I just ate two slices of cake... on my first day.

ALMorales311

(I hope that I am posting this on the right board!)

First of all, I want nothing more than to be healthy and fit... but for some reason, I have very little will power when it comes to food.

I don't know if it's the antidepressant I am on (Effexor XR), or that I am currently menstruating (Sorry if that's TMI, but we are all adults.), but I had everything planned out today to eat healthy and exercise.

Now, I am really bummed out because I pretty much ruined it.

This was my meal plan for the day:

Breakfast

• 1 Fried egg
• 1/2 peanut butter sandwich (natural pb and whole wheat bread)
• 1 banana

Lunch

• 1 can of tuna
• 1 slice of whole wheat bread
• 1 cup of shredded lettuce

Dinner

• 2 fried eggs
• 1 1/2 cup of broccoli
• 1 cup of brown rice

This all fell under my calorie goal, and I was excited about it. The reason I plan my meals UNDER my calorie goal is so that if I can't muster up the energy to work out, I know I didn't go over my calorie limit. I suffer from Clinical Depression, and it is hard some days to motivate. So, I try to be realistic with myself.

Anyway, I ate my breakfast fine (9 am). I had a lot of energy, and I felt good! Then, around lunch time (3 pm), I was really really hungry. My stomach was growling, my head started hurting a little bit, and I was getting irritated... So, I ate my lunch that I had planned... remembered there was cake in the refrigerator, and next thing I know, I am looking down at a plate of cake with two missing pieces.

-sigh-

Does anyone have any idea what I did wrong here? Is it seriously just lack of will power, or am I doing something wrong?

Normally, I will eat lots of carbs, but I am trying to cut down on SO MANY carbs because I am trying to create a balance.

Any advice, anyone? Normally I would just do something like this and think, "Oh well... I can do better tomorrow..." but it just keeps happening and happening and happening... So, I figure posting in the forum would be a new approach and might help for future reference!

whatatime2befit

You should add healthy snacks between your meals, and drink water as well during the day. Your body is hungry, you need to fuel it...just not with cake (well some cake is ok, just not two slices at once )

Jennloella

It is what it is....instead of fussing over it or writing down all the things you meant to eat, just add some time onto your workout...find some more filling foods - bread and lettuce are going to keep you hungry

KANGOOJUMPS

well go work it off, now... nice long brisk walk, then smarten up,

AskTracyAnnK28

That's a really boring plan, OP. No wonder you caved in so early.

Just because you want to lose weight, doesn't mean you're stuck with plain, dull food. I mean, eggs are great - but 3 of them in one day will get old quickly.

As long as it fits into your calories for the day, you can pretty much eat anything.

UmmSqueaky

The key is to not let it get you down. Eat your healthy dinner tonight. Wake up tomorrow morning and proceed as planned. An extra slice of cake or 2 isn't going to destroy everything, so long as you don't let it.

If you're struggling with such a low amount of food, there are always different approaches. You could start with eating at a small deficit - figure out what you normally would eat, and then subtract 200 calories from that. Eat that for a week or two. Then subtract another 100. And then another 100. Your body may be more willing to accept less food if you take it away gradually.

The other thing to do is to plan in treats. If you see cake in the fridge, don't eat it now. Tell yourself you'll eat it tomorrow, when you can fit it into your meal plan. That's how I've lost 84 lbs in a little over a year, all while eating McDonalds and chocolate and cookies. Had chocolate covered popcorn this afternoon. Just so long I don't impulse eat and plan, it's all good.

Ninkyou

Make sure your calorie goal isn't so aggressive that it feels restrictive. I found that being too strict and/or aggressive lead to binges.

Fit the things you want (all foods), in moderation, into your moderate calorie goal. You'll be happier for it.

Your plan, by the way, looks extremely low on the calorie front. Probably way less than 1200 calories. Make sure your calorie goal is appropriate for a person your age/size/weight. I can't stress that enough.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

Chief_Rocka

ALMorales311 wrote: »

Does anyone have any idea what I did wrong here?

