That's right, I'm also the person in the household who makes most of the meals. It's sort of a shame, really. I know little to nothing about cooking, while my husband knows how to make Indian and Chinese food from scratch.
On top of this, I recently discovered I have to lose a significant amount of weight to fit into a bridesmaid's dress for my sister's wedding in May. So that means, I have to seriously monitor what I eat, counting calories, doing meal prep, and more.
I started tracking my eating habits the last week of December, aiming to keep my caloric intake under 1200 a day. I've done really well by giving myself a day or two a week to slip up (up to 1500 calories instead), and so far I've lost almost ten pounds! Woot!
Now I'm going to share how I'm doing it with the recipes that have worked for me. Let me know what you think if you try any of them out. And if you have any suggestions, please please please share them!
Just do yourself a favour and don't focus too highly on calories. Doing so is a great way to malnourish yourself. I'd strongly suggest instead running your recipes thru a system that produces a bigger picture (nutritiondata.com/ comes to mind). Specifically nutrient balance and protein completeness. If you do insist on counting calories, 1200 is far too few. Stick with 1500 to 1750 and make sure they're of every colour you can find.
ReplyDeleteThe system I run my daily food journal through does provide me with analysis of nutrition and such. So far, I know I suck at hitting my daily goals for fiber, iron, potassium, and Vitamins A and C. So I've incorporated a multi-vitamin and have tried looking up foods that are higher in those nutrients. I'm quite good at hitting between 25 and 30% protein daily and am keeping my carb intake in an optimal range.
ReplyDeleteI try not to rely too heavily on the calories in particular, though they help provide a much better guide than not keeping track of eating habits at all.
And 1200 is actually optimal for my body type, weight loss goals, lifestyle, and more. If I were to eat 1500 calories a day, I would be able to maintain my current weight, and nothing more. Currently, my weight is not where I want it to be, nor is it at its healthiest range. According to my doctor I could stand to lose a few pounds, and the rate at which I'm doing it (2-3 pounds a week, and no more), is exactly what is recommended by her and many nutritionists. So aiming--and sometimes missing, because it's only natural with inaccurate counting mechanisms, insufficient accounting, and more--for 1200 is actually a solid goal because it keeps me mostly spot on with nutrients and in the right range for healthy weight loss.
Trust me, when I told people I needed to lose about 30 pounds in five months, the number one suggestion I got was "Juice Fast." Nothing sounds less pleasant and more harmful to my body than a dangerous and unsustainable fasting program. Thank you, I like food. And I will continue finding the healthier recipes and testing them out and writing about them. If only for my own sake (though I hope for others, too!).