Why Calorie Counting? My FatSecret Experience

Have you ever tried doing calorie counting and food logging? I've heard endless stories about the power of simply writing down all the food you eat in a day and all the miracles of weight loss associated with it. However, I never counted calories or tracked macros (fat, protein, carbs) until after my first pregnancy. I always thought I ate 'healthy' and didn't think it was necessary or important to pay attention to  the calories or major food groups in my diet.  

My intro to the FatSecret app

With my first pregnancy, I went back to my pre-pregnancy weight by the end of the first week postpartum. But then with breastfeeding I started eating big portions and snacking a lot and gained a few pounds later. After a few months of eating that way it was quite difficult to lose those few pounds, even with regular exercising. I started looking for ways to reduce my portion sizes. I thought that food logging could help with that. So I asked around about existing phone apps and a few people suggested FatSecret, and I decided to give it a try.

After using the app for 2-3 months for consistent calorie logging I learned a ton about the food I ate. I started paying a lot of attention to the amount of food consumed and was able to lose those few pounds. In that relatively short period of time I also learnt enough about nutritional value of food so that I no longer needed to log my food daily. I was able to eat more intuitively, estimate calorie intake in my head pretty closely and stick to my daily calorie target. For about a year after I used the app every now and then, especially after a weekend of indulging or when I needed to lose that extra pound or two. 

Now I'm breastfeeding our second daughter and the story repeats itself. I again find myself eating big portions and snacking more than I usually do. So I decided to go back to my FatSecret app and am ready for some serious logging for the next couple months to get back into the habit of being accountable for what and how much I eat.

Pros and cons of using the FatSecret app 

Pros:

• Enormous built-in food directory that provides detailed nutritional value (calories and macros) for thousands of raw ingredients, packaged foods, cooked meals, and much more. It includes the foods you can buy in most major stores, such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, in a variety of brands. You can also add new foods that are not in the directory. Or you can add your own recipes for home-cooked meals with a detailed nutritional value breakdown automatically created for you based on the ingredients used.
• Learning about nutritional value of food, which helps to understand your daily calorie intake as well as a break-down of major food groups in your diet (proteins, fats, carbohydrates.)
• Portion control and understanding of serving sizes. I used to think that if I eat healthy food, quantity doesn't matter. For example, I always loved nuts and could eat half of a huge bag, thinking that it was okay since nuts were a healthy snack. I never really thought of serving sizes until I started counting calories. I used to be one of those people who assumed that the calories indicated on the package were for the entire bag (right?!). Would be convenient, of course, but unfortunately it's not always the case. Food logging with FatSecret has been really eye-opening in terms of learning about serving sizes and portion control.
• Weight management that comes with managing what and how much you eat.
• Meal planning. Logging my food really makes me think ahead about the meals for the day or even next few days, which takes away a lot of last minute decision making.
• Accountability. It might not work the same way for everyone, but for me, food logging really keeps me accountable and helps me to stay away from unnecessary snacking or going for a second serving when I already had enough.  

Cons:

• Calorie counting and food logging is time consuming, especially in the beginning, until you accumulate a big enough list of your 'most eaten foods' and recipes in the app or get a basic understanding of nutritional value of the food you eat. 
• Logging cooked meals may seem like a lot of work. While FatSecret app has a wide collection of cooked meals, you can't know for sure the ingredients that went into them. You can use existing meals in the app for a high level estimate, in particular when you eat out. But for a more accurate tracking, especially in the beginning of your food logging journey, you need to enter your own recipes, which can be tedious.
• Suggested daily calorie targets are quite generic. The app will give you a high level calorie target based on your weight and goals, but you might need to do some research to better understand how many calories you need daily and what your macros breakdown should be based on your specific goals.

