Do I absolutely HAVE to count calories?
 

I know, I know... I should count calories. But I don't have a whole lot of time in my day. I work from 7:30am to 4:30pm, Monday-Friday. I bring my work home with me, too. I'm a teacher, and I have to deal with weekly lesson plans (among other things!). When I do have a little down time, the last thing I want to do is count calories. I'm stressed out enough with work! Besides, the idea of counting calories just saps the joy out of me. With a misaligned knee cap, exercise is painful. And with work and stress and life, counting calories is just not the way I want to spend what little free time I have. Its the reason why I want to do Adipex, but my cardiologist says I shouldn't (I have a Mitral Valve Prolapse). Are there any other options? Cheap options - did I mention I'm broke as a joke? LOL

Many people use various methods to help them lose weight. Counting calories is just one of them. So I wouldn't say you HAVE to do that but you have to keep track of what you are doing somehow. No matter what the method it will take time out of your life. As I heard one person say...either take the time now while relatively health or take the time later when you are hopitalized.
I will say whatever method you use once you do it for a month or two it becomes easier and faster.

Well, with such a busy schedule and all those excuses, oops, I mean "reasons" I bet you'll be the exception and not have to put any effort whatsoever into your weight loss and the pounds will just melt off!

Do you watch TV at all? Why not cut back on that or some other wasted time (we all have it, even someone as busy as you!) and spend some time on Sparkpeople (free, and safe for people with Mitral Valve Prolapse!) planning your meals, figuring out your calories and getting serious about your weight loss.

Would you accept that boatload of excuses from one of your students?

What are some of the other options?

You are aware that there are computer programs and website where you can track calories just by entering foods, yes? So, that's not very hard. As for exercise, you don't have to count exercise. Just count your food. It's very hard to accurately count exercise calories.

You'll need to learn how to measure and weigh portions for awhile as well. Most people who are overweight tend to underestimate how much food they are eating.

This really does not take a lot of time.

You could also join Weight Watchers and learn their points system for tracking food.

I think you'll need to admit that you are going to have to track what you eat in SOME way, because not tracking food has led to you being... well... you don't give your weight, but here you are on 3FC.

Cheers!
Jay

I understand the hesitation, because I'm super busy, too, and yet, I'm a calorie counter. It really doesn't take that long, I promise! Especially once you get set up. I spent maybe 5 minutes a day tracking my calories.

You can try weight loss without following some sort of plan, but it's a lot more difficult, and I imagine that makes it more effort, overall, in the end. I tried, at first, with tons of exercise and "eating healthily", and I didn't understand why I wasn't losing weight...then I finally decided to get a plan and stick with it. Calorie counting was the best option for me, as it gives me the most control. It was only once I started tracking what I put into my mouth that my body started dropping weight. Energy in vs. energy out is what any plan comes down to (though some plans take other things into account, like blood sugar, protein vs. fat vs. carbs, etc.), and unless you give your body reason to burn that fat, it won't.

Some plans, like Weight Watchers, use easy points systems to make it easier to track what you eat...that might be a good option for you if calorie counting seems too intensive.

Good luck!

Nope, there are a lot of other plans that lead to the same place. If counting calories isn't doing it for you, there are other means.

The whole calorie equation, though, is ineluctably true; you must take in fewer calories than you burn to lose weight. Any other means of weight loss simply proceeds from there; Weight Watchers does it with points, Jenny Craig and NutriSystem do it with pre-packaged portion control, low-carb plans do it by downsizing calorie-dense carbohydrates while emphasizing satiating foods. All roads lead to Rome; you've just got to find the one that has the kind of scenery you most enjoy seeing as you walk it.

I went with calorie-counting because to me, it gets at the heart of the issue--no frills, no restrictions, no cost. I worried about the joy-sapping potential of having to count what I ate, let alone writing it down or (heaven forfend) weighing portions. My husband's a trained chef and I live in New Orleans; joyful food is my birthright. :D

Turns out, there's still plenty of joy to be had. I write everything down in Fitday's journal (there are other similar free programs too, but that's the one I found first). It does all the counting for me, though I have to do my own measuring and weighing. I objected to weighing at first too, but...well, I don't have money to pay Jenny Craig to do my portion control for me, so I'd better learn to do it on my own. Do I love weighing out my breakfast cereal? No, but I love weighing this much even less and I realize that my options are limited by finances and finickiness; I don't do well on restrictive plans, so this is my best choice.

