Please explain: HOW do you make it fit your calories?
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I hear you. I live by myself and very few things end up being single serving.
My biggest problem is fruit and veg because they just don't keep very long, and many can't be frozen. So, I buy the minimum amounts, and only what I think I'll use in the next couple of days. (Violated that rule today. There were fresh figs. Love them.) Fridge dairy products are my second biggest issue because I don't go through them fast enough. Same rule.
Fortunately, there are plenty of things that can be used a bit at a time without much worry about storage other than space. (nut butters, ice cream, etc)
Things I can't use like that get portioned out (single portions), sealed in an air-tight vessel (bag or container) and put in the pantry/fridge/freezer as appropriate. I do that with all dinner recipes I make that can be frozen - which is just about all of them these days. Also works with breads, cakes, muffins, most unassembled pastries, frosting, cookies, etc.
If it can't be frozen, I make the minimum amount (cut the recipe down to 1 or 2 servings). If there's leftover, and I like whatever it is, I eat some every day until it's gone. If I don't like it, it gets tossed. I don't like wasting food, but there are limits.0 -
Thank you for your thoughts, to most of you who were kind enough to be helpful. Pretty much now I don't eat most of that stuff at all, especially at home, because I haven't figured out how to make it fit into my 1700 and maintain the level of nutrition I desire. I don't have a lot of wiggle room to eat a few hundred "empty" calories every day for a week to use up something that I want only a taste of one day. I can't eat 1200 one day so I can splurge on 500 extra calories the next. By "can't" I mean my body does not respond well to large swings in calories, lots of sugar or junk at once, etc. It's just not worth it to go there for me. You can agree or disagree with this approach, but I'm not here to argue or discuss that. It's one of my "givens".
I've never really cared for frozen baked goods because they seem to dry out, especially if reheating something like cinnamon rolls (and do you freeze the frosting separately, how do to that for one roll? If you frost it before you freeze it and wrap tightly to keep it fresh, what a mess when it thaws!) But I could try again.
A few asked what we did "before". Yes, two of us could eat a pan of brownies in a few days, a bag of chips and dip in one evening, maybe two. After a few days they get stale, IMO. The same thing with bread. It's never as good as the first day!
Of course, all of this is in addition to the mental/psychological aspect of not eating the food when you know it's in the house, but that's a different issue and not what I'm asking about. I think I'm at the point where I can handle that aspect a bit better than initially, which is why I'm asking about the practical side of the question.
And to those who think this is not a valid or serious question, please stay away.
You may have to try different ways of freezing things. I would put the frosted cinnamon rolls in a flat tupperware type container with a lid and pull out one at a time, put it on a plate, and in half an hour it's usually thawed out. I wouldn't try to heat it. You could divide one with your husband for a treat if you're both watching calories. I slice homemade or bakery bread and freeze it. I break off the slices I need at the time, put on a plate, fanned out (not one on top of another) and in half an hour they are as good as fresh.
I know you've been successful losing weight and I'm sure you can figure out how to eat a few treats now and again. The ideas given are good, but you have to see what works best for you. Good luck.0 -
I use a combination of the things that have been mentioned here. I'll freeze what can be frozen, buy single servings of what can be bought as a single serving or walk out to the store or restaurant for other things. When I do bake at home, I do what I can to make the recipe healthier such as using applesauce, less sugar, whole wheat flour etc. And then what I don't have I bring in to school or work and make everyone else eat it.
And sometimes I don't and I eat all the cake. If we're being honest here. Just now that's a once a year thing whereas it was once a weekend thing. Or you know, Tuesday.0 -
Lots of people say you can eat any food you want as long as it fits within your calorie goal. I understand the concept but How, in reality, do you do this? Please be specific. For example:
Potato chips & dip. If you eat 10 chips and a spoonful of dip, do you throw out the rest?
A package of cinnamon rolls. You have one or split one, do you let the rest go to waste? Even if I planned one per day, which I don't necessarily want to do, they would go stale first.
A glass of wine at home-do you keep the unused portion of the bottle on hand for weeks or months, then throw it out when it gets too old?
