Calories... Are They Kidding?!!!

sbussert

After being in this eating healthier watching my weight stuff for a whopping 3 weeks I can tell you a couple of things. I've tried this a number if times yet this time I feel I have the right mindset. No fads, no crazy goals, just a simple plan. Eat less, exercise more, lose weight. Like I said, simple...

The most surprising thing I have learned so far is that I had no idea how much I should be eating. The wacky diets that are all over that claim " ignore the calorie count, just take thus pill..." are nuts. If I refuse to to understand how much I Really Neec, I'll never manage my weight.

So, I have religiously post my calories and followed the guidelines and in less than a month I know I was eating
WAY TOO MUCH. it ain't easy kids. but logging these are teaching me to eat smarter. "wow, it's that many? Guess I'll eat 1/2 the serving..."

Three weeks and 8 pounds later, i feel it might be working. Course walking the dogs twice a day helps...

The "sigh" part, I know I'll need to watch this the rest of my life to keep the weight off... I think I'm ok with that.

I'm curious if you all out there were as shocked as I was about how many calories you were consuming?

Thx,
Scott

Kidsrn23

Ya know there were things that I thought were healthy until I found out how many calories were in them. At times 1 meal would be like 1100 calories wow that's my whole day in 1 meal...no wonder America is fat. lol.

wrecktechno

Yeh definitely. Even though I've lost a tonne of weight before and got down to my goal weight and learned the calories in every food, after I put all my weight back on through moving home from London and back in with my parents, I'm now back to being shocked at the calories of things. Goes to show, we should learn this stuff in school. My kids are going to be taught to be SO healthy to avoid the self sabotage and lack of education about nutrition.

I thought I was eating well on Thursday and Friday, then I totalled my calories and I was over my limit and I was like HOW. We don't need so much food.

julesw734

I used to not eat much, cause I am usually not hungry.. I was wondering why I wasn't loosing weight but gaining or maintaining. Finally I figured it out I was either going way beyond my calorie and carb intake or going way below it. Now since I found this site with help from a friend I have maintains my calorie and carb intake and can eat more if I want..It is great..

mandi2r

For me its not that I ate too much, I was just eating small amounts of all the 'really bad for you' foods.

AllTehBeers

Learning and knowledge are the greatest weight loss tool I've found since starting my journey. Most people are just simply ignorant to the things they are eating, especially when eating out. Even the "healthy" alternatives at a lot of restaurants have over half a days worth of calories and ridiculous amounts of sodium.

I'm right with you on knowing this is going to be something I do for the rest of my life but I want to be healthy for the long while and figure out how to enjoy the things I like in moderation instead of indulging constantly.

FitGrandma61

I was just the opposite. I wasn't consuming enough calories, which is just as bad!

delilah47

Congrats on your success this early on. Don't worry. Just be sure to log all your food all the time and it will become second nature. You will get used to it and the "forever" thing won't seem so bad. You will be able to work anything into your daily food plan now, and once you reach your goal it will be easy to eat what you like and still maintain your weight loss. Good luck.. keep up the good work!

Pablosammy

Yup, it's been a learning experience. I was eating too much when I wasn't dieting, and eating too little when I was dieting. This site is an education as well as a weight-loss tool!

elexichoccyeater

I have shocks while counting cals.. eg a oreo milk shake my son kindly brought me as a treat was lovely till I put it in my counter and it was 550 cals!!! Then I went to Costa and had a red berry cooler.. mm I thought it is flavouring and ice... that'll be ok! OH NO 330 cals... No wonder our children are getting bigger and bigger! hidden calories!

Miss_Chanelle

I was completely shocked..... Especially the amount in the meals from my favorite restaurants :noway: Like nachos!

AlabasterJar68

Learning and knowledge are the greatest weight loss tool I've found since starting my journey. Most people are just simply ignorant to the things they are eating, especially when eating out. Even the "healthy" alternatives at a lot of restaurants have over half a days worth of calories and ridiculous amounts of sodium.

I'm right with you on knowing this is going to be something I do for the rest of my life but I want to be healthy for the long while and figure out how to enjoy the things I like in moderation instead of indulging constantly.

