Hi,
I think you made some error. Are you checking the hex file size in Windows? Or are you checking it in the message box in the mikroC compiler? Can you attach your hex file? There's no way that it can take 293 bytes. CCS, I've heard takes less memory but mikroC is efficient enough and is quite reliable and very easy for beginners as well. I recommend you stay with mikroC and keep on practicing. Follow the help file and all the examples shown there plus the examples provided by mikroElektronika themselves and make various programs and simulate with Proteus and you should be good to go in a very short time.
Hope this helps.
Tahmid.