I suck at tracking my food. This is something I really want to do...and do well..but I suck at it. I cook pretty much every meal we eat at home. I just don't have time to measure each ingredient to determine what the nutritional value will be. I prefer to cook over prepackaged food. I'm cooking for 6 people. That would make the process even longer. I want to cook and be done. Because I have to rush out of the house to make it to Bikram by 7 pm.
So what is a girl to do? So frustrating because I need to eliminate some of these carbs from my life. But the majority of the time I'm not sure how many I'm eating a day. I'll try it again next week.
By the way...all of you people who prepare your food in advance for the week...my hats are off to you. I can't do it. I tried...and it was a waste. I don't eat leftovers...and even though I hadn't ate the food...it felt like leftovers to me. So it was never eaten. I'm to cheap to waste food so that hasn't happened again. LOL
12 comments:
I have never been able to track calories or food- it makes me angry and then I end up binging....I never prepare food in advance because I never know what I feel like eating so I would waste it too when I tried to do that. Whats a girl to do...I just try and make good decisions in the moment ~ 60% of the time it works all of the time! HAHA!! Hats off to you my dear for cooking for six!
I am great at tracking up until the evening then it goes to pot when I start cooking.
I do know though the basic foods I eat and how much so even if I can't keep track exactly it gives me a much better idea. E.g. I might make a chicken pasta thing. I'll track one chicken breast, 1 small handful of pasta (I'm British, I don't get cups) and I don't worry about the veggies I use to make the sauce.
You are about to get some advice from a girl who doesn't know how to cook.....so get ready. What if you invested in some low carb recipes and then as long as you watched your carbs during the day you would have an idea of where you are once you get to dinner.....does it work like that? I don't know. I am currently having a relationship with the sushi guy at central market, because I never cook. :)
Do you have Myfitnesspal on your phone? I am telling you, without it, I would never been able to lose my weight!
I know it's hard when you have 3 little ones and a husband to cook for but maybe just getting your carbs from veggies would work for you or eating grains or brown rice instead of white. Stuff like that?
I very rarely enter a recipe into the mfp app. I really just do the best I can. Example, if I am making a chicken casserole with bread stuffing and gravy, I will enter 4 oz chicken breast, 1/4 cup bead stuffing and 1/4 c of gravy. It is not always 100% accurate but it's close.
Just FYI, my doctor always said to try to keep carbs under 50 a day and protein at least 60 while losing. In maintenance, If my protein intake is high, 80 +, I can easily increase my carbs to 60-70 and not gain. If I wasn't tracking I wouldnt know where I am. Same thing with the scale, if I don't weigh every day I don't know and I will gain!
Everything is carbs, it seems like. IT'S BULLSHIT. lol (Says the girl doing low-carb and raging about it.)
Tracking isn't easy, it is many things... but not easy.
I echo what Jacquie said...without MFP I never would have been able to lose the weight that I have. I track everything I eat religiously...I have the app for my phone and whether I'm eating at home or at a restaurant the first thing I do is log my food based on what I think I'm gonna eat and then I adjust the amounts based on what I actually ate. It allows me to make sure I've had enough protein each day and know that my calories are in line with my plan. I know it's not easy but after a while it just becomes habit...good luck!
Guesstimating on MFP works for me. I find a prepackaged item close to what I make at home and just go with it if I can. If you have a smart phone, you can get the app and scan the meat package, steamed veggies, etc. to make it easier. I suck at tracking though and can usually only stick with it for a couple days. As for preparing meals a head of time, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I can't eat left over chicken, pork, or well done beef anymore so that makes it tricky. :)
Great post! I agree with the point you made about how hard it is to sometimes track your food and intake. One thing I’ve found to be extremely helpful and useful as a supplement to my current diet/exercise plan is Fullbar (www.fullbar.com). Not only do their products help you lose weight, they also help you maintain your weight loss.
On the one hand I admire people who can and do track what they eat by writing or it down. I've always sucked at it. But now I flat out refuse. In fact I told my pre surgery nutritionist that while I read was willing to do of for three months to get my surgery approval, if journalling my food was going to be necessary post surgery then I wasnt interested in going ahead with it. I wanted to eat like 'Normal ' people and normal people don't bite n write.
I guess I am just anal about tracking, I figured if I did it and made it part of my daily life then I would and could not lie....and I found this to be true. I use SparkPeople and they have an Iphone and Android app so it is with me where ever I go. If I want something to eat out, I search it out on there and determine if my CALORIE BUDGET for the day can handle it.
I too cook, I love to cook, and I have found meals that are easy on the days I work, and workout.
For me it is about prioritizing my life, with two small children living in my home, I am really a mom, not a grandmother. I do a ton of care for both of them. So I feel your pain of the juggling game.
Alan has been a godsend, helping out with them so Nichole and I can work out together.
Using small tiny utensils, such as toddlers would use is also helpful to me. I am five years post band surgery and you will NEVER see me eat food on a regular size plate or use regular size utensils. This helps with my portion control big time.
I am not a fan of low carb, I know they lose weight, but they are losing muscle and brain cells! That is the truth in low carb diets, that and they make you bitchy!
I love sparkpeople because it tells me exactly how much I should be eating and gives me a range of 400 calories for high-low. I do not eat the same amount every day. I mix it up!
I tracks fat, carbs, protein, sodium, and any other nutrient that I want tracked like Calcium which is so important to us women.
Hugs sweetie,
I know you will find a way!
I really wish I would track my food too! Most times I'm squeezing in a meal in between something else so I barely have time to eat much less write something down! ;-/ Thank you for your sweet comment! Kiah
It's definitely a lot of work, but it helps a lot. I don't have any kids though so I can focus time on doing it.
I can't do leftovers very well either, but it does help me to pre-plan my meals.
Post a Comment