Tired of the calorie counting game - HELP!

[Chrissysu]

Hi, all!

I'm so tired of counting calories/points, etc. I've done the Weight Watchers thing, Spark People thing, and both programs are really great, I lose nice amounts of weight, but it never fails. I get burned out with the counting, and I stop doing the programs. I have struggled with weight my whole life, and I'm ready to get off the roller coaster. I just want to eat healthier, lose weight and then maintain it. I want to be an example to my husband and daughter as well. I'm not a "clean eating" sort of person. I love food too much, and the Eat Clean Diet is just too bland for me. Any suggestions? Please? Pretty please?

Thanks!
Chrissy

[kariev]

i really don't have any advice as i have to keep track of my cals to keep the weight off. its just part of the game however, i've been counting cals for so long that i know the amount of cals in most foods. i'm like a human calorie counting book. b/c of this i don't have to write down or log what i eat b/c i just do a rough estimate. i'm not a super clean eater and have seen results anyway. mabe someone else will have some tips. i know where your coming from. i sometimes feel like i have lost touch with my natural hunger/full signals b/c of all this eat every 2-3 hours thing. i wish i could go back to eating when my body says.

[dania]

Originally Posted by Chrissysu

Hi, all!

I'm so tired of counting calories/points, etc. I've done the Weight Watchers thing, Spark People thing, and both programs are really great, I lose nice amounts of weight, but it never fails. I get burned out with the counting, and I stop doing the programs. I have struggled with weight my whole life, and I'm ready to get off the roller coaster. I just want to eat healthier, lose weight and then maintain it. I want to be an example to my husband and daughter as well. I'm not a "clean eating" sort of person. I love food too much, and the Eat Clean Diet is just too bland for me. Any suggestions? Please? Pretty please?

Thanks!
Chrissy

Okay Chrissy, here's some tough love. It sounds like more than anything, you need a motivation boost. If you've struggled with weight all your life, and you want to eat healthier, then you're going to have to retrain your tastebuds to love healthy food. Do you have a Whole Foods store (or similar health food store) in your area? If so, go in, look around at all the beautiful produce, and soak up the clean eating vibe of that environment. I find that just being in a store like that and walking around just MAKES me want to eat healthier. Believe me, I NEVER thought I would be a "clean eating" sort of person either, but I just started making small changes gradually, and now those are actually the foods I crave. But that doesn't mean you have to give up all the foods you love forever. Allow yourself to have 1 or 2 meals per week of whatever it is you want.
If you're looking for the motivation to get started eating healthier, I not only recommend Tosca's Eat Clean Diet book, but I especially recommend Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle. His book has changed my life, and the way I view food. He is especially good at motivation, and making you believe that YOU CAN DO IT. It won't be easy, but you WILL get there! He won't let you get away with not counting your calories, but he gives you all the emotional energy you need to not mind it at all.

Hope this helps!

Dani

[BuffyR]

Have you tried intermittent fasting? I follow the Eat Stop Eat by Brad Pilon principal which is basically 2 24 hour fasts per week. Usually I fast from dinner one night to dinner the next so never going a whole day without eating. The rest of the time I just eat normally and on weekends I definitely splurge. I also got tired of the constantly counting and jumping from diet to diet. IF works for me because it is flexible. I'm losing slowly but consistently. For some it sounds radical, but there are alot of health benefits to IF.

[CLD]

I just want to say that I am SO with you on the counting calories/points thing. I lost 35 pounds and have proceeded to gain 25 of them back. However, I started with my calorie counting again because...well, why fix something if it isn't broken? I definitely focus on my calories, but I also focus on getting in all the food groups. This helps me eat healthier when I'm not counting. I did really good for a while after I quit counting this last time, but then I had some rough times in my life. Old habits die hard!! Anyway, I don't have the greatest advice for you, but I just wanted to let you know you're not alone!!

[clothesminded]

I've found that after using Fitday for 6 months, I know how many calories and the macros of most things I eat. I try to keep my carbs in the morning and eat a veggie with each meal and 1-2 fruits daily. I eat mostly the same foods, so I've learned how to combine them. Build up an arsenal of healthy dishes that you've counted the calories and macros on, then build the sides (w/o butter or sauces) around that.

apple with string cheese, Wasa cracker w/peanut butter, nuts and yogurt, cottage cheese and a veggie, protein powder with 1/2 c. fruit shake- for snacks.

protein (20-25 grams per meal) with veggies and a carb (some type of grain- quinoa, brown rice, black beans...)for lunch. Same type of meal for dinner, diff. protein source, but no carbs.

Night snack if I need one is cottage cheese for the casein protein.


I guess my rambling is meant to tell you that just keep food in its natural state as much as possible. I try to have a carb w/protein, but make the protein higher than the carb. This has worked for me. It was nice to get away from the calorie tracking. I found it made me way too obsessive, which for my personality wasn't good!

[bitmover]

Another suggestion: reasonablediet.com and her podcast. Her basic philosophy is to figure out what you are willing to do, because if you're not willing to do it, then it'll never work. Start by listening to her podcasts.

good luck!

[jthornton202264]

What I try to do is to implement the 80/20 rule (eat really healthy or clean 80% of the time and 20% I will eat foods I probably shouldn't have). I try to eat the best I can, especially during breakfast and lunch. My downfall is dinner because my husband and daughter like foods that are not necessarily what I would choose. What I do is go ahead and eat what my family is having, but in smaller portions. I have a portion plate that has two - 1/2 cup portions, one - 1/3 cup portion and then a 1 cup portion. In this example, I would have a 1/2 cup portion of chicken and dumplings, a 1/2 (or 1/3 -- depending on which portion I choose to use) portion of mashed potatoes and then for the 1 cup portion, I fill it with steamed vegetables, or something comparable. That way you can enjoy some of the more "fun" foods, but you aren't completely ruining your entire diet.

This is what works for me -- hope it helps! Julie

[roxy28]

Hello all. I was just chiming in with Dania. You have to retrain the taste buds to crave good nutrition, which is what the body really wants. I was going to suggest the clean eating site with Tosca because it is not counting cals it is eating the best nutrition. Using great recipies so you wont get bored helps. You wont feel like you are missing flavor. I know how it is to have a household of young ones and a husband that looks sexy no matter what he eats. But I cook and do the shopping so I told everyone we have to get on board to live a better more healthy life style. I also feel lighter have more energy when I do eat well so my hubby complies but still may buy chips and things but I buy carrots or blue chips with hummus so I do not feel I am missing anything. You have to keep choosing to eat good daily and hourly.Lol! Dania I am going to get the book you reccomended. Have a great day!

[Stebby]

Something else you can try, that doesn't involve any counting, is reducing your portions. To start out, serve yourself your "normal" portions, but only eat 2/3 of each thing. Be warned that this is very hard to do! It's hard to see food go to waste, and it's hard to stop yourself from eating it if it's in front of you. You may not be able to do it every time, especially at first. The important thing is to be honest with yourself (for example, don't serve yourself a bigger than normal portion) and to pay attention to what you're eating so you don't accidentally eat the whole thing. Over time, you can start to reduce what you serve yourself.

I've used this with some success in the past, when I'd had enough of the counting. I lost 11 lbs last year and have kept it off. It's a way of training your "psychological muscle", or willpower, or whatever you'd like to call it. RIght now I'm back to counting. (I still have 20 lbs to go but I've decided to rejoin WW, put a big push on clean eating and count points.)

Stebby