Meal size and calories

[palomayombe]

..............

[NoelFigart]

Yes, when it comes down to the brass tacks, weight loss is about a calorie deficit.

But if you're confining your meals to single plate meals, it's about as unobtrusive as you can get!

[BrightAngel]

A calorie is merely a measurement of energy the body burns.

The simple scientific truth is that in order to maintain the body's weight,
the energy expenditure must match the energy intake.

When the energy intake is higher than the energy expenditure, the body gains weight.

When the energy intake is less than the energy expenditure, the body loses weight.

Every Weight-loss diet is a Method of Energy (i.e. calorie) Control,
whether it counts calories directly or indirectly.

[eljay]

You're manipulating them, but not counting.

The difference is, you'll never have to sit at the end of the day trying to guess the calorie count of a meal you were served, or write to a diet message board, "Help, I want to eat lunch, and can't find the calories/points/exchanges (ok, especially points) for what I want to eat."

Which makes me very, very happy.

[Jaymiz]

Which makes me very, very happy.

Me, too! (I suck at math!)

[CrazyCatLady]

NOS does not require counting calories (thanks God!).

However, aren't we indirectly counting calories when we manipulate serving size ?

I have counted calories on other diets, like Weight Watchers, by entering everything I ate into the computer, and counting points. I have also counted calories at SparkPeople.com, bye entering everything I ate. While it didn't seem like a negative thing at the time, it made me focus too much on food. That seemed to be all I thought about, all the time.

And just forget it if I wanted to go out to eat with my friends. I had to try to figure out what I could eat, and stay within my points or calories for the day.

Now, I think less about food, and more about other things. Sure, by cutting out snacks, sweets and seconds, my food intake is restricted. But so is my time spent thinking about food! And where on previous diets I would be searching for the ideal food (low calorie), now I'm choosing healthy, delicious choices.

[Mavilu]

Yes, when it comes down to the brass tacks, weight loss is about a calorie deficit.

But if you're confining your meals to single plate meals, it's about as unobtrusive as you can get!

Exactly!.
And limiting your food to one plate is not only something that comes naturaly, but much easier to practice without it becoming an obsession.
Or boring, I mean, who wants to spend a chunck of their day, every day, counting or registering what was eaten?, with the plate system, you measure right before dinner and done with it, just like millions of people have been doing for God knows how long.

[Dawn]

No S isn't magic. But if I sat with a Weight Watcher I bet we are eating the same amount of "points" or calories. Probably more on S days, and most likely losing weight slower than they are but when they give up because counting points and going to meetings is comsuming thier lives, we will still be no-S-ing. No S is just the easiest way to do something that has always been hard. Lots of ways to get from point A to point B, but once I get to point B I really want to stay there this time!

[blueskighs]

well if I remember in the book I think the whole point of No S is to reduce excessive eating .. and by cutting out sweets, snacks and seconds most weeks five days a week ... most of us will cut out enough excessive eating to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight.

So yes, obviously if you are reducing excessive eating you are reducing calories .. but on NO S we aren't COUNTING CALORIES ...

We are counting plates....hahahahaheheheheheh

Blueskighs

[cornelia]

I have a gold key from weight watchers that I managed to get years ago for getting to my goal weight and staying there for a lenth of time. I gained the weight back over time and had to start again. I did this 3 or 4 times. Why? Because I just couldn't keep counting counting counting....measuring every piece of meat (so it wasn't bigger than my fist). I would carry my point book and my point calculator with me all the time, so I didn't miscalculate anything. Constantly looking for something new at the grocery store that fit into the "point" system. I would spend a lot of time every day calculating the points for what I planned to eat before I ate it to make sure I wouldn't go over. I usually saved points every day so I could have a little extra on the weekend if we went out to eat. Most of my meals were pretty boring because they were the same day after day. I guess a lot of people can do the counting and measuring for life, but I'm not one of them. I love this freedom.

[haganeedle]

I just found my food journal from when I did low carb.....It went straight to the trash......

We may be indirctly "saving" on calories, but we are no longer a prisoner to having to count or obsess.....at least that's how I feel now.

[Tallant]

I'm a little scared about all this. Yesterday and the day before were S days. I stuck to the letter of the 'law' but not the spirit. I picked out a few treats and had them--the whole time reciting to myself that habit kicks will-power's butt everytime...but I started to feel a little shaky (mentally) with the 5th peanut butter cup cookie of the weekend. Trying to change a 50 year diet mentality is a challenge. So today I put my watermelon in a little bowl beside my half a bagel and some bacon strips on a small plate and ate S-L-O-W-L-Y savoring every bite. I'm still getting used to the fact that I can eat anything I want except sweets--that is so freeing--but I'm terrified I'll hang myself with too much rope. And it's the no-snack habit that seems to be the biggest challenge during the week. I haven't had any snacks--but I wanted to.

[NoelFigart]

I think that we're so used to snacking and grazing that we don't see it for the overwhelming problem that it really is.

It's really been brought home to me this week as I see that yes, I'm losing weight, but eating full plates. I really do fill up the plates for each meal and come away happily satisfied.

I'd be willing to bet if we put all the snacks we'd been eating in a day (even the "healthy" ones) on a regular dinner plate, we'd consider it overfull for a meal.