Ignoring Calories???

There are some healthy foods that I want in my daily diet but I end up avoiding because they are fairly high in calories compared to what I should eat each day (about 1400 cals). Some examples are almonds and yogurt with granola.

Since I'm missing out on some great healthy food because I'm too busy focusing on my calories, I'd like to somewhat ignore my calorie intake and just focus on the food itself. Has anyone else done this and if so did it work?

So basically, you want to stop counting so you can eat "healthy" foods in larger quantities? If you do that and go over your TDEE, you will gain weight. Calories are calories, healthy or not.

And you can fit those foods into your diet, it just comes down to portion control and choices. Be carefule with granola though - it is typically very, very high calorie (per volume/portion) and loaded with sugar (especially if it's store bought).

I feel like you need to do both.
If it's a whole food (i.e. the almonds) then include in moderation.
If it's package food (the yogurt, granola) you can play "the label game" as my husband calls is, where you hunt around comparing products until you find one that best matches your nutritional needs.
For example it took us a while to find a bread that I was happy with for breakfast (favorite breakfast = toast) that contributed to protein and fibre enough to actually make toast a satisfying meal.
I'm sure that there are products that match your needs.
Happy hunting.

That would be the Atkins diet. You could try way limiting your carb intake (talking 20-30g per day), this includes sugar which is straight carbs, and not worry about going over a bit. It's tough to do but that is the diet my husband, son, and I are on and we are all losing. But it's tough limiting the carbs. That means basically no cereal, no granola in your yogurt, little bread (and what bread you do eat would be the low carb bread). Check out www.netrition.com and look at their line of low carb stuff.

That would be the Atkins diet. You could try way limiting your carb intake (talking 20-30g per day), this includes sugar which is straight carbs, and not worry about going over a bit. It's tough to do but that is the diet my husband, son, and I are on and we are all losing. But it's tough limiting the carbs. That means basically no cereal, no granola in your yogurt, little bread (and what bread you do eat would be the low carb bread). Check out www.netrition.com and look at their line of low carb stuff.

She said she wanted to eat granola, Atkins is not the right diet if she wants to eat granola.

Regardless of how healthy the calories you eat are, if you eat more than you burn, you will gain weight. It's that simple.

I eat yogurt, nuts, and granola on almost a daily basis and it fits in to my 1500 calories. I eat them, but I limit my portion sizes. For instance, I put a tablespoon or two of granola into my yogurt, or I eat 15-20 almonds at a time. Whether or not your count your calories, your body will still only burn so many calories, and you will gain weight if you're eating more than your body can burn. I wish it was as easy as just eating healthy foods.

There is a way to work the foods you love into your current calorie intake. I am sure that you will work it out. Like the others have said, it is about portion control.

Try a quarter cup or less of granola sprinkled on top your yogurt.

Try having just 10 to 15 almonds instead of a half a cup.

Try having a half cup of yogurt instead of a whole cup.


Be smart about your choices, enjoy the food you love.

Yes, it's called clean eating. I don't count calories, I aim to eat 5-6 small meals a day (5 on non workout days, 6 on workout days) and I just manage portion sizes. I've lost 5.6 lbs this last week.

I've heard people mention clean eating, but I've never looked at what that really means. I'll have to look into it.

In my opinion, "clean eating" works when there is an emphasis on vegetables and whole foods in general. The foods are either low calorie or very satisfying even in small portions because of their fat/protein/and/or fiber content and rich flavor (such as avocado, nuts, or a nice cut of grassfed stead). Therefore the person ends up eating a fairly low-calorie diet. They may not be counting the calories, but if they were tracked, you'd see that they are not eating a lot of calories as compared to their energy expended.

Most types of yogurt and granola (while obviously not the worst foods by any means) wouldn't fit the bill for me in the above type of diet; they would be more of a treat food in my opinion. Both typically have a fair amount of added sugar.

Just to clarify, I'm not looking to over-indluge or do anything extreme. If I have a day where I eat toast for breakfast, a mid-morning snack of yogurt/granola, lunch of fish/chicken with steamed/grilled veggies, afternoon snack of fruit, dinner of lean meat/veggies I will end up right at or over my calories. That means no nuts instead of fruit, or no milk with breakfast or I go over my calories. I have hit my goal weight, I enjoy working out about 4 times a week, and I don't have any issues with serving sizes or portion control.

Why don't you eat the yogurt with granola AS your breakfast, instead of a snack (that's a normal meal). Eat a peanut butter sandwich for lunch, etc. Substitute the foods you like for others. Then you don't have have to add it on.

That is true, but if you are eating store bought, sugar filled granola, you are not eating clean. Store bought granola is loaded with sugar. You can make your own and control how much you use. Plus, I use honey instead of processed sugar.

For sure! I was just assuming that most people would be eating store bought granola and flavored yogurts. These sound like clean, healthy foods I think, to many people, and they can be if done right, but have a surprising amount of sugar, as much as cookies, in the most store bought versions. For me, honey doesn't affect my weight any differently than white sugar (although I like the taste a little better) - similar amounts of sugar, calories, and carbs.

Oh and I also have a recipe for granola that is to die for...so you can still have granola when eating clean

I'd love that receipe. I've never tried granola but it sounds lovely!

you could just increase your intensity on your work outs.....so you burn more and it opens up more for high density caloric food.

that doesn't always mean you have to work out longer (cause I know time is always an issue for many) but just harder.

Just to clarify, I'm not looking to over-indluge or do anything extreme. If I have a day where I eat toast for breakfast, a mid-morning snack of yogurt/granola, lunch of fish/chicken with steamed/grilled veggies, afternoon snack of fruit, dinner of lean meat/veggies I will end up right at or over my calories. That means no nuts instead of fruit, or no milk with breakfast or I go over my calories. I have hit my goal weight, I enjoy working out about 4 times a week, and I don't have any issues with serving sizes or portion control.

Time to raise your calories then perhaps. Try moving to 1600-1700 cals for a while and see how you feel. 1400 is a bit low for maintenance in my opinion.