I recently started watching calories in addition to eating low carb and it's really helping me lose weight faster. Well, it dawned on me yesterday how remembering to "eat the minimum" can really make a difference. Instead of adding 4 cherry tomatoes in my salad, I add 2. Instead of just pouring the cream in my coffee cup, I put the tiniest bit on a spoon and then stir that in. I want the minimum calories that will still give me the satisfaction of the taste I want in my food.

I think I'll be making this my new mantra. What else do you guys do to "eat the minimum"?

1. Being more aware
2. Use a smaller plate
3. Break up portions to look like I have more
4. Eat slow
5. Making sure I drink a glass of water before my meal

I admit that I weigh and measure everything with the exception of restaurant food in restaurants. When I am dining out I do the same thing. I make little piles of food that I eat slowly and then see if I want more. So far so good!

I try to leave something on my plate! I do have a snack when I am hungry but avoiding snacking is really important to me as well.

Orchid

I just try to be conscious of what I am eating, asking myself all the time whether I am finishing what is on the plate because it is there or because I am still hungry. I consciously take reasonable size portions when I serve myself. If I am at a restaurant and get a huge serving of meat or fish or something like that, I often cut it and put a portion off to the side and tell myself that I will not eat that part unless I am still hungry. I don't weigh and measure my food -- it makes it seem too much like a diet to me -- but I am very conscious of not eating when I am not hungry.

1) I changed the brand of ranch dressing I used saving about 80 calories, but having the same number of carbs (though it costs more than the store brand ).

2) I weigh my food now, and have been decreasing my portion sizes gradually but steadily. Note I only worry about the few items that have the most calories (the ranch dressing, cheese, CarbSmart ice cream, but not the broccoli, salad greens, tomatoes, etc).

3) I used to eat however large the portion I was served at lunch time (I have two fajita burritos without tortillas every day), but no more. I weigh it and actually throw away food now!

4) After nine months of lc'ing, I started tracking my calories both eaten and burned so now I know my calorie deficit. Dividing my deficit by 3500 you get how many pound of fat you should have lost. Well, I've been doing this for a month now and the calculated weight loss versus the actual weight loss really does line up! Check out this plot...



And the end result is that my weight loss has accelerated!! If you are having trouble stalling, then I HIGHLY recommend you start tracking your calories and find out if your calorie deficit is what you think it should be!!

One more thing -- I have gotten very conscious about the amount of salad dressing I use. Salad dressing is probably the thing I eat that has the most dense calories, so keeping a careful watch as I pour it -- and only using the minimum I need to get my lettuce leaves damp -- is an easy way to save on calories.

I do a combination of minimum calories and minimum exercise that lets my minimum calories never have to run too low. It is pretty rare that my calories in will ever dip below 1400, but I'm running closer to 1400 now than 1500 as my weight gets lower and it takes more work to burn calories through exercise. Breakfast used to be 4 turkey ham & cheese roll ups and now it is 3, but will probably go back to 4 in maintenance. I'm also shaving my after work snack - instead of an oz of nuts it is now a tablespoon of milk in a cup of caramel vanilla tea, or sometimes some home-made low carb ice cream (100 cal vs the 165 - 175 for the nuts.) Where I'm seeing the biggest effect of calorie counting is that my portions don't gradually start sneaking upwards like they used to. I weigh my 1 oz of nuts, and DON'T grab one more unweighed almond from the can before putting it back. If it is going in, it is getting weighed and counted. One oz of cheese is 1 oz, not 1.1. I'm sure I'm getting a minimum of 100 - 200 calories per day (worth 10 - 20 lbs per year) by cutting calories through weighing portions.

"Exercise the minimum" has had a really big effect on me. The last day that I've had less than my daily 10,000 steps was Feb 2. In December I was averaging around 9000 steps per day. Since then daily average has creeped first to 13,000, then 14,000, and now 16,500. I'll start dropping it back down beginning May 9. Starting to expect a minimum amount of daily exercise has had a real effect on me. At this point, fitting 10,000 steps into my day is so easy that it is an achievable daily minimum for the rest of my life. So many small habits (parking in the worst parking spot at work or the grocery store, which bathroom to walk to at work or home, keeping some frequently used things in the spare room at home instead of in the living room) add up so that my minimum daily calories burned is so much higher than before I started measuring.

