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?

Before I took dieting seriously and weighed everything , I used to look at a box of cereals and think “oh, 125 calories for 30g, cool..” and fill my bowl up. Only when I started to weigh cereals etc I notice that 30g isn’t (my version anyway) of a “bowl full” it’s sod all

Conversely I wonder how people find porridge filling at all

Porridge makes me starving hungry within an hour or two, I simply can't eat it, which is a shame because I really like it. And this is proper porridge, not instant oats.

I've bought some protein powder to add, but not got round to it yet.

@Gensola

Baked beans defo cheaper than cannellini beans - value ones are pennies, Jack Monroe used to recommend buying them And washing off the sauce for other recipes.

No offence but have you tried any of Jack Monroes recipes ? They are over complicated and really not that appetising. Not good when your dieting and then eating unappetising mush. Jamie Oliver is my go to, easy to make and really tasty.

"They are over complicated and really not that appetising. Not good when your dieting and then eating unappetising mush. Jamie Oliver is my go to, easy to make and really tasty."

Well, the priority is saving money rather than taste. I follow a group on FB about how to eat cheaply and most of the food there is unappetising and unhealthy unfortunately. It's hard on a very small budget.

Dates, figs, nuts. Get me everytime

The sprays wreck your non stick pans.

@Tabitha888

Just buy a new pan?

Yup she already worked that out and commented on it

OP It was indeed a chore at first, but I found that I soon got an idea of quantities. And I had motivation - to care for family member.

Some more science:

Lowering calories will of course lead to weight loss. In the same way, increased 20th cent consumption of refined carbohydrates has undoubtedly led to obesity. However, it's also been suggested - not proved - that not all calories provoke the same metabolic response in the body.

Quite a few (reputable) scientists have suggested that diets high in unrefined carbs lead to increased insulin production which in turn leads to increased fat deposition. Low carb diets do not increase insulin levels in the same way, so are less likely to lead to weight gain and can be shown to lead to weight loss. These scientists do, however, say that more longer-term studies are needed to show precisely how this works; in other words, to provide conclusive evidence for this insulin-linked theory.

one example summary here:
jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2686146

Long article here - very scientific - sorry: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6082688/

However, this article (below) says that while low-carb diets can and do lead to weight loss, the above insulin-linked theory might not be the correct way of explaining why. Weight loss might simply be because the fat and protein in low carb diets make people feel fuller for longer than refined carbs do, and so they limit their total calorie intake. Or else, the article suggests, low-carb diets might work in a way that we do not yet fully understand.
www.nature.com/articles/ejcn2016260

Oddly a tin of washed baked beans is cheaper than a tin of plain cannellini beans.

The only useful tip I got from Jack Monroe.

This isn't the lowest calorie dressing but you need v little of it, and no weird ingredients

Proper porridge oats are better with full fat milk, but semi-skim is OK if stringent about fat calories.

@Ilovefluffysheep @WineGetsMeThroughIt what does 20-25g of carbs look like? Say, how much uncooked brown basmati rice would that be?

Thanks ihave. I'm not in the UK so I don't think I can get that one.

For those of you who need to avoid garlic & onions ( e.g. to manage IBS/follow FODMAP regime), as well as avoiding gluten & lactose, I have found the Bay’s Kitchen sauces & other products a great help. Leftovers & nearby vegetables can be transformed quickly so avoid the hassle of cooking absolutely everything from scratch as it has to be GF, DF and FODMAP.

Bay’s Kitchen

The GF, DF low FODMAP etc Green Thai cooking sauce also does not have chilli so it’s a larder all rounder.

The GF, DF onion & garlic free liquid stocks are very good: Bay’s Kitchen stocks

@UniversalAunt

Proper porridge oats are better with full fat milk, but semi-skim is OK if stringent about fat calories.

@Ilovefluffysheep @WineGetsMeThroughIt what does 20-25g of carbs look like? Say, how much uncooked brown basmati rice would that be?

Sorry, I've got no idea as I don't eat rice when low carbing, as it is pretty high in carbs. We eat cauliflower rice, which is actually really nice.

‘ For instance, 100 grapes - not very many - is approx 15 g carbs; 100g of red pepper (half an average one, weighed including core, stalk etc) is approx 6 g carbs; 100g of raw onion (half a small one, unpeeled) is around 7.5 g carbs; 4 or 5 little tomatoes are approx 10g carbs. Half an avocado is 8 g of carbs. A small baked potato is approx 30g carbs; a satsuma is 12 g carbs etc etc. From your example day's meals, that's between 80 and 90 g carbs a day, without counting any veg or any other carbs , apart from the potato, in your evening meal.’

@scottishnames TY for this overview. Oh my, that’s quite bracing!
Right now I can easily scoff 100g carbs p.d. just by cooking from scratch. Gulp!

@UniversalAunt

Proper porridge oats are better with full fat milk, but semi-skim is OK if stringent about fat calories.

@Ilovefluffysheep @WineGetsMeThroughIt what does 20-25g of carbs look like? Say, how much uncooked brown basmati rice would that be?

It's no basmati rice at all. On Keto there are no grains, potatoes, flour products like bread, pasta, etc, or starchy carby vegetables or sugary fruits.

