welll, need accountability big time. I am at 210 and looking forward to getting to 175-180 (or less!!LOL!)

Ok, I live in Taiwan, major rice and noodle area, but doing well to stay away from that.

I am just starting this so seeing how to do with staying under 1800calories. These few weeks are trial periods just to see how I work with out with working at our crisis pregnancy center and 4 kids at home.

So far:
wk 1/28: 1545 for the day (that is 1755 minus 210 calories from exercise)
1/29:1953 (was starving, no food really....we got back from vacation 1/27 so dh decided on McDonalds)
1/30: 1398 (not sure how I did that, but was ok....but the next morning was starving!)
WATER: have gotten in over 8 cups a day!!! yeah

only had Coke on 1/29....big step for me!! I am not going to work on exercise for a bit, just focus on changing my eating habits.
My day here is not over so will let you know tomorrow.

Thanks for having me here:-)

It is so normal to be in a hurry when you have decided to lose weight! But I really believe that slowwwwwww weight loss is better. If it takes you 5 years to get to your ideal weight, just think of it as 5 years of general decline (in the graph) rather than 5 years that you could have gained the weight back (and lost it again and gained it again, perhaps), which is what MOST people do! We will all have to keep trying, once we get there. We can't go back to our old ways of not thinking about what we are eating.

I ended up yesterday with 1733 calories, and a 246 calorie deficit. My weight this morning was, I thought, a new low, but I checked, and I had a slightly lower weight in November. So I can say that I've finally undone the damage I did with the end of the semester, and Christmas.

I'm glad to know that I wasn't losing my mind as far as calories changing when some foods are cooked. Boiled eggs have a different calorie count that scrambled eggs. And you are right about the onions - when they are cooked and eaten, it converts to sugar. The Weight Watcher classes talks about all of this.

So, as you suggested, I won't worry about it. Thanks.

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I try to tell myself that I am in it for the slow loss. I KNOW that losing slow give sme a much greater liklihood of keeping it off. I think that breaking old thought patterns will take a little time. I've heard it before on here: "fake it till you make it", so I'm faking that I truely believe I dont need to lose weight quickly, and I believe that I will come to really feel that way .

Well yesterdays calories were good, (on the cycling plan I have 1424 or so as lower days and then some with 1526 some with 1700+) My food choices were not, however, stellar. So hopefully I can keep with a lower calorie count again and add MUCh more veggies and fruits.

Breakfast- Coffee and oatmeal w/ mixed berries, flax seed. bee pollen, and organic brown rice protien powder, 1 large apple- 462 cals

LA -- I've never, ever heard that about different calories in eggs or veggies for that matter in cooked vs. uncooked. Never even thought about it. How can a microwaved scrambled egg have more calories than a hard boiled egg?

I just go by what the packaging says or by what my calorie counter book (or on-line if I can't find it in my book) says. Seems to work.


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b: picante omelet, coffee, banana w/p. butter (wow, eating the banana w/p butter really makes this b-fast stick like glue! I ate around 9:15 this morning, it's nearly 1pm and I'm still not hungry.) - 400
finally got hungry around 2:30! - yogurt - 160; leftover pasta/beef (not much) - 200
d: small amount of steak, baked potato w/1 pitty pat of butter and some lf sour cream, carrots, 1/4 cup homemade vanilla pudding (oh homemade pudding is da bomb!)1 small homemade choc. cookie w/reeses p.b. chips (recipe on bag) - 800

Total: 1600

Little higher than I wanted today. Gotta try to stick it down to 1350-1450 the next few days to move that scale down.

I was wondering if there is a book that I can buy that includes the calorie count for all foods. I hate to have to keep searching online for what I need. Any suggestions?

Thanks

Ok, I think I'm going to be ok. Thanks to everyone for the motivation. If I was doing this alone, I would have thrown in the towel, grabbed a gallon of ice cream and oreo cookies and washed it down with a glass full of milk. BUT, since that's not going to happen, I think I have a few things figured out.

I understand that everyone is different and our bodies will respond differently to different foods. What I found out yesterday is that I need a breakfast that will "stick to my ribs" so that I am not starving by 9:00 AM. The usual cereal and milk was NOT doing it. So, this is what I had for breakfast this morning.

