Session 2
Finding Where Those Calories Come From
We will get started working towards your weight loss goal by learning to track what you eat and drink each day to help you make better choices.
Session 2-1
Why track what you eat?
Becoming aware of what you eat is one the most important parts of changing your behavior.
Tracking has been shown to be a powerful predictor of long-term weight loss success For more information visit the National Weight Control Registry website link in the Learn More section.
Tracking helps because we tend to underestimate what we eat; for example:
Sara
“Sara is at risk for type 2 diabetes. She wants to lose 15 pounds. She has been trying to eat better each week. After a month, Sara tells her friend that she is frustrated. She still hasn’t lost any weight. Surprised by this, her friend asks her to describe what she ate the day before. Sara tells her what she thinks she had.”
The table below shows what Sally thinks she had versus what Sally really had at each meal and the extra calories she took in without being aware.
Breakfast:
What Sally thinks she had
A bowl of cereal with milk
100 (cereal)
100 (milk)
Total calories: 200
What Sally really had
150 (cereal)
150 (milk)
Coffee with 1 Tbsp whole milk and 2 tsp sugar
50 (milk and sugar)
Total calories: 350
Extra Calories: 150 Cal
Lunch:
What Sally thinks she had
Ham Sandwich
150 (bread)
200 (ham)
150 (mayo)
Apple
50
Total calories: 550
What Sally really had
150 (bread)
200 (ham)
150 (mayo)
Medium Apple
50
Ice Tea with Sugar
150 (sugar)
Total calories: 700
Extra Calories: 150 Cal
Snack:
What Sally thinks she had
Total calories: 0
What Sally really had
200
Coffee with 1 tbsp whole milk and 2 tsp sugar
50 (milk and sugar)
Total calories: 250
Extra Calories: 250 Cal
Dinner:
What Sally thinks she had
Salad
100
Mashed potatoes
100
Piece of Fish
200
Total calories: 400
What Sally really had
50 (salad)
150 (dressing)
1 Cup Mashed Potatoes Made with Whole Milk and 3 tbsp Butter
100 (potatoes)
100 (butter)
3 ounces Fish
200 (sugar)
8 ounces Iced Tea with Sugar
75 (sugar)
Total calories: 675
Extra Calories: 275 Cal
Dessert:
What Sally thinks she had
Small Bowl of Ice Cream
175
Total calories: 175
What Sally really had
320
Total calories: 320
Extra Calories: 145 Cal
Daily Total:
Total calories Sally thinks she had daily:
Total calories Sally really had daily:
Extra Calories: 970 Cal
