Calorie shocker!

hazellac
hazellac Posts: 90 Member
in Getting Started
I'm in my first week of trying to get fitter. My first steps are to do more exercise, which I'm sticking with and doing well with.

I first thought I won't change my diet because even though I eat junk food I'm not overweight (poor excuse I know)

Since joining here and updating my food diary however I have come to realise just how much rubbish I do eat - and there are some foods/drinks I've added and looked at the calories and thought NO WAY it cannot be that much surely?!? Needless to say I am very unaware of what I put into my body and this IS going to change. I'll stick with my usual diet for the next week to see exactly what foods I need to cut back on and what foods I could do with more of.

Anyway, I was just wondering, when you first started eating healthy were there any foods/drinks that you thought were pretty low in calories and were shocked to find out how many they actually contain.

For me I was really shocked at how many calories orange juice contained.
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Replies

  • KindredSpirit89
    KindredSpirit89 Posts: 37
    I can relate a lot to this. It's scary!

    I'm still learning but there have been a lot of surprises along the way.
  • MeganMcK11
    MeganMcK11 Posts: 117 Member
    Orange juice. All the way! I was totally shocked. Even eggs I was shocked, jsut becuase I thought they were less calories. Cheese too.
  • hazellac
    hazellac Posts: 90 Member
    Orange juice. All the way! I was totally shocked. Even eggs I was shocked, jsut becuase I thought they were less calories. Cheese too.

    I haven't checked eggs yet, is that another shocking one. I knew cheese was bad but I didn't actually realise HOW bad and cheese is one of my all time favourite foods. Really not looking forward to eating healthier and fewer calories.
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
    Moes. I used to get the Joey Bag of Donuts with tofu regularly, and thought I was doing okay. The first time I entered it into my diary, I nearly had a heart attack. I started getting tacos there instead on the rare occasions that I go there now.
  • jessizona80
    jessizona80 Posts: 108 Member
    Not that I ever thought milk shakes were low calorie, but the most shocking thing I've discovered so far is that for a MINI (not even a small) peanut butter fudge shake, at Sonic, is 760 calories. I guess I knew they'd be high, but that really shocked me.
  • hazellac
    hazellac Posts: 90 Member
    I think as well as having to learn about calories I'm going to have to start looking into different ways to prepare foods I like as I think sometimes preparation makes a big difference. (I'm thinking southern fried chicken is going to have way more calories than grilled chicken for example).

    Glad I'm not the only one who is being shocked at the amount of calories in certain foods. Well I put in my orange juice earlier I wanted to cry thinking of how much exercise it'd take to burn those calories.
  • bumblbee007
    bumblbee007 Posts: 11
    Here's another Shocker, Quinoa are crazy high in cal's
  • Stayinghealthy30
    Stayinghealthy30 Posts: 1
    Well, I just joined today and entered what I was planning to eat/drink. I was shocked to learn I couldn't have even one coke or it would put me over my allotted sugars for the day. Super sad day in the life of a coke addict.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    This is a good way to go about it. Just remember though...caloric density has nothing to do with nutrient density. Too many people on MFP and dieters in general cut out very nutritious and healthy foods because of calorie content...it's high calorie, so it must be "bad" mentality. Many foods that you most definitely should be eating because of their nutritional value are also very calorie dense. Conversely, many foods with very low calories have little to no nutritional value.

    Also kepe in mind that you need fats...people get all freaked out when they see the fat number and go all low fat/no fat. Fat is an essential nutrient...you need it for heart health and overall organ function. Your brain is largely comprised of fat. Many nutrients are fat soluble, so you need to consume fats in order for your body to absorb these nutrients. Fat also regulates hormones and this is essential to being healthy and to weight loss.

    Just seek balance in your diet (noun).
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Here's another Shocker, Quinoa are crazy high in cal's

    but also super high in nutrients...
  • juliebtmn
    juliebtmn Posts: 4
    I am amazed at how much sugar is in my morning coffee! And my afternoon tea! I thought I was doing great giving up sodas, but I see there is still room for improvement!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Well I put in my orange juice earlier I wanted to cry thinking of how much exercise it'd take to burn those calories.

    Keep in mind that your body burns a ton of calories just existing. In fact, the vast majority of your "burn" is just existing. On average, BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) calories equate to roughly 70% of an individuals daily calorie needs. For me, that's roughly 1800-1900 calories. On average, your NEAT and TEF (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis and Thermal Effect of Food) make up another 15% - 20% and actual exercise is going to be roughly 10%-15% on average. Of course, this differs based on individual activity levels...an athlete for example will burn a ton more calories exercising, therefore their BMR is going to account for less of their daily burn, etc...but just to give you a ball park average.