Going back to the joylessness thing: knowing the details of English grammar and spelling doesn't dilute my delight in poetry at all. Knowing that my dinner has 500 calories doesn't make it taste a whit less delicious. :)

To lose weight you have to count something. Calories, carbs, "points", fat...

The good news is that, as jay said, there are many great sites where this takes very little effort. The other good news is that exercise is not required for weight loss. There are MANY chicks on this site that have lost without any exercise.

You need to make yourself a priority in your life! When you spend time each week preparing lessons for your students, take an hour for yourself and plan your menus for each week.

You can do this!

Well I count calories so I dont' know them all but. Some people here are on weight watchers and count points. some people are more into carbs etc etc etc http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/ Hopefully th link I sent will work. Bu tin the forum area there are sections for all kinds of dieting plans.

I did Spark People for about a month and just didn't want keep up with it, really. Some may call them excuses, but in my life, my students and my work are one of my top priorities. Other priorities include my family and my pets. After all that, I only have so much more to give, and keeping up with what I ate everyday on Spark People (which I found to be a long, tedious process) just went to the back burner. You can call me lazy or unmotivated or what have you, but I'm just being completely truthful, and I doubt I'm the only person to feel that way.

And I'm 5 foot 6, 200 pounds.

you dont HAVE to do anything that you dont want to do, but I ount caloried and dont have much free time either Im a full time student, I am an intern, a mom and a wife it is doable , but if its truly not what you want to do you need to find another option that will fit your lifestyle. When time is short I will eat smart ones frozen dinners and throughout the day i eat fruit veggies low fat cheese and one low fat glass of milk in the mornng try to keep it well balanced and after a while you will knw what the cals are off the top of your head. good luck

You're not the only person to feel that way. But, you are also not displaying the willingness and commitment that it takes to lose weight. It sounds like you aren't ready to make the changes necessary to lose weight.

Until I find a better job, I cannot imagine anything but my work being a top priority. My pay is terrible, but its all I have right now and I'm always walking on eggshells at work. Its a private school, and when the higher ups get upset with people, they fire them. Truthfully, I stay on edge constantly that someone higher than me on the ladder will decide its my time to go. It happened to the teacher before me. With that sort of stress on my plate, I'm surprised I can think straight at all.

That's just me venting, though. I would love to make myself a priority in my life, but right now, I just don't see that happening.

A lot of people here don't count calories.
I have to count them.
If I forget to add in something I go over my limit for the day.

I make it easy. I look in the fridge and in the cupboard every morning to see what foods I have on hand for the day.
Then I figure out the calories in a daily menu plan.

I can't eat frozen dinners or processed food. All the chemicals make me sick.
I make homemade chili, casseroles and spaghetti sauce ...and pancakes, freeze them and figure out the calories in each little container. I can track that easily.

I have fruit trees and berry bushes, so I freeze a lot of juice in small containers.
I keep track in my documents what I can eat that day.
You could pack a lunch based on a daily menu like I plan.

I don't buy snacks, ice cream and pastries.
Calorie counting works for me. I eat 1500-1700 calories per day now.

I have an injured knee too, so I can't exercize. My knee can just barely handle my daily chores. My knee is much happier with less weight to cart around.
I lost over 25 pounds last year, and am aiming to lose another 50 this year.
It seems to be such a slow tedious process. :snail:

:)

You can do one of the points programs but it's going to cost you money and end up taking just as much time as counting calories. It may seem like a hassle but if you have an app on your phone it isn't that big of a deal to add up what you eat. Just write down everything you eat for a few days and then go back and tally them up just to get an idea of what sort of calories your consuming at the moment. You'll probably be shocked at how much your consuming. Losing weight takes lots of effort if you expect to keep it off and counting calories is one of the easiest ways to do it.

How does taking a half hour of time per day (if that) to track your food have any affect whatsoever on your job? Do you enjoy time with your family or did you sacrifice that for your job? Do you refrain from haircuts or brushing your teeth because they are not a top priority? Do you do your laundry? Keep up your house? Or have you let those slide as a way to improve your job? (I'm a little lost here with your reasoning, if you can't tell.)

Are all the people at your job obese because they have stopped caring for themselves on account of the work environment?

