I've decided to try out www.thedailyplate.com to help me keep track of my daily calories and see how close I am coming to my goals. It has a great calorie counter where you can search for a food (including restaurant food) and add it to your daily food diary. The site totals the calories and other nutitional info for you. You can then save the info to track how you are doing over time.
You can also calculate what your daily calorie intake needs to be to lose (or gain) a certain amount of weight in a certain time, based in your current weight, height, activity level, and age. The basic membership is free, so I'm going to try it out for a while. It seems very useful so far; I'll let you know what I think about it after a few days.
Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The Battle of the Peanuts
I did battle with a bowl of peanuts tonight...and won. They were sitting there, looking oh-so-innocent, but they didn't fool me. I knew they were intent on tempting me into going off my fast.
My winning strategy was simply this: I thought, "I've had peanuts before. I know exactly what they taste like. I will have them again sometime in the future. I don't have to have them right now."
And so I didn't.
My winning strategy was simply this: I thought, "I've had peanuts before. I know exactly what they taste like. I will have them again sometime in the future. I don't have to have them right now."
And so I didn't.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Planning Ahead
Yesterday, I could have gone out to lunch with a coworker. I would have spent money I didn't need to spend and eaten a lot more than I needed to eat. Instead, because I had my lunch (and my lunch hour which included 20 minutes of fast walking)well planned, I was able to resist.
I am trying to have an eating plan everyday. Some days that plan will include going out to eat, but not on such a regular basis that it breaks my diet or my bank account.
On an idea day, here's what my goal menu looks like:
Breakfast: boiled egg with V8 juice or low-cal yogurt with almonds
Lunch: soup or diet frozen dinner
Dinner: Veggies and brown rice
Snack/dessert: square or two of dark chocolate, almonds
Right now, that menu is an ideal that I do not reach on more days than I do, unfortunately, but I figure that even accomplishing it on some days is better than on none. I am trying and I am getting better at it, and planning is the key for me.
I am trying to have an eating plan everyday. Some days that plan will include going out to eat, but not on such a regular basis that it breaks my diet or my bank account.
On an idea day, here's what my goal menu looks like:
Breakfast: boiled egg with V8 juice or low-cal yogurt with almonds
Lunch: soup or diet frozen dinner
Dinner: Veggies and brown rice
Snack/dessert: square or two of dark chocolate, almonds
Right now, that menu is an ideal that I do not reach on more days than I do, unfortunately, but I figure that even accomplishing it on some days is better than on none. I am trying and I am getting better at it, and planning is the key for me.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Itty-Bitty Valentine Victory
Thank goodness the Valentine's candy is all gone!
You can't always control what food you are given, but you can (usually, hopefully) control what you eat. Yesterday, I exerted my control by throwing away the remainder of the gift box of assorted chocolates.
Before you start thinking that this was a truly amazing sacrifice on my part, I have to confess that I had already eaten all of the really, really good kinds. Still, in the past, I have been known to keep the marginally good and even the downright icky candies around, until, in a moment of weakness or maybe a fit of hunger, I would eat them anyway.
So even though I still ate too much Valentine's Day candy, at least I ate only the candies that I truly wanted. Throwing out the candy that I didn't really want, but might have eaten anyway if it was lying around, is a step forward, a small victory on the road to thinness.
You can't always control what food you are given, but you can (usually, hopefully) control what you eat. Yesterday, I exerted my control by throwing away the remainder of the gift box of assorted chocolates.
Before you start thinking that this was a truly amazing sacrifice on my part, I have to confess that I had already eaten all of the really, really good kinds. Still, in the past, I have been known to keep the marginally good and even the downright icky candies around, until, in a moment of weakness or maybe a fit of hunger, I would eat them anyway.
So even though I still ate too much Valentine's Day candy, at least I ate only the candies that I truly wanted. Throwing out the candy that I didn't really want, but might have eaten anyway if it was lying around, is a step forward, a small victory on the road to thinness.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Comfort Me With...Exercise?
In my last post, "Comfort me with Apples," I wrote that I needed better (i.e. less fattening) comfort foods. But the best thing would be to find my comfort in something other than food.
I've noticed that I always feel better -- more energetic, less stressed -- after exercising, so why not use exercise for comfort? I decided to try that today.
