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Calorie Counters, help me out.

  • I'm looking to lose a little weight. After reading some different things on here sounds like a lot of people count calories and work out. So I need a little insight on what to eat to keep calories under set number. I have down loaded MyFitnessPal to help me. Seems like everything I look at the calorie counts are already high and to me it just doesn't seem like its possible to stay under say 1500 calories a day, so I need some suggestions on different things to eat with low calories. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

    -Going to start the day with a 3-5 Mile bike ride when I wake up, get the blood flowing for the day.
    -Then a protein shake for breakfast.
    - I'm in sales so I spend some time in my car, I do get a bit of a work out a few days a week merchandising some cases every now and then.
    - Plan to either run/walk/bike at night as well, probably around 3-5 miles then as well.

    Looking for suggestions of low calorie meals on the road for lunch, Subway? What about Dinner as well? I don't want to eat a chicken breast and rice everyday, so I am looking for a little variety from people.

    Thanks!

    M J ●

  • Check out SparkPeople and FatSecret for recipes.

    Go Green Girl

  • Don't worry about counting calories.

    Just cut out soda, fast food and other calorie-dense foods.

    Try not to drink any calories. I drink only water throughout the day and it works great.

    Get some exercise, and you will lose weight.

    People think they have to change their entire lives to lose weight, and it just isn't true. Small changes like this will work.

    MSU FOOTBALL: Dominating Press Conferences Since 2007

    Fingercuffs ●

  • Fingercuffs said...

    Don't worry about counting calories.

    Just cut out soda, fast food and other calorie-dense foods.

    Try not to drink any calories. I drink only water throughout the day and it works great.

    Get some exercise, and you will lose weight.

    People think they have to change their entire lives to lose weight, and it just isn't true. Small changes like this will work.

    Ya, just bought a 24 pack of water and plan on freezing a few to make it through the day for work each day.

    M J ●

  • Raw fruits and veggies can keep you satiated. You can munch on those while on the road.

    If you like protein shakes, keep the powder, a shaker cup, and some water with your vehicle at all times. It will give you a healthy alternative to fast food.

    Another idea is to ask for lettuce leafs instead of bread at subway.

    Also, try to eliminate liquid (non- food) calories...juices, pop and milk don't offer much nutritional value.

    Basically, choose healthy carbs and proteins...and most importantly, choose the healthy foods that you enjoy the most.

    tVargMan Prime ●

  • Brodson ●

  • 1500 calories is pretty low, you probably dont need to go that low yet. If you're counting calories, figure out your maintenance, then cut 300-500 calories off that number.

    Goalies Rule

  • VargMan said...

    Raw fruits and veggies can keep you satiated. You can munch on those while on the road.

    If you like protein shakes, keep the powder, a shaker cup, and some water with your vehicle at all times. It will give you a healthy alternative to fast food.

    Another idea is to ask for lettuce leafs instead of bread at subway.

    Also, try to eliminate liquid (non- food) calories...juices, pop and milk don't offer much nutritional value.

    Basically, choose healthy carbs and proteins...and most importantly, choose the healthy foods that you enjoy the most.

    Good suggestions. I used to bring protein powder with me on the road, and mix it whenever I needed a quick meal. I also pack chicken and veggies in a little cooler. Almonds are a great choice, as well.

    MSU FOOTBALL: Dominating Press Conferences Since 2007

    Fingercuffs ●

  • Goalies Rule said...

    1500 calories is pretty low, you probably dont need to go that low yet. If you're counting calories, figure out your maintenance, then cut 300-500 calories off that number.

    Yes and no... It sounds like he is sedentary for most of the day. So, 1500 calories is not dangerous or unhealthy.

    tVargMan Prime ●

  • The beauty of simply counting calories is you become very conscious of what you eating, you don't even need a special diet just start eliminating the terrible things.

    SD Spartan ●

  • Goalies Rule said...

