[huniebunie]

Hello all, I have been on a limited calorie diet as recommended by my dietitian. She says I dont have to actually count, however, look at labels n estimate, etc. So, with little prevail, a 5lb gain in a week, and desperation, ive decided to actually count what I eat, question is, how do I count home cooked meals?? I dont cook, my bf usually does, and I dont have the time to sit next to him and sum up every dash of salt he adds. Also, if I make some mix, like tuna w/mayo, how do I add up the calories if I only eat a certain part of the mix? Ok..sorry so long. I hope someone can help me out, im truly bummed! I feel like my hard workouts this past week were for nothing..*sigh* Thanks for anyone who can help in advance.

[jillybean720]

When I make recipes at home, I just add up all of the calories in the ENTIRE recipe, then divide by how many servings I get out of the recipe. For example, for your tuna and mayo, add up all the calories in the tuna and the mayo, then divide by 2 (if you're only eating half of what you made) to get your calories.

[rockinrobin]

Calorie-king.com has a very quick and easy recipe analyzer. You type in the ingredients and it spits out all the info you need.

[SmartButt]

hunie - as to your boyfriend doing the cooking, you're most likely going to have to take a more active role in that area. Even if you're not the one doing the cooking, you'll need to pay attention to what's in the recipe or watch what he puts in and how much. You can also explain to him that knowing this is important to your health, and perhaps he'll help by writing down what he's put in the food.

Are you using FitDay or some other website to calculate/keep record of your calories? If so, in worst case scenario you can just try to look up something close in their database. Let's say your boyfriend makes pizza, well, enter pizza that has a description that sounds most like what you ate. And when in doubt, round up in numbers.

Hope that helps.

[cablgurl]

hi hunie,
I found it hard in the beginning as well, most cooking in our home is done by my dh. I purchased some low cal cookbooks and i also serched the net for low cal recipes, i took all of our faves and put them in a binder. I gave the books to my dh and now he uses them for every meal. He was surprised that low cal meals could actually taste good. As a bonus he has also lost weight without even trying.

[huniebunie]

Hey all! Thanks for the awesome ideas. I did ask my bf to write down everything that he put in dinner last night, however he went by taste, added more than he thought he would, and said it was hard to keep changing things on the paper, and cook and concentrate at the same time. He wont let me touch the stove, and I dont blame him. When I cook, dinner is either frozen or burnt.lol. I suppose ill have to come up with something *sigh*