I Feel Like Such A PIG!!!!

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Ok, so, I'm one of those people that cares more about quantity. I don't like feeling hungry. However, I have refused to eat any "junk", so my food of choice is very low calorie, which means I have to eat more to get my calories in. Some days I'm really struggling to squeeze them in. When I eat a huge meal I always feel like I'm cheating, or that I failed somehow. I spend the rest of the night panicking and worrying that the weight won't go down by morning. UGH!!! I don't know why I torture myself like this. Do any of you eat large quantities of food, rather than eat small amounts of " junk"?

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  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
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    I eat my allotted calories and that includes treats along with nutrient dense foods. Of course, nutrient dense food is going to be more quantity than treats.
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
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    I do a mixture of both.
    Today I'm having 3 "volume meals" (lean protein and veggies), along with two snacks (a protein bar and an english muffin with peanut butter), and this evening I plan to have a cupcake after my last meal.
    It fits the calories I've allotted myself for the day, and it will be enough to leave me satisfied. Those are my main goals when deciding what I will eat. Incorporating a few treats has been helpful for me, total restriction tends to lead me to binge eating.
  • MaryLuvsTheLamb
    MaryLuvsTheLamb Posts: 98 Member
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    I eat my allotted calories and that includes treats along with nutrient dense foods. Of course, nutrient dense food is going to be more quantity than treats.

    Yes, very true.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
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    Isn't that the whole point of eating low calorie foods - so you can fill up without going over goal??? If you are accurately logging your food, trust the numbers, don't panic!
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
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    Like a bag of carrots vs a box of donuts? No, and if I did, I wouldn't think twice. Until I pooped orange.


    It does sound like you need to work on portion control since you have anxiety over it.

    Things you might try:

    1. Try to recognize thirst presents as hunger, have some (lemon) water.
    2. If I'm still snacky, I like frozen blueberries in a cup because they are cold and sweet and lower in calories, high in goodies.
    3. Try going for a walk.
    4. If it's out of your control, you might seek out help from a nutritionist or your doc.

    You should not be feeling guilty over making good food choices. So I'd guess that you really do need to make better food choices.

    Good luck.
  • MaryLuvsTheLamb
    MaryLuvsTheLamb Posts: 98 Member
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    @TresaAswegan, that's great that you are able to do that. I'm sort of stuck, because I live on disability and am only able to shop once a month. I have to buy all separate food for hubby and then all the diet food for myself, so it's really really hard to afford treats, which sucks, cuz I love protein bars. $2-$3 a piece here. Sometimes I am able to squander a few extra dollars for the month and I'll have hubby go buy me one. Mmmmm! Yummy! :)
  • MaryLuvsTheLamb
    MaryLuvsTheLamb Posts: 98 Member
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    pyowiw9o87ij.png

    Hahaha too cute!
  • Keladelphia
    Keladelphia Posts: 820 Member
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    Ok, so, I'm one of those people that cares more about quantity. I don't like feeling hungry. However, I have refused to eat any "junk", so my food of choice is very low calorie, which means I have to eat more to get my calories in. Some days I'm really struggling to squeeze them in. When I eat a huge meal I always feel like I'm cheating, or that I failed somehow. I spend the rest of the night panicking and worrying that the weight won't go down by morning. UGH!!! I don't know why I torture myself like this. Do any of you eat large quantities of food, rather than eat small amounts of " junk"?

    I don't like to feel hungry either so I usually eat lower calorie foods to get the biggest quantity bang for my buck...and I never feel the tiniest bit of guilt about quantity.
  • MaryLuvsTheLamb
    MaryLuvsTheLamb Posts: 98 Member
    edited July 2016
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    [/quote] I don't like to feel hungry either so I usually eat lower calorie foods to get the biggest quantity bang for my buck...and I never feel the tiniest bit of guilt about quantity. [/quote]

    I guess I shouldn't feel guilty either, cuz the scale always goes down in the morning LOL yup, that's me. I want that bang for my buck lol
  • Keladelphia
    Keladelphia Posts: 820 Member
    edited July 2016
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    I guess I shouldn't feel guilty either, cuz the scale always goes down in the morning LOL yup, that's me. I want that bang for my buck lol


