What do normal people eat?

Again, I lost track of my calories today. I ate a bunch of Jewish food today
at the Synagogue. Its a regular thing that, when Jews get together on
Saturday, they end up eating fattening food. Did I consume 600 calories? A
thousand? More? No idea. And now I'm eating the kinds of things that I
normally eat in the evening and I feel lost.

I know that I'll be able to count calories again tomorrow, and that no
matter how bad I screw up today, its not going to be all that bad. I've
grown accustomed to my 1000 calorie daily deficit, and I'm pretty sure that
no matter how badly I screw up, I'm not going to eat much more than that.

The point, though, is that there are a lot of times when it is impossible to
count calories. I've had a break lately, but I'm going to have to resume my
life of going to parties, sales meetings, seminars, etc. These are all
places where they serve a lot of junk, none of it is labeled, and its hard
as hell to keep track of what you're eating.

What I want is to be normal. I want to eat like a normal person. I have
tried observing normal people eat, and I guess whatever they're doing
escapes me. Are there any studies available? Are there any diets based on
just going through life and eating right? Is there some rule of thumb that I
can apply as I go here and there to luncheons and restaurants?

Obviously, there is something wrong with me. The metabolic hunger switch
doesn't flip, or something. I just want some simple, easy rules to follow &
I'll be alright.

Here are some "simple rules" I've been thinking about and would like some
feedback. Allow myself one splurge-type meal a day where I don't count
calories, plus two calorie counted meals and a snack. Being that I'm on a
2200 calories a day, I'm thinking that if the two meals + the snack come out
to about a thousand calories, I can eat just about any damn thing for the
big meal as long as its not fatty red meat or a huge bowl of pasta, and as
long as there's no mega desert.

Opinions? Thoughts?

dt

"Ignoramus22442"

Also, I, personally, do not share your fear of red meat. Evidence
against red meat is of generally low quality.

I haven nothing whatsoever against red meat, except for the fact that when
you're counting calories, the portion size is ridiculously small. I have
been thinking about going back to a low-carb diet after I get my eating
under control.

You do not have to eat red meat, but if you do, you'd probably be just
as well off.

I miss it a lot. I thought it a good idea to hit 270#, my first mini-target,
before switching from one diet to another. I've got 6# to go, and suspect
that I'm going to hit a stall sometime between here and there.

Thanks for your input, its always appreciated.

dt

"Ignoramus17472" wrote in message
...
It also depends on the cut. Tenderloin, for example, depending on how
fat is trimmed, can be 185 calories per 3 oz. Similar quantity fo
bread is 351 calories.

What kind of bread is this? Cite please.

According to a simple site like Calorie
King(http://www.calorieking.com/foods/ ) the average of all bread varieties
is only 71 cal/oz. If you multiply 71*3= 213 calories. You said 351
calories. That makes a difference of 138 calories. When I made a .6 math
error by truncating decimals, you had a complete hissy fit and went into a
tirade about what a liar I was. Rather than do that, I will just point out
that you're a moron and maybe you should take your own advice and learn some
math. Or maybe you should learn how to use google and other web resources
and then figure out how to look up information from somewhere other than
your backside.

I'm assuming that you're just lying and stuff because a math genius such as
yourself wouldn't be off by that large of a number...

I do not eat tenderloin much because it is
expensive, plus, I like fat. New York strip, trimmed to 1/4" fat (it
is usually marbled with fat inside the meat also) is 275 cals per 3
oz. Again, less than same weight of bread.

Wow, you really are just an idiot. Same mistake twice in one post.

If you have a 800 calorie
dinner, you could eat 8.7 oz of NY Strip, which is a lot of food and
is likely to leave you rather full. (I got these numbers from
www.nutritiondata.com)

Ok, let's go to your site and figure out how many calories are in 3 oz. of
bread, shall we? A simple white bread is only 75 calories/ounce. That
still only makes 3 oz. 225 cal.
A 7 grain bread is 71 cal/oz
French/Vienna (including sourdough) is 88 cal/oz. That would be 264 cal for
3 oz, still painfully short of your 351 cal.

So even trying to give you the benefit of the doubt by going to your own
source, you have proven yourself to live up to the ignoranus name once
again.

Bread in itself is probably not the most nutritious way to expend calories,
but rather than lie about it you could just explain that the refined flours,
etc make it more empty calories.

Jenn

On Sat, 6 Nov 2004 21:16:58 -0800, "Daven Thrice"
wrote:

What I want is to be normal. I want to eat like a normal person. I have
tried observing normal people eat, and I guess whatever they're doing
escapes me. Are there any studies available? Are there any diets based on
just going through life and eating right? Is there some rule of thumb that I
can apply as I go here and there to luncheons and restaurants?

