
I have a huge stack of healthy cookbooks. I am spending so much time trying to convert the recipes to your food plan. I am finding that some list only the calories, fat, carbos, proteins, etc., at the end of the recipe. For example, your list calls for a small baked potato, I have a recipe for rosemary baked new potatoes. If I had a weight conversion chart I could easily convert this but I have only the small baked potato to go by.
Here's some information (taken from Chapter 9 of Strong Women Stay Slim) that might help you - calorie equivalents of portions.
- 1 Dairy = 90-120 calories
- 1 Protein = 45-80 calories
- 1 Grain = 60-100 calories
- 1 Vegetable = 10-40 calories
- 1 Fruit = 80-100 calories
- 1 Extra = 30-70 calories
If a recipe provides calorie counts, you can figure out equivalents from that. Provided you're not consistently underestimating portion size, it's okay to guess. For instance, you might decide that three new potatoes (in your recipe) are the equivalent of one small regular potato (in SWSS) - that's two Vegetables or one Grain. Maybe the equivalent is really 2 ½ new potatoes. It probably doesn't matter. If you're eating healthy, enjoyable food, and you're losing half a pound to two pounds a week (assuming you want to lose weight), your guesses are fine. The time to start worrying is if you aren't getting the results you want, and you suspect you may be eating more than you realize.