Hmmm. Ok, I will try counting my calories starting tomorrow. I don't have the tools to weigh what I eat. If I may ask, what is the purpose of weighing it? Wow, the more y'all post, the more I realize I don't know
Let's say you have chicken or beef or some other meat -- there's a calorie difference between 3 ounces of chicken and 8 ounces of chicken, and unless you have been weighing and measuring for a while *most* people can't eyeball servings like that.
Some things, like eggs, obviously you know how many you have and can just see the calories on the package.
Or if you use oil to cook, that's definitely important to measure. Or if you eat nuts, or nut butters. Just a tablespoon extra adds quite a few calories, over the course of a week or a month we're talking hundreds and hundreds of unaccounted for calories.
You can measure most things if you don't have a food scale!
I understand the desperation, the fear, the anxious I-NEED-THIS-WEIGHT-OFF-NOW mentality. SO many of us do. You are in a good forum.
Now, the important bits:
Laxatives - don't need them for weight loss. You need them in the event of infrequent and hopefully rare constipation! Toss those laxatives out. You'll never, ever want to become so accustomed to turning to them that you can no longer excrete bodily waste without the chemical stimulant action of them!
Diet pills - again, less chemicals is better off, especially with any hormonal imbalance. You don't need this! You can lose sensibly without them!
Have the doctor treating your condition assess your options. Whatever you are diagnosed with, make sure it is being treated appropriately and that any weight reduction plan you undertake will agree with the treatment being provided. There are specialty forums here for people with certain challenges to weight loss, and you may find even more tips from those groups!
Onto the general advice I give everyone who asks:
Look at your nutrition itself. Do you consume a lot of caffeinated or otherwise sugar-laden drinks? Fruit juices, sodas, coffees that are more like desserts? Cut them back! Small changes first. Get used to tapering down your initial cravings over a two week period.
Portion control! Make your hand a fist. See that pad of skin from thumb to wrist? Sort of round? Welcome to your meat size. Beef, pork, chicken, fish... there you have it. Cup your hand into a bowl. Welcome to what your vegetable options should look like. See that thumb pad? Here's a Tablespoon measurement. Butter? Oil? Peanut butter? All of that? That's a Tablespoon. You want a teaspoon? Look at your pinky finger, and that pad is your teaspoon measurement.
Calorie reduction. You can start with choosing between 1800 to 2000 calories a day. Just enough to lose weight slowly on but not so little you feel deprived. Dessert? Account for everything. If it gets put on a plate, grabbed into your hand, spooned from a jar, placed into your mouth - write it down. BUT WAIT! Check the serving size. Might be 2 or more servings in that container. Make sure you're adding it all correctly. Be honest with yourself.
Exercise? Why yes, just walking can do a lot of interesting stuff. I started with walking, worked up to 2 miles a day and that was how my initial 100 pounds was aided in coming off. I didn't even break a sweat until summer. Start small. Keep it reasonable. Keep it reliable. Keep it something you can zone out to in the beginning.
Hmmm. Ok, I will try counting my calories starting tomorrow. I don't have the tools to weigh what I eat. If I may ask, what is the purpose of weighing it? Wow, the more y'all post, the more I realize I don't know
When you buy your meat, does it say the ounces or pounds? I usually buy like 1 lb of chicken breast for example, and that is 16 ounces, and I google "chicken breast calories" and click on whatever site. 1 oz=30 calories, according to what I find on google. So that entire 1 lb chicken breast - 480.
I heard that 3 OZ=size of average palm of hand or a deck of cards.
What I do is I buy 16 oz of chicken and cut it up into 5 pieces, a little over 3 oz each (90 cals or so), and then I freeze them. That way, if I just want it as a side, I cook up 3 oz chicken, if I want more, I take out two packages.
A scale can measure the ounces for you, so its pretty instant. After that you can google "calories in ___ ounces of ___" When you get used to knowing how much is in how many ounces (esp helpful if you are like me and eat similar things most days) you'll automatically know!
Oh and grape nuts used to constipate me! I find that lessening my amount of whole grains helped my pooing. White rice was easy on my digestion. Also, I read that your digestive system is a bit like a pot of boiling water. When you pour cold water into it, it "starts over" again-takes more time to get to the boiling point, so its a good idea to drink lukewarm to warm water. I just drink when I am thirsty, my digestion never increased when I tried drinking tons of water. Bananas also stall me. I find that fiberous foods when blanched or eaten raw increases the size of my dumps, but decreases the frequency. I find that mushy foods-like very highly boiled or sauted until super soft, or even juiced veg really helped with my pooing. Oh and coffee and prune juice will do the instant trick-but it leaves me very bloated.
Also, do you have measuring spoons and cups? 1/2 cup of grape nuts = 208 calories. and 1 tablespoon of mayo is 49 calories, 1 tablespoon of PB=95calories. 1 tablespoon oil=120 calories. I love baking, but I mostly use the measuring stuff to eyeball my calories nowadays lol (trying to save $$)
So I just measure things out in cups and spoons. And I make sure that I know how many lbs of meat I buy and convert that to ounces and find out the calories from there.
