Tips for staying within Calorie allotment!?

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gonabfit
gonabfit Posts: 711 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone! I probably haven't written on the message boards with a question in forever!! I was wondering what tips you all use to stay within the calorie range MFP gives? It might seem like a strange question, but do you pre-plan your food OR put it in as you're eating it or after you eat it or what?

I usually burn a significant amount of calories each day so I feel like my calorie # always fluctuates, making it hard for me to make a set food plan. And... IF I agree to eat only 1400 and then get super hungry... then I'll probably still eat more.

Just looking for some tips from the people who are already doing good at this! Thanks MFP
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Replies

  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
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    To stick with my allotment I eat lots of veggies and other fibrous foods, watch my carb intake (ie eat enough protein and fat), exercise a little extra on hungry days so I can eat more (like today), and try to get my water in. I basically eat what I want for breakfast and lunch and then check my calories and macros when planning dinner.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,624 Member
    edited January 2015
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    A) Have reasonable calorie goal (atm 15% deficit or less from maintenance)

    b) Figure out your macro preferences and/or macro timing/balance for satiety.

    C) Log everything you eat before you eat it. I only eat before logging if I jot down the weight and know that it will fit my macro/calorie needs and I'm too lazy to log atm.
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
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    goldthistime wrote: »
    To stick with my allotment I eat lots of veggies and other fibrous foods, watch my carb intake (ie eat enough protein and fat), exercise a little extra on hungry days so I can eat more (like today), and try to get my water in. I basically eat what I want for breakfast and lunch and then check my calories and macros when planning dinner.

    I start with dinner first and work backwards :smiley: I prelog right before I eat to make sure the math works out.

    On the occasions when I go over, I don't beat myself up. Log it and move on.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
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    I don't pre plan per se, but I usually have a good idea of what I am having for dinner and will adjust the rest of my day accordingly. I am a night eater so most of my calories are consumed after 7pm.

    I also have a hard time eating my extra calories on the day I am exercising more (can't workout on a full stomach) so now I consume some of them the night before.

    I don't pre log anything.
    Cheers, h.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    I pre log every morning. Then I can tweak things if I'm over or under.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I don't pre-log because I'm a fancy it, eat it person

    I make 2 big pots of food at the weekend that will give me hot meals for under 400 calories which covers lunch at work and dinners when I can't be bothered to cook properly (at the moment it's squash risotto and chunky veg stew which I eat with rice and cheese), i make sure I have snack food too.

    And I watch my calories over the week so some days under some over
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Pre-logging my day helps me tremendously, as I always leave room in there for my treats (whatever I feel like).
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
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    Eat when hungry...If over the limit, stop and wait 'til tomorrow.

    It's how I roll.

    No pre-planning. Just have plenty of high bulk, low cal food on hand to fill up the belly and feel full.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    I too pre-log. I cook in bulk for the week. Depending on the meal, I may a salad or extra veggies, etc... Cooking in bulk is so much cheaper and I can mix it up.

    I am logging my dinner when I log in my breakfast. I know how many calories I may have left over for a snack or even sneak a cookie for dessert. Since I cook, I do my own recipes in MFP and get the macros straight on.
  • bryant28408
    bryant28408 Posts: 52 Member
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    I don't pre-log but I do pre-plan. That helps me from going off the rails late in the day. Also, I do not eat back my exercise calories. They are the icing on the cake.
  • CarrieCans
    CarrieCans Posts: 381 Member
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    I plan ahead, sometimes i have at least dinners figured out for up to a week beforehand. That's because my family gets days where different people get to decide what dinner will be. Keeps everyone happy, makes it easy for me to budget food $ and then i can budget calories for myself a lot easier.

    When the day comes, sometimes there are changes but it's easy to figure out because most everything is already done. It's also handy when i have an unexpected lunch outing or when i am really craving something higher in calories. On those days i will just reduce the number of french fries with dinner or lower the amount of mayo in a sandwich.

