As part of my plan to combat the “plateau” I reached at week 11, I kept a food log and counted calories for the past week.
Here’s my diet and calorie intake from April 8 – April 14.
Wednesday | 1,435 calories
6AM: 2 cups of Cocoa Pebbles (220) w/ 1/2 cup 1% milk (55) = 275
9AM: 1 Mott’s no sugar added apple sauce = 50
12PM: 2 cups of leftover speghetti = 450 est.
3PM: 2 Promax 70-calorie double fudge brownie bars = 140
6PM: BLT (with cheese) sandwich (360) and chips/salsa (160) = 520 calories
Thursday | 1,220 calories
6AM: 1 packet of whole-grain oatmeal (120) and banana (110) = 230
10AM: 1 Promax 70-calorie peanut butter crisp bar = 70
1PM: 1/2 serving of Wendy’s Southwest taco salad (no sour cream) = 300
6PM: McDonald’s cheeseburger happy meal = 520
7PM: 100-calorie peanut butter sticks snack = 100
Friday | 1,520 calories
7AM: 1 packet of whole-grain oatmeal (120), toast w/ strawberry jam (130) = 250
10PM: 1 Promax 70-calorie double fudge brownie bar = 70
1PM: 1/2 serving of Wendy’s Southwest taco salad (no sour cream) = 300
6PM: 1/2 serving of Chili’s salmon (300), mashed potatoes (280), corn on the cob (120), 3 ribs w/ dry rub (200) = 900
Saturday | 2,012 calories
7AM: McDonald’s English McMuffin = 312
12PM: Sticky Finger’s BBQ sandwich w/ seasoned fries = 900 est.
6PM: Sushi, egg roll, low mein, fried rice, chicken = 800 est.
Sunday | 2,000 calories
7AM: 3/4 McDonald’s chicken biscuit = 360
12PM: BBQ chicken, potato salad, roll, crab dip = 900 calories est.
5PM: 1/2 O’Charley’s salmon, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob = 640
7PM: 100-calorie chocolate chip cookies snack = 100
Monday | 1,350 calories
6AM: 1 1/2 serving of Shredded Mini-Wheats cereal w/ 1% milk = 340
9AM: Banana = 110
12PM: Ruby Tuesday’s New Orleans Seafood = 400 calories
6PM: 4 oz pulled pork on toast (340), chips/ salsa (160) = 500
Tuesday | 1,810 calories
6AM: 1 packet of whole-grain oatmeal (120) and banana (110) = 230
10AM: 100-calorie chocolate chip cookies snack = 100
1PM: 4 oz pulled pork (340), cup of potato salad (190) = 530
4PM: 1 Mott’s no sugar added apple sauce = 50
6PM: 3 pieces of large Supreme Pizza (Domino’s) = 900
Yes, I know my calorie intake for a couple of days is extremely low — but it’s 100% nutritional, no “empty” calories like soda, juice, etc. And yes, I know I shouldn’t have most of my calories at dinner. Oh well.
I don’t think I’ll stick to counting calories, it’s too much work. I’d rather just estimate and enjoy my meals. If I go over X calories for the day, who cares?
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
A big part of my weight loss initiative has been counting calories and exercising, and livestrong.com helps me with both. They have many many foods listed on their website, so all I have to do is search for what I ate and add it for a particular day. It also helps me keep track of weight loss, body measurements, water intake, and it displays it all that info in charts and graphs. It’s really cool and easy to stick to, I’ve been doing it for 10 weeks and lost 22 pounds so far.
I don’t want to start doing something I won’t finish — this has been about a lifestyle change for me, not a diet or quick fix.
Counting calories is simply something I won’t do forever, I know I won’t. It’s too boring and just not something I’ll do 3 months from now.
But, I do understand tools like what you’re talking about and how they help people. Good for you! And good luck on your journey!
