Day 7: Count The Calories That Really Count | 30-Day Weight Loss-athon
Time for Day 7 of the 30-Day Weight Loss-athon. Today’s 10 minutes could pay enormous diet dividends.
If you’re new you might want to check out these posts:
- FREE 30-Day Weight Loss-athon – Join Us This April!
- 30-Day Weight Loss-athon – Ready…
- 30-Day Weight Loss-athon – Ready, Set…
- 30-Day Weight Loss-athon | FAQs
Read the steps below first, then take 10 minutes to complete them.
Move fast, act quickly and stop over-thinking. Ready?
What You Need:
- Paper
- Pen
- Calorie counter book, website or app.
Step 1
Calorie counts – useful info, or source of major [cue Psycho shower-scene music] obsessiveness? Depends on how you use them.
One of the reasons my programs works so well for people is that they’re strategic. You make small sacrifices for large benefits.
An excellent way to identify such power-packed mini-sacrifices is to find out what your everyday food costs in calories. You may find there are things you care little for that contain 74 fatillion calories. You’d probably want to know what they are, right?
I’m not going to ask you to count calories, which many people find time-consuming, boring, and obsessive. But I will ask you to learn the rough calorie value of only certain foods – those foods you eat regularly.
Let’s start by making a list of the foods you usually eat. Include your usual breakfasts, lunches, dinners snacks and drinks. No need to be exhaustive – just list the items that come to mind.
Step 2
Next, use an online calorie counter, app or calorie book to look up the calorie values of your main foods. (If you have a favorite calorie counter, feel free to share it in your comment on this post.)
Make a note of the calorie value beside each item on your list from Step 1.
This exercise is very useful – it gives you a good sense of the relative calorie values of certain foods. Knowledge is power! But we have to act on that knowledge, right?
Step 3
What are we going to do with what we’ve learned about the calorie values of your food?
We’re going to look for smart ways you can eat fewer calories without feeling deprived.
For instance:
- Surprised that mud cake contains many more calories than other desserts you enjoy as much or more? Then you might decide to swap your slice for a lower-calorie alternative.
- Surprised that vegetables contain so few calories? Then you may choose to add more of them to your lunchtime sandwiches and evening meals so you feel more full.
Whatever you learned, look for ways to tweak your eating regime so you get calorie benefits without depriving yourself of the foods you most love.
Step 4
Update your diet tweaks from Day 4, as well as any post-its or reminders you’ve created to help you.
Check in!
And you’re done!
Be sure to leave your comment below to check in and stay accountable. If you’re reading this by email or in a reader then please click here to leave your comment.
See you tomorrow!
I’ve been using http://www.Sparkpeople.com for the past six weeks just to get an idea of the calories I consume each day and to see my eating habits. It is amazing the foods I eat that have way too many calories when I rather eat something else.
I’ve been using http://www.Sparkpeople.com for the past six weeks just to get an idea of the calories I consume each day and to see my eating habits. It is amazing the foods I eat that have way too many calories when I rather eat something else.
I’ve been using http://www.Sparkpeople.com for the past six weeks just to get an idea of the calories I consume each day and to see my eating habits. It is amazing the foods I eat that have way too many calories when I rather eat something else.
I’ve been using Spark People for over 5 years, so I definitely know the calorie count of things I eat….its actually making the choice to stop eating them or substituting them with something healthier that’s the hard part! Now that I’ve started making a lot of my food from scratch, its really hard to keep track of the nutrition facts as well. At least I know its better for me than pre-packaged things with scary ingredients! 🙂
My Fitness Pal is a great tool to track calories consumed and burned. It also helps keep track of things like water intake. I can get to it from my phone, my tablet or my desktop so it’s convenient to record things on the spot instead of trying to recall them later. It also has a barcode reader so you can scan a food package right to the tracker. Great tool.
My Fitness Pal is a great tool to track calories consumed and burned. It also helps keep track of things like water intake. I can get to it from my phone, my tablet or my desktop so it’s convenient to record things on the spot instead of trying to recall them later. It also has a barcode reader so you can scan a food package right to the tracker. Great tool.
My Fitness Pal is a great tool to track calories consumed and burned. It also helps keep track of things like water intake. I can get to it from my phone, my tablet or my desktop so it’s convenient to record things on the spot instead of trying to recall them later. It also has a barcode reader so you can scan a food package right to the tracker. Great tool.
I looked at what I ate usually and I noticed my choices are not bad, I just need to eat less. I truly had only one vice…. Tea/coffee. Because I knew it was just better to cut them out, I have. It was an intital challenge, but I got through it.
I am usually pretty careful with my calorie intake. I had been doing a previous diet where we consumed 1200 calories a day which roughly worked out if you used 300 calories for each 3 meal plus 300 inclusive for your morning and afternoon snack. I have been trying to stick to eating what I know is 300 calorie meals. As I have mentioned before it is those pesky emotional eating bad choice foods that kill me. I have done my 3 x 30 mins exercise for this week and drinking my 2 litres per day and so far since Sunday I have lost 600 grams so I am pretty happy with myself. I have been a little bit bad with the choccy over easter but I am not going to beat myself up about it. I have enjoyed it and I won’t not go overboard but come next week I am back into it big time.
