First baby step along a VERY long path - logging what I eat

Remus

Very interesting.  I lost interest in recording my calories pretty quickly but just learning how many calories are in things is very useful!

As others have pointed out, you are consuming a ton of calories in basically 'empty' calories of the Doubleshots.  I find cutting calories is all about spending the calories on the stuff you love, not filler and quick hits.  Prioritizing what you *really* enjoy versus what might be a craving but leaves you feeling unsatisfied afterwards.  

I also find it useful to compare calories of things to the amount of calories in a Big Mac.  Why?  Because Big Macs are thrown around as being an extreme high calorie food, but they are actually a pretty discrete portion.  So it makes for things like this

1 Starbucks Double Shot, 140 calories.

1 Big Mac, 550 calories.

So every time you drink a total of 4 of those double shots, its like more than eating an extra Big Mac.

Once you start thinking in terms of that, you start understanding where all the extra calories are 'leaking' in your diet.

alcockell

Thanks @alphabelle - especially after I dropped and recovered a social clanger today...

LL80

I agree with what @AlphaBelle said.  I lost some weight and changed my lifestyle and I think I would've been overwhelmed to the point of not keeping up with it if I'd tried to alter too much at once.  My change went through several phases.  First was like you, not really worried about WHAT I was eating so much as writing it all down and staying around certain numbers.  Eventually the further knowledge about eating the right things and learning about cooking and nutrition can come, but I think that becomes much easier to deal with once you have already had some positive momentum in the form of real weight loss.  It's a major motivator when you start making progress and I think that makes changing even easier as you go along.  This is a great first step.

Kathrynthegreat

Agree with @AlphaBelle and @ll80. Plenty of fit, healthy, lean people eat carbs and gluten and wheat and whatever. Lord knows I do. Paleo and low carb both made me stabby. What you're doing now will work.

alcockell

Today was 4 slc toast this morning, 1 box veggie singapore curry noodles, 1 box pork chow mein, 1 box salted prawns and squid, 3 cans coffee, water, NUUN tabs.

Not sure of precise count - but reckon it's within.

CMH

Been watching this thread...  in addition to logging your food intake on this thread, are you keeping a list in 1 place at home?  ie, on the kitchen counter?  Just thinking that on here your intake is kind of spread out between other people's posts/comments.  If you also keep a log in point form/list that will give you a very concise visual of what you're consuming and that might have a little more impact than having the items spread out over this thread.

I truly applaud your keeping a list, that's an excellent start.  It all begins with awareness, right? so kudos to you! 

but..... (sorry....) I'm starting to cringe when I keep seeing packaged foods on the list.  I find this to be worrisome... the only "fresh" foods I've noticed so far are bread and cheese. Everything else is boxed or tinned......  I know others have noted not to be concerned too much at this stage about what you're eating, that that will come next, and I can understand the validity of that approach.  But please, I really do hope you will soon make some adjustments on that.  At least add some fresh fruit and vegetables even if you don't take anything away. 

Kathrynthegreat

CMH said:  At least add some fresh fruit and vegetables even if you don't take anything away. 

This is a good point.  

PhoenixDown

Oh, I forgot to mention, you can use MyFitnessPal online! http://www.myfitnesspal.com

alcockell

WFF is fresh- it's just the retail arm of Meals on Wheels- fresh flash-frozen meals that are nutritionally balanced. - saves hassle when it comes to dealing with waste.  As it's just the containers that get binned.  Less waste.

I do get your point though.

CMH

alcockell said:

Today was 4 slc toast this morning, 1 box veggie singapore curry noodles, 1 box pork chow mein, 1 box salted prawns and squid, 3 cans coffee, water, NUUN tabs.

Not sure of precise count - but reckon it's within.

Not to be argumentative on your post but this list doesn't sound terribly "fresh".... hell, even the coffee is canned!     ok, maybe the water, assuming it's coming from your tap... I don't know what a NUUN tab is... :-/

Fresh flash-frozen isn't fresh... it's frozen.  And waste is very easy to resolve with a little bit of planning and just eating leftovers the next day.  Myself, I really get upset at food being wasted.  If shopping and cooking just for myself or myself +1, there is extremely little that goes in the bin.

Honestly, I'm not trying to knock you down when you're making huge efforts in a very positive direction.  But I'm also going to call you on your hamster shit, ok?  lol, we do it out of love here on the forum!   ;;)

alcockell

For info - take a look at http://www.wiltshirefarmfoods.com - that's where I get most of the food from.  It IS freshly done..

Scarlet

Am I correct in remembering that you can barely leave the house now?  Is your food getting delivered and do you have any options?  I imagine that affects things. 

alcockell

At the moment, I'm housebound while the ulcers heal up.  Hence my use of WFF foodstuffs.  Those meals are freshly done - just frozen and simply a case of whack in the microwave.  All portion-controlled as well, so no waste.

At my worst, i was having to use a stick to mobilise around my flat- don't need to do that and haven't needed to for a good while.

Yep - all food is delivered... cellulitis takes a long time to heal..

alcockell

@cmh - I had gone from it being very painful to stand back in Spring 2011, to it being a lot less painful now - but I sstill get the aches from the left leg ulcers... hence my use of canned coffee - as it was easier to cope with that and bottles of Buxton...

NUUN produce electrolyte flavourings - often used in sport.  Found that they helped during hot summers - thet have the side-effects of reducing the risk of cramp from the compression bandages on my right leg (left was taken out of comptression after another district nurse team buggered the leg up).

It's been a long road from almost dying in Jan 2010...

alcockell

Re cellulitis - the pain was pretty much excruciating during the first year.  I still need paracetamol quite regularly...
But baby steps...

Scarlet

Thought so.  I mean, all in all, frozen delivered food is a huge improvement from what you've been eating for a lifetime.  Baby steps.

That said, wounds need adequate protein in order to heal, and controlled blood sugar to avoid infection.  Right now you're hyper-focusing on your future sex life, and while that's understandable it's not productive.  Try to consciously turn that focus onto learning about your health, particularly activity and nutrition.  

Rome was not built in a day, so I don't expect you to go all Paleo starting tomorrow.  But you have the capacity for learning about this stuff, so it would behoove you to use that ability to tackle your biggest issue: your health.  Until you get your health under control, and to be perfectly honest that's going to involve some massive lifestyle changes, nothing else matters. 

judyjudy

Can I suggest a thought to maybe work on... Something I did a while ago was cut out the caffeine. It had a twofold benefit: got rid of my anxiety (my main reason at the time), and cut out a hell of a lot of empty calories.

I was drinking stuff like Coke or Dr. Pepper and the occasional energy drink. Got rid of it all. From then I only drank dilute juice and water and decaffeinated tea. I am now taking that a step further (working on my sugar cravings which are my downfall!) and committing to only drinking water and the occasional decaff not-sugary tea (I always carry decaff tea around just in case.)

Baby steps with longstanding habits. I'd have never thought I would just drink water!

alcockell

OK - point taken. 

I suppose it's why I'm waiting for the books to come in.. was acclimatising to actually HAVING a path back.. as opposed to pining and dreaming, and feeling that deflating "what if" and despairing.

But going from feeling VERY down, dejected and eating those feelings to where I am now.. thanks for the support so far...

Scarlet

Useful links to help you get there:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/#axzz2nSLC6kPi

http://www.sparkpeople.com/

http://www.katysays.com/

http://organizedhome.com/

http://www.daveramsey.com/home/

alcockell

I think with my AS - I've had to always do everything consciously and cognitively... and so it might sound like hyperfocus from time to time, as I rebuild foundations...