Everything you wrote is correct. I just wanted to point out that eating healthy doesn't automatically lead to weight loss. It's the amount that counts. If you're eating less than your body needs, you should lose weight. If you're NOT losing, you need to see your doctor to find out if hormonal issues are preventing you from losing.
Alright, well if after maybe two weeks of calorie counting I am not making a reasonable amount of progress, I will go see a doctor again. I'm beginning to wonder if maybe I am overeating and didn't realize it.
[QUOTE=LockItUp;4327460]Let's say you have chicken or beef or some other meat -- there's a calorie difference between 3 ounces of chicken and 8 ounces of chicken, and unless you have been weighing and measuring for a while *most* people can't eyeball servings like that. Or if you use oil to cook, that's definitely important to measure. Or if you eat nuts, or nut butters. Just a tablespoon extra adds quite a few calories, over the course of a week or a month we're talking hundreds and hundreds of unaccounted for calories.QUOTE]
That makes a lot of sense.... I think I am going to invest in a food scale as well as a bathroom scale.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 586
I understand the desperation, the fear, the anxious I-NEED-THIS-WEIGHT-OFF-NOW mentality. SO many of us do. You are in a good forum.
Now, the important bits:
Laxatives - don't need them for weight loss. You need them in the event of infrequent and hopefully rare constipation! Toss those laxatives out. You'll never, ever want to become so accustomed to turning to them that you can no longer excrete bodily waste without the chemical stimulant action of them!
Diet pills - again, less chemicals is better off, especially with any hormonal imbalance. You don't need this! You can lose sensibly without them!
Have the doctor treating your condition assess your options. Whatever you are diagnosed with, make sure it is being treated appropriately and that any weight reduction plan you undertake will agree with the treatment being provided. There are specialty forums here for people with certain challenges to weight loss, and you may find even more tips from those groups!
Onto the general advice I give everyone who asks:
Look at your nutrition itself. Do you consume a lot of caffeinated or otherwise sugar-laden drinks? Fruit juices, sodas, coffees that are more like desserts? Cut them back! Small changes first. Get used to tapering down your initial cravings over a two week period.
Portion control! Make your hand a fist. See that pad of skin from thumb to wrist? Sort of round? Welcome to your meat size. Beef, pork, chicken, fish... there you have it. Cup your hand into a bowl. Welcome to what your vegetable options should look like. See that thumb pad? Here's a Tablespoon measurement. Butter? Oil? Peanut butter? All of that? That's a Tablespoon. You want a teaspoon? Look at your pinky finger, and that pad is your teaspoon measurement.
Calorie reduction. You can start with choosing between 1800 to 2000 calories a day. Just enough to lose weight slowly on but not so little you feel deprived. Dessert? Account for everything. If it gets put on a plate, grabbed into your hand, spooned from a jar, placed into your mouth - write it down. BUT WAIT! Check the serving size. Might be 2 or more servings in that container. Make sure you're adding it all correctly. Be honest with yourself.
Exercise? Why yes, just walking can do a lot of interesting stuff. I started with walking, worked up to 2 miles a day and that was how my initial 100 pounds was aided in coming off. I didn't even break a sweat until summer. Start small. Keep it reasonable. Keep it reliable. Keep it something you can zone out to in the beginning.
All great info and duly noted! I think the only drink I could stand to cut back on is the alcoholic variety. I know alcohol doesn't help any when trying to lose weight. I will be paying much closer attention to my portion size too. Maybe that really is where my problem lies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pixelllate
When you buy your meat, does it say the ounces or pounds? I usually buy like 1 lb of chicken breast for example, and that is 16 ounces, and I google "chicken breast calories" and click on whatever site. 1 oz=30 calories, according to what I find on google. So that entire 1 lb chicken breast - 480.
I heard that 3 OZ=size of average palm of hand or a deck of cards.
What I do is I buy 16 oz of chicken and cut it up into 5 pieces, a little over 3 oz each (90 cals or so), and then I freeze them. That way, if I just want it as a side, I cook up 3 oz chicken, if I want more, I take out two packages.
A scale can measure the ounces for you, so its pretty instant. After that you can google "calories in ___ ounces of ___" When you get used to knowing how much is in how many ounces (esp helpful if you are like me and eat similar things most days) you'll automatically know!
Oh and grape nuts used to constipate me! I find that lessening my amount of whole grains helped my pooing. White rice was easy on my digestion. Also, I read that your digestive system is a bit like a pot of boiling water. When you pour cold water into it, it "starts over" again-takes more time to get to the boiling point, so its a good idea to drink lukewarm to warm water. I just drink when I am thirsty, my digestion never increased when I tried drinking tons of water. Bananas also stall me. I find that fiberous foods when blanched or eaten raw increases the size of my dumps, but decreases the frequency. I find that mushy foods-like very highly boiled or sauted until super soft, or even juiced veg really helped with my pooing. Oh and coffee and prune juice will do the instant trick-but it leaves me very bloated.
