Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used my MYFitness Pal app for a couple months to lose some weight. It's very eye-opening to see how many calories I was actually eating. Once I lost a few pounds, I kind of got into a routine and could figure out how much I could eat to lose weight without the app. I've maintained my weight loss for a couple years now (I'm 5'2" and usually around 113 pounds). I workout about three days a week (very hard workouts). I'm 49 years old.

I'm honestly curious how this works for so many people. Every time I try to track my calories I just end up being discouraged and quiting because it's nearly impossible to do. Unless you eat mostly foods that come out of packages, how do you know how many calories are exactly in your chicken salad? Or how much oatmeal you ended up eating from your serving (was it 1/2 cup or really 1/3 cup)? Are you actually measuring with cups and spoons all your food, even for a few weeks in the beginning? Are you making pretty much all your own food and not eating out ever?

It just seems so daunting and impossible but then again I'm still overweight and maybe that is just my excuse for actually being accountable.

Measuring cups/spoons and food scale (Amazon has lots of models for about $20) are essentials. You will likely find you are underestimating your intake by 100-300 calories a day otherwise.

+1. Get a good kitchen scale. It's a bit of a pain in the beginning but it makes a huge difference if you want to accurately count calories.

Omg, this discussion has gone down to anorexia-Ville.
Measuring spoons? Kitchen scales? Just keep busy, don't stuff your face and get on with your lives.
Do you really look at your own daughters and want them measuring their food on kitchen scales?

NP. Please. I don't have anorexia, and I use measuring cups and a kitchen scale (which, btw, also comes in very handy when you want to bake). I eat 1500-1600 calories a day when I'm working on my health and fitness, and these are tools I use.

Yowsa. I can't imagine living like this.

Living like what? If I have full-fat yogurt with granola, a sliced banana, and a drizzle of honey for breakfast, how is it "disordered" to use a 1/4-cup measure instead of a spoon to scoop the yogurt out of the container? FWIW, that 1500-1600 calories includes lots of tasty, nutrient-rich stuff (I'm at a wine-and-cheese place right now), and also chocolate.

I had diabetes while pregnant so definitely got used to living like this. The last time I was pregnant was 8 years ago but tracking blood sugar four times a day gave me a really good idea about appropriate serving sizes and what contributes to sugar spikes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used my MYFitness Pal app for a couple months to lose some weight. It's very eye-opening to see how many calories I was actually eating. Once I lost a few pounds, I kind of got into a routine and could figure out how much I could eat to lose weight without the app. I've maintained my weight loss for a couple years now (I'm 5'2" and usually around 113 pounds). I workout about three days a week (very hard workouts). I'm 49 years old.

I'm honestly curious how this works for so many people. Every time I try to track my calories I just end up being discouraged and quiting because it's nearly impossible to do. Unless you eat mostly foods that come out of packages, how do you know how many calories are exactly in your chicken salad? Or how much oatmeal you ended up eating from your serving (was it 1/2 cup or really 1/3 cup)? Are you actually measuring with cups and spoons all your food, even for a few weeks in the beginning? Are you making pretty much all your own food and not eating out ever?

It just seems so daunting and impossible but then again I'm still overweight and maybe that is just my excuse for actually being accountable.

Measuring cups/spoons and food scale (Amazon has lots of models for about $20) are essentials. You will likely find you are underestimating your intake by 100-300 calories a day otherwise.

+1. Get a good kitchen scale. It's a bit of a pain in the beginning but it makes a huge difference if you want to accurately count calories.

Omg, this discussion has gone down to anorexia-Ville.
Measuring spoons? Kitchen scales? Just keep busy, don't stuff your face and get on with your lives.
Do you really look at your own daughters and want them measuring their food on kitchen scales?

NP. Please. I don't have anorexia, and I use measuring cups and a kitchen scale (which, btw, also comes in very handy when you want to bake). I eat 1500-1600 calories a day when I'm working on my health and fitness, and these are tools I use.

Yowsa. I can't imagine living like this.

