CALORIE COUNTING AND EATING OUT - Weight Loss Part 4

 Calorie counting is scary business! 

No point in denying it, it really is not the easiest thing to do whether you’re a newbie or not, and could be enough to put you off going on that diet you’ve been talking about the past few months. If you've never done it before my advice would be don't even try! Unless you are good with numbers and thrive on problem solving... Trying to figure out how many calories there are in a meal, especially if you've cooked it from scratch, is not at all easy.

When I started to change my eating habits, for the purpose of losing weight, I didn't do any calorie counting in the first four months and I lost 4st. So, the good news is, you don’t need to calorie count! You just need to learn to pick the right foods. This will be a relief to anyone daunted by the thought I’m sure.

When I did eventually attempt it, I decided to first figure out how many calories I should be eating, to both maintain my weight, lose weight steadily and lose weight quickly. There are many calorie calculators out there, some of which are just as complicated and confusing as calorie counting itself. But I found the one on AuthorityNutrition the easiest to use. All you have to enter is your gender, age, weight, height and activity level. Those vary from a very polite way of saying ‘lazy’ to ‘extremely active’. Of course, it’ll be no surprise that the less active you are the less calories you should eat regardless of your goal. Previously I would have classed myself as ‘slightly active’, but I decided, given my increased levels of exercise, that I most likely fall under the ‘moderately active’ category, taking into account that I have a desk job. 

Turns out if I want to lose weight quickly, my calorie intake should be around 1600kcal a day, but if I hadn’t increased my activity level my calorie intake would be lowered to around 1400kcal a day, 1200kcal if I was lazy. The point here being that it pays to be active! You are allowed to eat a little more the more active you are. Not only that, you’re activeness stops you thinking about, and eating as much food. Which is exactly what happened to me with my evening walks.

When I tried calorie counting in the past I found it so difficult I just gave up, and yes it did result in me giving up trying to lose weight. One of those moments where I felt like, “what’s the point, I’m not going to lose weight anyway”. This time around however, because I had already lost 4st, I knew my ability to count calories didn’t matter because what I was doing was already working! So, when I tried again I was less daunted by the prospect. I also understood that I didn’t need to know exactly how many calories were in every meal. So rather than counting every single calorie I ate, I jotted down the ingredients of my staple meals and worked out how many calories I was eating on average each day. Turns out I’m definitely in the ‘lose weight fast’ category, even if I was only slightly ‘active’.

As for finding the right calorie counter… There are SO many to choose from, and some are better than others. But I would steer you back to the NHS again. The caloriecounter on the NHS Choices website is the one I’ve had the most success with, especially when inputting fresh ingredients. I’ve found it simple to use and much easier to find what I’m looking for when I go through the search results. You can also change the quantity of something to suit the ingredients of your meal, which when adding things up, makes life that little bit easier…

Armed with this knowledge I am now able to work out how many calories I’m allowed for lunch and dinner if I eat out. Working out how many calories there are in a meal in a restaurant is another matter however… But some have put calories on their menus. The only one I know of, given I live in the sticks, is Wetherspoons, but there are plenty others out. You can also find out how many calories there are in a Dominospizza, but that's probably not the best idea for weight loss... If you’re eating out somewhere that doesn’t give you any indication of calories, which to be fair is the most likely scenario, then try to avoid fried foods like chips and creamy dishes. So that’s macaroni cheese and chips out the window! Very very sad face over here… Instead, go for grilled dishes, tomato based sauces and something served with egg noodles or rice. As I was writing this, Week 7 of the NHS Choices losing weight guide appeared in my inbox, and this week is all about eating out! Two pages of great tips on how to eat out without ruining your waistline. Of course, if you’re out for a special occasion, and you haven’t eaten out in say over a month, then it’s ok to indulge a little. Just don’t overdo it! If you decide to drink alcohol, try not to have more than a couple, or even better, go for something with less calories like a spirit with a diet mixer. If you do go a bit overboard, you can always compensate by being extra good for a few days afterwards.

I’ve found calorie counting particularly useful if I’m away. I quite often have to travel to meetings for work and sit on trains for hours. In the past, I would buy crisps and chocolate from the trolley, but I now realise that these things just aren’t ok anymore. Knowing how many calories I normally eat in a day, I can go into a super market and buy a healthy, readymade lunch and be confident that I’m not being naughty, just by reading the calorie information on the packaging. If you’re not sure what to buy however, I would recommend trying to buy foods similar to what you are eating at home. If like me, for example, you’re on a low carb diet, I would avoid sandwiches especially. Also avoid pasta salads and anything with mayonnaise. Supermarkets have a lot of healthy options in the lunch section these days and you can actually buy things like carrot sticks with humus and boiled eggs with spinach. These sorts of options help you stay on the low carb path.

If you need to buy lunch and the only thing available is say a Burger King, try to avoid buying chips, and as yummy as milkshakes are, don’t do it! I love the milkshakes! But my weight loss would go into reverse if I had one… Also think about choosing chicken over beef, or go for a bean burger if you like them. The problem with these options though is that they are often coated in breadcrumbs. So more carbs! In which case, you could try a chicken wrap, chicken salad, or just discard the bun. Either way, it will be tough if fast food is your only option. If, however, a burger (say one with a lot of fillings) and a bottle of water or diet drink are going to fill you up, I wouldn't worry too much. Particularly if it’s a one off.

A meal that you will have more control over is Breakfast, which will be the subject of my next blog. In the meantime, try not to enjoy too many Burger Kings, who also happen to do breakfast!

*DISCLAIMER: Just a wee reminder that this is what has worked for me. There's no guarantee that it will work for everyone as we are all different. I’m not a professional!