As I shared in my
last post I have dropped 45 pounds and am over 2/3 of the way to my goal of losing 60 (actually it is 61) pounds by June 1. I decided to share some of the tips that have been helping me along this journey. This is the first of 6 posts in that series.
Calories in...
That really is the key point. Our basic bodily functions burn a certain number of calories each day - so the key point is to take in less calories than we burn. Of course, exercise can increase this number for us, but that will be covered in another post. I can tell you that calorie counting has been the primary tool for losing weight, for me.
I measure my food diligently. I pay attention to serving sizes and portion my food appropriately. I track every single thing I eat. Way back when I began this journey I was trying to find a way to accurately chart my caloric intake and discovered
sparkpeople.com. This website (which is FREE!) has been my most useful tool. All I had to do was start my account, plug in my current information (weight, height) and then state my goal (desired weight and goal date) and the site calculated how many calories I should consume each day to reach my goal on time. I also set it to track various nutritional intake information such as Fats, Protein, Iron, etc.
I have always eaten a fairly decent diet, or at least that is what I told myself. My main problem was that I personally ate enough for a family of 6! :) My portions were ridiculously huge and I always cleaned my plate. I was shocked to discover what a 1/2 cup of just about ANYTHING actually looked like. :) And I was astonished when I discovered that I could truly get FULL eating much smaller amounts. I just needed to learn to let my stomach catch up to my mind and eyes. Eating good food slowly and with specifically portioned amounts allows you to eat less, feel satisfied, and lose weight.
I do try to focus on eating primarily vegetables, lean protein, low-fat dairy, fruits and whole grains (and in that order) but I have eliminated NO foods. I simply make choices. For instance, I can eat at my favorite Chinese buffet but I only take 1 crab rangoon, as little of the rice as possible, load up on anything with vegetables and avoid the fried stuff. It CAN be done. Then on the days before or after I am especially careful about where my calories come from - trying to lower my fats and carbs to offset the buffet day.
I don't believe in 'free' foods. I track every single thing I eat, even brussels sprouts! :) Literally, I track 1 romaine leaf and 1/4 cup of grapes if need be. I want to be certain that I am truly seeing every calorie I take in. It isn't so much that I believe I can get fat from eating too much cabbage or celery. It is more that I would have a false sense of security if I thought those foods were 'free' and would then eat more of other foods since the free foods didn't count against me.
I avoid processed foods if possible. I can control the calories much better when I make food from scratch. I also prefer the taste that way. I have always tended to be this way, but now I am sort of militant. :) And, I typically don't purchase pre-packaged 'snacks' that are marketed to dieters. I don't want to waste 100 calories on a packet of chips or cookies when I can have a whole Schwans chicken breast for 110 calories! I treat my daily calorie allotment like a budget. Thinking about how I want to 'spend' my calories each day truly helps me say 'no' to those kinds of things. More than once I have thought I made a choice that was good or that was 'worth' it and when I saw the calorie count, it made me realize I would rather get those calories another way. I prefer feeling full and can allocate my calories better if I stick to 'real food'.
Now, having said that, there are some products that I do LOVE. Here is a quick listing of some of my favorites.
Fiber One 80 calorie cereal - 3/4 cup = 80 calories and 40% of your daily fiber. Believe it or not, it can really fill that empty stomach in the morning. I typically 'go crazy' and have a whole cup of it for 106 calories! :)
Weiler's skim milk - only available to local folks (at Hy-Vee). I highly encourage you to try their skim milk. Low calorie and it tastes better than 2% of anything else. It is the only milk we use! (warning... in the early spring it can sometimes taste a teensy bit 'fieldy'. You can tell the cows are eating the newly growing grass... so if you try it now and don't like it as well, give it another shot around May!) :D
Noosa Greek Yoghurt - I am in a bit of a panic right now, actually, because I fear that our local grocery store may have stopped carrying this brand. It is my absolute favorite of all the Greek Yogurt I have tried (and I have tried many!). If you can get it where you live, I highly recommend it. Be aware, however, that a container is either 2 or 4 servings. You can easily measure out your portion (1/2 cup serving) and it is SO worth it. :)
Frozen Yogurt - my favorite is
Blue Bunny White Chocolate Raspberry Frozen Yogurt. Only 120 calories per half cup. I measure it out into a very small bowl (so visually it looks like a FULL bowl) and savor every bite. It turns out that 1/2 cup CAN be enough! :) I also like
Kemps frozen yogurt. Note - beware of those 'personal' size frozen yogurts. Not only are they more expensive, they are larger serving sizes than usual. You could easily consume 180 to 200 calories with one of those.
My
homemade cocoa mix - this stuff is my winter nightly treat! Not too sweet, but smooth and chocolaty. 1/3 cup mixed with 1 cup hot water is only about 45 calories.
