Are people REALLY counting calories here?

kavahni

Here's my suggestion to keep it kind of humane: give yourself two weeks. Set a calorie goal that is reasonable, and just simply log every single thing you put in your mouth. For two weeks, don't worry about The relationship between the calories that you want to be eating, and the calories that you actually are eating. Don't be alarmed by the big red numbers that will pop up on the right-hand side of the equation. Just simply use this two weeks to get a visual idea of what you are actually doing. You made it clear that you are aware of that fast food is your downfall. Doesn't matter. Log it. Without any expectations or putting yourself down. Don't look at your log as you go along. Then at the end of two weeks, you can look back at it, And see something. You might even be able to see part of your pattern that you could make even a small change to that will make a measurable change in your outcome.

Right now, you may feel like you are in a race toward summer and shorts and swimsuit season and you don't have time to waste. Doing this won't be wasted time. Blessings

inertiastrength

After time you'll find your staple items + the multi add option makes it so fast. I can log my day or last minute sub in less than 2 minutes... You just need to build a database

newheavensearth

I switched from WW to MFP. Lost over 50 lbs there, then they changed the plan to one where sugary or fatty, even healthy fats, foods got a Points penalty, and proteins got a lower Point value, so the concept of a Point lost its meaning. A point used to equal roughly 40 calories, now it's anyone's guess. Anyway, now when I count calories I can see what my food is doing for me vs. my activity expenditure. I've broken a year long plateau. And I don't need a scanner to figure out nutrition info. All I do is look at the menu or flip over the package. Easy peasy. But logging takes practice, and you will get used to it. I find it pleasant now actually. I used to get so stressed over Points I'd quit before the day was out.

Christine_72

Bry_Lander wrote: »

Lesismore2011 wrote: »

Okay so just now for example i made my son a sandwich and took a bite then gave my daughter some souo and took a bite. How do i log my food when its on the fly like this?

Not trying to be a jerk, but you really hand your son a sandwich with a bite taken out of it?

...And is this the the attitude she gets when she serves it to him

eileen0515

I must have a different definition of hard. Big picture it could not be easier, sigh.

Sp1tfire

Having to eat from the college cafeteria (private college requires a meal plan and living on campus) makes calorie counting hell some days. I can't bring my scale because I eat in a group and I already garner weird looks for tracking what I eat even though I'm just maintaining/muscling. My counts are often off, but I'm lucky that they've had little effect so far. Can't wait to move back home and be able to plan my meals and weigh stuff.

bradmlucas12

You'll get a feel for how many calories you're consuming. Different recipes or things from different restaurants. It all becomes routine. Track for a couple months and you probably won't need to after that if you actually pay attention to what you're eating

megan_elizabeth8

It definitely gets easier with time as you get used to it, so keep it up!
I logged for a long time but don't generally anymore, simply because I've done it long enough to eat intuitively and still have a pretty good idea of how much I'm eating

MaddMaestro

The more you eat similar foods, the quicker it gets to log them. Avoid eating out because those are the most difficult to even attempt to log.

JohnnyPenso

Cortelli wrote: »

Yes. Agree completely. Logging a McDonald's Egg White Delight is way easier than a homemade scramble of egg whites, mushrooms, spinach, green onions, bacon, sour cream and salsa.

But OP - it gets much, much easier. Stick with it a bit and you'll get a lot more efficient and you'll gain a lot more insight into why, and how, you might control your weight. From the first response (Marine MP) to many others -- it gets easier, and you learn things you never even thought about trying to learn.

This also happened to me. I started on Calorie Count and then moved here, but along the way I learned a ton of stuff without even trying. It becomes kind of a game for me, to balance everything out, meet my macros, make sure I get enough vitamins and minerals in there too. Even cooking is that way as well. What can I put in here to up the fat/carb/protein content that will taste good? How much of this can I eat. Can I really eat this huge piece of blueberry cheesecake or a whole homemade pizza and not worry about gaining weight?

I've always enjoyed eating but I can honestly say, I enjoy it now more than ever.

LuMax132

Yes I definitely count my calories. Right now I'm in a bulk and I'm still counting my calories. I go well over my set calories but i try to stay within 4,000-5,000 calories a day.

Counting calories helps and works.

karahm78

Worst case I would just quick-add some calories and move on, not that hard to guess an amount for one bite? Keep it simple. I only do this 1-2 times a month though, if you were to graze too often that can easily sneak up on you.

Raciem

One of the number one things that people who lose a lot of weight (and keep it off) have in common is that they log their food/calories. I'm now committed to logging calories forever because I am tired of yo-yoing. I have always lost weight when I tracked calories, and then I would stop and I gain it back. No more. Tracking calories is my new normal.

Like everyone said, it does get easier as you practice! Also, make sure you set a reasonable calorie goal for yourself. If you are feeling overwhelmed you don't have to change everything about your life at once. If you eat a lot of fast food, start looking at the calories in the food and choose options that fit into your calorie goals -you can just search for the items in the MFP database. Or even try tracking calories before you start trying to lose weight; a lot of dietitians think it is a good idea to keep a two week journal of how you eat pre-diet so that you know what your habits are.

rontafoya

How have I done it? I made it a commitment and priority. It was worth the sacrifices. I gained a lot of self-awareness. You begin to dislike foods that--although tasty--consume half your daily caloric budget and give you little nutrition. And you appreciate foods that taste good, satisfy you, and are relatively low in calories. You won't gain that level of self-awareness any other way.

ericatoday

Once you get into the swing its super easy. Its become almost habit and I'm 45 lbs down right now. So it may seem like a lot but its worth it if you really want it off

janejellyroll

rontafoya wrote: »

How have I done it? I made it a commitment and priority. It was worth the sacrifices. I gained a lot of self-awareness. You begin to dislike foods that--although tasty--consume half your daily caloric budget and give you little nutrition. And you appreciate foods that taste good, satisfy you, and are relatively low in calories. You won't gain that level of self-awareness any other way.

I can't count how many times I've wanted something, checked out the calories, and determined that it just wasn't worth it. I will still make room for my absolute favorite foods, but calorie counting helped teach me that so many things were not worth the calories for me.

sarahpro85

Do not obsess over it, just be as accurate as you can and move on with your day