Pizza

jamesrreed
jamesrreed Posts: 97 Member
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
Besides Mountain Dew and sweets in general, pepperoni pizza is far and away my favorite food.

The calorie count is bad but lower than I actually expected. Since starting MFP two weeks ago I have had one piece of pizza one time for lunch and then fell off the wagon one night and ate half of a Tombstone pizza at 11p. Besides that I have cut my pizza consumption from 4-6 times per week to 1.

Is it a mistake to eat a couple of pieces of pizza? 2 pieces or a fourth of a pizza is far better than what I used to eat in one sitting (most or all of a whole pizza).

I assume that the time of day you eat bad foods probably matters also. Obviously 11p was bad regardless of what I ate the other night. Is it accurate to assume that if you are going to eat pizza it is perhaps better to do so for lunch rather than dinner so that you have more time to burn off the calories before going to bed.

What is happening with me is I start with 1,750 calories, accrue another 1,500 during the day for exercise and wind up sitting on as much as 2,000 calories "left" at night. About one out of every three nights I wind up using that number as justification to eat some late night snacks.

Replies

  • Soon2Bfitmamaof3
    Soon2Bfitmamaof3 Posts: 1,911 Member
    I still eat pizza, I order the thin crust kind an eat 2 or 3 of the small squares with a large plate of salad first. I think all things are ok in moderation and just try to fit them into your calorie limits
  • jamesrreed
    jamesrreed Posts: 97 Member
    Fortunately my favorite pizza is Domino's thin crust so that helps. I assume most of the calories and fat are in the crust and cheese. Right?
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
    You could always make your own pizza. Buy a crust (or just a frozen pizza) and then you can top it with lower-fat cheese, and turkey pepperoni. I like mine with extra sauce and tons of veggies. It might take some getting used to but after a while you might prefer your 'healthier' version :-)
  • krislew
    krislew Posts: 46 Member
    One trick I found is that switching from pepperoni to ham save alot of calories. Just add some crushed red pepper and you got some spice. Is it the same? no. But it's a pretty good substitution. I also order from Dominos and I find eating a 1/2 of a personal sized pizza is more than filling and not that bad!!

    I eat pizza probably once a week.

    ETA: according to Dominos website.....

    1 slice of small thin crust pizza with pepperon...240 calories
    1 slice of small thin crust pizza with ham...215 calories.

    I have also taken to making my own English muffin pizzas..with 100 calories muffins and turkey pepperoni.
  • girlruns
    girlruns Posts: 344
    I LOVE pizza. As much as I love my fruits and veggies and healthy meats, pizza is my weakness. I made a sausage/pepperoni pizza from Palermo's last night and ate 1/2 of it. 640 calories, but I had just burned 782 from a 7 mile run. If I needed to justify it--protein, sodium, and carbs after a long run in the heat is a good thing, cheese is good for the calcium, AND I still was under my calorie goal by almost 200. (Plus I had a huge salad for lunch, fruit and yogurts for snacks)

    No pizza will never be a healthy choice, and it is smart of you to cut back (4-6 times a week is putting a lot of fat and sodium into your system) however, if it is your favorite, you need to keep it around so you stick with the lifestyle change!
  • Mirabilis
    Mirabilis Posts: 312 Member
    I do thin crust too -- fewer carbs.

    Think about what's in it -- bread, some veggies (tomatoes, onions, green peppers usually), some cured meat (sometimes) and not all that much of it because it's expensive for the restaurant, and a bunch of cheese. That's a lot of fat of course, but you have perhaps more daily calories than some of us.

    Weight loss is about portion control but also nutrition. The cured meats are really not good for you and the cheese should not be a huge proportion of your diet.

    Maybe change up the ingredients. In a restaurant you could order one of my favourites -- chicken and spinach. It's really good. Mind you, I don't think I'd order restaurant pizza just because they overdo on the toppings. There are good frozen ones such as Dr. Oetker, but that one's kind of pricey for what you get.

    And Sheri's right. Eat it with something healthy to fill you up. I'm very fond of soup for this, if you can find one that hasn't been thickened beyond recognition with filler.

    Mirii
  • frogmommy
    frogmommy Posts: 151 Member
    If you record it and it fits into your day, there is no reason not to enjoy it occasionally!

    One thing I have found for my kids (I don't care for pepperoni), is to get turkey pepperoni from the store and some pre-made pizza crusts/sauce/2% cheese and let them build their own pizza.
  • frogmommy
    frogmommy Posts: 151 Member
    If you record it and it fits into your day, there is no reason not to enjoy it occasionally!

    One thing I have found for my kids (I don't care for pepperoni), is to get turkey pepperoni from the store and some pre-made pizza crusts/sauce/2% cheese and let them build their own pizza.
  • byHISstrength
    byHISstrength Posts: 984 Member
    Well, I think that cutting back to 1-2 pieces 1x per week is MUCH better than what you are capable of eating, and I'm sure that there will be a difference (every little bit helps).

    Time of day does matter, especially if you are choosing things like pizza. I was having the same issue with having a lot of calories for dinner because I work out in the afternoon, but what helps is I try to have more calories during the day, and then try to have something lighter for dinner. Doesn't always work, but by consuming most of your calories during the day, you have a better chance of working some of it off and not over consuming later in the day.