A cake or pie-you have one small piece that you want, then throw out the rest?
A loaf of homemade bread, you have one or two slices then the rest goes stale?
There are only two of us & we're both watching what and how much we eat, so its not like I would just nibble off a stash that someone else will eat up.
Helpful suggestions only, please. No sarcasm and no attacks. Thx.
Specifics:
Take out as much dip as I intend to eat. Seal and refrigerate the rest. Take out the chips I intend to eat. Seal the bag and store the rest.
Already made cinnamon rolls can be kept in the fridge and reheated in the oven for a couple of days. I'd do that if I wanted more. Unmade rolls can be frozen. I'd freeze all but what I intended to eat, and bake just those.
Wine won't keep that long, even with the wine-saver stoppers. You can get away with a day or two. If I have excess wine, it either gets tossed or I find a recipe that'll use it.
Cakes can be frozen. Even many fully assembled cakes can be frozen.
Most pies can be assembled and frozen before baking. If I'm making pie for two, I make hand pies or mini pies because baked pies don't keep very well. Then I can make to order. Baked pie lasts close to a week in the fridge if you don't mind soggy crust - I eat pie for the filling, so that's no problem for me.
Homemade bread keeps nicely for a week-ish if properly stored at room temperature. Takes me longer to eat a loaf, so I stretch that by either keeping it in the fridge or if it's a big loaf I portion it and freeze the portions.0 -
Thank you for your thoughts, to most of you who were kind enough to be helpful. Pretty much now I don't eat most of that stuff at all, especially at home, because I haven't figured out how to make it fit into my 1700 and maintain the level of nutrition I desire. I don't have a lot of wiggle room to eat a few hundred "empty" calories every day for a week to use up something that I want only a taste of one day. I can't eat 1200 one day so I can splurge on 500 extra calories the next. By "can't" I mean my body does not respond well to large swings in calories, lots of sugar or junk at once, etc. It's just not worth it to go there for me. You can agree or disagree with this approach, but I'm not here to argue or discuss that. It's one of my "givens".
I've never really cared for frozen baked goods because they seem to dry out, especially if reheating something like cinnamon rolls (and do you freeze the frosting separately, how do to that for one roll? If you frost it before you freeze it and wrap tightly to keep it fresh, what a mess when it thaws!) But I could try again.
A few asked what we did "before". Yes, two of us could eat a pan of brownies in a few days, a bag of chips and dip in one evening, maybe two. After a few days they get stale, IMO. The same thing with bread. It's never as good as the first day!
Of course, all of this is in addition to the mental/psychological aspect of not eating the food when you know it's in the house, but that's a different issue and not what I'm asking about. I think I'm at the point where I can handle that aspect a bit better than initially, which is why I'm asking about the practical side of the question.
And to those who think this is not a valid or serious question, please stay away.
I agree with you about baked goods not freezing well... I mean, it's still decent, but it's not the same (although pastries definitely don't taste the same IMO). And frosting/icing definitely doesn't thaw very well in my experience. I use freezer containers for that stuff though and it seems to limit the mess.
Bread is fine though. You can cut it in slices and freeze it and leave it in a plastic bag overnight and it's totally fine the next day. And yeah I don't like it that much after 3/4 days either (but for some reason my homemade bread seems to last longer than the grocery store crap with tons of preservatives)... it just usually doesn't last that long here (it did once and I made bread pudding, which did freeze well though!). But for two people, I'd just bake two loaves, cut them in slices, and freeze 90% of it... but I don't eat bread that much overall anymore because it's just not filling for the calories (sadly).
And yeah, 200 calories of treats is pushing it for me already on 1800, so it would be tough on 1700 calories. So I tend to stick to lower calorie ice cream, cookies (a package lasts a long time, I just put it in ziploc bags once it's open), or chocolate. I save the higher calorie stuff for those days when I'm not very hungry anyway and have calories to spare (which is a couple days a month really) or for special occasions - and then I go to the bakery and get a single serving.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Thank you for your thoughts, to most of you who were kind enough to be helpful. Pretty much now I don't eat most of that stuff at all, especially at home, because I haven't figured out how to make it fit into my 1700 and maintain the level of nutrition I desire. I don't have a lot of wiggle room to eat a few hundred "empty" calories every day for a week to use up something that I want only a taste of one day. I can't eat 1200 one day so I can splurge on 500 extra calories the next. By "can't" I mean my body does not respond well to large swings in calories, lots of sugar or junk at once, etc. It's just not worth it to go there for me. You can agree or disagree with this approach, but I'm not here to argue or discuss that. It's one of my "givens".
