Sooooo I was really hoping I could lose weight without counting calories, but now that I am really committed to making my goal weight, I realize that my loosey-goosey "just eat less and just eat healthier" strategy is what probably keeps me from ever getting below 132 (in the past 20 years).
I'm wondering, how do you all count your calories. FitDay? Another website? Phone app? Do you keep a notebook in your purse to jot things down while you're out so you don't forget? How do you handle meals out -- estimate? Ask your hostess to weigh your pork chop?
Fitday.com ... love it!
If you create custom foods for the things you eat regularly, it's very easy to use. I don't use any of their recommendations nor do I use exercise expenditures.
I don't count calories right now, but once I hit goal, that's how I intend on maintaining.
In the past, I've used both FitDay and SparkPeople and liked them both.
For meals out, I always try to plan ahead of time by checking out the website. In California, chain restaurants are required to provided nutritional information at the table, so I usually look for that (a lot of times it's well hidden in a dessert menu) and figure out what to eat or how much I've already eaten.
Petite Powerhouse, how do you keep it all in your head!?!?!? That's impressive.
I've been using FitDay for two days now and i can't believe how carb-heavy I still am, even though I am consciously trying to take in more protein. Clearly I need more egg whites in my life...
However you count, I can imagine that counting is a big help. In just the past two days, knowing I have to record what I eat has helped me resist finishing my kids' leftovers or having "just a handful" of this or "just a bite" of that... I can only imagine how many calories I was consuming each day this past winter, when I literally ate all day long.
Petite Powerhouse, how do you keep it all in your head!?!?!? That's impressive.
I have a good memory. I keep a running tally of calories and unsaturated and saturated fat/complex carbs/sugar/fiber/protein grams throughout the day. I have been counting for long enough that I know the breakdown of most foods, and I can eyeball amounts well.
Ah, thwarted by the lack of iPhone! I have a droid -- it does have sparkpeople, so I will see if it syncs. I like the idea of being able to update on the go. I have used FitDay for the past few days and really like that, too. I have tried writing things in a notebook before... I think computerized is the way to go for me.
One thing that has become obvious over two days of calorie counting is that, despite my best efforts, I am still a carb junkie. (FitDay makes a little graph of your carbs, fats, proteins... and mine is at least 50% carbs). Something to work on!
I have an eating disorder so calorie counting didn't end up working for me. I don't count calories anymore because I got obsessive about numbers. I would eat a 500 calorie lunch and then try to burn off 500 calories during my evening run. And then I would have a 1,000 calorie binge after my run. Sigh.
Fitday was fun when I doing well, not fun when I wasn't. I never would log a binge, so in the end I was cheating the point of Fitday.
But I agree with chickpea, I will start logging once I hit maintenance. But I won't add up the calories until the end of the week so that I don't become obsessive again.
Enjoy the journey. And by the way, I'm getting a Droid this week. I can't wait to have a smartphone. Wheeee!
I'm kind of worried about calorie counting for that exact reason, motivated_chickie. I get really obsessive about doing everything right and perfect, following guidelines to the t and having the "perfect" number.
I like the idea of adding up everything once I week. I think I'll start doing that to back the stress off.
The good thing about adding up once a week is that that's kind of how your body does it -- over time. So that makes a lot of sense.
For me, my one whole week of calorie counting has been instructive because I'm really bad about adding things up in my head. It's my "Old Navy Disorder." Like when you shop at old navy and fill up your bag with a bunch of cheap stuff -- $4.99 here, $9.99 there, $14.99 there -- and somehow you end up spending $250. I've been doing that with food. I snack on this, that and the other thing, none of them with a ton of calories, but because I never totalled it all up, I never realized quite how much I was overeating.
My first week went well, though Saturday was waaaay off plan due to Thai takeout and two glasses of wine. Today I am exhausted from a combination of a long run yesterday and two kids up during the night, and have overeaten a bit. I could literally feel how the fatigue broke down my [weak] will to stick to my eating plan. I can still come in on plan calories-wise, but it's looking like a salad for dinner!
Feathers -- how do you count your calories?
I keep a running tally of calories and unsaturated and saturated fat/complex carbs/sugar/fiber/protein grams throughout the day. I have been counting for long enough that I know the breakdown of most foods, and I can eyeball amounts well.