    1500 calories is pretty low, you probably dont need to go that low yet. If you're counting calories, figure out your maintenance, then cut 300-500 calories off that number.

    Actually the number MyFitnessPal gave me was 1610 per day, just threw 1500 out as a round number.

    And ya the little cups of fruit and Veggies I will be snacking on all day.

    I seen the suggestion for Leaf Lettuce at subway, anyone else got any good lunch ideas while on the road?

    I know I will be eating some "Yaya's" as well for lunch.

    M J ●

  • M J said...

    And ya the little cups of fruit and Veggies I will be snacking on all day.

    Fruit cups are usually packed in syrup, adding calories. You're better off with fresh fruit.

    Go Green Girl

  • Go Green Girl said...

    Fruit cups are usually packed in syrup, adding calories. You're better off with fresh fruit.

    Ya that's what I meant, fresh apple slices in a cup.

    M J ●

  • 1500 calories is reasonable. I did it for 2 months last year and lost 40 lbs. It's been over a year now and I've kept it off without continuing to count. Counting calories to that extreme just made me more aware of what I was eating.

    RasTrent

  • Get a an insulated lunch bag with freezer inserts or a small plastic cooler. Pack your lunch and snacks and take them with you on the road. Instead of stopping at fast food joints, eat the lunch you packed. Saves money and calories. While the weather is nice, eat your lunch in a park or public fountain. People watch while you eat and enjoy the scenery.

    Pack fresh fruit, raw veggies or salads (measure your salad dressings and put the serving in a separate container from your salad, combine the two when ready to eat), turkey sandwiches, pouches of tuna, hummus to use as a dip for veggies. Use fresh salsa in place of salad dressings on your salads and as a dip for veggies.

    Go to the freezer section of your grocery and look for Food for Life breads, use those instead of the breads you find in the bakery or bread isle. Much better for you, organic, gluten free, whole grains, and good source of protein. http://www.foodforlife.com/our-products

    Weigh and measure your proteins. Americans tend to overeat on the meats and skimp on the veggies and fruits. Invest in good digital food scale.

    Eat more fish, try for three servings of week of wild caught fish. Bake or grill your fish, use lemon and lime to flavor, avoid butters and oil based sauces on fish. I really like baked flounder that I top with two tablespoons of fresh, homemade mango salsa. Very tasty, light, yet satisfying meal.

    Get in the habit of weighing and measuring your cereals, rices, pastas, potatoes, and other grains. You'll be surprised at how much you've probably been over-eating on those types of carbs until you start measuring and weighing.

    As others have stated, stay away from the liquid calories, including diet sodas. Artificial sweeteners and caramel dyes are BAD. If you find you miss drinking soda, substitute one serving of flavored, carbonated water that DOES NOT use an artificial sweetener. Look in the bottled water section of your grocery store for water that is carbonated and uses organic fruit oils (not fruit juice) to flavor and that contains no sweeteners. These are usually located on the top most shelf of the bottled water aisle.

    I agree on using SparkPeople.com to track your food and exercise. I think it's a lot better than myfitnesspal. Don't be afraid to check out recipes on SparkPeople, lots of great recipes that are healthy, tasty, and waist friendly.

    This post was edited by Minnie on 7/22/2012 at 11:00 AM

    My inspiration: http://www.lifeasazebra.com/

    Minnie

  • If it were easy, you and I wouldn't be fat.

    Big Ten Referee

  • Eat foods high in fiber to fill you up.

    Greek yogurt really fills me up (plain), and eggs.

    spartanMF ●

  • Here's my story. I got up to 190 lbs over the holidays this year. I'm only 5'8 so that was pretty heavy. I decided that I was far too fat for my liking and wanted to lose some weight...

    When I first started dieting I had also started a new job in public accounting. That meant busy season. For anyone that has worked in public accounting, you know what I'm talking about. Long hours and then working on Saturdays. Sucks. I did somethings right though. I started to choose healthy options. Less fast food, less pop, less beer, and overall just eating better. I was able to get into the 183-186 range by just eating better food. The problem was my portion control.