I've never really cared for frozen baked goods because they seem to dry out, especially if reheating something like cinnamon rolls (and do you freeze the frosting separately, how do to that for one roll? If you frost it before you freeze it and wrap tightly to keep it fresh, what a mess when it thaws!) But I could try again.
A few asked what we did "before". Yes, two of us could eat a pan of brownies in a few days, a bag of chips and dip in one evening, maybe two. After a few days they get stale, IMO. The same thing with bread. It's never as good as the first day!
Of course, all of this is in addition to the mental/psychological aspect of not eating the food when you know it's in the house, but that's a different issue and not what I'm asking about. I think I'm at the point where I can handle that aspect a bit better than initially, which is why I'm asking about the practical side of the question.
And to those who think this is not a valid or serious question, please stay away.
In my experience, frosting freezes and thaws very well. I'll typically cut the cake (or whatever I'm freezing) into individually servings, wrap with foil, and then pop them into the freezer. I will pull them out the day I want to eat them . . . I never notice any issues with drying out.
Me either.
OP, If it's something you're reheating rather than just thawing, try doing it with a lower temp and adding a pan of water on the lower rack to provide some humidity in the oven.0 -
The only real calories from liquid in my diet are from shakes, and milk.I usually have a shake in the morning. (190 calories 30 protien.)
I don't drink coffee at all and alcohol is maybe consumed two times a year. I've never cared for alcohol that much.
Since everything else is packageable, it's pretty easy to weigh an object and keep some for later.
I worry about protien the most, as long I get 110+ depending on calories and activity levels, the rest are fillers of "healthy" foods that make the counting consistent. It's hard for me to be consistent when I don't have a clue what I am going to eat. So with that, I eat pretty much the sames things all the time every week. Lots of chicken, humburger, oatmeal, fruits and vegs to name a few.
Like others, I then won't eat lunch if I go out to save at least 1000 calories, as most meals out of the house are very dense in calories! I do go out once a week and love it! Especially in the summer months.
I save left overs and weight them for the next day. I do estimate(usually overestimate) left overs from places that I dine at too. I also don't judge food as morning, lunch, dinner. I look at it as fuel, quality and nutritional value more than anything. There is always some tupperware in the fridge with something to eat. Grab the scale weigh it in grams and use the MFP database, it's pretty easy.
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Like everyone here... Saving calories, freezing, sharing, cardio, portioning. I still have birthday donuts from February in my freezer0
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I have had box wine in the refrigerator for much longer than 4 weeks and it is still good. I toured a winery several years ago (more than 25) and at that time I was told that box wine will stay fresh for 6 months, even after opening. As I am the only one who drinks wine, and that very occasionally, I will either by a box or I will buy the small bottles that come in a four pack. There have been many other suggestions above on how to plan ahead.0
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Better wasted than on my waist!
I am also willing to spend more for the single serving size.
If I can't afford to indulge in a healthy way, then I really can't afford to indulge.0 -
Lots of people say you can eat any food you want as long as it fits within your calorie goal. I understand the concept but How, in reality, do you do this? Please be specific. For example:
Potato chips & dip. If you eat 10 chips and a spoonful of dip, do you throw out the rest?
A package of cinnamon rolls. You have one or split one, do you let the rest go to waste? Even if I planned one per day, which I don't necessarily want to do, they would go stale first.
A glass of wine at home-do you keep the unused portion of the bottle on hand for weeks or months, then throw it out when it gets too old?
A cake or pie-you have one small piece that you want, then throw out the rest?
A loaf of homemade bread, you have one or two slices then the rest goes stale?
There are only two of us & we're both watching what and how much we eat, so its not like I would just nibble off a stash that someone else will eat up.
