my daily calories = really hard to stay within!

m23prime

Almonds rule! They are my magick anti-hunger pills. Six almonds eaten slowly, deliberately, and mindfully -- and the worst of the cravings usually pass.

I too have gone from 3000-4000+ calories of crap and sitting on my epic behind, to 1200-1800 worth of somewhat better choices.and an hour or so each day of what normies would call light exercise, but what my incredible bulk treats like The Boston Marathon every morning.

Drink water.

After a month, the movement has become a little easier. Each morning I walk 3km (coupla miles) to buy my breakfast, a bit of fruit usually. I walk the perimeter of the store, avoiding the aisles of greatest temptation, and always shopping from a list, because I am usually already hungry. (Just bring enough money for the stuff on the list as a fail safe.) I take another walk of comparable distance, but with a few more hills in the evening before supper.

When I have hunted and gathered, I go home and savour my food.

Money saved on candy, crisps, chips, and burgers, goes to good quality fresh fruit, veggies, and lean fresh chicken and turkey for protein. Me and my wok got a good thing goin'! And with a little planning, prep, and practice--faster than the fastest fast food from the food court -- you can make something yummy, satisfying, and beautiful to look at. And you have total control over the fat and sodium content!

For my starchy vice, I permit myself a half loaf of white bread from a bakery I like. For my processed food tooth, I keep a brand of take and bake spring roll on hand. Neither of these things is good for me, but they fill a lot of the big gaps left by chocolate, candy, crisps, and fast food and high fructose corn syrup sweetened anything.


And drink water.

I use fruit and water to deal the cravings for soda or candy.

And popcorn is my emergency pig out safety valve snack. I use a combination of 100 cal of fat in the forms of butter and canola, to pop another 200 calories worth of popcorn into something that tastes great and satisfies like only a salty crunch-fest can.

And if you must indulge a particular vice or die--go to the bulk food section and measure out a moderated binge. Don't bring home the EconoMegaPack Special because the per portion price appeals to your inner bargain hunter.

You know what happens. You will consume a sensible amount and put the Big Bag away. But an hour later you will forget about your sensible portion and have another go. Then tiny gnomes enter our brains and FORCE us to eat the rest of the bag, either by distracting us with flickering screens, or by editing the nutrition label and convincing you that in addition to all the fat and salt that bag contains your R.D.A. of love.

The gnomes lie. The love is elsewhere--not at the bottom of a bag of cheetos.

(This same process also works for all sizes of cones, cups, or buckets of ice cream, bags, boxes or cartons of cookies, or other treats that come in bulk packs from wholesale stores.)

Drink your water.


Oh and...if you falter in your course; if the MegaMunchMonster Bag disappears in the night, or the lure of the NomsNoms on the break table at work proves too strong, record your misstep faithfully, and try again in the morning.

The Thing we are doing here happens one day at a time. One choice at time. Think about the food you eat and make enough of a fuss about it that when you do eat, you eat something your brain will take time to enjoy AND that your body can use.


They say--you know how They can be--that it's a marathon, not a sprint. I say it can be a stroll through the garden if you like. Just keep walking. Remember the words of the philosopher Hal Morgenstern, "Failure is not falling down. Failure is staying down."


I make no claims to know anything about anything, except I just finished my first month of good days in a row, and after 30 days of faithful record keeping, I am pleased with the results I have achieved.

Stay off the scales. Drink your water. Eat mindfully. Move. You will astound yourself!

melindafritz

Maybe set it for a smaller deficit. If using MFPs recommendations...if set for a 1 pound loss per week maybe change it to a half pound loss. I think tho partly you need to decide this is worth it and come up with ways for dealing when you want more then your calories....ie have a cup of tea or glass of water...go clean your teeth...go do some exercise...or preoccupy yourself with something else

_EndGame_

Do some exercise, then you can eat back your calories burned. Or at least half of them.

That's the beauty of exercise!

mockchoc

Besides lots of protein remember that you can eat TONS of most veggies for very few calories and all the fibre they contain fills you up so double bonus!

TheRealParisLove

I find that pre-logging my food the night before is very helpful for me to meet my eating goals. That way, when it's time to eat, I just look at my food diary, and fix what I had planned. I don't have to try to make decisions while hungry, I already took the guess work out of it while laying in bed the night before.

raisingbabyk

Not sure what your eating as your diary isn't open to public, but I would suggest eating more filling foods..meat/veggies/healthy fats with every meal and drink lots of water. If you're saving calories up for something special I'm gonna take a guess that it's not the most healthy which most likely = not satiating enough.

