Food tracking revelations - Share your ZOMG moments
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What struck me was the sheer amount of calories that I ate.
KFC and TGIs were a real wake up moment.
I was also in the habit of having a hot chocolate (full fat) and cake from Pret in the afternoon. I was stunned to realise that was over 600 calories alone!!!
Chinese as well, I used to eat about 1500 calories of chinese but not only that, I'd have chinese for dinner in the evening and something like KFC or Burger King for lunch with snacks in between!!!!
Oh, takeaway pizza as well. I knew it was bad but didn't realise it was THAT bad. I don't eat it very much anymore
It's only when I think about things like this that I realise just how far I've come.
I think about what I want to eat now and whether it is worth the calories to me. I still snack a lot but I've made swaps. Instead of eating higher calorie crisps I'll eat popchips and I eat skinny topcorn too. Frozen yoghurt instead of ice cream has been a god-send to me. I really can't taste the difference between that and ice cream...
I've still got a long way to go but it is heartening when I consider just how far I've come in a year :-)0 -
Moment number one: how much just tracking changes my eating, even if I'm not making the concious decision to start eating less/healthier/cleaner. Simply the idea of having to figure out how to log an afternoon cinnamon bun from a random cafe makes me think twice.
Moment number two: serving sizes in general, especially pasta servings.
Moment number three: how many calories there are in orange juice. Most adults need coffee to wake up in the morning, I need orange juice. When I originally started logging (many years ago at a different website), I realized I was drinking up 250kcals daily. I've since cut down my juice intake so that now it's "only" 80kcals a day.
Moment number four: how many calories there are in cheese, and how much I was actually eating it. I thought I was eating healthy breakfasts when I started logging, eating wholegrain bread with cheese and the juice already mentioned. But it turned out, I would put a slice of cheese on a slice of bread, and then snack at least two slices of cheese while waiting for my next slice of bread to come out of the toaster. If I remember correctly, my "original" breakfast was more than 600kcals, and I've cut it down to 400 now. Then I'd repeat the two slices of bread with cheese - meal, complete with snacking, again after school in the afternoon (I was a senior in high school), and then at night before going to bed.0 -
Like a lot of you have said, portion sizes! I was "eating healthy" for a while and wondering why I wasn't losing weight - well I was eating healthy food but like 3 times the amount I eat now! Even my green smoothies had a ton of calories
. And wow portion sizes for nuts - I would eat handfuls of them! Now I count out 12 almonds and put them in baggies lol.
One thing that specifically shocked me, and still does, is these stupid Thai lettuce wraps at Cheesecake Factory - soemthing like 1100 calories!! I don't go there much but when I did that's what I would get, thinking its healthy - grilled chicken tenderloins, some lettuce, couple fixing, can't be that bad. ZOMG.
And I hate to admit this, but I would get a Big Mac meal at McD's and 3 chocolate chips cookies - maybe once a week or so? Definitely after drinking/when I was hungover, anytime I took a road trip, had a bad day etc. I knew it wasn't good but OMG that 1 meal is more than my daily calorie limit now!0 -
Moment number one: how much just tracking changes my eating, even if I'm not making the concious decision to start eating less/healthier/cleaner. Simply the idea of having to figure out how to log an afternoon cinnamon bun from a random cafe makes
Good gods, THIS. I've created "recipes" for a lot of the things that I get from the cafe at work, stuff that I've seen them make so I know the ingredients. Everything else, I have to sweat bullets looking for an equivalent and even when I find one I'm always sure it's incorrect.
The stress and frustration totally makes me reconsider.
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cereal portion size, fast food, esp pizzas, four star pizzas, I used to split large one plus gaelic bread, dip and fizz with my boyfriend once or twice a week.0
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Yesterday I weighed my greek yoghurt for the first time. I thought it was a healthy choice, but I had no idea how many calories it is! It's 160 calories for 4 ounces, which I thought wasn't bad at all, but when I weighed it I realized I was eating double the serving size. I pretty much undid my whole 30 minute work-out on the elliptical for a small bowl of yoghurt. UGH.
Also, I like to drink Lite Half and Half Lemonade/Sweet Tea. It's 50 calories for 8 ounces. I decided to weigh it and realized I was logging the 50 calories when I was really drinking 10 or more ounces, so I was underestimating the extra 40-50 calories a glass, which adds up if you drink this alot.
Most sadly is the pasta portions. I have to have less than half of what I used to eat if I want to stay within my calories. Now I eat pasta as a side with a lean protein like a piece of breast chicken, making the meal less calories as a whole.0 -
Frou-frou coffee drinks. Not that I believed they were healthy, but finding out taking advantage of the BOGO Caribou deals on large whipped-cream laden sugary coffees (of which I'd drink both) was devouring my daily calories? Yeah, total eye opener.
I switched to black coffee with a splash of creamer. 20 calories. And last time I tried to drink one of the Turtle Mochas I loved so much, I couldn't get over the overwhelming sugary taste in my mouth. It actually made me feel sick.0 -
Like most everyone else, portion sizes got me. Especially with coffee creamer (when I actually measured it in a large cup.... I was using almost a 1/4 cup!)
