con·sid·er
verb (used with object)
- to think carefully about, especially in order to make a decision; contemplate; reflect on: He considered the cost before buying the new car.
- to regard as or deem to be: I consider the story improbable.
- to think, believe, or suppose: We consider his reply unsatisfactory.
- to bear in mind; make allowance for: The arrest was justified if you consider his disorderly behavior.
- to pay attention to; regard: He considered the man for sometime before speaking to him.
It is true that choosing foods that nourish my body is important, but it is also true that the ONLY way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you take in. That means that calories is something I will have to consider if I plan on making it to my goal of 150 pounds by next May. It is an attainable goal, but only if I consider.
To consider my calories I had to find a way to track them. There are two excellent totally free calorie trackers online and on iPhone. The first is one I used for years, SparkPeople. It has been an excellent resource for information on exercise and wellness, with awesome support groups and a point system that can be motivating. But I needed something that I could put on my iPhone so that I never had an excuse not to track my calories. For this I use MyFitnessPal, which allows me not only to track my calories, but has a few neat features that helps me to plan, even on the go. It also allows me to track my calories burned. I can access this from my computer, also, and enter my recipes with my actual portion sizes for an easier and more accurate calorie count. So, I read the SparkPeople articles for information and motivation, but use MyFitnessPal to track.
I've been tracking for almost a month now. What I've discovered shocked me, and just reinforces the fact that calories HAVE to be considered to become obedient to God in a weight loss journey. I discovered that some of the choices I was making because I thought they were healthier choices were actually not the best option for me.
Let's take Taco Bell for example. For years I would order the 7-layer burrito, even thought I liked chicken soft tacos better. However, a 7-layer burrito has about 500 calories. Two chicken soft tacos have a total of 360 calories. Even two chicken soft taco supremes beat out the 7-layer burrito with only 420 calories for both! But an even better better choice is two fresco style chicken soft tacos with a total of 300 calories. The funny thing is, now one fresco chicken soft taco is satisfying!
So, let's compare my old order to my new order, and consider what a difference that will make if I ate at Taco Bell twice a week for a year.
Old:
7-Layer burrito and a 20 oz. Dr. Pepper 750 calories
New:
2 Fresco style chicken soft tacos 300 calories
Difference:
450 calories
(450 x 2 x 52)/3500=13.37 pounds a year, with just that ONE change.
But, this is the kicker, I actually started gaining weight when I tried to make healthier choices. I would have always opted for the chicken soft taco before I started trying to lose weight, but I wanted to be healthy. And yet, I didn't want to give up Dr. Pepper, or even acknowledge that I was drinking myself to obesity! I mean, a medium Dr. Pepper at Taco Bell has more calories than a supreme chicken soft taco!
My point is, you have to consider calories as part of your choice when planning your menu.
One thing I like about both SparkPeople and MyFitnessPal is that they allow you to enter your information and healthy goals and how much you want to exercise, and then they will tell you how many calories you have to eat and how long it will take for you to reach your goals.
I have to stay as close to 1290 calories a day as I can to lose weight without exercise. If I exercise I can either still eat my 1290 calories and lose more weight, or I might opt to eat a bit more. On MyFitnessPal, if you exceed your calories, the number changes from green to red. Also, at the end of the day you can complete your entry and it will tell you about how much you will weigh in 5 weeks if you keep eating the way you did on that day. I sometimes use this as a motivator. If I want to eat a Big Mac, for instance, I put it in my diary and then hit complete my entry, and inevitably I will decide to delete the Big Mac and opt for a salad or something because I will see that the Big Mac will move me away from my goals, not toward them. This is how I ditched the Dr. Pepper. Water has no calories. For the first two weeks I drank either plain seltzer water, or seltzer with a spritz of fresh lime. That helped me break the soda habit. Now I can drink water with lemon, lime or cranberry juice (sweetened slightly with SweetLeaf Stevia Liquid). If I want fizz I add a packet of EmergenC, which will add about 20 calories, but also adds vitamins. My skin is getting much younger!
I thought at first using a calorie calculator would be stressful, but it actually has been freeing. I now let it decide. If I can't eat it without going into the red, I made a different choice. If I want it and it will put me in the red, it will motivate me to exercise and earn it. But often times after 20 minutes of exercise I don't want it anymore. Probably because I drank a huge glass of water to rehydrate myself and realized that was all I really needed anyway.
The funny thing is I'm eating things I didn't think I would be able to. I eat eggs, bread, chocolate, fries, hamburgers, etc. What is changing is the frequency and quantity, or quality. Instead of eating bagels I now eat 100% whole wheat sandwich thins, which don't give me gas or make me bloat. I accidentally forgot to put milk on my oatmeal one day and realized I liked it better and felt better, so now I am limiting my milk/dairy and it is helping. I eat dark chocolate covered fruit or nuts when I get a craving for chocolate, and just make sure that the serving size is less than 200 calories. I also keep these handy, just knowing I can have chocolate when I want it makes me less apt to binge. We raise our own chickens, so I get FRESH eggs, and eat them almost daily, which is very, very good for me. And if Phil takes me out on a date, I just make sure to check that the burger I get doesn't have fries and that the portion will be less than 500 calories for the meal, which is usually what I allow for supper.
I do also allow for exceptions. The following days I will not track my calories and will allow myself to indulge free of guilt: Valentine's Day, Our Wedding Anniversary, Thanksgiving, Christmas and up to two Pot Luck Socials a year. I did this on Valentine's Day and we went to a buffet. I know I overate a bit, but was very uncomfortable, and made note of that. I could have stopped with the first plate, and did stop with the second plate. Neither plate was totally full. I chose healthy foods for the most part, and passed on dessert. I only gained 1/2 pound, and lost it again the next day, probably mostly water retention from all of the sodium. The reason I allow this isn't for me as much as it is for Phil and my family. It's hard to take your wife out when she is about to break down in tears because there is nothing on the menu she can eat! And potlucks are almost impossible to track. Four to six times a year will NOT make me overweight nor will it sabotage my weight loss efforts. Besides, the more I lose, the better I feel and the better choices I seem to be making.
My calorie counter is my best accountability partner. It doesn't try to fix me or even tell me what to eat, it just lets me know what my choices are costing me. It also tells me when I'm not eating enough, and how that will also sabotage my efforts.
God is using these tools to help me relearn how to eat. Healthier choices usually have less calories and fill you up more. It is helping balance what I eat. It is helping me make wiser choices. It is also giving me that pause I need to discuss it over with God rather than just diving in. It is revealing the false guilt in my life and helping me to trust my natural cravings just a bit more, with restraint. But most importantly, considering calories has helped me take off 16 pounds in less than two months.
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