this happen to anyone else?

besides the snickers bar I had today I thought I was making good choices. I had a homemade stir fry, with very little oil and lots of veggies, fruits, some oatmeal and cereal.  The stiry fry was a HUGE portion but besides the chicken and rice it was almost all veggies and maybe one egg. my food meter says I ate 2300 calories! has anyone else eaten more calories than they thought trying to make good choices? Howd you bounce back? this is so disheartening!

edit: I probably should have but I thought I was ok because it had so many veggies and was split between lunch and dinner! This is my first day of weight loss, which is why I joined today, so I guess Im still learning. I really want to loose the 10-20 pounds I gained during the beginning of school (in a 2 month period!) oh and I forgot! Hi everyone :). Im really excited to see some progress!

I wouldnt let it get to you, one day durning the week where you eat more then your alloted amount of calories is not going to kill you.  If it is such a HUGE protion you probably dont need all of it put half in a bowl and save it for tommorow(eating leftover is ok :D).

yup before i thought i barely eat anything turns out to be aloot now i totaly stay away from eggs ( eggs has alot of cal. if i want to eat eggs i take the yoke out cuz the yoke is the bad part the white is the one with good nurtient o and i also eat it boiled or scrambbled i take a nakpkin and tip a little in oil and wipe the pan cuz the only reason u need oil is so the food dont stick to the pan) i also dont really eat pasta rice or bread that much anymore. i think since i been eating that way for a while now if i dont eat a meal with veggies or fruite i feel kinda funny like i have to have veggies. but i am a big fan of sweets with milk !!!!!! o and am a soup person i just dump allot of veggies in and add chicken brooth is sooo good !!!

Hey, welcome to CC.

I got a shock as well when I started a year ago of how much I acturly ait.  I'm on my next serious attempt to lose weight.  I've maintaned for the last 8 months or so and want to lose another stone by Christmas/New Year which could be interesting. 

What I'm doing that's different from last time is planning my meals in advance.  Tomorrow I know exactly what I'm going to eat and how many cals it's going to use.  I'm in my first week and it's going well so far.

Keep making the healthy choices, but also think about what you're eating.  One you've been doing this a while you'll get a good idea how many cals are in each thing.  For me I was suprised how much cals where in rice.  Yes, it's all healthy stuff, but it is fairly high in cals. 

Your first 2-3 weeks are going to be the hardest, but when you get past them, it starts getting easy.

thanks that was really heartening! I have no idea where to start, but one step at a time is apparently best. My main problem isnt what I eat but the volume of it. I need to get used to less food! Thats going to be hard since I dont feel like I overeat now. I really hope to find a lot of support here. Ive read through the forums and you guys all seem awesome! :)

omg i eat allot too what i do is ( but is not really good for u) i just only one meal but alloott like i eat around 12 and then that it and for the rest of the day i eighter forgets i need to eat or just grab a snack when am hungry o and one thing u should rememnber veggies have calories too so just because u are eating healthy that does not mean u r not taking in calories if u over eats on veggies u can get fat too dont u ever wonder why some vegans are fat ??

haha i always thought the vegans that were fat ate too much pasta, rice, carbs ect. I guess one thing I should try is toning down my carb intake. my diet is mostly sandwiches, rice and bean, and veggies. Living on a college campus makes it hard but I can do it! 

if i steam broccoli and spinach can I pretty much eat an unlimited amounts of that?

Original Post by sablekit:

thanks that was really heartening! I have no idea where to start, but one step at a time is apparently best. My main problem isnt what I eat but the volume of it. I need to get used to less food! Thats going to be hard since I dont feel like I overeat now. I really hope to find a lot of support here. Ive read through the forums and you guys all seem awesome! :)

Sablekit

Welcome!

The first few days are usually the toughest, then you get used to the new habits. So don't give up!

One thing important to keep in mind is that you'll have to keep at this for months before you'll reach your goal, so the key is to learn to choose foods that will keep you fuller for longer. Of course, controlling portion sizes is important too. But feeling hungry is a nasty feeling, and it'll make it really tough to keep on a diet for any length of time.

So do start looking for foods that keep you fuller for longer have lots of fibre, or complex carbohydrates, or protein, or they are more satisfying to eat because they have lots of flavor for (comparatively) few calories.

Fibre: fruit and veggies

Complex carbos: whole meal, whole grain anything, so oatmeal is a favourite around these forums. but you know, corn on the cob is wholegrain too, and one entire cob is less than 100 calories and lasts for a long time.