Honestly, I have never had a problem with constipation. I got the laxative solely for the purpose of losing weight. I didn't really look into the side effects though. Yikes. I have heard that about water temperature too. Makes sense to me
All Laxatives will do is cause a TEMPORARY reduction in WATER weight.... the rebound is usually a higher weight becuase they throw your body's homeostais outta whack. If you take a laxative, you may see a temporary drop in the scale, but within a day or 2 or so, that weight (BACAUSE IT WAS WATER WEIGHT) will be back, and it will probably bring a few friends too There's no point unless you are actually constipated. It will only make things worse in the long run (and short term) and afterall, you are after FAT LOSS, correct? not water loss.....
I was having a hard time and stalled for a few months because I wasn't counting what I was eating thought what it sounded like seemed healthy. Turns out my portions were way out of whack! Calorie counting has helped me so much because I have to measure and plan.
Again- been there done that with diet pills. Don't waste your time...throw them away and start fresh!
I'm new here, but this isn't my first trip to the weight loss rodeo so I want to throw in my two cents....
I was SHOCKED at how much I put into my mouth. I've done Weight Watchers several times with various results usually because someone was hounding me about my weight, but never because it's what I wanted to do. I started on January 3rd this year and after 3 weeks off plan due to illness, I'm back on track.
When I started, I was crazy about measuring, weighing and writing it down. They are all important steps to weight loss, but they are REALLY important when you are stuck. I would suggest at the very least writing every single thing you put into your mouth for a week. Get a really good, firm grasp on what you are eating because what you think you are doing and what you are actually doing are probably two different things. The other thing is the rice. Try cutting that out for a week. It might sound stupid, but rice sticks to me like glue and it's about the worst thing for me. Potatoes still have starch, but they are filling and they "leave with gusto" so it's probably a better choice.
I won't hound you about the diet pills because I totally understand where you are coming from. You want the weight off and you want it off NOW! I really get that. But my best friend died 4 years ago from complications brought on by diet pills - she had a heart attack and she was 38. So while I don't know you, I understand your need to lose, but I also understand the risk.
But my best friend died 4 years ago from complications brought on by diet pills - she had a heart attack and she was 38. So while I don't know you, I understand your need to lose, but I also understand the risk.
[QUOTE=ChicknThief;4327518]Alright, well if after maybe two weeks of calorie counting I am not making a reasonable amount of progress, I will go see a doctor again. I'm beginning to wonder if maybe I am overeating and didn't realize it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LockItUp
Let's say you have chicken or beef or some other meat -- there's a calorie difference between 3 ounces of chicken and 8 ounces of chicken, and unless you have been weighing and measuring for a while *most* people can't eyeball servings like that. Or if you use oil to cook, that's definitely important to measure. Or if you eat nuts, or nut butters. Just a tablespoon extra adds quite a few calories, over the course of a week or a month we're talking hundreds and hundreds of unaccounted for calories.QUOTE]
That makes a lot of sense.... I think I am going to invest in a food scale as well as a bathroom scale.
All great info and duly noted! I think the only drink I could stand to cut back on is the alcoholic variety. I know alcohol doesn't help any when trying to lose weight. I will be paying much closer attention to my portion size too. Maybe that really is where my problem lies.
Honestly, I have never had a problem with constipation. I got the laxative solely for the purpose of losing weight. I didn't really look into the side effects though. Yikes. I have heard that about water temperature too. Makes sense to me
OOOO gotcha I never knew that laxatives helped with losing weight lol. I always thought that people who were trying to lose took them to lose the poo weight
ChicknThief-Most of all, don't be overwhelmed by all the info! Take it a step at a time. I think starting with keeping track of what/how much goes into your body daily is a great way to begin. Might I suggest lots of fresh/steamed cooked vegetables? Reasonable amounts of fresh fruits, too. AND lots of water. I believe that has been a huge part of my success.
Do use tools to measure your portions. I have to respectfully say that, at least for myself, the tip of a thumb does not seem accurate as a tablespoon amount. Use measuring spoons and cups until you get the idea.
20 hours free of the pills and I feel like a whole new person!! I didn't realize how much they were affecting both my body and my mood. And in such a short period of time. Scary. They made me so irritable and nauseous. The effects didn't start to wear off until late last night.
Off to a good start this morning! I had a 1/2 cup of Grapenuts with a 1/2 cup of fat free milk for a grand total of 240 calories. For lunch I have a sandwich with 2 slices of bread (300), 1 Tbsp mayo (90), mustard (0), Lettuce (0), and 2 slices of roast beef (~100). Soooo...
Breakfast: 240
Lunch: 490
I will be sure to keep track of anything else I eat/drink and post it here. Now I will see if I really am eating as well as I think I do.
There's no point unless you are actually constipated. It will only make things worse in the long run (and short term) and afterall, you are after FAT LOSS, correct? not water loss.....
