http://caloriecount.about.comusers/salawless salawless's Journal - Calorie Count Jul 04 2009 11:17 Calorie Count http://caloriecount.about.com/users/salawless/318929.html Jul 04 2009 11:17 http://caloriecount.about.com/users/salawless/318929.html This is day 5 of my new way to eat...being mindful and making better choices. Logging calories helps me plan meals, and keeps me from eating something bad as I know I will hate to see the count on the screen. I have lost 4.5 lbs as of this a.m.; I do know that at first you are just losing water weight and it won't be this much every 5 days, darn it! I am still pumped up about this, so I pray that I keep with this. I REALLY want to! Anyway, I find that using the calorie count screens are frustrating. If you use frozen dinners or eat out, there are not enough of the choices. When I was looking for frozen dinners, there were many,many from a company I never heard of, and only 3 from a national company that has been around since the 1960's! I also had a gardenburger at Red Robin, but the screen did not provide that info. I spent an hour trying to figure that out. This morning I had a cup of Folger's instant French Vanilla Cappuccino...I quickly located it in the search, but when I entered it the screen wouldn't accept it because I did not have the grams. However, the grams were not listed in the selection area. I can see that this is one thing that might cause me to stop logging foods, and I want to use this feature because it helps me to be accountable. Anyone else having this problem? Any suggestions? I would appreciate any advice. Yes, I know eating frozen dinners and going to restaurants is not the best idea right now, but I have to use the food I have until it is gone, and there are times when you have to eat out. I have resisted cook-out foods; hot dogs,macaroni cheese, chips and a root beer float, and I LOVE Red Robin's bacon,cheese,guacomole burger but I opted for the gardenburger instead. No fries, I had a side salad. I am making better choices, and when I am able to buy differrent groceries, it will be much easier! http://caloriecount.about.com/users/salawless/318929.html http://caloriecount.about.com/users/salawless/317644.html Jun 30 2009 11:29 http://caloriecount.about.com/users/salawless/317644.html OK...How did I get myself into this mess??????????? I was thin, really thin for most of my life...until about 6 years ago. Complications of life caused me stress, which apparently caused me stuff my face with mass quantities of food, and I think I had blackouts like alcoholics do, because I do not even remember eating a lot of it. It was a gradual gain, according to my medical records, but there was a huge explosion at the end. So, here I am, nearly 54 years old (I feel 25 inside, still), and SEVERELY OVERWEIGHT, according to the calculations just made on this website. AS IF I didn't really know that somewhere in my head. I had thought of myself as "plump". "Pleasantly plump". SO today I am going to try to begin what I must do. Take this blubber off and look like a woman again. I know round is a shape, but it is not the shape I want to be in. I have RA so exercise is a challenge for me. I currently am unemployed, and out of some needed medications, so even walking much is very difficult at this point. I am seeing a Dr this week and hope to renew a prescription that will take away that excuse! When my joints are feeling better, I HAVE TO walk. It has to become part of my day like brushing my teeth, combing my hair and job hunting. HAS TO, not should do. I no longer have ice cream, cookies, chips and the like in the house, so I guess that is a start. When I am looking for a snack, all I can see is peaches, plums, apples and crystal light for bottled water. Any suggestions, encouragement that anyone has will be appreciated. Just don't call me names! I am going to tell myself that even though life is not like I wish it was, I am still a decent person and there is still so much to love in life, especially here in the beautiful Pacific NW. I have terribly hard work ahead of me to reach my goal by 1-1-11 as set for me on this program. Gulp. I have more to lose apparently than I thought I did. 92 lbs. When I was pregnant (early stages) I only weighed 90 lbs total, nearly 33 years ago. I could just slap myself. Tips, suggestions?????????????? Thanks in advance for those of you who know how hard this will be for me, and how much I hate having to do this. http://caloriecount.about.com/users/salawless/317644.html