How many calories/ after dinner snacking

rebeccavh

I have about 25 lbs of baby weight to lose and 20 more lbs I wanted to lose before I get pregnant.

When I put my info in MFP tells me 1200 calories. Which seems so low. I'm 32 5'5 and 180lbs. Anyone around those stats- how many calories do you eat daily and lose?

Also what does everyone do to help with nighttime eating? I stick to my food plan for the day all day- and can resist temptation. But at night I'm a hot mess, I just snack and snack (which is why I can't lose I'm eating well more than 1600 because of my nighttime eating)

hesn92

I just put your stats in a random calorie calculator on google and for "lightly active" it says you need to eat almost 1600 calories to lose 1lb a week ?? 1200 seems low...

I would just save room for a nighttime snack. Like 100-200 calories and then have somehing small. I portion things (like chips) out into a bowl before eating (rather than just taking thr whole bag with me to the couch)

kommodevaran

When you put in your stats, you also tell MFP how fast you want to lose weight. A good loss is 1% of your body weight per week. More than that, gives you too few calories. Everybody want to lose weight yesterday, so this isn't your fault, it's MFP's.

Good of you to realize that you're not sticking to 1200. Try 1600. 1600 calories in the form of planned, balanced meals, will make you less of a hot mess - you will still have to resist temptation, but it will be easier.

sjd421

I am 5'4" and 185, with light activity and 2lbs a week to lose, I am just over 1300 (not sure the exact number). So 1200 seems too low. I also make sure to add in my exercise and eat most of those calories. I try not to have too much snacky things in the house or just make sure they are healthy. Right now my evening snack, after I put the little one to bed, it Trader Joe's dark chocolate covered almonds. I have about 4 and that meets my snack/sweet craving.

oreo_cookies_1992

1200 seems really low to me. I could never do it. I would suggest at least 1500. Set attianable goals rather than a quick fix for sure. It's healthier for your physical and mental state to lose weight slowly.

Measure everything out before eating it. Sometimes I will preplan my meals and log them into my diary. Sometimes even just knowing that I have calories left actually makes me happy and makes me pick healthier choices for snacks. It's kind of weird haha.
And measuring doesn't have to be forever. Even just to start out until you have an idea of how big portions of what you eat should be. Try drinking water Everytime you want a snack. Find low calorie snacks.. the other day I was snacking on dill pickle rice cake things because I was craving chips . Now I'm not saying that is healthy but it only had 90 calories per 12 rice cakes and a lot less fat lol like a lot! Lol. So I would suggest trying to find alternatives to the snacks you like that are less calroies (:

amtyrell

Are you set to sedentary and 2 lbs a week that could explain it. Set to 1 lb a week.
Also remember you get to eat back exercise calories

cs2thecox

Something that seems to work for a lot of other people is skipping breakfast and "back ending" your calories so you have more available in the evening.
It seems to work for people who don't feel particularly hungry in the morning, and function fine without breakfast.
If you're one of these people, it might help to play with your calorie timing (as well as checking you haven't put in a crazy loss rate!) to make sure you have enough for a filling dinner.

deannalfisher

at 180lbs, I'd set your weight loss goal at .5-1lb loss a week (2lbs which is likely what the 1200 is) is likely too aggressive for your current remaining weight

also remember that MFP is designed to eat back a portion of your exercise calories

deannalfisher

re: nighttime eating - I plan a pre-bed snack into my calories every day - its one of the first things that goes in and doesn't get touched as I play macro tetris

cmriverside

Are you staying up a long time after dinner? If I don't get to bed within four hours of dinner, I go looking for more food. Later dinner and earlier bed is what works for me, then a late breakfast. I'm not that hungry in the mornings.

JennJ323

I'm 5'2" started at 155lb, MFP also gave me 1200 cals a day. I've stuck with it since December and am down 25lb. I find 1200 easy to stick to, each day I typically add 200 cals for exercise, so that bumps me up to being allowed 1400 a day, usually I try to stick to the 1200 though. I don't ever feel hungry or deprived.. no real advice for after dinner snacking, dinner is my biggest meal of the day so it's usually pretty filling and I don't have any snacks afterwards. So maybe that's some advice? Try making dinner your largest meal so you don't feel hungry afterwards before bed.

