Hacks for easy calorie counting

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  • goal06082021
    goal06082021 Posts: 2,130 Member
    paperpudding wrote: »
    MercuryForce wrote: »
    wilson10102018 wrote: »
    goal06082021 wrote: »
    wilson10102018 wrote: »
    My point exactly. If you aren't counting calories you aren't following the science of CICO.

    It's literally the opposite of your point though?

    It is physically impossible to not "follow the science" of CICO, the same way it's not possible to "not follow the science" of gravity.

    You're joking, right? If one jumps up and down and claims that they are not following the science of gravity, that is exactly the same as a person who fasts and binges and says they lost weight but are not following the science of CICO. If it doesn't come down to the calorie count for you, are you one of those metabolism acolytes or fasting persons who says the calorie count doesn't matter?

    Is the point you are trying to make that you think that "being aware foods have calories" is the same as counting calories?


    But it isnt.

    One can be perfectly aware that foods have calories and one needs to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight- and then create that deficit by some means other than counting calories.

    So? That's still "following the science" of CICO. Because again, CICO is an immutable fact of biology and physics and not a diet.
  • ChaoticMoira
    ChaoticMoira Posts: 103 Member
    I find weighing tedious when cooking. So one thing I do is weigh all my meats into individual portions as soon as I bring it home. Then when I am cooking I know what I am putting into a given dish by pulling out as many portions as I need. For instance, my portions on chicken breasts are always 4oz, so I cut and weigh them when I come home from the store, then throw them in the fridge, or freezer. Sometimes I only need a single serving, sometimes I make a few meals at once; but it is quick to just grab what I need.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,961 Member
    wilson10102018 wrote: »
    goal06082021 wrote: »
    wilson10102018 wrote: »
    My point exactly. If you aren't counting calories you aren't following the science of CICO.

    It's literally the opposite of your point though?

    It is physically impossible to not "follow the science" of CICO, the same way it's not possible to "not follow the science" of gravity.

    You're joking, right? If one jumps up and down and claims that they are not following the science of gravity, that is exactly the same as a person who fasts and binges and says they lost weight but are not following the science of CICO. If it doesn't come down to the calorie count for you, are you one of those metabolism acolytes or fasting persons who says the calorie count doesn't matter?

    This is the reverse of what you were arguing before. Before you were saying that someone who says they do believe in CICO doesn't count calories, they're not "doing CICO." Now you're talking about someone who is a CICO denier.
  • coderdan82
    coderdan82 Posts: 133 Member
    ChaoticMoira wrote: »
    I find weighing tedious when cooking. So one thing I do is weigh all my meats into individual portions as soon as I bring it home. Then when I am cooking I know what I am putting into a given dish by pulling out as many portions as I need. For instance, my portions on chicken breasts are always 4oz, so I cut and weigh them when I come home from the store, then throw them in the fridge, or freezer. Sometimes I only need a single serving, sometimes I make a few meals at once; but it is quick to just grab what I need.

    That's interesting. It's the same amount of work but somehow mentally it's less annoying when you weigh it before putting it in the fridge/freezer.
  • MargaretYakoda
    MargaretYakoda Posts: 2,248 Member
    edited August 2021
    coderdan82 wrote: »
    ChaoticMoira wrote: »
    I find weighing tedious when cooking. So one thing I do is weigh all my meats into individual portions as soon as I bring it home. Then when I am cooking I know what I am putting into a given dish by pulling out as many portions as I need. For instance, my portions on chicken breasts are always 4oz, so I cut and weigh them when I come home from the store, then throw them in the fridge, or freezer. Sometimes I only need a single serving, sometimes I make a few meals at once; but it is quick to just grab what I need.

    That's interesting. It's the same amount of work but somehow mentally it's less annoying when you weigh it before putting it in the fridge/freezer.

    We buy our hamburger at a restaurant supply store. It’s much less expensive. But it also means 20 or 40 pounds of hamburger to package into individual bags when we get home.

    Basically, I completely endorse @ChaoticMoria’s tip. Just at a batch cooking level. :)

    This also helps my partner not cook too much, and he is the main household chef, so that’s important.
  • MichelleMcKeeRN
    MichelleMcKeeRN Posts: 450 Member
    coderdan82 wrote: »
    ChaoticMoira wrote: »
    I find weighing tedious when cooking. So one thing I do is weigh all my meats into individual portions as soon as I bring it home. Then when I am cooking I know what I am putting into a given dish by pulling out as many portions as I need. For instance, my portions on chicken breasts are always 4oz, so I cut and weigh them when I come home from the store, then throw them in the fridge, or freezer. Sometimes I only need a single serving, sometimes I make a few meals at once; but it is quick to just grab what I need.

