A good, free, calorie and nutritional counting web site.

[IntuneJune]

I am looking for one.

Since my 20's, I have had to keep calorie intake around 1200 calories. Back then, I could exercise and did a lot of jogging (almost daily) and did a lot of hiking with my husband and three sons. With that level of activity, I could consume 1200 calories, if the calorie intake crept up, so would the weight.

At 1200 calories, the question was, am I taking in enough nutrition for healthy living.

I went around and around with one of my physicians about my weight gain..... he raked me over the coals about my wicked ways.....(What a nerve....) He sent me to a nutritionist..... I kept a diary before I went to the first appt and including everything.... down to glasses of water and brand of tooth paste. She would not charge me for the appt after an hour because the only thing she would have recommended was for me to eat more meat, and not decrease any other food stuff.

Medical tests were run for thyroid and other medical problems. Yes, I have hypothyroidism,but it is treated.

Well over the years, I am in my 60's now, the weight has crept up and the only time I lost was in the throws of undiagnosed celiac "disease" problems -- diarrhea -- I lost 30 pounds in two months, once on a gluten-free diet, the diarrhea stopped and the weight crept back on. At that time, I was taking in 500 calories a day because the diarrhea was so bad.

Well, I need to go back to the drawing board, I need to count calories again (I had that down to a science 30 years ago) and I want a tool that will do a good job and not consume my time.

Any suggestions?????

Thank you in advance. June :Sign Please:

 

[Knackered]

How about this website:

http://www.nutritiondata.com

I'm lucky in that I'm quite tall, my BMR is quite high. But! I find that if I eat things I shouldn't I gain weight so I follow a few rules.

Make sure there's vegetables in every meal, at least 1/3.
Don't eat white bread/ pasta / rice, choose wholegrain instead. High GI means you're going to be hungry shortly after eating.
Don't buy snacks in bulk, if there's always snacks in the fridge, they're going to get eaten, if they aren't there there's no temptation.
Don't buy sugary drinks, drink water or cordials.
"Fat-free" usually means there's lots of sugar in there, check the packet.
Only eat when you're hungry.
Only cook what you can eat.

I'm 6 feet tall and I weigh ~145lbs by following these simple rules. I'm pretty much sedentary too.

 

[IntuneJune]

How about this website:

http://www.nutritiondata.com

I'm lucky in that I'm quite tall, my BMR is quite high. But! I find that if I eat things I shouldn't I gain weight so I follow a few rules.

Make sure there's vegetables in every meal, at least 1/3.
Don't eat white bread/ pasta / rice, choose wholegrain instead. High GI means you're going to be hungry shortly after eating.
Don't buy snacks in bulk, if there's always snacks in the fridge, they're going to get eaten, if they aren't there there's no temptation.
Don't buy sugary drinks, drink water or cordials.
"Fat-free" usually means there's lots of sugar in there, check the packet.
Only eat when you're hungry.
Only cook what you can eat.

I'm 6 feet tall and I weigh ~145lbs by following these simple rules. I'm pretty much sedentary too.

Knackered
Thank you for taking the time to respond......and how wonderful for you that by following "these simple rules" you are able to maintain your weight.

I am not that lucky. I measured / weighed food, multiplied to calculate calories.... read labels on everything, kept meticulous records. I wish these few basic suggestions were enough. Most of my diet is fresh foods, "fat-free" foods with labels are usually processed foods (not good for any body) .... I am eating meats - antibiotic and hormone free.... free range eggs...., veggies grown without pesticides, sugary drinks???? they have not resided in my fridge for 30 years. Diet sodas??? Never.

The nutritionist my physician sent me to refused to charge me for the visit because her only suggestion was I was not eating enough protein.... she said I should eat more, but then I would be taking in more calories. I insisted on paying her, she spent over an hour with me and asked her to write my doctor a letter, that the letter would be invaluable to me as I did not like the attitude of this doctor. You are unfamiliar with me but this doctor was not. We had had numerous conservations over the years on nutrition. For him to suggest to me on a visit I needed to read labels for hidden calories?????? was a slap in my face.