Your diet would put an 8 year old in a deficit

ELMunque

I'd say, yes, it's just will power. I went with boring meals at first, and then worked in food that I really wanted to be eating after I caught the jist of it. That doesn't work with everyone, but I see what you were trying to do. Maybe you could start off with healthy foods that you like and break those into more than 3 meals a day, and work cake in at dinner, that way if you cave at lunch, no cake for dinner. Don't beat yourself up about it. If you can, get up and work out, sit down and work out, whatever, something is better than nothing. And then start fresh again tomorrow.

shelbylmiller

"Does anyone have any idea what I did wrong here? Is it seriously just lack of will power, or am I doing something wrong?"

I know what went wrong -- you expected to be perfect, to have a road without bumps. No, you can't have two slices of cake every single day and lose weight. But guess what? Those two slices have not doomed you to a life of lonely, obese misery. I promise. It was just cake. Tomorrow is a new day.

Tips wise, I'd recommend planning for some snacks, planning up to your calorie limit, not under, and not having cake in the house. I am so with you about cake. If I had cake in my fridge, I'd be eatin' it. I'm all about cake. And chocolate. And other sugary stuff. Like pie. And cookies. And...I'd better stop now.

Also, breakfast at 9 and lunch at 3 would kill me. That's 6 hours! Try to have set times to eat and don't let yourself reach Defcon 5 level hunger before you eat.

Add some variety, too. There are lots of great meal ideas around here. I'm totally making some oatmeal-banana breakfast bars tonight for my breakfasts for the next few days.

sofaking6

It's actually very natural for your body to react to majorly undereating in that way. You put way too few calories in, and it goes ERMEHGERD STARVING FEED FEED FEED NEED CALORIES SUGAR FAT NOW.

What are your stats and target calories? It sounds like you'll want to front-load your calories more, i.e. don't let yourself get that hungry. Your breakfast seems nice so try planning a protein-y snack @12:30 or 1. Like wasabi peas or yogurt.

PrizePopple

Chief_Rocka wrote: »

ALMorales311 wrote: »

Does anyone have any idea what I did wrong here?

Your diet would put an 8 year old in a deficit

This.

Ignoring the fact that I didn't just fall off the wagon today I quite intentionally jumped off into a bag of fries and a bar of chocolate (I'm at log in day 120). Your food is like my breakfast and lunch alone. Not even snacks or dinner.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

My thought is that you tried to eat too little, and really boring food, while you had cake in fridge. It was a recipe for eating a lot of cake, really. What's your calorie goal? Make sure that you're planning meals that sound appealing to you, and that you're not letting yourself get so ravenous in between meals that you lose control of yourself.

ALMorales311

Thanks to all of you that actually had supportive and educational input. No thanks to those with snarky comments. I'm not an expert at this. I am only 5'3", and I don't have the money, time, or space to cook intricate meals, so of course my meals are going to be boring. I'm not happy about it, but I do with what I can...

I will try to find cheap, healthy BORING snacks that I can have between meals. I live with my in-laws, so I don't have the refrigerator space to cook ahead.

Thanks again for all of the input!

I just went by what myfitnesspal told me. My calculated calorie goal from myfitnesspal is 1,250, and all of my food (minus the cake) summed up to 1,187 calories. I'm a 23-year-old female, 150 lbs., and 5'3".

Like I said, I'm not an expert... I don't have the drive to work out everyday, so I thought what I was doing is best.

If anyone has any positive and encouraging advice on how many calories I SHOULD be eating, I would greatly appreciate it.

Ninkyou

Read the sexypants thread I posted.

maoribadger

To be fair I dont think anyone has really been that snarky. Simply pointing out your deficit is probably too low so your body has reacted and that you havent given yourself much variety and over restricted. I wouldnt say its snarky Id say its honest and accurate.

