Anyone else finding it hard to count calories?

catic · January 2012

I know this is a learning thing, I've never had to count calories before in my life. And I am learning every day when I enter into my food diary. But my GOD some things you don't THINK would be a lot of calories are huge killers! I'm a single person and I find it hard cooking for 1 person, portion sizes, what food to pick etc.

visiri · January 2012

It's not easy - you just need to read, read, read. The sides of boxes and pay extra attention to what is a "serving size". Amazes me that so many things that are obviously meant for a single serving are split into 2-3 servings.

Also - use the recipe feature here for everything you make - it figures it out and helps you figure out what you're eating. You can play with the serving number and then measure out what amount makes the most amount of sense for your hungry tummy and your calorie needs for the meal.

I'm not there, but eventually it should become second nature -I'm waiting to hear from others to see what they say too.

Good Luck!!!

ngory07 · January 2012

At first I did but once I started logging and seeing the calorie counts like u said it amazed me. I have pretty much cut out soda. But its a weakness. My bf bought orange faygo. This morning I was thirsty and almost drank one. But its 120 calories I can save for food. So I said no. Try making a recipe and freezing them in proper portion sizes. There are some great grocery lists in here. Here are some of my staple

Cheeses
Chicken breasts
Frozen veggies
Chick peas for making hummus
Carrots
Bell peppers
Lettuce
Cottage cheese
Eggs
Evoo
Shrimp
All the fresh veggies u want
Milk
Gala apples
Natural peanut butter
Pork chops
Sprouted whole grain bread
Canned tomatoes

thecrossfitter · January 2012

It definitely is really hard at first, and I felt like everything took a long time - you had to measure and weigh, and ugh, I was just ready to eat! haha

As time goes on, you'll feel very comfortable with portions and won't need to measure (some people however, admit they will always have to measure because they know they'll cheat their portions!) It starts to get easier and it just takes time.

I recommend buying fresh meat and produce and making things yourself. If you buy boxed meals, there can be a lot of 'hidden' things in it (if that makes sense), versus making the meal yourself from scratch. I've been cooking for two for eight months now, but before only ever cooked for myself. Buying a toaster oven so I could convection cook was a GREAT decision! I typically just made smaller portions which is easy to do when you're cooking from fresh ingredients! But I also just save leftovers and eat them for lunch the next day.

Good job for your diligence! It can be a pain at first, but I promise it gets easier

Keep it up!

thecrossfitter · January 2012

PS - Never underestimate how delicious a salad can be, and how different it can taste depending what you put on it! Trader Joe's sells a "Veggie Healthy 8" I think it's called, maybe it's called, it's sold with the bags of lettuce. It has 8 different veggies for salads prechopped, and only costs $3 and easily lasts the entire week (and I eat a massive salad for lunch every day!) I throw on things like half avocado, hard boiled egg, strawberries, green onion, chicken, turkey, steak etc. Dressing? Go for balsamic vinegar (not vinegarette) it is very low calorie, OR go for oil and vinegar!

shakybabe · January 2012

I live on my own and when I make things like curry, chilli or shepherd's pie I portion it up and freeze the other half so when don't feel like cooking I have something quick and easy but I know exactly what went in it!

I eat mainly 'clean' either salad or veg with meat or fish thats it, occasionally I use sauces from jars but only use half the jar and add water.. avoid curry sauces with cream in I go for tomato based ones anyway as have nut allergy so can't have coconut.

Half the jar makes big pan which is then split into two portions so again I can half the total calories for the meal and freeze the other half. with breakfast and lunch too it usually comes in at less than 1200 calories and I'm still losing so I don't count them exactly now.

Saftlad · January 2012

To make life a little easier on yourself, just make up more than you need, then put the extra into containers that you can freeze. That way it's a. easier to cook, b.easier to track, c.easier on you cos you can just take out of the freezer what you want that night and still know it's going to be good for you.

toffee322 · January 2012

yes! it's hard especially when you go out eat or eat at a homemade meal with your family.. you eat a bit of this and a bit of that.. no measurement lol!! i just estimate.. about 1 cup here.. 4 oz there... i think it will drive people insane if you measure everything to the exact.. at least not for my lifestyle.. but i think a good estimate is good enough..

stormieweather · January 2012

One thing I do that makes life easier is to take my meat and divide it up into single portion serving sizes. Then I weigh, wrap, label and freeze them. So when I want chicken breast or ground beef, I take a packet out and it will already be labeled as 3.8 oz or 4.2 oz or whatever, so I can log it accurately. I know that this serving is going to be around 200 calories, and I try to pack as much in the other 200-300 calories as I can (veggies, veggies, veggies!). Seasonings are a great way to make meals interesting without costing too many calories. Lemon juice, garlic, parsley, onion, paprika, dill, cracked black pepper...yumm!

jacksonpt · January 2012

Why is it harder to cook for 1? Is it finding the motivation to cook only for yourself, or is it portion sizes?

If it's the later, think about saving some for lunch the next day. Cook once, get 2 meals out of it. It's win win IMO.

Anyone else finding it hard to count calories?

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