When my calorie intake is at 1200 calories..... I always feel hungry.

I did get to the website and need to go back, I am looking for a personal calorie calculator that will save from meal to meal, giving me a total carlorie intake for the day and then keeping tract over a period of time.

Again, thank you for your time.

 

[Knackered]

Use the website I gave you to calculate your BMR. This will tell you how many calories you need per day to maintain your weight. The website can also tell you the number of calories in pretty much all foods, it will also give great information on GI etc.

You gain weight by consuming more calories than your body is using, for every 3000 calories you consume on top of your maintenance calories you gain one pound, for every 3000 less, you lose one pound.

It's as simple as that.

So for example, if your BMR is using around 1500 calories per day and you live a sedentary lifestyle, you need to consume 10,500 calories per week to maintain your weight. If that week you consumed 13,500 you would gain one pound, to lose one pound you would need to only consume 7,500 calories that week.

This is why it's difficult for people with CFS to lose weight without exercising.

 

[Tammie]

Knackered - good advice, except that a pound is equal to 3,500 calories; not 3,000....might not seem like a big difference, but it does add up

 

[IntuneJune]

Use the website I gave you to calculate your BMR. This will tell you how many calories you need per day to maintain your weight. The website can also tell you the number of calories in pretty much all foods, it will also give great information on GI etc.

You gain weight by consuming more calories than your body is using, for every 3000 calories you consume on top of your maintenance calories you gain one pound, for every 3000 less, you lose one pound.

It's as simple as that.

So for example, if your BMR is using around 1500 calories per day and you live a sedentary lifestyle, you need to consume 10,500 calories per week to maintain your weight. If that week you consumed 13,500 you would gain one pound, to lose one pound you would need to only consume 7,500 calories that week.

This is why it's difficult for people with CFS to lose weight without exercising.

Knackered,

I did go to the website you recommended, but moved on when that website said with my BMI I could sustain my weight at 1817 calories a day. When I calculated my BMI I took the lower height (by 1/2 inch-- don't laugh) and chose sedentary, although I do exercise in a pool and could have counted the calorie burn for that, but I did not. At 1817 calories, I gain weight.

Another site with the same BMI parameters stated my intake of calories per day to maintain my current weight is 1550. Still I gain weight.

It's easy to cheat with the calorie counting, intentionally or unintentionally, but I do remember to calculate, say, the oils, the little things.... they add up also. I count supplements also.

I have elicited the help of hubby who, since my surgery of eight weeks ago, has been attached to my hip. NOT of his choice. (He is so done with being step-and-fetch-it). But he has been bringing me my food. He has been checking portions, measuring.

My stomach has been bloated also, this is disturbing.

I read somewhere that we burn more calories during sleep than watching tv because our bodies are busy repairing during the night and that takes more of a calorie burn. I don't know if this is true. I have BIG sleep issues, getting at the most 5 hours of sleep at night. Maybe this is contributing to my calorie-unburn

Reading more on the Paleo way of eating, moving away from the grains and adding more protein may increase the thermal effect of burning calories during digestion. OK, stretching here, but maybe this will help if I can adopt this way of eating.

This is not a new problem for me. I am aware of intake of calories and burning of calories, but I have not found it simple.

I like the website Knackered recommended but cannot get the daily log going, when I went to the other site that figured 1550 calorie intake, it was easier to get the running total going and they also gave the nutritional information, but it has a lot of ads which is annoying.

June

 

[IntuneJune]

Knackered - good advice, except that a pound is equal to 3,500 calories; not 3,000....might not seem like a big difference, but it does add up

Thanks Tammie, 500 calories adds up fast, that is one seventh of a pound!

Anyone else out there fighting weight issues???