Calorie shocker!

alexsheena

I now weigh everything. It is the only way.

Yes definitely weigh everything, you'll think you know what a portion looks like but you're probably way off. I was so shocked when what I thought was a portion of porridge was actually more like THREE! Just weighing my food has done so much for me already.

chancock6

Want a real shocker, look at some pasta. There's some macaroni and cheese that's 350 calories per 2 oz. Seriously? And all the liquid calories I used to consume on a daily basis was terrible.

ameryati

A single digestive biscuit not a good food but shocking how bad they are, but like has been said some foods its a balancing act not just about the calorific value, a lot of nuts that are very good for you and have great nutrients are sky high in calories.

I remember my shock when I found that one digestive biscuit contained 73 calories. That's even more than 3 cups of shredded cabbage. Wow!

SoDamnHungry

The calorie servings on about half of the things I buy are incredibly misleading and so small it's a joke.

Like a jar of nuts. Has anyone ever gotten a jar of nuts and counted out X amount of pieces? Peanut butter listing at 2 tablespoon and ridiculous calories.

The way ONE soda screws up your sugar intake for the day.

Oh and because I live in California I get to see the calories when I go out to eat on the menu. Chain restaurants will blow your mind on the calories of one meal.

How are the calorie servings misleading?

achantee

About the eggs, whats even more shocking is that there are 70 calorie and 4.8g of fat (which equals about 44 calories from fat alone) in 1 large egg; however only 15 calories in 1 large egg white and no fat. I always thought that scrambled eggs were a great breakfast. Who knew. And about the cheese, yes full fat cheese isn't the greatest, but 2% (not fat free because of all the added junk) is just as good, and a lot less fat and calories. 70 calories in a slice of American cheese, versus 45 in the 2% American. Even when I'm not "dieting", I still buy 2% cheese because I can't live without my cheese.

Benji49

Juice, pop, ice cream, cheese, French fries and gravy! I've given up pop totally because it was never my favorite thing, French fries have become sweet potato fries baked in the oven and I only use homemade gravy for dipping if I really crave it. I cannot think of single reason why I would EVER give up cheese or ice cream in moderation.

Another thing you have to remember - and there are a lot of really good comments above - is you can still have your junk food sometimes. Make it a treat that you earn every once in a while. But you will probably find that as you change some of your habits and start to eat different foods that maybe you've never tried before you will actually not crave the junk so much. And....you can adapt recipes that you love to eat and turn them into healthier food.

Have fun with it and make it a lifestyle change - NOT a diet.

slimmer1972

For me, it was bread. I love bagels, toast, buns, bread for sandwiches, etc. I realize the high carb intake but caloric, too? :sad:

^^^THIS! I felt my heart break a little when I read the caloric count for whole wheat bread.

Getawayfromthecake

Biscuits... because you never can just have one. Some fox biscuits are 70 cals a pop :O

moonbaby12

Here's another Shocker, Quinoa are crazy high in cal's

but also super high in nutrients...

Exactly, and quinoa is NOT super high in calories. One cup (according to nutrtiondata.com is 222 cals. Not to mention 8 g protein and 5 g fiber. ) I would be more concerned about chocolate or donuts myself!

beepee75

"Skinny" coffee drinks are about as much or more as my morning breakfast. ALSO, flour tortillas, I just learned about that one, superbad!

jchadden42

What really surprised me were restaurant choices I thought were healthy, but they turned out to be extremely high calorie. Salads are the worst!

nminden

MUFFINS ( you may as well be eating cake)

fatfudgery

It's never the calorie count that shocks me. It's the sodium.

What's wrong with sodium?

lordofthebar

I was very surprised to find out just how many calories I was eating when I started using myfitnesspal. Its a big wake up call.


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods

DrunkenFaeGirl

I've always been aware of foods I have at home but it killed me to learn how many calories are in a Chipotle burrito. 1000 cals without sides or a drink! Yeah, I won't be eating there ever again.

mrslcoop

This is a good way to go about it. Just remember though...caloric density has nothing to do with nutrient density. Too many people on MFP and dieters in general cut out very nutritious and healthy foods because of calorie content...it's high calorie, so it must be "bad" mentality. Many foods that you most definitely should be eating because of their nutritional value are also very calorie dense. Conversely, many foods with very low calories have little to no nutritional value.

Also kepe in mind that you need fats...people get all freaked out when they see the fat number and go all low fat/no fat. Fat is an essential nutrient...you need it for heart health and overall organ function. Your brain is largely comprised of fat. Many nutrients are fat soluble, so you need to consume fats in order for your body to absorb these nutrients. Fat also regulates hormones and this is essential to being healthy and to weight loss.

