Please explain: HOW do you make it fit your calories?
lorrpb
Posts: 11,463 Member
Lots of people say you can eat any food you want as long as it fits within your calorie goal. I understand the concept but How, in reality, do you do this? Please be specific. For example:
Potato chips & dip. If you eat 10 chips and a spoonful of dip, do you throw out the rest?
A package of cinnamon rolls. You have one or split one, do you let the rest go to waste? Even if I planned one per day, which I don't necessarily want to do, they would go stale first.
A glass of wine at home-do you keep the unused portion of the bottle on hand for weeks or months, then throw it out when it gets too old?
A cake or pie-you have one small piece that you want, then throw out the rest?
A loaf of homemade bread, you have one or two slices then the rest goes stale?
There are only two of us & we're both watching what and how much we eat, so its not like I would just nibble off a stash that someone else will eat up.
Helpful suggestions only, please. No sarcasm and no attacks. Thx.
Potato chips & dip. If you eat 10 chips and a spoonful of dip, do you throw out the rest?
A package of cinnamon rolls. You have one or split one, do you let the rest go to waste? Even if I planned one per day, which I don't necessarily want to do, they would go stale first.
A glass of wine at home-do you keep the unused portion of the bottle on hand for weeks or months, then throw it out when it gets too old?
A cake or pie-you have one small piece that you want, then throw out the rest?
A loaf of homemade bread, you have one or two slices then the rest goes stale?
There are only two of us & we're both watching what and how much we eat, so its not like I would just nibble off a stash that someone else will eat up.
Helpful suggestions only, please. No sarcasm and no attacks. Thx.
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Replies
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Most of those things stay fresh for a few days.
I also eat less packaged food and shop less in volume.
Use the freezer to break packs into smaller quantities you can prepare as needed.
Or buy smaller packages?
Or, I'll prep and freeze food.
But yes, some wastage does occur. With planning, I try to keep it to a minimum.
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Well, I have wine frequently, so I never need to throw any out, I drink it over a few days. Actually, I've been working on a box of wine for a month now and it still tastes just as good as the day I poured my first glass. For desserts, I usually don't have them at home and will save for when we go out to eat. Why would you throw out chips? Just close the bag and put the rest of the dip in the fridge for next time. Cinnamon rolls, you can always freeze the rest. You can freeze bread as well. Just think about it, I'm sure that you could actually come up with of these solutions as well. It really isn't that difficult to figure out.0
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EvgeniZyntx wrote: »Most of those things stay fresh for a few days.
I also eat less packaged food and shop less in volume.
Use the freezer to break packs into smaller quantities you can prepare as needed.
Or buy smaller packages?
Or, I'll prep and freeze food.
But yes, some wastage does occur. With planning, I try to keep it to a minimum.
Yep, all of this, or my husband eats the rest!0 -
I freeze things like cake and bread that I will want to eat later.
Wine boxes are great for people who don't want a whole bottle of wine. They stay good for 4 weeks once they are opened and they come in different sizes. I know wine in a box has a terrible reputation, but there has been fantastic progress in the quality recently.
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If you simply do not care what KIND of weight you lose, then that would be correct. If however you would prefer that most of the weight loss comes from FAT, then no, you need to keep carbs below 100 grams/day.
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Lots of people say you can eat any good you want as long as it fits within your calorie goal. I understand the concept but How, in reality, do you do this? Please be specific. For example:
Potato chips & dip. If you eat 10 chips and a spoonful of dip, do you throw out the rest?
A package of cinnamon rolls. You have one or split one, fo you let the rest go to waste?
A glass of wine at home-do you keep the unused portion of the bottle on hand for weeks or months, then throw it out when it gets too old?
A cake or pie-you have one small piece that you want, then throw out the rest?
A loaf of homemade bread, you have one or two slices then the rest goes stale?
There are only two of us & we're both watching what and how much we eat, do its not like I would just nibble off a stash that someone else will eat up.
Helpful suggestions only, please. No sarcasm and no attacks. Thx.
Of those, the only ones I eat are pie and, rarely, bread. I tend to make pie for a dinner party or holiday get-together or such and so have people to share it with. Bread, I'd make it and have a piece a night, and I'd make a smaller loaf.