Aplant77

I am currently at 1240 (1 lb/wk, sedentary, 5'4", 168 starting). I can make it work but it IS difficult. It forces me to work out daily so I have more calories to consume! I have lost 6 pounds in 4 weeks so it seems to be working. The days that I have issues are the days when I eat take out. Otherwise, I keep my breakfast around 300, lunch to around 350-400, dinner around 400-500. Snacks are mostly fruits/veggies so I can keep the calorie count low. I try to save 35-80 calories for a bedtime snack because I need one so I don't go to bed hungry. Outshine frozen fruit bars are only 35 calories. Healthy Choice has a delicious fudge bar that is 80.

MegaMooseEsq

I'm 5'2" and currently around 180 lbs (started losing in January at 208). I found that I maintain a deficit best when I spread my food out over the day and focus on eating smaller portions of fattier foods. But you're the only one who can figure out what works for you. Remember, there's nothing about eating late that causes you to gain weight unless you're eating too many calories to maintain a deficit. Right now I'm eating about 2000 calories a day on average, getting moderate exercise, and losing about 1 lb a week.* I eat more on weekends and average by week, so most days I'm actually around 1500 so I can splurge when I go out on weekends. Again, whatever works for you.

*Well, that's the theory. I'm actually super stressed out right now and retaining water like a mofo, so I'm expecting a woosh any day now.

estherdragonbat

I save 2 cups of Skinny Pop popcorn (80-90 calories depending on flavor) or 30 grams of Quaker Corn Squares cereal (110 calories) for a post-dinner snack. Also, if I have calories left over by that point, I may have string cheese or peanut butter on rice cakes.

wenrob

deannalfisher wrote: »

re: nighttime eating - I plan a pre-bed snack into my calories every day - its one of the first things that goes in and doesn't get touched as I play macro tetris

This is exactly what I do. I log 100-200 calories for an evening snack first thing every morning then work around it during the day. When I was in deficit it was my reason for getting in some exercise because I just was not going to give that up.

If you have yourself on a 2lb a week deficit maybe rethink that. The idea is to build healthy habits into your life you can carry forward into maintenance. If you are consistently going over then you're not building that habit. Going over all the time can create a sense of failure and lead to giving up. Take things a little slower, eat at a calorie level that allows you to lose but at the same time not want to gnaw off your own arm. You'll have less frustration, feel better and have a sense of accomplishment as well.

kimny72

rebeccavh wrote: »

I have about 25 lbs of baby weight to lose and 20 more lbs I wanted to lose before I get pregnant.

When I put my info in MFP tells me 1200 calories. Which seems so low. I'm 32 5'5 and 180lbs. Anyone around those stats- how many calories do you eat daily and lose?

Also what does everyone do to help with nighttime eating? I stick to my food plan for the day all day- and can resist temptation. But at night I'm a hot mess, I just snack and snack (which is why I can't lose I'm eating well more than 1600 because of my nighttime eating)

With 20-25 lbs to lose, you should be aiming for 1 lb per week. If you set it for more than that, that's why you get super low calories. Also keep in mind that mfp expects you to log your exercise and eat back at least some of those calories. If you take those 2 things into consideration, you will probably eating more like 1500.

I try to save 150-200 cals for after dinner. When they doesn't work, I will try drinking a diet soda or some mint tea. I find brushing my teeth once I've eaten my snack makes me less likely to mindlessly nibble. Good luck!

Smaya29

I have the same problem. I'm 5'2 and love snacking around at night. I just save calories for most evenings. I eat my dinner between 5pm-6pm. And if I'm up till 10 and feel hungry I go for a bowl of veggie soup, sometimes a kozyshack chocolate pudding (113g) or a few spoonfuls of Greek yogurt. But I always make sure I spare a 100 calories for my night time cravings. And don't eat anything unhealthy.

