Does anybody use Calorie-Count.com? I need help cutting my calories. Can anybody help??
#265278 - 05/24/06 09:26 AM
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I'm finding the site very helpful to manage my fat and calorie intake, but need some suggestions as to how to cut back on bread, rice, tortillas, etc. and still maintain a stable gut. Maybe I need to eat more squash and potatoes?? I am also having trouble getting down to 25% of total calories fat intake per day. I need help with this too.
Thanks to all in advance!!
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I use fitday.com and don;t usually have this problem so maybe I can help...
Try to keep your portions of pasta, rice, potatoes etc in control, stop eating when you are full and reduce the size of the portions. They are all loaded with calories so making the switch from one to the other doesn't make a huge change.
Stay away from processed foods, they are loaded with calories.
Eat more veggies- I eat a lot of carrots which are very safe but lower in calories. I also use tomatoes a lot in sauces, which makes the sauce low fat and full of vitamins.
Fresh fish and shrimp are very low calorie and filling.
Eat oatmeal for breakfast, or as a snack, it's low fat, low calorie and keeps you full, plus it's safe.
If you like, post what you eat and we can help identify where you can cut back to reduce your calorie/fat intake. I can also post the types of things and portion sizes that I eat if you would like- let me know.
Hope this is of some help to you
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S.
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05/23/06
Breakfast
Coffee, with cream and sugar and whipped, approx. 16 oz. altogether
Banana, 1 med.
Lunch
Black Beans and White Rice, approx. 1.5 cups altogether
Mango, 1 med.
Snack 1
Homemade mixed nuts and berries, approx. 1cup
Almonds
Pumpkin Seed
Sunflower Seeds
Honey Roasted Soy Nuts
Dried Blueberries
Dried Cranberries
Crimson
Snack 2
Banana, 1 med.
Quaker, Crunchy Corn Bran
Dinner
Tuna on Sara Lee Whole Wheat Bread w/ cucumber, hot mustard and 1 tbsp. Miracle Whip, regular
GeniSoy Soy Crisps - Sea Salt, approx. 12 crisps
100% Pomegranate Juice, 8 oz.
Total Calories Consumed 2,459
05/22/06
Breakfast
Coffee, with cream and sugar and whipped, approx. 16 oz. altogether
Banana, 1 med.
Lunch
Summer Squash, Carrots, Water Chestnuts, approx. ¾ cup
Chicken, Breast, Meat only, diced w/ Worcestershire and BBQ Sauce, approx. 1 cup
Sweet, yellow corn, approx. ¼ cup
Kiwi Fruit, 2
Snack 1
Banana, 1 med.
Dinner
2 burritos (all amounts are based on two svgs worth, since I had two burritos)
Carb Balance Tortillas, 2
Chicken, Breast, Meat only, diced w/ Worcestershire and BBQ Sauce, approx. 1 cup
Shredded Sharp Cheddar, approx. ¼ cup
Lettuce, Iceberg, shredded
Black Beans, approx. ¼ cup
White Rice, approx. ¼ cup
Ranch Dressing, approx. 2 tbsp
Salsa
White Rice, approx. ¼ cup
100% Pomegranate Juice, 8 oz.
Total Calories Consumed 2,737
Both days I did similar workouts:
05/22/06
Treadmill 35 min.
Stretching 10 min.
Arms 25 min.
Total Calories Burned approx 320
05/23/06
Treadmill 35 min.
Stretching 10 min.
Abs 25 min.
Total Calories Burned approx 450
Obviously the coffee and cream and the nuts are fattening; but still. These are REALLY high calorie counts. All of my calories consumed and calories burned, etc. are based on Calorie-Count.com's calculations.
Am I really porking out on these foods even though I still feel hungry a lot of the time because my gut wants to be full ALL the time (thanks to IBS  )? Do you think my calories burned is enough for me to eat these many calories and still lose weight? Should I do more treadmill??
