Calorie counting for those who make it all by scratch.
I was doing so good on my calorie counting. Then "took a week off" while my mom was visiting. Which then turned into another week off for vacation. Followed by just another week off for my birthday. With turned into oh I'll just take the rest of August off too. Well. I've gained a good 5 lbs and I need to nip this in the bud. I want to take this seriously. I'm just kind of exhausted already before I've even restarted. I like others, do not eat anything that has already been prepared. I make literally everything I eat from scratch. Calorie logging can be a pain when every component of every meal needs to be calculated using a calculator instead of looking at a box. Anyone else in this boat...have you found anything that makes it easier? I think I'm going to spend a couple hours on a calorie logging site and just start adding the basics....like the bread, pasta, hummus, etc. Then move on to meals I make....
It is a time investment for sure, but it makes a difference. Using a site helps a lot. I use spark and made use od the recipe calculator, saving the meals I'll make again. I do it as I go, and I usually alternate the same 8 or so meals until I get sick of them or want to something new.
Haha, I JUST posted about this. I have the same problem. It is SO tedious sometimes, I have a hard time being diligent about it. And I never make something exactly the same way twice (between using seasonal tweaks to recipes, leaving out something I don't have, or adding something I don't usually use). It drives me crazy!
I think I found something that just made my life easier. I was using a nutrition program that was required to purchase when I took a nutrition class in school...entering was TEDIOUS but the reports it generated was amazing. I decided to try fit day because you could also enter workouts. Also a bit tedious. This morning I just signed up for myfitnesspal.com and it has so much in their database!! Right down to the brand of eggs I buy from whole foods, or the flour I got at a little shop in Truckee, CA. I couldn't believe it. I'm actually looking forward to this now since there is SO much in the database it's doing half the work for me!
Until 1997, Weight Watchers programs were exchange based, and I joined WW with my mother when I was 8 years old (1972).
In the short-run, exchange plans are more complicated and time consuming to learn than calorie counting, but in the long-run, I think they're easier to use (at least without the assistance of technology. If you carry the tech wherever you go, some of the advantages to exchange plans aren't as important).
I like that exchange plans incorprate balance, but they also make it quite easy to learn to estimate calorie counts, without the aid of technology or even (eventually) resource materials.
I'm so familiar with the exchange plan lists, that even new foods are pretty easy to estimate. Nearly all breads, for example are equal to one bread/starch exchange per ounce of bread (if it's a buttery bread like bisuits or croissants I add one fat exchange if I can tell that it's buttery by taste and2 to 3 fat exchanges if I can feel the fat on my lips).
Nearly all veggies are 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked per vegetable exchange.
Fruits that are golf-ball sized (like plums and some tangerines) = 2 fruits per fruit exchange. Most fruits the size of a billiard ball come out to 1 fruit exchange, and fruits the size of a baseball or larger usually come to 2 fruit exchanges per fruit.
All foods within an exchange have about the same amount of calories (for example, fruit exchanges will contain an average of 70 calories, though the spread may be 60-80 calories). A 1500 calorie exchange plan, will therefore contain about 1500 calories if you don't eat more or less than your plan alots.
I know calorie counting seems a lot easier - because you can look up the value online or in a book (and you can do that with exchange values too), but when you're familiar with the exchange system, you don't need any tech or references, except when you encounter unfamiliar foods (and even then, you can make a very good guess by comparing it to a similar food that you know the exchange value for).
With tech now being at everyone's fingertips, perhaps exchange plans lose that advantage. However, I also like that balance is built into the system (and I know some calorie counting plans do so as well). I tend to go on food jags when I'm not using an exchange plan.
I make most food from scratch. A few things that have helped me are:
1) using NutritionData.com which has an extensive fresh or basic food list with all nutrition information. It also has a recipe log where I can add in all the ingredients and it will crank out the final calories.
2) using CalorieCount.com. A few years ago, NutritionData didn't have personal calorie tracking so I ended up on CalorieCount. I know have all my unique Nepali, Scandinavian, or other recipes on here so I'll likely never leave it. It's all too personalized for me at this point. I like that I can track exercise expenditures as well as my food. It gives charts for "over time" tracking.