Lynda

One more thing: My year to date miles walked = 727.85. A whole lot of that is due to lousy parking spaces and other basic "lifestyle" walking. (Combine that with eating 4.0 oz of chicken instead of 4.5 with dinner and weight loss starts adding up!)

Lynda

I have been low calorie low carbing for about 5 weeks and it has made a big difference in my weight loss - adding an average half pound per week. I had spent a month playing with the same 2-3 pounds even though I was conscientious about the carbs and eating only natural foods. When I started tracking after I bought fit day, imagine my shock at seeing a few 3000 calorie days, with most in the 2000 range. I know from a resting basal metabolic rate test that I need a little over 2000 cals to maintain and that 1800 is what I need to lose a pound a week. Now I stay between 1500-1700 but have upped my carbs to around 30 by adding in berries and eating even more vegetables. My fat is not as high, but it averages now around 60% with a few days slipping as low as 50% but it's working so I am not worrying.

Now, what I do worry about - that I start focusing on the calories and decide to shave more... that would be bad for me - at least at this stage of the game. I've been there done that low cal, been great at it - lost 100+ pounds.... but here I am again losing it again. I just last night decided to re-read the sections on adding carbs for OWL. I want to lose, but I want to lose it right and permanently so while induction has kept that "20" in front of me - I know the right thing to do to make this long term is to find out what I can eat and still lose weight.

Thanks for this great topic.
PecanPie

To keep my calories where I want them, I make sure to eat lots of fresh veggies with every meal. After several cups of fresh baby spinach with ranch dressing, you just aren't that hungry for a lot of other higher calorie items. I have increased my carbs and lowered my calories almost by accident! Fresh fruit and veggies are so low in calories (except for my dressing - I'm very generous with it) that I am eatting A LOT but getting little calories. So far so good

Marie

The things that I have done that have helped the most have been to
1. Use a smaller plate. If it doesn't fit on it, I don't get to eat it, at least not at that meal.
2. Eat fresh veggies. It was too easy for me be hungry and open a can or box and eat too much. so with the fresh veggies, I might prep ahead of time, but I divide things up and am learning better portion control.
Marty

Wow! You guys have some great ideas! I'm not doing any of these things. I like your "eat the minimum" credo Dianne, I'll have to remember that.

I do need to incorporate these concepts in though to increase my weight loss rate, it's been really slowing down over the last few months (though I have to admit this past month has been better).

Valerie

I have changed a few things as well. This is a great thread

I make smaller burgers than I used to. I try to get 6 or 7 patties out of a lb instead of 4 or 5. Huge savings in calories!

I also measure and count every bite of food that goes in my mouth. I record it in fitday, and am really careful to not underestimate anything. I literally count nuts if I eat them.

Another thing that's helped me is that I almost never go out to eat anymore. Restaurant portions are usually at least double what i would eat at home, even salads. I know my weaknesses, and restaurants are tough for me right now. Maybe in maintenance or when desperate.

I try to always be prepared. Havings things ready to eat when really hungry or wanting a snack really helps with portion control.

I'm curious. What does everybody consider their minimum?

Having read the sections on stalls, it's considered a bad thing to go really low in calories. While I agree in theory about the calorie deficit and exercising to get rid of pounds I can tell you right now that it doesn't work for everybody self included.

Am I right in thinking that the deficit is the difference between calories expended through daily living and exercising and your dietary intake? If so I probably should have seen the weight flying off me by now. I should have been losing a pound every two days instead of seeing myself lose a pound every 10 days.

I finally dropped major weight this week and I think its because I upped my fat ratio. I went on a two day fat fast - 74% fat - 1000 calories. I then raised the calories but keep the fat high but still lost weight. I've had my calories very low and never lost much so who knows? I'm going to try the calorie staggering but try and keep the fat high, see what happens.

One thing I've learned from reading all these posts is that everyone is different. What works for one doesn't always work for another. I guess you have to play around until you find out what works and if you can't figure out what works.........................well you just pray extra hard for guidence from up above I guess.

Oh yeah (steps off soapbox) I use a scale for portion control and a measuring cup. I very rarely eat anything unless its been weighed. Then I scarf down what's on my plate with no qualms.