Day 4 "Down on the Farm"

Just checking in. How's the count going? Are you counting? By now, this whole counting thing should be getting easier with each Cool Ranch Dorito you put into your mouth. After a couple "two slices whole grain bread with 3 ounces turkey and a smear of mayo or honey mustard" (or whatever), you should have a pretty good handle on what your everyday run-of-the-mill foods contain. It may help keeping a tiny notebook with you and jot as you eat. I mentally add as I graze through my meals and snacks and that way I know how much I have left to spend.

You can easily count the clear cut foods, it's the funky ones that will trip you up. Take a Healthy choice Four Cheese Manicotti. That's a no brainer, it's on the back of the box. Boom. 380. But, the manicotti from Aunt Lena's cucina might not be so simple. It could be stuffed with velvety buffalo mozzarella or heavenly mascarpone (an Italian triiple thick cream cheese). When faced with a calorie conundrum, gauge it to the best of your ability, "Google" a similar item/portion, pad it just a tad and call it a day. Keep in mind, the Penne Pasta ordered at your neighborhood trattoria is not equal to a Lean Cuisine Penne Pasta, no matter how many times you roll it, cut it and boil it.
Don't fool yourself because you sure won't fool the scale.
Keep eating, keep counting and keep moving. I never said it was going to be effortless, but you have to admit, it's alot easier than you thought.
Breakfast (@ Bob Evans): 2 Egg Beaters, scrambled (70), 2 slices whole wheat toast with Smucker's Low Sugar preserves & a half T. margarine (210), 1 Lite Sausage (100), 4 T. cut fruit (grapes and cantaloupe), coffee (80). Total: 400.I "Googled" Bob Evans when I got home, clicked "Lite Sausage Breakfast" and in a nano second, it spit out 469.
I underestimated.
Lunch: PB&J (230), Diet Coke (0), 1 medium navel orange (60)
Dinner: 1/4 cup (just a tad over) cooked Linguine (250), 1 cup Newman's Tomato & Roasted Garlic Sauce
(140), 1 1/2 slices Pepperidge Farm Texas Toast (225), 6 or 7 Cucumber slices (10), and one half of a 3.5 ounce meatball (245). I was right at 1500.
I had managed to walk, but only for three three minutes. Day Four.