Surprised about my ignorance
wubbykid
Posts: 60 Member
I'm a new time calorie counter so when I started searching the internet and books for calorie counts for food, I was shocked by how some foods seem so little or at least 'normal' yet have so many calories!
Like one of the burgers at Chili's has 1,490 calories in it alone. Or that some Asian noodles have as much as 492 calories per cup! My mouth gaped open when I read about these numbers.
It's no wonder I'm 329 pounds or whatever! It's like the shock of the new.
Like one of the burgers at Chili's has 1,490 calories in it alone. Or that some Asian noodles have as much as 492 calories per cup! My mouth gaped open when I read about these numbers.
It's no wonder I'm 329 pounds or whatever! It's like the shock of the new.
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That was me.
When I first came to MFP I logged everything I ate & drank for 2 weeks, what an eye-opener! My pepsi "addiction" was 500-700 calories a day! 0 -
strong_curves wrote: »That was me. When I first came to MFP I logged everything I ate & drank for 2 weeks, what an eye-opener! My pepsi "addiction" was 500-700 calories a day!
I thought that some burgers were only 400 calories, but some were as much as 1,100 calories. However, I should stop eating out or at burger places in general!
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I know someone who gave up after 3 days of counting calories - because without changing anything in her routine she was 'out' of calories by midday everyday. It can be discouraging at first, but the good news is you don't have to be perfect on day 1. You don't even have to be perfect on day 1,001. But by thinking about your food choices in advance, you will amaze yourself at how you can eat less calories and still be satisfied and even still enjoy food.0
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yep, burgers became a rare treat for me. Maybe 3 or 4 times a year. I do enjoy eating out quite a bit in general but I make room for it during the day by really scaling back so I have extra calories for dinner.0
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Chicken wings!
When I told my OH how many calories he was eating in chicken wings, before he gobbled down a burger and fries, washed down with a few pints of beer. He just didn't believe it.
After a few months of me giving him his calorie count, and his weight not shifting, he started to believe me.
Those wings are now a once in a blue moon event, and the beer and burger has been replaced with a spinach and prawn salad washed down with a glass of red wine.
He is 35 lb down, at his goal weight, and enjoying his new food choices.
Yup, it is scary seeing the calorie content in some foods.
Cheers, h.0 -
StaciMarie1974 wrote: »I know someone who gave up after 3 days of counting calories - because without changing anything in her routine she was 'out' of calories by midday everyday. It can be discouraging at first, but the good news is you don't have to be perfect on day 1. You don't even have to be perfect on day 1,001. But by thinking about your food choices in advance, you will amaze yourself at how you can eat less calories and still be satisfied and even still enjoy food.
I was too rigid at first, and I gave up at first. Realized it was only day 2.0 -
The calories are high and the sodium is even worse! Double whammy!0
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slinke2014 wrote: »yep, burgers became a rare treat for me. Maybe 3 or 4 times a year. I do enjoy eating out quite a bit in general but I make room for it during the day by really scaling back so I have extra calories for dinner.
I thought that a meal at McDonald's, including the 20 piece, was only 900 calories, turns out it was 2,399 calories.0 -
It is an eye opener. If you're serious about losing weight, invest in a food scale. You'd be shocked at how much 2 oz of pasta isn't0
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sherbear702 wrote: »It is an eye opener. If you're serious about losing weight, invest in a food scale. You'd be shocked at how much 2 oz of pasta isn't
Does a food scale count calories?0 -
One of my mantras became "Knowledge is Power". I can make knowledgeable, informed choices. I'm pretty much reconciled to needing to log as long as I am in charge of my food choices; if I don't weigh and log what I eat, I over-portion without realizing it. I still make energy-dense choices, and my choices are my no means an ascetic ideal, but over the course of 14 months my palate has changed and it's easier to make the trade-offs between the occasional indulgence and the generally healthier choice.0
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For me it was something at McDonald's that was about 430 calories alone but as a meal 1300. I gave up sweet tea and fries on the spot and came to MFP to start counting. Another moment was when I ran far enough to burn 1000 calories (7.5 miles) if that doesn't motivate you to control what you consume nothing will. In reality I was over eating and making bad food choices. That was 45 pounds ago and it just don't stop. That's why I tell people "It's not a diet, its a lifestyle change" If you re-train yourself on what and how much to eat, its not all that difficult. It also helps to run 25 miles a week too.0
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Hahahah wait until you get a food scale and start to see the REAL serving size of some food!