I was extremely stressed out at work. There have been times in the past when I've reacted to that stress by indulging in extra food at lunch, maybe even telling myself that I "deserved" fast food, or junk food, or to pig out at a restaurant.
When I overeat like that due to stress, or depression, or being upset (the list goes on!), it is an attempt to self-medicate. I know that, but still sometimes do it. But today I decided to try exercise as my self-medication.
During my lunch hour, I went to the gym and got on the treadmill. I only spent about twenty minutes walking at a fast pace, but it got my heartrate up and my blood flowing and, sure enough, it made me feel better. In other words, it worked. My stress went down.
Forget the apples. Comfort me with exercise!
I've noticed that I always feel better -- more energetic, less stressed -- after exercising, so why not use exercise for comfort? I decided to try that today.
I was extremely stressed out at work. There have been times in the past when I've reacted to that stress by indulging in extra food at lunch, maybe even telling myself that I "deserved" fast food, or junk food, or to pig out at a restaurant.
When I overeat like that due to stress, or depression, or being upset (the list goes on!), it is an attempt to self-medicate. I know that, but still sometimes do it. But today I decided to try exercise as my self-medication.
During my lunch hour, I went to the gym and got on the treadmill. I only spent about twenty minutes walking at a fast pace, but it got my heartrate up and my blood flowing and, sure enough, it made me feel better. In other words, it worked. My stress went down.
Forget the apples. Comfort me with exercise!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Comfort Me With Apples
The Bible says "comfort me with apples" in the Song Of Solomon. So why do my comfort foods always involve cheese?!
Or chocolate? Or carbs with fat, like grits with butter, or mashed potatoes with cream, or rice with cheese melted on top?
There are people who can't eat when they are upset. I am NOT one of those people. (I’ve tried to be, believe me.) In fact, I tend to want to eat more when I am upset. Just recognizing that tendency has helped me combat it, but I still need to learn to be comforted by something other than food. Or at least by a smaller amount of food. Or maybe I need comfort foods that are less caloric.
Maybe I should try apples, like the Bible says. According to realage.com , eating a fruit that is high in fiber and water before (or instead of) eating something else is a proven weight-loss helper. The fiber and water are filling and satisfying in the belly and the chewy crunchiness is satisfying to the mouth.
The same source also recommends eating eggs instead of some similar-caloried breakfast or snack food because something about them fills you up better. A study showed that people who eat an egg at breakfast actually eat less at lunch than if they had eaten something else.
So maybe my new comfort foods are going to be eggs and apples. The dangerous temptation for me in that, is that they both go way too well with cheese!
Or chocolate? Or carbs with fat, like grits with butter, or mashed potatoes with cream, or rice with cheese melted on top?
There are people who can't eat when they are upset. I am NOT one of those people. (I’ve tried to be, believe me.) In fact, I tend to want to eat more when I am upset. Just recognizing that tendency has helped me combat it, but I still need to learn to be comforted by something other than food. Or at least by a smaller amount of food. Or maybe I need comfort foods that are less caloric.
Maybe I should try apples, like the Bible says. According to realage.com , eating a fruit that is high in fiber and water before (or instead of) eating something else is a proven weight-loss helper. The fiber and water are filling and satisfying in the belly and the chewy crunchiness is satisfying to the mouth.
The same source also recommends eating eggs instead of some similar-caloried breakfast or snack food because something about them fills you up better. A study showed that people who eat an egg at breakfast actually eat less at lunch than if they had eaten something else.
So maybe my new comfort foods are going to be eggs and apples. The dangerous temptation for me in that, is that they both go way too well with cheese!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Great link for We Calorie Counters
Calorielab.com is a really useful resource, especially for finding out how many calories are in your favorite restaurant foods.
Warning: they may not be your favorite restaurant foods after you find out!
It is mind-boggling to see just how fattening some innocent looking morsels are. (Goodbye, Sonic onion rings, 'twas nice to know ye.)
Warning: they may not be your favorite restaurant foods after you find out!
It is mind-boggling to see just how fattening some innocent looking morsels are. (Goodbye, Sonic onion rings, 'twas nice to know ye.)