    Also, another thought. I don't if it is a good idea to cram in a bunch of calories into one meal. Something about how our bodies process it.

    Hope this was helpful.

    God bless you on your efforts.
  • Soon2Bfitmamaof3
    Soon2Bfitmamaof3 Posts: 1,911 Member
    According to the Dominos website you get 1/4 of the thin crust medium cheese pizza for 330 calories versus 1/8 of the hand tossed medium cheese pizza for 210.
  • dumb_blondes_rock
    dumb_blondes_rock Posts: 1,568 Member
    I make my own pizza....buy a whole wheat crust and just top it with whatever( i do mine with a tad white sauce, chicken, turkey bacon, artichoke hearts and mushrooms) MFP says a medium slice of dominoes cheese pizza is 180 cals ...if you can live without the pepperoni then that would cut out some fat and cals. Homemade is also better becuase you don't get charged like 3 bucks for each extra topping!
  • Allison9
    Allison9 Posts: 22
    Pizza is a favorite of mine too! I feel like I stun my friends when I eat bc I could literally eat an entire pizza by myself, which is prob. why I am on this site now haha!

    You can eat whatever you want as long as its in moderation! If you don't, you are only going to fall off the wagon and binge eat.
  • ashlee954
    ashlee954 Posts: 1,112 Member
    The way I see it is if you do not plan on cutting out pizza for the rest of your life then why do it now? This only reinforces the fact that once you stop "dieting" you will start eating the pizza again and gain your weight back. Find what works best for you, whether it's smaller portions, thinner crusts, or changing ingredients to reduce calories. Make this a lifestyle change and not just something you're doing to lose weight. That way you can keep the weight off!
  • Tiffanyramirez
    Tiffanyramirez Posts: 1
    I know it's a popular theory that eating late causes weight gain (or prohibits weight loss) but I've been hearing a lot lately that studies show that it doesn't matter what time of day you eat, as long as you are within your calorie allowance. The problem with late night eating for most people is that we have already used up our calorie allowance and it causes us to go over. It certainly helps to spread out your calories so that you feel more satisfied during the day. But experts are saying that as long as you are within your daily allowance, you can eat any amount of calories at any time.

    I'm a big pizza fanatic too. It all comes down to moderation. If you deny yourself something you love, you will eventually give in and overindulge. Just allow yourself to be human and to enjoy those things occasionally and you won't feel so deprived that you fall off the wagon, so to speak.

    The previous poster is right...you aren't going to go the rest of your life without pizza. So you may as well learn to moderate it and enjoy it on your journey toward a healthier weight. I think 2-3 pieces with a salad is perfectly fine.

    Good luck!
  • whittrusty
    whittrusty Posts: 533 Member
    I make homemade pizza on pitas with low fat cheese and turkey pepperoni. I don't miss take out pizza at all. Each one is less than 275 calories and it's the size of a personal pan pizza. Cover it in veggies to make it even more filling with not many added calories.
  • zenzoes
    zenzoes Posts: 187
    I know I will never be able, nor do I want to NEVER have pizza again. So every two weeks Friday night, we have Pizza. I have two slices. I never ate the crust anyways, not a crust kind of gal :) I drink lots of water with my meal and a healthy snack a few hours later. The first few pizza nights I couldn't wait, one Friday I felt like a healthier option so didn't have it, and now it's nice to know I can when that week comes around, but I am not jonesing for it either. The changes I've made to my way of life and eating have seriously changed the way I WANT to eat. I love it! Just my two cents.
  • jamesrreed
    jamesrreed Posts: 97 Member
    Thank you all for the great replies. They are helpful and encouraging.

    I had one slice of pepperoni at Costco for lunch plus a diet Coke.

    I agree with everyone who said something about home made pizza. We have two young daughters who LOVE helping make pizza (we each build our own). I still do pepperoni (that's and hamburger are about the only two topping I really like) but the pizzas we make at home are smaller than the portion we would eat if we had delivery or carryout. We use low fat cheese, etc. Ultimately our homemade pizza tastes as good or better than anything we eat out.

    I love the comment about how if I don't intend to cut out pizza forever, not to start now. That is a great way of putting it.

    MFP gives me 1,750 calories for the day and I have already used 1,100 of them but will still make it the rest of the day.

    Thanks again for your comments.
  • tiptoe6
    tiptoe6 Posts: 68 Member
    Pizza is my ultimate weakness. One time, I had an ultra light lunch and that was all I had to eat for the day. I ordered a Domino's medium thin crust w/ just cheese and ate the whole thing!! I only ended up going a few over my calories b/c I think the whole medium pizza was about 1320 calories. Probably not the best way to eat those cals, but at least it wasn't super devastating :)
  • jamesrreed
    jamesrreed Posts: 97 Member
    The urge to eat a whole medium Domino's thin crust pepperoni has been great lately. Avoided it so far but going to have to do it soon.
  • JustBeckyV
    JustBeckyV Posts: 182
    Pizza for me as well - I usually have it once a week. I do thin crust as well and have chicken and veggies!!
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