I still remember when the first time I put the serving size for pasta in the scale I was like hell no please jesus nooooo.
But don't worry it will get better! We all went through that
Dont give up and good luck.0 -
It helps you count calories.sherbear702 wrote: »It is an eye opener. If you're serious about losing weight, invest in a food scale. You'd be shocked at how much 2 oz of pasta isn't
Does a food scale count calories?
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I know the feeling. I had that moment of realizing how evil and sneaky calories are they hide in massive amounts in the most unlikely of places and yes that does explain a great deal why some people are overweight.
I have a friend who likes to drink, primarily brightly colored sweet drinks and all I can do is shake my head at all the added calories he consumes . . . of course he cannot understand why he is gaining the weight that he lost while hanging with me and drinking mostly water. There are times when I think his beverages have more calories than his meals.0 -
For me it was something at McDonald's that was about 430 calories alone but as a meal 1300. I gave up sweet tea and fries on the spot and came to MFP to start counting. Another moment was when I ran far enough to burn 1000 calories (7.5 miles) if that doesn't motivate you to control what you consume nothing will. In reality I was over eating and making bad food choices. That was 45 pounds ago and it just don't stop. That's why I tell people "It's not a diet, its a lifestyle change" If you re-train yourself on what and how much to eat, its not all that difficult. It also helps to run 25 miles a week too.
I just restarted jogging today. Fingers crossed.0 -
No, but a food scale will let you weigh your portions so your calorie counts are more accurate. If you say you are eating 4 ounces (the recommended serving size) of meat, how do you know that it's really 4 ounces unless you weigh it? Not that I usually eat just 4 ounces. However, when I am about to eat something of unknown size, knowing exactly what it weighs lets me enter the correct number of calories. I try to choose food entries with serving sizes in weight (grams or ounces) .sherbear702 wrote: »It is an eye opener. If you're serious about losing weight, invest in a food scale. You'd be shocked at how much 2 oz of pasta isn't
Does a food scale count calories?
I know I was terrible at eye-balling portion sizes when I first started.
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Does a food scale count calories?0
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No, but a food scale will let you weigh your portions so your calorie counts are more accurate. If you say you are eating 4 ounces (the recommended serving size) of meat, how do you know that it's really 4 ounces unless you weigh it? I know I was terrible at eye-balling portion sizes when I first started.sherbear702 wrote: »It is an eye opener. If you're serious about losing weight, invest in a food scale. You'd be shocked at how much 2 oz of pasta isn't
Does a food scale count calories?
That's it. I'm getting a food scale!0 -
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For me it was something at McDonald's that was about 430 calories alone but as a meal 1300. I gave up sweet tea and fries on the spot and came to MFP to start counting. Another moment was when I ran far enough to burn 1000 calories (7.5 miles) if that doesn't motivate you to control what you consume nothing will. In reality I was over eating and making bad food choices. That was 45 pounds ago and it just don't stop. That's why I tell people "It's not a diet, its a lifestyle change" If you re-train yourself on what and how much to eat, its not all that difficult. It also helps to run 25 miles a week too.
(Emphasis added)
The bolded is part of why the axiom "You can't out-exercise your calorie intake" holds so true. How many of us have time (or energy! or inclination!) to run 7+ miles to burn off a piece of cheesecake, or two bagels with cream cheese, or ....
Wow. On a separate note, I just realized that a bagel with cream cheese (370 - 540+) could have more calories than a bundtlet from Nothing Bundt Cakes (390-440). I know which one I would enjoy more!