Nykkismommy21

rebeccavh wrote: »

I have about 25 lbs of baby weight to lose and 20 more lbs I wanted to lose before I get pregnant.

When I put my info in MFP tells me 1200 calories. Which seems so low. I'm 32 5'5 and 180lbs. Anyone around those stats- how many calories do you eat daily and lose?

Also what does everyone do to help with nighttime eating? I stick to my food plan for the day all day- and can resist temptation. But at night I'm a hot mess, I just snack and snack (which is why I can't lose I'm eating well more than 1600 because of my nighttime eating)

I am 5'5, 38 yrs old just got down to 181 this morning. I have steady weight loss. I have lost 15 lbs in a month and a half. I eat 1390 calories, I walk an hour and a half a 5x a day.(4-5 miles) I eat back some of those calories. I don't always log my walks, and sometimes, if I've exercised for 20 minutes (jillian Michael's dvd strength training) I will eat those calories. But I like to leave my walks out of my diary to make up for any logging errors ,in case I've eaten more than I thought. I should mention, I push a heavy double stroller with two toddlers until i leave one toddler at school and pick him up for the half of last mile in the afternoon. I do 3 miles in the am with one toddler. I mention it because I exert alot of energy with that heavy thing. I think it makes a tiny difference. Also, I snack on watermelon almost daily, especially if im still hungry or just want to nibble. I also eat cantaloupe, grapes,, cucumbers with lemon,and mild chili sauce like Crystal or Red Devil. I have just found, and I am quite excited ,about sugar free jello!!Its only 10 calories a cup. The pre packaged four pack ones. They have lots of flavors. These are now my guilt-free snacks, and have made my days alot smoother. On the weekends I eat more like 1600 calories, I dont exercise, and this also keeps me from feeling so restricted.But i dont go crazy on junk food. I just eat more of the healthy stuff. Sorry for the long text. Im just excited at what has been working for me lately and I know it can work for you. Lots of walking. Eating 1300-1400 calories and eating lots of low calorie fruit

MilesAddie

I'm one of those people that is just wired to eat late. Like many other people, I had heard a million stories about how eating after a certain time 'does terrible things' to weight loss.

So I tried to eat a bigger breakfast, or a really big dinner, or snack on small meals throughout the day, or mindfulness, or some combination of all of them. None of it seemed to work. And worse, it affected my sleep, which made me less likely to work out.

Now, I save about 1/3 of my calories for when I am the most hungry, around 700 calories, which is usually right before bed. And for the first time, I've found a weight loss plan that keeps me satiated and emotionally happy.

Just an idea, it's working for me.

ccsernica

1200 is the hard minimum it will allocate for a woman, so very likely the calories it computed based on your present weight, height, activity level, and desired loss rate was even lower than that. If you've said you want to lose 2 lbs/week, that's too fast given how much you have to lose. Cut it back to 1 lb/week.

After dinner snacking makes no difference, as long as it fits into your calorie goal. If you find you end up eating all the snacks you have in front of you, put less in front of you.

cwolfman13

rebeccavh wrote: »

I have about 25 lbs of baby weight to lose and 20 more lbs I wanted to lose before I get pregnant.

When I put my info in MFP tells me 1200 calories. Which seems so low. I'm 32 5'5 and 180lbs. Anyone around those stats- how many calories do you eat daily and lose?

Also what does everyone do to help with nighttime eating? I stick to my food plan for the day all day- and can resist temptation. But at night I'm a hot mess, I just snack and snack (which is why I can't lose I'm eating well more than 1600 because of my nighttime eating)

1200 assumes sedentary with no exercise...it's also likely a result of selecting 2 Lb per week rate of loss target which is an aggressive 1,000 calorie per day cut from maintenance...so yeah...it's going to be low.

Maybe adjust your goals to be less aggressive...and move more. The more you move, the more calories you can consume.

Also, you mention baby weight...are you breast feeding? If you are, 1200 is way to low.