Helpful suggestions only, please. No sarcasm and no attacks. Thx.
I have a freezer that works great for breads, cakes/pies and such, soups, stews, ... In fact, sliced bread keeps better frozen than refrigerated anyway (refrigerator storage stales breads). Potatoes don't freeze well, but beans do.
Wine - if both you have a glass of wine do you really plan to budget another one weeks or months out? You'll get approximately six servings per bottle using a 4-ounce wine glass or five servings using a 5-ounce glass. Or you can find what we used to call small airline bottles - not always upscale but they work.
You can find 100 calorie packs of chips and such these days. Dips - a couple of Tablespoons of light sour cream with seasoning is controllable and tasty.
It Is stressful - and it's all manageable. And a freezer can be your best friend.0 -
Sweets1954 wrote: »I have had box wine in the refrigerator for much longer than 4 weeks and it is still good. I toured a winery several years ago (more than 25) and at that time I was told that box wine will stay fresh for 6 months, even after opening. As I am the only one who drinks wine, and that very occasionally, I will either by a box or I will buy the small bottles that come in a four pack. There have been many other suggestions above on how to plan ahead.
Boxed wine is actually wine in a bag. What makes wine go bad is mainly oxidation from the air that replaces the wine volume in the bottle. In the bag, the bag contracts as the wine comes out, no air, no oxidation. That is different if it is a tetra pack, then the oxidation issue remains.0 -
Thank you for your thoughts, to most of you who were kind enough to be helpful. Pretty much now I don't eat most of that stuff at all, especially at home, because I haven't figured out how to make it fit into my 1700 and maintain the level of nutrition I desire. I don't have a lot of wiggle room to eat a few hundred "empty" calories every day for a week to use up something that I want only a taste of one day. I can't eat 1200 one day so I can splurge on 500 extra calories the next. By "can't" I mean my body does not respond well to large swings in calories, lots of sugar or junk at once, etc. It's just not worth it to go there for me. You can agree or disagree with this approach, but I'm not here to argue or discuss that. It's one of my "givens".
I've never really cared for frozen baked goods because they seem to dry out, especially if reheating something like cinnamon rolls (and do you freeze the frosting separately, how do to that for one roll? If you frost it before you freeze it and wrap tightly to keep it fresh, what a mess when it thaws!) But I could try again.
A few asked what we did "before". Yes, two of us could eat a pan of brownies in a few days, a bag of chips and dip in one evening, maybe two. After a few days they get stale, IMO. The same thing with bread. It's never as good as the first day!
Of course, all of this is in addition to the mental/psychological aspect of not eating the food when you know it's in the house, but that's a different issue and not what I'm asking about. I think I'm at the point where I can handle that aspect a bit better than initially, which is why I'm asking about the practical side of the question.
And to those who think this is not a valid or serious question, please stay away.
I want to elaborate on freezing baked goods. Freeze it right away. Don't wait for a few days until it's borderline stale to freeze it. This makes a big difference.
I would be too lazy to freeze the frosting separately. Put the frosted cinnamon rolls on a cookie sheet and do not cover it. Put it in the freezer. Check on it the next morning - that frosting should be frozen solid and you can then put the rolls in a ziplock freezer bag without a mess. Leaving something in the freezer overnight without a cover shouldn't cause freezer flavor unless you need to clean the freezer.
For the cinnamon rolls I recommend pulling them them out the day before and leaving them on the counter to thaw. To reheat a product that tends to go stale, put a damp paper towel on a plate under the rolls and microwave for 5-10 seconds. My favorite rolls go stale really quickly and they are just as good as fresh baked when I do that.
Lastly, if you're going to store things in the freezer and don't have an airtight storage container then I swear by the freezer ziplocks. They retain moisture and prevent flavor clash really well. Sandwich bags or plastic wrap cause my food to dry out and it's no good.0 -
enterdanger wrote: »LOL @dearestwinter...My favorite on that list has to be "Bites of Crap" I'm hiding at my desk at work still giggling over that one.
