Calorie Counting and Time
 

So, after calorie counting for awhile, we realize that it takes some time.... the weighing, the math, etc. It can become quite annoying, actually.

Just curious, what are your tricks for speeding up calorie counting?

I've found, for example, that calorie counting works better for me if I split the day into two parts: 700 before 7pm and 700 after 7pm. It helps me remember. I get to "reset" the clock, instead of adding together calories from lunch, etc.

Or, if you are eating a dish with tons of ingredients, how do you track calories? I usually weigh the food and, depending on content, multiply the total grams by 1.5 - 2.5. It is a guess, but it is better than nothing.


I just need some new ideas for making calorie counting as easy as possible (beyond eating the exact same foods everyday!) Thanks!

I'm really impressed with how many foods are already in the system at livestrong. That saves a lot of time.

I did find that I needed a recipe calculator for home made cooking. So I joined sparkpeople & can save nutrition information for recipes. That's a nice tool.

I do have to estimate some times, but I try to google it & make an informed decision.

When I'm cooking, I just enter the ingredients into Fitday one at a time. I've saved recipes I make often. So tonight, for instance, I had 2 5/8 oz pasta (dry weight), 1/3 medium onion, 1 cup aubergine, 1/3 bulb fennel, 0.03tbsp olive oil, 67g chopped tomatoes (1/3 of a 200g tin), 1/3 clove garlic, 3 leaves fresh basil, and salt. I just had to copy and paste it from when I made up three portions' worth yesterday, and edited the pasta as I had wholewheat yesterday and white today.

I am on MyFitnessPal which has a huge food database. It is quick and calculates for you.
Recipes with lots of ingredients I usually run through this one: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
Especially when it is a new one and I am not sure if I want to try it. I calculate the calories first and then see if I think it is worth trying out.

I make something once and painstakingly count the calories for a portion, then I make a recipe card with exact amounts of ingredients and the total calories. That way I can make it the same each time.

I use the custom recipe settings in FitDay all the time. I have the PC software so I can use it offline. I have lots of custom recipes, for example my one minute muffin from low-carb friends . com is in there, as well as low-carb cheesecake. I also have a recipe for the way I prepare my coffee so I don't have to enter three ingredients every time I have a cuppa joe or tea.

I find the myfitnesspal app for my iPhone faster then anything else. All the websites are painfully slow in comparison. But I usually eat a lot of similar foods. It stores my recent and top foods in different lists so most of the things I eat are easy to find. I just have to click multi add - select them all off down the list and add them all in one go. I made have to manually search for 2-3 items a day. I can also bar code scan lots of things. I can add my day in less then 5 minutes - but I have been at this for year.

In terms of home-made recipes I find this useful -
http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php

You just need to type our your recipe, rather then search and add everything. It doesn't always pick up what you are typing so you might have to edit it but I find it way easier then trying to recipe on another website.

I am also guilty of not entering things into my day. For example, last night I made a sandwich but left the hot sauce out of my day because it has like 2 calories and i was too lazy to add it. Sometimes I just add the high calorie ingredients and out things like a slice of tomato or a leaf of lettuce. Maybe not the best idea - but I figure something else is probably 10 calories high to make up for it.

Everyday I plan my meals for the day usually the night before or early in the morning. It takes me about 5 minutes to plan my days menu staying within my calorie allottment. I eat a lot of the same foods over and over so I don't need to look them up each time,occaisionally I have to look something up or figure out a home made dish, it really doesn't take long once you get used to it. I think of it as kind of like balancing my check book, I have just so much I can use.

Well, I'm just a couple of weeks into this, but I've found that it gets easier as I go along. I cook a lot of my own food (I love it), and it is a super pain to fiddle with recipes to reduce calories. I do it though, and my trusty calculator and postal scale and calorieking help me along.

After I've cooked a recipe once, I write all of my modifications out in the margins in meticulous detail, then I write the exact serving size and the calories per serving and in the entire recipe in really big print right there on the recipe/in the cookbook/etc... That way, when it comes time to make that recipe again I won't have to calculate anything.

Also, I've been starting to cook in bulk. I recently made a double batch of a black bean soup I love (15 170-cal servings), and I froze them in individual servings with the cal count written on it in Sharpie. That helps a lot.

Last but not least, I've got a jumbo sticky note on my fridge where I keep track of the calorie count and serving size of proteins, so I never have to go look up how many calories in an ounce of rotisserie chicken breast or beef tenderloin again. For some reason, it's the proteins that never seem to have the cal count on the bag.

