Surprised about my ignorance

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.

It takes a while to figure out that the whole point is you CAN'T eat like you normally do, so you have to budget your meals to stretch your calories throughout the day. Keep blindly putting food in your mouth from the time you wake up and...

A huge eye-opener for me was just how many calories a peanut butter sandwich on Roman Meal bread with a handful of Lay's potato chips and a 16 ounce class of milk actually is. If that's not a comfort food lunch I don't know what is. Sometimes I wish I were ignorant again.

I tried PB2 but I get too much "burnt peanut" flavor from it. One of these days I'll have to try half and half PB2 mixed with milk/real peanut butter and see if it's palatable.

GA_belle wrote: »

I was meeting a friend for lunch last week and planned what I was going to order in advance. When we got there the restaurant was closed so we went to the TGIFriday's next door. I should have looked up the calories before I ordered, but I didn't. I ordered a turkey burger feeling that was a pretty good choice. A homemade turkey burger is only a few hundred calories so plus the bun I was expecting maybe 500-600 calories. NOPE. 970 calories! Not including sides. We eat out often, so I have learned that I have to look at the nutrition information online and decide what I'm going to eat in advance if I have any hope of staying within my allotted calories.

I do this too!

SueInAz wrote: »

wubbykid wrote: »

rsclause wrote: »

wubbykid wrote: »

rsclause wrote: »

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.

Well, I have old shoes. That explains why my feet hurt!

Not only "good" shoes, but the "right" shoes. if you decide to keep running (and I hope you do!) go to a store that specializes in running. They will watch you run (usually on a treadmill) and see how you place your feet when you run. There are specific running shoes for different types of runners and they'll only show you the ones that you should be wearing. Once you know what kind of runner you are (neutral, pronator, over-pronator) you can always buy that type of shoe from anywhere. Also, running shoes should be at least a half size larger than you would normally wear that type of shoe or you'll end up with black toenails that might fall off. NOT pretty!

This does not mean going to a sporting goods store or an athletic shoe store (ex. Finish Line, FootAction). You want a place that only deals with running equipment (shoes, clothing, hydration, fuel). If you see high tops or any gear for other sports then you are in the wrong store. The one exception to this rule is if the store has two specializations, such as running and soccer, and the store is clearly divided. One of my local running stores has running gear on one side and soccer gear on the other, they even have separate entrances.

A second option would be a brand specific store, like New Balance, Asics, or Nike. They usually have a fairly full lineup of that manufactures shoes, but your selection options are potentially limited by how many models they have for a particular pronation type.

Pronation is not just an issue for runners but can also be an issue when walking. It is just that the forces involved in running are higher and if there is an underlying problem, then running forces it out into the light. If you over or under pronate, then you are going to need to spend more on shoes. The cost increase is due to the amount of corrective support that is built into them. Just remember it is better to make the investment now, instead of after you have had several appointments with a podiatrist.

I always knew which foods were bad for me and that cake had lots of calories. I wasn't shocked to find out that Olive Garden was a calorie bomb. These aren't things I hadn't heard...I just didn't care.

Butter surprised me a little, with the calories, not the fat.

I was surprised to find out how very little of some nutrients I ate. I kind of figured that I was getting what I needed, just extra calories. But I was malnourished in a very fat body.

We live, we learn, we try and we get better. Now you know. And as a sage once advised us, "Knowing is half the battle."

GA_belle wrote: »

I was meeting a friend for lunch last week and planned what I was going to order in advance. When we got there the restaurant was closed so we went to the TGIFriday's next door. I should have looked up the calories before I ordered, but I didn't. I ordered a turkey burger feeling that was a pretty good choice. A homemade turkey burger is only a few hundred calories so plus the bun I was expecting maybe 500-600 calories. NOPE. 970 calories! Not including sides. We eat out often, so I have learned that I have to look at the nutrition information online and decide what I'm going to eat in advance if I have any hope of staying within my allotted calories.

Haha or grilled fish tacos. I mean, I see them on the menu, always assume it's one of the better choices, considering it's not fried, and it has veggies... It's always one of the worst dishes, at like 1300+ calories. Boggles my mind.

So yeah, eating out tends to stress me out, and I pretty much gain 2 pounds every time we go on vacations and eat out all the time, even if I try to mostly stick to good options (like I have maybe one or two high calorie meals the whole time).

When I go to chains I always pull out my phone and look up nutrition info now.. even if I have to pretend to have to use the restroom to do it.

You can't out exercise the western diet. Make smart choices. My wife loves Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad with the fried option. It's a whopping 1400 calories! Beware of stealthy foods masquerading as healthy.

tabl_23 wrote: »

VintageFeline wrote: »

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.

I am a peanut butter addict! Like, could seriously eat peanut butter all day long. When I started logging calories it was obvious that I would need to find a substitute for my delicious peanut butter. Anyway....I ordered PB2 online. (It isn't sold in any grocery stores around here. It is a powdered peanut butter....you can mix with water, milk, almond milk, ect. It is 45 calories for 2 tbsp. I will admit that it isn't EXACTLY like my creamy wonderfulness....but it's pretty stinking close...and worth the change for the HUGE calorie difference!

Mash that PB2 with a banana, and you'll swear you're having dessert.