Looks like you’re using the instant oatmeal packets… As someone who eats oatmeal often, I must strongly encourage you to spend a couple of minutes more and use regular oats. They have more texture and flavor, and since they’re less processed, I believe they make you feel full longer.
Also, you might try steel cut oats, which are even less processed than regular rolled oats. I make them in the crock pot overnight. (Most food co-ops carry steel cut oats. So does Trader Joe’s.)
One suggestion, even if you’re not counting calories, I’d try and keep about the same amount each day.
In planning for my own diet just about the one common piece of advice I see is to not eat too much or too little.
So even though the low calorie day might of been better items, your body would still react to having less food than normal and it might throw off things just a bit.
Keep it going though, 1 pound at a time
First off – Sticky Fingers is delicious and you’re making me miss the South :) That for me would be totally worth it. But really – McDonald’s anything is probably a bad idea. Nothing McDonald’s related is really healthy, especially for breakfast! I know you aren’t trying to give up everything you love, but I bet you could find something that is just as delicious and a lot less artery-clogging.
I agree, counting calories takes too much time. I know intuitively if I am eating too much – I feel bloated. I use the palm of my hand for portion size. My palm is one serving of protein. That equates to about one chicken breast.
It’s not that I like McDonald’s, we were just traveling. It’s so hard to eat well on the road, especially in the morning.
I loooove Sticky Fingers :)
Boy do I love reading about what other people eat. I have to admit though, I’m shocked you lost so much weight if you’re eating restaurant and packaged food so often. Wow, you must really be doing a lot of exercise!
I used to eat out a lot, always choosing the healthiest options even if they cost more. Once I stopped eating out, I started losing weight. I didn’t do anything different. The stuff I made for myself seemed to be just as healthy as the stuff I was buying in restaurants.
Now I’m convinced that restaurants and packaged food have weird ingredients that are filled with uber-calories. Also, I’m beginning to think that they are simply lying about their calorie content. (Where are the calorie police who check the numbers?!? LOL)
If you’re looking for something new to try, I would recommend eating only homemade food for a while and see if that helps. It did wonders for me!
One thing that really works to break up a plateau you did naturally–varying your calorie count by several hundred calories. Doing 2 high, 2 low and 3 medium-level calorie days in a week is great way to keep your body guessing and to keep the weight loss going strong. You’re doing great!
Good for you Tyler.
I have to say that I agree with you completely. It is very similar to the plan that I am using. When I started I went and looked at the caloric intake of the things that I was eating, and that was it. I don’t count calories every day. And I have no intention to. I want a new way of life, not a way to eat while I diet and then back to the old ways. The calorie counting way of life is based on guilt and restriction. I want to feel good about myself.
I don’t want a lifestyle that does not include eating pizza for the rest of my life because it does not fit into my plan. I want to be able to eat all the thing I love in the future. Where is the enjoyment of life if I must perpetually torture myself with the things I want and cannot have?
What we have done is to cut out the snacks and deserts. We did cut out a lot of the really high caloric stuff from our regular menu (now only for special occasions). We made some small changes, Breakfasts are now rolled oatmeal and I make sure to bring fruit and veggies with my lunch every day. We got sweets out of the house (I had to wean myself off chocolate). I take mental note of everything that enters my mouth, and decide if I really need it. And of course portion control. And it has worked great for me.
Also I know that everyone has their opinion. But, eat what you want. I see everyone comment of “This food is bad”, and “How can you eat there?” You know what? I never drank soda (diet or regular), I always brought my lunch to work, I rarely ate out (less then once a month) and I never ate fast food, and I was still big. It is all about YOU and how you live.
All I do now is eat less, eat smarter, still eat what I want, and work out. From that I am shrinking and I love it!
It is important to make sure whatever you do, you will be able to stick to long term. I personally count calories…and when I estimate I waaay underestimate. THey say that those who estimate…do so by 50%!! Craziness…It might be good to count for a while….jsut until you get a good solid idea of what things cost calorically…so that your estimates are more accurate! Just my thoughts!
