As I’ve mentioned, I’m seeing a nutritionist. Sigh.
Anyway, retraining my habits is going to take some time. So it should come as no surprise that we had this conversation during my last visit:
Nutritionist M: What would you say is a trouble area for you?
Me: Taking time to look up calories. It’s easy to write what I eat down, but tougher to dig for the calorie information.
Nutritionist M: Some people set goals for themselves to keep on track. What is a reward that you could give yourself if you write down your calorie information 6 out of 7 days for each of the next 4 weeks?
Me: Hmmm…I know! A trip to my favorite gelato shop!
{Pause}
Nutritionist M: How about thinking of a non-food-related reward?
I don’t know about you, but a non-food-related reward isn’t nearly as rewarding.
And exactly how much time to you have to devote to that endeavor for the next four weeks?
I always found that to be a problem. I make almost everything from scratch. And unless you follow a recipe that gives you the calories per serving, and you have not deviated from the recipe, it is very labor intensive to figure out even a ball-park calorie count.
I think that is why many people turn to pre-packaged weight loss products, or to diets where everything is exactly precribed for them.
But that's not the way most people are going to eat the rest of their lives. And what a person needs is HOW to eat the rest of their life.
I use this website: http://www.calorieking.com/. Once you sign up for a (free) membership, you can access a recipe calorie calculator in the tools section. It's not 100% perfect, but it's fairly accurate, particularly if you're honest about quantities that went into your recipe.