So I've started counting calories. *sigh* It's slightly tedious, but I don't know that it can really be avoided. I am giving myself a slight out though - I refuse to count calories in fruits or vegetables. You're supposed to eat a bunch daily anyway, and I really hate measuring them! Here is my thought process though - if I eat a veggie in butter, I still count the butter. If the veggies come in frozen or canned form with anything added, I count the calories. If they are raw, simply frozen, or canned with no sugar or sodium added - they're free indulgences!
Then I put myself on a calorie budget. I give myself the goal of eating between 1600-2000 calories a day. This is a big difference, but it's been working so far. Since losing weight is usually done at a calorie level lower than what you need to sustain weight, and since the amount of calories I need to "sustain" my weight is super high - like 3,000 calories high - this range is pretty good for me. This way, I am shooting for 1600 calories/day, but don't beat myself up if I eat 1800. So far, so good.
Now granted, I've only been doing this since yesterday, but I feel like this is manageable and flexible. I count calories, work out, and sleep enough. I drink water nonstop, and I make sure I keep a healthy balance between work and play. For now, this is all I can ask!
So far - yesterday I ate 1700 calories. Today, I'm almost to dinnertime and I've eaten 950 calories. *fingers crossed!*
Thanks for reading! Until next time ;-)
Counting calories is tedious, I agree. Keep up with the fruits and veggies and you should be dropping those pounds. My problem is that I don't eat enough calories. It's hard for me to get to 1200 a day. My doctor talked about sending me to a nutritionist. I have a list of all the foods I eat so I'm wondering if maybe she could help me come up with a menu. We'll see. Keep up the good work Amanda. I know you can do this. You don't want to end up my age and struggling even harder to lose the weight.
ReplyDeleteLove you, Aunt Sharon