I have even tried trading breads and rice for more squash and potatoes (yams too!) and then I still end up eating around 2200 - 2300 cal/day because these are heavy soluble fiber foods and it's harder to NOT feel hungry when you eat ONLY whole foods. Did that make sense??
HELP!!!   Thank you!!
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It's horrid when you make an effort and you feel like you are getting nowhere. Here's my comments:
Nuts are very high fat- if you are trying to keep your calories and fat low they are a killer. Get rid I think.
Hate to say it but juice is also bad value I think- very high in sugar and each 8oz serving you have is about 140 calories, drinking water is the best. When you are calorie counting it makes more sense to eat rather than drink your calories I think.
If you eat a more substantial breakfast..ie oatmeal (I take raw pineapple chopped in mine or melon) you genuinely will not feel hungry til lunch. Cutting out one snack a day will really help. The sugar is probably making you snack too, any sugar will mean that as your bloodsugar gets a kick out of pure sugar and then begins to drop it will crave food- its the basis of the GI diet that is getting lots of press (they love oatmeal too!)
Your snacks are what is upping your count- for snacks when I am calorie counting I have: pretzels, honeyricecakes (only 50 cals for two and my tummy loves them). I also pick at fruitsalad based on peeled apples and pears to stop getting empty.
Fruit, while nutritionally excellent is high in sugar and therefore high in calories
All my opinion, others may have more balanced info to give you, but that's my two cents. Good luck with it, keep posting here for support while you count.
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S.
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...but do you realize this diet is totally non safe for IBS? At least for Heather's diet?
If you already know that, sorry. But I'm just worried you aren't familiar with the guidelines. This diet would KILL my tummy...very painful. 
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Post deleted by Maria!Maria!
Edited by Maria!Maria! (05/25/06 09:01 AM)
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...some of these foods could cause a lot of pain, etc.
May I suggest, if your goal is to reduce intake, that some of your calories are very energy dense?
Also, some of your snacks look more like meals, to me.
Sinead has some great suggestions re: using more fruits and veggies. Doing so would reduce the caloric density of your diet. Dried fruits are really high calorie--perhaps use more fresh? Usually, a snack for me consists of one food versus what appears to be a meal on your menu.
What size are your plates?
Perhaps, instead of having 2 burritos, try having a serving or two of veggies. Add some veggies to your rice dishes. There are tons to choose from.
Maybe choose only one food for a snack--either cereal or a banana, for example.
Those are only a few ideas.
Good luck,
Kate.
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Hi there,
I think that so far cailin has given you some excellent advice, I think her ideas are spot on.
I'll also echo the sentiments of the others, that the diet you're on would be pretty hard on anyone with a touchy tummy and so if you are having problems with your stomach on this diet, I can def. see some areas to work on to get it more stabalised.
If you aren't happy with the website you are using (and I've never used it, so I don't know what it's like exactly), there are a number to try. I would try the one that SaraSage mentioned a few days ago, which is www.sparkpeople.com and they have a terrific diet tracking program. The thing i like about it is that it doesn't just track calories, but also your carbs and protein and fiber and things like that. So I'd give that one a shot too so you can accurately see where everything you're eating is coming from.
I think the most obvious one, and you already know it, is definitely the coffee. A drink like that could EASILY be upwards of 500 calories with milk/cream, sugar and whipped. Add to that, something like that is a whole whack of GI irritants so if you can cut down on those, I think you'll see a difference.
Cutting out a beverage also gives you an opportunity to add in another, healthier one, like water or herbal teas. Herbals teas are great for tummies, and for weight loss as well as they hydrate you better than coffee or juice and some are full of anti-oxidants. Try rooibos tea for this.
Increasing your water intake is important too. If you are trying to cut down on other beverages, but just can't drink still water all day long try having sparkling water with lemon or something, but def up the water and save other beverages for treats.
