Now that I am seriously counting calories and keeping a log, I am amazed at how many calories one eats without realizing when we are in the "unknown". When you get in the habit of logging them down, you automatically start thinking of food differently!

I also look at all the restaurants and food industry and am amazed how many calories they manage to feed us without us "realizing" it. Their labels are so small and discrete and nobody cares to pay attention. Once you actually DO start to pay attention, its a whole new world out there!

Thought I'd share what was on my mind...

Yes I agree.... I bet before MFP I went way over my Calories....daily! All those times we go out to eat...and one meal is like 1000 calories....then count dessert.. I can't imagine doing that again anytime soon.. I am well aware of everything I put into my system..and it's all thanks to MFP for teaching me!

I couldn't agree with you more! I now think...how in the heck can people eat this kind of stuff!?! But when you don't know, it's no bother! That's why I think that this is GREAT...it makes you A W A R E!!!!!

So true! I could easily have eatin an entires days calories in one meal and not even thought twice about it. It really does make that desert on an occation even more special. Instead of having it every day and night, you may not even have it all.
The sweets are not as tasty when you know what is in them.
It is like having a bank account, but instead of watching your dollars and cents, you watch your calories and fats. And instead of saving up for a new outfit or tickets, I save up for an occational wine cooler or Strawberry Margarita.
SM

It is also an eye opener for things I thought were ok for a snack, but really are not. They should be a whole meal instead!!! It makes me aware of ingredients as well. (Ick, sometimes I liked it better when I was ignorant about certain foods...)

I couldn't agree with you more on this... what an eye opener this has been!

It DOES make me wonder, however, how the weight doesn't just FALL off considering how totally different my eating habits are now...

I know, it takes time.. but the difference is just so amazing!

One of my old 'favs' (although I only had it on rare occaisions) was the chili cheese fries at Outback... I saw that one plate was over 2000 calories!

I hope that my new enlightened perspective is here to stay... things really do feel different this time... not a diet, but a total change in the way I think about food!!

I totally agree. I was overweight because I wasn't very conscious of how many calories I was eating. Once I started paying better attention, I realized that although I've always been eating pretty healthy foods and being active, I was just mindlessly eating too much. Logging my calories and planning ahead has totally changed my outlook on eating. I'm hoping my new mindset is here to stay.