i don't know what i'm doing!

Today is day 3 for me. I don't know what i am doing. In the past when i have tried to lose weight, i just ate sensibly & exercised, & journaled what i ate. But i didn't  calorie count. Did weight watchers the last time. Now i am eating how i know is "eating right", and i am getting Ds & Cs on the food log analysis.


I weigh 249. I am 5'6. How many cals should i be eating? Also, i am on the run a lot. If i plan in advance, i am ok, but yesterday, i had fast food twice. I tried to make wise choices there, but don't know if i did well. There are also some times of MINDLESS eating, which i have done a lot of in the past, but am trying to quit.

Here are some examples:

My food---10/23/06 (Monday)

breakfast 8am:coffee/2 splenda/creamer--40 

lunch 12:00: campbell's chicken noodle soup--220

1/2 ham sandwich--140

1 mini pack nerds-- bottled water--0  

snack 3:00: Starbucks nonfat vanilla latte  230  

dinner 8:45pm: 1 ham sandwich--185 (whole wheat bread,ham&little mayo & mustard)

diet coke--0  

snack: 1 slice pizza (8:30pm)totally mindless b/c i was starving & had just gotten in the door!!--40 calories according to dominos pizza site but seems that it should be more than that!!

2 cookie dough circles!!10pm BAD & TOTALLY Mindless, not hungry, just wanted something sweet!! 220 calories!  

TOTAL CALORIES: 1,035

tuesday was this:

Breakfast (8am): Coffee, 1 c., 2 splenda, creamer

Lunch (11:45am): Lean Cuisine Pepperoni Pizza & water

Snack(3pm): small bag dill pickle chips & a diet coke

Supper (5:45pm--after work, on the way to rehearsal): McDonalds: 1 hamburger & small fries & bottled water

After rehearsal (8:30pm): taco bell 1 regular taco & 1 steak soft taco & small diet pepsi

snacks once i got home before going to bed/aka: mindless eating:  2 circles cookie dough, 2 small glasses of orange juice.


The analysis gave me a D for Monday & a C+ for yesterday, which is confusing to me b/c i had fast food yesterday. Even though i would normally eat a quarterpounder meal with a coke at mcdonalds!!

Sorry this is long, please help me!! :)

Thanks, Mel

We are pretty much in the same boat, Mel! Today is day 2 for me. My breaking point was seeing 199 on the scale on monday. I was like no way! I was 145 before I got pregnant..My son is almost 3!!

I also did weight watchers before and had success with that...but of course once you stop, it just creeps back on....

I think this will tell you how many calories to eat..it told me 1650. I'm 199 and 5'8 though so it would be different i'm sure.

Well, my advice is the obvious...drive past the Mcdonald's and Taco Bell! I know that's so super hard. It sucks. But if you go to fast food, Wendy's seems to have the best. Get a potato, or the grilled chicken without the honey mustard sauce. I'll get it without honey mustard then ask for sweet and sour..because Honey mustard is almost worst than an entire small fries!

Also, an easy way for me is to cut out juice. Pretty much all juice has tons of calories and sugar. If you don't like water, go for Crystal Lite or tea with splenda.

I'm no expert, just givin my .02$ :)

Hi Mel and welcome!

It sounds, actually, like you know what you need to do. Plan ahead for food and cut the mindless eating.  Now, to do that....

*Quick warning, I'm not keen on processed foods (chips, diet coke, etc), so if you can't live without them I may not be much  help.*

I think one thing you should look at is sodium, which makes you retain water, feel bloated, etc, in addition to the heart-health aspects.

Secondly, for planning, keep low fat string cheese in the fridge. It lasts a long time before going bad and can add some power to an on the run meal. Keep veggies like celery, carrots, etc that are portable. Grapes, apples, berries too are great for snacks. Natural, whole-grain stuff is better for your digestive tract and requires more effort -- read, calorie-consumption--for your body to digest. Nix on the chips

On a fridge note as well, try to keep it free of the foods you gravitate towards for a quick fix, like those cookie dough circles. I know, I know, it's manna from heaven, but the Israelites were walking all day long to burn off that manna.

A tip on the domino's--they break it down by ingredient. You have to add the dough, the sauce, the cheese and the toppings. Sneaky on their part, but not if you out-sneak them!

Fruit juice is also something I use in moderation--lots of sugar in those 8 tiny ounces! Try eating an orange instead.

Just an idea, try going without the diet soda for a while. I used to LOVE diet coke and practically not drink any water, but now I never drink it. I tried the other day and found it foul.

If you would post a day of eating that doesn't include fast food, I think we could probably come up with some more specific suggestions that apply to your normal days. And if fast food is that normal, I'd suggest making it a priority to change that!

GOOD LUCK!!!!

sorry, the food logs were typed neater than that! idk what happened!! :)

Hmm - I'd suggest more fruit and vegetables.  They're mostly low cal (except for some of the fruits) and full of nutrients that will boost your score into the A, B range :-)  

Mel,

Looks like you may be getting a bad grade because of the SALT.  I did the same thing the other day.  Gained 2 lbs after eating chicken noodle soup and then au jus with a small french dip.  My salt for the day was 6000 something.  Bad bad bad.  Most diet pops have a ton too.  If you go to the "foods" it usually tells you why it gets a bad grade.

Also, good luck with the program.  I've been doing this for 7 weeks now and have lost 18 pounds, which is fantastic.  I do work my butt off hiking and swimming, but the program here is really working for me.  I started at 234 and I'm 5'5. 

Thanks so much for your help, all of you! I want to win this thing, but i am kind of perplexed right now! Soon i will hit walmart to get some healthy groceries. The choco chip cookie dough is from a fundraiser that a guy at work was doing when i was in "i give up" mode & i bought from him & they just came in FRIDAY! I'm like GREEAAAT, thanks a lot! I guess i could give them away!!

