Ironically, counting calories made me realize which foods I loved....

xKoalaBearx

.... and which foods I could live without.

For example, I used to LOVE White Castle sliders... but at 155 calories per slider... it was too many calories for me for such a little thing. I could eat 10-12 of those in one sitting! And just eating two or three isn't satisfying to me.

Oreo double stuff cookie... 70 calories for one cookie! I used to love these. But now knowing how much they cost, they're not so appealing anymore.

There are a bunch of foods like this for me... I slowly realized I can just live without those.

Chocolate is a whole different story for me... it doesn't matter how many calories... I can't live without it... so I've learned to eat within my means... and have some every day.

Funny what I learned about myself.

Dreysander

Peanut butter came out a front runner for me. It's extremely calorie dense but you can bet your stars I have it every day for the most part.

aft85

i have this problem with cheese. it's just too depressing to see how little cheese makes 100 calories.

skydiveD30571

I realized a great way to talk yourself out of fast food is to look up the nutritional info beforehand. Some of it is just crazy!

My favorite thing in the world is a meat calzone from Old Chicago. But when I realized it comes in at over 1,700 calories I only go on my birthday now

starwhisperer6

I completely agree with you. Most donuts, I use to eat them just because they are sweet and there, but they are not worth it to me at all. Store bought cake (which comes into my job on a very regular basis) yeah not worth it. But I do have chocolate every day, and at least one cup of coffee with sweet cream.

dkingdom1

Totally agree. It also helps me to form some "go to's" for when I get back to school (like I love having an Apple, Dannon Light and Fit, and a Cheesestick for around 250 calories that "holds" my stomach quite well).

Cereal, I can definitley live without. No more big bowls of cereal because I swear, a bowl could have up to like 1000 calories (including milk) and still leaves you hungry within one hour. Now if I want something sweet, I have between 32-64g by its lonesome.

CaffeinatedConfectionist

Yup, when I first started counting calories I really had to decide what was worth budgeting for. Peanut butter and banana sandwiches? Worth it. Crappy grocery store cookies that are often on offer at work? Not worth it. Counting calories has really encouraged mindful, rather than mindless, eating (except when alcohol starts making my decisions for me ). I'm going to make sure that I get the absolute most enjoyment and satisfaction out of things.

malibu927

I think that's the case for a lot of people here. For me, I can do without fast food French fries. They aren't satisfying enough, so I now skip them and have either the sandwich alone or get a side salad.

But ice cream? Oh, I'll eat a bowl several times a week. Weighed out, I know what's enough for me now.

LovingLife_Erin

This is completely true for me! Chocolate is a priority so I'll definitely budget it in, whereas other foods aren't worth the calories for me. Someone was trying to tell me that I needed to be eating avocado. I responded that while I didn't mind it, it was far too calorie dense for me to bother when I'm not that much of a huge fan of it.

RuthieStauffer

I completely agree about recognizing which food to live without and which foods are my go to.

For me, the way I make my coffee was the game changer. I went from using flavored non-dairy creamers, powder creamer and/or powder hot chocolate; to now I drink dark roast of some type with heavy whipping cream and cinnamon. Then I blend it to make the cream frothy. If I go to Starbucks, I ask for steamed heavy whipping cream. I had "fell off the wagon" over the holiday break, I had made a cup of coffee with the flavored non-dairy creamer. I took two drinks and threw it down the drain because it tasted as though it was filled with nothing but chemicals (which it is). So my coffee regimen had changed forever. Which I am ok with

I also agree Dreysander that Peanut Butter has replaced all the candy bars and sweets. I LOVE ME SOME PEANUT BUTTER!! And especially Peter Pan peanut butter. I spoonful a night keeps the sugars at bay

try2again

I think this is what some people fail to realize when they start on MFP with the intent to avoid a particular food or food group- as time goes on, you will naturally start to weed out the things that don't offer much bang for the calorie "buck". There's lots of things I don't eat much, if any, of anymore because it's not worth it to me. Full calorie bread, prepackaged cookies, most types of take-out pizza, etc. My hubby brought home pizza from a chain the other day that was 400 calories a slice! I couldn't have even had a taste for much less than 100 calories! But I don't avoid pizza- there's a thin crust veggie version that I love. The beautiful thing is, we all end up with a diet tailored just to us

