So I’ve been thinking about it, and after the response to my last post, I think I should start a food log. I feel like I eat pretty clean, but I know there’s room for improvement and I’m sure the log will help with that. I can handle the measuring food out, I can deal with weighing food. But the big thing I don’t get is eating out. Say I take my girlfriend out to Little Italy this weekend. How do I have any idea how many calories are in my pasta? I live in New York City, so I got out more than I’d like to, and I feel this is the big deal breaker for my food log.
Like today, I have a 6" sub from Subway for lunch. Ok, I can look up that nutritional info. But what about the cup of soup I’ll buy from the cafe (it’s only $1, who can say no?), I have no way of knowing whether that Chicken Noodle Soup is made with dieters in mind or not. Anyone have any advice, other than the impractical “Don’t eat out”?
I bought a book on food counts called “The Complete Book of Food Counts” by Corinne T Netzer. It covers restaurants like Subway, Burger king, Wendys etc. It also list fat, carbs, and protein. It won’t cover all restaurants but it can at least give you a general idea of what foods to avoid.
[quote]cvb wrote:
I bought a book on food counts called “The Complete Book of Food Counts” by Corinne T Netzer. It covers restaurants like Subway, Burger king, Wendys etc. It also list fat, carbs, and protein. It won’t cover all restaurants but it can at least give you a general idea of what foods to avoid. [/quote]
Thanks, and I’ll definitely look into that. But what about a meal you’ll never find in a book, like a diner somewhere? Those meals are bound to happen, and I don’t want them to be the deal-breaker when it comes to the food log. What do you guys do? Guess what’s in the food?
Some restaurants will let you know which meals are low calorie, low carb or low fat. Many will let you know which meals are healthy choices.
Also, after looking up calories of different foods you will start to learn what choices are healthy.
What type of diet are you following. Are you bulking or trying to lose weight?
You know how to eat right at home. It is the same in a restaurant. If it is a cheat meal, I eat whatever I want. If I am following my diet, I will skip the rolls, avoid the salad dressing, choice chicken or turkey and eat the vegetables. Also, the servings in most restaurants are huge. I don’t eat everything on my plate.
A food log is an excellent idea but I also just never got around to doing it and I want to start one. I really need to look at my nutrition.
How so I find out the content of certain foods that don’t have the info on the package ( i.e eggs ). Does anybody have a link to a nutritional info page or something.
[quote]baretta wrote:
A food log is an excellent idea but I also just never got around to doing it and I want to start one. I really need to look at my nutrition.
How so I find out the content of certain foods that don’t have the info on the package ( i.e eggs ). Does anybody have a link to a nutritional info page or something.[/quote]
The book I suggest above (“The complete Book of Food Counts”)is great. It breaks down everything for calories, carbs, fat, protein, sodium and fiber. I use it to count calories and keep track of how much protein and fiber I consume. It is available on amazon.com.