'm SO GLAD I did it.

2) I used "learning how to cook" as an excuse to watch how my neighbors and friends prepare local dishes. Again, recipes vary from person to person, but I now have 3 different spinach sauce recipes that are reasonably accurate, if I can figure out which variety it is.

3) When I have someone to cook for me (yeah, it's common here too), I sit down with her and plan out meals for the week. We have salads every day, made with local greens and vegetables, and because I've already entered common recipes into my calorie counter, I can figure out the calories in advance. If I don't know what goes into a dish, I ask. I'm paying the person to cook, so she can cook the way I want her too (which includes using less oil and meat than "traditional" recipes usually call for).

4) I control what I can and don't sweat the small stuff.

Trying to count calories outside of the US/UK/anywhere with Western ingredients and nutrition labels is ridiculously difficult, but can be managed if you put in the elbow grease now.

Best of luck, and feel free to PM me if you have any questions!