Rachel0778

I agree completely. When I realized how many calories are in crackers/chips/french fries they lost their appeal completely. Grandma's homemade chocolate chip cookies on the other hand, worth it every time!

missblondi2u

Yes! Tracking my food has really made me fall in love with good food again! I think I had been desensitized to delicious food because I ate so much of it all the time. For example, I would buy a bag of lindor truffles and gobble several at my desk without thinking. Now I take my time and savor them one at a time (still totally worth the calories for me).

On the other hand, I used to stuff french fires in my face simply because they came with a meal. Now I don't find them worth it most of the time.

williams969

I'm another one that realized that I love a good baked potato more than some old fast food fries. And there's a significant calorie savings. One McDs large fry, 500+ calories, and usually soggy and cold. One medium or largish baked russet, tiny pat of butter and salt, less than 200 cals. And tastier, imo.

kgeyser

I would be curious to see how many MFP users have foods which started on their "yeah, that's not worth it" lists and have become foods that they just don't eat at all now, and how that correlates to their success with weight loss and maintenance.

juggernaut1974

kgeyser wrote: »

I would be curious to see how many MFP users have foods which started on their "yeah, that's not worth it" lists and have become foods that they just don't eat at all now, and how that correlates to their success with weight loss and maintenance.

To be perfectly honest, I went more the other way.

I had a"that's not worth it list" when I started and have eventually found ways to work most of them back in...the exception being soda because (aside from an occasional mixer in cocktails) I just don't care all that much for it.

ETA: As far as "success" - I've been off the strict weight loss wagon for about 2 years now. I've done a couple bulk/cut cycles during that time frame and have been in pure maintenance for about 9 months.

BuddhaB0y

Can't agree with this post more... Reading through I found myself nodding to just about everything.

My gf and I have also found that we have started eating a lot more vegetables and developed a taste for them that we didn't have before.

lorrpb

This is a great point. Some people say they eat all foods they've always eaten, but many just aren't worth the cals to me.

PeachyCarol

juggernaut1974 wrote: »

kgeyser wrote: »

I would be curious to see how many MFP users have foods which started on their "yeah, that's not worth it" lists and have become foods that they just don't eat at all now, and how that correlates to their success with weight loss and maintenance.

To be perfectly honest, I went more the other way.

I had a"that's not worth it list" when I started and have eventually found ways to work most of them back in...the exception being soda because (aside from an occasional mixer in cocktails) I just don't care all that much for it.

ETA: As far as "success" - I've been off the strict weight loss wagon for about 2 years now. I've done a couple bulk/cut cycles during that time frame and have been in pure maintenance for about 9 months.

I'm still in my losing phase, but I've lost 75 pounds so far and have been at this over a year.

My experience is similar to yours, juggernaut.

I started out with not worth it things and ended up incorporating most of them back into my life.

Most of the stuff that's not worth it to me at this point are foods that come down to taste issues due to being poor substitutes by dint of being gluten free. Thanks celiac disease! Having lived with the condition for 18 years, I'd rather do without pizza than have a poor imitation. It has nothing to do with calories, it has everything to do with it just not being as satisfying to me.

sapphire1166

I've found that naturally weaning myself to "worth it" foods also has other positive side effects. For example, let's say that by the time dinner rolls around I have 600 calories. I've been planning on chicken, broccoli, and mashed potatoes for dinner, but I also REALLY want cheese puffs before bed. A lot of times I'll nix the mashed potatoes and cook spinach or brussel sprouts instead so I save the extra calories for the cheese puffs.

That way I eat more veggies AND get my cheese puffs. It's a win-win.

tulips_and_tea

kgeyser wrote: »

I would be curious to see how many MFP users have foods which started on their "yeah, that's not worth it" lists and have become foods that they just don't eat at all now, and how that correlates to their success with weight loss and maintenance.