Common indulgences for me:
ice cream -- very easy to keep in the refrigerator and measure out.
cheese -- same, plus I buy small amounts
chocolate -- I buy a little piece of high quality chocolate from a local lunch place that has chocolates from all over the world
pizza -- I make a thin crust at home or go out to eat with friends and share or eat half of a small (I get thin crust in an Italian restaurant most commonly) and either bring the rest home or (often, since I don't like taking leftovers to the theater or concert) accept the wastefulness
Indian food -- no interest in discipline so I do it about once a month and combine it with a long weekend workout (great pre half marathon meal, IME)
Ideas for the things you mentioned: can you buy smaller quantities or individual cinnamon rolls? Wine: have it when you go out to dinner, although with two people you could get a half bottle or share one bottle over two or three nights (or just accept the waste and use it for cooking). Disclaimer: Part of the reason I don't drink wine anymore is two people finishing up a bottle seems like moderation to me, and I still sucked at it.
Chips -- they save well and come in smaller bags, make dip at home and in smaller quantities0 -
I have a box of tagalongs. I eat one or two cookies a day or every other day until the box is empty. For wine, I'll have one 5-oz glass once every few days until the bottle is gone. No need to throw anything away. Most things will be fine as long as you keep them in sealed bags or tupperware and/or in the fridge, depending on what it is. For baked goods, anything you think you won't be able to eat before it goes stale, put in the freezer.0
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It depends on how shelf-stable the food is. If the food can last a while without tasting stale or going bad, then I'll keep some at home and portion out what I want whenever I can fit it in. If the food will go bad quickly, I'll either try to find a smaller portion of it at the grocery store (a gourmet cupcake instead of a full cake, a cheesecake container that only has 4 pieces instead of 12, a smaller wine bottle instead of a larger one), make it myself and only make a small portion (a ton of my recipe searches are along the lines of "xyz food 1-2 servings"), freeze the uneaten portion or get the food I want in frozen form, or only get it when I am eating out.0
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lemurcat12 wrote: »Lots of people say you can eat any good you want as long as it fits within your calorie goal. I understand the concept but How, in reality, do you do this? Please be specific. For example:
Potato chips & dip. If you eat 10 chips and a spoonful of dip, do you throw out the rest?
A package of cinnamon rolls. You have one or split one, fo you let the rest go to waste?
A glass of wine at home-do you keep the unused portion of the bottle on hand for weeks or months, then throw it out when it gets too old?
A cake or pie-you have one small piece that you want, then throw out the rest?
A loaf of homemade bread, you have one or two slices then the rest goes stale?
There are only two of us & we're both watching what and how much we eat, do its not like I would just nibble off a stash that someone else will eat up.
Helpful suggestions only, please. No sarcasm and no attacks. Thx.
Common indulgences for me:
ice cream -- very easy to keep in the refrigerator and measure out.
Doesn't it get melty?
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This is how I do it:Potato chips & dip. If you eat 10 chips and a spoonful of dip, do you throw out the rest?
I'll talk about pretzels because the rest of my family will eat up chips while they won't eat pretzels, which I prefer. Anyway, they last quite awhile. I just seal up the bag and eat some whenever I want them. On a rare occasion (SuperBowl, birthday parties, maybe on a holiday) I get the smallest container of my favorite dip. I eat it that day and then use a tablespoon or two until it's gone. I think it's only 4 ounces so it doesn't last long.
A package of cinnamon rolls. You have one or split one, do you let the rest go to waste? Even if I planned one per day, which I don't necessarily want to do, they would go stale first.
N/A
A glass of wine at home-do you keep the unused portion of the bottle on hand for weeks or months, then throw it out when it gets too old?
N/A. I don't drink wine. I drink beer but a 6 pack generally lasts me 6 weeks.
A cake or pie-you have one small piece that you want, then throw out the rest?
This is my most challenging food. I've written before that I am kind of cuckoo about homemade chocolate cake. I usually have a slice or two the day of the party (we only have it for birthdays or holidays) and then a slice the next day. Then that night I go put it in either my car or my husband's so that it goes to work where the office vultures will eat it.
A loaf of homemade bread, you have one or two slices then the rest goes stale?
N/A for homemade bread. But sometimes we make homemade hot pretzels and on those nights I just eat them. No logging. It happens maybe twice a year so I don't worry about it.
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WinoGelato wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Lots of people say you can eat any good you want as long as it fits within your calorie goal. I understand the concept but How, in reality, do you do this? Please be specific. For example:
Potato chips & dip. If you eat 10 chips and a spoonful of dip, do you throw out the rest?
A package of cinnamon rolls. You have one or split one, fo you let the rest go to waste?
A glass of wine at home-do you keep the unused portion of the bottle on hand for weeks or months, then throw it out when it gets too old?
