Focusing too much on calories and not healthy foods?
sasmll6577
Posts: 37
A little background. My name is Sara, I am 30 years old with an 11 month old daughter. I have lost all of my baby weight, but am still struggling to get back in shape from the two years prior to her. I'm losing about 1 lb per month. I stay within my calories and work out, but it doesn't seem to be enough.
I think I'm focusing too much on calories consumed and not the types of calories I'm consuming. For example I might stay within my calories, but might have had 4 hershey kisses as a snack
I want to start eating better, but just don't seem to be attracted to "healthy foods" because in order to fill me up or satisfy my want I'm consuming more calories even thought it might be healthier for me.
Any thoughts, suggestions, experiences, etc.????
Thank you!
I think I'm focusing too much on calories consumed and not the types of calories I'm consuming. For example I might stay within my calories, but might have had 4 hershey kisses as a snack
I want to start eating better, but just don't seem to be attracted to "healthy foods" because in order to fill me up or satisfy my want I'm consuming more calories even thought it might be healthier for me.Any thoughts, suggestions, experiences, etc.????
Thank you!
0
Replies
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I too, have been thinking the same thing. I am so worried about staying under my calorie goal. However, I have been thinking maybe I should just be eating healthier foods, even if it ends up being more calories. Surely eating healthy foods, even if you have to eat more to be satisfied, is better than eating even a single serving of the chocolate or whatever it is. I agree with you. Everyone is different but it can't hurt to try it. Good luck!0
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I've noticed some people do have this issue. I used to have it when I was doing Weight Watchers. The thing is, if you're eating healthier, you'll find that you can sometimes eat twice as much food than you are used to. And it'll seem really weird!! Maybe check out the book "Eat This, Not That" so you can see some healthier choices. It's not always about giving up what you want, it's just modifying it so that you feel better. Good luck! 0
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I hear you!! When I was on WW, I would skip meals in order to have 3 ice cream bars
Yeah, you will see some change, but not nearly as much as you would if you ate "good" calories. I, too, have a love for sweet things and its hard not to have any, but what I have been doing now on MFP is mixing some fruit with some chocolate (so an apple with 1 kiss). Also, having coffee or tea takes care of some of my cravings. I won't tell you I never crave a yummie piece of cake, but I won't indulge as I used to, and I put my priority on eating the right things while every once in a while, allowing myself to have some fro-yo or something.
It's hard. Really hard. But its worth it. If you try to play the system and stay under your calories by eating bad calories, I think the struggle will be more of a long term one, whereas if you learn to eat "good-for-you" calories, I think you will learn to simply live in a healthier way and at some point, counting calories will not be as big a part of your ilfe....
Good luck to you.0 -
How much water are you drinking? There is a ton of research that suggests drinking cold water helps you lose weight. I started MFP in September, and did it for a month. Even though I had read about the water in-take (drinking at LEAST 8 glasses, more if you're heavier and working out), I didn't do it. Eleven days ago, I started again, but this time, I made it a goal to drink 10 glasses of ice cold water a day.
When I first started on MFP in September, I lost 7 lbs in a month, which IS really good. I was impatient though, and felt discouraged.
So far, in the Eleven days I've been doing this, I've lost 5lbs. I honestly believe it's for two reasons: I've really upped my water intake. And I've gone under my calorie goal every day.
Of course eating healthier is better for YOU. You might want to try switching out the hershey kisses for a square of dark chocolate - REAL dark chocolate, for example. Hershey kisses are milk chocolate, which have absolutely no health value. Dark chocolate has been proven to have health benefits.
Stay within your calories, even if they are "healthy" calories. On thing remains the same about weight loss - if you consume more than you burn, you will gain weight. EVEN if it's healthy. The idea of eating healthy is that usually (but not always) healthy foods have less calories. However, I can't eat a lot of nuts, because they have a lot of calories and fat. (My body doesn't know good fat from bad fat...it simply knows fat. Period.) However, nuts like almonds and walnuts are supposed to be "healthy." I know some people who can eat these regularly, and still lose weight. Not me. Everyone is different.
I do little things: low fat/low calorie salad dressings, no butter on my pop corn, sea salt instead of table salt, carrots instead of crackers (sometimes), no butter in or on my mashed potatoes or vegetables, and absolutely no french fries for this girl. Those are my kryptonite!
