Tips on Losing Weight by Counting Calories

I can attest to the fact that the last 20 pounds has to be the hardest to lose. Last time I lost weight, the first 60 pounds came off rather quickly, like in 6 months. Then the last 30 pounds took me 9 months to lose ....BUT it did come off! Slow but sure and I believe that IS the best way.

This is a diet that you can realistically stick to to KEEP weight off. With counting calories, I am not denying myself normal every days foods. By reading my calorie book and reading packages of my favorite foods, I AM making better choices and ones that I CAN stick to once the weight is off.

One of my weaknesses IS chocolate, I KNOW this, especially milk chocolate such as M&Ms and Hershey bars but I did not buy or eat any choclate the first 6-8 weeks of my weight-loss plan. Not once. And that is a huge step for me. I used to buy those
1 pound bags or 2 8 ounce bars EVERY SINGLE WEEK. Now, it's not that I can't have chocolate because I do once in a while. I just know that buying one of those bags is very dangerous for me and I could eat more than my calorie intake in one sitting and still not feel satisfied.

So I chose to eat things I know will make me satisfied. Like I said before, I do not deny myself. I still go out to eat. Last week, I finally allowed myself enough calories to be able to have a Dairy Queen blizzard at the end of the day. Know what I realized? I could have done wthout it but I had to get it out of my system. I would have been satisfied with a small chocolate cone instead, at alot less calories.

These are just some of the different choices I have made since starting my diet on January 1996. Now 2 or 3 times a month we go to a favorite mexican restaurant. I always get the same thing and am filled up. I know the calories because I looked them up ahead of time. That is the key. Knowing ahead of time and planning so you do

This is a diet plan that will be with me indefinately. It will not change once I reach my goal except for being able to eat alittle more (maybe) once I reach my goal. I actually get to eat whatever I want NOW but just in controlled portions. There are no "NOs" in my diet plan, although I may have restricted my self in certain areas accordng to my own weaknesse/cravings, but I CAN still have them, if I so choose.

I am so used to eating this way that I think I will find it very easy to make it a permanant lifestyle change.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL & MEASURING/WEIGHING

Measuring and weighing foods can be tough. I used to use one of those touchy typical diet scales that have a little pointer that goes down as you put food on the tiny little silver tray on top. It's tough using that but it's a good start when you have nothing else.

What I use now I purchased to weigh packages I was mailing out for ebay. I needed it to make accurate mailing rates. Anyhow, it's electronic and works great for measuring eat, fries, etc. YES....I eat french fries!!! I get Ore Ida fries and measure out by ounces. Yum....every week I have Ore Ida baked fries.

Now let's discuss environmental control. Many of us discuss planning menus, lunches and grocery shopping and this is
essential for dieting. DO NOT buy anything you should not be eating. If it's not in the house, it won't tempt you. Right? If the rest of my family wants snack foods, sweet cereals, etc. I try to buy ones I know I don't like so it's not a temptation. If I love it and I buy it and I know it's in the house....I WILL EAT IT!!! It's a great tool to learn. It takes a few weeks practicing NOT to buy all your favorite bad foods you used to love. Believe me! This is coming from someone who would never forget to buy chocolate bars each week. And I mean the giant bars!!!

LOW CAL FOODS

For all you new to calorie counting...look for low cal breads and buns. You can find bread with only 40 calories in a slice instead of 80. Same goes for buns, you can find it for 70 instead of 150 to 200. It sure helps to feel like you are eating normal when you find these products. Occasinally, I buy hot dogs and Oscar Mayer has low fat dogs for 80 cal., I think. they also make fat-free hot dogs for only 40 calories, if you like the tatse. MAny fat-free foods are not very tasty, in my opinion, but you may think differently.

Other favorites of mine from the grocery......
* Munch Ums - found in the cracker section (taste like chips)
* Baked Ruffles
* Animal Crackers - Walmart has a brand in a very large bag that are
only 120 calories for 16 of them. Real good with coffee for breakfast
or snacking on.
* Microwave popcorn - be careful & read packages
* Hard Creme Savers (carmel/choc. flavor) - a nice little treat when I
feel like chocolate (only 10 calories)
* Lean Cusine Meals, Healthy Choice and Stouffer's - read packages. They
are all so different.
* Applesauce cups (some flavored)
* Jello & fruit cups
* Low Fat Yogurt - REALLY be careful reading these!

You have to get used to reading packages and finding the brands you like that are lowest in calories. I try to get as much food as possible for my daily intake. I don't know about you but I want to feel full at the end of my day!

WEIGHING IN

As far as how often I weigh......well, I weigh almost every day just to keep tabs on how I am doing. It doesn't count, of course, until my official weekly weigh-in each Thursday morning. That is what really counts. That is what I write down. Weighing myself each day either excites me to keep going or causes me to be ever so watchful of the up-coming days so I have a good lost or maintain for the week.

LIMITING CARBS & FAT GRAMS VS. CALORIES

When you count calories, you automatically limit your fats and carbs without knowing it. I still have carbs....my body NEED carbs!(at least I think so) It is one of my weaknesses but I do not eat as much as I used to.

This mornings' breakfast is typical. I am having 16 animal crackers for 120 calories with black coffee. Sometimes I have low-fat yogurt, or a bowl of Quaker Weight-control or Low-sugar oatmeal, or a piece of fruit, or flavored coffee, or a bagel or nothing. Ideally, not eating breakfast is nt a good idea and it can set you up to over eat later in the day, so eat something!!!

I do not eat my favorites as much as I used to just because I KNOW I will overeat. I am addicted to some carbs such as pizza, spaghetti and certain bread. I try to limit how much I make for the family because I KNOW that if there are leftovers....I WILL EAT THEM SOONER OR LATER!!! And if I do, I have to really cut down the following meal or next day.

And don't think we don't get to eat out at restaurants. We do. I look up their menus/calories in my book or on-line. My favorite places are Subway and Wendy's. On Thursday night I had enough calories left after breakfast and lunch that I was able to eat a 12" turkey breast sub, instead of my typical 6". Boy, was that a treat and I loved every bite of it!!! We eat out quite frequently and I STILL LOSE WEIGHT!!!!

FORMULA for Finding Your CALORIE LIMIT

To find the calories in foods, you will need a calorie count book which can be found in any book store. I chose a book by Corrine T. Netzer. It has raw foods, cooked foods, packaged foods and restaurant foods. I find that packaged foods are easier to find on the package but you have to knonw HOW to figure out your portion. For instance, last night we had pizza and it listed like 290 for 1/5 a pizza. Well, I slice it into 8 pieces, not 5, so I took 5 times 290 to find the total for the whole pizza (1450), then I divided by 8 which gave me 181.25 per slice of pizza. I would just round it off to 182. I do this with most packaged foods. You have to read what size their portions are. It could be by the ounce or per 3/4 cup. You just need to read. It seems like alot of work but after a while, it does become easy.

Then get a new notebook and write each date as the day comes and list your food and portions and total calories as you each keeping as accurate count as you go so you know how many calories you have left or how many you have used up as you go.

Here's the formula -
Take whatever weight you desire to be and multiply it by 12 (for inactive persons) or 15 (for active persons).

If you want to weight 125. Take 125 times 12, if you are not active and times 15, if you ARE active.

So 125 x 12 = 1500 calories for one day. (10,500 for the week)

MY FAVORITE DIET MOTTOS

Never Give Up Trying!

The Less You Eat, the More you Lose!