http://www.menshealth.com/eatthis/20-Worst-Foods/

I found this by searching for "20 worst foods in America". I'm not sure what exactly the site has to offer but the pics were enough for me. Ick.

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with stress eating or even nibbles and bites and licks and the such. MANY, MANY people just LITERALLY nibble away at their discretionary calories. And at the end of the week, we have NO recollection of eating 300 calories in cheese or 200 calories in pretzels… all we know is that we don’t have any discretionary calories for cake or cheeseburgers. And we also tend to go, “Whaaaa… this isn’t fair… everyone else can eat 700 calories in dessert (or chili cheese fries or whatever YOUR vice is)… how come I can’t... or I gain weight???”

So, if it seems that you/me/anybody out there reading… just doesn’t have “enough” discretionary calories, … take a look at the servings sizes of your “regular” food and how you eat your “regular” food … AND make sure that you are not stress eating all of your discretionary calories up… AND make sure that you are not nibbling away at them.

YEP! This was a huge problem for me. I'd plan a 1300-1400 calorie day but then have all kinds of bites, licks, taste so really I was eating more like 1700-1800 and then in looking back, forgeting about the BLTs and feeling like I was struggling and it wasn't fair.

Eating "clean" during the week helps me be able to eat more on the weekends and have my dessert and wine.

My "discretionary calories" I bank for the weekends and will have wine with dinner two nights and two desserts as well. So far that balance seems to be working quite well.

I still tend to be careful though with my serving sizes for desserts and don't have a gigantic hunk of cake or a big bowl of ice cream.

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Originally posted by GoingSkiing:



Second, another thing that makes discretionary calories even possible is that I (mostly) have my serving sizes of meat, grains, etc. under control.

Yes. One of the cool parts about eating my planned/proper serving sizes is that I can eat a special dinner out and KNOW that there is room for it in my life without weight gain.

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Originally posted by Sandy:
I eat my "regular" food- fruit, grain, protein, healthy fat- and call it my regular food- the stuff that I eat daily.

I was thinking about the concept of "regular" food calories... vs. “discretionary” food calories…

First, I’m pretty sure that I (mostly) stay within the MyPyramid.gov guidelines of 150-300 discretionary calories a day… except that I tend to save them up and eat them more of them on the weekends - so while a 500 calorie dessert may seem splurgy… I think that I mostly follow standard food guidelines pretty well and do a good job of balancing my “regular” food and “discretionary” food.

Second, another thing that makes discretionary calories even possible is that I (mostly) have my serving sizes of meat, grains, etc. under control. I usually eat 5 (or less) oz of protein a day. And for example, I bought a 4 lb bag of chicken breasts and the nutritional info on the bag said that it was 16 servings. I’ve got it cooked up and in the freezer in individual portions… and I’ve gotten 17 portions from that 4 lbs of meat. It was 7 breasts. For many people… that would have been 7 servings.

Just one oz (or a couple/three bites, really) of chicken/meat is about 50 calories. If I started eating just one more ounce a day in meat… that would be 350 calories that I‘d lose as 350 “discretionary” calories… and they would become “regular” calories, I suppose. A one oz serving of grain is about 100 calories. Many people don’t realize that they are actually eating their discretionary calories in servings of grain and protein that are just a little too bit too large. Chicken and pasta are pretty much “regular” food to most of us… but eating too large of portions can eat at your discretionary calories.

Granted some people LIKE bigger portions of chicken or pasta… and might CHOOSE to use discretionary calories on those items… but be aware that if you go to www.MyPyramid.gov and they recommend that you eat 5 oz of lean protein a day… but you like 6 or 8 oz servings… you are using your discretionary calories on chicken or a "regular" food.

I think that it was Brie… one time commented that when she started doing Beck and REALLY listening to when she was full… she was happy with slightly smaller portions of meat. I think that it made maintaining easier for her. If we are happy with 3 oz or 4 oz of meat, rather than 5 or 6 oz…. We sort of “magically” gain 350 or 500 or even 1,000 discretionary calories a week to use on desserts or wine… vs. always struggling to fit those foods in and even gaining when we eat them.

Ditto… with stress eating or even nibbles and bites and licks and the such. MANY, MANY people just LITERALLY nibble away at their discretionary calories. And at the end of the week, we have NO recollection of eating 300 calories in cheese or 200 calories in pretzels… all we know is that we don’t have any discretionary calories for cake or cheeseburgers. And we also tend to go, “Whaaaa… this isn’t fair… everyone else can eat 700 calories in dessert (or chili cheese fries or whatever YOUR vice is)… how come I can’t... or I gain weight???”

So, if it seems that you/me/anybody out there reading… just doesn’t have “enough” discretionary calories, … take a look at the servings sizes of your “regular” food and how you eat your “regular” food … AND make sure that you are not stress eating all of your discretionary calories up… AND make sure that you are not nibbling away at them.

quote:

Originally posted by GoingSkiing:
]I'm not sure that I understand... I pretty much always feel like I'm on plan or on track.

I eat my "regular" food- fruit, grain, protein, healthy fat- and call it my regular food- the stuff that I eat daily.

But I also know I have this account of extra calories --- I think it is about 250 calories each day. I spend it in different ways.

If we go out for a special dinner, I might use 2000 calories so that I've used about a week of the extra calories there. Other times it is just out to lunch that is "less expensive" calorie wise. I might eat an ice cream sandwich.

It's not that I am off plan when I do this. I just don't think of the extra calories as part of my core plan (not a ww thing).

When I look at my week I plan where I will use my aprox. 1700-2000 calories of extra food- or food that does not have to be super nutritious. If I don't have a special dinner out, I look at each day and decide how I'd like to spend 200-300 calories per day.

