hello lovely ladies,

i'm thinking about switching to calorie counting.. to see if it helps. I've been South Beaching since May 2006. I was 286 pounds when I started. Now i'm around 215. I'm 5'3"ish and have a high goal of 176 so i'm more than halfway done.

I do try to get some exercise (swimming and biking) but have to remain NON impact on my ankles so anything involving standing is out. (I miss yoga) although i do wii fit a few times a week....

and while I know I should have about 1800 calories per day... I'm not really sure how to construct this.

i have measuring cups and spoons but no scale at least not a good one.... (food that is)

i'm a grazer. and my food is boring. currently I do not really count sizes and that may be my big problem.

my day normally looks like this:

wake up:
sugar free metamucil in 12 oz of water (doctors orders due to IBS)

on the road:
coffee w/fat free half and half (more than 2 tablespoons) and sugar free (splenda sweetened) syrups

at work food one:
6 oz of V8
1 hard boiled egg (large)

snack (about 2 hours later)
1/2 cup oatmeal cooked
1 banana
approx 1/4 cup 1% milk
sugar free syrups to sweeten (although a drizzle of agave nectar has been used lately)
some walnuts and pecans a few times a week


lunch
large salad consisting of
romaine
red onions
mushrooms
cucumbers
peppers
topped with
some lean protein (usually grilled chicken or salmon)
some low fat feta cheese (ok a LOT of low fat feta cheese)
some sort of salad dressing... sometimes it meets the sbd requirments of full fat no sugar, some times i use the fat free baslamic vinegette, sometimes salsa mixed with greek yogurt)

snack at work or at home
varries
sometimes fruit

MOSTLY
baby carrots and hummus
coffee w/ff half and half

home
another metamucil cocktail


dinner
salad (smaller but same make up as lunch)
sometimes a starchy veggie like sweet potato or some quiona
protein (last night was lean steak about 4 oz)
hot veggie no oil or fat on it.

snack at night
a healthy choice fudge pop

drinks: hot herb tea w/splenda half crystal light/half water mix

other than cutting out the carrots and hummus (i will miss them)
and the feta (i'm loathe to do that it's the highlight of my day)


as most of us I love to eat....

calorie counting scares me. i'm afraid i'll be giving up food.

any input?

Hello miss ladybug. First off dont be scared we are all friendly over here. Well i would say that if you can spare about 25 dollars for a kitchen scale it may be well worth it. I know for me i am horrible at portion sizes and the scale helps a lot! I rarely use measuring cups cause i alwys use the scale. Also why give up the carrots and hummus? Thats prolly my favorite snack. Or the feta? I eat feta on my salads about 3 times a week or so. The key to calorie counting is portion control. And the great thing about it is that NOTHING is off limits. I dont know about you, but if i tell myself i cant have something it turns ugly. Its all about moderation. Oh and a suggestion if you cant get a scale portion your things out. Like say you get a box of pasta and it has 6 servings in it. Portion out 6 equal servings and that will give you easy and accurate measurements. I find that it helps to write everything down. Some ladies use fitday or the dailyplate. I personally just take the calorie king book and a notebook with me everywhere i go. The book is small enough to fit in my purse. It has been a lifesaver. There are LOTS of great recepies on this site. Sounds like you need some foods that are a little more interesting. Try searching for the recepies. The thread 101 ways to make chicken and the 101 ways to make veggies are both great. Good Luck!!! Also i know your beachin it so you dont eat a whole lot of these, but i find that some wg pasta with tomato sause or cheese on top with a protien (usually tilapia) keeps me full for a long time.

No need to give up food. I plan my menus ahead of time ,staying within my calorie allowance. I eat 6 times a day, about every 3 hours. Breakfast, snack, lunch,snack, dinner, snack. It only takes me about 5 minutes to plan my menu for the day, I usually do it the evening before or in the morning. Planning is the key. It was because I didn't plan that I found myself at over 200 pounds.Calorie counting worked well for losing weight and works as well in maintianing my loss. It is not difficult to do and I prefer counting calories to wearing extra large clothing again. Good luck!

You mentioned that you should be having about 1800 calories - have you counted the calories in the menu you posted? Is it about the right range for you?

nessa -- You won't be giving up food at all! At least, not unless you want to. Calorie counting is about making the choices that are best for you. I don't know why you're leaving south beach, other than boredom, but you can continue to eat in very much the same way as a calorie counter if you like!