A cake or pie-you have one small piece that you want, then throw out the rest?
A loaf of homemade bread, you have one or two slices then the rest goes stale?
There are only two of us & we're both watching what and how much we eat, do its not like I would just nibble off a stash that someone else will eat up.
Helpful suggestions only, please. No sarcasm and no attacks. Thx.
Common indulgences for me:
ice cream -- very easy to keep in the refrigerator and measure out.
Doesn't it get melty?
Heh, oops.
Make that freezer!0 -
I'm lucky, I used to love sweets when I was a kid, but I lost my taste for sugar pretty young. So a package of cinnamon rolls, I won't even think twice, don't want one, yuck. Show me some white cheddar popcorn, or salt and vinegar potato chips, and it's another story. And that's not so bad, a small bag of chips is only 450 calories, it's Indian food for dinner, rich buttery curry sauce, lots of rice, etc, bam!, that's a 1,500+ calorie meal.
Obviously portion size is important, and I can't have that Indian food very often. The 99 cent bag of chips instead of the big family size bag. No dip, chips are already junk food. (Sorry.) For other stuff, we'll split a bag into zip locks or tupperware, measured out with a food scale, good snack portions, and the rest will keep for a while. And anyway, you have to decide whether your priority is to lose weight or to not waste food, sometimes they'll be at odds.
Pay attention, notice what foods and snacks are most filling on the least calories. Eat more of them and you'll have more leeway to snack.
Also: I did a 57 mile bike ride on Saturday, burning 1,850 calories in the process. Yesterday we needed groceries and I hate driving so I walked. Exercise is great for this for two reasons: (1) you earn back more calories if you want them, and (2) it keeps you busy, you don't focus on being hungry when you're out doing something.0 -
If something is a trigger food that you would overeat if it was in your house then don't bring it in the house. For instance, if you want ice cream, go to a good ice cream parlor and have real, homemade type ice cream. Have a human portion. Pie or cake? Go to a good bakery or cafe and get a piece of pie or cake. Enjoy it.
Chips, if you can't control yourself buy a single portion bag and enjoy.
Let's face it. It would be great if you could have one or two cookies, or a glass of wine, or a few chips, etc etc but not everyone is wired that way. Face it and stop sabotaging yourself by bringing those things home.
I can have wine at home. I can have chips at home. I don't really care for cake or cookies enough to bother with them. Ice Cream......I keep it out of the house. Peanut Butter, nope. I will eat the entire container with a spoon over a few days.
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I eat things over several days.
Chips and dip - have 1oz chips and however much dip today, repeat tomorrow and until gone
Cookies - 2 every day and hope my husband doesn't eat the last one when I have budgeted for it
Cake - free for all. GET THAT OUT OF MY HOUSE!0 -
OP most of what you've mentioned I think is manageable to consume in a reasonable amount of time, or freeze for later, or I would purchase something in a single serving if the other options didn't work.
Wine - I have a glass or two a night. If I didn't think it was still good for drinking before I used up the bottle, I might try to cook with it, but this has never been a theory I needed to put to the test.
Chips and dip - yeah, I would put the bag back in the pantry and the dip in the fridge for later. I buy single servings of Wholly Guacamole since guac tends to turn brown once exposed to air. Hummus and pita chips I eat one or two servings of hummus and a single serving of pita chips and put the rest away. I don't really do other types of chips and dips.
Bread and baked goods can be frozen.
A package of cinnamon rolls - are we talking the Pillsbury kind that comes in a can? They have one that has 5 rolls in it, that's pretty manageable for 2 people I would think.
Cake and Pie can be challenging, which is why I would probably try to find a place that sells individual servings and just buy those, if you don't want to bake and then take the leftovers to work or something.0 -
It is mostly only me at home when my daughter is off at college. I take food that I don't want to waste to work. My coworkers eat everything! If I want fresh baked chocolate chip cookies or anything else that makes more than one serving I will put away a few (enough for a few days) and bring the rest to work. They love me for it and it keeps me from eating them all.0
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My freezer is ridiculously stuffed, so I second that suggestion. Also: mug cakes. They're quick, delicious and single-serving. There are recipes for just about any flavors you like.0
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Lots of people say you can eat any food you want as long as it fits within your calorie goal. I understand the concept but How, in reality, do you do this? Please be specific. For example:
Potato chips & dip. If you eat 10 chips and a spoonful of dip, do you throw out the rest?
A package of cinnamon rolls. You have one or split one, do you let the rest go to waste? Even if I planned one per day, which I don't necessarily want to do, they would go stale first.
