Every time I diet I count calories. I get to the point where I'm a little neurotic about it, graphs and excel spreadsheets and such ... Anyway, calorie counting is the only way I keep track of my food. My question is, is that enough? Do you just count calories, or pay attention to protein, fat, carbs, etc? I mostly stick to Lean Cuisine meals and 100 calorie type things, I'm just interested to see how everyone else evaluates food.
I do pay attention to where my calories come from. I stay away from processed foods (for the most part) and lean more towards whole foods. I also avoid sugar where possible and anything that's obviously high in fat. I used to obsess over every calorie I put in my body, but if it's something healthy (like an avocado) that's high calorie and will push me over my limit for the day, I eat it if I'm truly hungry because it IS healthy. And for me, going over my limit with healthy food isn't a big deal. I'm more focused on overall healthy eating.
I watch everything, not as closely as the calories though. I find if my protein is semi-high (80-100) then everything else kind of falls in place. I like my carbs lower and my fibre higher. Fat is never really an issue for me, unless I end up eating out.
I just try and eat protein with everything meal and it pretty much evens itself out.
I watch protein and fiber, and am very careful to get volume for my caloric buck: I try to eat things that will leave me full, which is why I avoid lean cuisines and 100 calorie packs: for the same 300 calories in a lean cuisine, I can have 200 grams--almost half a pound--of roast chicken, and for the same 100 calories in a 100-calorie cookie pack, I can have 550 grams--well over a pound--of steamed cauliflower. Not being hungry is vitally important to me.
I was raised on a diet, more or less, and for my mother a diet is all about processed, portioned out foods--lean cuisines, diet yogurt, single slices of bread, etc. Buying a kitchen scale and switching to whole foods has really, really helped me come up with ways to stay full.
I also keep an eye on my sodium (I have high blood pressure, and sodium also really makes me retain water) and I try to make sure I'm eating enough fat, because I think that's something that you often get too little of when you're trying to lose weight.
I use a calorie counting site, which keeps track of everything, fiber, cholesterol, calories, fat, protein, etc. which is useful to make sure I am getting everything in. When I am meal planning, I only pay attention to calories and fiber, and everything else normally falls into place.
I'll echo what some of the other folks said - I focus on whole foods, mostly vegetarian, mostly South Beach principles (volumes of veggies, only whole grains, low saturated fat, no refined grains or sugars), try to get as many SuperFoods in every day as I can, always make sure to get enough fiber (which usually happens automatically when I eat enough veggies and beans), and *try* to have some protein with every meal, including snacks ...
Before calorie counting, I tried to aim for The Zone ratio (40% Carbs:30% Fat:30% Protein) and that was a LOT of work! Now, when I just plan my meals out by the principles above, it always magically turns out to have almost exactly these ratios. It still blows me away that it works out that way!
I have also calorie-counted before by just eating whatever and watching the calories (usually around 1400, tried zig-zagging for a while). I ended up justifying some BAD, unhealthy choices because they fit into my calorie allotment.
The composition of my body is completely different (less belly fat for sure!) when I watch the processed foods, FWIW. And I'm way less binge-y.
I get my calories from lean protein, low fat dairy, LOTS of veggies, small amount of fruit, healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, nuts, salmon, etc) and small portions of whole grains. I try to hit 25 gr of fiber a day and let the rest of it fall into place. On average, it works out to just under 50% from carbs (175 gr), 25% fat and 25% protein (86 gr).
I'm averaging about 1375 calories a day, but find I'm not generally that hungry as long as those calories are coming from a more whole foods based diet, rather than a lot of processed food. And unlike a lot of people, I tend to not snack much. I eat 175 calories for breakfast (same thing every day) and then have my main meal at lunch which is a BIG salad which includes chicken, avocado and a hard boiled egg along with a whole wheat pita or some other grain. That keeps me full through supper most days, although I do keep "emergency snacks" like some almonds or a piece of fruit around, just in case. Supper is more varied but includes veggies, proteins and a starch.
i've been keeping any eye on everything. Today, my sodium was way too high. i looked at what i ate and now i know to keep those things to a minimum in the future.
I pay attention to where the calories are coming from, which meal I'm eating them in (balance is something I've learned is key to success in my meal plan). I also pay close attention to fat grams and cholesterol due to health reasons (which when you eat very non-processed is easy to keep in check).
Lately, I've also been paying attention to sodium and fiber.
I eat whole foods only, they keep you full and give you energy. I won't buy anything if it doesn't meet my requirements, low sodium, low sugar, low cholesterol and saturated fat and total fat. I love fruit, so half my calories come from a variety of fruit everyday.
I eat whole foods, and try to keep everything as natural as possible with no additives/food coloring/preservatives. I do consume the occasional processed food but it is the exception rather than the rule. Besides, when calorie counting, you'll find you can eat a LOT more food (and feel a lot more full) when many of your calories come from veggies, fruit, and whole foods in general.
I don't pay too much attention to sodium at the moment because I don't have any issues with that.
Last edited by MyBestYear; 04-04-2010 at 12:17 PM.
Just Calories??
... Anyway, calorie counting is the only way I keep track of my food. My question is, is that enough? Do you just count calories, or pay attention to protein, fat, carbs, etc? I mostly stick to Lean Cuisine meals and 100 calorie type things, I'm just interested to see how everyone else evaluates food.
