Calorie counting -family meal plan and budget to keep?

emmamc252

So don't get me wrong our family eats pretty healthily, but I want to count calories again to lose the last 12lb without cooking for them and me sitting there with a ready meal (which is what I've done in the past.) partly for financial reasons but also because I have a 2 year old who wants to know why she can't have what she wants when I don't have to eat what I give her. To be fair she has a point, if I'm eating a pasta meal and she's got whatever else why can't she have pasta but I can?
Breakfast and lunch is fine I can log that ok, but dinner episode always home cooked whatever, yes there's veg and we don't eat rubbish but we do have a roast on a Sunday and some type of pasta on a Friday night, neither of which I partook of whilst dieting previosuly.
My goal is to lose 12lb at about 1lb a week, in honesty if it's less than that fine, I'm not overweight or anything so I expect this last bit to come off slow, it's just how to go about it eating regular meals, ie meals intended yes to be healthy but also to give my hubby his 2500kcal a day and dd the 1400 she needs. Do I work out their kcal son, but you know what I mean, eating pasta and potatoes Aswell as veg and fish etc. not low cal stuff.

Fuamami

I can't help you as I was just coming to post this exact question, but I'll at least bump it up in the queue!

mistress8956

I can only say what works for me and my fam, but maybe it will help with meats I weigh out 1 portion (before I cook) for each member so it's easy to divide per person. Pretty much everyone eats the same 'base' dinner the biggest difrence is the sides where my kids might have Mac n cheese/baked beans/ mashed potatoes ect me and my hubby have a salad/ veggies of some kind/ Cauliflower mashed 'potatoes' . This way I'm not making two meals but it keeps everyone happy. Although I'm making more dishes to wash, in not buying more food because of the smaller/proper portion sizes. Since u mentioned you eat pasta instead of just dumping in the whole box measure the portions out and divide by eyeing it. Hope I was helpful!

Kabijots

I cook one meal for my family of five - I just work out the calories for the entire dinner (if it is a one-pot dish) and work out the percentage that I eat, usually about 1/4 (Husband and I have about 1/4 each and the kids share the other 1/2) and then divide the cals accordingly.

ETA : I use the MFP recipe builder to work out the cals for the whole meal!

Otherwise if it is something eg Spaghetti Bolognese or curry and rice or stir fry with noodles, then I work out the bit with the sauce first, as above.

Then for the accompaniment eg. pasta, rice, noodles,roast potatoes etc., then I just put my plate on the scales and press the 'TARE' button which brings it back to zero. Then add the pasta etc. to your plate and just note how much it weighs and log it later. Make sure you used the 'cooked' cals instead of the raw equivalent. Potatoes are heavier raw!

You can make it work and I think it is great for kids to see everyone eat the same healthy meals. Good luck!

mistress8956

Weights are supposed to be taken raw. Weights taken after things are cooked are not accurate

rileysowner

Losing weight is not about eating some special food designed for weight loss. It is that sort of thinking that the diet industry wants to propagate. It is also not about starving yourself. If you use the MyFitnessPal calories, set your goal for 1 pound per week. Also if you do any exercise beyond your daily activity you log it on this site as well and eat those calories on top of your daily calorie allowance since they are not included in your goal, and if you don't eat at least a portion of them you take your calorie deficit from moderate to large or even excessive. Doing that should give you enough calories that you can eat with your family.

I would suggest simply measuring out your portions of from the meal before the meal. Put them on your plate, and eat only that. The others can eat the amount they want, you eat the amount you want. It is exactly for this reason that logging on this site is so useful. If what you are eating is a casserole or some other dish prepared with various ingredients, use the recipe builder in the food section. Enter the ingredients, the number of servings, and when you eat, divide the recipe into servings and have the amount that you have calories left for.

Kabijots

Weights are supposed to be taken raw. Weights taken after things are cooked are not accurate

Indeed you are quite right. Depending on the OP's goals this might be the right thing to do.

I am coming from it from a different and practical point of view to help give ideas how to easily calorie count with children around which is not always easy!

You could boil your rice in a separate pan (weighed in advance of cooking) to the rest of the family for accurate logging or cook food altogether and use cooked weight for a slightly less accurate but a less hassle/washing-up option.

Hope that helps?

Respectfully, Kab

ponycyndi

I try eat most of the same things that I serve the family, which means they are eating healthier. I'll do small modifications as necessary, such as omitting fatty extras like cheese from my serving, out just eating an extra helping of veggies instead of pasta or bread.