how exactly do you calorie count? Do you look at the item, lets say popcorn and it says serving size 1 cup:45 calories and thats the serving you should have and those are your calories? What if you dont have a complete serving or you have extra? what if you cant exactly find out how many calories it has? For example, what if you had vegetarian chili, homemade?

I am doing full bar and portion control right now, but id like to try CC.

I weigh things and use a online calorie log like "my apex". it allows you to put in the weight of everything in grams or ounces then automatically figures out for you what the calories are based on the weight you input.

as for the homemade stuff, it's a painful process but there are recipe nutrition makers on livestrong.com, which is also a calorie log too. you measure everything as it goes in and it will tell you all the nutrition info for the entire recipe, or you can split it up into servings.

Calorie counting is tedious at first, but after you get into the flow and have all the usual stuff input it will be a lot easier. Just hang in there and eventually it will come naturally.

I just sat down and estimate for today:


Stouffers meal 240cals
1 orange 62cals
celery stalk 6cals
2 chicken nuggets ?cals
1 serving of homemade fries 210cals
corn on the cob 90cals
fullbar 160cals
homemade popcorn 45cals
bowl of spaghetti 230cals
bakery pretzel ?cals
TOTAL: 1043 without pretzel and nuggets

did I do it right?

You're pretty much on track. The basic idea of calorie counting is calculating the number of calories in the amount of whatever you just ate, then keep a running log of the total for the end of the day.

You don't have to go by the specific serving size listed on the package, but it's a useful guide. For your example, you can measure out 1 c of popcorn, then log that into your calorie counter. It will probably automatically generate 45 calories to add to your running total.

If you want two cups of popcorn instead of the recommended one, that's fine, just log it. That's the beauty of calorie counting- it's very flexible. As long as you are eating balanced food and getting in your nutrients you can eat what you feel is best for you

For homemade food, you can either a) search your online calorie counter for a similar product (i.e. search for homemade chili) and log that or b) like Jenneo said, use the "recipe" function to input everything you put into the chili and calculate serving size. Option B is MUCH more accurate, but it's more time consuming. What I usually do is take the time to calculate recipes I use a lot to have an exact amount, and then for food I've had at someone else's house or something like that I'll do the search feature to find similar recipes. Sometimes searching for a recipe with the same name works, sometimes it can be woefully inaccurate. Use your common sense. If you just baked a cheesecake that you know has tons of calories and the already-inputted cheesecake entry that comes up in your CC gives it 150 cals and 5 g of fat, you may want to look for a different entry.

Also, if you cook using online recipe sites, like AllRecipes.com, they often have the calories, fat, protein, etc already calculated on the site. You can just use those.

Measuring and weighing are really important for calorie counting. Don't eyeball portions of meat, cheese, cereal, pasta, etc. Measure it out, at least for the first month or so. Again, takes time, but you'll get a much more accurate calorie count. Otherwise you will likely- as we all have!- assume what a cup of pasta looks like. only to be shocked when you finally measure it and found you're eating 2 1/2 cups!.

If you are at a party or out somewhere and can't measure, it never hurts to overestimate the portion size when you get home and input the cals. If you think you ate 4 oz of chicken parmesan, input 6.5. That's my rule of thumb, at least. I usually increase what I think the portion is by about 30%. Because you don't know what's in that food (and restaurant food has lots of hidden oil, butter, etc) and the portion, overestimating a bit has tended to give me a more accurate calorie estimation (as evidenced by on-target weight loss).

Like Jenneo said, calorie counting takes a bit of time upfront, but once you get the hang of it it probably wont' take more than 5 minutes each day. Good luck!

Just saw your log for today- it looks reasonable, but I do have a question. How did you arrive at the 230 cals for the bowl of spaghetti? Did you measure the spaghetti and the sauce separately and calculate the calories for each separately? You may have been completely correct, it's just an area that could be easy to miscalculate by estimating "a bowl of spaghetti" rather than "1 c linguini + 1/2 c homemade pasata sauce + 1 tsp oil + 1 tsp parmesan cheese" or the sort. Not that you may have had oil/parm, I'm just using it as an example of how to get as detailed as possible

You can check on My Fitness Pal, the Self calorie counter, or Livestrong how much the chicken nuggets probably "cost" in terms of calories. But remember those are just estimates. The best is to weigh them so you know exactly how much meat you have.

I use the nutritional info on the back of food packets if I can, everything else I just google. I'm old school I just write my calories in a notepad that I keep in the kitchen.

