I need a calorie guru to help me.

VulcanLover

I have been keeping my food diary and with foods I prep at home and brand names, I find it very easy to log calories.

Last night we went out to an Italian Restaurant for our anniversary (17 years!). I had 1792 cals left for the day that I could possibly use. My daily goal is 1520 net cals and I had a good 700 plus calorie burn at the gym earlier in the day. So at the end of the day, I had 1792 cals to use.

Our night out was definitely a splurge night for me but I tried to make better choices than I might have in the past and eat much less.... This is what I ate:

1 garlic round with a spoonful (tablespoon) of bruschetta
Pasta Fagiole Soup (I ate most of the broth, about half of the beans and maybe just 4-5 pieces of the pasta)
Salad with Olive Oil (Lots of varies greens, black olives, sundried tomatoes, one piece of artichoke heart, cucumbers and tomatoes and one block of mozerlla cheese about 1/2 inch square)
Broccoli with Cavatappi in white wine and olive oil (I ate half of my entree)

So when I logged...I logged 1721 cals, keeping me one cal shy of my calorie goal. I do not think that meal exceeded 1700 cals, but am I fooling myself? I trie dto make wiser choices and eat more reasonably. In the past (I was once about 70 pounds heavier than I am now)...I would have gotten a meat lasagna, eaten all the soup, a few garlic rounds, salad and probably an appetizer and eaten it ALL.

Anyway, I am trying to not deprive myself on special occasions, but I want to make sure I am not fooling myself in thinking I did okay.

Help me out. Advice? Estimated cals on what I ate?

wickedcricket

well, even if it did, which is doubtful, so what? just walk an extra 30 mins or anything like that and tomorrow's another day. NONE of us eats perfectly every day- that's ridiculous- EVERYbody has splurge days
You deserve it - just don't make a habit of it LOL

OSC_ESD

You did great ! Even if the calories / intake aren't exact ... you made healthy choices ! A splurge is just that ... splurge to enjoy the night ! I hope you enjoyed your choices. We ALL need to have a special " treat " now and then without the worry of calories or pounds. Just remember to get right back on track and burn a little extra on those days.

surfrgrl1

I'm not a guru, but I allow myself one splurge meal a week, it's taken practice but I've gotten better at making choices that are healthier. It sounds like you made some great choices with your meal, and that's what it is really about. Last week we had company in from England, and we ate at a place where I just had to guess at the calories. In the end, I did a quick add of 10,000 as a joke, and decided that the next day was a new day. Congratulations on making the best of it and doing such a great job!

billtownsend

You might try checking on line at the restaurant site and see if they have a nutrition count on their foods. If you are being consistent at the gym and don't over do too often you will do fine.

venom74799

I say awesome. I have eaten nothing but diet and health foods for the last 5 months and yesterday I broke down with a handful of hot tamales candy. Thinking about me and my 4 piece chicken tender meal for breakfast, five guys double burger for lunch and chipotle dinner from the past I don't think a handful of candy for the week will kill me. A treat somewhere in the week should be included to keep you from getting bored, unhappy, and craving. If it's something like a burger or pizza just use moderation and account for what goes in it. I wouldn't cut calories to balance it, but like wickedcricket suggested just take a good walk or extend a workout for the day with a healthy breakfast.

It's all about working with a plan that is doable and not too restrictive.

girlypop

I have no way to actually count the calories for you because I don't have the exact portions you ate, but it sounded pretty healthy. I don't think it was as many as 1700 calories, but that's just a guess. When I read your description I was thinking it would be about 800-1000 calories, but I don't know how big everything was.... Anyway I agree with everyone who said not to worry about it anyway because it's just one night.

In future, when trying to count calories at a restaurant, I suggest going by how you feel. It's really hard to get accurate estimates because portions sizes and ingredients are all out of your control. You can eye ball the portions sizes but if there's extra oil it will seriously add to the calories of the meal. I mean if you leave a restaurant, after ordering a salad feeling stuffed maybe the bacon bits and croutons and bread you ate before really added up. On the other hand if you ordered a pasta dish and left feeling satisfied but not too full than you probably did fairly well. Hope you had a good night and best of luck in futur