Counting cals feels like punishment

Nerdycurls

It feels like I am being punished for eating healthily and keeping track of every single calorie I eat. I just want to make healthy foods and eat proper portions, but sometimes it seems like an impossible task.

Example-- I wanted to make homemade fresh summer rolls with chicken or fish. I stuff the rolls chock full of veggies (usually 5 different kinds) with a slim strip of chicken or fish. It's frustrating because of the way I prepare the veggies. You can't exactly slice carrots the way you'd slice them for soup (width wise), but the way I cut up the carrots isn't easy to measure. I slice them so they are very thin, but I don't have a grater or anything so they aren't that thin. How do I even go about counting those calories? I know I started with 3 carrots 7-8 inches. After I sliced them up, it yielded 4 cups. I've never done so much math before since I started counting cals a couple years ago! I think I cut them julienne, and they look like the two on the far right of this picture:

http://www.kitchenaudition.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/carrotcomparison11.jpg

I told someone I know that I count cals and he thought I was making it more difficult than it needed to be. He saw it as some form of mathematical diet gymnastics and said "can't you just eat healthy and eat only when you are hungry?" Yeah tried that, didn't work too well.

Don't get me wrong, I am serious about exercise and eating right but sometimes it just gets downright absurd! Do I have to start counting the leaves of spinach in each roll? Whoever says losing weight isn't that hard must only be eating boring beans and rice all the time (tried that, didn't work too well) because eating normal foods makes cal counting difficult!

SherryTeach

Getting all your regular recipes into your recipe database is a bit of a pain at first, but after most of the food you generally eat is in there, it's very easy. Measuring the calories in veggies isn't quite as important as the calories are so low, but I would weigh and enter those ingredients that way. When entering ingredients into a recipe, it is more important to get accurate calories on things like oil, sugars, nuts, beef. . . anything that would really affect the calorie count of the recipe.

fancygiraffe

I use a food scale. I measure liquids in ounces and solid foods in grams (my scale can toggle back and forth) and then log accordingly. It can be a lot of work, but its so worth it to make sure you are accurately staying within your limits.

AmyRhubarb

Yep, food scale - weigh everything that goes into the recipe, enter it all into the recipe generator and put in a number of servings. Saves it all for you and gives you the info you need. Easy peasy.

TitanGM

You don't really have to count every veggie that you eat. Actually I eat much more veggies that I include in the diary here. You are giving attention to the wrong cause. The point is to be accountable. Counting helps to a certain point, but strictly counting every thing you eat belongs to professional athletes. They get paid to perform at the top. You don't. Focus on creating healthy eating habits. Eating veggies is always good, so don't feel obliged to count every bit of them. In fact I'd recommend eating veggies a LOT. The amount of calories they have it's almost not worthy to count because most of raw veggies doesn't contain fats, sugars etc. (of course some veggies like avocado have lots of fats in them to be totally ignored)
Set a daily calorie limit, and divide your meals proportionally. Never overeat a meal, and starve the next one. These basic principles will guide you better than calculations.

sandign

I find the food database on MFP is pretty good. You might want to try using a scale. Numerous ones will allow you to measure in grams and ounces. Make using the database much easier.

No, losing weight isn't easy or fun but well worthwhile. It actually becomes more fun when you start seeing results. I manage to get into the habit of keeping track of everything that goes into my mouth. The scale really helped me see what a serving really is.

Hang in there, you'll make it.

Nerdycurls

This food scale idea sounds like a wise investment! I've never used it before and thought I could just keep using my measuring cups, but now they're driving me nuts.

redwoodkestrel

Weigh everything, then enter the ingredients as a recipe under your "food" tab. Assuming you're divvying up the ingredients fairly evenly, you can just put in how many servings your recipe makes - and it'll give you the total calories as well as the calories for one serving. Then when you log it, just enter how many servings you had. :happy:

iAmErikaP

Ditch the measuring cups and buy a scale. Much more accurate. Do you plan your meals? I'm trying out something new where I pre log my early meals and by dinner I can see what I am working with to add in more "fun" stuff like cookies or desert. or at least that's the plan.

QuietBloom

I srsly read this as 'counting cats'. Derp.

Nerdycurls

Ditch the measuring cups and buy a scale. Much more accurate. Do you plan your meals? I'm trying out something new where I pre log my early meals and by dinner I can see what I am working with to add in more "fun" stuff like cookies or desert. or at least that's the plan.

Yup, I meal plan every week and prelogging worked in the past as well.