3) eating the same food items. I don't switch food all the time. I like routine and it's easier for grocery shopping.
4) over the past 2 1/2 years now, I've learned portions and calories for most of the raw ingredients that I eat. I'm a much savvier eater so I can estimate better. I also eat the same general kinds of Volumetrics foods so even if the food item is not the same, I have a better idea of what the portion/calorie count looks like. I always look up food because I still get shocked but some foods. I also forget sometimes and start cutting off calories on items or forgetting that the calorie count is for a 1/2 portion--not the whole thing.
I think I found something that just made my life easier. I was using a nutrition program that was required to purchase when I took a nutrition class in school...entering was TEDIOUS but the reports it generated was amazing. I decided to try fit day because you could also enter workouts. Also a bit tedious. This morning I just signed up for myfitnesspal.com and it has so much in their database!! Right down to the brand of eggs I buy from whole foods, or the flour I got at a little shop in Truckee, CA. I couldn't believe it. I'm actually looking forward to this now since there is SO much in the database it's doing half the work for me!
I love myfitnesspal also and I love it. I love to cook too and find this part tedious, but I told myself, if I am being honest, it is not like I make a new recipe every night of the week. I may do 1 or 2 recipes per week, the rest of the time it may be grilled chicken or a meat and veggie or whatever else you may just throw together. As time goes by, I will be repeating the recipes that are already stored in there and it will be a breeze.
Not sure if you know this about myfitnesspal or not, but the nutrition info is put in by members, that is why it is so extensive. It always pays to double check the nutrition info and that it is correct before you select it.
The other thing that I like about myfitnesspal (because I cook all my meals too) is that you can save 'recipes' and you can also save 'meals.' The 'meals' are really great for things that you eat often but with minor variations, because you can add the entire meal and then change the # of ounce of chicken, or switch out one veggie for another or etc. They're more flexible way of logging than saved recipes (though I use that too, but mostly for things that I make in batches).
Unfortunately, the tedium of logging recipes and meals is part of the price of calorie counting. But it does keep me honest...
I cook everything from scratch, and I honestly don't find it a hassle to log. I save recipes, mainly things that I cook in bulk. If I'm making something that isn't saved, it doesn't take long to add the individual ingredients. I'm using FitDay, though it has its quirks and I hear there's better software out there.
Cooking it yourself is the best way to save calories and to save money. I have a few recipes saved on myfitnesspal and loseit. I normally make a batch on the weekend and just bring portions during the week.
I also cook from scratch and just decided to start calorie counting along with my WW points (to transition later).
MyFitnessPal turned out to be the best choice for me. They let you save meals which is handy when you have favorite recipes.
The most helpful thing is that they also remember what you had recently and you can quickly select it. For example my meats are generally either chicken breast, pork chop, steak or ground beef. I also created a "meal" for my usual starting point: salt, pepper, olive oil and onions.
That makes it quicker!
Wondering if all of you that cook from scratch have a way to figure out how many portions your recipe makes? For instance if I make a pot of soup or chili, aside from scooping it out cup by cup into another container, I have a hard time knowing how much it made. I did measure in cups of water how much my pot holds like up to the rivets of the handle, but it isn't always the same amount in all recipes, not always perfectly to the rivets.
Any suggestions?
I keep track of all the ingredients that go in and then I split the whole meal into portions. Eat one or two and freeze the rest (label with information!) in portions.
I'm like josey. I make a batch and note each amount of ingredient. I make up my own recipe cards, too (when I remember). I know that I'll probably eat 3 or 6 or some amount from that. So, when I add up all the calories (including garlic, onion, spices because they can add up to a lot), then divide by the amount of servings. I don't necessarily worry about the exact individual serving because today may be a little short but tomorrow has a bit more. It comes out alright.
I tend to look at my behavior over a week. It feels more sustainable because when I'm not losing weight I should adjust over the week.
I do like to note all my various meals and recipes because I change things over time, depending on the season, or something. Sometimes I forget a favorite dish but find the recipe and get all excited.
Calorie counting for those who make it all by scratch.