I am 5 foot 3 and I eat 1500 a day. I make room for chocolate, cola, cake etc so I dont ever feel I need to binge from sheer frustration. I eat plenty of carbs and fat and I have something different every day. And I suffer from depression, anxiety and SAD so I get that its hard but once you make the initial effort it gets easier and I make myself exercise 4 times a week. Even when my entire body is screaming at me not to. And oftentimes I find a huge improvement in my mood and symptoms. And sometimes I slip up. It happens I dont lose every single week but I allow it to happen then return to exactly what I was doing before

Good luck

ALMorales311

Ninkyou, oh! I didn't even see the link! I will go read it now.

maoribadger, if the comments that seemed snarky to me weren't intended that way... and I misunderstood, then I am sorry. It just seemed kind of redundant and critical to point out where I am wrong but to not take the time to give any insight or correction as to what I SHOULD do. "Your diet would put an 8 year old in a deficit," could have been followed up with something like, "You definitely need to eat more calories. I am pretty experienced with this stuff, so if you let me know your specs, I can help you out."

Otherwise, it just seems snarky.

Thank you for your response!

AskTracyAnnK28

ALMorales311 wrote: »

Thanks to all of you that actually had supportive and educational input. No thanks to those with snarky comments. I'm not an expert at this. I am only 5'3", and I don't have the money, time, or space to cook intricate meals, so of course my meals are going to be boring. I'm not happy about it, but I do with what I can...

I will try to find cheap, healthy BORING snacks that I can have between meals. I live with my in-laws, so I don't have the refrigerator space to cook ahead.

Thanks again for all of the input!

I just went by what myfitnesspal told me. My calculated calorie goal from myfitnesspal is 1,250, and all of my food (minus the cake) summed up to 1,187 calories. I'm a 23-year-old female, 150 lbs., and 5'3".

Like I said, I'm not an expert... I don't have the drive to work out everyday, so I thought what I was doing is best.

If anyone has any positive and encouraging advice on how many calories I SHOULD be eating, I would greatly appreciate it.

You don't need to cook intricate meals, but don't be afraid to add some flavor. Being on a diet doesn't have to mean lettuce, brown rice, etc. And eating healthy doesn't have to cost a lot of money.

I'm sure if you told your in-laws that you're trying to lose weight they'd maybe leave some space in the refriderator for you for some fresh, yummy produce or maybe let you prepare your meals for the following day the evening before.

I don't work out at all and lost about 48 pounds so far just by eating at a deficit so don't worry about joining a gym or exercising unless it's something you really want to do.

As far as how many calories you should be eating, google 'IIFYM Calculator'. MFP has a habit of just tossing out 1200ish calories - and a low-cal diet like that doesn't work well for everyone.

Francl27

At 5'3" and 150 pounds, you should pick the 'lose 1 pound a week' setting, if that. And definitely eat your exercise calories back. That's way too little food either way.

Also, 6 hours between breakfast and lunch is way too long IMO for the breakfast you have planned. Ditch the sandwich, and find more filling things for the calories. Also... throw away the cake. Don't have a sandwich for breakfast AND a slice of toast at lunch AND brown rice in the evening. Ditch two of those and replace them with veggies. And bananas are great but probably not the best choice for the calories if you're eating too few calories as it is.

And the eggs, well, I have nothing against them but they don't fill me up one bit, personally, unless I add some kind of sausage or bacon.

ALMorales311

tracyannk28 wrote: »

You don't need to cook intricate meals, but don't be afraid to add some flavor. Being on a diet doesn't have to mean lettuce, brown rice, etc. And eating healthy doesn't have to cost a lot of money.

I'm sure if you told your in-laws that you're trying to lose weight they'd maybe leave some space in the refriderator for you for some fresh, yummy produce or maybe let you prepare your meals for the following day the evening before.

I don't work out at all and lost about 48 pounds so far just by eating at a deficit so don't worry about joining a gym or exercising unless it's something you really want to do.

As far as how many calories you should be eating, google 'IIFYM Calculator'. MFP has a habit of just tossing out 1200ish calories - and a low-cal diet like that doesn't work well for everyone.

Oh, I do put spices in my food! I didn't want to bore everyone with every single ingredient, so I put the main ingredient. I put soy sauce in my brown rice... butter, garlic, salt, and black pepper in my broccoli... salt, black pepper, and homemade salsa on my eggs... etc. etc. etc. I make sure it tastes really good. haha

Thank you for your advice!

