Does calorie counting every become less obsessive? You know the whole planning everyday, having to know every calorie count for everything, if something unplanned comes up having to work around it (and maybe even carrying an ipod or pad to write down exactly what you ate), or going as far to carry your ipod around so you can put in calories even when at a restaurant right at the table, weighing and measuring anything...
I think it seems so time consuming to do, and wish it were more simple... at the moment I plan meals out of sparkpeople or fit day. I realized if I ever don't have access to the internet I would have trouble keeping track of my calories. It seems easier to eat the same things everyday so then I don't have to count calories everyday. Then the time it takes to measure everything.
does it ever just become second nature? can we ever just eat 3 healthy meals a day and 1 small snack and round off calories?
Have I been taking the wrong approach to this? You all make it seem so easy, how do you do it?
There is no need to calculate everything right in a restaurant... If that's what you're doing, you may be overdoing it.
Counting calories may seem obsessive at first because people who are obese or overweight aren't used to thinking about how much they are eating--just whether they like it and want more. So it seems like a new thing to measure foods, learn what "a serving size" is, and so on. But it does become easier. Some people plan a week ahead, some plan a day ahead, and some plan as they go. Some enter everything ahead of time, others at the end of a day, or several times a day. It's all what works. You have to find what works best for you.
Remember that there is no way to be perfect when counting calories, because all the numbers are estimates. The point is to be consistent so that the count is fairly accurate.
It's not that hard to measure out 1/2 cup of dry cereal and 1/2 cup of milk, 1/3 of a large banana, etc. It's just different.
After awhile you do get so you can estimate pretty well without the measuring cups, but it does take awhile (months) to learn.
I've been doing it so long I know most of the calorie counts for the foods/meals I eat.
I will NEVER stop weighing/measuring, though. It's important to me that I do it to keep on track.
I can understand how it would get frustrating but at some point it will become second nature. Just like you wouldn't eat meat without cooking it, I won't eat food without weighing it. I don't see it as an option anymore.
When out at resturaunts I'm a little more lenient, but I hardly go out and when I do it's for a special occassion and I count it as more of a "treat" meal than anything.
Also, I do all of my tracking either the morning of or the night before, then I get everything ready for the day. I pack up my lunch and all of my snacks and put them in a cooler which goes in my car so I can have what I need during the day (My classes are from 8-2, then work from 2-6). I try and make it as easy for myself as possible. Nothing ever comes up that is "off plan" because I always have my plan with me.
You CAN do this and I promise it'll get easier with time.
Last edited by FreeSpirit; 09-19-2009 at 07:01 AM.
I can tell you that it has gotten easier for me. I know the basic calorie count for most everything I eat. I often do a quick calculation when talking to my husband about what we should have for dinner or where we should go if we are going out. So with that method I don't always record my meals. But I do have a range for calories I stay between. If I am at risk for being too low/too high then I record or if there are foods that I don't know the nutritional information for then I will look it up and record.
I don't do any recording when I am on vacation. But even then I still make the same basic food choices I do at home. It is a nice break and I have never gained weight, I actually usually end up losing.
But you have to remember that the act of recording helps keep you on track. When I'm not recording as much, I watch the scale more. When I find that I'm not losing as fast, I make myself record everything again to find the hiden calories and get back on track.
...this style works for me. Experiment with what works for you. ...just remember that you have to keep yourself accountable in some way or you can easily slip back to old habbits.
I handle it a lot like babybluess. I have found if I get too involved in nitpicking then it feels actually a little scary. Years ago I lost about 50 pounds counting calories and fat grams and exercising but I had to stop because I was actually to the point where my family was worried that I might be developing an eating disorder and I was scared also. So I stopped and went back to my unhealthy habits and gained every bit plus more back.
So when I started this journey in July I was determined not to get caught up in that trap and to consider that these are lifestyle changes, not part of a diet. With that in mind, I have stuck to being aware of calories, being aware of what I am consuming (counting and/or estimating) and when feeling tempted putting myself through a mental questioning to figure out why I am tempted. This has worked for me, I don't know if it is what you need to help you but I do think it is important to look at the process as "This is how I need to eat the rest of my life" instead of going through the motions of counting and calculating and waiting for a time when you can quit being aware of calories and their awful effect on us!