The fast food is not normal, i mean, when not doing well, i can eat fast food non-stop, but when i eat right, i know what to do! I just have got to get into FRUITS & VEGGIES & it's not that i dislike them, i just don't typically crave them! i crave carbs! I will have to get over that!

Also a friend told me that she would not even start exercising till i get the eating figured out & stuff.

keep the advice coming, please! :)

sorry i have all kinds of typos. when i said my friend told me not to exercise yet, i was writing that to ask y'alls opinion of that!

I love the slim fast snack bars.  Peanut butter crunch tastes just like a butterfinger and its good for you!!  The peanut nuget one is just like a snickers.  They save me when I get a sweet tooth. 

Don't worry Melbelle - when you start eating all the healthy stuff you'll find you crave the junk less and less.  If you don't like one type of fruit or veg, try another.  Sometimes it's even the way it's prepared - some things taste compltely different raw from cooked.  It doesn't have to be all salads either :-)

If you don't feel comfortable with actual exercise yet, just increase your activity. I got a pedometer off ebay (like a really good one) and it really helps you realize if you're being active or not. I know that sounds weird, but you'd be surprised!

Just walk more, park further away, little stuff like that until you work your way up.

If you haven't exercised in awhile, I wouldn't suggest taking a Step class anytime soon. They're killers! But you can definitely do some stuff.

I would definitly NOT wait to start exercising.  Even if it's just a short walk, it's better than nothing, and it'll make you feel better too.  I sometimes go for a walk just because I can't stay away from the fridge.  I'm actually not as hungry when I get back.  :)

• Hi Melbelle, welcome to C C.  It is a great place.  my advice is this
• eat breafast...coffee isnt enuf.  I eat cereal that has 5-8g fiber..
• eat 3 meals low fat high fiber...gradually increase the fiber to avoid theabdominal discomfort  work towards 25-30g/day
• 3 snacks inbetween the meals  fruit or string cheese etc
• drink enuf water so that your pee is clear
• get rid of food that triggers mindless eating..I call red light food.  I go out and buy one cookie or i scoop of icecream if I want a treat
• stock the kitchen with wholesome food
• it is all about portion control and balance....plan ahead for a special occasion...cut back calories  by 100 cal for a week and enjoy birthday cake etc.
• DONT feel guilty if you blow it.....dust off and get back on the wagon.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, karenie.

i just added u as a friend. :)

I have some grocery shopping to do b/c i have no fruit or veggies!! :o/

Read this

http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/article /nutrition.html

Then rethink the way you eat. 

Looking at your menus, you are way too high in sodium, way too low in fiber and you don't have any vegetables and fruit to speak of.

very true. i am going to the grocery store tonight! i just started & do not have good things in my fridge! i am going to read that article.

THANKS. :)

Melbelle,

Your binging cuz you're not eating enough calories. You need to eat about 10 times your body weight in calories if you are doing exercise(2400 calories). If no exercise than less.

Try this:  total calories for the day 2110

1 - 8 in banana (med), 1 1/2 cups 2% milk, 1cup shredded wheat   375 cal

1- fat free yoplait yogurt, 1 slice 40cal bread with 2 TB peanut butter   330 cal

2 - sandwiches (40 cal bread, each with 2 reg slices Oscar Meyer turkey, pickles, mustard, 1/2 tB light mayo each, lettuce, & 1 slice fat free cheese each), 1-can of Campbells chicken noodle soup, fat free jello   555 cal

1- 6 oz chicken breast, 1 cup brown rice, 15 cal salsa(at any store), or a tb BBQ sauce for chicken  400 cal

1 Cup frozen mixed vegetables, 1/2 lb of ground turkey (93/7 fat), 2 sugar free popsicles, diet soda  450 cal

THANK YOU SO MUCH ANTONIO

you are right. thanks for the suggestions!

We're in a very similar boats! I'm of the same weight and height and my cals to stay at this weight are 2522 daily. Its recommended that I eat 1650 cals a day. I aim for 1500-1600. Some days I'm there or under, other days just slightly over (or like last night- at or just above my maintenance cals. It was my 1st real binge since starting this program 5 days ago!)

Here are a couple of things I love that are relatively low cal:

Nice medium/large sized dill pickles wrapped with a slice of gouda cheese and 2 slices very thin sliced roast beef. OH YUM! It's my absolute fave. I have 2 or 3 of those for lunch.

Chicken strips (like the Louis Rich precooked packaged ones) in a pita or wheat tortilla wrapped with lettuce, tomato, and/or other veggies and salsa. YUM!

I've just discovered those Sweet & Salty bars that are sooo yummy... have a very thin layer of chocolate and then peanuts or almonds.. really crunchy... can't remember who makes 'em. But they are 150 cals and 1.5grm fat. Not bad for a sweets fix and I keep one box in my purse (sans box!) or in a drawer at work so I can grab if dying of hunger.

There are tons of good ideas and fabulous people here. It's my 3rd, and hopefully, final stint here.  Jade

Hello!

I was thinking of the rice diet. Has anyone ever heard of this? It really is not about eating rice, it is about eating fruits, veggies and non-fat dairy. Once a week they say it OK to eat 3oz. of meat. You do get protein from the beans and dairy you are allowed.

I know it sounds a bit radical and I have not started yet. Start date looks like next Monday.

Good luck to all of you who are trying to lose some weight. God knows I would love too! I know everything I should do, but I can't stay focused for very long. My sister went on ADD medication and she has lost weight without even trying and she wants me to ask my doctor for it.

I do not like taking medication if I do not have to: )

WELCOME! I've posted a lot of really great information and useful tips in this thread:

http://www.calorie-count.com/forums/post/8532 .html