Sometimes I also think "I want to just eat like a normal person." But
then I look at what the "normal people" are doing -- say, in my audit
team this week, where they're eating the muffins and cookies while I
am not, or in a restaurant where they're loading their salad-bar
plates with potato salad and ordering big slabs of ribs while I'm
sticking to veggies with low-fat vinaigrette and a modest steak, and I
note that they're mostly all overweight. So, I'm not sure I want to
eat like that kind of "normal person".

Here are some "simple rules" I've been thinking about and would like some
feedback. Allow myself one splurge-type meal a day where I don't count
calories, plus two calorie counted meals and a snack. Being that I'm on a
2200 calories a day, I'm thinking that if the two meals + the snack come out
to about a thousand calories, I can eat just about any damn thing for the
big meal as long as its not fatty red meat or a huge bowl of pasta, and as
long as there's no mega desert.

Opinions? Thoughts?

Well, I dunno. I'd gain a lot of weight if I ate 2200 calories per
day, and on my more modest 1600 calories I certainly couldn't eat
no-holds-barred meals each day. If you feel your scheme would allow
you to stay within a calorie range that works for you, why not? I'd
figure out the calories in a few of your typical splurge meals,
though, so you're not kidding yourself. In a restaurant, it's quite
possible to eat 2200 calories in a single meal if you eat the way some
people eat! Anyway, you can always try this and see if you are able
to lose weight at a reasonable rate while doing it.

I'm still not comfortable moving away from counting calories, but I do
allow myself frequent opportunities to indulge. My "simple rule" is
sort of like this: Always eat carefully at home, the office, and the
gym -- which is where I am 90% of the time -- and then enjoy what I
want when I go out to eat or visit friends. But I keep these
occasional splurges more or less reasonable -- eat what I want but
don't stuff myself. I think the counting calories, at this point, is
mostly because I feel like I'll gradually increase my calories without
being aware of it, and then not know what's causing it if I start
putting on weight. Maybe sometime I'll stop :-).

Chris
262/135/ (135-145)

On Sat, 6 Nov 2004 21:16:58 -0800, "Daven Thrice"
wrote:

Again, I lost track of my calories today. I ate a bunch of Jewish food today
at the Synagogue. Its a regular thing that, when Jews get together on
Saturday, they end up eating fattening food. Did I consume 600 calories? A
thousand? More? No idea. And now I'm eating the kinds of things that I
normally eat in the evening and I feel lost.

I know that I'll be able to count calories again tomorrow, and that no
matter how bad I screw up today, its not going to be all that bad. I've
grown accustomed to my 1000 calorie daily deficit, and I'm pretty sure that
no matter how badly I screw up, I'm not going to eat much more than that.

The point, though, is that there are a lot of times when it is impossible to
count calories. I've had a break lately, but I'm going to have to resume my
life of going to parties, sales meetings, seminars, etc. These are all
places where they serve a lot of junk, none of it is labeled, and its hard
as hell to keep track of what you're eating.


Drink plenty of water before you go and have a healthy snack before as
well. Then you'll be less hungry and can consider taking smaller
portions or skipping some goodies.

Nothing says you *have* to eat all this stuff... and nothing says that
if you eat it, you must eat a *bunch*.



What I want is to be normal. I want to eat like a normal person. I have
tried observing normal people eat, and I guess whatever they're doing
escapes me. Are there any studies available? Are there any diets based on
just going through life and eating right? Is there some rule of thumb that I
can apply as I go here and there to luncheons and restaurants?


Yes, well... I once watched two relatively skinny, not particularly
muscular and somewhat short women stack their salad bar plates at
least 6" high with food... most of it being the less healthy choices,
i.e. the pasta and rice salads.

Those two women might look normal, but if WE eat like that, it's a
recipe for disaster.

OTOH... my thin sisters rarely overeat and tend to be satisfied with
much less quantity. So I'd say it's rather hard to pin down what's
normal in this society. And normal mightn't be healthy either,
considering how many normal folks run into fast food restaurants on a
regular basis.

If you are at luncheons and restaurants a lot... the above advice to
not go in totally hungry can help.

Also realize that many restaurant portions are larger than normal
serving sizes. Feel free to leave some food on your plate!



Obviously, there is something wrong with me. The metabolic hunger switch
doesn't flip, or something. I just want some simple, easy rules to follow &
I'll be alright.


Here are some "simple rules" I've been thinking about and would like some
feedback. Allow myself one splurge-type meal a day where I don't count
calories, plus two calorie counted meals and a snack. Being that I'm on a
2200 calories a day, I'm thinking that if the two meals + the snack come out
to about a thousand calories, I can eat just about any damn thing for the
big meal as long as its not fatty red meat or a huge bowl of pasta, and as
long as there's no mega desert.


