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Old 12-16-2011, 08:13 PM   #1  
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Default Any specifics while counting calories

Can someone give me an idea of what you eat in a day!

Do most of you follow a specific eating plan like - How many fruits, vegs, proteins, etc do you eat in a day.

I now it's all about calories BUT if I eat 10 slices of bread with peanut butter and jam per day my calories for that day would be between 1000 and 1500 calories but i don't see how anyone could lose on that.

So just wondering if you can give me examples of what you're eating.

Thanks
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Old 12-16-2011, 09:35 PM   #2  
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Many of us who get more detailed than just total calories, look at the amount of carbs, protein, and fat we eat each day. Some people keep their carbs under a certain number of grams, or protein a minimum number of grams. Personally, I aim for 30% calories from fat, 25-30% from protein, and 40-45% from carbs. Within those carbs, I aim for 35g of fiber.

It is kind of a trial and error thing. Calories are king for the most part, but if you use them up on peanut butter (a very calorie-dense food) you will still lose weight if you stay under your calories, but you will be really hungry. So the trick is finding a balance that keeps you satisfied.

Today was an ideal day for me (kind of surprised that the numbers are spot on):

6am
Fiber cereal, milk, cheese stick - 235 cal

9am
Yogurt & cheese - 150 cal

Noon
Leftovers chicken/veg stir-fry with brown rice - 357 cal

3pm
Cinnamon almonds - 100

6pm
Wrap with flatout, turkey, bacon, veg; cottage cheese - 308

8pm (planned)
Ice cream - 115

Total 1265 cal
Fat 44g (30%)
Carbs 132g (40%)
Protein 100g (30%)
Sodium 2078 mg
Fiber 35g

Anyway you don't have to be perfect, it's easy to get bogged down in the details. It's all estimates anyway. Try to get veggies every day and protein, and the rest kind of works out with a little planning. Good luck!

Last edited by juliana77; 12-16-2011 at 09:38 PM.
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Old 12-16-2011, 09:42 PM   #3  
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My calories for the day would also include a good proportion of fruit and veg and fish as well.
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Old 12-16-2011, 11:33 PM   #4  
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As Julianna mentioned, some of us not just count calories, but we also check and messure where those calories are coming from. I'm on the CKD plan (Cyclical Ketogenic Diet) i change the calories almost every week based on my weight, also i get the same menu for the whole week but friday. My ratios for this coming week (my weeks start on saturday)

Total Calories : 1630
Net carbs : 27grs
Total carbs : 47grs
Protein : 120grs
Fat : 96grs
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Old 12-17-2011, 04:42 AM   #5  
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If I ate 1300 calories of ice cream every day, and that's all I ate, I'd probably lose weight doing it. I'd call it the ice cream diet and make MILLIONS!!! But I'd feel like total crap.

I just try to make good choices, stay within my calorie range (making sure that its just as important not to go too LOW as it is not to go over.) and watch my nutrient levels to a certain extent. Make food exchanges...like whole wheat instead of regular pasta or bread or low fat or low calorie versions of foods. A good practice is to try and eat some kind of fruit or vegetable every day, although I don't always manage to do that. I also try to eat nuts every day/every other day, and fish once a week (all I can stand is tuna, though.)

It is about calories consumed when it comes to weight, but how you feel depends on a balanced diet.

You don't have to be a total health nut to be healthy.

Last edited by ArtyKay; 12-17-2011 at 04:47 AM.
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Old 12-17-2011, 07:57 AM   #6  
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I try to do much like the previous poster and make good choices---but fortunately for me, I like most healthy foods. The only reason I gained weight is that I like gourmet foods and often ate too much of them. However, I do not track my macros or do exchanges or anything like that. For me, that would be too much to track. I just track calories. I eat what I want within my calorie range. I can assure you that doing that can and does lead to weight loss---I'm proof. I started in June and by my estimate, I had lost 35-40 lbs. by October eating 1400 calories per day and not intentionally tracking anything else (I use a smartphone app that tracks other macros, but I don't pay much attention to those).

Last edited by lin43; 12-17-2011 at 09:18 AM.
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Old 12-17-2011, 08:07 AM   #7  
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I use Sparkpeople to track, which also shows me ranges for fat, carbs, protein and fiber. It helps me see what types of food keep me filled up for fewer calories and which days have me hungry all the time.
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Old 12-17-2011, 08:35 AM   #8  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by df1960 View Post
0I now it's all about calories BUT if I eat 10 slices of bread with peanut butter and jam per day my calories for that day would be between 1000 and 1500 calories but i don't see how anyone could lose on that.

What you eat matters, but if you're only eating 1000 calories, even if the calories are coming from chocolate bars, you'll probably lose weight (though you'll probably feel like crap doing it).

I've found that I lose more (and more importantly feel much better) when my calories are coming from unrefined and relatively low-carb choices - but ultimately calorie-level is still the main component.