A glass of wine at home-do you keep the unused portion of the bottle on hand for weeks or months, then throw it out when it gets too old?
A cake or pie-you have one small piece that you want, then throw out the rest?
A loaf of homemade bread, you have one or two slices then the rest goes stale?
There are only two of us & we're both watching what and how much we eat, so its not like I would just nibble off a stash that someone else will eat up.
Helpful suggestions only, please. No sarcasm and no attacks. Thx.
Cook smaller portions.
Buy smaller portions.
Share with others- spouse, children, party, take to work or school
Refrigerate, freeze or throw things away.
Make or buy lower calorie versions so you can eat more.
Potato chips do not go bad upon being opened. I put them in a sealed container or baggie. You can buy snack size bags instead of a big bag.
Dip can be refrigerated for quite awhile. If it is homemade, make less.
Cinnamon rolls- I don't buy a package of prebaked rolls. Buy an individual roll or bake what you need. Buy or make larger amounts when you have more people to feed.
Cake- you can make half a recipe or half of a mix. You can order a slice of cake at a restaurant. You can go to a cupcake store and buy individual cupcakes these days.
Pie- buy or make a smaller pie or share with others, order a slice of pie at a restaurant.
You can freeze bread. You can make smaller loaves or make rolls Nd freeze the excess. You can also give it away.
I don't drink wine. I drink water or tea. Order a glass of wine at a bar or restaurant instead of having a bottle at home. Have wine when you have guests.
Buy a scoop of ice cream instead of a gallon bucket.
Change what you eat/drink if it isn't worth it to you. Buy foods that don't go bad as quickly. Shop differently.
http://www.stilltasty.com is useful for learning how long foods will keep.0 -
I have two teen boys. I take what I want, then step away before I lose a hand.
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Normally my hubs eats the left overs, however now that hes counting cals too, what works for us is either freezing the left overs if possible, calorie bank so we can eat all the chips and dip or have the treat when people are over.
I LOVE to bake, but if I bake we have a lot of goodies, we eat our allotted share then drop the rest off at the in laws or with neighbors.0 -
I would get rid of the calorie dense junk. its not filling and will leave you nutritionally and physically starving. limit the crap to one day per week where you aren't making yourself sick but allow yourself to cheat. stay strict, lean and eat whole foods the other 6 days.0
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I buy quite a bit of quick frozen things that I can take out a single or double portion depending on the day. You can freeze most dough in small portions so you only bake what you will eat. You can also freeze left over wine in ice cube trays for use in sauces. I also do much of my indulging outside my house. I can have one glass of wine at a restaurant or one slice of pie at the diner and not worry about a whole bottle or pie.0
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There is just the two of us and I loath throwing food away.
Bread and anything like that - freeze and thaw as needed. Really the freezer is my friend. But also buying smaller portion sizes of anyhting for instance chips and dip I buy small packs (30g max) and then share. Dips can also be used as a sauce base or frozen or even a sandwich topping.
I plan lots of things in advance. Even the special things and because of that our waste is actally quite low as compared to many other households.
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I hate throwing away food too - it's expensive. But when it comes down to it, I try to remind myself that it's better to waste the food than it is to waist the food. 0
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Wrt leftover wine (yes, i know...
) and depending on how much is left, I'll either pour it into a 1c freezer container or I'll make "ice cubes" with it. And then it's ready for cooking. No, i have never defrosted it to drink; I'd just open a new bottle for that! 
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My kids and husband will finish most packaged things, so it helps. If they don't like it and it only comes in a big package, I just don't buy it.
I love baking too but a lot of things my kids won't eat, and freezer space is limited, and IMO most things are just not as good after being frozen, so apart from bread (that freezes well), I just don't bake much anymore, so if I want something that badly, I'll go to a good bakery and buy a single serving. Homemade cinnamon rolls disappear pretty fast though!0 -
I try my best to not bring it into the house. That way when I want a donut or something, I have to go out for it. I find this sometimes makes me want it less because I have to go out and it isn't there to mindlessly eat. And two it makes it a treat. I have worked really hard to not have these things in my regular diet and want to keep it that way. Having a treat makes it easier to enjoy and then move on and stay on track. Another thing is that I also try to make my own healthier version. For example is granola bars. They are great for my sons lunch but store bought ones are so full of junk and he has a nut allergy so the healthy ones aren't an option. So I make them, wrap them individually and put them in the freezer. That way they aren't easily accessible but if I do want something sweet I have a healthier version there too!0
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I'm a single person with daily calories of about 1,400 so this is something I've dealt with regularly although I'm still learning tricks!
