I had another relatively relaxing day today though I did spend some time doing a bit of work. I treated myself to a massage this afternoon (bliss) and then was out for a friend's birthday - which turned out to also include a surprise celebration for me passing my PhD as well. They bought me a lovely handbag plus a gorgeous pair of shoes (I'm a total shoe addict so I was thrilled!). All in all, a lovely night that included watching the England vs Sweden game with a bonus of Tweeting with Rebecca @ Weight Wars and Tim @ Fat.Boy.Thin :)
I've been tracking my calorie intake over the past few days and I've been amazed at how quickly the calories add up. I've been good at controlling what I'm eating at home ... but it's when I go out to social events that I have to really be careful. Even if I stick to healthy choices, it's not like I pull out my measuring cup at the restaurant and see whether I'm eating 1/4 cup of hummus or 1/3 ... it can get a bit frightening. It can also drive you to paranoia.
I've already been down the paranoid path. It's really unpleasant and it often leads to bad choices one way or another - eating too little out of fear or eating too much out of frustration.
This time around I'm just trying to be more sensible. Yesterday I knew that I was going to eat out at night. I knew there would be healthy options but I that doesn't mean that I'd succeed at portion control. The same thing goes for this evening -- so the best I could do is try to control what I ate during the day.
I wrote down everything I ate and estimated the calories using different online calorie counters to get an estimate -- not a pretty site in the end.
My eating plan is going to take quite a bit of fine-tuning. I've seen in the past that watching what I eat and taking the time to track my calories does pay off. I know I'm not alone in saying that tracking is a pain, but I'm also not alone in recognizing the huge advantages to putting in this effort.
I think I'm going to need to take a bit more care when eating out and approaching those un-caluclatable territories!
I've been tracking my calorie intake over the past few days and I've been amazed at how quickly the calories add up. I've been good at controlling what I'm eating at home ... but it's when I go out to social events that I have to really be careful. Even if I stick to healthy choices, it's not like I pull out my measuring cup at the restaurant and see whether I'm eating 1/4 cup of hummus or 1/3 ... it can get a bit frightening. It can also drive you to paranoia.
I've already been down the paranoid path. It's really unpleasant and it often leads to bad choices one way or another - eating too little out of fear or eating too much out of frustration.
This time around I'm just trying to be more sensible. Yesterday I knew that I was going to eat out at night. I knew there would be healthy options but I that doesn't mean that I'd succeed at portion control. The same thing goes for this evening -- so the best I could do is try to control what I ate during the day.
I wrote down everything I ate and estimated the calories using different online calorie counters to get an estimate -- not a pretty site in the end.
My eating plan is going to take quite a bit of fine-tuning. I've seen in the past that watching what I eat and taking the time to track my calories does pay off. I know I'm not alone in saying that tracking is a pain, but I'm also not alone in recognizing the huge advantages to putting in this effort.
I think I'm going to need to take a bit more care when eating out and approaching those un-caluclatable territories!
That is why I try to limit my restaurant meals to two per week - we just don't know portion size nor ingredients. Tracking is a pain, but so worth it.
ReplyDeleteI'm back to tracking again too. It's a pain and imperfect, but even bad sloppy tracking is so much better than nothing<<and, I know I'm going to end up writing about that, because it is so true!
ReplyDeleteWhat I really want to say, though, is that I looked at your recipes, and they are EXACTLY (yes, as crazy good as all caps) what I'm looking for. They are super easy recipes with inexpensive ingredients that look so yum.
And, in case you wondered, I've never said this to any other blogger. Not a single one. I definitely will be using some of your recipes because just looking at them made me happy.
:-) Marion
This was my same issue tonight. We went out to eat and I was TRYING to be good. Thankfully the restaurant did list calories on their website - a plus! Even if it's not exact, it's close and I could figure out if I stayed in budget for the day. You are right that tracking is a pain, but it is a good tool. It really does make you think - whether that's good or bad, I don't know - but it does work!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Congrats on the PhD!
I like it when the restaurants do list nutrition information online but I also realize it's not ever entirely accurate. Still, it's a starting point and helps us estimate our meals. In the long run, it's just easier to eat at home.
ReplyDeleteEating out is always so hard, especially at restaurants who don't post their nutrition facts online. I'm glad you're FINALLY getting to relax...learn how to enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteSHOW US THE SHOES!!! you tease. You mention and say, but DON"T SHOW?!?!
ReplyDeleteEating out is always tricky, so is snacking. I find my big issue is snacking after dinner. Even though I save calories for it, I often go over!
ReplyDelete