Protein: to me eating more lean meat, fish etc is my 'cheat' food. It stays and stays and the calories are usually much lower than for the same volume of say, plain white rice.

high flavor low cal foods: by this I mean spicy foods, or herb and spice flavored foods. for example, mexican rice soup with lots of cilantro and other spices can taste robust without using fats or butter.  another favorite of mine is to forgo any kind of generic cheese and only eat cheese if it's bursting with flavor, like a good smoked gouda with black pepper, or pepper jack (can you tell I like spicy? :)) For just 1 oz (100 cals approx) I get so much satisfaction! and it flavors other foods for less fat calories too.

These are just generic starting points. As you get better at this, you'll want to do more fancy stuff like watch your percentages or sodium intake or whatever...

All the best! And yes I agree with you these forums are fantastic in terms of support.

Original Post by sablekit:

thanks that was really heartening! I have no idea where to start, but one step at a time is apparently best. My main problem isnt what I eat but the volume of it. I need to get used to less food! Thats going to be hard since I dont feel like I overeat now. I really hope to find a lot of support here. Ive read through the forums and you guys all seem awesome! :)

 Welcome also!  I felt the same when I started out but what really worked for me was taking small snacks (90 cal special k bars, clementines and other fruit, 100 calories of nuts, 45 calorie rice cakes) and eating one snack every 2 or 3 hours (obviously my bfast, lunch and dinner meals are more substantial)... but I felt like I was eating SO often that you don't even think you are decreasing or restricting yourself that much...  plus with all of the 100 calorie pack options, fruits, low fat yogurts and cheeses you have so many snack options and can snack away and still stay at your calorie requirements

I LOVE over-eating. The only thing that helps me is if I drink lots of water all day long. I've learned that I often think I'm hungry when I'm really just thirsty. Hope this helps!

Original Post by sablekit:

has anyone else eaten more calories than they thought trying to make good choices? Howd you bounce back? this is so disheartening!

 

To avoid the same thing happening another time, try working out what the calorie count of a meal will be before you make it rather than after the fact.   The Recipe Analyser is very good for this.   You can add up all the ingredients of your dish and see what the total is.... if it's too high you can trim them back before you start.

Vegetables are low in calories but, like everything else, it's not good to eat them in unlimited amounts.  A lb of broccoli is 150 cals.... admittedly it's tough to eat a whole lb of broccol but I think you get the point.

So that's my tip.   Enter the calories for your meals in advance so you can make adjustments if necessary.  The next time you'll know that you can only get away with 2oz dry pasta, rather than 3oz... or whatever... and the process gets a lot easier.

Original Post by gi-jane:

Original Post by sablekit:

has anyone else eaten more calories than they thought trying to make good choices? Howd you bounce back? this is so disheartening!

 

To avoid the same thing happening another time, try working out what the calorie count of a meal will be before you make it rather than after the fact.   The Recipe Analyser is very good for this.   You can add up all the ingredients of your dish and see what the total is.... if it's too high you can trim them back before you start.

Vegetables are low in calories but, like everything else, it's not good to eat them in unlimited amounts.  A lb of broccoli is 150 cals.... admittedly it's tough to eat a whole lb of broccol but I think you get the point.

So that's my tip.   Enter the calories for your meals in advance so you can make adjustments if necessary.  The next time you'll know that you can only get away with 2oz dry pasta, rather than 3oz... or whatever... and the process gets a lot easier.

 Typically, yes 2000 cals - assuming an average height.

Assuming light activity is 30 min of exercise a day... a 5'3" woman in her 20's is only going to burn around 1750 cals/day according to the meters on this site.  So the 2000 cals/day only works for normal height women.  If you're shorter, then it's slightly less.

Original Post by gi-jane:

Original Post by sablekit:

has anyone else eaten more calories than they thought trying to make good choices? Howd you bounce back? this is so disheartening!

 

To avoid the same thing happening another time, try working out what the calorie count of a meal will be before you make it rather than after the fact.   The Recipe Analyser is very good for this.   You can add up all the ingredients of your dish and see what the total is.... if it's too high you can trim them back before you start.

Vegetables are low in calories but, like everything else, it's not good to eat them in unlimited amounts.  A lb of broccoli is 150 cals.... admittedly it's tough to eat a whole lb of broccol but I think you get the point.

So that's my tip.   Enter the calories for your meals in advance so you can make adjustments if necessary.  The next time you'll know that you can only get away with 2oz dry pasta, rather than 3oz... or whatever... and the process gets a lot easier.

 gi-jane : where can one find the recipe analyser you are talking about?  that would make my life a lot easier (instead of going in and individually adding up each can of beans I had to my chili etc)!