I understand the work thing. I just got off a 6 month stint of 70-110 hour work weeks, at the end of which 75% of our 200-person studio was laid off...that hard work I put in is the reason I'm part of that 25% that got to stay. However, during that time, I did gain 10-15 lb because work was the only priority in my life (well, that and wedding planning :S). I had no time for anything, even laundry! Now that I'm back to more normal hours, I'm making the time to focus on my body. I kind of wish I'd set aside a few minutes a day to do some meal planning/exercise to stop this gain in the first place, but meh, hindsight 20/20, and I did what I felt was best.

The point being...it's true that sometimes we don't have time to do anything but work. And losing weight DOES require some time commitment. If you can't make the time, then you won't lose weight -- you must decide where your priorities lie and make that choice yourself. :)

Is there anyway you could merge work with a new healthy lifestyle?

For example: teach a nutrition class to the kids each day, give them a list of your calories for each week and turn it into a math problem (they don't have to know that the numbers are your calories), maybe plan a field trip to a farm and educate them on different healthy veggies and meats, or a field trip to an orchard and learn how they are run and then pick apples to bring home.

If this is not possible either I would just try to make the healtiest decisions possible and start counting when I had more time.

To the OP; there are certainly MANY diets out there that do NOT focus on calorie counting. Since you are so GENUINELY busy teaching the brains of the future (which I thank you for!), you may try just trying to find a healthier balance of foods to snack on through out the day, that happen to be lower calorie and start there (cucumber and carrot sticks, air popped pop corn, lunch meat roll-ups, etcetera). You could also try following a diet like the South Beach Diet which works for many people, and doesn't include calorie counting. For low impact exercise, could you try step-counting with a pedometer?

Do take a good look around. I hope you find encouragement and some new great tools to help you on your journey. :hug:

I must not be as good at this counting calorie thing as you are, cause it took me way over a half an hour a day to track my food. It took at least an hour. Maybe I'm stupid. I had to look up every thing I ate and, in some cases, manually enter the information. This was really a pain when it came to home-made dishes. And yes, I do let a lot of those things slide.

Listen, I can understand that you think I'm making excuses, but cut me some slack here. Can you not see that my life is pretty hectic and stressful and that I am NOT adjusting well to it? I don't really want to air all my dirty laundry on here. There is a lot in my life that is out of control, and I'm trying to find some way to reign it in. You don't know everything that is going on in my life and I'm not going to put it all out on a forum. Just understand that I have a lot of stuff I'm dealing with and I'm trying to find a way to lose a little weight.

If time is your main concern with calorie counting, here's a first step: Set up some 300-400 calorie meals and 100-200 calorie snacks. Mix and match these daily to get to your desired calorie level. You'll already know how many calories they are, so the tracking is done. On some level, a lot of calorie counters do this anyway and it makes daily faster, almost automatic.

Here's the thing, though. Effort and time are necessary for any sort of sustainable (as opposed to short-term/rapid) weight loss.

Another option is to take some baby steps for right now. Choose a fruit or veggie for a snack. Switch from full fat to low fat dairy. Cut back on or eliminate fast food and/or soda. Take a different baby step every month, and a chunk of calories will take care of themselves.

What are you using to track calories? Something like Sparkpeople.com or Dailyplate? Or are you looking stuff up somewhere and tracking it on paper? Honestly, once you get the hang of it and have your "regular" stuff in the system, the tracking doesn't take that long.

Everyone has stuff and stress in their life. For me, the discipline from tracking (I do WW) spills over into the rest of my life. I feel better from eating better so I sleep better, which makes me happier and more effective at my job. The confidence from seeing the weight come off makes me more likely to go out with friends and have fun. The tracking also helps me get in the groove of tracking my spending.

You might notice a similar side effect. The confidence you find from choosing to make time for yourself a priority could be what you need to make changes at work. But you have to stop thinking of yourself as a victim of your circumstances and grab some control of your life. Even if that control, for now, is counting calories.

Hi firefly,

There are other ways. I think calorie counting is popular because it helps people to have a balanced diet - instead of reducing one particular food group, it's just a reduction in general.

I don't count calories. Mostly because it doesn't work for me. The only thing that has helped me to lose weight is to eat reduced carbs. BUT I've also never really been a big eater, so I'm not too worried about overdoing the calories.

I definitely understand the battle between a busy schedule and losing weight. Don't forget that for some, small changes can make a HUGE difference. Make a list of small things you are willing to give up/trade out and just try them one at a time. For example, a few years ago, my sister decided that she could live without fruit juice and was willing to trade regular soda for diet. It made a huge difference!