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Skinny Goodness
If food is good -- really, really, REALLY good -- I can be happy eating less of it. I know that sounds bass-ackwards, but I find it to be true. "Gourmet" fare is just more satisfying.
I am dangerously likely to binge on average, everyday cheese and chocolate, for example, but savoring a high-end, intensely flavorful artisanal cheese or a piece of rich, dark imported chocolate satisfies my taste buds so completely that I don't need nearly as much to feel sated.
And, hey, since eating less of the good stuff is the only way that I can actually afford it, that's probably a good thing for my bank account as well as my belly. :-)
I am dangerously likely to binge on average, everyday cheese and chocolate, for example, but savoring a high-end, intensely flavorful artisanal cheese or a piece of rich, dark imported chocolate satisfies my taste buds so completely that I don't need nearly as much to feel sated.
And, hey, since eating less of the good stuff is the only way that I can actually afford it, that's probably a good thing for my bank account as well as my belly. :-)
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Frozen veggies are my friends
125 calories. That's how many there are in a 16 oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables. Not 125 calories per serving, mind you, that's 125 for the whole dang bag.
When I'm hungry, I can go to the freezer and grab a bag of veggies (intended for stir fry or soup and available in the freezer section of your happy neighborhood grocery), microwave them, add soy sauce and seasonings, and I have a ton (well, OK a pound) of yummy, nutritious, filling food for only 125 freaking calories. That is a lot of food for very few calories.
If I want to go wild and add a little spaghetti sauce or even a half can of mushroom soup to flavor it up, I can because I've saved calories to spare. Sometimes I eat them as a meal that way and sometimes as a side dish. Either way it gives me a lot of satisfaction with next-to-no fattening power. I think I'll go eat some friends right now.
When I'm hungry, I can go to the freezer and grab a bag of veggies (intended for stir fry or soup and available in the freezer section of your happy neighborhood grocery), microwave them, add soy sauce and seasonings, and I have a ton (well, OK a pound) of yummy, nutritious, filling food for only 125 freaking calories. That is a lot of food for very few calories.
If I want to go wild and add a little spaghetti sauce or even a half can of mushroom soup to flavor it up, I can because I've saved calories to spare. Sometimes I eat them as a meal that way and sometimes as a side dish. Either way it gives me a lot of satisfaction with next-to-no fattening power. I think I'll go eat some friends right now.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Life is just a bowl of cherries
...and two hotdogs and some vegetables. That's what I had to eat yesterday. (I also drank last night while out with friends, but that's another post....)
The thing that I am overly, inordinately, excessively, ridiculously proud of is that I turned down the buns or bread with my hotdogs. Instead, I put them on a plate with mustard and a little ketchup and ate them with a fork. They were yummy that way.
The reason that this makes me so freaking happy is because there was a time when I would have eaten those hotdogs on buns or bread totally without thinking. I don't even LIKE buns or bread. I don't even WANT it. But in the past, I would have eaten it because...well, just because. I guess just because it is what you are "supposed" to eat with hotdogs. Never mind whether you want it or not! You are being a weirdo if you eat a hotdog with out a bun!
Now, I don't think like that anymore.
This goes along with what I said in a previous blog entry about being mindful about what I eat: From now on, I am going to eat ONLY the parts of the dish that I truly want, no matter how weird that may seem. The rest is just useless calories and I'd rather save my calories for something I really want...like more cherries.
The thing that I am overly, inordinately, excessively, ridiculously proud of is that I turned down the buns or bread with my hotdogs. Instead, I put them on a plate with mustard and a little ketchup and ate them with a fork. They were yummy that way.
The reason that this makes me so freaking happy is because there was a time when I would have eaten those hotdogs on buns or bread totally without thinking. I don't even LIKE buns or bread. I don't even WANT it. But in the past, I would have eaten it because...well, just because. I guess just because it is what you are "supposed" to eat with hotdogs. Never mind whether you want it or not! You are being a weirdo if you eat a hotdog with out a bun!
Now, I don't think like that anymore.
This goes along with what I said in a previous blog entry about being mindful about what I eat: From now on, I am going to eat ONLY the parts of the dish that I truly want, no matter how weird that may seem. The rest is just useless calories and I'd rather save my calories for something I really want...like more cherries.
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