    Over the past roughly 6 weeks I went from low 180's to now weighing myself this morning at 172. So I'm down about 18 lbs in total. The biggest reason I went from say 182 to 172 was because of portion control. I completely cut out pop, fast food, chips, anything fried, salt, and SUGAR. I can't stress sugar enough. It's in f'ing everything and it makes you eat more. It spikes your blood sugar and makes you want to keep eating. Avoid sugar. This includes breads. Sure, eat sandwiches but don't eat rolls before dinner or candy or pop, etc.

    Things I do eat. Healthy cereal, protein bars, granola bars (has some sugar), water, milk, G2 Gatorade after runs, lean pockets, PB&J's with the all natural kind of jelly (much less sugar), veggies of all sorts, chicken, tuna sandwiches, rice, and mac & cheese. For snacking I eat triscuits (sp?), reduced fat cheeze its, and fruit. If I eat out at lunch with co-workers, I go for Subway or somewhere that has a salad. If I'm in a tough spot, I'll eat cheese pizza because it's more balanced than a lot of the other unhealthy alternatives. I also take a multivitamin everyday.

    Working in public accounting can be somewhat similar to sales. I have to drive out to different clients and sometimes it can take me up to 2 hours with Chicago traffic. Just have to deal with it. The most important last piece of advice I'll give you will be controversial. It goes against what the health experts have to say. If you aren't hungry, don't eat. If it's been 4 hours since your last meal and you just aren't hungry, who cares? Skip it. Drink some water and move on. If it's an hour or two later and you feel like a snack but not a full meal even though it's dinner time, eat a snack. Listen to your body. I used to be able to throw back tons of food for my size but it wasn't healthy. My stomach has shrunk to probably a very normal size and I get full easier and because I choose healthier foods than previously, I stay full for longer with the higher energy levels. Something to think about. Sorry for the long read but I've been going through this for the past 7 months with some periods of frustration but ultimately realized it was my portion control and just eating to eat because it was dinner time or lunch time or because I thought I should be eating more. Once I realized that and changed it, the weight started to go down again.

    I also run about 3 miles every other day, I do push ups, sit ups, planks, reverse push ups, squats, calf raises, pull ups, curls, military presses, and rows after I run. Just a couple sets each. I'm more looking for a slimmer look and an overall healthy body compared to being some body builder type. So it's been working. Pants went from a 36 to a 33. I want to get down to the 32 or 31 range by the time college football season hits.

    Harry Callahan ●

  • Fingercuffs said...

    Don't worry about counting calories.

    Just cut out soda, fast food and other calorie-dense foods.

    Try not to drink any calories. I drink only water throughout the day and it works great.

    Get some exercise, and you will lose weight.

    People think they have to change their entire lives to lose weight, and it just isn't true. Small changes like this will work.

    This!

    Is it about exercise, and the exercise must be a at a brisk pace. Going through the motions will accomplish nothing.

    I just had a conversation with someone who couldn't understand why they weren't losing weight because they are walking about 22 miles a week. When I told her I bike on average 24 miles in 2 days, she responded that is too much work. I so wanted to say enjoy be fat then.

    For some reason people don't seem to understand all the waste calories and grams of fat they are consuming in soda and fast food every day.

    I work with a guy and girl who must drink about a 12 pack of diet soda every day and they consider that a diet.

    Be careful with the 1500 calorie diet, 1500 calories is about the lowest amount you can go before you need help in planning a correct diet. Just make small changes and subtractions and add exercise and you will be fine.

    scimini ●

  • Harry Callahan said...

    Here's my story. I got up to 190 lbs over the holidays this year. I'm only 5'8 so that was pretty heavy. I decided that I was far too fat for my liking and wanted to lose some weight...