Living like what? If I have full-fat yogurt with granola, a sliced banana, and a drizzle of honey for breakfast, how is it "disordered" to use a 1/4-cup measure instead of a spoon to scoop the yogurt out of the container? FWIW, that 1500-1600 calories includes lots of tasty, nutrient-rich stuff (I'm at a wine-and-cheese place right now), and also chocolate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used my MYFitness Pal app for a couple months to lose some weight. It's very eye-opening to see how many calories I was actually eating. Once I lost a few pounds, I kind of got into a routine and could figure out how much I could eat to lose weight without the app. I've maintained my weight loss for a couple years now (I'm 5'2" and usually around 113 pounds). I workout about three days a week (very hard workouts). I'm 49 years old.

I'm honestly curious how this works for so many people. Every time I try to track my calories I just end up being discouraged and quiting because it's nearly impossible to do. Unless you eat mostly foods that come out of packages, how do you know how many calories are exactly in your chicken salad? Or how much oatmeal you ended up eating from your serving (was it 1/2 cup or really 1/3 cup)? Are you actually measuring with cups and spoons all your food, even for a few weeks in the beginning? Are you making pretty much all your own food and not eating out ever?

It just seems so daunting and impossible but then again I'm still overweight and maybe that is just my excuse for actually being accountable.

Measuring cups/spoons and food scale (Amazon has lots of models for about $20) are essentials. You will likely find you are underestimating your intake by 100-300 calories a day otherwise.

+1. Get a good kitchen scale. It's a bit of a pain in the beginning but it makes a huge difference if you want to accurately count calories.

Omg, this discussion has gone down to anorexia-Ville.
Measuring spoons? Kitchen scales? Just keep busy, don't stuff your face and get on with your lives.
Do you really look at your own daughters and want them measuring their food on kitchen scales?

NP. Please. I don't have anorexia, and I use measuring cups and a kitchen scale (which, btw, also comes in very handy when you want to bake). I eat 1500-1600 calories a day when I'm working on my health and fitness, and these are tools I use.

Yowsa. I can't imagine living like this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used my MYFitness Pal app for a couple months to lose some weight. It's very eye-opening to see how many calories I was actually eating. Once I lost a few pounds, I kind of got into a routine and could figure out how much I could eat to lose weight without the app. I've maintained my weight loss for a couple years now (I'm 5'2" and usually around 113 pounds). I workout about three days a week (very hard workouts). I'm 49 years old.

I'm honestly curious how this works for so many people. Every time I try to track my calories I just end up being discouraged and quiting because it's nearly impossible to do. Unless you eat mostly foods that come out of packages, how do you know how many calories are exactly in your chicken salad? Or how much oatmeal you ended up eating from your serving (was it 1/2 cup or really 1/3 cup)? Are you actually measuring with cups and spoons all your food, even for a few weeks in the beginning? Are you making pretty much all your own food and not eating out ever?

It just seems so daunting and impossible but then again I'm still overweight and maybe that is just my excuse for actually being accountable.

Measuring cups/spoons and food scale (Amazon has lots of models for about $20) are essentials. You will likely find you are underestimating your intake by 100-300 calories a day otherwise.

+1. Get a good kitchen scale. It's a bit of a pain in the beginning but it makes a huge difference if you want to accurately count calories.

Omg, this discussion has gone down to anorexia-Ville.
Measuring spoons? Kitchen scales? Just keep busy, don't stuff your face and get on with your lives.
Do you really look at your own daughters and want them measuring their food on kitchen scales?

NP. Please. I don't have anorexia, and I use measuring cups and a kitchen scale (which, btw, also comes in very handy when you want to bake). I eat 1500-1600 calories a day when I'm working on my health and fitness, and these are tools I use.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used my MYFitness Pal app for a couple months to lose some weight. It's very eye-opening to see how many calories I was actually eating. Once I lost a few pounds, I kind of got into a routine and could figure out how much I could eat to lose weight without the app. I've maintained my weight loss for a couple years now (I'm 5'2" and usually around 113 pounds). I workout about three days a week (very hard workouts). I'm 49 years old.

I'm honestly curious how this works for so many people. Every time I try to track my calories I just end up being discouraged and quiting because it's nearly impossible to do. Unless you eat mostly foods that come out of packages, how do you know how many calories are exactly in your chicken salad? Or how much oatmeal you ended up eating from your serving (was it 1/2 cup or really 1/3 cup)? Are you actually measuring with cups and spoons all your food, even for a few weeks in the beginning? Are you making pretty much all your own food and not eating out ever?

It just seems so daunting and impossible but then again I'm still overweight and maybe that is just my excuse for actually being accountable.