    Pre-logging makes it really easy to see which items can be shaved down or even bumped up.
  • SilverRose89
    SilverRose89 Posts: 447 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I'm only just getting back into the swing of logging my food but I do tend to plan my day. I log breakfast and then put in my dinner and then work my lunch and snacks around that.
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
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    I only prep,an insomuch as I have a few go-to low calorie meals. (Vegan chili, vegan bolognese, egg white omelet, Siggis yogurt, thick vegetable soup, turkey wrap....) I just make sure I don't run out of the ingredients for those, and then I mindfully eat what strikes my fancy. I also don't sweat the calorie limits on a daily basis, I will stretch it out as much as a week...that's how Thanksgiving and Christmas got to be all about food and drink and I still met my weekly goals.
  • lewispwest
    lewispwest Posts: 498 Member
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    If you don't have a lot to lose, don't set your goal at 2lb/week loss otherwise you'll have far too few calories to work with.
  • trianglevision
    trianglevision Posts: 28 Member
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    Eat a TON of veggies! If I'm feeling really hungry I'll have a HUGE salad (like 3cups of romaine) with my meal and it fills me up.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    I use TDEE method so I don't eat back exercise calories (as they're already taken into account, averaged, in my calorie allotment). This makes it easier for me to plan, as my calorie goal is consistent every day and doesn't fluctuate.

    I pre-log for the week and do my grocery shopping accordingly. Things change, because real life and all that. But I just adjust as I go. I always leave myself a couple hundred calories for an evening snack (I'm a snacker) and I tend to choose the snack based on how my macros looked for the rest of the day. So if I'm doing fine on macros I might "reward" myself with a treat, whereas if I'm under on, say, protein, I'll snack on a glass of milk or a piece of cheese or something.
  • MaryCS62
    MaryCS62 Posts: 266 Member
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    I pre log breakfast & lunch, & sometimes snacks b/c I bring my food to work with me, so I have to prepare it the night before. If I forget to prep it, I have a few things in the freezer (egg sandwiches, boca burgers, etc,) that I can grab on my way out the door (I leave anywhere from 6:15-7 am). If I don't eat something (the yogurt I brought for snack, or the piece of fruit to have with lunch) I just remove it from the diary. Sometimes, I'll grab a bag of chips in the cafeteria to have with my sandwich, or make a salad at the salad bar if I'm feeling extra hungyr, so I'll add them in. I basically like to leave myself at leas 500 calories for dinner/evening snacks, so I try to make sure my earlier meals stay at less than 800 total (1360 for the day), or that I get some exercise in to give me more.
  • MaryCS62
    MaryCS62 Posts: 266 Member
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    segacs wrote: »
    I use TDEE method so I don't eat back exercise calories (as they're already taken into account, averaged, in my calorie allotment). This makes it easier for me to plan, as my calorie goal is consistent every day and doesn't fluctuate.

    I pre-log for the week and do my grocery shopping accordingly. Things change, because real life and all that. But I just adjust as I go. I always leave myself a couple hundred calories for an evening snack (I'm a snacker) and I tend to choose the snack based on how my macros looked for the rest of the day. So if I'm doing fine on macros I might "reward" myself with a treat, whereas if I'm under on, say, protein, I'll snack on a glass of milk or a piece of cheese or something.

    Out of curiosity, do you exercise regularly? I usually manage 3x week, 30 minutes, but I want to increase it. How does TDEE allow for that, or do you have to consistently exercise, etc?

  • clambert1273
    clambert1273 Posts: 840 Member
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    MaryCS62 wrote: »
    segacs wrote: »
    I use TDEE method so I don't eat back exercise calories (as they're already taken into account, averaged, in my calorie allotment). This makes it easier for me to plan, as my calorie goal is consistent every day and doesn't fluctuate.

    I pre-log for the week and do my grocery shopping accordingly. Things change, because real life and all that. But I just adjust as I go. I always leave myself a couple hundred calories for an evening snack (I'm a snacker) and I tend to choose the snack based on how my macros looked for the rest of the day. So if I'm doing fine on macros I might "reward" myself with a treat, whereas if I'm under on, say, protein, I'll snack on a glass of milk or a piece of cheese or something.

    Out of curiosity, do you exercise regularly? I usually manage 3x week, 30 minutes, but I want to increase it. How does TDEE allow for that, or do you have to consistently exercise, etc?

    the TDEE is what I use because I like things simple... you select how often you work out so when you increase or decrease then you recalculate... you also select moderate, vigorous etc.. and it will give examples of each type. I don't like to fluctuate my food each day lol I tend to eat much less on the weekends anyway :)
  • NoelFigart1
    NoelFigart1 Posts: 1,276 Member
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    I mostly pre-plan.

    TDEE, by the way, presumes a certain amount of exercise a week, so it's great if you're choosing to be consistent with caloric intake every day.

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