First let me say HI I'm new and confused so to all calorie counter as this is the way I have decided to go with my weight loss plan. Seems more fitting for me and easy to follow. So of course I have a few questions. First CC after reading many post I have the concept that works here is to eat in moderation and make sure you count your calories. First question: what kinds of foods do most of you eat, for instance a cup of popcorn is 35-50 cals a serving, would this be something you would indulge in if you keep it in your calorie range??? Mine is between 1400-1600 a day, so could this be part of my counting. I mean are you just reaching your calorie limit by just feeling up on more healthy options to reach your calorie limit for the day. I know I need to make more healthy options, but I don't want give up all my goodies. So I ask again what does most of your calories consume of. I also love cheez-itz one serving (27 crackers) is 160 cals is this allowable or should I just avoid something like this altogether. Aside from the obvious things that I know I should be eating like lean meats, fruits, vegetables is this my broad spectrum of my calories/diet for the day?? What are your variteties Please Help. I mean what do you ppl eat and please be specific, I'M SO CONFUSED AS TO WHAT I CAN/CAN NOT EAT FOR MY CC CONSUMPTION.

Thanks
"D"

2bethin110

I would say no, you don't necessarily have to give up things you love to eat. Rather, you should look at modifying what you eat. For example:

You love Cheez-Its, so eat one serving of the reduced fat kind rather than the whole bag of regular chips.

If you drink soda, switch to diet.

If you like chocolate, have a sugar-free fudge-pop ice-cream or sugar free pudding.

If you like pizza, make your own, using low-cal/healthy ingredients.

The list goes on endlessly.

It's funny, but on many days I actually have trouble eating the minimum calories recommended (1,200). I never thought I would have this problem, but I have since I've started eating food that gives me more "bang for my buck."

The great thing about this is that I often have a few hundred calories to "spend." This means I can have a treat if I want one, such as popcorn or even a donut, as long as it's within my calorie budget.

Anyway, you asked for specifics, so to give you an idea of what I eat on a daily basis, this is what I had on Thursday:

Pre-work-out Snack:
1 large peach

Breakfast:
3/4 cup Kellogg's All Bran Wheat Flakes cereal with 1/2 cup fat-free milk, and topped with 1/4 cup blueberries
8 oz of Tropicana Light & Healthy orange juice
1 banana

Morning Snack:
1 cup fresh strawberries
1 Sugar-Free Jello Chocolate Pudding cup

Lunch:
Salad with 2 tablespoons croutons & 2 tablespoons of thousand island dressing
1 Weight Watchers bagel (warmed for 10-15 seconds in the microwave) with some "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray
1 Diet Coke

Dinner:
2 Tacos (made with La Tortilla Smart & Delicious low-cal tortillas, turkey breast, 1/4 cup Sargento Low-Fat 4-Cheese Mexican cheese, lettuce, tomato, fresh cilantro, and 4 teaspons of Herdez salsa)
1 microwavable corn-on-the-cob, with "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray
1 Diet Dr Pepper


*Evening Snack*:
1 Weight Watchers String Cheese
1 Bag of Kettle Corn 100 Calorie popcorn
1 pack of Hostess 100 calorie cupcakes
1 Diet Dr Pepper

Total calories for the day: 1,471

(I would actually have been just over 1,200 calories that day if I hadn't had the evening snack, which is part of the reason I had it-- I didn't want to go so low in calories again this week. Also, this list does not include all the water I had!)