Sodium got me too. I still have some salami in the fridge... love salami, but it's going to eat up most of my sodium limit for the day!0 -
1.The first time I measured out 30g of my favourite muesli. I stared at it, thinking it couldn't be true. Barely enough for a mouse!
2. Recording my tipples of wine. Turns out, more than just tipples. Must have been bathing in the stuff.
3. Okay, on a smaller note, but 90 calories in a pear? Who knew!0 -
My ZOMG moments;
PORTIONS - I was eating 3x that with almost everything I put in mouth, truly unbelievable. :noway: No wonder why I'm overweight and not losing. DUH!!
SUGAR - It's in everything....IMO, it is impossible to control (Although, I am making small changes) I am always over. :sad:
SODIUM - Same as sugar, it's in everything. :grumble:
WATER - I don't drink enough of it. (Well, I do now) :bigsmile:
Crazy stuff! Thanks for posting, I have learned a great deal today. :flowerforyou:0 -
I've tried the turkey jerky it's really tasty- lots of protein for the calories. UNfortunately, didn't realize the wheat in the flavoring, and I'm celiac. Still searching for a GF alternative0
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Tonight's zomg moment: Spices and herbs have calories. Craaaaaaaap.
No way? Surely it can't be much?
Oh fruit calories got me too. I love peaches, but one peach is like 70 calories. Ouch. And I go over my carb intake pretty much every day because of them.
Honestly the biggest shock for me when I started tracking food is that my highest weight was 213 lbs, and not 300.0 -
Dates. I've never been a huge date person as they are to sweet for me usually, but I'd use them if I wanted to bake something and never realized just how high in calories they are.
Also peanut butter.
Anytime you want a sweet date you just let me know!
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Moment number four: how many calories there are in cheese, and how much I was actually eating it. I thought I was eating healthy breakfasts when I started logging, eating wholegrain bread with cheese and the juice already mentioned. But it turned out, I would put a slice of cheese on a slice of bread, and then snack at least two slices of cheese while waiting for my next slice of bread to come out of the toaster. If I remember correctly, my "original" breakfast was more than 600kcals, and I've cut it down to 400 now. Then I'd repeat the two slices of bread with cheese - meal, complete with snacking, again after school in the afternoon (I was a senior in high school), and then at night before going to bed.
Oh jeez I had this moment with cheese yesterday, I had been in denial. I'm so sad about it.0 -
No way? Surely it can't be much?
Oh fruit calories got me too. I love peaches, but one peach is like 70 calories. Ouch. And I go over my carb intake pretty much every day because of them.
Spice calories aren't all that much, but they aren't negligible, especially when you use them in the quantities that I do. 30-16 calories per recipe. Poo. Poo, I say.0 -
Most sadly is the pasta portions. I have to have less than half of what I used to eat if I want to stay within my calories. Now I eat pasta as a side with a lean protein like a piece of breast chicken, making the meal less calories as a whole.
After reading everyone posting about pasta portion sizes being so wee, I decided to break out the measuring yesterday when I made pasta and shrimp with garlic scape pesto for dindins.
...Let's just say I really had shrimp with garlic scape pesto and the pasta was kind of a vague hallucination that was gone before I sat down.0 -
Sodium got me too. I still have some salami in the fridge... love salami, but it's going to eat up most of my sodium limit for the day!
I will eat veg and water all day just to have my salami. I ADORE SALAMI.0 -
1.The first time I measured out 30g of my favourite muesli. I stared at it, thinking it couldn't be true. Barely enough for a mouse!
2. Recording my tipples of wine. Turns out, more than just tipples. Must have been bathing in the stuff.
3. Okay, on a smaller note, but 90 calories in a pear? Who knew!
I've measured out my wine and calorie-wise the half bottle I have when I split one with my boyfriend usually isn't that bad. I tend to be very specific about the varietal though. Some wines are more dense or sweet and therefore more calorie rich.0 -
My ZOMG moments;
PORTIONS - I was eating 3x that with almost everything I put in mouth, truly unbelievable. :noway: No wonder why I'm overweight and not losing. DUH!!
SUGAR - It's in everything....IMO, it is impossible to control (Although, I am making small changes) I am always over. :sad:
SODIUM - Same as sugar, it's in everything. :grumble:
WATER - I don't drink enough of it. (Well, I do now) :bigsmile:
Crazy stuff! Thanks for posting, I have learned a great deal today. :flowerforyou:
All of these revelations, I have had them! I'm still mid portion-size revelation though. I don't want to accept how tiny an actual portion is. I get hungry just thinking about it.
You're welcome! I'm loving this thread a lot, glad everyone else is too! :bigsmile:0 -
Dates. I've never been a huge date person as they are to sweet for me usually, but I'd use them if I wanted to bake something and never realized just how high in calories they are.
Also peanut butter.
Anytime you want a sweet date you just let me know!
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