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Author: Donna
Date: 11-05-02 15:59
I was wondering if anyone could help me? My weight has been up and down for years. Of course all I was doing was taking pills or drinking shakes or all of those stupid gimiks. I lost weight but then gained it back at an even faster rate.
Anyways now I know what to do, I just don't know how to do it. How do you count calories when you eat a piece of fruit or a bowl of homemade soup? I have three children and a very hard working husband, I have to make large homemade meals. So how is this all done?
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Author: Melanie
Date: 11-05-02 20:23
Hi Donna,
To count the calories in a meal, you add up the calories from the individual ingredients, then divide by serving sizes.
My Practical Weight Loss book comes with a cookbook that has many healthy recipes that are easy to make. All recipes have nutritional information on how many calories, fat, saturated fat, protein, cholesterol, sodium and carb is in there.
Also, it comes with a spreadsheet that has calorie content of over 6,000 foods. You can use it to find calories in foods that don't have labels on them (such as fruits).
Click Here For My Book
Best regards,
Melanie
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Author: Newbeee
Date: 11-06-02 01:19
I am Mother of five children and it is hard to really keep tabs on the calories. Since starting my weight loss program I have been making sure I get to the gym more than 3 night per week to do weights and then power walking in the mornings before the rest of the family wake up--every morning. That and just eating the right things seems to be the best thing for me to do.
I have just been making sure that I eat adequate protein and vegies because I know I am working out hard and when you do that you need high protein to help your body (muscles) recover from exercise. Because I don't eat much meat, I have whatever protein I am cooking for the kids and then add vegies to that and carbs if it is before 5pm such as rice or pasta. (Wholemeal). If it is after 5pm, I just have the protein that they are having and vegies and no carbs. If I am hungry later on I have a high protein shake which fills me up. It is difficult with a family because you are trying to do one thing and then having to cook different things for others. However, after two weeks on that diet, I give the children the same as I have as I know they need that type of diet anyway as kids are so active and growing. Also when they eat the right things, their health is much improved anyway and I am not having to mess around cooking a meal for them and preparing something different for me.
I don't know if this would help you though. By all means make homemade soups, but make them with having a balance of protein and vegies in mind anf low fat. Whatever fat you use for doing the vegies first before adding stock, make it something like canola or olive oil and a small amount. Make it to the point where you can take a dish off for yourself without carbs if it is for tea, and then add the carbs to it. I.e. for minestrone---add the pasta after. For cock-a-leekie add the rice after. Etc. If your having it before 5pm though don't worry. Well this is what I do anyway.
I switched my meals. I have the light meals in the evening and the heavier meals with carbs during the day where I am using up more energy.
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Author: Newbeee
Date: 11-06-02 01:31
One thing that has stopped me going insane is nibbling on sirimi occasionally. I buy it frozen in a 1kg bag and leave it in the fridge and nibble a few pieces if I feel hungry. (crab meat). It low in cholesterol and carbs, high in proteins and tasty. Nice with a dish of salad. If your not for cooking two separate things you can do things like this for you and cook a meal for the family. If I am cooking chicken for them, I have that with salad. If they are having something that I consider too heavy---I have the sirimi or a tuna or salmon with the salad.
Exercise is good really. When you do weights, to grow muscle you have to damage it to a certain extent. that is what you do when doing weights. That needs time to repair---so alternate nights is best and also a good protein intake. Other wise muscle does not repair adequately and your body starts munching muscle as well as fat. Muscle that you need to help you burn the fat. When you do weights to a certain extent you damage muscle and need the protein to repair the muscle and grow it in stronger. (I don't mean damage it so much that you cannot exercise--I mean the type of damage where you ache a little after a weight training session).
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Author: Donna
Date: 11-06-02 07:29
Thanks!!! I don't think my question was answered, but I really appreciate the info.
You see,..I've tried that. (eating seperatly than my family) and it doesn't seem to work for me. I really need to be aware of the calories I'm taking in. That is the one thing I have not tried and i really think it will work.....Any more advice? I would really appreciate it. Thanks...
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Author: Carol B.