Original Post by atlantic77:

Original Post by gi-jane:

Original Post by sablekit:

has anyone else eaten more calories than they thought trying to make good choices? Howd you bounce back? this is so disheartening!

 

To avoid the same thing happening another time, try working out what the calorie count of a meal will be before you make it rather than after the fact.   The Recipe Analyser is very good for this.   You can add up all the ingredients of your dish and see what the total is.... if it's too high you can trim them back before you start.

Vegetables are low in calories but, like everything else, it's not good to eat them in unlimited amounts.  A lb of broccoli is 150 cals.... admittedly it's tough to eat a whole lb of broccol but I think you get the point.

So that's my tip.   Enter the calories for your meals in advance so you can make adjustments if necessary.  The next time you'll know that you can only get away with 2oz dry pasta, rather than 3oz... or whatever... and the process gets a lot easier.

 gi-jane : where can one find the recipe analyser you are talking about?  that would make my life a lot easier (instead of going in and individually adding up each can of beans I had to my chili etc)!

 it's under Foods -> New Recipe.  Put in the number of servings and all of the ingredients.  It takes some getting used to, but once you figure it out it's a very valuable tool.

Go to 'foods' and 'new recipe'

There are a few wrinkles so it takes a little perseverance to get past them.  For example if you put '2oz kidney beans' the software assumes you mean 'dried kidney beans' which are quite calorific per ounce!   If you mean canned, drained kidney beans you need to first find the entry in the database....  http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-beans- kidney-red-mature-seeds-i16034 .... jot down the last few numbers '16034' and then include those in square brackets after the entry.....

2oz kidney beans [16034]

If you get a red flag next to an ingredient, check it out individually and see if there's an equivalent.

Original Post by michachu:

  So the 2000 cals/day only works for normal height women.  If you're shorter, then it's slightly less.

Where did I mention 2000 calories??..... Are you answering a different thread all together?

Original Post by gi-jane:

Original Post by michachu:

  So the 2000 cals/day only works for normal height women.  If you're shorter, then it's slightly less.

Where did I mention 2000 calories??..... Are you answering a different thread all together?

 Oopss..... that's what I get for reading too many threads!! Don't me mad at cute little ole me.... ><;;;

*bows*

Sorry, OP, I got confused... hehe.

FTR, one egg is 70 calories and isn't bad for you, even if you eat the yolk. I have one, sometimes two, every day.

Original Post by sablekit:

haha i always thought the vegans that were fat ate too much pasta, rice, carbs ect. I guess one thing I should try is toning down my carb intake. my diet is mostly sandwiches, rice and bean, and veggies. Living on a college campus makes it hard but I can do it! 

 

if i steam broccoli and spinach can I pretty much eat an unlimited amounts of that?

 yeah i guess some are fat cuz they eat alot of rice pasta and stuff but i also heard some vegans are fat cuz they dont eat i guess portein so therefor they are hungry all the time then they just over eat on veggies and veggies have sugar in them idk its something i heard from tv allong time ago

lol I can believe that. two pounds of veggies is still a decent amount of calories, especially when  sauteed. GI- Jane that is an EXCELLENT idea about the recipe thing. I never thought of putting something in before I made it, but it makes perfect sense. it gives me a chance to change things up. I think today was a little better for me. I ate 2050 calories which is ok in my range I think? Im 5'8 and 20 and I workout a minimum of 45 minutes a day, and I walk everywhere. you guys all are showing me its totally possible. :) today I even managed to have no fried foods! Im in this for the long haul (but I CANT wait for results hehe!!)

Yeah... don't know where you got the idea eggs were a bad cal choice lovesya?

 Most eggs are between 60-80 cals each, so as long as you boil or poach them you can't go wrong. Moreover, if I eat eggs, I feel full and satisfied a lot longer than I would if I ate cereal for breakfast - which usually is higher in calories anyway!

I really don't understand the whole eat the egg white only thing either, as the yolk holds all the nutrients. If you are worried about cholesterol, most tell you to limit to 2-3 eggs a week. However research suggests that the white of the egg contains a substance that counteracts the harmful effects of the yolk to a great extent. A recent study also suggests that eating 1 egg everyday appears to have no effect on cholesterol levels, heart disease or stroke in healthy individuals. Two other studies found that eating 1 egg a day can reduce the risk of macular degeneration, a form of blindness.

Needless to say, I love eggs...lol!