Having trouble determining what 600 calories looks like

This topic contains 8 replies, has 6 voices, and was last updated by mitches66 10 years, 11 months ago.

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JayArras

3:00 pm
23 Aug 13
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I have been on the Fast Diet for about 8 weeks now and have lost about 12 lbs. The issue I am having is determining what 600 calories looks like on my fasting days. Up to now, I’ve just been conservative in what I eat, eating mostly salads, skipping the sugars and treats, etc. Yes, I know that there are recipes that I can follow and apps that tell you the amount of calories in different foods, but I don’t eat like that. My wife cooks certain foods with many different ingredients. How do I determine the calorie counts of home cooked meals like that? Do I have to have her weigh and measure everything? And what about vegetables? You may be able to determine what a squash or tomato’s calorie count is, but what if you only use a small portion of it as a part of your meal? Is anyone else experiencing these issues and how are you coping with it?

Humphrey

3:15 pm
23 Aug 13
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JayArras, yes, you do need to weigh and measure the various ingredients if you’re home cooking and want to know the calories. I’m not anal about it (half an onion is half an onion not xxx grams, for example, life is too short), but I do take note of everything I put into a meal, and then divide by number of portions. 600 cals is a surprisingly small amount if you start to add in meat, rice, noodles, potatoes, bread etc, so it’s easy to go overboard. Perhaps you can weigh and calculate the calories yourself as your wife prepares dinner, do it for a few weeks (it’s only twice a week after all), get into the swing of what 600 cals does look like and then relax a bit on the measuring front. I use Fitday which I have downloaded to my pc, but there are many apps/books available to help.

dlroseberry

7:31 pm
23 Aug 13
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I have a good electronic postage scale that automatically subtracts the tar weight, so I can just put any plate or bowl on it, turn it on, and throw on the food and see the results in grams or oz. You get to where you know quite a bit by just looking, but I still weigh everything on fast days. Even with that, there is still going to be error because there is plenty of variability in foods, so I shoot for 350-450 calories (I weigh about 155 lbs. now, so I’m using less calories per day than I did back in my 210 lb. days).

It’s kinda hard, but so much easier than with a regular calorie restriction diet. Only 2 days a week and only small amounts to weigh and calculate, and you can avoid the unknowns of eating out. I suspect that people vary in how easily they get into the fasting state and for me I think it’s critical that I not go over the line on fasting days.

Couscous

12:45 pm
24 Aug 13
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Hi JarArras, I sympathise with your predicament about portion size and calories that is why on fast days I take the easy, lazy, expensive way out and have a M&S ready meal. Elsewhere on this site I reported on weighing the meat portion size in their “Count on Us” pork dinner which is 295 cals. The pork content weighed in at 103gms yet when put on a small dinner plate the whole meal seemed quite substantial.
I googled meat portion size uk and various sites came up including a Bupa site on portion control which may interest you. I would also suggest you google protein content in meat, it should also be of interest. Some sites say a palm size piece is ideal but how thick should it be?. A 100gm weight of meat, depending on type can contain on average between aprox 25 – 35 gms of protein, an interesting fact for those posters who need to know such information in more precise detail than many of us.
Of course meat is never a standard size is it?. A little trial and error when having meat for dinner could give a decent guestimate of calorie content.
The bottom line on veg of course is dont worry abount calorie counts, just eat and enjoy them.
Good luck.

JayArras

8:07 pm
12 Dec 13
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I’ve erred on the side of caution and decided to just not eat at all on my fasting days.

I grant myself a small 4 oz. glass of OJ when I take my vitamin pills in the morning and enjoy one cup of coffee with skim milk and a teaspoon of agave syrup with my wife before she leaves for work and that’s it (besides water) until about 7 P.M. when we have a normal meal.

So my fast runs from about 8 P.M. the night before until 7 P.M. on the fasting day with only the aforementioned in between.

Stef.

9:11 pm
12 Dec 13
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I have heard about doing fasting from evening to evening, but and here I might be wrong, I think it is more effective if you stop eating let’s say on Sunday evening and then only start eating again on Tuesday morning.

With the 5:2 though you would be allowed to have 600 kcal on Monday at some point- I usually only eat them in the evening. In other words your cosumption is 600 kcal in roughly 36 hours.

Something else that I find helps me is to try to stick to the 16:8 rule as much as possible. This means eating nothing- not even milk in the coffee for at least 16 hours and then consuming all the allowed calories within a window of 8 hours.

Stef.

JayArras

9:53 pm
12 Dec 13
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Thanks, Stef. I think Michael stated in the book that the 16:8 rule is optimal, but also remember Mimi saying that she couldn’t make it through the whole day without eating SOMETHING.

Before I started the Fast Diet, I did Men’s Health’s 8 Hour Diet, where you eat normally, but confine ALL eating into an eight hour window, and eat NOTHING for 16 at least 3 days a week. After six weeks, I had only lost about 3 lbs, so I abandoned it.

So if the intent of the authors is really to only consume 600 calories in a 36 hour period, rather than just 24, then maybe I am doing this all wrong.

Stef.

8:38 am
13 Dec 13
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JayArras, perhaps you consult the book again? My understanding is that ideally you fast for 36 hours with a max of 600 calories inbetween. (500 for women)
This works for me very well. Lost 5kg in 4 1/2 weeks. Have to admit though that i.e. this week I do 4:3.
Stef.

mitches66

8:46 am
13 Dec 13
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Hi JayArras I think the secrect is to try and be relaxed about it, you must be doing something right as the pounds are dropping off 🙂
I dont weigh anything, but am aware what food have lots of calories and avoid them on fast days.
I skip breakfast just have coffee and water, but I cant last untill evening. I have a small snack around 2pm, like a small bowl of homemade soup, then have most of my calories at tea/dinner time with my family. I have a small portion of what they are having, like chilli, spag bol, with lots of veg or salad.
If I cant have what there having, I have scrambled eggs with a couple slices of parma ham, yum, that fills me up. And sparkling water for a treat!
Hope this helps, and continue to lose the lbs.
Elaine