Lounmoun

Do you like the food you planned to eat? If you like it then it is fine but if you are eating that restricted because you think you have to then maybe you should change to food you like and just eat smaller portions or exercise more.

My advice is to plan to eat food you like that will use all of your calories for the day. Pre-log so you can see it will be okay. Plan to have at least one small snack or even two. I think it is pretty hard to just have 3 meals a day.
If you don't want to cook much you could have things like yogurt, olives, pickles, salad with different greens, cottage cheese, sandwiches, nuts, cheese, cereal, crackers, peanut butter and celery, quick cooking oatmeal, granola bars, lots of different raw fruits or vegetables, canned beans, hummus, popcorn.

ALMorales311

Lounmoun, yes! I love all of the foods that I planned for.

Thank you for the advice!

WinoGelato

OP - I know it's hard but try not to interpret the feedback as snarky. Developing a program you can live with forever, ie the lifestyle change, is one of the keys to long term success on MFP. Things you can do to enable that lifestyle change include:

1. Setting reasonable goals and expectations, with regards to rate of loss (ie 1 lb/week not 2 lbs/wk)
2. Once you have a reasonable expectation with regards to the rate of loss, then set a reasonable calorie goal for the day (1,250 is very low, even for someone 5'3. Anecdotally, I am 5'2 and lost weight at 1500 net cals at first, then at 1650 once I got closer to my goal)
3. Use the system the way it is designed. If using the MFP settings, you are meant to eat back your exercise calories, at least a portion of them, so that you are netting the calorie goal for the day. If you exercise and burn 300 cals, eat back 150 or more of those calories as the burn estimates can be inflated.
4. Eat good food. Flavorful food. A variety of food. People who commented that your meal plan sounded boring didn't mean it in a judgemental way, it sounds... Repetitive. Bland. Are those better adjectives?
5. Don't restrict food because you think it is "bad". If you want cake, that's fine, eat a piece of cake. Work it into your calories for the day. If you can't, wait till tomorrow.

Read the sexypants thread, it will help tremendously, and keep an open mind to the feedback.

pplastics

Any chance you would be willing to swap the fried eggs for hard boiled? That would save some calories for snacks.

I definitely think planned snacks between breakfast and lunch would help you. My two favorite snacks are pistachios or almonds with fruit and cheese, and yogurt with fruit. Both can be under 200 calories, leaving 800-1000 for your other three meals.

When trying to eat with limited calories, the food choices we make are very important to being successful. Find lower calorie options for each meal/snack so you can spread your calories throughout the day.

Slasher09

It sounds like you were over-hungry by your next meal. Add a between meal snack with protein and some water. Tomorrow is a new day, live and learn. Don't give up

ALMorales311

Kruggeri, thank you. I was most likely just being defensive. I was simply taken off guard by the lack of encouragement. I thought that's what this site was all about. -shrugs-

Thank you so much for the input. It really helps a lot!

I am still in the process of reading the Sexypants threat, and I have also bookmarked it for future reference.

sofaking6

ALMorales311 wrote: »

Thanks to all of you that actually had supportive and educational input. No thanks to those with snarky comments. I'm not an expert at this. I am only 5'3", and I don't have the money, time, or space to cook intricate meals, so of course my meals are going to be boring. I'm not happy about it, but I do with what I can...

I will try to find cheap, healthy BORING snacks that I can have between meals. I live with my in-laws, so I don't have the refrigerator space to cook ahead.

Thanks again for all of the input!

I just went by what myfitnesspal told me. My calculated calorie goal from myfitnesspal is 1,250, and all of my food (minus the cake) summed up to 1,187 calories. I'm a 23-year-old female, 150 lbs., and 5'3".

Like I said, I'm not an expert... I don't have the drive to work out everyday, so I thought what I was doing is best.

If anyone has any positive and encouraging advice on how many calories I SHOULD be eating, I would greatly appreciate it.

I am also 5'3 and MFP gave me 1220 cal/day and suddenly I found the drive to work out every day Okay not every day...

