OMG!! How many calories....

Mctraill

So I took on board everyone's advice yesterday I planned my food intake and logged it...OMG!!! How many calories is there in whole grain rice 125g I have so much to learn like eating breakfast and not stuffing my self to the gills on an evening and portion control I ended up with 60g of rice and steamed veggies instead with a home made curry. I know it's going to take a while but at least I am on track and learning....now to go through my cupboards and get rid of all tempting things...:)

SkinnyMsFitness

It's all about eating in moderation! You'll get the hang of it...we're all learning! ) Good lucK!

miqisha

Glad you are on the right track!!!! It takes time but you will get there.....Good luck!!!!!

mschelle

That is a great step forward! Portions are a huge problem for (I would say) most people. Reading labels and finding that this small box of something is labeled as serving 4...or this bottle of pop is really 2.5 servings..can be a real eye opener! I was also shocked to see how little difference things like fat free dressings are compared to original versions, because they add other stuff (like sugar!)

arassely

Tell me about it. I still surprised at some of the calories in my favorite foods! But you will get the hang of it! Good Luck!

themanda04

portion control is a huge thing. it was a real eye-opener for me when i started logging and actually seeing what i was consuming. it's cray!

what really helped me in the beginning was measuring out a serving, putting it in a bowl/plate, and then putting everything away. i didn't tell myself i couldn't have more if i wanted it, i just made it more difficult to actually do that.

and i did the exact same thing about going through my cupboards and pantry. i ended up with four grocery bags worth of stuff i wasn't interested in eating anymore for the food bank. i felt like such a good person!

guessrs

I remember my shock when I started counting. I began substituting better choices and cutting portions, felt full as well. Keep going, do your best.

quiltlovinlisa

It's easier once you get use to portion planning and portion sizes. Good for you on making adjustments so your curry with rice fit into your day.

Krista916

It is a huge wake up call when you first start out. Now you know where you need to be and how to get there. Keep plugging along. It gets better.

krystalraven

I remember being really surprised by the amount of calories in things like dried fruit! But you'll get the hang of it! Good luck!

workaholic_nurse

Was just as amazed to find that I was eating almost 8k calories a day...portion control FTW!:drinker:

Salt_Sand_Sun

It takes a little while - a couple months or so and you'll have the hang of it. Congrats on getting started and moving forward in the right direction!!!

MrsFowler1069

Just don't stress over it. You'll be fitting your curry back in in no time. There's room for it.

Let yourself learn, make adjustments as you do, and don't, don't, don't beat yourself up. Just the fact that you learned something new and made a good choice today is reason to feel great about the journey you've started.

shenahenzler

My boss told me about this site. I am very excited to have this tool. Thanks for the pep talk!

Jen8781

The good thing is, you can still have the curry, just substitute the extra rice you would have had for extra veg in the curry, still feel very full but with less than half the calories. This is also sustainable than just rice and veg, that just gets boring!

aakaakaak

So if you're going to do it right, be sure you're weighing and measuring everything or you'll end up overestimating. It happens to the best of us when we have to guess.

poohpoohpeapod

It is amazing how many foods are calorie bombs! And even in small portions. It IS an eye opener

TribeHokie

If you've never paid attention to that kind of stuff before you'll see some real eye openers. Obviously you know things like fried food and cake are calorie dense, but so are nuts, dried fruit, starchy veggies like corn, and avocados! You'll figure it out. You'll also be pleasantly surprised by how much "bad food" you can fit in to your calorie goals. I have pizza, burgers, and alcohol every week and am still losing because I am now having them in a much less absurd amount.

Brige2269

Portion control is the most confusing. You hear it all the time, and some think you just eat less. but less of what? The amount you were eating before? When starting out, it's really important to read the serving size, and serve yourself that size. A can of anything is usually 2 or 3 servings, and most people eat a whole can, (FYI, never eat a can of anything, anymore. Too much sodium.) We love spaghetti, so I changed to whole wheat and organic sauce in a jar. But a serving size of the noodles is 2oz. Once you measure that, it's amazing how much anyone eats of it, or the resturants serve.

Someone mentioned low fat items. Always get the normal version, beacuase, they are right, they add other stuff to it to make it taste good since they took out the fat. Really you are never saving yourself too many fat grams anyway. Hope this helps!! Good luck to you!

Mctraill

Thanks guys it really is an eye opener but I am determined to do this planning meals will be my downfall as I can plan but then when it comes to it I think I don't fancy that and that's when the fish and chips kick in...I know this so I need to be tough with myself...

Thea53186

I have a hard time planning meals too. Just not my personality I guess. And... calories sneak up on ya! Just last night I made a great healthy meal, and then put it together calorie wise and ended up with a much denser calorie count than I was planning. At least it was healthy though.

Don't be tough on yourself Make small changes that actually work for you and before you know it a whole slew of changes will have happened and you will be moving forward at a pace that is EASY. Strict planning doesn't work for me, BUT a general calorie goal really does. With some guidelines on fat count and carb count and so on. Eh... but if I don't make all of it, at least I'm doing better TODAY then I was YESTERDAY.

MamaCatO

What's made it easier for me, is just to double up on my veggies and eat those first, that way by the time I get to the rice, potatoes, pasta, etc, I'm full and don't eat as much of it. Veggies and protein first. It has helped me a lot. Good luck!

themanda04

Thanks guys it really is an eye opener but I am determined to do this planning meals will be my downfall as I can plan but then when it comes to it I think I don't fancy that and that's when the fish and chips kick in...I know this so I need to be tough with myself...

one thing i did a lot when i was first starting out was to pre-log my dinners first, as often as i could. or if i knew we were going out for lunch as a department at work, or there was going to be cake, or whatever...if i logged the 'bad' stuff first, i could see how much i had to play with for the rest of the day and make the best choices i could and make the day work. i have never, ever felt like i'm depriving myself of anything, and i eat whatever i want. maybe not for every single meal, but...:)

mercurysfire

amen to the planning and logging. i pack breakfast and lunch (almost) everyday with snacks for me and hubs. i have staples that i use a lot (lunch meat, cheese, eggs, fruit...) and once you have that down it flies together pretty quick. i try to plan and prepack on the front end as much as possible to save me a lot of time money and calories on the backend. i've been doing this for almost a year now, and i still get it wrong sometimes, but i get it right more often than not. scale, measuring utensils, and a good eyeball. oh and a willingness to work off those extra calories should you goof up. but it's better to look it up and plan for it ahead of time than to try and make up for it later.

VioletNightshade

Yep!! It's a big shock when you measure out your food that first time and go "That's it? Surely that's not going to be enough. Where's the rest of it? ... ... What do you mean that IS the rest of it?"