What are your most helpful practical tips to stick to your calorie goal?

allikeok

Examples: eating more veggies at every meal, certain water goal daily, planning and measuring all meals before eating, eating smaller breakfast to save more calories for dinner etc.
I want to know what really helped YOU be successful.

slaite1

Big salad for lunch. Smaller meals for breakfast and lunch, get in plenty of veggies, fiber and protein during the day so that I can have a relaxed dinner and dessert. If I'm hungry, I eat more. If not, I eat less. I try to save small amounts of calories during the week to have a couple hundred extra to look forward to. I try to exercise most days, and weigh everything I put in my mouth for accuracy.

Francl27

Making the most of the calories. It needs to be filling and satisfying.

I TRY to have smaller breakfasts (or skip it) but I'm often hungrier early in the day so it usually doesn't really work out.

JeromeBarry1

I plan and stick to a plan of having a tiny lunch, which seems to be easy enough for me. If I can log any exercise from 'standing' or 'walking' at work, I am able to have additional snacks within my earned calories at work. Any reasonable breakfast and dinner can fit within my calorie goals if I have one small meal, and all I have to do is control the urge to snack. I do that by either eating salt or exercising when the urge to snack hits.

Sheisinlove109

Don't skip meals, plan and follow it. Plan your snacks too.

Machka9

Prelog. That way you know what you're working with.

And exercise lots.

nicholerohrer

Prelog, prelog, prelog. That combined with meal prep and you're golden!

inertiastrength

I pre-log so I can see that I will hit my macros... also I calorie hoard. I eat most of my calories at 6pm+ I dont' mind feeling hungry with the promise of food vs feeling hungry and being out of macros lol

TheCupcakeCounter

I pre-log so I know where I have room and what I need to add to hit my macros (I focus on fat, protein, and fiber)

Chobani Simply 100 Crunch bowls are a lifesaver for me too - 100 calories, 10g protein, and they have some super yummy flavors like Caramel Pecan Turtle and Peach Pie a la Mode. Great for breakfast and an after dinner sweet treat.

All my snacks have a fiber and a protein - if there is fat too that is a bonus. For example: yogurt with berries, raw veggies with hummus or Greek yogurt dip, fruit + nuts or nut butter, baby bell cheese round and dried fruit with no added sugar

I always make sure I have something sweet and something salty at least once a day to keep cravings at bay. I also carry around 100 calorie packs of almonds or cashews for a quick snack if I need something on the go. When I go to the store and get my snacks I get out my food scale and weight out individual servings of them so they are available to grab and go and I can't mindlessly munch.

My diary is open if you want to look

JustSomeEm

My most helpful practical tip to stick to my calorie goal is to just be honest with yourself. Log all of your food and drink. ALL of it. Even if it takes you over your calorie goal. Seeing the honest truth in your diary is often enough to make you toe the line most of the time.

I also tend to eat most of my calories later in the day, but if I'm having a hungry day, eating more protein dense foods helps me control my hunger and feel more satisfied for longer than carbs and sugar. I eat the full-fat version of foods, because it helps me. I'm also a runner/biker/lifter, so when I have the munchies, I might go for a longer run or bike-ride OR do a harder gym session.

You have to find what works for you. It took me a while, but honesty and protein are my keys (and no, I don't do keto - I like cookies and chips and the occasional beer too much for that).

kmc2407

I pre log and carry a healthier snack with me at all times and there's been many times I've been caught out longer than planned and happy I had it or it could have meant the drive thru. Im just re-beginning all of this used MFP to lose 30lbs in two months before and keep it off but after having a baby and have hypo it's a much slower process for me. Great question, following to learn more !

Daddy78230

I constantly eat pretty much the same thing everyday, except on weekends. The majority of my calories and macros come from my 2 main meals - it cuts down on the urges to snack.

I also try to keep my feedings within a tight 8 hour window. I'm constantly hungry throughout the day when my meals are spread out, so I rather not be hungry part of the day.

toxikon

Intermittent fasting: I skip breakfast every day so I can have more calories at lunch and dinner. I get hungry by lunchtime regardless of if I eat breakfast or not, so it makes more sense for me to skip breakfast. My body adjusted quickly and I don't miss it!

Meal prep: I bought a whole bunch of tupperware from Amazon for meal prepping. I'll make a large meal of 8-14 servings, divide them into portioned servings and input my recipe into MFP so I know the exact calories per serving. Makes life so much easier, I can just grab a tupperware to bring to work for lunch and know exactly how many calories are in it.

- Big glass of water/tea before meal

- Forcing myself to eat slowly

- Banking calories for special occasions

- Trying to only eat at restaurants with nutrition info on their website and pre-planning my order before we get there

- Low-calorie sweet treats like Halo Top icecream and sugar-free chocolate everyday to satisfy my sweet tooth

MrsSeager

When I started I had a hard time sticking to my calories at work. I work in an office and would snack out of boredom. I still snack, but I bring them in instead of eating out of the cupboards here. I weigh everything and make sure that all my snacks are within my calorie goal for the day, I "budget" my snack calories to about 300 a day.

PrincessMel72

I plan and pre-log meals that way I know exactly what I have for the day. If I want something extra and I'm at or near my calorie goal, I'll plan to work out a bit longer or harder that day to afford the treat.

Tacklewasher

Honesty has helped me the most. If I eat it, I log it. If I go over, I still log it.

I didn't change my diet a whole lot. I eat what I like but in smaller portions. And snacked a lot less. I still need to figure out breakfast as I get hungry mid-morning, but otherwise I'm okay.

You can look at my diary if you like. Yesterday was weird with waffles for dinner, but I'm doing a quasi break right now and we had strawberries to eat up before they went bad.

But in the end, no one can tell you what will work for you. There is a lot of trial and error in figuring it out. It's fine to ask for ideas, but we are all different and what works for one person will not work for another. For example, I don't pre-log dinner. I do breakfast and lunch, but my dinner is all over the map. Others pre-log everything.

alondrakayy

Don't worry about fats and carbs. Look at protein and calorie intake only.

Drink water. Don't force it or over do it, just drink more.

Enjoy events! But continue to track. Events are not a good excuse to eat like a hippo.

Eat enough veggies and fruits to make you and your body happy. Don't force it.

(That's me to me btw)

VeryKatie

Sleep. Adequate sleep or better (8 hrs +).

Tried30UserNames

Preplan. Also, I like a big breakfast since it makes me want to eat less as the day goes on, but I also have time to cook a big breakfast.

Figure out which foods or ratio of macros are most satiating to you so you won't want to go over your macros.

Learn to cook and have several go-to meals that are quick and easy to make when you're tired and hungry. If you don't want to cook, have several meals preplanned at your local restaurants or grocery store to grab when you're tired and hungry.