^^^This

IHeartNewMe

Absolutely, Scott! It was so easy to deceive myself into thinking I was dieting in the past, but I was in denial about so much, especially about how many calories, carbs and fat grams I was consuming daily. The scale topped out at probably close to 330 lbs. at one time. Food journaling was and remains to be a reality check for me and has been a way of life for me for almost a year and a half, as I've lost 110 lbs. I swore I'd never be on a diet where I had to count every little thing that goes in my mouth. But that's exactly how I've been able to keep on track. I journal every day, good or bad. This is the first weekend I'm taking a little break. But I've been doing this for so long that I will be able to stay in control of my eating. But back to serious business on Monday. I love MFP because it's been such a helpful tool to keep me honest and receive support at the same time.

aehakes

That is exactly how we had been living. I gave my husband a wake up call last night. He was running REALLY late to get home and stopped and got McDonalds on the way home. When I gave him "THE LOOK" he said, I GOT GRILLED CHICKEN, instead of a cheese burger!!! So, I used the food app and found out that the grilled chicken sandwich with a medium sprite and french fry was more than my total daily calorie intake!!! It is CRAZY! He was surprised, thought he was taking a healthy choice.

MtnKat

Portion sizes surprised me too. It's easy to over eat by eating several portions (think spaghetti or a bowl of cereal) in one sitting. Once I started measuring things out, I was surprised at what real portion sizes were lol. No wonder I was eating so many calories in a day!

Most importantly though is the fact that we are all learning how to manage our life. I'm so thankful we have tools like MFP to help us figure out what our body needs.

Good luck to you, Scott :-)

noiinteam

agree.. its a daily struggle

OSC_ESD

" The "sigh" part, I know I'll need to watch this the rest of my life to keep the weight off... I think I'm ok with that. "

The truth is after awhile it becomes your lifestyle and you don't " worry or have to watch " ... it becomes " normal " and eventually you wonder am I eating enough ! Diabolical, right ? I know ... been there, done that !

It truly is the greatest feeling to know that when I fuel my body with healthy nutritious choices ... I am NEVER hungry all day long ... but let me splurge into the " dark zone " and sure enough I am starving two hours later !

Don't get me wrong ... I splurge every now and then, I'm human ... but now a days I make more good choices than bad and I reap the rewards from it !

Nothing feels better than knowing how my choices have played a key role in how well my body functions ... it's like oiling a well oiled machine ... what type of fuel is most efficient and gives the most power !

AllTehBeers

Portion sizes surprised me too. It's easy to over eat by eating several portions (think spaghetti or a bowl of cereal) in one sitting. Once I started measuring things out, I was surprised at what real portion sizes were lol. No wonder I was eating so many calories in a day!

Most importantly though is the fact that we are all learning how to manage our life. I'm so thankful we have tools like MFP to help us figure out what our body needs.

Good luck to you, Scott :-)

This. Now everything comes in large, giant and super size portions. Small sizes usually are still two or three servings.

Allison128

I think a lot of people really want to be healthy and lose weight. today is such a fast paced society. also the "health foods" can be so expensive. another problem is lack of knowledge. Some people don't change their eating habits establishe din highschool.... I wish I could still eat like that. also, food lables sometimes are inaccurate or "sneaky", hard to understand.

A package of Ramen noodles is actually 2 SERVINGS! a serving size is a half a block of noodles. How are you going to break that in half? the broth packet isn't halfed either. its a mis leading package.

Truth is at the end of the day people are tired. They want something Quick. They had a bad day and they just don't care... pizza will make them feel better. Some think its too hard to cook separate "diet" food for themselves and a regular dinner for their spouse.

In my house we try to think ahead. whom ever gets home first makes dinner. We regularly use our beloved crockpot.. dinner is ready when you get home. We have different cook books that helps us change it up or make a healtheir version of something. We don't add salt. We read labels. We try to exercise. We have fun with food though. Also, whats cooked is what we eat... if you don't like it.. don't eat it. We make our own soups, or own chili... we also make in bulk. We love to freeze food. that helps too when we are in a hurry!

MFP did help me realize portion control and how many caloires are in things. People think "More is better" I'm just as happy with a baby icecream cone then shoving a large cone down my throat before it melts.