My personal calorie counting and food tracking tips

1. Tips for effective tracking
   • Log everything. I mean EVERYTHING - that little piece of cookie you picked up after your kid, the sauce you added when cooking, or dressing you added to the salad. It's those 'small' things that make the biggest difference.
   • If possible, log your food before actually eating it. It's easier to do that, of course, when you cook at home. That will help you to understand how many portions are in that lasagna or a big pot of curry that you are making. It will also help you to decide how big of a portion you should eat to stay within your daily calorie target.
   • Set up some targets for each of the main meals in a day. For example, my personal rule of thumb is for each of the main 3 meals to be within 400-500 calories and total snacks under 200 calories. This breakdown helps me decide on the right portion sizes to stay within my daily calorie target. You'd be surprised how much delicious, nutritious and healthy food you can put on your plate for under 500 calories if you chose the right ingredients!
2. Tips to keep calories down:
   • In salads, when adding avocado or soft cheeses, skip olive oil and just add some balsamic vinegar or other vinegar of your choice. I'm not suggesting to avoid olive oil completely. There are a lot of healthy fats in a good olive oil. But when you already have some fatty toppings in your salad, you can skip the oil.
   • Make your own dressings and sauces. This way you control how much oil, sugar and other ingredients go into them.
   • Use measuring spoons / cups, at least until you get a good feel for the measurements.
3. Tips to keep your food filling
   You can make a huge salad with just greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers or radishes. However, while big in volume, it will feel empty and won't keep you full for long. You can use the ingredients above to crate your salad base with less than 100 calories, but then add some delicious, nutritious and filling toppings that will make the salad much more satisfying and will keep you full. The same with other dishes - they should not feel 'empty'! Here are my favorite topping ideas:
   • avocado
   • crumbled goat cheese
   • seeds and nuts
   • edamame beans
   • egg
   • marinated artichokes
   • beans, corn, peas
   • roasted vegetables that are more filling, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash or beets
4. Tips to keep your nutrition balanced while staying within a calorie target
   • Don't skip proteins. They'll make your meals more satisfying and keep you full longer. There are so many options to choose from: meat, fish, seafood, tofu, tempeh, eggs, legumes, cheese, etc.
   • Don't forget about fats. Besides being critical for your overall health, fats are necessary for building muscles and losing weight. A lot of great sources of healthy fats are similar to the ones mentioned above, such as avocados, eggs, olive oil, fatty fish, cheese, dark chocolate, etc.
   • Use more nutritious carbs, such as quinoa, buckwheat, wild or brown rice, whole wheat pasta, or sweet potatoes.

Food logging is an effective weight management tool when combined with a balanced diet 

While food logging and calorie counting can be an effective weight management tool, it's very important to do it right. When you set your daily calorie target lower than what you are used to consume, it's important to not starve yourself and fill your body with the right calories. For example, if your target is 1500 calories a day, there are many ways to reach that target, not all of which are healthy. You can have 3-4 balanced meals and a couple of small snacks and feel happy and satisfied, or you can starve all day and then have a huge 1500-calorie dessert in the evening. Same calorie consumption but a very different content.

Fortunately, a lot of existing calorie counting apps, including FatSecret, show the breakdown of main food groups and help you to see whether your diet is balanced or not. I would recommend always paying attention to the food groups rather than just total calories as not all calories are created equal! And while it can be tricky, time consuming and tedious in the beginning, it definitely gets easier in a few weeks as you accumulate your recipes and frequently eaten foods in the app and get a better understanding of nutritional value. 

At the end of the day, everyone might value a different aspect of food logging. For instance, with different diets, such as  low-carb or high-fat diets, your target macros breakdown and calorie intake may look very different. Or it might be not at all about sticking to a specific daily target. But in any case, doing food logging for a while is a great exercise to learn about nutritional value of food, better understanding serving sizes and being able to control your portions. While I do use FatSecret for quick fixes such as losing 1-3 lbs every now and then, it's main benefit for me is really the portion control and getting back to balanced eating more than anything else.

So whatever your individual goals are, you can learn a lot from food logging and calorie counting. Good luck in your learning journey!