Calorie counting starts tomorrow

[Inyourhonor]

Did it for a couple of months last year and found it worked well but I fell off the wagon at a stressful time when my MH went downhill. I comfort eat way too much.

I now feel massive and enough is enough!

I have set a meal plan for tomorrow and will probably follow the same basic plan for a week until I get back into it.

Need to add in some exercise too which I am not looking forward to.

Anyone else want to join me?

Hi everyone thank you @Inyourhonor I am starting to feel much more like myself again. Haven't had the best week food wise so not expecting the scales to move in the right direction tomorrow morning but I got through this week which was the battle I had to focus on rather than calories, hopefully next week might be better.
Well done everyone you all sound like you are doing really well, does anyone have any low calorie but high protein snacks they could recommend please? I find myself reaching for crisps, biscuits and chocolate without even thinking of it because it's a quick thing to grab when I am hungry!
Got 2 bbq's this weekend so looking forward to those...plus no cooking woohoo!

Well done everyone and I'm glad everyone is feeling better and seems to be in a better place.

I've been managing to stick to my calories and I've got some stretching exercises with no impact on my knee which might help (fingers crossed).

@2anddone I like nakd bars for an on the go snack. Raw foods so seem to fill me up for longer.

The only low calorie high protein snack I can think of is high protein yoghurts. They are very filling.
(Although I go for lentil curls or dark mint kitkats which are def not high protein!)

DS came home with takeaway pizza today and I had 2 slices. Just logged my day with my fitness pal and thought I'd be over but still 200 under thankfully so can have a snack tonight!

No cooking for me either this weekend with the wedding on saturday and bbq on sunday.
Have already decided instead of fish and chips for good friday dinner, I will have salad instead of chips.

@2anddone high protein snacks: small ton of tuna with a bit of light Mayo, two boiled eggs, cottage cheese and ham on rice cakes , fat free Greek yoghurt with flax or chia seeds.

My fave high protein meal snack or brekkie is quark mixed with chocolate protein powder then topped with blueberries, chia seeds, flax seeds and peanut butter. It's about 40g of protein which is brilliant. Or you can buy flavoured quark pots which are about 15-20g of protein

Thank you some really good ideas for snacks here! We live 20 minute drive from coast so our good Friday tradition is fish and chips on the beach....or in the car if rainy so I will definitely be over tomorrow though hopefully they do a child sized portion then I will have that

If you know you are definitely going to be over your calories on a certain day, do you all try and keep it as low as possible or say "bugger it" and pig out?

I'm going to be over on Sunday as I'll be treated to a lovely, homemade dinner and I'll be 5 or 600 calories over, guaranteed.

@AngelicInnocent a while ago I would have pigged out but recently I don't and I think that's made a big difference. If I know I'm going out for a big lunch I'll not have breakfast, or just eat a lot less throughout the day. It's so easy to say stuff it, I've already gone over my calories so I'll just eat whatever. But realistically you can do way more damage that way than if you just indulge a little then get back on track

I always calories up during the week, the let myself go over by that amount one day at the weekend. But always have a min of 1200 during the week. (Had a PT before helping me with this and he was very strict on not going under 1200).

But definitely agree with @thismotherhoodthing
Before I woulf have written off the whole day and ate bad stuff all day. Now I am trying to be more controlled and let a bad meal stay at a bad meal.
Eg yesterday when DS had pizza, I had two slices. Before I would have written off the whole day and went way over by continuining to eat bad foods. Instead I had a salad for dinner and then ended up surprising myself that I hadnt gone over calories at all.

@2anddone fish and chips on the beach sounds like a dream! Enjoy

Hello,

Is it too late to join you all? I’ve just read some do your stories and they are really inspiring. I have around 5 stone to loose and I’ve never calorie counted before. I’ve done SW and lost and kept off weight but after having kids and being at home I’m (very) overweight.

Any tips for starting? I find CC very daunting as I don’t know where to start.

Hello @HeyDiddleDumplings.

I'm new to this too. These lovely ladies keep answering my questions though so it's getting easier.

Biggest thing for me so far was getting my fitness pal app and being very strict at logging everything.

Welcome @HeyDiddleDumplings I have joined many of these threads over the years but this one I have actually stuck with. Everyone is so friendly and supportive it's lovely to have you join us.
Weigh day for me today and I have maintained this week can't complain though as like I said earlier this week I have had a bad week so haven't stuck to calorie counting hardly at all! Guessing the walking must have helped even it out a bit!