Hope this helps!

lol well D you can eat whatever you want to reach your calorie limit a day and you will still probably lose weight. The problem is you may not be satisfied or healthy if you indulge in only bad stuff. My calories are 1200-1400 a day. I eat fruit, milk and sugar for breakfast, weight watchers bread with veggies and cream cheese or low fat, low sodium lunch meat or a salad for lunch. I eat a wide variety for dinner but always in my calories range. I eat alot of white meat, veggies and whole grains. I avoid white grains (white pasta, white rice, white bread) as it spikes your insolin level and makes you more hungry and tired. I do indulge in treats the odd time as long as I fit them in my calorie range and its not an everyday thing. I also look for healthier options like instead of icecream I got fresh blueberry fat free frozen yogurt and saved myself about 300-400 calories. the other thing is measure everything!!! What looks like a serving to you maybe ALOT more then the actual serving on the package. my secret is by avoiding every drink but water I save ALOT of calories a day that I can spend on good foods any other questiosn feel free to ask

I agree with AppleCheeks - you should plan your meals around the lighter versions of what you like:

These are some of the foods that I include in my daily/weekly planning (in measured amounts):

almond butter
natural peanut butter
ff cottage cheese
2% cheeses
veggie burgers
I Can't Beleive it's Not Butter Spray
bananas and loads of fresh fruit
Smart Balance Light Margerine
Kraft Light Red Wine and Vinegar Salad dressing
Marzetti lite blue cheese dressing - a great veggie dip
veggies like - squash, spaghetti sqash, green beans, beets, mushrooms, salad veggie and more
Kroger -fat free, sugar free yogurt
Ak Mak Crackers
sugar free gum
turkey Italian sausage, turkey burgers, turkey polish sausage
sweet potatoes
Arrowhead 12 grain pancake mix
Boca Bacon (soy)
SF syrup
egg whites - scrambled with ketchup or veggies or cheese, hard boiled made into egg salad
tuna, salmon
light whole wheat bread
low carb wheat wraps
oatmeal
100 calorie packs of crackers
Kashi Waffles
brown rice.
General Food Intl. French Vanilla Cafe (sf and decaf - with 1/2 t. dark choc. powder)
lean meats

Today's Menu
breakfast - cottage cheese and 1/2 banana, pnb toast
snack - latte
lunch - egg white salad sandwich, green breans
snack - yogurt, cherries
dinner - veggie burger with lite cheese on lite bun, squash
snack - oatmeal, almond butter, raisins, cinnomon, milk


Yesterday's menu:
breakfast - oatmeal with 1/2 banana, almond butter, cinnomon, and milk
snack - latte
lunch - cottage cheese with tomatoes, squash, sweet potato
snack - yogurt, fruit
dinner - grilled salmon, salad, garlic bread, grilled asparagus and a chocolate mint (went out to Bravo! restaurant)
snack - cheese and crackers

Another way to get an idea of what people are eating is to check their FitDay links. Just beware - some days are more on plan than others.

I don't deny myself anything. I have the 100 calories Kettle Corn on occasion as well as a serving (1 - 1 1/2 oz) of Swiss Cheese on occasion. My theory is you can have it all. You just can't have it all, all the time.

So here is my menu for today:

Breakfast:
52g Fiber One Honey Clusters Cereal
20g Fiber One Cereal
8 oz Skim Milk
1 Banana
22 oz Black Coffee
2 oz Pomegranate Juice

Morning Snack
Nectarine

Lunch
2 cups Spinach, raw
1/2 cup 2% cottage cheese
30g Wasabi Peas
40g Rasberry Vinagerette
Ground Flax Seed
1 Yellow Pepper
28g True North Pistachi Crisps

Afternoon Snack
1 cup Green Grapes

Dinner
3oz Swiss Chard prepared in olive oil, garlic & onions
1T Ginger Teriyaki Sauce
5oz Shrimp stir-fried with the above

Desert
2cups Strawberries with Powdered Sugar

72oz Water or more

This is 1,580 calories and 42g Fiber, 20% Fat, 20% Protein, 60% Carbs. Sodium is 2,600 which is high for me but not bad in general

Well, not all calories are the same, it's true. What I mean by that is, if you're eating most of your calories in the form of starch and sugar, you may become fatter even if your calorie total is in the target range. (I'm not saying you personally do this--it's just an example.)

So, in addition to setting a target calorie range for each day, I also try to keep with 30% protein, 40% carbohydrate, and 30% fat. FitDay tracks all these for me, which is very convenient. (I use the downloaded version.)

