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Hello World,
So, yesterday was my first day using FatSecret. I've gotta say, it's a very easy and convenient way to track my progress. No more whipping out the calculator, trying to figure out how many calories I ate that day. Now I just sign in after every meal, and record it. FatSecret figures out everything for me! Not just calories, but fat, protein, sodium, carbs... things a lot of people don't pay attention to when dieting. I can really get a closer look at what's going into my mouth and fueling my body.
If I were merely counting calories, I'd be damned proud of how I did yesterday. I ate 96% of my recommended daily intake. Getting to that point even posed a problem! I had to eat MORE than I would have on a normal diet just to meet this number. By the time I finished dinner, I was meeting it by just 65%. And I know you have to keep your body fueled -- eating less is not necessarily best. I didn't want my metabolism to slow, so I ate more. I had a half a Promax bar, a veggie wrap with cheese, and yes... I weakened at the knees when I saw those crispy hot onion rings. Well, I still didn't go over my recommended daily calories! Awesome... or not?
Now I can take a look at all of the fat I ate yesterday (well, at least on paper). Exactly 35% of my caloric intake was in the form of fat. This is about the maximum allowed daily fat intake for someone on a 2,000 calorie diet. I'm looking to lose weight -- to create a deficit in my fat intake -- to eat less fat than the maximum recommended. That means I'm going to aim closer to the minimum -- between 20% or 25% (about 45g - 55g). I was significantly over, even though I was not over in calories. This is where Weight Watchers Points come in.
The WW Points don't calculate just calories, but fat and fiber content as well. This is probably a little easier and a little more accurate than calorie counting. As I said, many calorie counters don't add up the fats they consume. Weight Watchers takes this into account. When I see I went over in my points, I know I ate too much or I ate the wrong foods. This tells me I need to make adjustments.
So, now knowing that I need to make adjustments, I need to figure out where. FatSecret makes this easy. I realize a lot of my fat grams come from cheese. Cheese provides a bit of protein, which is necessary in my vegetarian diet. However, the Promax bar half that I consumed contains far more protein AND less fat. This is a better way to go. I don't need to omit precious cheeses from my diet, I just need to eat less of it. I also notice that the muenster cheese I consumed at "snack time" contained WAY more fat than I ever would have guessed. At over 8g of fat per slice, I can honestly say it isn't worth it! I'll go for one slice of American, or no cheese at all. If I hadn't figured this out after day 1, how long would I have gone not losing a pound.. only to give up?
Now I can SEE what is going into my body. I see that I need to lower my sodium intake a bit, and add a little more protein into my diet. I can make the necessary changes and fix my mistakes. This is going to save me a lot of time and aggravation. And best of all, help me lose some pounds!
Thanks FatSecret!
SparkleChrissy
Diet Calendar Entry for 10 November 2009:
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1490 kcal
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Fat: 27.26g | Prot: 39.74g | Carb: 284.50g.
Breakfast: banana, Cookies 'n Cream Energy Bar. Lunch: plain cream cheese, honey wheat. Dinner: smoothie, Flatbread Light Original, roasted vegetables. Snacks/Other: lifewater. more...
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