I have quite a few of these. Reading labels and paying attention to calories certainly taught me to focus on quality over quantity. I'd say that has contributed to my success at long-term maintenance. As always, this method isn't for everyone, but it has worked for me.

tincanonastring

I cut a ton out when I first started and then I learned how to properly set up a meal plan, incorporate the foods I like into my diet, and gained a proper understanding of moderation. Thanks, MFP!

Clobern80

All food is worth it to me, if I can fit it. I will be the first to admit that my macros are not the best, but my CICO is working. I get fruit, I get protein (lots of it, I love it) and I eat things I enjoy. For me, counting calories has only shown me how MUCH of the food I already love I can have.

auddii

sapphire1166 wrote: »

I've found that naturally weaning myself to "worth it" foods also has other positive side effects. For example, let's say that by the time dinner rolls around I have 600 calories. I've been planning on chicken, broccoli, and mashed potatoes for dinner, but I also REALLY want cheese puffs before bed. A lot of times I'll nix the mashed potatoes and cook spinach or brussel sprouts instead so I save the extra calories for the cheese puffs.

That way I eat more veggies AND get my cheese puffs. It's a win-win.

This is also why I pre-log; I can maximize nutrition while still having room to work in the foods that I enjoy.

missblondi2u

kgeyser wrote: »

I would be curious to see how many MFP users have foods which started on their "yeah, that's not worth it" lists and have become foods that they just don't eat at all now, and how that correlates to their success with weight loss and maintenance.

For me, it was sugary cereal. I used to eat a bowl or two every night as a "snack." When I started logging, I realized that it was not worth the calories. I haven't had cereal in months.

samgamgee

Oh, for sure. Things like icecream and cookies, in the past I'd have some just because my partner was having some, but now I'd much rather use those calories for something I really love. Burger buns are another pointless thing for me, I'll usually have a bite with the bun on to get the full 'burger experience' as it were, then discard the bun and eat the patty/cheese/salad/bacon on its own. Also, sandwich crusts unless the bread is from an amazing fresh crusty white loaf.

CaffeinatedConfectionist

tincanonastring wrote: »

I cut a ton out when I first started and then I learned how to properly set up a meal plan, incorporate the foods I like into my diet, and gained a proper understanding of moderation. Thanks, MFP!

I feel like it's possible to understand moderation and incorporate foods that you like into your diet and still have foods you don't eat much/at all that you used to eat in the past. Basically I just stopped eating foods that I didn't really enjoy, but still ate just because they were there. Like grocery store cookies. That *kitten* is nasty. But if it was sitting on the counter at work, I'd eat it because... well, I don't know why. But I still incorporate delicious foods that I do like, like beer and cheese and chocolate and whatnot, into my day.

segacs

Agree with this post completely. I've given up eating a whole range of foods that I used to eat without a second thought, simply because they're not worth the calories to me anymore.

I've gone to a "quality vs. quantity" philosophy of eating: If I have fewer calories to spend, I'm damn well gonna make sure that every calorie counts. So I've given up cheap candy in favour of high-cocoa bean-to-bar chocolate; I invest in quality cheeses, handmade pasta, and fresh everything.

xKoalaBearx

Of course I can budget any food into my day now if I wanted to. I'm not trying to say I've "given up" any foods. I can eat whatever I want.

My point was that for me it was enlightening to see that in the end, I really didn't like certain foods as much as I initially thought and even stopped wanting some of them. Seeing calorie values to foods really makes a difference for me.

dubird

I actually haven't given up any foods. I have, however, learned how MUCH of those foods I can eat and I don't eat them as often. But I'll still work them when I want them. And, granted, my diet isn't really the best. I don't eat a lot of veggies and I eat a lot of carbs. I just can't see cutting out everything I like simply because it's higher calorie and going to foods I don't like because they're healthier. For me, if I can't enjoy eating, what's the point?

CaffeinatedConfectionist

dubird wrote: »

I just can't see cutting out everything I like simply because it's higher calorie and going to foods I don't like because they're healthier. For me, if I can't enjoy eating, what's the point?

I don't think anyone in this thread is advocating this...