Over the course of the week I'll have less of a variety of things because I'll have leftovers more often. I also cook smaller portions if the recipe isn't going to freeze well. I don't end up wasting much food. My biggest problem is buying produce that I never eat! (I'm working on this next.)
Potato chips & dip - Chips keep quite a while if you seal the bag or transfer to another airtight container. (I don't eat a lot of chips but if I clip a bag shut then it stays fresh for months.) Dip can be refrigerated. This may be a situation where my go-to snack for that week is chips & dip so I can eat the dip before it spoils.
Cinnamon Rolls (assuming these are already baked, otherwise see biscuits below) - Freeze the ones you're not going to eat in the next two days. Pull one or two out the day before you plan on eating them. Alternatively, defrost in the microwave.
Glass of wine - I don't drink wine that often but if I commit to opening a bottle then I use a vacuum seal stopper and drink it over the course of a week. I can't imagine keeping a bottle around for months!? If you drink wine that rarely consider a boxed wine! (Even the worst boxed wines MUST taste better than a bottle that's been open for weeks!)
Cake/Pie - Both refrigerate well. Cakes usually freeze really well. This is another food where if I have pie then I'll likely eat a piece of pie every day that week and the pie will be consumed. I'll probably cut the cake into chunks (each the size of 2-3 pieces) and freeze those chunks for later thawing/eating.
Bread - Freezes really well. I always make two loaves at a time. I cut one loaf into thirds then freeze 2/3s of the first loaf and the entire second loaf. This also works with grocery store bread. I'll freeze the entire loaf and when I want to use a slice or two then I'll pull those out and toast them. I pretty much only use bread for toast or toasted sandwiches but if I needed soft bread I'd pull the bread I need out the night before and leave it on the counter in a ziplock bag.
Other things I eat over time:
Homemade meals - if it will freeze (soups and some main dishes freeze well) then I'll freeze whatever I don't plan on eating in the next few days. For example, I made a pumpkin Alfredo sauce two weeks ago. After I let the sauce cool in the fridge I spooned individual portions into ziplock bags and put them on a baking sheet to freeze flat. Once they had frozen I took them off the baking sheet and just stashed them where they fit best in the freezer. Since then when I want to use it I'll cook my pasta (about a minute short), drain it, then put the frozen block of (pre-portioned) sauce into the pan and heat it along with the cooked pasta until it's hot. It's extremely easy. Also since I weighed them as I portioned them I know exactly how many grams to log.
Cookies - I make a batch or two and then I drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto a cookie sheet or two (tightly packed) and throw it into the freezer. The next day the balls are frozen and I transfer them into ziplock bags. When I want cookies then I pull however many balls of dough I want out of the freezer and drop it onto the cookie sheet and pop it into the oven for fresh cookies.
Scones/Muffins/Etc - I bake these and then freeze what I don't plan on eating immediately. Pull them out the thaw in advance or defrost in the microwave.
Biscuits (in cans) - I'll open it and bake one or two biscuits, then I'll separate the pieces, freeze the biscuit dough pieces on a cookie sheet, and then transfer to a ziplock bag to keep in the freezer. When I want a biscuit I can put the frozen dough on the cookie sheet and bake it without thawing. Always freeze soft things (anything runny, doughy or easily squished) flat on a cookie sheet and once it's frozen transfer to ziplock bags.
When it comes to freezing things it is also a good idea to portion it out into sizes you know you'll be using over the course of two days. E.g., freezing the cake into a chunk that's equivalent to 2-3 pieces lets me thaw the cake and then eat a piece a day for a few days. The only thing I don't bother doing this with is banana bread and that's because I can cut it when it's straight out of the freezer and I like eating it that way.
All of this portioning and freezing may seem like a lot of work but it cuts down on future cooking/baking time drastically. I love having a well stocked freezer!0 -
I just wanted to say for the wine lovers out there I highly recommend Vacu Vin (http://www.amazon.com/Vacu-Vin-Vacuum-Bottle-Stoppers/dp/B000GA3KCE/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1459184681&sr=1-1&keywords=vacu+vin).
Really helps keep my (bottle) wine fresh for so much longer without change in quality. Really worth it for $10.0 -
Freeze it.
Bread is a daily thing for me, even when I'm losing weight.
It is very easy to eat it every day and maintain your calories.
As for the snack/desserts I vote buying small portioned ones.
To begin with they cost less. Plus none will go to waste. 0
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