Hey I decided to try doing the calorie counting. any tips to help me keep going on it and not give up? thanks

Ashleigh

I think calorie counting is a great way to go. It's fairly easy once you get the hang of it and start to know what calories are in your favorite foods.

I would suggest that you write down everything you eat. Either through an online food diary (like fitday or dailyplate) or on paper. If you are going to do it on paper you'll probably want to buy a book that contains food counts. The book is also good to have when traveling without computer access.

My next tip would be to measure out everything! Once you get an idea what a serving looks like you can eye ball some things, but I still measure fats, condiments, and things like that. I bought a 1 Tablespoon sized cookie scoop that I measure things like mayo and peanut butter with. It's easier to get stuff out of it versus just a measuring spoon. Spoons and measuring cups work well though. Also, I get an inexpensive kitchen scale. Some things are easier to weigh (like a 2oz serving of dry pasta.)

There are a lot of knowlegable people here on the forum. If you have questions, don't be afraid to ask. We're all here to help each other.

Congrats on your 40lb loss! You are already doing so well!

thanks. we have been doing other things, but today i asked my mom if she would mind if i also did the calorie counting.

I have definitely found calorie counting to be the most effective way to lose weight and keep it off.

Once I realised the fundemental formula "Energy in must be less than energy out" everything just fell into place!

It doesn't take long before you start to know the various calorie amounts in different foods and it gets a lot easier then as well. I also found I eat a far wider variety of food now in order to get as many nutrients as I can packed into my calorie limit.

At the moment I aim for between 1200 to 1400 calories a day with 3 "meals" - breakfast, lunch and dinner and a couple of snacks (usually fruit or yoghurt) if I feel the need.

I use fitday.com to track my calorie intake and when I can't find a food on it (which can be most of the time as I am Australian and it uses American brands) I just custom add my own foods and ingredients.

I also have a spreadsheet in Excel - but thats because I'm a bit of a number cruncher lol.

Good luck!

i joined at the FitDay.com thanks for the site

Welcome! You've gotten some good advice here, so I just wanted to wish you well.

Welcome to calorie counting! I like Fitday too! It is a great place to keep track of your progress. I encourage you to enter in your exercise and your weight in addition to your food. Looking back over your progress and the particulars of your journey can help you in the future.

thanks for the tips

lol me too
i love being able to do ratios on calories and other another nutritional information like; fibre, protien, and carbs!!
or even making sorted lists of best veges/protiens/carbs etc

ahhhhaaaha im a number geek
please forgive me!!

I use a palm pilot program with a huge database of foods by type and brand (Calorie King) and I couldn't have managed my calorie counting without it!

It takes some time just to learn about food and nutrition. When you're limiting your calories it's important to eat more nutrient dense foods. Look at labels not only for calorie info but also protein, fat, and fiber.

It has seemed to me that everyone needs something different to feel full and satisfied. For instance, I need a lot of protein in my breakfast to feel full, so I have mostly cottage cheese or egg whites with some limited carbs like GoLean cereal or whole wheat bread. But a friend of mine feels better with a breakfast that's mostly carbs - that's what gives her energy. So don't be discouraged if it seems really hard at first. Change things up until you hit on a balance that works for you, and be ready to adapt along the way!

Good luck!

Make sure you eat often. Please don't go long periods without eating. I shoot for every three hours, this keeps old man hunger at bay.

LOL @ "old man hunger"!!!

I would highly suggest calorie cycling - switching up your calories on a daily basis - so that you don't plateau.