I'm a boring eater, here's my normal daily:

2 eggs & hashbrowns for breakfast @8am
1 yogurt + granola for lunch @12pm
1 banana or apple snack @3pm
Dinner (salad mostly) @6pm
Snack (popcorn etc) @7pm
Desert (popsicle) @8pm

You can see that I don't go very long without putting something in my gaping maw stomach, and also that I kinda fill up those evening hours with planned snacks because I am hungrier then. And breakfast and lunch are close together.
OH and especially for breakfast and lunch I try to mix protein and carbs for fullness.

999tigger

Rather than go for it all out I would suggest that you take baby steps to adapt to your plan and give you a feeling of progression. Just logging properly, ;earning stuff from the forums and starting to get some exercise on a regular basis would be great starts. It would be like a test run without as much pressure and during which you could expect to deal with such niggles as cake and work out how to handle it. This way you would avoid disappointment fom the stress you place on yourself and your desure to get fit and healthy.

I would emphasise that exercise can be of significant assistance for people who are depressed.

hamoncan

Bad days happen - log every calorie though, seeing your calories and where they will take you if you don't do something about it you seems to help the motivation - if you can't eat at your deficit every day, try stay in deficit at least for the week - it seems to get easier over time - forgive yourself and move on

maoribadger

I think its easy to misread things especially if you were feeling rubbish to begin with re the cake, the 8yo comment might have been worded more tactfully but I think the general gist was dont go for such a huge deficit if its going to make you so miserable you splurge. The sexy pants thread is great reading. I would definitely go for the 1lb a week loss. It still works out as 3.5 stone in a year and I am assuming you have nowhere near that to lose based on being 150lb and 5 foot 3. I am aiming at 2lb a week on 1500 cals but I have 70lb on you. What is your weakness, would it help to work it in. I allow about 200 a day for chocolate. Might mean a few changes elsewhere but I dont go batsh*t crazy and start assaulting random strangers that way. Whatever you do it needs to be something you are happy with long term. You can always start afresh tomorrow. It always comes around.

libbydoodle11

ALMorales311 wrote: »

(I hope that I am posting this on the right board!)

First of all, I want nothing more than to be healthy and fit... but for some reason, I have very little will power when it comes to food.

I don't know if it's the antidepressant I am on (Effexor XR), or that I am currently menstruating (Sorry if that's TMI, but we are all adults.), but I had everything planned out today to eat healthy and exercise.

Now, I am really bummed out because I pretty much ruined it.

This was my meal plan for the day:

Breakfast

• 1 Fried egg
• 1/2 peanut butter sandwich (natural pb and whole wheat bread)
• 1 banana

Lunch

• 1 can of tuna
• 1 slice of whole wheat bread
• 1 cup of shredded lettuce

Dinner

• 2 fried eggs
• 1 1/2 cup of broccoli
• 1 cup of brown rice

This all fell under my calorie goal, and I was excited about it. The reason I plan my meals UNDER my calorie goal is so that if I can't muster up the energy to work out, I know I didn't go over my calorie limit. I suffer from Clinical Depression, and it is hard some days to motivate. So, I try to be realistic with myself.

Anyway, I ate my breakfast fine (9 am). I had a lot of energy, and I felt good! Then, around lunch time (3 pm), I was really really hungry. My stomach was growling, my head started hurting a little bit, and I was getting irritated... So, I ate my lunch that I had planned... remembered there was cake in the refrigerator, and next thing I know, I am looking down at a plate of cake with two missing pieces.

-sigh-

Does anyone have any idea what I did wrong here? Is it seriously just lack of will power, or am I doing something wrong?

Normally, I will eat lots of carbs, but I am trying to cut down on SO MANY carbs because I am trying to create a balance.

Any advice, anyone? Normally I would just do something like this and think, "Oh well... I can do better tomorrow..." but it just keeps happening and happening and happening... So, I figure posting in the forum would be a new approach and might help for future reference!

Disclaimer: I have not read beyond this one post.


Don't wait so long to eat your next meal. Plan better next time. Include snacks throughout the day. Plan to include cake or other treats in your daily menu.

Add more veggies to your plan.


No reason to eat below your calorie goal. Set your goal so as not to include a workout. When you do workout eat back half the calories it says you burned.