I feel like goldilocks :)

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Vanessa1977
Vanessa1977 Posts: 101
in Health and Weight Loss
I literally just started this process yesterday and all I am doing this week is tracking what I eat (and how much) it astonishes me what I am eating compared to what suggested portion sizes are.

For instances I made my regular bowl of cheerios this morning and realized I was eating 3x the size of a regular portion and to me it was just my normal breakfast. I had never measured the amount of cereal before, so I poured my bowl like I normall would and then measured how much I had poured, 3 cups of cereal. Then I poured in a seperate bowl the suggested 1 cup portion size and thought that was too small, so I settled in between on two cups. I figure once I adjust to that I will then focusing on decreasing it again.

I am also baffled at all the sodium in the products I eat, I would not have guessed there was sodium in milk ???

I am really approaching this from a completely different angle then I ever have before and I believe this time will make more of a difference. Instead of just trying to lose weight, I am actually learning about what I am eating, how much and what is in it.
For now I am just focusing on the food information, I can't wait until I introduce excersise.

Replies

  • peggy1952
    peggy1952 Posts: 46
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    Good for you Vanessa, becoming aware of portions, I'm sure everyone over estimates them.
    Measure, journal, drink water and water. You will do well.
    Peg
  • forgiven4life
    forgiven4life Posts: 451
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    That's a very good idea about comparing what you used to eat portion wise to what a serving size should be! I would have never thought of that and I bet it really put things into perspective. I bought a food scale several months ago, but hardly ever use it. I need to start! Welcome to this journey and you will find very helpful people on this site. I love it!
  • raindancer
    raindancer Posts: 993 Member
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    Yes, It is a real eye opener. I was shocked when I started measuring my food but it will get better as your body adjusts to the smaller portions. Good luck on your journey:flowerforyou:
  • Holton
    Holton Posts: 1,018
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    I like your approach as I think all of us got an eye opener when we seriously started a new lifestyle. We supersize everything we put on our plates and I know for me at least, that had a whole lot to do with my weight gain. Portion control is still an issue, but certainly more aware of it. I found I was eating well over 3000 calories a day prior to starting MFP and not very active; now I find I can live on under 1500 a day and not be hungry (not that I was actually hungry before either!!! I just like to eat!) because of how I fuel myself. Good luck to you on your journey!
  • DanOhh
    DanOhh Posts: 1,806 Member
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    Take your time. You don't start running a marathon on the first day. You work your way up to it. Weight loss done properly takes time. I did the same by working my way down on serving sizes. I think if you do it all at once it'll make you frustrated and more likely to give up. Good luck to you.
  • mms1735
    mms1735 Posts: 4 Member
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    Isn't it amazing when you start really paying attention to what you are eating you realize so much! Paying attention to portions has been huge for me, and understanding that I can eat the ice cream, it's just about eating a serving- not three! It sounds like you have a good plan...it's a lot easier to take baby steps rather than try to do it all at once. Good luck to you!
  • bjberry
    bjberry Posts: 665 Member
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    You have a really good idea--ease into this and get you body to accept it, one day at a time.

    Have fun in this new world called "Healthy Eating!" :drinker: (water)
  • coffeegirl1998
    coffeegirl1998 Posts: 121 Member
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    I started out similar to you. I just logged my stuff to see where I was and then I started learning a lot about nutrition. I didn't EVER measure my food. Now, I am a scale-a-holic. I weigh every thing in grams. I record out to two decimals in my food diary.
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
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    Yes, great approach to take the portions down gradually. It will get easier and soon, you wont even believe that you could eat 3 cups of cereal for breakfast!
  • PixieGoddess
    PixieGoddess Posts: 1,833 Member
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    It's good to know how much you're eating and try to decrease it bit by bit over time. But also keep in mind that a lot of food companies have wised up that their nutritional values can look a whole lot better just by decreasing the serving that it's listed at. For example, my cereal doesn't even suggest 1 cup, it suggests 3/4 of a cup which is not enough for a meal for me. I usually have 1.5 cups. So don't feel that you *need* to get down to whatever the company lists as a serving, because sometimes it's just a gimmick to get people in the store to see 100 calories per serving and think that it's healthy.
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
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    before I started losing weight, I was eating two large bowls of cereal a day. I could go through a regular box in 2.5 days. One day I realized just how much I was taking in and that I shouldn't eat until I'm full. I started to cut the amount of food I ate in half. I still felt full, but I had to wait to feel it.