Just a few thoughts. Good luck!0 -
I agree that some healthier foods are actually more satisfying. If I eat 4 kisses vs. a piece of rye bread with almond butter and bananas on it (it's actually REALLY good!) I can stay more satisfied for longer. If I have 4 kisses, then I get hungry right away. So if you eat healthier calories and drink more water, you can satisfy your hunger longer. I also find if you eat a sweet with a savory food (ie. apple with part-skim cheese) that can kill a craving too. Food is my motivation to exercise too. If I want those kisses, I know that I can if I just work out that day. Also, if you happen to be nursing, you should take that into account too. Good luck! It's always a hard decision, but be proud of every good decision you make!0
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Sara - I spent a little time looking at your food diary and here is what I think after doing so. I think the 100 calories, avg, that you are eating in things like candies isn't going to keep you from losing more that the 1lbish a month that you are averaging. The most unhealthy things that I see you eating are a bag of chips/Cheetos and a few pieces of candy.
In my opinion I think that it would be more effective for you to make sure you are exercising regularly and eating back the exercise calories that you burn. Honestly, you seem to be eating a very healthy diet as it is.
) 0 -
Yes, ma'am. Your instincts are right on. It's my toughest battle with clients (right after measuring/weighing/tracking food) ... eating clean. Your diet should be made up mostly of things that haven't been "messed with" (aka processed). Consider making a double recipe of brown rice and steel cut oatmeal once a week so that those whole, healthy foods are already there, ready to warm up. You'll find yourself having something healthful (oatmeal) for breakfast and dinner (brown rice) because it's easy and needs only to be heated up (and measured!). Have your fridge full of already cleaned/prepped fruits and veggies. Add some healthy fats into your diet (avocado, nuts, healthy Peanut butter [no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats]. Buy only bread with substantial fiber and protein. If you start eating MORE (volume, not calories) food that is full of fiber and protein and low in processed carbohydrates and unhealthy fats, you'll find that you really won't ever be hungry. Even 1200 calories a day of quality food, eaten across the day, will keep a person satiated.
Be sure to drink plenty of water and try to burn off about 300 calories a day through some kind of exercise (that takes a REAL effort, I'll admit) and you'll see things change. When my clients stick to a calorie prescription but do so by eating unhealthful foods, I see them losing weight BUT they also lose more lean muscle weight along with some fat compared to the clients I can somehow convince to follow a healthful diet.
Researchers recently confirmed that a junk food diet that comes in at a prescribed calorie deficit will indeed result in weight loss. But it also had an adverse effect on body composition -- people can get lighter and "fatter" (higher body fat percentage) at the same time. And what all of this should REALLY be about is not how much there is of you, but what you are made of. We're shooting for a healthy body composition. Get that in order, and your weight will naturally follow. Best of all, you'll be healthier.
And if you're a mommy, all of this healthful aware shopping, meal preparation and eating will be the BEST gift of modeling healthy behaviors you could ever give to your kids. If your helping yourself results in your kids having healthier attitudes/habits with regard to food and nutrition, you may save them from a lifetime of weight-related complications in their later years.
Good luck to you!!!0 -
Sara - I spent a little time looking at your food diary and here is what I think after doing so. I think the 100 calories, avg, that you are eating in things like candies isn't going to keep you from losing more that the 1lbish a month that you are averaging. The most unhealthy things that I see you eating are a bag of chips/Cheetos and a few pieces of candy.
In my opinion I think that it would be more effective for you to make sure you are exercising regularly and eating back the exercise calories that you burn. Honestly, you seem to be eating a very healthy diet as it is.)
Thank you for looking at that!! I actually do exercise on a regular basis, but I don't log it all the time because I try not to eat my exercise calories. So I should be eating my exercise cals??0 -
Regarding the cold water -- I used to work for scientists, so I tend to think scientifically, and the cold water helping to lose weight makes sense scientifically.
Your body would need to use more energy to work to lower the temperature to body temperature than if you consumed warmer water. Energy=calories.