    I'm not going to lie I did feel a little guilt initially eating this way but I lost 70 lbs doing it and have maintained it for over a year now with the same strategy so it seems to work for me. Definitely get rid of that guilt! :)
  • MaryLuvsTheLamb
    MaryLuvsTheLamb Posts: 98 Member
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    I guess I shouldn't feel guilty either, cuz the scale always goes down in the morning LOL yup, that's me. I want that bang for my buck lol


    I'm not going to lie I did feel a little guilt initially eating this way but I lost 70 lbs doing it and have maintained it for over a year now with the same strategy so it seems to work for me. Definitely get rid of that guilt! :)

    Wow! Congrats! That's fantastic! :-) @Keladelphia
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
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    @TresaAswegan, that's great that you are able to do that. I'm sort of stuck, because I live on disability and am only able to shop once a month. I have to buy all separate food for hubby and then all the diet food for myself, so it's really really hard to afford treats, which sucks, cuz I love protein bars. $2-$3 a piece here. Sometimes I am able to squander a few extra dollars for the month and I'll have hubby go buy me one. Mmmmm! Yummy! :)

    Lots of healthy shopping options that can be done once per month and on a budget. 75% of the food I buy is frozen, or gets frozen if I'm not eating it right away. Veggies, fruit, chicken. I buy on sale and stock up. Frozen veggies are usually pre cut too, so that saves me time food prepping.
    I guess I wouldn't consider any of that to be "diet foods" though. Just real foods.
    I buy and cook and my husband eats the same thing most of the time, even though he is not trying to lose weight.
    My treats are usually bought once a month a frozen and portioned out as well. The cupcake is coming from the freezer haha.
  • st476
    st476 Posts: 357 Member
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    I do both, but I'm definitely a quantity person too. You shouldn't feel bad! If you know you're eating the right amount of calories, there's nothing to feel bad about. Just remind yourself that you aren't doing anything wrong. I know the feeling though, because I bank my calories (eat less some days, and then eat more other days) and after the high calorie days I sometimes get a little worried because it feels wrong to be eating 1900 calories but then I have to remind myself that I have calories left over from another day. The freaking out should go away when you see that it's working :smile:
  • MaryLuvsTheLamb
    MaryLuvsTheLamb Posts: 98 Member
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    @TresaAswegan, that's great that you are able to do that. I'm sort of stuck, because I live on disability and am only able to shop once a month. I have to buy all separate food for hubby and then all the diet food for myself, so it's really really hard to afford treats, which sucks, cuz I love protein bars. $2-$3 a piece here. Sometimes I am able to squander a few extra dollars for the month and I'll have hubby go buy me one. Mmmmm! Yummy! :)

    Lots of healthy shopping options that can be done once per month and on a budget. 75% of the food I buy is frozen, or gets frozen if I'm not eating it right away. Veggies, fruit, chicken. I buy on sale and stock up. Frozen veggies are usually pre cut too, so that saves me time food prepping.
    I guess I wouldn't consider any of that to be "diet foods" though. Just real foods.
    I buy and cook and my husband eats the same thing most of the time, even though he is not trying to lose weight.
    My treats are usually bought once a month a frozen and portioned out as well. The cupcake is coming from the freezer haha.

    Yeah, I'm finding it so difficult to have variety. Our freezer isn't that big and I buy so much nonfat yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, eggs and apples that it takes up the whole refrigerator lol I'm not a vegetarian, but I don't much care for meat, so I drink lots of protein shakes (low fat/ low carb) and I get my protein other ways. However, this month I'm gonna break down and buy some chicken. I have to buy mostly canned veggies cuz there's no room in the freezer, but I get lots of no salt added green beans, carrots, spinach etc and it works out pretty well.
  • MaryLuvsTheLamb
    MaryLuvsTheLamb Posts: 98 Member
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    st476 wrote: »
    I do both, but I'm definitely a quantity person too. You shouldn't feel bad! If you know you're eating the right amount of calories, there's nothing to feel bad about. Just remind yourself that you aren't doing anything wrong. I know the feeling though, because I bank my calories (eat less some days, and then eat more other days) and after the high calorie days I sometimes get a little worried because it feels wrong to be eating 1900 calories but then I have to remind myself that I have calories left over from another day. The freaking out should go away when you see that it's working :smile:

    I greatly appreciate you sharing that. I didn't realize you could bank calories and eat them at another time. Sort of like points on WW.
  • st476
    st476 Posts: 357 Member
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    st476 wrote: »
    I do both, but I'm definitely a quantity person too. You shouldn't feel bad! If you know you're eating the right amount of calories, there's nothing to feel bad about. Just remind yourself that you aren't doing anything wrong. I know the feeling though, because I bank my calories (eat less some days, and then eat more other days) and after the high calorie days I sometimes get a little worried because it feels wrong to be eating 1900 calories but then I have to remind myself that I have calories left over from another day. The freaking out should go away when you see that it's working :smile:

    I greatly appreciate you sharing that. I didn't realize you could bank calories and eat them at another time. Sort of like points on WW.
    I just started doing it two weeks ago and really like it so far! I eat 500 calories on Sunday and 700 on another day in the week which is a little difficult but I think it's worth it to give myself something to look forward to. It gives me more variety throughout the week. It's hard for me to eat dessert and fast food when I'm eating 1200 a day, and that gets boring pretty easily. I like tracking my weekly calories much more than tracking my daily calories :smile:
  • hypodonthaveme
    hypodonthaveme Posts: 215 Member
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    I fully understand. I don't do "junk" either. I would rather eat an extra plate of veggies than to eat wasted calories. I know it's CICO, but I prefer healthy foods. When I started my weight loss journey I put old habits behind not so I can carry them with me. That being said, if there is a gathering with family I will have a small piece of cake or a little ice cream. But you won't find it in my house. I truly love the what I eat. I enjoy every meal. I enjoy my fruits , veggies, meat, and some peanuts or cashews. I love ending my night with watermelon. To some people, I eat like a ravenous horse. But because it is not full of grease or " junk" I am much happier and fuller. I like it when I eat a big salad and some chicken and people say wow that's a lot. And here they are eating a hot dog with chips and soda and starving an hour later. And wonder why I'm not hungry.

    Don't fret. The weight will come off if you're eating the proper calories. A deficit is all that's needed. Throw in some exercise for better health and go to bed happy. Don't worry about what others could be thinking or are saying. You aren't doing this for them. You are doing this for you. If you are unhappy with the way you eat, you can always change it up a bit. But it's never about them. Stop doubting what works and start writing down your achievements.
  • Neanbean13
    Neanbean13 Posts: 211 Member
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    If it fits in your daily count why worry how much you eat??? I bulk up on stuff like cauliflower rice, pumpkin for volume n low calorie options. If u are weighing and measuring whether u eat one hamburger or loads of veggies and protein does it matter? Still fits info your count. I prefer volume but always allocate sweets should I feel like them and adjust rest of food accordingly. I used to feel guilty eating loads even if it's a stir fry. That 'full feeling' I thought meant putting on weight. But soon as I started logging everything that guilts gone away!

  • HippySkoppy
    HippySkoppy Posts: 725 Member
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    Perhaps early MFP'er nerves.

    Sometimes it 'feels' too good to be true that you will lose weight eating the amount of food that you consume but over time you will learn to trust the CI-CO equation and hopefully the anxiety will disappear.

    Sounds to me like you are doing everything right. You have found a way of eating that is long term sustainable for you, you are losing weight and you don't feel hungry or deprived....all this is good news and many newbies on here struggle to find the balance that you have.

    Try to relax and trust the process.

  • MaryLuvsTheLamb
    MaryLuvsTheLamb Posts: 98 Member
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    Perhaps early MFP'er nerves.

    Sometimes it 'feels' too good to be true that you will lose weight eating the amount of food that you consume but over time you will learn to trust the CI-CO equation and hopefully the anxiety will disappear.

    Sounds to me like you are doing everything right. You have found a way of eating that is long term sustainable for you, you are losing weight and you don't feel hungry or deprived....all this is good news and many newbies on here struggle to find the balance that you have.

    Try to relax and trust the process.

    Thank you so much! :-)