Like many people here, I'm not doing pure calorie counting alone. While I'm not following a formal plan, I am focusing on whole foods, sticking virtuously to whole grains, keeping an eye on my macronutrients, and of course I'm already vegan. I try to stick to porridge for breakfast and soup and/or salad for lunch. It's all informal, and I don't have any lists of prohibited or compulsory foods. The flexibility of calorie counting is one of the things I really like about it, that it can be adapted to pretty much any diet.
However, I'm finding that the mere act of calorie counting is pushing me gently in certain directions. I'm eating more vegetables than before, because they fill me up for very few calories. Where previously I would sauté a courgette [zucchini] or red pepper with a handful of almonds and put it on pasta, I will now sauté a courgette and a small red onion, so that I have a bigger bowl of food in the end. To my surprise, it's not too much for me to eat. When it comes to salads, they can be practically free. I started off with a bowl of vegetable and lentil soup and a piece of wholemeal bread with almond butter for lunch, and then found that adding a salad of, say, spinach, cucumber, and a bit of olive oil, lemon juice and salt, made very little difference to the calorie count but vastly improved the lunch.
Nuts and seeds, on the other hand, I'm now sprinkling about far less lavishly than before, as they're so high in calories. They're good, I just have to use them more sparingly, and I now count how many almonds I put into a stir-fry rather than just grabbing a handful.
I'm having to be more careful with some fruits than I expected, especially bananas, which I had never realised were so high in calories. Strawberries, in contrast, might feel like a luxury but can be enjoyed in fairly generous quantities. Which is good, because my partner and I love to snuggle up in bed to watch TV last thing at night with a bowl of strawbs or grapes.
I've been surprised by a few things. As far as sauteeing goes, a little bit of olive oil goes quite a long way. I've found that I could do a huge pan of food (onions, mushrooms, tofu, kale) with two teaspoons. In the past, I'd probably have used two tablespoons without even thinking about it.
I've also relearned how awesome grilling really is. We grill almost every night now. The flavor imparted by cooking over fire just can't be matched by any marinade or sauce. We grill tons of chicken and seafood, but we really go nuts with the veggies.
Finally, there are fruits that I steered away from for a long time because I was certain that they were loaded with tons of sugar and thus tons of calories. But an average mango only has 130 calories. Who knew? And an average nice sweet peach only has 60!
Great job on your re-doing things! Everything in moderation. Even the fruits that are considered high in sugar, they are still healthy for us so I wouldnt cut them out. For me, I allow myself "forbidden" foods, such as, apple pie some nights! And guess what? I still lost a pound the next day. I just keep moving, working out every day. Or try to everyday!
Remember the nutrients of fruits and veggies out way any "bad" people/experts want to say. I say eat the fruit you want to eat to get the nutrients from it. Just moderation.
I'm not cutting out fruits that are high in sugar, but as I'm only on 1100 calories (small and inactive), bananas aren't something I can have all the time, just as avocadoes aren't. And after hearing all those Weight Watchers with their free fruit and veg, and seeing how easy it is to get the veg in, this just surprised me.
Note to self: do not assume that because they are small, red, sweet, and expensive, cherries have roughly the same number of calories per gram as strawberries do. Eep. That'll be rice cakes with the soup tonight, then, not bread.
I too am learning the advantages of vegetables! The other day I had eaten all of the needed nutrients, minus a bit low on protein and calcium, for about 1100 calories. I was amazed at how great vegetables are nutrient wise.
I now eat a very large salad most days. I have recently added red swiss chard to the mix. I am trying out different greens to see which ones I like. Chollard, mustard and kale greens are ALL PACKED with nutrients! I like the swiss chard. It adds a nice crunch like romaine but not overly bitter. It is a bit "grassy" tasting. But it is a good flavor!
I am also measuring things more. Most days I measure everything. Before I didn't. I even weigh cereals and stuff like that compared to using a measuring cup. It is much more accurate!
I also realized I was missing my potassium pretty horrible. Now that I make sure I get enough potassium everyday, I don't feel nearly as sluggish! With that though I am learning the cheapest sources. GREENS are LOADED with potassium. so is tomato juice. Potatoes. Bananas, are an OKAY source, but not as great as everyone claims they are. Vegetables seem to beat out most fruits, except apricots! Beans are also great sources as well!
I think the cheapest sources are beans and potatoes along with greens. Then tomato juice and apricots. Oh carrot juice too, but it is quite expensive if you don't own a juicer, which I don't .
Unexpected results of calorie counting
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