Keep us updated - and good luck!

*Edit, while I was typing JenMUsic said it better :)*

Two points I would like to make:

1.Whatever you do you will get back the effort you put in.

2. We all have 24 hours in a day.

Truthfully, I'm a teacher in a class of 12 four-year-olds and I have no aid. I've had 2 UTIs since the beginning of the school year because I have no way to take a break from the beginning of the day (7:30am) to the end of the day (3:00pm) and most days, I cannot even take a potty break. Legally, a trained adult must be with the students AT ALL TIMES. Since there is no aid to help me, that trained adult is me. I do not get a lunch break. Yes, the kids eats lunch, and I can scarf a little food during that time, but when 12 four-year-olds are eating... they can be very needy.

I know I should ask for help, but I'm new on the scene and I'm at the bottom of the totem pole. The woman in charge is... well, I don't know how to explain her. She refuses to hire people that smoke. I don't even know if that's legal, LOL. There was a rumor that the cook last year was fired because this woman found out she smokes. I don't know if thats true or not, but I stay in constant fear of getting fired. I'm desperate to find a new job, but jobs are hard to find now days.

Again, I'm venting. For the most part, people on this site have been SO NICE to me, and I feel like I can vent. I hope that is true. I'm anonymous here, and I can talk about work where I can't in real life.

But anyway, thank you for letting me vent :)

As someone who has an extremely time-consuming job for about half the year, I can confirm that things like laundry, keeping up the house, etc. do indeed slide. Haircuts? I just let mine grow. Tooth brushing? Yeah, but that's 2 minutes, so that doesn't really count. Sometimes, it takes a lot of time to be a working professional. I understand where the OP is coming from.

Firefly we are all dealing with stresses in life. If you are on this board much you will see many many people have a lot of stress and a pretty much crappy life right now. We call them excuses because there are quite a few people who have been here awhile and guess what.........we all did it so we can see it for what it is. In fact I still do it in some areas of my life.
It seems you are not willing to make the sacrafices in your life to make changes that are neccessary. There is nothing wrong that...we all reach a limit to when we say that is enough I have to do this. Sooooooo is there any "bad" habits you can change until your life calms down a bit. Such as do you eat out alot? when you do--do you make healthy choices? Do you drink beverages that have calories instead of calories free drinks. Do you eat when not hungry? Things like that?
I hope none of this is making you feel like it is a lose cause cuz with maybe a few small changes you would be able to later handle something on a more accounable level.

I do understand this. You're certainly not stupid!

There are a bunch of online calorie trackers out there, and we all have our favorites. :)

I tried out a couple, including Spark and caloriecount, before clicking with the Daily Plate. Even so, for any of the programs there does seem to be a steep initial learning curve. It IS time-consuming initially, especially entering in recipes. The good news is that, once something is entered and saved, it's there forever and just a click away.

If you didn't like one, maybe try another one and see if you like that interface better.

Hi firefly,

I understand the idea of walking on eggshells and living in fear of getting the axe. I have lived that way for the past 2.5 years - it's a tough way to live. I hope it gets better for you.

I don't count calories myself - I monitor my carbs by not eating an refined carbs or sweets as much as I can. I try to load up on veggies and lean protein to keep myself full. I don't follow a specific plan, but mine is the closest to South Beach, I guess.

I just got serious about my weight loss about 6 weeks ago. Honestly, it has SAVED me in terms of stress about my job and life. I have kids, hubby, job, school - and eating better (NOT PERFECTLY) and getting in my workouts keeps me going.

You don't need to follow any plan - just make a change at a time. As someone who works with kids, I'm sure you know how important routine is. If you disturb your too quickly, it may backfire. Start small - it can help make lasting change.

Is there someone else you can talk to at the school about getting a bathroom break? Do you really think you'll be fired for saying, can someone come in a relieve me twice a day so I can urinate? Maybe a secretary from the office would take pity on you?

Are all teachers in this same position? Can you get a note from your doctor mandating a bathroom break at least once a day?

I eat basically the same thing everyday. I grab an oatmeal cookie for breakfast, for lunch its either tuna + whole wheat crackers or cheese + whole wheat crackers, each followed by a yogurt. Its all I can do to woof down that in the time I have for lunch. Its after work that it all goes haywire. I can finally sit down, and I'm so tired that I eat terribly. I have to limit my liquid intake during the day because I have limited access to a bathroom, and I think that might be taking a toll on me, too.

