Did anyone else notice this?

Courtney_7790
Courtney_7790 Posts: 56
in Food and Nutrition
So it is my first day and ive been maintaining this same weight for a while now so i was told to just write down every little thing i put in my mouth then the next day subtract just to see what im doing! And wow those little things really add up, i know I probably sound really naive but i just didnt really realize how poorly i was eating! This may be easier then i thought...anyone else have the realization??

Replies

  • CharliePellegrino
    CharliePellegrino Posts: 13
    Absolutely! I've been doing this for almost a week now and I'm horrified by what goes into my mouth! I know what I'm eating but never realized the calories or fat or sodium, etc. I was eating. It's no wonder I recently gained 20 lbs in a few weeks! What a true eye opener this site is for me.
  • MoniMoni2u
    MoniMoni2u Posts: 211 Member
    Have I ever. I just realized yesterday how much "tasting" I do while cooking. I cook most meals and had lost track of the times that I taste for seasoning, etc. So, time to be more aware and if I taste it, I log it!
  • preaser
    preaser Posts: 85 Member
    yes and I also have noticed that if I eat a good amount of protein at breakfast and lunch, I can live without snacking and less calories throughout the day.
  • Courtney_7790
    Courtney_7790 Posts: 56
    Thank goodness im not tthe only one! I was cooking breakfast and writing everything down! i ate half the calories in just stuff while i wait! (I say i dont eat much junk but really i just dont sit down and eat junk i just only eat little pieces of junk that i justify with ohhh thats small it doesnt count! It only took me 5 hours to realize it! I think it may be a real eye opener for me hopefully gets my butt in gear...now just to nip those sugar cravings!
  • Tinacasto
    Tinacasto Posts: 2 Member
    :tongue: :tongue: I have also noticed that I eat the wrong foods all the time. I am now trying to replace one bad food with one food food every week. Hopefully in a couple months it will all be good foods.
  • cbsavga
    cbsavga Posts: 11 Member
    Its amazing isn't it, what happens when you record what you eat. There is an expression "You get what you measure". It goes with the expression "You Manage what You Measure". These expressions are so relevant to eating. MFP has really helped me see exactly what I am putting in my body. Lost nearly 20lbs in the first month just by writing it all down and thinking about what I am eating.
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
    oh yeah. I am trying to get my wife to log everythin too. I think she is scared to find out how much she does eat. It made me realize that lists are VERY important. I now even adopted the "list" thing in my business. I now work more efficeintly.
  • SheilaN1976
    SheilaN1976 Posts: 266 Member
    oh yes!!! when i started to keep track of everything i ate and drank i was totally floored at the calorie totals...it was insane! calories add up extremely fast. my issue was portion size...i was WAY over. since starting MFP 4 days ago i am literally measuring everything.
  • mamaomefo
    mamaomefo Posts: 418 Member
    yes and I also have noticed that if I eat a good amount of protein at breakfast and lunch, I can live without snacking and less calories throughout the day.

    So true!!!
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
    This time of year I tend to snack on those Brach's mellowcreme pumpkins.. I could eat a quarter of a bag or half a bag in a couple days. This year is no exception.. however I became aware yesterday that I snacked on an extra 600 CALORIES of them just nibbling a few of them throughout the day. :noway:
    Mindless eating adds up.
  • abigailmariecs
    abigailmariecs Posts: 192 Member
    It does make you aware. I was shocked by how much I was really eating when I first started. Then when I thought I had it under control I stopped logging. Big mistake I went from losing 4-5 lbs a month to less than .5 lbs a month. Durring that time I was measuring everything but not logging it. One thing I have learned, I need to log it period.
  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
    Yes, "If you bite it write it"!

    My digital kitchen scale is an eye opener too. Now I measure everything.
  • Courtney_7790
    Courtney_7790 Posts: 56
    Thanks for all the replies guys!! Im glad that i was told to try this method of one day eating normally then start making changed because I wouldnt have messured and i probably would have kept justifing it in my head and saying why am i not losing weight?!!? haha, A real opener! Im hoping that now that i know and can make those changes i will feel better soon:)
  • Courtney_7790
    Courtney_7790 Posts: 56
    Yes, "If you bite it write it"!

    My digital kitchen scale is an eye opener too. Now I measure everything.


    I bought a kitchen scale today! Now that i can see im at my calorie goal before dinner even rolls around! good thing i am good about my workouts i would have alot more to lose lol
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I was naive too. It's what I love about MFP.

    I wrote a blog about it for Psychology Today:

    http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/thinking-about-kids/201206/achieving-healthy-weight-part-i-thousand-small-decisions
  • Courtney_7790
    Courtney_7790 Posts: 56
    Has anyone tried writing what they are going to eat the day before so your not in the kitchen looking, I think i would be less likely to over eat or eat too much junk if i had a plan? Any results with that?
  • begreenbe
    begreenbe Posts: 102 Member
    Has anyone tried writing what they are going to eat the day before so your not in the kitchen looking, I think i would be less likely to over eat or eat too much junk if i had a plan? Any results with that?

    If I know I'm going out or have a big dinner, I'll log that in the morning so I know how much I can have for breakfast and lunch with out going over.
  • minizebu
    minizebu Posts: 2,716 Member
    If I know I'm going out or have a big dinner, I'll log that in the morning so I know how much I can have for breakfast and lunch with out going over.


    I had the idea to do that just this morning. We are planning pizza for dinner tonight, so after logging my breakfast I went ahead and logged in my estimates for what I will eat for dinner tonight. That was a real eye opener. It has inspired me to fix a chicken pizza instead of pepperoni. Now I know how many calories to aim for at lunch today. Also, I now know that I can't skip working out on a day we have pizza!
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
    Yep - they say that food journaling is one of the most useful tools in weight loss. It just helps you be more aware. I know for me, there are times when I don't eat something because I don't want to see it black & white!
  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
    Has anyone tried writing what they are going to eat the day before so your not in the kitchen looking, I think i would be less likely to over eat or eat too much junk if i had a plan? Any results with that?

    I tend to know what I'm going to eat each day. I prep my food on the weekend and just pull things from the fridge or freezer when I need them. Protiens are cooked and frozen, Vegies are washed and ready to go as soon as they are brought in the house and oatmeal is made and divided into serving sized containers every 4 days or so. This keeps me from having to scramble and try to figure what I should eat. Between this and having a supply of nuts, greek yogurt, fruit and anything else i want, I can throw a meal together in about 5 minutes to take to work or for home.
  • caseythirteen
    caseythirteen Posts: 956 Member
    Has anyone tried writing what they are going to eat the day before so your not in the kitchen looking, I think i would be less likely to over eat or eat too much junk if i had a plan? Any results with that?

    I will occasionally enter dinner around lunch time if I'm getting close on calories and I want to see how dinner is going to stack up. I actually really like doing that so I know what I have to work with. I'd rather go over knowingly than be surprised by it later. Or know that an afternoon snack is no bigge because dinner doesn't add up to as much as I anticipated. Tracking has definitely been an eye opener! It does get tedious but I enjoy the knowledge.

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