During lockdown like most people I started to work out, I started to focus more on my diet and was looking to achieve that ‘healthy’ lifestyle. Before lockdown I wouldn’t say my eating habits were terrible. I had a relatively balanced diet and cooked the majority of my meals from scratch. I like to think I was careful on snacks (most of the time), however I never really looked into portion control or macros.
I started tracking my calories with the “MyFitnessPal” app in April. Right now, it’s a bit all over the place, some days I will track everything down to the mouthful and other days I can completely forget to track even one meal. But at the start my tracking was very consistent, it was eye opening to see what my normal food habits looked like as statistics of what I’m putting in my body for fuel.
The first thing I was completely taken aback by was portion sizes!! I was shocked the first few days I started to calorie count. I made the same meals I normally make with the same average portion. I learnt very fast that I can easily make a meal over 700 calories without even trying! I had set my calorie limit to 1,500 a day in attempt to be in a calorie deficient. The biggest shock for me was the serving size in each share bag of crisps. It’s about 5 crisps?! Like seriously? It’s put me off buying crisps now as I just don’t feel like it’s worth it. I’m left feeling hungry and could easily eat the whole pack in one sitting. However, seeds are also just as shocking with how much you get for your portion size. I love seeds on scrambled eggs and was baffled to find out that my normal portion is only around 7 grams, whereas one portion is actually 25 grams, a LOT more than I would ever want to put on my food.
Another shocking find is the calorie count in some foods. For one, Asda’s free from brown loaf is 99 calories per slice!! Considering how tiny the slices are I was confused and very disappointed, this makes even a sandwich add up quickly on your daily calorie count. Ketchup also holds an insane number of calories, considering how much I normally use on my meals, it’s safe to say I try and stay away from dips and sauces now. Although these do sometimes make or break a meal, I don’t think it’s worth it, skipping out on some ketchup can mean I’m able to have another snack or a nice drink.
The last thing I was surprised by was macros. I never understood macros before and only knew that they were good to track if you wanted to lose weight. It never crossed my mind that drinks are completely formed of carbohydrates! Thinking about the amount of energy drinks I would have at work it makes me feel a little bit sick that it caused my diet to be around 90% carbs. Vegetables also have a lot more carbs in than I thought they would. Something I’ve learnt is that green veg is normally the best regarding balancing your macros.
Calorie counting is something I plan to continue to do, I feel like it helps me keep on track and helps me to understand which foods I should eat more often and which foods I should maybe cut down on. However, I can see how this can become addictive, it’s not for everyone and I believe it may even be dangerous for some people. It’s important to remember that we need food to survive, it’s like filling a car with petrol. If you’re new to watching your diet and want more insight I highly recommend starting to track your calories and macros, but be safe, and always seek advice from a professional if you end up confused, lost or feel like you aren’t eating enough and end the day hungry.
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