I am usually pretty careful with my calorie intake. I had been doing a previous diet where we consumed 1200 calories a day which roughly worked out if you used 300 calories for each 3 meal plus 300 inclusive for your morning and afternoon snack. I have been trying to stick to eating what I know is 300 calorie meals. As I have mentioned before it is those pesky emotional eating bad choice foods that kill me. I have done my 3 x 30 mins exercise for this week and drinking my 2 litres per day and so far since Sunday I have lost 600 grams so I am pretty happy with myself. I have been a little bit bad with the choccy over easter but I am not going to beat myself up about it. I have enjoyed it and I won’t not go overboard but come next week I am back into it big time.
I am usually pretty careful with my calorie intake. I had been doing a previous diet where we consumed 1200 calories a day which roughly worked out if you used 300 calories for each 3 meal plus 300 inclusive for your morning and afternoon snack. I have been trying to stick to eating what I know is 300 calorie meals. As I have mentioned before it is those pesky emotional eating bad choice foods that kill me. I have done my 3 x 30 mins exercise for this week and drinking my 2 litres per day and so far since Sunday I have lost 600 grams so I am pretty happy with myself. I have been a little bit bad with the choccy over easter but I am not going to beat myself up about it. I have enjoyed it and I won’t not go overboard but come next week I am back into it big time.
I absolutely adore the My Fitness Pal app for my IPhone! It is so easy to input my meals as I eat them and to hold myself accountable for everything that I eat. I have added in supplements that I haven’t used before after watching Dr. Oz so I’m looking forward to see how those work out. 🙂 I’m down 25 pounds so far, and I can’t wait to get the rest outta here! 🙂
I absolutely adore the My Fitness Pal app for my IPhone! It is so easy to input my meals as I eat them and to hold myself accountable for everything that I eat. I have added in supplements that I haven’t used before after watching Dr. Oz so I’m looking forward to see how those work out. 🙂 I’m down 25 pounds so far, and I can’t wait to get the rest outta here! 🙂
I signed up with My Fitness Pal last night. I am surprised by how easy it is to use. Other websites I have tried before have been cumbersome to enter meals. So far so good. I also appreciate that it shows the progress on fat, carbs and proteins as well. Today I am just logging and see what happens at the end of the day. I had made an appt to exercise this a.m., but an early morning dog issue (I was up from 3-5 this a.m.) kept me in bed longer than normal. I will pick up tomorrow. UGH
I signed up with My Fitness Pal last night. I am surprised by how easy it is to use. Other websites I have tried before have been cumbersome to enter meals. So far so good. I also appreciate that it shows the progress on fat, carbs and proteins as well. Today I am just logging and see what happens at the end of the day. I had made an appt to exercise this a.m., but an early morning dog issue (I was up from 3-5 this a.m.) kept me in bed longer than normal. I will pick up tomorrow. UGH
Did you know: Dunkin Donuts iced coffee with milk and sugar is about 400 calories less than McDonalds iced coffee with vanilla — guess where I’m getting my coffee treat from now on! I’m also making changes to my bottled tea consumption: Arizona Sweet Tea is 10 calories more than Tradewinds Sweet Tea which is the same as Lipton Green Tea with citrus. The best is my favorite Arizona Green Tea with ginseng and honey, which is 10 to 20 calories below the others. Apparently, I have been drinking A LOT of calories!
A couple other things that really stood out in this exercise were some of the snacks I’ve been eating lately – without realizing it I’ve actually been doing really well – almost everything 100 calories or less!
My biggest change is definitely going to be what I am drinking — especially more zero calorie herbal teas and water!
Did you know: Dunkin Donuts iced coffee with milk and sugar is about 400 calories less than McDonalds iced coffee with vanilla — guess where I’m getting my coffee treat from now on! I’m also making changes to my bottled tea consumption: Arizona Sweet Tea is 10 calories more than Tradewinds Sweet Tea which is the same as Lipton Green Tea with citrus. The best is my favorite Arizona Green Tea with ginseng and honey, which is 10 to 20 calories below the others. Apparently, I have been drinking A LOT of calories!
A couple other things that really stood out in this exercise were some of the snacks I’ve been eating lately – without realizing it I’ve actually been doing really well – almost everything 100 calories or less!
My biggest change is definitely going to be what I am drinking — especially more zero calorie herbal teas and water!
I have been using the application My Fitness Pal now for 55 days now and enjoy it very much. I realize that some of the meals I loved a lot were not worth it to eat again cause the amount of calories were quite high. I am making wiser choices and finding new favorite foods that are still good but lower in calories:) My 24 year old daughter has been helping me by coming with me at the gym with me and holding me accountable for my eating habits and gym activity. She is one of my main goal to lose the weight. I need to fit in a special dress for her graduation on June 7. She will be graduating as an aerospace engineer:) What a proud mama I am:)
I have been using the application My Fitness Pal now for 55 days now and enjoy it very much. I realize that some of the meals I loved a lot were not worth it to eat again cause the amount of calories were quite high. I am making wiser choices and finding new favorite foods that are still good but lower in calories:) My 24 year old daughter has been helping me by coming with me at the gym with me and holding me accountable for my eating habits and gym activity. She is one of my main goal to lose the weight. I need to fit in a special dress for her graduation on June 7. She will be graduating as an aerospace engineer:) What a proud mama I am:)
I have been using the application My Fitness Pal now for 55 days now and enjoy it very much. I realize that some of the meals I loved a lot were not worth it to eat again cause the amount of calories were quite high. I am making wiser choices and finding new favorite foods that are still good but lower in calories:) My 24 year old daughter has been helping me by coming with me at the gym with me and holding me accountable for my eating habits and gym activity. She is one of my main goal to lose the weight. I need to fit in a special dress for her graduation on June 7. She will be graduating as an aerospace engineer:) What a proud mama I am:)