    That's interesting. It's the same amount of work but somehow mentally it's less annoying when you weigh it before putting it in the fridge/freezer.

    I buy large batches of chicken too. I do find it easier to weigh them prior to putting them in the freezer. I normally just cut two chicken breasts in half, write the weight on the bag and then season them up. This is easier for me to do on the weekend when I have more time than weighing as much stuff throughout the week. When I have to do a mid week meal prep, it is one less thing I have to deal with. Each bag is 4 dishes for me.

  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    wilson10102018 wrote: »
    goal06082021 wrote: »
    wilson10102018 wrote: »
    My point exactly. If you aren't counting calories you aren't following the science of CICO.

    It's literally the opposite of your point though?

    It is physically impossible to not "follow the science" of CICO, the same way it's not possible to "not follow the science" of gravity.

    You're joking, right? If one jumps up and down and claims that they are not following the science of gravity, that is exactly the same as a person who fasts and binges and says they lost weight but are not following the science of CICO. If it doesn't come down to the calorie count for you, are you one of those metabolism acolytes or fasting persons who says the calorie count doesn't matter?

    This is the reverse of what you were arguing before. Before you were saying that someone who says they do believe in CICO doesn't count calories, they're not "doing CICO." Now you're talking about someone who is a CICO denier.

    Boy, are you confused. :)
  • ChaoticMoira
    ChaoticMoira Posts: 103 Member
    coderdan82 wrote: »
    That's interesting. It's the same amount of work but somehow mentally it's less annoying when you weigh it before putting it in the fridge/freezer.

    Yup. I find the whole process of cooking to be tedious as it is, so any steps I can do in one day that make the week ahead smoother is a plus. I also put onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika in everything, so I mixed them in the proportions I generally use in a container together, so now I can just grab one scoop when cooking.

    I do what some others mentioned above as well and batch cook a few days out. So I usually have about 4 dinners, lunches and even snacks made ahead. This way I only cook/prep once or twice a week. I even mix my protein shakes ahead.

    I often think I got fat for one reason, my hatred of cooking. It was always easier to get takeout or open a bag of chips. Didn't even matter if the food was not as good, so long as I didn't have to cook it.

  • MargaretYakoda
    MargaretYakoda Posts: 2,248 Member
    ChaoticMoira wrote: »
    coderdan82 wrote: »
    That's interesting. It's the same amount of work but somehow mentally it's less annoying when you weigh it before putting it in the fridge/freezer.

    Yup. I find the whole process of cooking to be tedious as it is, so any steps I can do in one day that make the week ahead smoother is a plus. I also put onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika in everything, so I mixed them in the proportions I generally use in a container together, so now I can just grab one scoop when cooking.

    I do what some others mentioned above as well and batch cook a few days out. So I usually have about 4 dinners, lunches and even snacks made ahead. This way I only cook/prep once or twice a week. I even mix my protein shakes ahead.

    I often think I got fat for one reason, my hatred of cooking. It was always easier to get takeout or open a bag of chips. Didn't even matter if the food was not as good, so long as I didn't have to cook it.

    Agreed.
    One thing I do is prep and dehydrate onions, green peppers, and other veggies. Then my partner just grabs a handful and chucks them in his homemade stews and bean dishes.

    It took a couple days to go through two huge bags (50 pounds) of onions last fall, and we’re not quite halfway through the dehydrated chopped onions at this point. Ditto other veggies.
    Saves freezer space too, since the dehydrated veggies are shelf stable for years.

    Of course, you do need a dehydrator for this trick. We love our 12 tray Cabella’s.
  • westrich20940
    westrich20940 Posts: 873 Member
    I definitely get wanting to grab something prepackaged bc it is easy to log --- you can scan it/just chose the entry that is equal to the label on the back.

    I do that often --- a common quick meal for me is a package of smoked salmon and a package of parcooked rice. I usually add some sauce (like sesame oil/soy sauce)...and eat. Open it up, eat it. Simple ingredients.

    I also tend to just estimate now that I'm in maintenance and have logged alot. So instead of weighing my chicken thigh I already know that each is usually between 3.5-6 ounces or so and don't worry if I'm a bit off bc in the long run it's not gonna matter much. I'll know if I'm routinely over or under bc I'll gain or lose.
  • ChaoticMoira
    ChaoticMoira Posts: 103 Member
    westrich20940 wrote: »
    So instead of weighing my chicken thigh I already know that each is usually between 3.5-6 ounces or so and don't worry if I'm a bit off bc in the long run it's not gonna matter much. I'll know if I'm routinely over or under bc I'll gain or lose.

    Honestly I tend to just weigh one portion of anything I am prepping, then just make the other portions look the same by eye. I am losing, so it has been fine for me. I don't want to have to weigh every single thing. And yeah, anything prepacked is a score!

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