Progresso soup - can I tell you how much I LOVE Progresso soups? These are perfect for winter lunches. My favorites are French Onion (50 cal/cup), Chicken and Dumpling (80 cal/cup), Albondigas (Mexican meatballs and rice) (130 cal/cup), and Light New England Clam Chowder (100 cal/cup).
Frozen veggies - any kind! I purchase tons of frozen veggies to keep in my deep freeze. These are my 'go to' hungry time snack. I stock up on a wide variety of single vegetables and specialty blends so that I don't get bored. With pretty much any frozen vegetable I spray a skillet with canola spray (0 calories) and saute the vegetables, seasoning them with garlic or a
garlic/herb blend. Sometimes I add onion flakes. To help you transition to this, saute the vegetables in olive oil at the beginning. Although that adds calories, it also adds good fats and will help your taste buds decide that this truly is a SUPER yummy snack alternative. Trust me!! Currently I am on a real kick for
Hy-Vee sugar snap peas,
Schwans Mediterranean Blend, and
Hy Vee Normandy blend.
Spray Butter - I do rely on this processed 'non-food'. I used to use real butter thinking that the real thing was somehow better for me than margarine. Honestly, I think I still believe that in some ways... BUT, I certainly can't afford the calories in butter. And even margarine has more calories than I want to spend, most of the time. Jackson had picked up the habit of spray butter on those Guys Weekends so it has always been available. When I saw that it has zero calories, I decided to give it a try. I use a few sprays on toast, baked potatoes and baked sweet potatoes. Hard to believe I have weaned myself off of butter, but I have.
Salad dressings - This was one area where I was worried. I usually cannot stand low fat dressings. I MUST have taste! I decided to focus primarily on calorie count when searching for dressings and have, in the process, discovered that I don't have to use as much dressing as I thought I needed IF I choose dressings with flavor! Plus, the dressings I choose now are lower in fat than my old ranch, anyway, so that must be an improvement, right? :) Here are some of my favorites...
Paul Newman Light Balsamic Vinaigrette,
Paul Newman Olive Oil and Vinegar,
Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette,
Hendrickson's Sweet Oil and Vinegar,
Dorothy Lynch Low Fat, and
Pear Tree Madam French (get this at Hy Vee in the refrigerated salad section). A serving size for salad dressing is 2 Tbsp. and I rarely need to use that much. Tip - mix the 2 Paul Newman choices with the Brianna's for a lovely dressing on a salad... tastes homemade! 2nd Tip - I pay more attention to the amount of sugar in a salad dressing than the amount of fat. I find that, by and large, the lower fat versions have much
more sugar. 3rd Tip - see salad ideas by
clicking here. (Updated to add a
link to this blog post about Bolthouse Dressings.)
Schwans chicken breast filets - I LOVE these! Yes, they are pricey, but they are all the same 4 oz. size, individually wrapped, and only 110 calories. Each bite is as good as the last and there is no fat along the sides like you sometimes get with other brands. I use these filets anytime we are eating a chicken breast as a stand alone - meaning NOT cut up (like for a salad or fajitas) or in a casserole. To me, it is worth it.
Fiber One 90 calorie bar - I bought some of these to take with me on the train to Chicago and didn't end up eating any on that trip. But, I have them in my car now and they have come in handy as a quick snack while 'on the go'. Plus, they provide 20% of your daily fiber.
Finally, here is an example of a chart available to you at
sparkpeople.com. This is what my daily calorie counter looks like. You can see that there are individual items (like creamer, romaine and beets) listed as well as my own recipes (that I input using their recipe calculator). I will talk more about the recipe calculator in another post, but it is a very helpful tool. It has allowed me to continue cooking recipes that we like and that I feel comfortable with, but provides me with accurate calorie count per serving. A side effect has been that it has motivated me to 'makeover' some of our favorite recipes to be lower in calories!
| BREAKFAST TOTALS: | 271 | 30 | 7 | 12 | |
| CALORIES | CARBS | FAT | PROTEIN | |
| Totals: | 1,312 | 168 | 28 | 56 | |
| Your Daily Goal: | 1,240 - 1,590 | 168 - 242 | 33 - 58 | 60 - 130 | |
| Remaining Today: | 0 - 278 | -0 - 74 | 5 - 30 | 4 - 74 | |
Quick Tips...
Measure your food.
Know accurate serving sizes.
Track your food/calorie intake.
Practice portion control - eat slower and less food WILL fill you up.
Drink lots of water! Often thirst can appear as hunger. Really. :)
Eat on smaller plates/bowls - the visual WILL help.
I am certainly no expert. I am just sharing what has worked for me on my journey. I hope some of it can be helpful and encouraging. Feel free to ask me any questions if you have them. And truly, if *I* can do this, ANYONE can do this!!!