That could work...

Cynthia
262/247.5/225

On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 15:14:17 GMT, Chris Braun
wrote:

On Sat, 6 Nov 2004 21:16:58 -0800, "Daven Thrice"
wrote:

What I want is to be normal. I want to eat like a normal person. I have
tried observing normal people eat, and I guess whatever they're doing
escapes me. Are there any studies available? Are there any diets based on
just going through life and eating right? Is there some rule of thumb that I
can apply as I go here and there to luncheons and restaurants?

Sometimes I also think "I want to just eat like a normal person." But
then I look at what the "normal people" are doing -- say, in my audit
team this week, where they're eating the muffins and cookies while I
am not, or in a restaurant where they're loading their salad-bar
plates with potato salad and ordering big slabs of ribs while I'm
sticking to veggies with low-fat vinaigrette and a modest steak, and I
note that they're mostly all overweight. So, I'm not sure I want to
eat like that kind of "normal person".

This has made me question what I think of as a "normal" person with
regard to food habits.

For me, as someone who despite my best efforts only really understands
either binge eating or artificially restricting my food intake, with
very little in between, a normal person is someone who can, for
example, take it or leave it when it comes to having a dessert in a
restaurant, who can have one biscuit and then put the packet away, and
so on. Not everyone around me eats like the people you describe here,
Chris, although I agree many do and I don't think I would describe
these as normal people - more like people who overeat and as a
consequence are overweight. I do know people who seem not too
interested in food and maintain a constant weight while living a
"normal" life, but then I have to query whether behind this appearance
of normality they're having to constantly watch their food intake.

Conclusion - surpise, suprise, I don't believe there's any such thing
as a normal person. It depends what viewpoint you're coming from who
is and isn't normal. I'm none the wiser about this.

janice

On 7 Nov 2004 13:40:24 GMT, Ignoramus17472
wrote:

It also depends on the cut. Tenderloin, for example, depending on how
fat is trimmed, can be 185 calories per 3 oz. Similar quantity fo
bread is 351 calories. I do not eat tenderloin much because it is
expensive, plus, I like fat.

I, on the other hand, love tenderloin. I have always disliked fatty
meats, even when I was a little child. But I don't avoid steak at
all; I just eat the cuts I prefer, which fortunately are the lowest in
calories.

Chris

On 7 Nov 2004 13:40:24 GMT, Ignoramus17472
wrote:

It also depends on the cut. Tenderloin, for example, depending on how
fat is trimmed, can be 185 calories per 3 oz. Similar quantity fo
bread is 351 calories. I do not eat tenderloin much because it is
expensive, plus, I like fat.

I, on the other hand, love tenderloin. I have always disliked fatty
meats, even when I was a little child. But I don't avoid steak at
all; I just eat the cuts I prefer, which fortunately are the lowest in
calories.

Chris

"Ignoramus17472" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 19:42:53 GMT, Chris Braun
wrote:
On 7 Nov 2004 13:40:24 GMT, Ignoramus17472
wrote:

It also depends on the cut. Tenderloin, for example, depending on how
fat is trimmed, can be 185 calories per 3 oz. Similar quantity fo
bread is 351 calories. I do not eat tenderloin much because it is
expensive, plus, I like fat.

I, on the other hand, love tenderloin. I have always disliked fatty
meats, even when I was a little child. But I don't avoid steak at
all; I just eat the cuts I prefer, which fortunately are the lowest in
calories.

I love tenderloin also. It is a most delightful cut of meat. At $11-12
per lb, it is expensive, but very tasty. I do not eat it very often.

YUmmm.... Tenderloin. Maybe I will start enjoying red meat again in a month
or so.

"Ignoramus17472" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 19:42:53 GMT, Chris Braun
wrote:
On 7 Nov 2004 13:40:24 GMT, Ignoramus17472
wrote:

It also depends on the cut. Tenderloin, for example, depending on how
fat is trimmed, can be 185 calories per 3 oz. Similar quantity fo
bread is 351 calories. I do not eat tenderloin much because it is
expensive, plus, I like fat.

I, on the other hand, love tenderloin. I have always disliked fatty
meats, even when I was a little child. But I don't avoid steak at
all; I just eat the cuts I prefer, which fortunately are the lowest in
calories.

I love tenderloin also. It is a most delightful cut of meat. At $11-12
per lb, it is expensive, but very tasty. I do not eat it very often.

YUmmm.... Tenderloin. Maybe I will start enjoying red meat again in a month
or so.