RedSky1011

Definitely was a shock to me. I think I know a lot about nutrition. But knowing the information, and practicing it on a daily basis apparently were two very different things. I thought I was eating well, and having a hard time understanding why I kept gaining weight.
You've heard of beer goggles? A couple of days of logging data took off my food goggles. :happy:

terri0527

It really can be mind blowing to see how many calories are in different foods, it is no wonder we put on weight so easily. Ignorance IS NOT bliss!!!:grumble:

liveonlocation

I figured it out shortly after I started. I was eating on average 5 -7000 calories a day. Everyday! No wonder I was 460lbs. Now eating 2100 per day and not hungry most days. I used to have lunches that were bigger than my daily calories now.

Perspective is a funny thing.

ronandcathy1

I have eaten way to many calories, but by eating less than I do NOW. I ate all the wrong things. I eat healthier, I make better decisions about what I eat and I have trouble eating 1200 calories a day. I used to come home from work and sit at the computer til betime, Now I Zumba every morning at 5am and usually go for a 3 mile walk every evening. I have way more energy and have trouble sitting still for any length of time. Some of my co-workers are jealous of what I have been able to do. I tell them will power to say no to things that aren't the wisest choices. I do not really restrict myself I just try to make better choices

tyj247

Hang in there! It does get better and easier. As someone who never thought they would survive on the calorie count that MFP put me on, after a while, you learn to love vegetables and fruit (easiest ways to feel full without taking in a ton of calories) and avoid the junk. Also, when you get to the point where you lose all the weight you intended to lose, you can gain some of your calories back. I am currently at my goal weight and sometimes I find it hard to eat all my allotted calories for the day (which is currently 1800, up from 1340 when I losing weight).

The best I can say is, start experimenting with different dishes, do some google searches for healthy alternatives for your favorite foods and make sure you have a good support system of friends and family to help you through the tough times. Good luck and feel free to add me if you need additional MFP friends!

niss63

In the increase of knowledge lies the ability to change.

Some things surprised me, but others, not so much. When I learned that the types of food you eat is information to your body - not just nutrition - that was my epiphany.

maryhegdal

I've been tracking my calories now for several weeks. I've been stuck on 165/166 lbs. I dropped to 163...only to creep back, 1/2lb day to 166. I am just so discouraged. I've been working out HARD for a year and can't drop any weight. Even working w/ a nutritionist at the gym. I've mixed up my work out schedules/routines with no luck. I don't know what to do anymore. I've tried more calories/ less calories, more exercise/less exercise....nothing changes for me.

SoozeE512

The first day I ever logged food on here, these were my numbers:

Remaining -923 -66 -6 -48 -40 -1,296
Calories Fat Sat Fat Carbs Sugar Sodium

I had already started trying to eat healthier before I joined this site and I'd always thought that the lunch I got at the cafe near my office (which I frequented back then) served healthy foods. Generally, they are healthy, but in moderation - and their portion sizes, like any other restaurant or cafe in America, were WAY too big. My lunch alone was 1,216 calories with 3,144mg of sodium.

Needless to say, I stopped buying that lunch and started planning my lunches ahead of time!

Jauryn

I'm curious if you all out there were as shocked as I was about how many calories you were consuming?

Oh hell yeah I was surprised. You never think, or at least I didn't, that all those little snacks through the day can add up the way they do, even if you THINK they're healthy. I'd have a granola bar here, a smoothie there, lunch, dinner and all the snacking between and it just really hit me that I'm eating way more than my activity level allows once I started to record it all.

That's why tracking things has been such a good thing for me I think, really keeps me in line, especially on really inactive days; 1200 doesn't go very far >_< That's why I love IF too, easier to handle my small amount of calories

matthej28

Oh yeah, when I joined MFP and started logging in everything I eat, I realized that before I was probably consuming at least 2500-4000 a day!!!!! I was like, "Well dang no wonder I can't lose weight!" Those calories add up. And it wasn't like I was eating tons of food either. Like the stuff I was eating was high-caloric and I didn't even realize it! It was always 400 calories here, 375 calories there, 200 for nibbling on this thing in the fridge...

Cyndieann

It blew my mind, the # of calories in some of my favorite foods! Especially cheese, which I used to eat several times every day. You get to know what the low foods are and making the best choice gets easier. Plus, once you've logged everything for a while you learn how to include your favorites now and then, and still hit your goals on a weekly basis. I don't eat my daily exercise calories, I save them for the weekend so I can relax when I'm hanging out with my friends.:drinker:

InnerFatGirl

I know, right?