    When I first started dieting I had also started a new job in public accounting. That meant busy season. For anyone that has worked in public accounting, you know what I'm talking about. Long hours and then working on Saturdays. Sucks. I did somethings right though. I started to choose healthy options. Less fast food, less pop, less beer, and overall just eating better. I was able to get into the 183-186 range by just eating better food. The problem was my portion control.

    Over the past roughly 6 weeks I went from low 180's to now weighing myself this morning at 172. So I'm down about 18 lbs in total. The biggest reason I went from say 182 to 172 was because of portion control. I completely cut out pop, fast food, chips, anything fried, salt, and SUGAR. I can't stress sugar enough. It's in f'ing everything and it makes you eat more. It spikes your blood sugar and makes you want to keep eating. Avoid sugar. This includes breads. Sure, eat sandwiches but don't eat rolls before dinner or candy or pop, etc.

    Things I do eat. Healthy cereal, protein bars, granola bars (has some sugar), water, milk, G2 Gatorade after runs, lean pockets, PB&J's with the all natural kind of jelly (much less sugar), veggies of all sorts, chicken, tuna sandwiches, rice, and mac & cheese. For snacking I eat triscuits (sp?), reduced fat cheeze its, and fruit. If I eat out at lunch with co-workers, I go for Subway or somewhere that has a salad. If I'm in a tough spot, I'll eat cheese pizza because it's more balanced than a lot of the other unhealthy alternatives. I also take a multivitamin everyday.

    Working in public accounting can be somewhat similar to sales. I have to drive out to different clients and sometimes it can take me up to 2 hours with Chicago traffic. Just have to deal with it. The most important last piece of advice I'll give you will be controversial. It goes against what the health experts have to say. If you aren't hungry, don't eat. If it's been 4 hours since your last meal and you just aren't hungry, who cares? Skip it. Drink some water and move on. If it's an hour or two later and you feel like a snack but not a full meal even though it's dinner time, eat a snack. Listen to your body. I used to be able to throw back tons of food for my size but it wasn't healthy. My stomach has shrunk to probably a very normal size and I get full easier and because I choose healthier foods than previously, I stay full for longer with the higher energy levels. Something to think about. Sorry for the long read but I've been going through this for the past 7 months with some periods of frustration but ultimately realized it was my portion control and just eating to eat because it was dinner time or lunch time or because I thought I should be eating more. Once I realized that and changed it, the weight started to go down again.

    I also run about 3 miles every other day, I do push ups, sit ups, planks, reverse push ups, squats, calf raises, pull ups, curls, military presses, and rows after I run. Just a couple sets each. I'm more looking for a slimmer look and an overall healthy body compared to being some body builder type. So it's been working. Pants went from a 36 to a 33. I want to get down to the 32 or 31 range by the time college football season hits.

    I'm 5'8" 188, so I know exactly what you are talking about.

    I was always very active, played Soccer, Baseball, Basketball, Football in high school, continued to play soccer longer after high school. Since giving up playing soccer 4 years ago (concussions), I haven't been as active the past few years, playing a few rec sports during the summer, nothing during the winter. I have been around 160-165 since my sophomore year in high school.

    Last 2 summers I've done even less while dealing with knee issues and spending more and more time in my car driving all day with my job, eating terrible all the time, I would eat fast food 5-8 meals a week for lunch or dinner.

    I am going to try and cut 23lbs, that's my goal to get back to 165. Not sure how fast I can accomplish this, but that's my goal.

    Going full throttle tomorrow morning at this, hoping to have some success.

    M J ●

  • Minnie said...

    Get a an insulated lunch bag with freezer inserts or a small plastic cooler. Pack your lunch and snacks and take them with you on the road. Instead of stopping at fast food joints, eat the lunch you packed. Saves money and calories. While the weather is nice, eat your lunch in a park or public fountain. People watch while you eat and enjoy the scenery.

    And I work in the Flint area, not the safest place to find a park to eat at.

    gun

    M J ●

  • M J said...

    I am going to try and cut 23lbs, that's my goal to get back to 165. Not sure how fast I can accomplish this, but that's my goal.

