Posted by Deneb on January 19, 2008, at 2:36:05
In reply to I'm scared to go in, posted by Dinah on January 18, 2008, at 9:01:48
One of the things that prevent weight loss is that people underestimate the size of their portions. Make sure to measure everything. Invest in a good electronic food balance. Weigh that peanut butter on your sandwich, it's more accurate than a tablespoon. Peanut butter adds up very quickly.
Weigh every chip, count every cracker, breath mint, piece of fruit (some pieces of fruit are bigger than others) everything. Small snacks add up quickly. When you eat a salad, go for the reduced calorie dressings, and still measure it out! Dressings are killers in terms of calories. Weigh that piece of meat and remember a serving is only the size of a deck of cards.
Spreads, dressings, oils, drinks have to measure these! They are very easy to overeat!
I used to weigh everything, even salad greens, but now I'm not as obsessed anymore. Salad without dressing has neligible calories. Just count salad greens as 20 kcal to be safe.
Weighing and measuring everything and then looking online to calculate their calories is time consuming. Right now I just started on a meal replacement shake plan so I don't have to count so much. I'll only measure/weigh/count one meal instead of 3.
Oh and another big tip...don't eat out unless you absolutely have too! Fast food and restaurant food are a killers in terms of calories. Most people grossly underestimate their calorie counts when eating out. When in doubt, overestimate!! Say you order some fries, if it's a small portion I would estimate 400 kcal. If it's a big portion, estimate high, like 900 kcal. It's probably pretty close. I would rather estimate high than low!
Your best bet in eating out is to look up the calorie counts of the food before hand, online. Most fast food places have nutritional info. Then you can be sure of how many calories you are eating. Be aware though, sometimes they give you the calorie count for 2T of mayo, but your sandwich/burger maker will probably put a lot more than that on your sandwich/burger. When in doubt, overestimate! Assume you were given 4 tablespoons.
Take home message, calories add up fast! Portions are smaller than you think. When in doubt, overestimate! Your "overestimation" is probably correct!
poster:Deneb
thread:311508
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/health/20071116/msgs/807556.html