SO how many minutes are you up to for tomorrow?
Obviously what you are doing works for you, so keep it up! I like to see the different perspectives on this issue… I travel quite a bit and trying to eat healthy is a challenge. I do the best I can and try to make up for it when I’m at home.
Looking over your food list for the week, a few things jump out at me:
-not enough protein early in the day
-a real lack of vegetables
-a pretty high reliance on packaged/takeout/heavily processed foods
-extremely low calorie counts for the day
-curious about the timing of eating and workouts
I realize you are beginning a journey here so I wouldn’t expect you to turn your diet upside down overnight. But down the road, the lack of protein and veggies and the reliance on simple carbs may hinder your weight loss.
I am a huge fan of getting protein at every meal. Like you, I have oatmeal frequently for breakfast (the kind you actually have to cook though–no sugar, more fiber) and I often add a Morning Star Farms soy sausage patty. Huge jolt of protein and flavor for almost no fat and under 100 calories. Also, at the rate that you are losing weight, you really are going to have to work at getting protein so that you don’t lose muscle when you’d like to be losing fat. Building muscle is very difficult with insufficient protein. A rough estimate for an active person would be to aim for protein grams that are half your weight–so for you around 90 grams a day at least because you are working out and losing weight.
I’d try setting some goals around what you are eating over the next few weeks-maybe one week focus on adding protein to each meal/snack, the next try to cut out a processed carb, the next start adding in some veggies.
Do you eat anything within an hour of your workout? Before and after? A small (100 calorie) carby snack before can help you get through a tough workout. A small snack after wards that is roughly 60/40 carbs/protein can really help you recover from a workout. Just something to consider.
Coryad-I traveled for work for many years and managed to not gain weight by doing the following: always working out, eating a balanced breakfast, and at lunch and dinner always ordering a small salad (dressing on the side) as an appetizer and eating all of it before I ate my meal. I found that after I’d eaten the salad, I was generally too full to have client dinners thow me off track.
Best of luck to you , Tyler, and congratulations on your continued success! You’re doin’ it!
debaser,
You make some really good points:
-Everyone has unique challenges with weight-not everyone’s problems come for eating out. Finding our own challenges and strategizing is important.
-Cutting any food out entirely and permanently can lead to a binge. Working out how to fit them into a healthy lifestyle is important in the long-term, although can be tough for some people in the short-term.
-And that finding something sustainable is the key.
No wonder you’re doing well with your plan! :)
That’s the key, you mentioned it: not changing too drastically overnight. That’s why people fail healthy lifestyle changes and that’s why I believe I failed before.
I’ve already limited processed foods/take out and the sort, but I’m not prepared to eliminate it or restrict it much more… yet. I typically do eat a lot of fruits/veggies, this was simply a one week sample — keep in mind, we JUST had the baby. We’re all about the quick, crap meals that come quickly. I have very little time with additional work from the office this week, as well as the baby.
Once I get more into a routine, the baby gets a little older, and my office workload gets back to normal, I’ll definitely try the suggestions you recommended. When that time comes, I’ll probably shoot you an e-mail and see if you have any more tips for me.
Thanks for reading and helping out :)
you do rely heavily on meals prepared by someone other than yourself. You have to rely on what they are telling you for calorie counts are accurate, but unforunately study after study has proven that calorie counts provided by nutritional information at restaruants are not always accurate and often by a HUGE margin. So much is left up to how the item is prepared by the staff. If they are feeling heavy handed with the butter or sause one day, they can through on several hundred calories.
I know “fast food” is very popular but it is not very healthy and you are not doing your body any favors by not spending some time and preparing your own meals and eating those vegetables. How much fiber are you getting??
you are on a plateau, you want to get through it, maybe you should take some time and rework that menu. There are a lot of options for you at the grocery store that are healthier.
And I can’t imagine what your sodium count is either..