This weekend we have a a BBQ, so I have been clean (saving my "extra" calories) this week and plan to use them at the BBQ.

Just the way I handle and manage my calorie budget...

I think of the calories beyond my normal, basic eating as the fun stuff that can easily fit into my life as long as I plan for it and stay honest about it.

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Originally posted by GoingSkiing:
Banana cream pie total = 455 cals

PS... of those 455 pie calories... 90 of them were a cup of skim milk that I would have had at 2pm... but skipped. So really, "only" 365 calories were "discretionary" or "extra calories".

Same with a banana split or homemade apple pie... the banana or apple are fruit that I'd eat any way.

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Originally posted by Sandy:
I wonder how other use their "extra" calories-- the ones that we eat when it is not a very regular day and we are on plan?

I'm not sure that I understand... I pretty much always feel like I'm on plan or on track. I eat dessert pretty much every Friday. I KNOW that I'm going to eat more calories on Fridays and Sundays... but I've eaten dessert nearly every Friday and Sunday all my life... so today WAS "regular" day for me.

Even eating at Great America was a "regular" day. I knew I was going. I know what kind of food they have there. I wasn't shocked by what I ate there. I didn't feel that I was "off track".

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And...about how many discretionary calories do you plan for each week/month/day?

I’ll guess that I eat 13,750 to 16450 calories a week. 13,750 would be losing mode. 16450 would be maintaining. And more than that would be gaining mode, I suspect - but I try not to go there.

How I spend my weekly discretionary calories:
0 - 1,500 calories a week eating out (although you can tell from the “price of food” thread… we don’t eat out that much any more) - depending if I’m up or down - I‘d go with the lower number if I‘m up and the higher if I‘m down or maintaining. This week, I probably won't eat out at all.
500-1,000 a week on 2 desserts a week - depending on if I’m up or down - 500 if I'm up... 1000 if I feel that I have more wiggle room. This week, will probably be a 700ish dessert calorie week.
280 a week on jam on my daily toast - this is negotiable and I’ll skip it if the scale is up. This week, have had jam every day.

160 a week on half and half in my daily coffee - this is non negotiable - doesn’t matter if I’m up or down.
420 a week on “sauces”… like hoisin or Thai curry sauce or teriyaki - also non negotiable. I like my food to taste good.
Practically zero calories on alcohol This week, will be zero.

And I’ll guess that leaves me 1600-1900 calories a day in healthy, real food.

Thought an informal poll quiestion might be interesting.

This thread brings up the topic of "extra" or "treat" or whatever you call them- calories.

I budget for dinner out once a month when I know I will eat 2,000 calories. About once a week I eat out and have a 1,000 calorie meal. Plus, we go out of town about 3-4 times each year- for about 2-7 days each time. I KNOW my calories are higher while away. Again...restaurant food.

Most meals, though, I eat are about 300-500 calories. (Plus I have snacks each day.) I happen to prefer to use my discretionary calories to up servings of special dinners (at home or at a restaurant).

I wonder how other use their "extra" calories-- the ones that we eat when it is not a very regular day and we are on plan?

And...about how many discretionary calories do you plan for each week/month/day?

OR...do you not plan and just try to keep things in line?

P.S. My calorie counts are likely low. I am probably one of the many who needs to add 10-20% to her counting. Still, I am pretty constant in how I count and I maintain pretty well and easily this way.

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Originally posted by Sandy:
But, when I figure even 1/3 to 1/2 of the calories for some of the meals, that is still too much for me and (if eaten even weekly) would put me in a gaining mode.

My dinner (made at home) tonight will be upwards of 1,000 calories.

I exercised 5 times this week and walked to .4 miles and back to my neighbors 2-3 times a day. I am very confident that I've burned a minimum of 1500 calories this week in exercise/activity - and I've been saving them up. I won't see a gain from eating my dinner and dessert tonight. I'll probably see a loss. But I know EXACTLY what's gone into my dinner...

If those calorie counts on the website came from the corporate office of Chipolte's or Out Back Steak House... I'd add another 20-30% on to them.

My dinner tonight:

4 4.5 oz salmon 218
1 TBS terryacki sauce 50
1/2+ cup brown rice 120
1 cup carrots 70
1/4 cup OJ 25
1/2 artichoke 50?
1 TBS mayo 50

Dinner total 583 cals

Banana Cream Pie (homemade - MY serving)
Pie crust 125.
1/4 oz walnuts 30
1/2 TBS choc chips 35
1/4 banana 30
1 serving whipped cream 45
1 TBS + 1 tsp sugar 60
1 cup 1% milk 130
1 TBS corn starch 30

Banana cream pie total = 455 cals

Grand total 1,038 calories

This message has been edited. Last edited by: GoingSkiing,

Thanks for that! Someone I know goes to Chipotle most every week now rather than getting a burger & fries once a week....I have a sneaking suspicion he gets the chicken burrito, too....

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Originally posted by Sandy:

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Originally posted by Tayhudson:
Not in every situation, but with many of these it is the portion size that makes the food so caloric.

Yes. But, when I figure even 1/3 to 1/2 of the calories for some of the meals, that is still too much for me and (if eaten even weekly) would put me in a gaining mode.

Oh, I wouldn't consider eating them weekly. YIKES!

Dawn

quote:

Originally posted by Tayhudson:
Not in every situation, but with many of these it is the portion size that makes the food so caloric.

Yes. But, when I figure even 1/3 to 1/2 of the calories for some of the meals, that is still too much for me and (if eaten even weekly) would put me in a gaining mode.

Not in every situation, but with many of these it is the portion size that makes the food so caloric.

I know that I have had the Chipotle Grilled chicken burrito in the past, and had it for 3 meals. There is no way I could eat it all at once. Even half is too much.

Typically, I now get the tacos because they are much smaller.

Dawn