    I only bring it up because it's a bit of a sliperly slope towards disordered thinking to start looking at caloric inputs and then think you have to go work all of that off.
  • choeli
    choeli Posts: 10
    You have to remember that just because something is "high" in calories doesn't make it a bad thing.

    Quinoa was important to the diet of pre-Columbian Andean civilizations.[15] Today, people appreciate quinoa for its nutritional value. Quinoa has been called a superfood.[14] Protein content is very high for a cereal/pseudo-cereal (14% by mass), yet not as high as most beans and legumes. Quinoa's protein content per 100 calories is higher than brown rice, potatoes, barley and millet, but is less than wild rice and oats.[29] Nutritional evaluations of quinoa indicate that it is a source of complete protein.[30][31][32] Furthermore, it is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is also a source of calcium, and thus is useful for vegans and those who are lactose intolerant.[33] Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest.:smile:
  • mitchiejo
    mitchiejo Posts: 179 Member
    Shocking for me was my 2-3 baskets of Hacienda chips and ranch....crazy.
  • hazellac
    hazellac Posts: 90 Member
    Well, I just joined today and entered what I was planning to eat/drink. I was shocked to learn I couldn't have even one coke or it would put me over my allotted sugars for the day. Super sad day in the life of a coke addict.

    I feel your pain. I am another coke addict - I knew I was going to have to cut that out completely, but figured I'd replace it with orange juice as I quite like it - put my first orange juice drink in and it's pretty much the same as coke! I know that orange juice is loads better for you than coke though despite the high calories but still thinking it's going to end up being just water from now on until I figure out my proper eating plan.
  • hazellac
    hazellac Posts: 90 Member
    Thanks for the additional info with regards to not all high cal food being bad for you, it's quite reassuring, although I think I'm still going to have to cut out most of my favourite foods as I am a bit of a junk food addict. I'm not going to overly stress about it as I'm at a good steady weight right now so I can cut down on my intake and make changes quite gradually which will make it easier - plus I think I'll be more likely to stick with it rather than if I went on an all out major ban of all the foods I love in one go.
  • rowrunyoga
    rowrunyoga Posts: 65 Member
    This is a good way to go about it. Just remember though...caloric density has nothing to do with nutrient density. Too many people on MFP and dieters in general cut out very nutritious and healthy foods because of calorie content...it's high calorie, so it must be "bad" mentality. Many foods that you most definitely should be eating because of their nutritional value are also very calorie dense. Conversely, many foods with very low calories have little to no nutritional value.

    Also kepe in mind that you need fats...people get all freaked out when they see the fat number and go all low fat/no fat. Fat is an essential nutrient...you need it for heart health and overall organ function. Your brain is largely comprised of fat. Many nutrients are fat soluble, so you need to consume fats in order for your body to absorb these nutrients. Fat also regulates hormones and this is essential to being healthy and to weight loss.

    Just seek balance in your diet (noun).

    Perfectly stated!
    PERFECT!
  • jacksonmakin
    jacksonmakin Posts: 2
    A single digestive biscuit not a good food but shocking how bad they are, but like has been said some foods its a balancing act not just about the calorific value, a lot of nuts that are very good for you and have great nutrients are sky high in calories.
  • sharonfoustmills
    sharonfoustmills Posts: 519 Member
    hey orange juice was frightening for me too, and I've delegated it to the just once in a while with breakfast group

    I was also shocked by things like bread and many of the meats, I mean I knew they had higher calories than broccoli and lettuce, but good grief! butter was my killer because I love real sweet cream butter, and move over butter is not much lower in calories either, so I only eat it on my baked potato and grilled corn, and I am reducing the amount each time
  • sharonfoustmills
    sharonfoustmills Posts: 519 Member
    Not that I ever thought milk shakes were low calorie, but the most shocking thing I've discovered so far is that for a MINI (not even a small) peanut butter fudge shake, at Sonic, is 760 calories. I guess I knew they'd be high, but that really shocked me.

    omg, that is outrageous! you can make them with skim milk and flavored yogurt at home pretty cheap and low in calories-- wasn't drinking many shakes anyway, but definitely not touching them now unless I make them at home

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