Calorie Counting

Ok guys, confession time. Sometimes, I eat way, waaay too much. I eat quickly or just want to eat a lot of something delicious. Who can say no to gluten-free brownies or chips and salsa? Not me. My Biff, is a major calorie counter, and until about 3 weeks ago, I thought she was nuts.

Me and Biff

I would say, "Why the Hades do you count calories?!” “That takes way too much time. I will just make sure I eat good things.”

Well, as they say, "Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing." You can gain weight eating healthy foods. I already knew that, but I try to fool myself into thinking its ok to eat 2 tbsp of butter if it's on top of a cup of carrots.

So, 2 weeks ago, I signed up for ShapeUp Club's calorie counter app for the iTouch. Don't freak out! I didn't do this to lose weight! As long as I am eating healthy and working out, I ALWAYS feel great about myself! However, I do realize the need to be conscious of what I'm eating. Since, then, I have been staying on top of my cal counting (with the exception of Saturday/Halloween celebration/Candyfest) and have lost 3 lbs! Not even trying.  And, I am not starving myself or hungry. The difference is that I pay attention to what I eat and how much, which is really good because I tend to overeat as a general rule... I hate to admit it, but Biff was right...

I am getting used to this cal counting stuff and can pretty much estimate how much each meal is worth. Along with FOOD being a huge passion of mine, an even bigger love is cooking/putting yummy things together. Lately, I find myself reaching for the butter and thinking, "I really only need a tsp to grease the pan," or, "I can eat cream cheese on my toast instead of peanut butter." It's forcing me to make even healthier choices than I was before, which is always awesome.

Today was one of those instances. I wanted to make tuna salad, to which I would usually add a boiled egg, a nice dollop of mayo, mustard, relish, and maybe even some chopped banana peppers. After assessing both the calories of the usual ingredients and the ingredients I had on hand, I decided to keep the egg, but use olive oil, lime juice, and salt and pepper instead.

I used this entire bottle of olive oil. Good fat. KIDDING! Only a tsp.

Smashed that egg with the tuna.

 

Add a squirt of lime juice. Actually, lemon might be better, but it was all I had. Improvisation!

 

Put some salt and pepper and eat with celery. Yum-O.

Voila! Old favorite with a healthy twist.