Or make a smaller deficit like .5lb/week would give you more calories as well.
good luck

fynnvara

Try the high calorie, low sugar snack bars every two hours. They['re only about 100-140 calories and you'll feel full for a while. I was used to eating 3000 calories a day too...but I only ate maybe once or twice a day. Starting MFP I was reduced to 1780 calories max, but I had to start eating at least 6 times a day. I found that by eating something small (even a handful of baby carrots) I was able to stay within my calorie goal and not feel hungry...although I did feel like I was constantly stuffing food in my mouth. I also cut soda out of my diet. I'll have one diet soda a month, otherwise I drink lots and lots of water, flavored with crystal light since I've never been a big water person. Small adjustments seem to make all the difference for me.

elisa123gal

that is why I exercise most days.. i get so many extra calories that I can make it through without going over. So..exercise and eat back those calories and you'll find it isn't bad at all.

batgirl_273

I find that pre-logging my food the night before is very helpful for me to meet my eating goals. That way, when it's time to eat, I just look at my food diary, and fix what I had planned. I don't have to try to make decisions while hungry, I already took the guess work out of it while laying in bed the night before.

yes, i have been doing this. I find it helps me stick to 'the plan" for the day. if it's not in my journal, i try not to eat it.... but sometimes you'll see me complete my journal, then i'll go back to add something a few hours later lol. I am logging EVERYTHING even if i'm embarassed or hate myself for going over.

I'm eating alot of fruit and veggies..... my daily sugar count is ridiculous... strawberries alone are full of sugar. But veggies and fruit don't fill me up.... I'm hungry about a half hour later. I'm not a big fan of bread, so that's not my problem either. I'm big on sugar, and sodium. seems like the foods i choose are full of those.

water.... i'm averaging about 4-8 cups a day. Work has actually been great at making me drink water. Because I never have cash on me, i don't go to the vending machine, and thankfully there's nothing but gas stations nearby. So at work, i have my cravings under control, and i drink plenty of water... it's when I get home that seems to be the problem.

ALekaeHay

I find that pre-logging my food the night before is very helpful for me to meet my eating goals. That way, when it's time to eat, I just look at my food diary, and fix what I had planned. I don't have to try to make decisions while hungry, I already took the guess work out of it while laying in bed the night before.

yes, i have been doing this. I find it helps me stick to 'the plan" for the day. if it's not in my journal, i try not to eat it.... but sometimes you'll see me complete my journal, then i'll go back to add something a few hours later lol. I am logging EVERYTHING even if i'm embarassed or hate myself for going over.

I'm eating alot of fruit and veggies..... my daily sugar count is ridiculous... strawberries alone are full of sugar. But veggies and fruit don't fill me up.... I'm hungry about a half hour later. I'm not a big fan of bread, so that's not my problem either. I'm big on sugar, and sodium. seems like the foods i choose are full of those.

water.... i'm averaging about 4-8 cups a day. Work has actually been great at making me drink water. Because I never have cash on me, i don't go to the vending machine, and thankfully there's nothing but gas stations nearby. So at work, i have my cravings under control, and i drink plenty of water... it's when I get home that seems to be the problem.

batgirl_273 -- I have the same issue with sometimes feeling "out of control" at home. I've stopped kidding myself thought about having "one small treat" when I buy the whole box of Little Debbies. I don't buy any sort of treat now to keep in the house; it's like an alcoholic keeping a bottle of tequila around just for a little treat.

About not feeling full - I think when we've become used to eating so much and getting beyond full we associate that VERY full feeling with just comfortable and ready to stop eating. I know that the "full" feeling I used to have was not full; it was grossly over-full. It's difficult sometimes to stop eating before I have to un-button my pants But just because I can still breath and actually walk - not waddle - out of the kitchen doesn't mean I'm not full.

It's a very harsh difference when you go from eating 3000+ calories down to what MFP recommends to lose weight. I promise though that after about 2 weeks you will be accustomed to it and start to feel normal. Keep on keepin' on and you'll learn ways to control your cravings without feeling starved!