Eternals Calorie Counting..

[Eternalflame]

Morning all

I have signed onto my fitness pal and it has given me 1560 cal's for each day, if I want to loose 1-2lb a week. I feel its a bit high, but also it adds any cals that I burn onto that for my daily allowance. I would rather not use these, do we have to though?

I would prefer to stay with the 1560 a day and then maybe bank half of what I burn through the gym and classes for a weekend take away..

Have bought myself some small scales and I mean small . Looking at portion control, especially with cereal.

So my plan for today is:

B - Mini weetabix with skimmed milk - 170

L - Basil and tomato soup and a small w/meal roll (no butter) - and 35g chicken 375

D - Home made shep pie, with cabbage - 650

Snacks - Alpen light bar - 70 cals
Banana - 90
Skimmed milk for coffee - 60

So that so far is 1415 - not sure if I will have any fruit after dinner yet, but have 145 left

Off to Zumba tonight (488 cals) and will have my dinner when I get home.

 

[hannata]

nice one, thats looking like a good food diary!

Use your daily calories every day, dont bank those. Using your exercise cals towards your treat sounds like a very good idea to me xx

 

[Eternalflame]

Thank you Hannata . I thought that was how you would do it, but do think that 1550 is quite high? If I cut down to 1450, would that make a drastic difference, health wise?

Thanks again x

 

[Bostik]

It's recommended to lose at most 2lbs a week I think so I would stick to the cals. You could go less if you wanted. I used to and I'm okay lol. Also, I hardly ever use my exercise calories, mostly cos I'm not usually hungry enough to eat the extra. If I am going out to eat or something and having something really high calorie, then I'll use them then. But a lot of people do. See what works for you.

 

[hannata]

I dont see why it would harm you, no, but it might make it complicated when you lose weight and have to drop calories (because you've already dropped them...if that makes any sense) xx

 

[Eternalflame]

Thanks for the advice and yes Hannata, that does make sense. I'll keep at the cals I'm allowed. x

 

[Squeezyweezy]

Hi hun and welcome to ccing.

I personally don't eat back my exercise cals unless I'm hungry. The best thing to do is listen to your body. If you are ravenous after a workout then eat back what you need, if not I don't see the point in eating for the sake of it. Some people swear by eating back their cals and others don't. You will settle into a pattern over the next couple of weeks, and work out what works best for you.

Your cal allowance sounds fine to me. MFP is pretty good with its calculations. If you feel like you could eat less and thats what you want to do, then give it a go, but don't starve yourself. No point being miserable. Try to stick to no lower than 1200 if you do reduce.

The other thing is that calories don't have a long memory (12ish hours) so saving them up for the weekend doesn't really work. Just do an extra big workout if you want a takeaway, and treat yourself to eating back your exercise cals. I do that most Saturday nights.

 

[hannata]

Oh i didn't know that about the memory thing... suppose it makes sense...

I personally eat all my cals cause im always hungry hahaha =P I don't think I could ignore my exercise cals or reduce my daily cals intentionally!! XD

 

[Eternalflame]

Thanks Squeezy and Hannata

Im planning on doing 4-5 classes a week for exercise, 2 Aqua and 2 high impact and perhaps one gym session, not sure on that one yet as have my fitness programme being set tonight. Re cals, I have totalled up what I am burning (minimum) each week, and works out to over 2000, so figured that if I half that and use my daily allowance, at the weekend I'd use 2560, so that I could have either a few glasses of wine and a bit of chocolate or a take away, but then on Sunday burning 500 of that off, if that makes sense.

I'll see how I go, but have already felt the weight dropping on the scales (checked half way through the week), but will see how the take away will affect that on Monday.

I like the cal counting and am finding that the choices Im making for snacks are better. I like the alpen light bars, but.. they don't feel me up and I want something else afer. So a banana fills me up for longer and though its double the cals, It'll carry me through between lunch and after the gym when I have my dinner.

Have stocked up on low cal (fresh) soups for work and nimble bread.

I find it hard to get on here each day, as I work full time and am a student studying for a degree as well, so meals wise, I'll try and put this up 2 days at a time.

Thurs
B - Weetabix mini's with skimmed milk 170

L - 4 slices of nimble (184) 2 slices of ham (50), pickle (40), skips (88) - 362

Snack - Baked crisps 140, skinny capaccino (70)

D - 2 pieces of fish in light breadcrumbs (340), homemade chips (200), baked beans (130) - 600

1340 cals eaten today, that's 220 left, but banking them for a take away tomorrow night.

Budy Pump Class done - MFP states burned 430

Fri
b - mini weetabix with skimmed milk 170
L - 4 slices of nimble (184), 2 slcies of ham (50), pickle (40), french fries crisps (88) and cup of soup (69) - 441

Snack - small Banana 80

D - chinese take away (using half of my exercise cals) and my allowance for my meal - 1800 (not sure it it'll be as much but will count this)

2 glasses of wine (using my banked 220 cals from yesterday) -226

 

[KraziKayzi]

You seem to be doing well and in good control, I noticed that you have SW as your diet plan....have you recently switched? I am currently following SW but plan on CC with MFP...how are you finding the switch over...are you more hungry?
x

 

[Eternalflame]

Krazi.. I am finding it easier, as I can eat anything now, just need to count the cals. Its shrinked my portion sizes too and i am really conscious about how I use my calories too. I had a ww ravioli for an early lunch and that was 247 cals, but it was horrible so will think before I spend those cals on lunch next time, lol. x

 

[KraziKayzi]

Glad you are finding it easier...proper day one for me...logging it all on mfp too....name Kayzi, if ya wanna add me.... boo for the WW ravioli, I don't find WW food very nice anyway so I won't be trying that...my lunch was a slice of thick wm toast with value tin toms with 2 poached eggs and black pepper, was yummy and cheap ...mfp does make me think about the amount of eggs I was eating on SW though, can't be good for cholesterol, as then two eggs tipped me over my cholesterol limits as it was, and I was eating more then 2 eggs a lot of days on SW as when I couldn't think of what to eat, eggs were always back up plan and I would eat loads of SW quiche, which I will still make but limit now x SW has taught me some good habits but also some bad...on with cc x

 

[Eternalflame]

Good for you Kayzi.. there doesn't seem to be many people on minimins doing the cal counting, so if you have any tips for lunches, let me know lol. I can heat anything up at work, I was looking at the pasta n sauce and that is so high, I could eat a sandwich and soup for that plus crisps..

xx

 

[KraziKayzi]

*ducks in, quietly announces*

"I am reverting back to SW as I couldn't stop thinking about food all day yesterday and I ended up driving myself insane, sorry, I will still be logging food on MPF just don't want the whole day to be thinking about everything"

*ducks back out again*

 

[Bostik]

Maybe make your own pasta at home for lunch? That'll be less cals hopefully and you can put some chicken or whatever in and loads of veggies so its really filling. Also, dunno if you like ready meals but you can get some low cal ones that are alright in like the tesco lighter choices range and stuff.

 

[Eternalflame]

Well I have bounced back between diets like a yo yo doing the world, lol.. so am back counting cals as have an issue (bloating) with carbs at the moment, so sw isn't working as I am going for ready meals on the go.

Ok, I have 1580 cals, so today:

• Bfast - Oats so simple - Blueberry 216
• Lunch - WW frozen Cottage pie - 199
• Dinner - Spicey Pumpkin Soup (220), 2 slices of wmeal bread (118), L/Cow light Cheese Triangle (20) 2 slices of ham (38) - 396
• Skimmed milk for coffee and tea - 60

Ok thats 871 so far..