And I love love love my kitchen scale! really helps keep me accountable.

well i'm 215 so 1800 seems about right. i'm not really sure what my calories are as I don't weigh or measure anything. DH has a scale that he used for racing that he said i can use for the kitchen (a small digital kitchen scale) so when he digs that out i'm thinking of checking out my current menu.

I know that nuts and hummus can both be calorie intensive and i am sure i'm eating too much salad dressing. I would not really be changing what i eat all that much... i just am losing so slowly (if at all) in fact today i weigh what i weighted THREE months ago.

Sorry, guess I wasn't clear. I wasn't questioning whether 1800 was too much or too little. Just whether what you were eating was actually 1800 or thereabouts. I think if I were you I would use something like FitDay (there are other sites too) and at least estimate your quantities and get a rough idea of how much you're eating. Sometimes we're way off, above or below. Then, if you're in the right ballpark, do the measuring for a few days and see if you're guestimating your portions reasonably accurately or not.

Guessing how many calories per day you're eating, or guessing your portions (without first learning with measuring cups or a scale) are definitely things that can keep you stuck. It's definitely possible to eat too much of even healthy foods. Especially ones with higher calorie density.

i've done FITDAY when I'm watching it closely.

how do you guys find it not stressful to weigh and measure everything every day?

Nessa, I don't think you would have to give up anything to calorie count, just maybe be more careful on portion sizes on foods. But you can increase your low calorie foods (like the vegetables) to be able to get more volume for the calories. I think 1800 sounds like a reasonable place to start. You will need to get a food scale. Some things can really only be measured correctly by weighing.

If you've been happy with the food you've had on SBD, why not do the same foods, just add calorie counting. From all of read, SBD is great for reducing sugar cravings.

Give it a shot, what do you have to lose?

see I do like my food. I miss some things once in a while (BUT THE beach allows for treats occasionally) I just think that i do have to tighten up and I am planing on keeping pretty much the same foods...

I don't find the measuring very stressful. And sometimes I just estimate. It's the logging and calorie counting online that I get tired of. But I see it this way - I've been overweight or obese for 10 years - I expect that I need to spend some time retraining my eye and stomach. I don't figure that 4 months of retraining so far is much in the face of 10 years of bad habits and denial. And anyway, if that's what it takes, that's what it takes. I will *not* continue to live the way I was.

I do hold onto the belief that I won't always have to measure and log. Might not be true, but we'll see. I like to think that if my final weight and lifestyle is reasonable, it won't be *that* hard to maintain. It's one thing to save some foods for treats and to keep an eye on how your pants fit and cut back a bit now and then if you need to - but if I have to measure and weigh every little bit, all the time, I would have to wonder if I were trying to maintain too low (or trying to lose too fast).

I found it frustrating at first to measure everything, but after the first week, it became second nature.

Also, you don't at all have to give up on food. The thing that I really like about calorie counting, is that I'm "allowed" to eat whatever I want. Of course, I try to eat healthy food, but if I want a glass of wine or two, or some dessert, I can eat it as long as I make room for it in my calorie allowance.

I think it's important to plan your day or your week, so that you know what you're eating and the calories that are in everything before you eat it. There were times when I didn't do that, and I was in for a big surprise!

Counting calories does offer a lot of variety, which is what I need to prevent boredom.

I have read many of your posts on SB. I did it for a while, then switched to counting, but using a lot of the SB foods and recipes.I find counting helps my portions. It seemed on SB and WW, even if I stuck to the right food, I was very slooooow to lose. Counting seems the way to go for me. Yes measuring takes time, but I do it when I am putting away left overs so I will have my brown bag for lunch.I use daily plate for tracking. I can see how just 1 extra ounce or 1 unlevel scoop can add to my calories over the course of a day.If I pick eggbeaters instead of an egg, I can save some more. With SB, both were acceptable, but the calories are different and for me, I lose weight easier making the less calorie choices.

Yep i get this.

but i never measure my veggies... i wonder if have to start getting precise about those too.

i know that i have to measure the high calorie foods... cheese, nuts, hummus,

but i also know that it's not coming off as fast as it should... time to shake it up

I guesstamate vegtables size. Most are very low calories. I also shoot lower on the calories than suggested. I played with it for a while until I figured what worked for me. I used the daily plate recommendation.I am not good about excercise either.... "Progress not perfection".