I like your idea, though, and I'm willing to give it a try. One question I do have: how do you alter recipes found here (or anywhere, really) for just one person? I cook for only me, and I'm not really good with cooking in the first place, and I'm always afraid of messing recipes up when I try to reduce them.

:hug:I have an idea....why not just eat very similar things every week? I would suggest something like steel cut oats with blueberries for breakfast. Snack on some almonds and celery or baby carrots (but only about 10 or 20 almonds). For lunch, a whole wheat turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato and mustard. Snack on something like popcorn and a cheese stick. Dinner, I usually have a huge salad with chicken breast, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Then, just stick to that for a while. When you get bored of something, change it up to something that is of similar calories. Then, when life settles, you can get into this in a more detailed fashion. I really understand where you're coming from and I hope you'll stick around. I also think you'll sleep better and handle stress at work better (and in the rest of your life) if you can eat healthy foods and avoid refined sugar, white flour, preservatives and very processed foods. Also, the more you move, the more you'll get your stress down. So, maybe while watching t.v. you can do lunges, push ups and jumping jacks....say every time there's a commercial break. If you get hungry, drink tea, chew gum, have some healthy veggie soup that you maybe can make on the weekend. Finally, I think that if you'll start making these changes, it will show and your employer will be even more likely to keep you around. I wish you all the best.:hug: Oh and the fact that you came here and asked for help while going through so much is so admirable. I've had times when I had so much stress in my life that I wouldn't have even dreamed of trying to lose weight, so well done!

Truthfully, I don't know. I've heard rumors at this place that worry me. I know I'm not staying at this job long term, but my biggest fear is what they will tell potential employers who would want to hire me.

And no, the other teachers are not in the same position. Most of the rest have aids. I'm the newest to be hired. It feels like some sort of obscene initiation process. A part of me knows that if I let them take advantage of me, things will never change. But another part says "Do whatever you can to get a positive recommendation so you can get the **** outta here".

Snack, snack, snack!! Even a couple of tangerines in the car on your way home will help prevent a huge binge when it comes to dinner.


As for meals for one - you can make crock pot soups that you can eat through out the week. You can always stir fry protein and veggies. Experiment with lots of salad types. It's less about cooking just one portion, and more to do with cooking normal portions that you're okay chowing on through out the week, or storing in the freezer for later :)

Thank you for your encouraging words. I really appreciate them. They make me feel a lot better :)

Does it get boring eating the same thing every day for a week?

Well, it's my opinion that yes you do have to count calories to lose weight. Numbers don't lie, they tell you who you are and where you are going.

We all have busy schedules, but I count calories, every calorie. It takes only a few minutes. I sit down the night before and plan out my menu for the next day.

i too have a messy house because i choose to make sure i go to the gym instead of having a clean house. i also hauled food around from home when i had to work out of town every week.

as for other counting options, counting calories is probably the simplest. unless you paid for some restrictive program like LA Weightloss that tells you specific foods to eat and not eat. Or Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem which is alot of processed foods. WW will take more time than counting calories because you have to know more pieces of information about each food not just the calories. Low carb might be easier because some people only count carbs.

What were you doing when counting calories that was so hard? Once you set up the main foods you eat mostly, they are set up in the computer. Take time on the weekend to pack food for the week. Make the family take care of some of the house duties so you can plan your food, and THEIRS in a more healthy way. You are going to eat something, even if it's scarfed down, so it might as well be healthy food. get a plastic plate with a top and put the same portions in there every day. On the weekends, you can have more flexibility, but this will make your busy weeks easier to eat better food.

boring? Yes, however, once you've been doing it for a while, you will stock pile all sorts of "left overs" in your freezer. I made a crock pot of split pea soup, ate off it for a few days, then froze the left overs in individual servings, and now I can reach in and pick from my huge assortment of stuff. Today I found some red pepper soup that I made a few weeks ago in the freezer, so I pulled one out, put it in the fridge for lunch this week. Lots of stuff freezes well! Makes quick work of cooking too! :D

I dunno if I was doing the counting calories thing right. It took forever and I just really didn't like it. Maybe cause I felt like all the joy of food was just taken away.

And its just me in my house. Well, there are my three dogs. But if anything is done here, its up to me :D Being single and living alone means I have less responsibility (less people to worry about) but it can be lonely sometimes and sometimes I really wish there was someone else around to walk the dogs when its raining! :)