I'll be doing a lot more of the bulk cooking and freezing in the future, because once you've got a recipe you know you like, it's so easy just to pull out a home-cooked meal with the cals written right on the package and pop it in the microwave. I'm going to try to have multiple servings of four or five different meals in the freezer at all times.

I track at calorie count, and plenty of the stuff is in there--easy peasy--and you can make any food a favorite that you eat often. I've added custom foods. Sometimes if its packaged, I just choose a food like it and customize the serving size until it is what the package states, and save it as a favorite.

It isn't the time so much as the repetitive monotony, right? What are the alternatives? LOL This week, I've simplified my diet very much so--and I found myself tracking it anyhow. Go figure!

I do agree that it is time consuming at first to get used to calorie counting. I also have an additional issue with playing the "how low can I go?" game when I use something like Fitday. I always seem to play games with myself, looking at the totals and saying, "now, let's see... if I replace these canned peaches with canned pineapple, will that bring my calorie count down?" This happens even when my calorie count is just fine (which it usually is).

So I tend to use a basic eating plan, put in a sample in Fitday, and let that be a guide. I don't put in my menu every single day because I don't want to get obsessed with calories. It's enough for me to know the calorie range I'm in.

But I also have a pretty stable menu plan per day. It's easier for me because I live alone and I don't cook for anyone but me. I also have this thing about leftovers - I have a hard time eating leftovers. I like fresh cooked foods and I'm lucky enough to work from home so I can prepare each meal fresh every day.

So, for example, my basic lunch is 3 oz tofu in a marinade that I make myself in the morning (with no fat added, since I add oil in cooking), 2-3 cups of veggies (anything that I have on hand - today it's going to be cabbage and broccolini) and 1/2 cup cooked grain (today it's brown rice). So if one day I have 1/2 cup cooked couscous and 3 cups mixed frozen veggies, then I consider that to be about the same calories.

Tam

I guess it does come down to a lot of repeating - that is the ultimate way to save time.

At least we get to choose what we repeat! So that's good....

I eat a lot of the same foods every day, which saves time on researching calorie counts :joker: It's boring, but I can usually wake up and say "Alright, am I eating my 100 cal, 200 cal or 250 cal breakfast today?" I always prepare my lunch before breakfast (during the week anyway), so I know how many calories I'll be eating for breakfast and lunch (and once again, it's a lot of the same things). I usually save about half (or more) of my day's calories for dinner.

It's a total pain when I add something new, but I do add new things all the time :) so I just have to research, figure out the portion, etc. and pretty soon I can just add it without a second thought.

I'm also good at mental math, so I don't need to write anything down. I can keep an accurate count of my calories in my head.

Here's another perspective.

In the grand scheme of things, I don't find that it takes that long to count my calories. Weighing an ingredient before putting it on my plate or into a pan takes about 10 seconds longer than not weighing it. As long as I use a helpful tool like MyFitnessPal (or any of a number of others), entering my food takes at most 5 minutes per meal, and actually considerably less for meals or ingredients I eat frequently (not necessarily every day - you don't have to eat the same thing every day to start developing a repertoire over time).

Compared to how much time I spend on the real work of losing weight - time spent planning and preparing meals, time spent exercising, time spent organizing my day so that I don't get caught up hungry with "no choice" but to eat an off-plan snack - the time I spend tracking my calories is really negligible.

I don't mean any disrespect, but complaining that calorie counting takes too long sounds dangerously like looking for excuses to give up the hard work of losing weight. If you have time to read and post to 3FC, you have time to count your calories.

So try not to focus on how time-consuming counting calories is. Instead, think of it as a very small but essential part of your process, one that (once you get into the swing of it) will take less time each day than you already spend washing your face and brushing your teeth - activities I am sure you do not give a second thought to spending time on.

I'm actually not finding a way to give up calorie counting - I think everyone wants to find ways to make calorie counting more efficient. Keeping track of my calories makes me feel optimal. But, in my opinion, something that you want to do can still be annoying. You love your children, but they can still annoy the heck out of you, for example.

Maybe the difference between you and I = my body/ weight loss is not the center of my life - I am not constantly planning and preparing meals or organizing my day around food. I did that once when I was younger, but I've realized that the amount of time I spend on weight loss has to be moderate with other things I do. It is not the center of my life.

So, I'm just tryin' to get ideas of how other people are managing their time with calorie counting.

Well thanks for clarifying. But I did not say my weight loss process is the center of my life. I just said I find it takes a considerable time and investment, like most things worth doing - and that the actual counting and measuring part is the pretty much the smallest part of that investment.

If you've found a way to effectively lose weight that doesn't involve any investment of time in planning and preparation, such that a few minutes a day spent on recording your calories is a significant part of the burden, I envy you.

