do your recipes seem surprisingly low cal?

Cheeky_0102

for instance... I often search out my meal (ie cauliflower curry, or sweet and sour chicken stir fry) and a bunch come up... I guess at the calories in my meal; usually err on the high side, I know mine should not be less than a "lean cuisine" version... but low and behold when I enter it into the recipe builder, ingredient by ingredient, including the oil, not skipping the seasonings or anything, my cooking always comes out so much lower than I expect
Last night I made a sweet and sour stir fry. I figured once I added ketchup and maple syrup to my meal I was in for it when I logged it, but it still was, even with rice AND CASHEWS, under 400 calories for what I consider a good portion - (I cup rice, a quarter of my stir fry)!
is the rest of the world out to lunch with how they cook? WHY ARE THEY TRYING TO POISON ME?! (lol)
I cook from scratch, so I know nothing is sneaking in. I'm also losing weight hand over fist (25 lbs in 50 days! 24 to go), so I know that i'm not really eating more than I mean to.
feel free to creep my diary if you want to see what I'm doing, since i'm very proud of how I feed myself... keep in mind that when you see a packaged food, it's usually a good guess instead of entering my recipe.

TimeForMe99

It's usually not the meals that cause the issue, it's the sweet and salty snacks in between. You've found the secret - cook for yourself and know what's in it. Or order smart. People often complain that Chinese take out is high in calories but it's really not, if you order the right things.

Cheeky_0102

there is no way I could get Chinese and pass up the deep fried candied meat and creasy noodles. It's just in the no-no/cheat zone.

EHisCDN

I had this happen this morning. I made myself some "Greek" scrambled eggs and even with the feta I was surprised it was lower than I expected. It was actually lower calorie than my usual breakfast and I felt so full!
Although on the flip side I was horrified when I saw how much sodium was in the soy sauce I've been adding. From now on I'm buying the low sodium variety!
I've always been a big believer in cooking from scratch and in general I don't like processed food (I have a weakness for KD and hot dogs of all things). I always hated paying for food that I knew I could make better - cheaper and healthier. My problem isn't so much avoiding junk food (I don't eat that much of it) but portion control.

EHisCDN

How did you lose 25lbs in 50 days?!?!

luckyjuls

It's taken me a long time to embrace the idea of cooking all the time but it is a MUCH easier way to know what's going into my body. And measuring everything now, it's also eye-opening to see how dashes of this and that (butter, barbecue sauce, mayo, etc.) really add up calorie-wise. Makes me want to eat out even less LOL.

sussexbythesea

Yes the key is to cook for yourself I can make my own version of meals Diet Chef do for in stance by fat free cooking methods /and dry frying etc. Hardly any salt or sugar used and careful portioning too has turned back tide to type 2 diabetes, cho and triglycerides. Doc is amazed. Keep going and well done though your loss is a bit fast take care

Cheeky_0102

How did you lose 25lbs in 50 days?!?!

My body just doesn't like being fat... until about 170 lbs, it will generally just fall off.
I eat 1300-1500 calories per day (not a lot of processed food) I will only eat back some exercise points if it really counts (like I climbed a mountain, so my body will need it)
I go to yoga a few times / week, and we do a lot of walking
I'm nursing a baby, which rumor has it takes an extra 300-500 calories/day

The real challenge is that I need to start exercising before the baby stops nursing, and I need to figure out how to do all of this when I go back to work in the next few months

Cheeky_0102

but doesn't making a healthy version make you wonder why a tim hortons sandwich IS 400 calories? like what are they doing to cause that... can't they tone it down just a little?!

Cheeky_0102

I would love to run a "cook for you" business where I make premade healthy meals from local natural ingredients... or better yet, where I teach people to make healthy foods. I doubt they would buy it from a chubby girl though... I'll put that on my "things to do when I'm skinny" list like becoming a yoga and fitness trainer to help people for free

sussexbythesea

but doesn't making a healthy version make you wonder why a tim hortons sandwich IS 400 calories? like what are they doing to cause that... can't they tone it down just a little?!

Processed food is full of fat sugar and salt, all cheap ingredients to extend product life and make more money

Cheeky_0102

but doesn't making a healthy version make you wonder why a tim hortons sandwich IS 400 calories? like what are they doing to cause that... can't they tone it down just a little?!

Processed food is full of fat sugar and salt, all cheap ingredients to extend product life and make more money

oh I know, it's just a hypothetical why

I will one day run a company that teaches people to cook from scratch to save money, the environment and their health... I think it would be a hit, like nutrisystem or that other fresh one, but with the lessons on exactly how to make the food too, and where to buy it.