After researching diet plans (I refuse to give up my carbs!) I've decided to count calories instead of sticking to any special diet. However, I'm not sure how to count carbs in meals that I make from scratch (without nutrition labels). Any tips?

Also, according to the nifty calculator on this website, I'm supposed to have roughly 2400 calories per day! That sure seems like a lot! Am I just not understanding what that calculator was telling me or what?

Christine

www.fitday.com has been good to me helping me with calories as is http://www.calorie-count.com/ . Sometimes when they list the calories you should have, that is to maintain your current weight. Most starting plans I have seen list calories to 1200-1600 unless you are very active. And most of us aren't or we wouldn't be in our current conditions. I just started calorie counting on Wednesday, I am enjoying it more than I thought I would.

For your current weight of 230, try the 2400 calories a day for a week, and weigh in and if you lose anything, then stick with it until you are not losing any longer. Weigh in only about once per week-and aim for an average of a 1-2 pound a week loss.

There are lots of foods without nutrition labels, such as fruits and veggies-and you can look up the calories of those online. When you are cooking, use a pencil and paper, and a calculator. Figure out the calories like so:

Smoothie:
1 banana 110 calories
1c. strawberries 45 calories
1c. light yogurt 100 calories
1/2c. apple juice 60 calories
ice cubes ------

add them together: 315 calories total

If the recipe makes more than one serving-say this one makes enough to pour into TWO glasses and you and a friend split it, just divide the calories in the TOTAL recipe, by how many servings you divide it into. This one would be 157 calories each if you divide it into 2 servings.

This is a simple recipe, but you do it the exact same way with other recipes. If you make muffin batter, and it makes 12, divide the calories of all the ingredients (listed on paper) by 12-and you have the calories per muffin.

I second the suggestion to use Fitday or a similar program. It has helped me immensely to keep track of everything I eat.

I have started really keeping track of the amounts of ingredients I use in recipes. I have several recipes that I make often enough that I have them memorized, and I got used to just eyeballing the ingredients. I wasn't ever that far off, but I have started to be more careful so that I can figure out exactly how many calories I'm eating. I use olive oil in a lot of recipes and that's the one I've been very diligent about in measuring how much I use. Then as aphil explained, I just add up all the ingredients and divide by however many servings I made.

I use Fitday to calculate the calories for me. I can choose the ingredients, choose the amount of servings, etc. It's a very handy tool.

I go back and forth between fitday and calorieking to find out the amount of calories. I'd have to say i prefer calorieking though because sometimes i can't find out the calories for exactly what i want to know; like they won't have chicken made blah blah blah. Maybe that's just me though.

I just downloaded Fitday PC a few weeks ago, after trying Dietpower (which is also a good product but takes up more space on my computer and is too complex for my needs). Actually I have no trouble doin' the calorie, carb, protein, etc., etc., just in my head, but the software makes it so fun and easy to create and store recipes and custom foods and figure out all the macro and micronutrients AND show you graphs, etc. ... logging daily nutrients gets easier and easier the more you use it.

Re your comment on a website calculator telling you you can have 2400 cals a day, maybe it means that is what by the data you entered, the calculator estimates you are currently using per day to maintain your weight ... if that were true, you'd have to cut 500 cals per day off of that (theoretically) to lose a pound a week (500 x 7=3500, theortically a pound) and 1000 off to lose two pounds. Dunno, I could be wrong, but maybe that's what it means ... that sounds about right to me.