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I know the feeling. I had that moment of realizing how evil and sneaky calories are they hide in massive amounts in the most unlikely of places and yes that does explain a great deal why some people are overweight.
I have a friend who likes to drink, primarily brightly colored sweet drinks and all I can do is shake my head at all the added calories he consumes . . . of course he cannot understand why he is gaining the weight that he lost while hanging with me and drinking mostly water. There are times when I think his beverages have more calories than his meals.
Evil and sneaky is right.
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No, but a food scale will let you weigh your portions so your calorie counts are more accurate. If you say you are eating 4 ounces (the recommended serving size) of meat, how do you know that it's really 4 ounces unless you weigh it? I know I was terrible at eye-balling portion sizes when I first started.sherbear702 wrote: »It is an eye opener. If you're serious about losing weight, invest in a food scale. You'd be shocked at how much 2 oz of pasta isn't
Does a food scale count calories?
That's it. I'm getting a food scale!
Best desicion ever! #congrats... I owe everything to my food scale
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For me it was something at McDonald's that was about 430 calories alone but as a meal 1300. I gave up sweet tea and fries on the spot and came to MFP to start counting. Another moment was when I ran far enough to burn 1000 calories (7.5 miles) if that doesn't motivate you to control what you consume nothing will. In reality I was over eating and making bad food choices. That was 45 pounds ago and it just don't stop. That's why I tell people "It's not a diet, its a lifestyle change" If you re-train yourself on what and how much to eat, its not all that difficult. It also helps to run 25 miles a week too.
I just restarted jogging today. Fingers crossed.
Start slow and gradually work up and get some good shoes.0 -
No, but a food scale will let you weigh your portions so your calorie counts are more accurate. If you say you are eating 4 ounces (the recommended serving size) of meat, how do you know that it's really 4 ounces unless you weigh it? I know I was terrible at eye-balling portion sizes when I first started.sherbear702 wrote: »It is an eye opener. If you're serious about losing weight, invest in a food scale. You'd be shocked at how much 2 oz of pasta isn't
Does a food scale count calories?
That's it. I'm getting a food scale!
Best desicion ever! #congrats... I owe everything to my food scale
Agreed! I even weigh things like peanut butter and salad dressing because the serving size is given in grams as well as tablespoons. The benefit is that I don't dirty as many tablespoons and measuring cups! It's the things which are calorie dense that are the most important to weigh.0 -
It's actually pretty depressing to me when I eat out... I look at what looks good on the menu and it upsets me when I think that everything is probably over 1000 calories (sure, I could eat half, but then half the time I'd still be hungry after!).
But I knew some things had a lot of calories, I just never realized that it was THAT bad. .. like more than what I should eat for a day in one meal bad.0 -
Peanut butter. So I guess nuts in general. I didn't eat much before but started when I started logging (go figure) and now I'm addicted but oh so many calories.0
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I love chicken wings! But now when we go to my favorite place for wings, I order baked wings instead of fried. And instead of fries I get celery. To be honest, their fries are not even very good! But the wings come with either fries OR celery. And its only like $.60 to get wings & fries and add celery. So I used to do that as it was the better value. And at home, I buy a store brand frozen bag of wings and make them in the hot air 'fryer'. Awesome invention!
Its healthier to avoid the grease, but they're still quite good.0 -
I went to Olive Garden last Friday night. I had 4 pieces of Lasagna Fritta (appetizer), 1 bread stick, 1 bowl of Toscana Soup and two cokes. Just that came to 1391 calories. And I didn't even get a meal. Just some appetizers, a bowl of soup, a drink and one bread stick. Rediculous. And we wonder why America is fat.0
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slinke2014 wrote: »yep, burgers became a rare treat for me. Maybe 3 or 4 times a year. I do enjoy eating out quite a bit in general but I make room for it during the day by really scaling back so I have extra calories for dinner.
I thought that a meal at McDonald's, including the 20 piece, was only 900 calories, turns out it was 2,399 calories.
I recently moved to WA where most restaurants are required to have the calories listed on the menu, including fast food and Starbucks. it really helps you decide what to put in your body.0
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