Just seek balance in your diet (noun).

You said exactly what I wanted to say. I also might add I learned the hard way about not eating enough fat thinking that was the healthy way to go when I had my cholesterol tested. My LDL was perfect, but my HDL was abysmal (the good kind). My doctor gave me a nice lecture about eating more fat. Needless to say he didn't have to preach for too long because I love me some (healthy) fatty foods even though they're usually high in calories. I feel full longer and have so much more energy. .

trishnurse

My biggest shocker was the creamer in my morning coffee...I just can't handle it black unless I am eating something like a cinnamon roll...so I now use the sugar free creamers but they are still alot.

fatfudgery

I've always been aware of foods I have at home but it killed me to learn how many calories are in a Chipotle burrito. 1000 cals without sides or a drink! Yeah, I won't be eating there ever again.

On lift days, I sometimes get a salad with double chicken, beans and hot salsa... It's like 600 calories and CRAAAZY high in protein.

Of course, if you load it with rice and guac and cheese and sour cream and stuff, you'll still be in trouble.

CTcutie

The calorie servings on about half of the things I buy are incredibly misleading and so small it's a joke.

Like a jar of nuts. Has anyone ever gotten a jar of nuts and counted out X amount of pieces? Peanut butter listing at 2 tablespoon and ridiculous calories.

The way ONE soda screws up your sugar intake for the day.

Oh and because I live in California I get to see the calories when I go out to eat on the menu. Chain restaurants will blow your mind on the calories of one meal.

How are the calorie servings misleading?

Maybe a situation like this: I have seen things that will say 200 cal per serving (20 grams). Serving size is 3 pieces of whatever... BUT 3 pieces is 43 grams?? (The numbers are fictional in this example.) Which is why I have grown wayyyy too attached to my food scale, btw.

Inc1961

Here's another Shocker, Quinoa are crazy high in cal's

Really? I did not know that! Was planning on that for dinner, now will look it up first!

MacMomma2013

I'm eating celery and had always heard about the negative calories....apparently not!

hadorc01

Calories can be so scary! But just remember, I think someone mentioned it already, that yes, a calorie is a calorie, but where it came from makes all the difference. It's not this simple, but the best way to think about it is, if it comes from a healthier place it's going to burn faster. For example calories that come from Complex Carbs (Veggies and Fruits) are going to "burn faster" because they are more healthy and better for your body, so your body can burn them more efficiently than Simple Carbs (Pasta, Cereal, Bread, etc). So yeah, a large Banana and some almonds are going to be just as many or even more calories than a small candy bar, but you should still choose them over the candy bar. Your body will break it down better and there won't be so much bad stuff to store after.

MrsGriffin67

Here's another Shocker, Quinoa are crazy high in cal's

Quinoa is crazy high in nutrition. You also have to take that into consideration. I like to choose quinoa over rice due to the nutrition is better. You just have to choose wisely what you are going to eat.

TheKaren1

I love crumbled feta. But if you look at the serving SIZE versus what you actually eat, sometimes that makes a difference. I know that my feta cheese container said 1/2 C was a serving. No way I could eat 1/2 C on a salad! I eat about 2 Tbsp on my salad, so that gives me my cheese fix plus reduces the actual calories.

2lottie88

Peanut butter. I was always under the impression that its pretty good for you (and it is if you buy the right kind) so must be low calorie. WRONG.

Having said that, I'd rather get tonnes of cals from something nutrient dense like peanut butter than a fizzy drink which is full of rubbish.

itsfruitcake

Biscuits (or cookies in American English ) - I was pretty shocked to see how many calories they had, and you never just eat one right!?

ajlandon

I was "shocked" the other way around - my caramel macchiatos from Starbucks were only 230 cals for a 16 oz, and have 10 grams of protein (from the milk). I had assumed they were 500-650ish cals. So yeah, I don't drink them every day, but I don't have to adjust much of anything on the days I do.

lallaloolly

beer shocker: my favorite specialty holiday brew, 214 colories per bottle. so sad. so so sad.
juice: also a big shocker for me. i started eating instead of drinking my fruit, and it made a HUGE difference.
bread: i love bread, so i hated accepting the fact that my penchant for dinner rolls added hundreds of calories to a meal... bummer. i've just had to cut a lot of bread out of my diet.

maryann9wood

Cheese, bread, and nuts.

maryann9wood

You can fix Chipotle by getting a bowl and avoiding cheese, sour cream, and guacamole. You won't even miss them!