Just out of curiosity...

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noketch
noketch Posts: 11 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Just out of curiosity, I completed a 'sample" day on my log with the things i used to eat before I started tracking and was shocked to see how many calories I was eating. I was like almost 1200 over my daily goal. The funny thing is that had you asked me before I did that, I would have said that I wasn't a heavy eater and had no idea why I was gaining weight. For example, I would eat an english muffin, a banana and orange juice for breakfast. Sounds harmless, but the carton of juice in the cafeteria at work has like 240 calories and a ton of sugar, the english muffin only has 130 calories, but I would add 130 more in butter and jelly, and a banana is about 104 calories. That;s a 600 calorie breakfast. I'd usually skip lunch and end up buying a bag of chips and coke from the vending machine. 300 calories for the chips and 230 for the coke. Really? 530 calories for a snack? Then I never really ate dinner. I'd graze on fruit and juice all night. Maybe some cheese and crackers or a hot dog or something. It REALLY added up. But I never realized it. I would have said, " The only thing I really eat a lot of is fruit. I'm a pretty light eater."

Has anyone else tried a "sample" log to see what theyt had been doing wrong?

Replies

  • CannibalisticVegetarian
    CannibalisticVegetarian Posts: 1,255 Member
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    Oh gosh.. I've never heard of anyone doing that, but it sounds like a neat idea! I already know and expect the worst in this. None of my food choices were ever deceiving... they were just extremely fattening, lol. Still, I'm curious to give this a go one of these days. Thanks for introducing me to the idea!
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Wowsa. Quite the eye opener.
  • Mdin1029
    Mdin1029 Posts: 456 Member
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    Great idea! I think I will plug an ideal day see what happens :)
  • tami101
    tami101 Posts: 617 Member
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    I didn't do a sample, but the first few days after I joined, I ate as I normally would and I was quite surprised! Like you, I thought I really didn't eat that much and I figured I must have a really slow metabolism or something because I could't figure out why I had gained so much weight. I learned real quick! This is why I love MFP! I will never eat anything again without me thinking about wether how many calories it is and wether or not I want to spend that many calories on it.
  • speediejane
    speediejane Posts: 496 Member
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    BUMP
  • nextrightthing
    nextrightthing Posts: 408 Member
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    I absolutely know what you mean. Now that I count calories most days I am so much more conscious. It is so easy to over eat calories even if the food items are healthy.
  • naomi8888
    naomi8888 Posts: 519 Member
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    I think a lot of overweight people underestimate how much they eat, hence being overweight. Good on you for being honest with yourself :smile:

    Edit to add - you don't look overweight from your profile pic though
  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
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    I did this awhile ago. This was my typical day in high school, when I was at my heaviest.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/Rilke?date=2011-11-01
  • leodru
    leodru Posts: 321 Member
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    I've done a similar thing where i put in "meal plans" from diet books. They all have a claim to help you lose weight but whether its weight watchers, Herbal Magic, Slim belly diet etc i find it always comes out in the parameters of what i have allocated for me (around 1800 calories a day to lose - male, active and mid-forties). No magic formulas. That being said i will say the lower fat diets that tend to be heavier on the protein size (macros) tend to take weight off faster. Maybe thats why the evil Atkins works as well!

    Everything aside one thing i am rather proud of is my daugthers (they are 12 and 15). I heard my 12 year old daughter say a while ago "I dont drink my calories". I think its important for them to understand the effects of juice or sodas in their diet. I keep a tonne of fruit and veg in the house and everyone always comments on how well they eat. At least I can educate them on good eating habits. I dont let them diet and i dont let them track - they are too young to be at that - i teach them to eat well and make the variety that they choose from be foods they want (like strawberries, blackberries, melons etc).

    Good post!
  • stopdropandlose
    stopdropandlose Posts: 162 Member
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    Yes! I've done a few sample logs. When I first started out I found that I was either going way over 1440 or way under. After I made a few sample logs of ideas for days so I can stay around my target calorie intake.
  • noketch
    noketch Posts: 11 Member
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    To: Naomi888

    Thanks! I just took that picture Saturday night. If I had a picture from before I started again a couple of weeks ago, my face was fuller. It was actiually a picture I took on vacation a couple of weeks ago that made me see how heavy I was getting.
  • noketch
    noketch Posts: 11 Member
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    To Rike:

    Mine was similarly illuminating. Your breakfast was a lot like mine.
  • krisiepoo
    krisiepoo Posts: 710 Member
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    Yes... I started logging before I started counting calories just so I could get in the habit of logging, then get in the habit of eating better and not overhauling my whole life at once.

    It's disgusting and amazing, but was very obvious why I'm so obese.
  • noketch
    noketch Posts: 11 Member
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    ldruken, that is great what you are doing with your kids. Preventing a problem is so much better than trying to fix it later! Good eating habits will always serve them well.

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