To feel so stupid over hidden calories

[Cheeseandlobster]

I have been trying to be healthier for ages. I follow a lowish carb diet combined with intermittent fasting, do hiit exercises daily, drink loads of water and get on average 9 portions of fruit n veg a day (usually 7 veg 2 fruit). Yet the weight keeps piling on

My go to healthy lunch is veggie scramble. Mushrooms, peppers, courgette, spinach and jalapeño with 1 egg. My pan is shit and the mushrooms stick to the pan or burn so I have been adding more splashes of rape seed oil when this happens. I looked at the bottle yesterday and 1 table spoon is 124 calories so I reckon I have been consuming on average 300 - 400 calories extra in oil. Maybe more. That's another meal! And I feel like an absolute idiot for not realising sooner.

So out goes the pan and I have bought a new pan where you can dry fry and some spray oil with 1 calorie per spray just in case.

I thought I was being food savvy but now I just feel stupid. Does anyone else have any hidden calorie warnings or done something similar?

Bread, one slice can be up to 200 calories depending on the loaf size etc, so I switched to ryvita

Salad dressing, so i switched to white balsamic vinegar and sprinkle of salt

Portion size, so i use a small plate or bowl and serve myself veggies first, then whole grain starch and then protein. If I cant fit it on the plate, I cant eat it 🤣

Coffee - switch to semi skimmed vs whole milk
Sushi - can be very healthy, in moderation- hidden calories in rice, plus deep fried prawns / avocado or mayo, dipping sauces

@cherrytreecottage

Just a warning, fry light absolutely ruins a non stick pan! If something particularly needed oil I found the tiniest drizzle or spray of oil, brushed around with a pastry brush to get good coverage was far better. I've gone through SO many pans because of fry light!

Ok you beat me with the brush suggestion.

Another thing is maybe do your scrambled eggs separately in a jug in the microwave with a bit of milk. The other things then don't need much oil at all, and you can always add a bit of water if they are sticking.

You could oven bake your mushrooms and veg. (could do a huge batch in advance) then make the scramble in the microwave.

@Ozanj

You won’t be piling weight on with an extra 300-400 cals of oil in a veggie scramble - the veg and eggs won’t be more than another 200 cals. So the whole meal will be approx 600 cals. Eating 3 meals that size plus exercising would give you a net calorie intake of 1500-1600 which is what is recommended for weight loss!!

Depends on your starting weight. If you're medium to begin with you might need 1200 calories to lose weight and if you're having 600 calories in one small meal that might not leave you enough for your other meals and cups of tea with milk, etc. It also just doesn't make much sense to have a 600 calorie meal that's not very filling. It's not a good use of calories is it?

Coffee - switch to semi skimmed vs whole milk

It's generally better to have full fat everything and count it. But go for what you prefer the taste of with milk. It's the only reduced fat thing I have as I prefer semi-skimmed.

I've read that olive oil has a low smoke point so isn't suitable for frying at high heats.

I personally don’t have issue with frylight but they do real olive oil sprays on same shelf as frylight or just make your own in a spray bottle.
A veggie scramble is same as a veggie omelette and ideal for lunch - filling, quick, protein & veg.

What else do you typically eat op?

Oh, I like the brush idea, I've never thought of that.

I've tried using various oil drizzlers and sprayers and they're either single use so wasteful and expensive or always leak after a while (why???) if you use a reusable one, but I've never thought of just pouring out a tiny amount of oil and brushing it around.

I have a silicone pastry brush that never gets used so I will give it a go.

@OfstedOffred

Milk in coffee lets me down, that and alcohol.

Just use skimmed milk. (I know people will argue against that because they think full fat anything is healthier, but it's not imo).

@reesewithoutaspoon

If the oil isn't in the pan after you cooked it, then it's in your veggies. . an extra 300 calories a day will add up. over a week that's 2100 extra calories which is more than a pound in weight ( rough estimate is 1700 calories =1 pound in weight). so you need a deficit of 1700 a week to lose a pound approximately.

Haha I love you username. And this was my thinking re the weight gain

Nuts and cheese always surprise me, if I weigh a portion it’s way less than I would have guessed.
And one sweet out of the chocolate tub is 50 calories! A small handful is more that a meal so I’m not even having one as I have no self control

If you use two eggs and do them in the microwave it will be very filling.

I do this for

[quote ElftonWednesday]If you use two eggs and do them in the microwave it will be very filling.

I do this for

It is. I sometimes put a bit of sriracha on or chilli flakes.

That sounds lovely, I’m going to give that a go decinitely

My grand-uncle was told to go on a diet by the Doctor. He was told to reduce portion size and fried foods and to snack on fruit. Apparently 18 bananas a day wasn’t the best way to go!!

There's a lot of sugar in the fruit and that can cause bloating

@Dixiechickonhols

What else do you typically eat op?

Well a typical day is the afore mentioned lunch around 2pm followed by red grapes and 1 chocolate out of the leftover Christmas stash ( I am going to get rid of the chocolate I think) and then for tea the salad I mentioned earlier with a small jacket potato with beans n cottage cheese followed by 1 more Christmas chocolate and a satsuma. Maybe an individual pot of Greek yoghurt too

And I just drink water during the day and sometimes a diet Pepsi at night.
Weekends are harder. I usually have poached egg and 3 rashers of grilled bacon for breakfast at 1pm followed by red grapes. Then in the evening dp and I eat together and the meals are much more calorific - often home made curry, roast chicken, spaghetti bol or a chilli

I yearn for my younger days where could eat anything and stay thin

@Dixiechickonhols
“ Some foods are marketed as healthy - nuts, avocado, olive oil but of course they need to be counted and measured if you are wanting to lose weight. ”

These are not ‘empty’ calories though and often are worth their calories for the hunger they stave off and the health benefits they confer.

Better to eat an avocado or a handful of nuts say than the same calories worth of a Costa muffin. That will cause sugar swings and cravings and hunger.

Hot chocolate for me, obviously I don’t think it’s low calorie but that’s my extra calorie weakness.