Shocked by calories

[FasterMichelin]

I haven’t felt body confidence for a few years and have decided to make an attempt to lose a dress size, even if short lived. I’ve reinstalled Myfitness pal and am reducing my calorie consumption to 1200cals a day.

Saying I’m shocked by how much I normally eat is an understatement! For context, pre kids I was a size 10 and found it easy to maintain my weight, post kids im a wobbly 12, predominantly on my tummy. I was convinced until recently that it’s just my “mum-bod” and that having two pregnancies has taken its toll and my metabolism must have slowed.

But with my new found insight, I can honestly say that I have been massively overeating. A few biscuits here, toast every morning, slice of cake there, always accepting any offers of food, regardless whether I was hungry or not. I completely lost sight of how many calories I was eating and it’s shocking how quickly it all adds up.

Its made me realise that I can’t be alone. There must be so many of us who consume way too many calories through mindless eating. Especially when juggling a young family.

Do you calorie count? Do you know how many calories you usually eat everyday?

Why is your way better?

@movinghomeadvice Please could you post a link to the collagen hot chocolate? Thank you

It’s scary isn’t it? I started calorie counting on Nutracheck about 2 months ago as I was looking to lose weight and it’s scary what I saw as pretty normal was actually eating WAY over what I should be. But 2 months in and I’m 1.5 stone lighter so I’m glad for the reality check.

Even just things like I was putting WAY too much milk on cereal or way too much cheese - I was probably having triple the amount of these as I should have been. My skin was awful too before and it’s almost fully cleared up and I’m thinking it was the insane amount of dairy I was eating.

When I started I felt hungry all the time but a month in I felt totally normal and not like I was eating a deficit.

Or just have the day off the restricted calories and accept it will take longer. This and the two alternatives will work.

Because diets tend to fail when people feel too restricted and deprived. Having to reduce food intake for 13 days just to enjoy one meal out is just not a sensible ratio of pleasure to pain. Accepting you'll have one day where you aren't in much of a deficit and enjoying your meal out is psychologically much less likely to derail the whole endeavour.

In your opinion. What works for you may not work for others. It would be fair to say that your way is an option or an alternative but it is not necessarily better.

I love your discipline. I struggle with managing my intake would you be so kind as to share any other tips or websites/gurus you would recommend?

I don't calorie count but I do cook everything from scratch, avoid sweet sauces and puddings and I don't drink alcohol.

It makes a massive difference.

I have made myself aware of calories because I needed to lose weight and my dd is on meds that suppress appetite so I need to make sure she’s getting enough in

i find the easiest way is to avoid carbs - particularly baguette which I would just demolish given the chance!

All I know about calories is that my TDEE is 1350. As I have been the same weight for decades, I assume that that is my average consumption.

I'm not a big fan of carbs, aka 'stodge' and I don't drink much alcohol normally. - just the odd glass of wine - and I hate sweet fizzy drinks. I've never been a big eater. I am sometimes taken aback at the sheer volume that some people can consume in one go; that would make me feel uncomfortably 'stuffed', but that's up to them. I do notice that if I have been very physically active I can yearn for some carbs, but even then I prefer say, dates, than biscuits. I also notice that if I do end up eating empty carbs I get very hungry in a shakey sort of way quite quickly afterwards.

I don’t calorie count but my weight hasn’t changed for years so I must be eating around the same as I burn.

All evidence suggests what I said was correct. Your suggestion might work for you and a minority of people but most people would find that off-putting and too restrictive and therefore be more likely to fail. It's not a my opinion Vs your opinion thing, it's evidence based.

Yes calories are shocking which is why I try to emphasise on threads where people talk about overeating or binge eating or 'disordered eating' (a favourite on here), that you really dont need to do any of that, you just need a couple of extra milky coffees, a couple of rounds of toast, a few biscuits here and there to put on weight consistently over time. No massive overeating required. Its very easy.

A handful of nuts, a few extra scrapes of butter, a thicker slice of cheese in your sarnie, an extra splodge of mayo. All adds up over time.

And tastes nice.

Never counted a calorie in my life but also never been overweight, It's not effortless though.
It's fairly common sense what makes people gain weight is eating too much overall.
I don't exclude any food on the grounds of it being bad but equally I never snack and always say no when offered something in between meals. Seems to work for me but everyone manages differently.

Nobody is talking about massively restricting though. 50 calories a day is probably a natural fluctuating amount. Some days you may eat 75 less some days 50 some days 25. It was intended to help the pp look at things from a different perspective. Often people focus on the exact amount they should eat in a day. It simply does not occur to them that they can look at it differently.
Again. What works for you is great but it really does not make it the only right way. Whatever gets a person to the goal they want to achieve is the right way for them.
I actually dont know why I am bothering to reply to you. I see you on threads all time and you seem to be very resistant to views that differ from your own.
Anyone can find evidence that supports their own views.

@movinghomeadvicewhat is the brand of hot chocolate please? Any high protein ones I’ve found, either don’t mix very well or are sadly discontinued.

I always recommend tracking your food and calories.

Not even setting a limit but just being actively aware of what you’re putting in your mouth makes a massive difference.

So many people eat through pure boredom or habit, whereas if you have to take accountability for it then it’s much easier.

I found that I was eating very healthy food and rarely ate crap but my portion sizes were way too big which was why I was struggling to lose weight.

Another thing I did wrong was having cheat days and not tracking the calories properly.

I now basically eat whatever I want but just track the calories and adjust them accordingly.

I don’t calorie count as such, but I know I only need 2 meals a day. So I either have breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner, and very rarely have all 3.

I think it’s the insistence on 3 meals a day and not ‘regulating’ eating e.g. by having a low-calorie day after going out for dinner the night before, that’s the issue.

I remember staying with a friend and we went for a Sunday roast at a pub (around 1500 calories with drinks), finishing up our meal around 3pm. Then later that evening she suggested heating up a lasagne for dinner?? I was still digesting my food and hadn’t planned on eating until the next day, and even then, having a lighter food day than usual.

I keep an eye on how many calories I’m eating. I can eat around 1900 calories a day and maintain my weight, that’s with exercise 4/5 times a week. If I eat more one day, I’ll just eat less on other days so it evens out.

I think a lot of people underestimate what they eat. I remember watching a programme on tv where most people on the show were underestimating by 1000 calories a day, sometimes more. They all swore they didn’t over eat and couldn’t understand why they were fat.

Is it ancient+brave?

Its not the cheapest but it's a collagen hot chocolate (possibly it's cacao, need to check) but it's nice and easy to make. Its I think <100 cals depending on milk (I am dairy free so might be different for normal semi or skimmed)

I did it temporarily last year to try lose some weight. It was an eye opener to see how little food you get. I only did it for a few weeks to get into my head more sensible portion sizes. I think you can become obsessive with it easily and not eat to enjoy food.

Just to add..when I say "nice" it's not like an Aero Mint Mocha or anything, it's not super sweet or creamy. Just to clarify, it's bitter-er if you are used to normal high street hot choccy

When I realised that a latte had 300 calories and an Americano 4(ish), I woke up.

Many years and just under six stone less later, it makes sense.

I didn't do a single step of exercise, which caused some discussion in the office. Apparently you can never lose weight without exercise. Who knew ?

On a serious note, life has become a permanent grind of checking calories and calculating what to drop in order to have a treat.

Oh, and check out the calories in alcohol.