About this calorie counting stuff

[Donuthole]

I don't know what is hurting you more, the commentary or that you are taking a date to Cafe Rio

Could be worse: he could be taking his dates to The Cheesecake Factory.


Shaka's Date: "I'll have the turtle cheesecake."

Shaka: "You realize that pasta dish you devoured had 1400 calories, right? Just making sure."

[Jarid in Cedar]

Could be worse: he could be taking his dates to The Cheesecake Factory.

Shaka's Date: I'll have the turtle cheesecake.

Shaka: You realize your pasta dish had 1400 calories, right? Just making sure.

[TripletDaddy]

my advice: stop eating out if you are counting calories down to 1800 per day. eating out is nothing but trouble.

also, dont get discouraged. this is an attempt to change how you eat. You are trying to retrain something that you have been doing for years or decades. It is going to take time to learn how to eat properly.

good luck, though. it is a great goal.

[Shaka]

I don't know what is hurting you more, the commentary or that you are taking a date to Cafe Rio

My date this Saturday night is a hottie. I will be taking her somewhere a little nicer than Cafe Rio. I will wow her with soup, salad, and breadsticks at The Olive Garden.

[thesaint258]

I don't know what is hurting you more, the commentary or that you are taking a date to Cafe Rio

You can't set the bar too high early on because she'll just expect that to be the minimum for the rest of the relationship.

[Surfah]

my advice: stop eating out if you are counting calories down to 1800 per day. eating out is nothing but trouble.

also, dont get discouraged. this is an attempt to change how you eat. You are trying to retrain something that you have been doing for years or decades. It is going to take time to learn how to eat properly.

good luck, though. it is a great goal.

Ditto. I admit that I haven't been diligent and since October have put on 12 lbs and am now sitting at 250 again. When me and Gidget were keeping at it we used fitday and now dailyplate to track our calories. We kept a cheat day, and that day for us was Sunday. One of the reasons Sunday was our cheat day was because we don't eat out and wouldn't be tempted to undo all we did during the week. It was just a chance for us to have maybe a bit bigger portion of mom's Sunday roast and a piece of dessert that we didn't allow ourselves during the week.

I am back on the diet now and want to try and get down 25 more lbs. My new place of employment has a gym I can use in the office building whenever I want. So I plan on putting in 8 hours and then another 1-2 in the gym daily.

[happyone]

FWIW, when I lost my weight, I really didn't count calories. I counted Carb servings. I limited my self to 10-12 carb servings per day.
1 carb serving = 15 gms of carbohydrate.
For example one carb serving:
1/2 cup of pasta, 1/2 apple, 1 cup of strawberries, 1 cup of milk, 1 slice of bread

I also strictly followed the food pyramid for servings totals/per day

ie 2-3 fat servings, 2-4 dairy, 2-4 fruit, 3-5 vegis etc.

I also switched to whole grains for starches

I also wrote down everything I ate, but you can't lie to yourself, if you eat 2 peanuts, write 'em down When writing donw what I ate I also catorgized the servings and noted how many servings of what I ate. This was just in the day planner the work gave me.

I also stepped up my exercise.

If there is no medical reasons,(ie diabetes) I also like the idea of a day off once a week, as long as you don't go overboard.

Good luck.

[SteelBlue]

I really like the dietary recommendations in Body for Life. they are reasonable, easy to understand, and the 7th day of rest is a good way to avoid burnout. You have to make sure that you truly are diligent the other 6 days or it is all for naught.

Agreed. I've done several hardcore cycles of BFL over the years and when you stick to it it works better than anything I've ever done. The day off is wonderful. Even when I'm not doing it hardcore, the 6 small meals a day with no junkfood keeps me at a decent weight.

[Fiyero]

On days when you know you will be eating out, plan ahead by having lower calorie meals.
-Shredded wheat with skim milk: 300 calories.
-Three egg omelet with mushrooms, onion, green pepper, and tomato: 280 calories.
-A piece of low-sugar fruit, cut up into fat free cottage cheese: 120 calories. (Low sugar fruits: peaches, apples, nectarines, tangerines, and all berries- strawberries, cranberries, boysenberries, etc.)
-Tuna on wheat with no mayo or cheese: 350 calories. (Instead of mayo, mix with fat free italian dressing).
-Chicken vegetable soup (broth based, not cream based) with a 4 oz chicken breast added: 200 calories.
-Salmon and asparagus: 350 calories

[Pheidippides]

One school of thought (from Body for Life, IIRC) is to give yourself a "day off" each week, during which you don't worry about your calorie intake. This will slow down your weight loss a bit, but for many people it is necessary to keep them from falling off the wagon. Save up your night out at a restaurant for this day, and enjoy a day of guilt-free eating. However, what you shouldn't do is use your free day as a day to pound as many calories as you can. In other words, don't worry about what you're eating, as long as you're eating fairly reasonable portion sizes. Order dinner. Order dessert. Order a drink. Snack on some chips. And at the end of the day,recommit yourself to 6 more days of calorie counting and working out.

I'm not a super fan of this approach when losing weight, as I tend to really go bonkers on the off-day (I tried it before I actually lost weight with no success). But that's my own personal deal.

my advice: stop eating out if you are counting calories down to 1800 per day. eating out is nothing but trouble.

also, dont get discouraged. this is an attempt to change how you eat. You are trying to retrain something that you have been doing for years or decades. It is going to take time to learn how to eat properly.

good luck, though. it is a great goal.

DDD is right. Eating out is bad news. You can do it with caution. However, most good restaurants don't have calorie information; most bad ones do (I would guess it's because of fungibility/consistency of product at the bad ones).

I say this, but I'm struggling right now. Haven't gained any weight, but I had to take the week off from p90x because of the flu and work (average sleep per night: 3 hours) and my diet has suffered as well. I desperately need to go run a few miles too, but I'm still babying my knee. We all have up and down swings. Consistency over time is the key.

[Art Vandelay]

I have given up pop (again) and tried to avoid eating out for lunch, as well as doing cardio at least 5 times a week. It helps to keep off any mid-section flab, but at my age I am quickly losing all muscle tone (I use to look for any excuse to take my shirt off when outside...now not so much so). I need to get back lifting again. For an older dude like me what is the best cardio vs. lifting combo to try and regain some muscle but keep the body fat down? I just don't have the time to devote to the gym like I use to. Now I have 45 minutes to get and get whatever I need to everyday.

[Donuthole]

I'm not a super fan of this approach when losing weight, as I tend to really go bonkers on the off-day (I tried it before I actually lost weight with no success). But that's my own personal deal.

Yeah, for some people the off-day is necessary to keep them on the wagon, and for others, the off-day can pull them right off the wagon.

Everyone who is going to be successful at weight loss/maintenance has to find what works for them.

[happyone]

Yeah, for some people the off-day is necessary to keep them on the wagon, and for others, the off-day can pull them right off the wagon.

Everyone who is going to be successful at weight loss/maintenance has to find what works for them.

[SteelBlue]

my advice: stop eating out if you are counting calories down to 1800 per day. eating out is nothing but trouble.

This is why I'm a big fan of the one day off. I can't imagine life without going out to eat and ordering what I want actually want to eat.

[bluegoose]

Great advice. I think a day off is a good idea.

I was shocked how guilty I felt after getting the calorie info of that meal. Having that info in black and white is huge.

I think a day off every week is fine for most people. Even if you do chow down during the day and then go out to eat on Saturday night, most people won't eat more than about 4,000 calories on a day off.

If your BRM plus activity puts you at 3,000 cals burned per day, you are at a surplus, but not by much. As long as the other 6 days you operate at a decent deficit, you should still lose weight.