My comment to you sounded snidy - I hate when that happens.... the problem with not having real conversations.

Of course the exercising takes time.

It all takes consistency. It all takes motivation (3FC helps with that).

As far as why I don't need to prepare and plan everything: my calorie count is higher this time, I'm eating around 1500 - 1700 a day. If I were eating around 1200, then that would definitely take planning - as I would need to practice volumetrics.

With 1500 - 1700, I can continue to eat as I had (which has always included whole foods healthy cooking, I don't like fast food), but the calorie counting helps with the portion control. I also eat more salads now. I have stopped snacking.

But, seriously, I think calorie counting is amazing and I only wish I had found it sooner. I thought dieting had to be a torturous experience - but with calorie counting, I've been able to lose 10lbs without any discomfort. I look forward to the next 10lbs being gone. But, it will take longer than the crash diets. I'm sure the 10lbs would come off quicker if I stuck to 12-1300. But, that's okay.

So, I think calorie counting is amazing, but it still annoys me at times - Just like my family. It doesn't mean I'm looking for a "way out" or an excuse to leave (cc or my family).

I count my calories on LoseIt.com
It keeps track of my daily and weekly menu, my exercize, and it also makes up various charts. And its free.

The only way I can successfully lose weight is by keeping track of my calories every day.

I know what foods are in my fridge and in my cupboards, so I figure out what I am going to eat every morning and post it on LoseIt.com.

It's easy and takes very little time.
:comp:

We can reverse years of damage to our bodies by deciding to raise
our standards for ourselves, then living differently.

:hug:

Good luck and good strength with your process!

Im new to this site and im cosidering calorie counting vs any other method to losing weight.. my problem is that i dont really cook. Im more of the fast food type of person.. im always on the run due to a hectic work schedule.. i also snack alot.. im looking for healthier foods to snack on instead of the usual.. any ideas? are the 90 calorie granola bars (fiberone) any good? thanks :)

While those 90 calorie fiber one bars are awesome, you might want to look into fruits and veggies as snacks. I really prefer an apple or banana over one of those bars (unless I have a huge craving for chocolate).

Okay...will do..thanks so much for the info :)

The granola bars are definitely a good start!

Maybe for breakfast you could do something around 300 - 350:
granola bar (90)
2 hard boiled medium eggs (or scrambled on a non-stick pan) (150)
1 banana (80-100, depending on size)

Then, you could plan a similar lunch:
granola bar (90)
turkey sandwich on wheat, mustard instead of mayo (200)
apple (50)

And, for dinner, you would have approx. 1000 for dinner - important if you are eating out often!!

Well, that is only an idea- the great thing with CC is that it can fit into the life you already have. You can change things a bit as you go along.

Just hanging out on this website will give you a lot of ideas and good info. Good luck!

Thanks Unna thats actually a pretty good breakdown. I will try to save most of my calories for dinner and make that my bigger meal for the day.

Today was technically my first day and heres what i ate:

B- 1 pancake made from mix w 2% milk instead of water
cup of coffe with 2% milk and 3 tbs of sugar

L- Subway 6 inch sandwich, blackforest ham and turkey - 280 cal
1 medium banana

D- half a cup of white rice, grilled chicken and salad.

snack- cup of hot chocolate

i went to my friends house to visit and they ordered pizza.. i think i used every single fiber of strength in my body to not eat like 4 slices! I did not give in and tried to keep my goal in mind.. this is tough!

Giving up pizza is SO hard!! I know, pizza has always been a personal weakness.

Your food log looks really good - you know what your doing! You will be down a pound or two in no time.

Same here. I mostly eat the same foods and I plan my meals before I go to work, so like this morning I know I have a low-fat yogurts for later and stacks of veggies for lunch. I think planning is my secret!

Krazyb3autiful84 - If you're wondering which meal to make your biggest of the day, be guided by your natural appetite and energy levels rather than what other people say you should do. I'm an evening person and I'm hungriest in the evening, so breakfast is my smallest meal, I have a light lunch, then a normal sized supper. Other people prefer to start with a big breakfast and work down to a small supper, and then there are people who like to make lunch the biggest feature. Convenience will factor into this as well.

I do the exact same thing. I often make regular family sized amounts of food (I'll look for recipes with calorie counts if I'm lazy), then I split it into portions and freeze it. Then I can just pull out what I need for the next day's plan. It's fool-proof.

I'm envious - I wish I could do that too! - but if you've ever seen the freezers in Europe, you'd understand why I can't (they are the size of a sock drawer).

Aww :( I used to put things in the fridge until I realized I could make things much further in advance in the freezer and bought a huge freezer for my basement.