Measuring cups/spoons and food scale (Amazon has lots of models for about $20) are essentials. You will likely find you are underestimating your intake by 100-300 calories a day otherwise.

+1. Get a good kitchen scale. It's a bit of a pain in the beginning but it makes a huge difference if you want to accurately count calories.

Omg, this discussion has gone down to anorexia-Ville.
Measuring spoons? Kitchen scales? Just keep busy, don't stuff your face and get on with your lives.
Do you really look at your own daughters and want them measuring their food on kitchen scales?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used my MYFitness Pal app for a couple months to lose some weight. It's very eye-opening to see how many calories I was actually eating. Once I lost a few pounds, I kind of got into a routine and could figure out how much I could eat to lose weight without the app. I've maintained my weight loss for a couple years now (I'm 5'2" and usually around 113 pounds). I workout about three days a week (very hard workouts). I'm 49 years old.

I'm honestly curious how this works for so many people. Every time I try to track my calories I just end up being discouraged and quiting because it's nearly impossible to do. Unless you eat mostly foods that come out of packages, how do you know how many calories are exactly in your chicken salad? Or how much oatmeal you ended up eating from your serving (was it 1/2 cup or really 1/3 cup)? Are you actually measuring with cups and spoons all your food, even for a few weeks in the beginning? Are you making pretty much all your own food and not eating out ever?

It just seems so daunting and impossible but then again I'm still overweight and maybe that is just my excuse for actually being accountable.

Measuring cups/spoons and food scale (Amazon has lots of models for about $20) are essentials. You will likely find you are underestimating your intake by 100-300 calories a day otherwise.

+1. Get a good kitchen scale. It's a bit of a pain in the beginning but it makes a huge difference if you want to accurately count calories.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used my MYFitness Pal app for a couple months to lose some weight. It's very eye-opening to see how many calories I was actually eating. Once I lost a few pounds, I kind of got into a routine and could figure out how much I could eat to lose weight without the app. I've maintained my weight loss for a couple years now (I'm 5'2" and usually around 113 pounds). I workout about three days a week (very hard workouts). I'm 49 years old.

I'm honestly curious how this works for so many people. Every time I try to track my calories I just end up being discouraged and quiting because it's nearly impossible to do. Unless you eat mostly foods that come out of packages, how do you know how many calories are exactly in your chicken salad? Or how much oatmeal you ended up eating from your serving (was it 1/2 cup or really 1/3 cup)? Are you actually measuring with cups and spoons all your food, even for a few weeks in the beginning? Are you making pretty much all your own food and not eating out ever?

It just seems so daunting and impossible but then again I'm still overweight and maybe that is just my excuse for actually being accountable.

Measuring cups/spoons and food scale (Amazon has lots of models for about $20) are essentials. You will likely find you are underestimating your intake by 100-300 calories a day otherwise.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used my MYFitness Pal app for a couple months to lose some weight. It's very eye-opening to see how many calories I was actually eating. Once I lost a few pounds, I kind of got into a routine and could figure out how much I could eat to lose weight without the app. I've maintained my weight loss for a couple years now (I'm 5'2" and usually around 113 pounds). I workout about three days a week (very hard workouts). I'm 49 years old.

I'm honestly curious how this works for so many people. Every time I try to track my calories I just end up being discouraged and quiting because it's nearly impossible to do. Unless you eat mostly foods that come out of packages, how do you know how many calories are exactly in your chicken salad? Or how much oatmeal you ended up eating from your serving (was it 1/2 cup or really 1/3 cup)? Are you actually measuring with cups and spoons all your food, even for a few weeks in the beginning? Are you making pretty much all your own food and not eating out ever?

It just seems so daunting and impossible but then again I'm still overweight and maybe that is just my excuse for actually being accountable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the opposite. Became naturally thin after 40. Seriously. After a lifetime of being chubby I now seem to eat whatever I want (which is not a lot I admit. I think me appetite has decreased ) and stay the same weight (20 lbs less than my college days)

How active is your life? Are you doing cardio and weightlifting both during an average week?

Not as active as I'd like. But lots of yoga.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do a really demanding, intense sport 2-3x per week and usually lift weights or run a little bit on the other days. I don't count calories, but I don't eat fast food or much processed stuff, drink alcohol pretty sparingly (a glass of wine or a margarita in summer once or twice a month usually), and drink ~100 oz of water every day.