Date: 11-06-02 10:32
I believe apples are 117 calories, bananas 100, oranges 65, tangerines 35, pears 60 to name a few off the top of my head. I know it is hard cooking for a husband who needs a decent meal and children. Maybe you will have to start out estimating your calories at dinner and not worry about being too precise. You can at least measure the plain foods you eat, the rice, a slice of bread. Most veggies, tomato, broccoli, green or yellow beans, carrots, brussel sprouts are about 40 calories a cup. The more days you try to estimate your calories the easier it gets. I know it can get incredibly frustrating. I calculated the calories in just one dish I make, and it took a long time, and I did not have children in the house, and it was not fun. I feel I can get a general ballpark idea of what I eat. Keeping a food journal might help. There might be programs on the internet that can help. I don't know. Good luck.
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Author: Beserkerfork
Date: 11-06-02 11:44
Journals would help. At my home, my mother would keep to a general schedule with what she cooked... although it wasn't the exact same week to week.
If you know what meals you seem to cook more frequently, be it hamburgers, pasta, macaroni and cheese... whatever- just take the time one day to figure out basically how many calories are in these meals, with all the fixings you usually prepare.
And from that point on, those meals will already be calculated for you. The more often you can add a meal into this journal- the more precalculated meals you'll have to choose from- so it will definately get easier as Carol said.
Another suggestion... which you may or may not like, is to cook minimally at your meal for your family. If they are still hungry afterwards (make sure they eat slow!) point them in the direction of cereal or some kind of other foods.
As my mom used to tell me when I was looking for more food: "If you aren't hungry for a piece of fruit, then you must not be very hungry at all."
-- I didn't like that line all that much.
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Author: Donna
Date: 11-06-02 12:18
Actually, I use that line too. And my kids hate it too. LOL!!
But thanks for the sugestion of the journal, I'll start right away with some of the meals I know I make all the time. Thanks!!
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Author: Newbeee
Date: 11-07-02 15:27
I'm wondering this week what else I can eat myself, so as I come up with stuff, and ideas, I'll pass them on to you.
I just know that now I am actually exercising and eating the right foods that I must at some point start looking better....LOL! Better had anyway! I did that interval training this morning with my power walking. I walked briskly for three minutes and then jogged for one minute and I did that for 30 minutes. I kid you not I think if I do that every morning, I will be fit as a butcher's pencil by christmas! ;)
It beats the stationary cycle, treadmill and rowing machine that's for sure. Only thing I do not like was the fact that there was too many fumes from cars at the time I did it. Which may mean getting up earlier and doing it before the rush hour traffic. I walk along the road as it is safer or feels more secure for me.
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Author: leanbutt
Date: 11-07-02 15:59
Hey Donna, I haven`t figured out the calorie counting myself and that may be very well why my weightloss is slow averaging 2 lbs per month.....That is fine with me since it means that I`m making changes with my lifestyle and in the end once I`ve reached my goal it will so much easier to maintain....
In order to achieve this when I first started I research portions and measure my food , evryonce in a while I take the measuring tools back out to reprogramm my vision to what a serving looks like...
Here is one thing that works for me at meal time, although I cook for a family with 2 kids who are genarally underweight the way their dad was at that age, I do cook low fat and let them eat more seperately (bread + butter with the meal etc..)
So here is a few guidelines I follow.
I visually divide my plate in 4, 1/4 for carbs , 1/4 for protein and 2/4 for veggies such as salad or veggies.
for servings, 1 cup of cooked pasta, 1/2 to 3/4 cup rice,
meat portion guideline would be the size palm, etc...
I make a choice of not having bread on the side, butter on my potatoes, etc...My tastebuds don`t even miss the stuff anymore..
If making homemade soup, I use more veggies then carbs, and one thing I`ve learn is to start the soup a bit earlier to give time to put the pot in the freezer, once cold the fat form a barrier on top that is easy to scoop up...
If I have things like crackers then I read on the boxe what 1 serving is and stick to that or less...Like you I wanted the weightloss to fit with my family, homemade doesn`t have to be overly fattening there are so many good recipes out there and when I do try new ones I take into consideration the opinion of the entire family before copying in a book...Good luck --Leany
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