I very frequently have half servings or double servings, it really is as simple as doubling or halving the calories per that serving. I do quick calculations before each meal to see if the numbers add up or if I have to cut back on any item.

It took me quite a while to get into my calorie counting groove but with the homemade chili issue I would say you need to write the recipe out and calculate the calories as/before you make it. It can be extremely tedious which Is why I prefer cooking recipes I get online that already have calorie counts.
My tip about calculating calories as you make a recipe is to have a note pad by your side and weigh all the ingredients that go into your chilli (150 grams beef mince, 120grams tomato etc) jot them down and look up how many calories are in the foods, you can do this while your dish is in the oven or pot cooking.

When you have all these numbers decide how many servings your recipe will make roughly. then divide the total calories by that number. Now you know exactly how many calories are in your homemade chili.

If you are new to calorie counting and it all sounds abit daunting, I would definately leave the recipe calculating until you feel more ready. With home made recipes you could start by limiting your portions to a cup, then looking online for a general calorie count for chili.

Sorry for the long post but I hope some of it can be of some use to you.

Best advice with any lifestyle change, make sure to measure your food. You would be shocked at what an actual serving is.

I use MyPlate, a food scale and measuring cups. We cook at home a lot, and I just add up everything in the recipe and divide it by the portion I ate. I don't eat in restaurants very often anymore, and when I do, I often pick restaurants I don't like as much like Cheesecake Factory or Bertucci's (I prefer non-chains) where I can get the calorie information, or just order a salad.

Where are the veggies? The fiber? The protein? Dairy?

In addition to counting the calories, make sure you are eating nutritionally sound meals. You'll feel fuller, and better, if you bulk up your meals with veggies, have protein and include more fiber. You seem to eat a lot of snack (popcorn, pretzels, bars, etc) Try replacing those with something like chicken or tofu or eggs.

I find it easiest to plan the day in advance so I'm not caught off guard at dinner wondering what to eat and how to fit it into my day.

for this I used the actual serving size on the back of the can and the spaghetti was a bit estimated, but close to the serving. I added the two. No cheese or anything added.

I know thats why i got The Portion Plan, its been a great help at somethings. I never would of looked and guess i was overeating!

veggies were: Celery, potatoes (from the homemade french fries), technically the stouffers had mashed potatoes, and then corn.
according to here: http://www.wehealny.org/healthinfo/d...entchart.html: celery, the catsup, corn, spaghetti, orange, popcorn, potato all have fiber. Also, the Fullbar has fiber, thats the point of it- to keep you full and eat less because of the Fiber.
dairy would be the chocolate milk i drank.. i need to work on it.

Since I started calorie counting, I find, for myself, that corn, potatoes and pasta are too calorie-expensive to be worth while. I tend to stick to whole wheat breads, brown rice, and lots of fruits and veggies for nutrients and fiber. I was always a potato and pasta lover, but when I became a calorie counter, and saw how many calories were in a serving, and how small a serving was, they became a foods that, for the most part, were not worth it for me.

I totally agree with OhMyDogs. Corn isn't really worth it, and it seems like your body doesn't even process it considering it comes out the same as it went it (TMI). In my house corn isn't considered a vegetable. And as for the potatoes, I will make baked sweet potato fries as a treat. If you are really craving potatoes, try making "mashed potatoes" with cauliflower.

I'm also "Old School" I keep a comp notebook and Journal every day. I track calories on the main page then everything else; activity, mood, weather, stress, & work hours on the left (opposite) page.
This has really helped me find my "triggers" for emotional eating. It also helps me quick reference what does and doesn't work for nights I work strange shifts or weekends when we're out and about.
I can also reference meals I make frequently by paging back to when they were last made.
If you don't go online every day (or several times a day) I highly recommend picking up a quick calorie guide. My favorite for years has been "Calorie King". Buy a new one every year or so for updated info. Calorie King has general breakdown for all basic foods and some packaged foods. It also has a great quick guide for eating out. It's tiny and can easily fit in your purse if you don't know where you are going out to dinner, you can still make good decisions on the fly.
Count everything.
It's hard at first. You'll pick up the veggies as you progress. Once you get a feel for your calorie budget you'll want every morsel that hits your mouth to be worth something. Just stick with it and you'll be happy with the results.

I never go by anyone else's idea of a portion size, I decide for myself what it is for me, at this particular meal. I weigh everything except liquids. It doesn't take long to be able to know how much of a particular food will work for your calorie aim. Still, I can get surprised now and then that the portion size I chose ended up being too high for my day. It's a constant learning process.