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Let's Talk Calories, Shall We?

8/7/2013

1 Comment

 
This past month and a half has been a whirlwind journey of self-discovery.  Some of it scary, some exciting, some unnerving, but on the whole it's been amazing to realize new things about myself and learning to find acceptance in that.  I will not divulge all, but I wanted to share something I found fascinating.
Calculated with my height, weight, and physical activity level, I am apparently supposed to be consuming 2,295 calories PER DAY!!  Waah?!  But, wait, there's more! Not only am I supposed to have 2,295cal/day, but 1,480 of those get burned up without me even doing anything!  DOUBLEWAAAAH!? Yep.  1,480 calories get used just by being alive - pumping blood around, breathing, basic motor functions, etc.  How cool is that? 

I found this out with the help of these two sites:

Fitness Magazine - calculates how many calories/day you should be eating

Medical News Today - tells you how many calories you burn up without even working to do so. Also has a bunch of other cool information.

The past two months I've barely been cooking since I've been so busy with shows and working, and since As You Like It ended I still haven't taken it up again.  I haven't been eating properly and I know that. 
I guess this all came about when I was with a friend and she was telling me about her new diet which included calorie counting.  That was never something I'd done or been interested in trying, but the idea stuck with me all week. Out of curiosity, I started reading labels for the calorie content, calories from fat, daily percentages, etc.

Today I started keeping a journal of all the things I've been eating and their calories.  I'm curious to know how many of the 2,295 calories I'm supposed to consume are actually being eaten. 

This will be an interesting venture since 1. If/when I eat out I won't necessarily know the calorie count, 2. I'm not quite sure how to calculate calories/fat calories when I cook at home, and 3. I SUCK at portion control, which seems rather an important part of all this :P


But, here's to a new adventure.  May I learn something and grow from it.
Picture
I don't understand how it knows what's on it, let alone the calorie content, but I want one!
1 Comment
Nancy Menn
8/15/2013 09:09:06 am

Hi Julia,
I don't think the scale does know. I think it's just an example of an average apple. But it's possible that it is programmed so you enter the item that's on it and it computes the calories based on the weight of the item. A good rule of thumb since we don't know the calorie count when eating out is to take 1/2 of it home with you because on the sites where you can see the calorie count, you find that the portions at most restaurants are very large and thus have high calorie counts. That's easier for older people like me to do than for younger, more active people. Also doesn't work if you aren't going home right away, or are out of town with no access to a fridge. A good trick I've heard and use sometimes is to make sure you've got a low calorie munchie (carrots, apple, nuts, etc.) on you so you can stave off the blood sugar lows and hunger attackes that can send one rushing to the nearest fast food place for a quick fix.
I like your post and reading about the things you are learning.

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    Actress, Singer, Dancer, Food Enthusiast, Animal Lover, Writer.

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