Counting Calories 6/1 – 6/5

I really need to get back to counting calories. I was doing very well WHEN I WAS counting them.

What I did when I was counting calories was to set a specific amount of calories as an allowance, and I had to SPEND those calories on food. I had 1500 to spend per day.

I’m the type of guy who tries to get the most for his money. So, when I started thinking of eating in terms of “spending calories”, I started looking for food that tasted really good for the least calories. It’s not about eating DIET food. I think diet food tastes terribad… I started to think in terms of “what I can I get for 300 calories for lunch.

When I realized that 300 calories worth of a Bacon Cheeseburger tastes better than 300 calories of diet food, I realized that I could eat what I wanted as long as I don’t eat too much of it. How do you do that? Share. Split a cheeseburger with someone. Or, cut it in half and wrap up half and put it in the fridge before you start on the first half. (if the second half is already wrapped and getting cold, you’re unlikely to want to go through the trouble of reversing that until later (i.e. next meal, next day)

You can do this with deserts too. 300 calories of Cheesecake may be small, but it tastes better than 300 calories of diet ice cream, if you ask me. the point is to STOP at XXX number of calories.

I definitely see you reaching in the right direction. I think you should try to limit white flour foods and refined sugar foods as much as you can. They spike your blood sugar, causing a crash, then you are hungrier later.

I do not advocate a low-carb or bread free diet, but one thing that has helped me is not eating carbs in the morning. What about an omelet with sauteed vegetables and no toast? I can’t speak for you or anyone else but I am less hungry all day when I go that route.

Also, do you not like beans? Beans are a magic weight loss food because they are so full of protein and fiber. They really give you energy and make you feel full on very few calories. Canned beans make for a very fast meal. Lentils cook from their dried form in about 20 minutes. I love these burgers. When I worked in a office, I ate one almost daily for lunch. (They freeze really well):

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/cumin-spiced-red-lentil-burgers

Also, try nuts as snack instead of fruits. (Sugary fruits, I’ve noticed in myself, can promote hunger.) Yes, nuts have fat and are calorie dense, but they are satisfying, very nutritious and prevent overeating. Check this out:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1072330/Snacking-nuts-avocado-helps-curb-appetite-healthy-oils-finds-study.html

Any, at the risk of sounding like a broken record. COOK. The dinner you had that sounds most appealing to me is the sausage/cabbage/potato boil, and at 490 calories, it was one of the lightest. Did you make that at home? Did you enjoy it more than the Chinese food? I would bet you did. Almost anything you make at home is lighter and healthier than prepared food you get from a restaurant. It often tastes better, too.

Another good option if you have air conditioning or if it isn’t too hot is soup. All soup is mostly water and not very calorie dense compared to other foods. Find a brand with no fake ingredients or learn to make a few kinds of soup yourself.

I can see the improvement! My two cents? When possible, try to get your biggest meals in early – breakfast or lunch. I think you’d increase your metabolism if you could spread the meals out to every 3-4 hours – maybe add at least one more through the day (but no more total calories). I’ll admit I’m really jealous though, lol. You’re losing weight and still eating pancakes and cheeseburgers for dinner! Keep up the great work.