To make it really work for you, you need to enjoy cooking your own meals which I do. I find Keto substitutes for almost everything. I have celeriac chips instead of potatoes, make my own Keto breads and baked treats like almond flour brownies, etc. Most carbs that I consume come from vegetables like cauliflower, asparagus, spinach, nuts and seeds etc. A few come from sauces like soy sauce or sugar free ketchup every once in a while. I eat a small handful of berries which are allowed and lower in sugar than most fruits. You get used to it all very quickly.

There are Keto breads you can buy, but I was never much of a bread eater in the first place so haven't bought them. I buy a pizza base at Holland and Barat called Lo-Dough thats 39 cals and has a couple grams of carbs in it and quite a lot of fibre. It's great and allows me to still have pizzas with loads of cheese, olives and pepperoni on it every week.

Vogel soya and linseed bread 1 slice = 116 calories. Warburtons sliced things - 100 cals per thin - but if you have the 2 you get double cals!

Don't put spread/butter on bread.

9 cals in Hartley sugar free jelly - e.g. 1/4 of made up jelly 145g. I make them up and put them in pots which they originally came in.

bloody hell my peanut butter stuffed dates are 95 cals! but 36 cals and 6.3g of carbs in McVites Rich Tea Lights which taste vile

@UniversalAunt

Proper porridge oats are better with full fat milk, but semi-skim is OK if stringent about fat calories.

@Ilovefluffysheep @WineGetsMeThroughIt what does 20-25g of carbs look like? Say, how much uncooked brown basmati rice would that be?

@UniversalAunt - I have oats so simple (plain) and they taste absolutely fine with skimmed milk.

@EnglishMuffins

Before I took dieting seriously and weighed everything , I used to look at a box of cereals and think “oh, 125 calories for 30g, cool..” and fill my bowl up. Only when I started to weigh cereals etc I notice that 30g isn’t (my version anyway) of a “bowl full” it’s sod all

@EnglishMuffins - I weigh my granola when I have it - and I almost cry at how little there is in 30g!

I too, used to fill the bowl.

I came on to pretty much agree with the everything @mumofonekh said.

Every ‘diet’ plan works by reducing calories. Low carb - carbs have calories so obviously fewer calories. Fasting - less food, so fewer calories etc.

The only way to lose weight is to consume fewer calories that your body burns. Google TDEE calculator and put in your details. It will tell you how many calories you need. Those people that say 1200 is not enough for anyone - actually it might be depending on your height and activity levels.

Every scientific study is looking for something different and if you take in to account every bit of advice you will tie yourself in knots and never eat anything!

I don’t think anyone should cut out complete food groups unless for medical reasons. The body needs carbs for energy, fruit and veg for vitamins and minerals, dairy for calcium etc

As for exercise, unless you are running marathons, most exercise doesn’t burn a huge number of calories. If you enjoy HIIT and it makes you feel good, carry on with it.

To lose weight you might have to weigh and log your food for a while, and I’m sure we all know that nuts are better for us than chocolate, but sometimes we need the chocolate so don’t obsess about always choosing the healthy option, but be mindful of what you are consuming.

Good luck OP

Op, you should be doing low carb or low calorie, you’re kinda doing a weird mix of both, which is unlikely to be successful or satisfying. If you went low carb the oil wouldn’t have been an issue.

www.bupa.co.uk/health-information/nutrition-diet/portion-size
I find this helpful for portion sizes.
It’s so easy to overeat especially things like cereal if you aren’t using a scoop or weighing. Most people probably have 2 or 3 servings if they just pour it from box.

@Fairylightsongs please could you explain the logic behind being able to consume as much oil as you like as long as you low carb? If your body burns for eg 2000 calories per day, but you consume 2500 calories in protein, fats etc but no carbs, how does the body burn fat to lose weight? How does if differentiate between calories from carbs and calories from fats?

I’m not being goady, but genuinely don’t understand how that works.

[quote SpottyCamel]@Fairylightsongs please could you explain the logic behind being able to consume as much oil as you like as long as you low carb? If your body burns for eg 2000 calories per day, but you consume 2500 calories in protein, fats etc but no carbs, how does the body burn fat to lose weight? How does if differentiate between calories from carbs and calories from fats?

I’m not being goady, but genuinely don’t understand how that works.[/quote]
I'm not sure she actually meant eat as much oil as you like - maybe relatively speaking compared to a normal diet. But when I first started Keto I weighed, measured and tracked everything. I ate roughly about 1300 cals a day and that was split between about 20g carbs, 90g protein and 85g fat if I remember correctly. I used the James Smith macro calculator because it's been the most accurate one I've found. I also adjusted my macros using the calculator every time I lost 5lbs because the less you weigh the less calories your body requires. I'm only 5'4 and have been working from home, so live a very sedentary lifestyle. I did no exercise while I lost my 50lbs - although I really want to start going back to the gym now, so when I do I know my calories needs will actually increase to account for the extra energy I'm expelling.

With keto you train your body to burn the fat it's already got stored rather than the carbs you consume during the day. It takes your body roughly a week of eating 20g of carbs or less to get into that fat burning Ketosis zone. It's not something you can cheat on because once you start eating carbs again and kick yourself out of Ketosis your body won't burn it's fat storage anymore. It's not something that you can just dip in and out of.

I've been using the app MyFitnessPal and never realised until I started using it that the vast majority of my excess calories were from the oils and butter used in cooking. I lost weight very quickly when I cut down on those. I used to drench my salads on olive oil too, now I just use balsamic vinegar and no oil at all. Works for me!