I'm shocked at all the calories I'm consuming.

I recently realized there are TWO serving in a packet of ramen. Holy cow, almost 400 calories for something that never totally satisfies me. Sad.

Two servings.. wow, I'm with you.

I think this whole obesity thing is the responsibility of the food manufacturers in this country. Suddenly portion sizes grew astronomically and they masked the caloric intake of all that food. Hopefully now, folks will be paying more attention to the serving sizes and will adjust accordingly. Wouldn't it be great if they actually adjusted the serving sizes to what satisfies someone and then listed the correct calories... I think the American Diet would change significantly because we would throw all that processed food away!.

As a fellow Paisan, I feel your pain. Don't get discouraged, if you follow along and do some research here, you can retrain yourself. When I started I felt like I didn't know what to eat. Not long thereafter I was seldom hungry even when I went to 1,400 calories. The key for me was to cook healthy stuff in volume for consuming during the week and avoiding prepared foods as much as possible. Salads, vegetables fresh and grilled or roasted, slaws, skinless chicken breasts marinated or coated with seasoning, white fishes, bean dishes, hummus, greek yougurt provide some good options and helped get me there.

Don't forget exercise, in addition to other benefits it provides for more food and more options. Good luck...

I was absolutely shocked at the calories in blue cheese. I always dip my pizza crust in blue cheese. 2 tablespoons is 190 calories. I cannot imagine how many tablespoons I used for that pizza crust. It sickens me. Needless to say I will be making my own blue cheese from now.

It's true that once you start tracking, the calories can really add up. However, a bowl of Kix cereal with 2% milk is not 600 calories. One cup of 2% milk is about 120 and 1 cup of Kix is 130 or so calories. How big is the bowl you are using?

Yup...

I have not had cereal in so long because it is so high in calories. I really miss it. But one serving of any kind of cereal is not going to fill me up. So I had to stop eating it.

Try Vanilla Almond milk. I don't like it for drinking, but in cereal, it is really good and WAY less calories. My kids use it b/c of milk allergies and even like it!

I have not had cereal in so long because it is so high in calories. I really miss it. But one serving of any kind of cereal is not going to fill me up. So I had to stop eating it.

This is me too! I love cereal, but it doesn't keep me full long enough to justify the calories.

But that being said, when my hubby occasionally buys it, I will have a 1/2 a serving as a snack if I have the extra calories at the end of the day.

Still have my PB toast every night as snack though... just not willing to give up my PB!

I found myself in shock at some of the foods that I was eating thinking I was having a healthier choice when it was just as bad as anything else I was eating.

Though I now find it hard to eat as bad as I did before, although some days I am absolutely insatiable and thats when it gets hard.

I eat a pasta dish, salad dish and breakfast + an extra snack or two every day and I just hit my target calorie intake. It's crazy what you can fit in when you figure out what works with your personal tastes. And when making things yourself you realize there are so many way to make what you usually ate so much healthier or lower calorie. It's crazy what options we have these day

I am sure you could determine a really nice weekly menu that is satisfying.

Yeah, it was a shock to me too. I had to cut out a lot of things from my diet and replace it with healthier stuff, but biggest shocker yet, I actually eat more than I did before! One serving of cereal or 2% milk is the value of like, four or five servings of veggies.

It really does get easier. I have been down this road before, only to pretend and 'forget' what I was putting in my mouth. I just quit caring. Oh well, time for counting again! It really does help. One secret I do is plan it as best I can. I go ahead and write down what I know I will be fixing, and try to stick to the plan for that day. I already know how many calories I will consume if I do. I even add a little snack just in case I want one, so I don't go over.

My downfall? Wine! I miss Friday nights with friends and family, drinking several glasses with them. And the pigging out part, because I have a big family and that's 'what we do'...or did. I will have one of these nights, though, after I've dropped two more sizes. I 'think?' I'm about a size 18. I'm allllll tummy, too, as the pic don't lie.

I know. I only joined here yesterday & after my first day i couldn't believe the calories in relatively little food. I couldn't understand why I'm not losing my last 10 pounds but now I see just how many calories I have been having without realising it just by putting a peace of this and a piece of that in my mouth during the course of the day. I don't eat that much but am prone to a piece of cheese like every time i pass the fridge oops
Any way, this site is really good cause it's just made me aware & think before I shove something in my mouth.

Please check the label again. The serving size is 1 1/4 cup. One cup and 1/4 cup. You can check the food database on MFP as well. :flowerforyou:

^^ this regarding Kix!

good luck with your goals!

The really good news for you is once you get the hang of things & make healthier choices you will probably drop weight quickly because you haven't been making the best choices in the past. Try to get away from sugary stuff like the cereal or jam. Opt for a cereal like Kashi Golean which has protein in it or an egg white omelet for breakfast. and the best advice is to really read every lable & take your time at the grocery store making educated choices. Once you know better you'll do better

All the best!

ps - also track every little bit that goes in your mouth!! it adds up.

I joined almost 2 weeks ago and I flipped out when I plugged in the Club Tuna sandwich from Jimmy Johns on the multi-grain bread...like over 900 freakin calories and 45+ grams of fat! I work right over a Jimmy Johns and have been eating that stupid sandwich for damn near 1x or 2x/week for 9 months!! I am disgusted!! I won't step foot in that place now. I just assumed tuna, cucumber, tomato, some cheese can't be that unhealthy. Well duh - it's laden in mayo.

I'm in true love with this app. It's one of the most empowering things I've done in a long time...maybe that sounds pathetic but it's true! I love how I'm more motivated to workout to "earn" more calories. I'm competitive by nature and when the cold hard numbers are there it pains me to see red!

There's days where I was under on my calorie intake and I wasn't even hungry at the end of the day and I'm left wondering if I should eat more so that I don't bonk during my workout the next day?? I've gone over on my calories 3 days so far. My biggest challenge right now is getting my fat and protein intake lower. While I'm often under my calorie and carb goal, I'm ALWAYS over on protein and often on fat...and I'm not sure how to fix that. I have low blood sugar but not diagnosed as hypoglycemia. If I don't eat protein I get sick (weak, etc.). And also, what can I say - I was raised on milk, meat and potatoes. I've been working on portion size, but still going over on the protein. On the bright side I am eating more veggies and fruit (subscribed to one of those food delivery companies that delivers a box of fresh organic fruit and veggies each week and it's really helping).

Thanks to posters for the almond milk idea. I just can't have my oatmeal in the morning without 1% milk. I absolutely hate skim. I'm going to try the almond milk in oatmeal and coffee.

I had no idea until I went here either......

It is truly amazing to me how few calories I really need. The Standard American Diet contains way too many calories! We need to eat more like people in other parts of the world -- many more vegetables, less meat, and greatly reduce the processed foods and junk foods! I have lost 172 pounds since August of 2011, and am stalled out at my current weight (still need to lose at least 40 pounds), because, even on healthy foods, I am still getting too many calories, obviously. They add up so fast!

if you are so worried about what other countries are eating you should go to them ....and eat there....America does NOT need to model itself on other countries. Other countries model themselves after us.