The answer is, yes, you can eat whatever you want--but obviously some choices are better than others. 1400 calories of chocolate ice cream, for example, is going to leave you feeling pretty hungry and low on protein...

Jay

Here's two different days to give you an idea. The first is a typical day. I really focus on healthy food and low sugar. This is very important to me, just as much as my weight. The second day was yesterday, at my sister's house. Cleary, not a model diet. But it's once in a while.


Typical day:

8/1/2008 Friday

B - 1/2c TJ 2% Greek yogurt, 1/2c blueberries, 1/2c TJ Pumpkin Flax granola; coffee w .875c 2% milk, 1t cocoa, cinnamon [usually I have a 1/2 banana in it too, but roomie stole it]

S - peach

L - 1/2c brown & wild rice, 1/2c black beans, spices, sauteed red bell & onion & mushroom, 1/2t olive oil, 1.5T salsa, spinach

S - tea w .875c 2% milk, 1/4t agave syrup

D - pizza: TJ WW pita, 1/4c marinara, 1/4c spinach, 1 sl onion, bell pepper, 2 mushrooms, 1/4c shredded cheddar; 7/8c pumpkin w 1/4c 2% TJ Greek yogurt, ginger & cinnamon & clove, 1t maple syrup; 1/4c toasted walnuts

S - peach

estimated 1548 cal


Once in a while day: (just the evening part got off track)

8/2/2008 Saturday

B - 1 egg + 2 whites scrambled w 2T 2% milk, onion, mushrooms, red bell, spinach, bit of sundried tomato, scallion, 2 sprays of olive oil; 2 sm sl 9 grain bread; coffee w .875c 2% milk, 1t cocoa, cinnamon

S - smoothie: 1/2c each frozen pineapple, mango, strawberry & banana, 1/2c 2% milk, cinnamon & vanilla

L - 1/2c brown basmati & wild rice, 1/3c black beans w spices, red bell & onion & mushroom, cilantro, 2T salsa, cilantro, 1/4c shredded cheddar, 1/2 lime juice

S - 2 mango black tea, 1/4t agave syrup

At sister's house:

D - ~10 sm tortilla chips, ~1/3c salsa, ~2T avocado; homemade cherry cobbler w 1 scoop vanilla ice cream; ~10 Red Hots, ~1/2c movie-style popcorn

S - 1 peppermint candy

estimated 1849 cal

I've really changed my diet since I started counting calories and I find I fill up easily with healthy food and have no problem staying within my calories (so long as I don't eat out. Eating out blows an entire day in one tiny, not so great, meal!)

I don't cook much, mostly because I live alone. Also, I'm vegetarian (although I eat fish) which poses it's own challenges. Even so, I don't feel at all deprived with my new diet, in fact I feel like I get to eat more/better than ever before because I work at making every calorie count.

I'm still new at this and still learning healthy tricks to cut back calories. It's amazing the little things that make big differences, like the butter spray. I've also changed to a bread with less calories and soy milk with less calories.

Some of my staples are:

Loads and loads of fresh fruit
Fresh veggies grilled on my foreman
Salmon patties
Light chocolate soy milk-healthy but it satisfies my chocolate craving
Lower calorie wheat/whole grain breads-I've just discovered this so I don't have a favorite yet
Peanut butter! I'm surprised to add this into my diet, but I do find myself needing calories and it's so filling
Granola-also a brand new addition
Crab sticks
Veggie dumplings-I get these from a Korean grocery store, they are uber low in calories, fast and easy to fix
Brown rice
Smart one frozen meals
Microwave 'Indian' Meals-I get them from Meijers, they're a bit higher in calories but delicious

For snacks I like an ounce of expensive, great tasting cheese (1 oz is only 70-100 calories), light rye crackers, a couple of crab sticks and some fruit. It feels like a totally decadent snack and I eat it slowly and enjoy it because the tastes are so rich, but it's filling and not insane on calories