I lose about as well on 1800 calories of low-carb as on 1500 calories of high-carb (though I'm much hungrier on high-carb), but if I ate only 1000 calories I would lose weight no matter where those calories came from. When I was younger, I didn't notice this dramatic of a difference (maybe I just didn't notice, or maybe my aging body and insulin resistance are playing a bigger role in the calorie differential. I have found that my body temperature is lower on high-carb eating - so that seems to be a possible indication that my metabolism really is slower on high-carb).

What I'm trying to say is that there is a limit to how much of a metabolism boost you can get from choosing the right foods. And some people don't seem to get any boost at all - they lose just as well on 1200 calories of snickers bars as they do on 1200 calories of "healthy" foods.

You're going to have to experiment to see what works best for you (both in terms of weight loss and just feeling good).

I prefer using an exchange plan, because it counts and controls the calories for me, and I only have to count the exchanges (pre-determined portions of six different food groups protein, veggies, fat, dairy, starch, and fruit).

The frugalabunance website explains and outlines exchange for differing calorie and carb count levels (I calorie cycle, so essentially 1500 calorie high-protein plan is my minimum and the 1800 calorie plan is my maximum).


http://frugalabundance.com/exchange-plan-diet.pdf

(The plans are outlined at the end of the document).
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Old 12-17-2011, 02:30 PM   #9  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by df1960 View Post
I now it's all about calories BUT if I eat 10 slices of bread with peanut butter and jam per day my calories for that day would be between 1000 and 1500 calories but i don't see how anyone could lose on that.
Ah, but you would lose on that. I myself am still getting used to the idea that "a calorie is a calorie is a calorie" because research tells me that it doesn't matter what I eat, but how much. Of course, there are other sources that say low carb matters, or high protein matters, or eschewing meat matters, etc. There is a list of diets as long as my arm, and the thing that they have in common is ultimately they are low calorie.

Whether the gimmick be counting points, or exchanges, or drinking shakes or premade meals, or not eating meat, or only eating meat, or whatever diet is out there.......the bottom line is calorie reduction.

I tend to try to have foods from every group daily while calorie counting, however, if I realllllly want something "not so good" and I've fit it in calorically--that is going a long way to keeping me on my long-range plan and to not feeling horribly guilty that I ate "something bad".

I used to work with a girl who ate X calories a day and dropped loads of weight. If she wanted cake or a sundae, she'd have it. Of course that spurge ate up much of her daily caloric makeup, but she lost the weight.

Embrace the calorie.
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Old 12-17-2011, 02:31 PM   #10  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lin43 View Post
I try to do much like the previous poster and make good choices---but fortunately for me, I like most healthy foods. The only reason I gained weight is that I like gourmet foods and often ate too much of them. However, I do not track my macros or do exchanges or anything like that. For me, that would be too much to track. I just track calories. I eat what I want within my calorie range. I can assure you that doing that can and does lead to weight loss---I'm proof. I started in June and by my estimate, I had lost 35-40 lbs. by October eating 1400 calories per day and not intentionally tracking anything else (I use a smartphone app that tracks other macros, but I don't pay much attention to those).

This is exactly what I do. I like healthy foods so I try to make sure I eat healthy but I rarely track much more than calories. It's just too much for me and I need to make sure I don't get obsessive.

Lately I've been trying to eat less carbs and more protein though because I noticed when I eat a low carb high protein diet that I feel better. My weight loss didn't speed up or anything (because I was eating the same calories) but I really liked how I felt. Of course now I don't have to focus on weight loss, but I'm still going to stick to this just with more calories.
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Old 12-17-2011, 05:08 PM   #11  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sontaikle View Post
This is exactly what I do. I like healthy foods so I try to make sure I eat healthy but I rarely track much more than calories. It's just too much for me and I need to make sure I don't get obsessive.

Lately I've been trying to eat less carbs and more protein though because I noticed when I eat a low carb high protein diet that I feel better. My weight loss didn't speed up or anything (because I was eating the same calories) but I really liked how I felt. Of course now I don't have to focus on weight loss, but I'm still going to stick to this just with more calories.
I was thinking of trying to cut out some carbs for two days a week, too. Did you read that study about eating lower carb twice a week? Apprently, it helps regulate insulin levels. I may try it for that reason and also because I tend to eat enough protein in general. We'll see . . .
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Old 12-18-2011, 12:41 AM   #12  
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You don't have to go low carb to regulate your insuline. Just chech the glycemic load of food. This is something i do when i'm on a regular higher carb diet (cause my glucose was over the roof). Now, keeping track of this as well, my glucose went down from 117 to 97.
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Old 12-18-2011, 01:07 AM   #13  
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I try to eat heathfully and focus on proteins, vegetables, healthy fat portions and some fruits. Not too many carbs. I do eat them but I try to only have 4 or less servings per day and only 1 serving per meal or snack.
I allow myself 1200 to 1400 calories per day. I just started doing this and Ialready feel better and a little lighter.
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