Has that been discussed before? I'm sure it's not a huge number of calories difference, but if we're drink 10+ glasses a day, even an extra ten calorie burn for really cold water over tepid water is 100 calories extra. That would be almost an extra pound a month!0 -
I don't find that healthy v. unhealthy foods leaves me any more or less hungry--I'm always hungry. Two of the oft-promoted healthy foods--fruit and complex carbs--are often very high calorie (check out the stats on a small glass of OJ; you're better off with the hershey kisses). In pure weight loss terms, and I know plenty of people can and may quabble over this, it is mostly just cals in cals out. So take that 50 cal hershey kiss at the expense of the 200 cal apple. As a holistic matter, of course you need more fruits and veggies in your diet than you probably get, but realistically, unless you're diabetic or at risk or something similar, you can likely make do with the nutritional composition you currently have until you're at the weight you want--then load in those more nutritious foods when eating at maintenance levels.
The guy who said he'd rather have bananas and peanut butter on whole wheat rather than candy--it's great if you truly feel that way, but I'll take the ice cream. The thing I like about the restricted calorie diet is that it takes the pressure off of what you eat and redirects the focus on how much. Now, there are plenty of high cal things that are bad for you, but a ton of the products promoted as super-healthy are also super-high-calorie (trail mix anyone?). Before counting calories I had a very nutritious diet, buying all that healthy whole foods stuff, but I could not lose weight that way because I didn't realize that the handfull of nuts I was gobbling was making me fatter than if I had eaten a cupcake. Crazy.0 -
Yes, ma'am. Your instincts are right on. It's my toughest battle with clients (right after measuring/weighing/tracking food) ... eating clean. Your diet should be made up mostly of things that haven't been "messed with" (aka processed). Consider making a double recipe of brown rice and steel cut oatmeal once a week so that those whole, healthy foods are already there, ready to warm up. You'll find yourself having something healthful (oatmeal) for breakfast and dinner (brown rice) because it's easy and needs only to be heated up (and measured!). Have your fridge full of already cleaned/prepped fruits and veggies. Add some healthy fats into your diet (avocado, nuts, healthy Peanut butter [no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats]. Buy only bread with substantial fiber and protein. If you start eating MORE (volume, not calories) food that is full of fiber and protein and low in processed carbohydrates and unhealthy fats, you'll find that you really won't ever be hungry. Even 1200 calories a day of quality food, eaten across the day, will keep a person satiated.
Be sure to drink plenty of water and try to burn off about 300 calories a day through some kind of exercise (that takes a REAL effort, I'll admit) and you'll see things change. When my clients stick to a calorie prescription but do so by eating unhealthful foods, I see them losing weight BUT they also lose more lean muscle weight along with some fat compared to the clients I can somehow convince to follow a healthful diet.
Researchers recently confirmed that a junk food diet that comes in at a prescribed calorie deficit will indeed result in weight loss. But it also had an adverse effect on body composition -- people can get lighter and "fatter" (higher body fat percentage) at the same time. And what all of this should REALLY be about is not how much there is of you, but what you are made of. We're shooting for a healthy body composition. Get that in order, and your weight will naturally follow. Best of all, you'll be healthier.
And if you're a mommy, all of this healthful aware shopping, meal preparation and eating will be the BEST gift of modeling healthy behaviors you could ever give to your kids. If your helping yourself results in your kids having healthier attitudes/habits with regard to food and nutrition, you may save them from a lifetime of weight-related complications in their later years.
Good luck to you!!!
Thank you for that info! i'm going to try really hard on focusing on changing my eating habits. I'm still going to enjoy my Mexican and a beer every once and a while since we rarely eat out anymore, but If I can change my lunch habits of a sandwich and chips that will be a first start My goal is one step at a time and to change my doritos for grapes or apple with p-nut butter Thanks again! 0 -
I don't find that healthy v. unhealthy foods leaves me any more or less hungry--I'm always hungry. Two of the oft-promoted healthy foods--fruit and complex carbs--are often very high calorie (check out the stats on a small glass of OJ; you're better off with the hershey kisses). In pure weight loss terms, and I know plenty of people can and may quabble over this, it is mostly just cals in cals out. So take that 50 cal hershey kiss at the expense of the 200 cal apple. As a holistic matter, of course you need more fruits and veggies in your diet than you probably get, but realistically, unless you're diabetic or at risk or something similar, you can likely make do with the nutritional composition you currently have until you're at the weight you want--then load in those more nutritious foods when eating at maintenance levels.
