Strategies to maintain weight without counting calories

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Wingg_
Wingg_ Posts: 395 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I'm thinking that I'm only 18 still very young, I can't possibly be bringing the scale along with me to everywhere I go. Therefore, I want to know some strategies on maintaining weight without having to weigh your food with the scale. I really need this advice because I will be going back to my homeland for months end of this year and I can't possibly be letting my relatives see me weighing my food, they'll think I'm mad. So I needed to sort this out before the end of the year... I will appreciate all your advices!
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Replies

  • Love4fitnesslove4food2
    Love4fitnesslove4food2 Posts: 711 Member
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    Use a dinner plate as your guide. 1/4 protein, 1/4 starch (rice, pasta, grains, etc), and 1/2 vegetables. Here's an example.

    5699divided_plate225.jpg
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    Three very simple techniques.

    I love the picture above and find it very helpful.

    The Japanese say you should eat until you are 3/4 full, because after you stop eating, you continue to feel fuller for a while, and this will you make better decisions.

    My colleague, who studies weight loss, says to avoid 'white foods'. This sounds silly, but many white foods are very calorie dense - rice, potatoes, bread, sugar, flour.

    If you go to google and search for 'portion size' and click 'images' you will get good visual aids to help you know how big different sizes are (cup, tablespoon, etc.). That helps you make better judgments.

    I think the key to maintain is to eat anything you want - but not that much.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    Use a dinner plate as your guide. 1/4 protein, 1/4 starch (rice, pasta, grains, etc), and 1/2 vegetables. Here's an example.

    5699divided_plate225.jpg
    This is great, and something I'd never thought about. However, now that I think about it, my grandparents used to fill their plates this way and they always maintained healthy weight.
  • LeahFerri
    LeahFerri Posts: 186 Member
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    Measuring by volume (spoons, cups, etc.) isn't as good as measuring by mass, but it'll give you an approximation. If you use the scale and cups together to get an idea of what a given mass of a certain food looks like by volume, you can probably develop a visual sense that's good enough for maintenance. You may have to reacquaint yourself with quantities every now and again, but that could give you at least a framework.

    I know how you feel; I don't feel comfortable even measuring stuff by volume in front of my family. My mum would think I had a disorder if I started doing that in front of her. Of course, she's just a few inches taller than I am, probably weighs a good 50 pounds more, and doesn't "believe in" calories in, calories out, so I can't even begin to know what to say to her.
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
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    I'm maintaining without tracking right now, some of my strategies are-

    -weigh daily and track it on a phone app graph
    -measure out higher calorie foods like nuts, salad dressings, chips etc
    -eat foods I enjoy but use moderation-ie have two cookies, not the whole package :tongue:
    -look up calorie counts for restaurants before going
    -eat when hungry, STOP when full
    -identify bad eating habits and deal with them. I used to be a big night time snacker. Now I don't eat after 7pm etc
    -exercise 5 days a week for 30 minutes
  • hilts1969
    hilts1969 Posts: 465 Member
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    I'm thinking that I'm only 18 still very young, I can't possibly be bringing the scale along with me to everywhere I go. Therefore, I want to know some strategies on maintaining weight without having to weigh your food with the scale. I really need this advice because I will be going back to my homeland for months end of this year and I can't possibly be letting my relatives see me weighing my food, they'll think I'm mad. So I needed to sort this out before the end of the year... I will appreciate all your advices!

    I haven't counted calories for months but weigh myself every week, i have a range between 165 and 175 llb if i reach either which i haven't yet i would take the necessary action, i got close after xmas but since then have dropped a few pounds
  • Athena53
    Athena53 Posts: 717 Member
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    For some people, calorie counting is a way of life. I do OK without it because I have an idea of the relative counts of most foods. I know to avoid or have very small portions of cream-based soups, fried stuff, desserts, etc. and that I can pretty much eat all I want of non-starchy veggies and moderate amounts of fruit without counting every calorie. So, I'll load my plate with green vegetable type stuff and if I want second helpings, I'll get more of those. Last night we were at a dinner with a fixed menu (no entrée choice) and I pried the skin off the fried chicken breast and scraped off the gravy!