And now we know that crap is only 20 calories a bite!
amusedmonkey wrote: »DearestWinter wrote: »heatherwartanyan wrote: »I don't eat that kind of crap. Sorry. I get my calories from nutrient dense foods. I eat healthy fats. And get full fast. Besides your body better uses whole food calories for energy then things that are overly processed that can get turned to sugar and fat.
I don't think anybody here on MFP eats crap.
I didn't think they did either but the food database says otherwise.
Wait, so if imitation food is considered crap, what do we consider imitation crap?
...plastic?
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there weere 25 cent bags of chips last time I went shopping.0
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Potato chips & dip. If you eat 10 chips and a spoonful of dip, do you throw out the rest?
Usually if want chips I buy a single serving size bag. But if I get a big bag I weigh out the portion I want to eat and save the rest for another day. Usually I want more than one portion. I decide how many calories I want to "spend" on the snack and weigh out what fits. Personally I almost never have dip but I do have salsa which is low in calories and can be used in other recipes.
A package of cinnamon rolls. You have one or split one, do you let the rest go to waste? Even if I planned one per day, which I don't necessarily want to do, they would go stale first.
I don't buy these but if I did I would eat what I want and freeze the rest in single serving portions. Baked good freeze very well.
A glass of wine at home-do you keep the unused portion of the bottle on hand for weeks or months, then throw it out when it gets too old?
One bottle of wine has been known to last a couple of months in my refrigerator. If it should actually go bad I dump it. Usually I get the smaller bottles. Also hard liquor has a much longer shelf life.
A cake or pie-you have one small piece that you want, then throw out the rest? Freeze what I am not going to eat right away. Mostly I just have a serving every day until it is gone.
A loaf of homemade bread, you have one or two slices then the rest goes stale? I buy bread from a local bakery once or twice a month. Either I buy a small loaf and incorporate it into most of my meals for the week or I freeze what I am not going to eat in a couple of days.
Having a chest freezer or other large dedicated freezer space is a great way to save a lot of money on food. You can buy in bulk and freeze in individual meal portions. You can batch cook and freeze meal portions, you can take advantage of great sales and farmers markets....
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i NEVER throw away chips. thats just wrong. ha. I eat my amount of whatever it is and put it away. Or my husbands eats the rest. Wine lasts a good amount of time in the fridge after opening. We will drink the whole bottle in a day or two anyway. no need to throw away uneaten food because u cant eat the entire thing in one sitting. thats crazy.0
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »vikinglander wrote: »My recommendation is if you know anyone who opens a bottle of wine has any left over, un-friend them immediately...
I'm sure you mean well, but making mocking jokes about moderation in drinking supports the idea that it's OK to use peer-pressure and social bullying to get people to drink more than they should or more than they want. Yes, people are responsible for their own behavior, but that shouldn't be an excuse for bullying and peer pressure.
Lynn, I only meant to be funny. BTW, did you read my second post? I'm not here to be mean or bully anybody. All the best...0 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »vikinglander wrote: »My recommendation is if you know anyone who opens a bottle of wine has any left over, un-friend them immediately...
I'm sure you mean well, but making mocking jokes about moderation in drinking supports the idea that it's OK to use peer-pressure and social bullying to get people to drink more than they should or more than they want. Yes, people are responsible for their own behavior, but that shouldn't be an excuse for bullying and peer pressure.
Lynn, you are taking a light comment far to seriously. This was not social bullying. Perhaps you are simply reading more into this because of bullying you have experienced.0 -
Put them in a sealed container and they should keep for a few weeks at the very least.Potato chips & dip. If you eat 10 chips and a spoonful of dip, do you throw out the rest?
You mean the ones you bake, or prepackaged, ready to eat? Baked goods can be frozen and then unthawed and still taste great. Packaged goods usually stay good for a few weeks at least.A package of cinnamon rolls. You have one or split one, do you let the rest go to waste? Even if I planned one per day, which I don't necessarily want to do, they would go stale first.
Cut them into small portions and freeze them. Move a piece to the fridge a day before you plan to eat it.A cake or pie-you have one small piece that you want, then throw out the rest?
A loaf of homemade bread, you have one or two slices then the rest goes stale?
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