Breakfast
4 slices of turkey bacon - 25 calories per slice = 100 calories
2 scrambled eggs - 199 calories (according to 3 different food sites & Livestrong.com)
1/4 cup mozarella cheese - 90 calories


Snack - Oatmeal - 190 calories (was VERY filling. NO MORE COOKIES)

Lunch -
1 cup Weight Watchers Taco Soup - 134.2 calories
10 Stone Wheat crackers = 140 crackers
1 pack (32g) of peanut butter with dark chocolate - 170 calories (trying new brand)

Total so far = 1023.2

All of that in addition to my water, I am happy to report that I am stuffed.

The light breakfasts weren't doing it for me and I was starving and then binging on cookies and cookies and cookies at 9:00 AM. I replaced the cookies with oatmeal and I was still able to get a sweet treat.

The new peanut butter that has dark chocolate in it satisfied my chocolate crave.

I usually don't eat a dinner meal after work, so I will probably just have a fruit when I get off from work as a snack.

I think that I'm on the right track. I just had to listen to what you all were suggesting to me and finding what works best for me and NOT giving up.

I know that you all are probably tired of me saying this, but THANK YOU so much. I appreciate everything.

lol, the calorie counting book I use I bought in 1992. I mostly use it for things like fruit, veggies, meat, dairy, etc. ... things where the calorie count will always be what it is. A banana is a banana, you know? Otherwise I look on the package of what I'm eating or if it's something like a casserole that I made I figure the different ingredients in my head and approximate the calories.

Probably if you do a search on calorie counting books you'll find tons . . . Amazon might be cheaper or even a local books store.

LA -- were the 2 scrambled eggs you had cooked in butter or something? Because according to fitday:

one egg white only, cooked = 16.4 cals
one egg yolk only, cooked = 60.6
Total = 77 cals

one egg white only, raw = 16.5 cals
one egg yolk only, raw = 60.9
Total cals = 77.4

On the egg carton it says 1 egg = 70 cals. (large egg)

I always go by the egg carton number. When I make an omelet I use 1 whole egg and 2 whites; I count the whole egg as 70 and each white as 15 for a total of 100 cals. for the eggs.

No, I don't cook with butter. I use Pam cooking spray.

I read that 1 raw egg is 70 calories.

So if one raw egg is 70 and you use pam . . . wouldn't 2 scrambled eggs w/pam be around 150 rather than the 199 you listed? (I figure 140 for the eggs and another 10 or so for the spray). That's how I'd count it anyway.

I use a non-stick spray (Crisco) and never even think to add that amount into my cal count because it's so small.

Ok the calorie counting book I use is called 'All New Fat and Sodium Counter with Calorie Guide', copyright 1991. It's paper back, about 100 pages. I've never, ever used the count they have on any convenience food because the convenience food has the calories on the package. Geez, for as well worn and dog-eared as the book is you'd think I'd have figured out this whole weight loss thing by now!

WoW! Who knew there would be so much conversation over eggs

I make FF Cheese Omelets many days for breakfast. 1 whole egg, 2 extra whites and 1/8c FF cheese (the cheese is 23 cals) for a total of 127 cals.
I don't specify how I cook the egg when I list it in MFP. I just list it as an egg. 1 lg egg=70 cals, 2 whites=34 cals.
I can see why a hard-boiled egg would be different cals though, b/c you don't have to eat the yellow center, making it fewer cals.

The same is true when I have uncooked meat. I weigh it before I cook it, unless I buy or have something that is already cooked. Meat is not the same in grams when you cook it as it is when it is raw, but the difference is minimal compared to the exercise I do. I defo don't sweat the small fluctuations.

I have made such a HUGE database in MFP over the past 9 months of regular food & now with the scanning option for my mobile device, going back to a book would be a big inconvenience for me.

Hey, also, I just thought about it and my precision digital food scale came with a chart for how many cals are in different fruits and veggies by how many grams you eat.

I always measure in grams, it's way more accurate than cups.

LOL @ conversation over eggs.