I agree 100% with cailin about the breakfast thing, especially the oatmeal idea. I like to add frozen berries to oatmeal in the morning with a bit of plain soy milk. It fills up a lot more than other common breakfasts, and much more than a banana for sure!  Also, good for tummies.
You can also reduce fat by using lower fat mayonnaise. I do this mostly because my stomach can't handle full-fat mayo, but I use "Ultra Low Fat Mayo" in sandwiches and stuff and one tbsp is 25 cals, which is substansially less than regular.
Also, cheese and ranch dressing are high in fat. I would try other dressings for salads, and marinades or something else in burritos/wraps that are lower in calories and fat.
And you already know the nuts are insanely high in fat. I sometimes will snack on a few almonds with raisins or something, but any more than that sets my stomach off, which is how I know the fat is too much. I'd cut these down quite a lot.
It doesn't look to me like you are eating too many carbs or anything, and if you are worried about them I agree with cailin again about portion control. Carbs should be 1/4 of your plate for a balanced meal. For healthy carbs, oatmeal is good as well as sweet potatoes and the like.
Hope this helps some, good luck!
Let us know how you are doing!
Cheers!
Steph
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~~I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell-I know right now you can't tell~~Matchbox 20
IBS-D,pain.
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I do use her guidelines. But not religiously. I am an IBS-C and if I have rice, french bread, oatmeal, etc. all the time it makes my C worse. I have tried incorporating more fruits and veg into my diet and have found many that I can tolerate pretty well with minimal to no bloat/gas/etc. I do not have a problem with wheat bread or nuts, like many IBSers so I do incorporate them because I don't eat a lot of meat (normally). I suppose those two days that I put up were not good examples of my VERY VARIED diet. I didn't expect an attack of 'I thought this was supposed to be a board for people following the diet?' Well if you look at the diets again, there are MANY soluble foods incorporated. I realize that the coffee and dairy are no-nos for most people. I am fine with small amounts. I can't drink a glass of milk or have a yogurt or ice cream, but a little cheese or a little cream to lighten a coffee is ok for me. As an IBS-C I don't have a problem with coffee being a huge problem for my system. I consider myself very lucky to have the GI issues that I do and to still be able to 'eat whatever' that I want. But BY ALL MEANS Heather's books and these boards have made that possible. So please do not think that TWO DAYS worth of foods means I am not an Eating for IBS Diet follower. I have been working at this VIGOROUSLY for a long time and THANKS TO HEATHER have finally been able to eat more normally because I understand foods better now. I just wanted some input about fat and calories. But thanks for the mild roasting.
BTW: I will look at my nuts and dairy content a little more closely anyway, as suggested, to see if I can severely limit them due to fat content...sorry it's not for GI irritant reasons.
Thank you!!
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Heh - what you've been eating sorta looks like how my husband used to eat after he was diagnosed with diabetes. Lots of trail mix and nuts and very few carbs....and he started gaining weight, which was not his intent.
He then went on NutriSystem and lost 20 lbs in 3 months. What he really learned from NS is about portion sizing (a serving size is smaller than we both thought), vegetables and fruits (now half of everything he eats), and having lots of little meals rather than just a couple of big meals. He was a little hungry the first couple of days, but now it's automatic for him to have a snack of yogurt and fruit (instead of a cup or two of trail mix) and to have a cup of vegetables along with a salad and a small portion of protein and carbs for dinner.
Now I wouldn't necessarily recommend NutriSystem for IBS folks - there's lots of red meat and some artificial sweeteners - but you can follow their principles to learn how to feel full while eating fewer calories. If you're stable enough to have coffee (!), then you're certainly stable enough to have fruits and veggies make up half of each of your meals. You can learn about portion sizing for carbs and protein at all sorts of places, and filling your plate with the fruits and veggies will make up for the smaller sizes. And having 5 or 6 small meals rather than 3 large ones is good for both weight control and IBS!
--AC
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