    Going full throttle tomorrow morning at this, hoping to have some success.

    Don't worry about how long it takes.

    You gained the extra weight gradually, so that is how you should take it off.

    Just be healthy and allow your body to do the rest.

    MSU FOOTBALL: Dominating Press Conferences Since 2007

    Fingercuffs ●

  • Minnie said...

    Get a an insulated lunch bag with freezer inserts or a small plastic cooler. Pack your lunch and snacks and take them with you on the road. Instead of stopping at fast food joints, eat the lunch you packed. Saves money and calories. While the weather is nice, eat your lunch in a park or public fountain. People watch while you eat and enjoy the scenery.

    Pack fresh fruit, raw veggies or salads (measure your salad dressings and put the serving in a separate container from your salad, combine the two when ready to eat), turkey sandwiches, pouches of tuna, hummus to use as a dip for veggies. Use fresh salsa in place of salad dressings on your salads and as a dip for veggies.

    Go to the freezer section of your grocery and look for Food for Life breads, use those instead of the breads you find in the bakery or bread isle. Much better for you, organic, gluten free, whole grains, and good source of protein. http://www.foodforlife.com/our-products

    Weigh and measure your proteins. Americans tend to overeat on the meats and skimp on the veggies and fruits. Invest in good digital food scale.

    Eat more fish, try for three servings of week of wild caught fish. Bake or grill your fish, use lemon and lime to flavor, avoid butters and oil based sauces on fish. I really like baked flounder that I top with two tablespoons of fresh, homemade mango salsa. Very tasty, light, yet satisfying meal.

    Get in the habit of weighing and measuring your cereals, rices, pastas, potatoes, and other grains. You'll be surprised at how much you've probably been over-eating on those types of carbs until you start measuring and weighing.

    As others have stated, stay away from the liquid calories, including diet sodas. Artificial sweeteners and caramel dyes are BAD. If you find you miss drinking soda, substitute one serving of flavored, carbonated water that DOES NOT use an artificial sweetener. Look in the bottled water section of your grocery store for water that is carbonated and uses organic fruit oils (not fruit juice) to flavor and that contains no sweeteners. These are usually located on the top most shelf of the bottled water aisle.

    I agree on using SparkPeople.com to track your food and exercise. I think it's a lot better than myfitnesspal. Don't be afraid to check out recipes on SparkPeople, lots of great recipes that are healthy, tasty, and waist friendly.

    Great advice. I've been using Sparkpeople and it helps a lot. Lot's of great advice and support. What I like is that the nutrition tracker can be used to follow key nutrients so you can be sure that cutting calories is not costing you valuable nutrients. I've been following a 1500 to 1700 calorie range and have no problem maintaining a healthy level of protein, fat and carbs. The biggest challenge is awareness of serving size. If I'm not certain I try to err on the side of overestimating what I am really eating.

    Research is what I am doing when I don’t know what I am doing - Werner von Braun

    Green Genes

  • Green Genes said...

    Great advice. I've been using Sparkpeople and it helps a lot. Lot's of great advice and support. What I like is that the nutrition tracker can be used to follow key nutrients so you can be sure that cutting calories is not costing you valuable nutrients. I've been following a 1500 to 1700 calorie range and have no problem maintaining a healthy level of protein, fat and carbs. The biggest challenge is awareness of serving size. If I'm not certain I try to err on the side of overestimating what I am really eating.

    Is there an app for Sparkpeople?

    I planned on using MyFitnessPal, since I can use the app and net to complete it.

    M J ●

  • SD Spartan said...

    The beauty of simply counting calories is you become very conscious of what you eating, you don't even need a special diet just start eliminating the terrible things.

    Yeah this. Add in some daily exercise and you'll be in good shape. I've dropped 18 lbs since memorial day by cutting out junk food and running/walking/light weightlifting. Just keep consistent and be conscious if what you consume.

    signature image

    Throwback702

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