Hi @HeyDiddleDumplings

As angelic said, the my fitness pal app is the place to start! It makes everything really clear.

Weighing scales are also very helpful to make sure portion sizes are not too big.

When I started, I used to go round the suoermarket looking for low calorie foods. I still eat crisps, chocolate, takeaways etc but make better choices eg a 104 calorie chocolate rather than a 250 calorie one.

Hope that helps.

That really helps! Thank you all.

I’m stuck in the SW mentality of ‘free’ and I’m over eating. A lot. Although I actually cook healthy meals.

That makes a lot of sense about low calorie treats.

I’ve got the app and I’ve been dabbling over the past few weeks.

One thing I’m really stuck with is lunch. What are your go to lunches? I can’t eat too much (I.e jacket potatoes) as the carbs/starch make me tired and crave sugar. But too little and I’m overeating at dinner.

@AngelicInnocent how are you getting on? Any starters tips?

Sorry for another message!

I also really feel the need for something in the evening. Currently this is sugar! But I’d actually really like something like low calorie crackers, pickled onions, maybe homemade low calorie hummus. Does anyone do anything like that?

Hi @HeyDiddleDumplings my go to lunches are either a big salad with fish sticks, pickled onions and beetroot or a tin of low fat chicken and sweet corn noodle soup. I am a childminder so don't like to skip lunch and if I have anything the children think I can share they try and eat half of it!! They stay away from my soup and salad though...and I get jealous of their crisps and sandwiches
Evenings were my worst time for snacking as I eat through boredom. I have started going for a walk after tea then coming back and brushing my teeth. Sounds crazy but then for the rest of the evening I tend to only drink water and not snack as everything tastes off with the toothpaste! Still have treats on our family movie night on a Saturday though

@HeyDiddleDumplings

Like others have said, I’m loving this group. So warm and lovely.

I have CC previously, one of changes this time was using a scales at the beginning as @Inyourhonor mentioned. It was a bit of a shock to realise I would normally have eaten twice the serving size of porridge in the morning. All the while convinced I was on track.

I weighed everything in Week1, shock after shock on portion size has stayed with me so I’m not feeling the need to weigh at the moment.

My go to lunches are either an omelette (1 large egg, 25g cheese, diced tomatoes) or a golden vegetable slim a soup and 2 crackers with 15g of garlic and herb philadelphia on each.

Evening snacks I like walkers french fries for savoury and supermarket strawberry mousse for sweet.

And as pp said, weigh everything! It's amazing how much we overeat without realising.

Sw used to work for me too years ago but no longer works. Like you said I think its all the unlimited free food with no cap on it!

For lunches I either have a toasted (chicken and cheese) slim bagel or mini wrap with salad.
Weekends if I have more time its usually a bigger salad without the bagel or wrap.
I recently came across a Moroccan style salad in Lidl. Its massive and ony 190 calories so if Im on the go I will get that.

In the evenings, being honest I just have a kitkat or lentil curls. Calories wise I could choose 3 crackers instead but I'd rather have the chocolate or crisps! Or muller light chocolate yoghurt (97 cals).

Thanks all. I will weigh everything!! I’m a bit worried that my evening smells have been HUGE and with seconds!

@2anddone that’s makes sense about the evening walk. It’s just doing something else to break the pattern / boredom.

Thank you all!

Portion sizes really shocked me too @Wond3rment. Especially the likes of pasta/rice. Now I have about quarter of what I used to have but have salad or veg too.

@HeyDiddleDumplings welcome! Yea weigh everything. It's a chew on at first but I find that I eat a lot of the same stuff so I can just copy the meals from day to day so don't have to put it all in again. If I'm making food for both of us I just put my plate or bowl on the scales and add it in as I go.

My lunches at the moment are mainly eggs or omelette as I don't have much time with my little one and weaning etc. I use the two chicks egg whites to bulk it up so I can have 1-2 eggs but a big omelette and it ups my protein. I'd say make sure you're eating enough protein as well!

I like sweet things on an evening so I have the 10 calorie jelly pots, vanilla quark if I need more protein or a mini milk ice lolly (30 cals)

Also eat lean protein cheese is a good tip! I put this in stuff if I'm cooking

Just back from the beach....the chips were bloody lovely worth every calorie....even had an ice cream

Please can I join your group. Been overweight ever since covid hit and just cant get my head into losing weight. A family member posted a pic on FB with me in and I look awful. I think thats the kick up the bottom I needed. Woukd def find the support of this group helpful too though.