Also, I picked up a nice purse size calorie counting book at WalMart that comes in handy. Maybe just carrying that would give you a better feeling of control when you are away from the computer.
I find that I am obsessed with counting calories, too. It has become an obsession. The good thing is, from doing it in the past, I know I am close to correct on everything, so I can have a meal and fill it in later. The only problem with that is then eating something I think is one calorie count and filling it in later, then finding out I went over my goal. I feel so bad after, like I cheated, even though I didn't mean to.
I guess I should get one of those small calorie counters to carry rund, I just get embarrassed pulling it out in either the caf at work or god forbid, a restaurant...
I still count calories and plan all my meals and no I don't carry a calculator to a restaurant , I pretty much know what I can eat and not go overboard calorie wise , I plan to NEVER stop counting calories , it was because I didn't count calories or plan my meals that I was over 200 pounds. I NEVER WANT TO SEE 200 ON MY SCALE AGAIN !
I've been counting calories for so long that I can now make a good estimate of how many calories are in most of the foods I eat and I can eyeball how much a portion size is. After a while it becomes second nature and I've been able to maintain my weight even though I don't literally count every single calorie that goes into my body. It's just re-training your brain to eat better.
I don't think I'm obsessive about it. I have a calorie goal of 1600 that I try to be at or under each day, but if I am over by a few, I don't care. Yesterday, I was over by about 250 but in the grand scheme of things, that's nothing. There will be other days that I am under.
I don't plan meals in advance. I don't make fancy lunches. On days when I am taking my lunch to work, I throw some leftover cold chicken or a can of tuna into my lunch sack, along with a yogurt and some fruit. I know myself, and I know that I'm not going to make a big fancy salad with tons of ingredients or put together a sandwich; I just don't roll that way, LOL. So along with my simple lunch, I make sure that I have healthy bars and almonds in my office desk and string cheese in the office fridge, so that when the urge to snack comes (and it will!), then I have a healthy option.
I normally track my calories when I get home from work so I know about how much I have left for my supper and evening snack. That way, I know if I can afford an enchilada, or if I should have something lighter (eggs and toast?) for supper. But I don't stress about it; if I only have 400 calories left but I really want the enchilada, then I have it but maybe I'll only have 1/2 the cheese.
Because of my loosey-goosey attitude, I'm kind of a slow loser. It has taken me 8.5 months to lose 47 pounds. Some people would find that to be excrutiatingly slow, but it works for me. And despite my willy-nilly ways, my weekly calorie average is nearly always between 1600 and 1675. I think sometimes people get tripped up on having to be PERFECTLY ACCURATE, but honestly, I didn't get fat because I ate a 100 calorie apple instead of an 80 calorie apple. I got fat from eating unlimited cookies and pounds of butter.
I think sometimes people get tripped up on having to be PERFECTLY ACCURATE, but honestly, I didn't get fat because I ate a 100 calorie apple instead of an 80 calorie apple. I got fat from eating unlimited cookies and pounds of butter.
This is my attitude. Although I track my calories, I don't stress if I can't find an exact match of the food I eat to the database I use.
I too will always measure and weigh my food. Simply because it gives me piece of mind. I've tried eye-balling portions, but it just doesn't work for me. It does however get a lot easier in time. Tracking calories has become like second nature to me. I can't imagine ever eating again "blindly" without counting and measuring/weighing. Two weeks before I started my C.C. diet, I ate regularly and tracked everything I ate. I then realized why I was overweight. I think that made a huge difference in my willpower and determination.
Windchime..I love that description ..A loosey goosey attitude.
I always say I am "kinda-sorta" doing this diet.
I have learned to know pretty much what calories are in things
just by looking. I don;t worry about trying to be exact because
I would probably get something wrong anyway.
easy calorie coutning