The guy who said he'd rather have bananas and peanut butter on whole wheat rather than candy--it's great if you truly feel that way, but I'll take the ice cream. The thing I like about the restricted calorie diet is that it takes the pressure off of what you eat and redirects the focus on how much. Now, there are plenty of high cal things that are bad for you, but a ton of the products promoted as super-healthy are also super-high-calorie (trail mix anyone?). Before counting calories I had a very nutritious diet, buying all that healthy whole foods stuff, but I could not lose weight that way because I didn't realize that the handfull of nuts I was gobbling was making me fatter than if I had eaten a cupcake. Crazy.
I agree on the calories in vs calories out, but I'm doing that and still not really losing consistently. I think I'm not paying enough attention to carbs/sodium/sugar etc. and if I switch to healthier choices maybe I'll lose the weight.
Thanks for your input though, I too would prefer the icecream over a banana and p-nut butter sandwich 0 -
no butter on my pop corn, sea salt instead of table salt
I air pop popcorn and spritz it with Parkay Spray...though it isn't truly 0 calorie / 0 fat, etc, it is much lower than butter and tastes just like real butter to me. That and sea salt and I'm good to go.
I just read it is about 1 cal per spray...I use maybe 6-8 sprays with the 8 cups of popcorn I make for the kids and I.0 -
Wow, Trainerrobin, well said!
I always knew it wasn't about "calories in v. calories out"! That's why weight watchers has changed their program, too many people were eating 100 calorie packs instead of healthy veggies or protein. Now all fruits are 0 points, and I don't agree with that because of all of the sugar in fruit, your thoughts?0 -
Regarding the cold water -- I used to work for scientists, so I tend to think scientifically, and the cold water helping to lose weight makes sense scientifically.
Your body would need to use more energy to work to lower the temperature to body temperature than if you consumed warmer water. Energy=calories.
Has that been discussed before? I'm sure it's not a huge number of calories difference, but if we're drink 10+ glasses a day, even an extra ten calorie burn for really cold water over tepid water is 100 calories extra. That would be almost an extra pound a month!
I actually did research this, and the website I looked on (I'd have to find it again) said that drinking 8-8oz glasses of almost ice cold water burns and additional 74 calories a day. And yes, it is because of the body working to lower the water to body temperature. It's not much, but it's a nice thought. I've also read repeatedly that if you are drinking water, the weight will come of easier. This is the greatest change, aside from the exercise, that I've been doing. 0 -
no butter on my pop corn, sea salt instead of table salt
I air pop popcorn and spritz it with Parkay Spray...though it isn't truly 0 calorie / 0 fat, etc, it is much lower than butter and tastes just like real butter to me. That and sea salt and I'm good to go.
I just read it is about 1 cal per spray...I use maybe 6-8 sprays with the 8 cups of popcorn I make for the kids and I.
Yes, and the FITTEST women I've ever seen in my life (a fitness model and body building competitor) swears by her favorite: air popped popcorn with splenda and cinnamon. I haven't tried it but will! Cinnamon has properties that help promote metabolism ... plus it tastes good! 0 -
I started following a high fiber diet, and rather than counting calories i'm counting fiber grams. It's been a fun challenge to try to get 40 grams a day and I find i am choosing much healthier foods to make this happen. I can't use up my calories on kisses if i'm trying to get 5 grams of fiber in my snack!
check out the book the Full Plate diet for ideas, it's fantastic.0 -
Regarding the cold water -- I used to work for scientists, so I tend to think scientifically, and the cold water helping to lose weight makes sense scientifically.
Your body would need to use more energy to work to lower the temperature to body temperature than if you consumed warmer water. Energy=calories.
Has that been discussed before? I'm sure it's not a huge number of calories difference, but if we're drink 10+ glasses a day, even an extra ten calorie burn for really cold water over tepid water is 100 calories extra. That would be almost an extra pound a month!
I actually did research this, and the website I looked on (I'd have to find it again) said that drinking 8-8oz glasses of almost ice cold water burns and additional 74 calories a day. And yes, it is because of the body working to lower the water to body temperature. It's not much, but it's a nice thought. I've also read repeatedly that if you are drinking water, the weight will come of easier. This is the greatest change, aside from the exercise, that I've been doing.
I thought that made sense. When water comes out of you, it's quite warm (not that I've felt it or anything, I just know if must be body temp or it'd feel cold coming out!), and something must have warmed up that water. I drink closer to 80oz of water a day, so that's an extra 90 calories a day just drinking colder water than warm water or tea. Over a 60 day cycle, that's an extra 1 1/2 lb lost ! I wonder if there are other "hidden" secrets like that.0
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