    As others have noted, you can also base your eating on portion sizes and how full you feel. You have some time to get used to healthy habits before year-end so you may be able to manage without the scale.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    I stopped counting calories and it worked fine for a long time but then I moved in with my boyfriend who eats sooo much food and eats junk all the time and I kind of lost my way. Counting calories is really the best way I know how to be accountable for what I put in my body, but when I was maintaining I just tried to keep an eye on calorie counts of things I was eating to make sure it was an appropriate amount and stayed away from sofa, chips, cookies, etc.
  • stt43
    stt43 Posts: 487
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    Count calories for one day, and then all you need to do is simply eat exactly the same thing every single day for the rest of your life.
  • v01101999
    v01101999 Posts: 1 Member
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    you are 18 do you really need to count calories - I would say you are still growing and your body probably needs to be in calorie surplus (mainly from Proteins) to help that growth? I would say weight yourself once a week and if it seems to be turning up, start some extra exercise and if it is going down, have an extra milk shake :-)
  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
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    Use a dinner plate as your guide. 1/4 protein, 1/4 starch (rice, pasta, grains, etc), and 1/2 vegetables. Here's an example.

    5699divided_plate225.jpg
    This is great, and something I'd never thought about. However, now that I think about it, my grandparents used to fill their plates this way and they always maintained healthy weight.

    Come to think of it, this is the way my dad has always eaten, and he has never had a problem with his weight.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    My colleague, who studies weight loss, says to avoid 'white foods'. This sounds silly, but many white foods are very calorie dense - rice, potatoes, bread, sugar, flour.


    your colleague is wrong.
  • helenlovesruby
    helenlovesruby Posts: 39 Member
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    A dietician told me we should use our hand size as a guide. A fist is the amount of cArbs to eat in meal and a palm is the amount of protien we should eat.
  • MrsAustin1480
    MrsAustin1480 Posts: 83 Member
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    Don't forget water! It helps prevent stuffing myself if I have a glass BEFORE and a glass WITH each meal. Kudos for realizing the worth of healthy eating/regular exercise so young! :-)
  • leeanneowens
    leeanneowens Posts: 319 Member
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    Drink lots and lots of water, only eat when you are truly hungry {a growling stomach is a good indication}, and stop eating when you don't feel hungry anymore. Don't keep eating until you feel full because in a few minutes the full feeling will come.
  • Wingg_
    Wingg_ Posts: 395 Member
    Options
    Measuring by volume (spoons, cups, etc.) isn't as good as measuring by mass, but it'll give you an approximation. If you use the scale and cups together to get an idea of what a given mass of a certain food looks like by volume, you can probably develop a visual sense that's good enough for maintenance. You may have to reacquaint yourself with quantities every now and again, but that could give you at least a framework.

    I know how you feel; I don't feel comfortable even measuring stuff by volume in front of my family. My mum would think I had a disorder if I started doing that in front of her. Of course, she's just a few inches taller than I am, probably weighs a good 50 pounds more, and doesn't "believe in" calories in, calories out, so I can't even begin to know what to say to her.

    My mum and dad will give comments on me weighing my food. They would mock me for doing so... Then every time I try to explain what I'm doing and why I am doing that my mum wouldn't want to listen to me. I actually felt kind of sad...
  • Wingg_
    Wingg_ Posts: 395 Member
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    Use a dinner plate as your guide. 1/4 protein, 1/4 starch (rice, pasta, grains, etc), and 1/2 vegetables. Here's an example.

    5699divided_plate225.jpg

    This is really useful!
  • Wingg_
    Wingg_ Posts: 395 Member
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    I really thank you guys for providing with the great advices! I guess eating everything in moderation is the key~
  • Bunnaliqua
    Bunnaliqua Posts: 17 Member
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    Hello!

    First of all I would like to comment on how irritating it is to read someone saying "You're 18, do you really need to be counting calories?". They have absolutely no idea what your history includes. Your journey with your body is yours alone to decide what is healthy and right for you. And no one needs anyone making judgments especially without context. It probably comes from a place of caring but still, I found that irritating.

    Now to answer your question about wanting to be mindful but not wanting to carry a scale with you all the time: I suggest you educate yourself on being able to reference your body to healthy portion sizes. And what healthy portions are in general.

    For example:
    Steak - about the size of your palm
    Cheese - about the size of your thumb

    I personally don't believe in limiting the amount of *most* vegetables I eat. I say most because I could easily eat too much white potatoes, while eating too much lettuce would probably never happen.

    It's things like meat, cheese, nuts, rice, bread and all processed food (crackers, chips, packaged food like pasta and freezer appetizers) that is important to understand what a portion looks like.

    Things like ice cream and cheeseburgers: know that you can have and enjoy these without guilt, as you said, in moderation.

    Good luck on your journey and I wish you the very best in a healthy relationship with your body and food :smile:
  • Laura3BB
    Laura3BB Posts: 250 Member
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    Use a dinner plate as your guide. 1/4 protein, 1/4 starch (rice, pasta, grains, etc), and 1/2 vegetables. Here's an example.

    5699divided_plate225.jpg

    This is really useful!

    Absolutely!

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