Same about the sport - it's an intense 60 minute to 90 minute affair so a great workout. 2-3 times/week.
On the off days I swim or jog for an hour - often late at night so it fits in.
The sport is crazy fun so its not like it's work. I exercise every day because it makes me feel good.

To the PPs - what intense sports do you do? Looking for some suggestions here. Thanks!

Soccer! It's an addiction - it's so fun and you get a huge social life out of it too. That is if you play women's - coed can be soul sucking as the men don't share the ball much.
There are thriving women's leagues in Maryland (Frederick, Montgomery County and Columbia), Virginia (Arlington) and DC (WASL and Federal Trusngles are two).
There's a team for everyone and the women's teams are always looking for more players.
Age groups are typically 18+, 25+, 30+, 40+ and even 50+.
If you haven't played before the best way is to fine a pickup game (they are usually once/week same time same place) or sometimes there are teams that take beginners.
If you want more info let me know - I can point you in the right direction.
Or check with your local rev dept.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the opposite. Became naturally thin after 40. Seriously. After a lifetime of being chubby I now seem to eat whatever I want (which is not a lot I admit. I think me appetite has decreased ) and stay the same weight (20 lbs less than my college days)

How active is your life? Are you doing cardio and weightlifting both during an average week?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used my MYFitness Pal app for a couple months to lose some weight. It's very eye-opening to see how many calories I was actually eating. Once I lost a few pounds, I kind of got into a routine and could figure out how much I could eat to lose weight without the app. I've maintained my weight loss for a couple years now (I'm 5'2" and usually around 113 pounds). I workout about three days a week (very hard workouts). I'm 49 years old.

I'm honestly curious how this works for so many people. Every time I try to track my calories I just end up being discouraged and quiting because it's nearly impossible to do. Unless you eat mostly foods that come out of packages, how do you know how many calories are exactly in your chicken salad? Or how much oatmeal you ended up eating from your serving (was it 1/2 cup or really 1/3 cup)? Are you actually measuring with cups and spoons all your food, even for a few weeks in the beginning? Are you making pretty much all your own food and not eating out ever?

It just seems so daunting and impossible but then again I'm still overweight and maybe that is just my excuse for actually being accountable.

I totally understand and feel the same exact way.

I'm 5'6' and 130 lbs, so not really thin, but healthy. I lost two lbs this week by counting calories. I'm lazy about exercise, so it's the easiest way for me to lose a few pounds. I get out my measuring cups and spoons and actually measure my food. However, I pretty much eat the same thing everyday, so you learn what two cups of salad looks like in your bowl or how many servings your "handful" of nuts looks like. If you keep your foods really simple and measure your foods once and create a "menu" that lists the ingredients and the calories, then the task of tracking calories becomes less daunting. I'm a single mom of two kids in a competitive school, so I get not wanting to add any extra tasks to my life.

In the morning, I alternate between oatmeal or toast for my breakfast carb (the packages tell you the calories) and hard-boiled eggs and turkey bacon for my protein. For lunch and dinner, it's romaine lettuce or mixed greens with one tablespoon of dressing. (This is all you really need to coat the lettuce really well!) Then, I throw in an apple, a protein (usually hard-boiled eggs or turkey bacon, but that's because these are the easiest for me to cook well and I know the calories by heart now), cherry tomatoes and other random veggies. You seriously can't mess up with too many veggies! Two cups of romaine lettuce is about 20 calories! If you double that, it's only 40 calories!! However, this is only when I'm trying to lose weight.

In the chicken salad example mentioned by the pp, I know that two cups of romain lettuce is about 40 calories. (Side note: I always round the calories up to the next ten to keep it simpler in my head. Google says there is 8 calories in a cup of romaine, so that's written as 10 calories on my menu.) I would then change the chicken salad portion to a different protein altogether because I'm too lazy to break down all of the ingredients and count the calories. I wouldn't even choose plain chicken because I would then have to cut and weigh it and I'm lazy like that. I like hard-boiled eggs and turkey bacon for that reason. If I'm getting food on the way home, I always get the southwest chicken salad at McDonalds with grilled chicken. It tastes good even without the dressing and it's only 340 calories! If the pp meant chicken salad that's similar to egg salad, then no...the same "lazy" logic applies.

5'6" and weighing 130 is thin. I'm not sure why you think that isn't thin.