    If you still want that feeling when you're immediately done eating, "spoil" your meals. I've noticed if I eat a couple bites of something while I'm preparing the meal, I will get that "full" sensation right after that. This also helps with not eating much during a meal and wanting to go for seconds because you don't feel hungry when you start eating, so you don't feel the need to eat more.

    Also try to use a bowl or plate that will just hold the amount of food you want to eat. It's psychological, if the bowl is full, then you will feel more satisfied when you are done. This also prevents filling a larger bowl more full because you are hungry and there is still room in the bowl. When I eat breakfast, I use a bowl that holds 2 cups of cereal. I noticed when I was using a larger bowl that over time the bowl would slowly become more full each morning I ate.
  • tntrav44
    tntrav44 Posts: 100 Member
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    It's good to know how much you're eating and try to decrease it bit by bit over time. But also keep in mind that a lot of food companies have wised up that their nutritional values can look a whole lot better just by decreasing the serving that it's listed at. For example, my cereal doesn't even suggest 1 cup, it suggests 3/4 of a cup which is not enough for a meal for me. I usually have 1.5 cups. So don't feel that you *need* to get down to whatever the company lists as a serving, because sometimes it's just a gimmick to get people in the store to see 100 calories per serving and think that it's healthy.

    Such a good point!!
  • Panda86
    Panda86 Posts: 873
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    I was the same way. When I started on MFP, I began measuring all my food into the recommended portions. The one that gets me is icecream? Who on earth eats 1/2 cup, really? lol! But I find that it is much easier to eat actual portion sizes by using an old trick- use smaller plate/bowls. Seemed silly at first, but it really works. If I fill up a small plate of food, it looks like a lot compared to the plate, but I am actually eating much less.... so in regard to the cheerios, try putting them in a smaller bowl. And try not to go off of what "looks" like enough. Try one portion size in a small bowl, eat slowly (another old trick), and see how ya feel :) Best of luck to you!
  • janet67
    janet67 Posts: 38
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    This site has taught me to "eat to live". . .not "live to eat." Writing down what I eat and seeing (slow) results adds to my motivation.
    Using the "food look up" (even for some restaurant) items made me aware of how many hidden calories I was eating like butter, mayonaise, and salad dressing. I always congratulated myself when I ate a salad and then realized I had eaten 300 calories in dressing. . .yikes. . .now I read labels!! So good luck with your weight loss challenge.
  • janet67
    janet67 Posts: 38
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    Decreasing the size of the plate/bowl is a great idea! I have found that eating slowly (everyone has to wait on me, of course. . .oh well. . .) and taking about 25 minutes to eat gives my brain time to realize that I am full. If I eat a meal and still feel hungry, I wait 20 minutes and drink a glass of water or sugar free tea and then eat, but usually I don't want food by that time. I also drink 8 ounces of water before each meal. Sometimes what we think of as hunger is really thirst.
  • LainMac
    LainMac Posts: 412 Member
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    I too am shocked by the levels of sodium in things. (Especially "sweet things"). I think I'll be breaking out my breadmaker out of storage soon.
  • flannan
    flannan Posts: 45 Member
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    I started last week too. I've never read labels or thought about portions or knew anything about calories/carbs/etc. I've learned so much in just a week!
    I guess that's why MFP works: it makes people conscious of what they're eating.. A big eye opener for me too!.
    Tonite I specifically chose a smaller bowl than the ones I normally use. i didn't feel deprived, dissatisfied, or still hungry. i feel proud of myself for finally waking up and learningabout this!

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