I started counting calories almost two weeks ago. At first, I really liked how well it worked for me -- but I started at a point when I could be 100% in control of my meals, as DH was going out of town.

Now that life is back to the regular grind, I feel constantly anxious about food. I almost freaked out when we went to a restaurant for lunch because I didn't know how I'd be able to count the meal. I try to get out of going to other people's houses for dinner because I'm afraid of what they might serve and how I'll know how to track all the ingredients.

Counting has had a few bright spots: I didn't eat my fries at that restaurant lunch, and I've skipped candy and ice cream for a while. I eat more fruit. I look at labels. I try to make better choices -- weighing one food option against the other.

My problem is that I'm a very obsessive, hyperfocused Type-A person. A perfectionist to the max. I simply cannot have a calorie counter that I know isn't precise. I can deal with a few hiccups here and there -- I don't measure the milk I pour into my cereal, for instance. But when I eat a meal made by someone else -- sometimes including DH -- I get really frustrated.

Is calorie counting not made for someone like me?

It's not so much that I'm meticulous about portion sizes or weighing -- which I think is normal. I'm more just always anxious that I'll have to eat something that I can't track.

My diet has always been my struggle, and I'm afraid if I don't do something like calorie counting, I'll never be able to make consistently good food choices and lose weight.

Any advice for me?

Thanks!

I had some similar feelings at the beginning, but over time I learned how to estimate in ways that seemed reasonable for me, and seem to have been successful enough, as I've lost a lot of weight! But at the beginning going out really freaked me out!

I don't know whether calorie counting would be the thing for you or not, but you might want to ask yourself what you hope to gain from it and see if that leads you anywhere.

For example, I'm usuing calorie counting as a tool to keep the amount of food I eat in control and keep me accountable. When I don't write things down I just seem to eat "extra". I have come to terms with the fact that I won't be perfect with every item, and I'm okay with that.

Well I certainly know how you feel about having others cooking your food and not knowing PRECISELY what's in there. Whether it be at a restaurant, DH, a party or a friends house. This freaks me out a bit as well, especially in the beginning. Which is why I keep eating out and the such to a minimum. Things are all fine and dandy when I have control over the cooking, but when someone else is .......... But I realized if I'm in this for life and I most certainly am, I have to ease up a bit and do the best that I can by approximating. I do my very best to guesstimate what something will be, always estimating up. I make the best choices I can when dining elsewhere, and there really is almost always a healthy choice. There are always salads and you can have them undressed. Which is exactly what I had yesterday when I went out to lunch.

Like Wyllenn, said I have had to come to terms that it can't always be perfect. That I just can't possibly know for sure for sure what an items calorie count will be. The reason I started calorie counting in the first place is because I was miserable being so very having and not enjoying my life. I have made huge progress through calorie counting and AM enjoying my life much more already. And part of that enjoyment is socializing and dining out with friends and family and therefore not knowing exact calorie counts of everything that goes in my mouth from time to time. I guess you've got to take the good with the bad. Although I really don't think the bad is all THAT bad.

My $.02: You've only got a few pounds to lose, so I believe you NEED to be particularly anal about calories if you want to lose them. The closer you get to goal, the more strict you need to be with what you put in your mouth. After you get used to calorie counting, though, you will be able to make a pretty fair guesstimate regarding how many calories are in those "unknown" dishes. If I am somewhere and I feel anxious about what's put before me, I just make sure to eat very slow and pay close attention to when I get to that anti-hungry point (not full, just not starving anymore). You'll start to recognize it after a while. I think being so particular is good for you right now. But stress-relief sounds like it is in order. You need to do something that will give you the "big picture." Something that will take you out of your day-to-day details and put you back in place in the universe. For me, I listen to Covey's "7 Habits" audiobook, and it puts me right back in control and confident again. Take care of your mental health too!

What I'll do is make an estimate at the restaurant and then see if I was close by going onto a website of a restaurant that has a similar dish and checking how many calories that has. Depending on my lack of confidence about my estimate, I'll try to over-estimate on purpose.

If I know I am going to be eating out and I know where I am going I will decide what I am going to have before I leave the house. I will plan my day around it. You are fortunate in the united states that is much easier. Many more restaurants post there nutritional information on web sites. That is rare here in Canada.

Today I went out for lunch with a friend and I recorded in fit day what I was going to have before I even left. Fortunately I love steak and most restaurants I can get a steak and the don't have all kinds of sauces on them (more the sodium to be concerned with I find) I always feel pretty safe about getting steak especially because the menus also tells you how many ounces the steak is too. I did have to make one change at the restaurant. I had planned on a baked potato and had taken my fat free sour cream in my purse, but I couldn't get baked. I could only get stuffed (with like cream cheese and other high fat stuff) so I substituted double vegetables which turned out to be red pepper and artichokes. I have never had fresh artichokes before. Only the canned ones. They were good.

Guesstimation is about all you can do. I was the same way at first, but you do learn to relax a bit. If you feel you might have over done it by going out one night then just eat really clean the next couple of days. It all works out.

Hi,
in preparing to go to a restaurant I have been finding some cool websites with info on the calories, etc. Most of you probably have some of the links. but if not... enjoy.

http://www.dwlz.com/restaurants.html

http://my.dietpower.com/restaurants.php

http://www.chowbaby.com/fastfood/fas..._nutrition.asp

http://www.shapefit.com/fastfood.html

http://www.calorieking.com/foods/

http://www.foodfacts.info/