Eating right... fear of calories?

Jo25369

Hi, I'm 3 weeks into using MFP and I'm loving it!! 1200 calories doesn't seem like a lot to be eating so I have skipped breakfast a few days so I can have enough at lunch and dinner. It got to the point where my mam (who would tell you freely if you are putting on weight) that I need to eat more, which is unheard of for her.

I was out on Friday with the girls, and I was so aware of what I was eating and drinking, even though I had a low calorie salad for my lunch so I had plenty to use for that evening. Saturday morning I was out with the inlaws and we had a stop off for a break and I was panicking trying to figure out calories and what I could and couldn't eat...

I'm just wondering if anyone felt they were on the verge of getting a little bit of an unhealthy relationship with the calories and food when doing MFP and if so how did you stop that.

kommodevaran

I haven't; joining MFP was actually a help in improving/saving my relationship with food, but then I never tried to eat 1200 calories for more than a few days, either.

But I can't just sit here and not give you unsolicited advice. 1200 calories is little food even if you take care to eat balanced and varied. You're spending a large portion of your meagre calories on not very nutritious food - treat foods, like biscuits, chocolate, candy, bars and booze. Your body needs nutrients. If you don't eat well, you get hungry, lethargic, and your brain starts to act up, you will be irritable and anxious, and that's what I'm suspecting is happening here.

KarenSmith2018

occassionally if i am caught on the hop so to speak with food i struggle to make a choice from what can be a limited range of foods. I.e. i don't want a sandwich as they don't fill me up, neither do i want the pasta pot or pasta salad that is covered in mayo. I try and ensure that I have a plan for these circumstances and a go to food choice: normally the sushi. and i accept it will cost more than the £3 meal deal i could pick up of crisps sandwich and drink. I try to plan and have some fruit or nuts with me as well when i know i wont be able to have my normal go to foods. Sometimes you have to roll with it, look at the nutritional information and know what satisfies you. also understand its OK to go over the odd day.

A note as stated above: your food diary is dominated by chocolate and sweet treats with very little fruit and veg. Its awesome to include the foods you like but you may find that the split you have currently gives you big crashes in energy and may want to consider eating less processed and more whole foods.

amgreenwell

I could never skip meals, that's just not me. I try to eat smaller meals throughout the day and I pre-log everything I put in my mouth. If you don't think 1200 calories is enough then you might not be eating the right foods. If you eat plenty of fruits and veggies you can eat ALOT of food in one day.
It can be overwhelming at first but once you get that good relationship with logging and understanding how many calories are in certain foods you'll just start avoiding those foods so you can eat the healthier stuff ...you get to eat so much more when you eat this way.

robinmork

I'm on the 1200 cal plan, and have found it's important to make my own food. If I make it myself, I can have a decent sized 3 meals per day because I can make lower calorie choices about the ingredients, but if I try to just make things the way I used to, or go out, or eat someone else's food, I can't. And if I try to "save" calories for later in the day I usually end up hungry and out of balance, and end up eating too much. I got into the habit of googling Low-Calorie" or "diabetic" along with whatever I wanted to have, to find recipes where someone else had already figured it out, and the nice things, almost everything I could want is out there already. I can have Buffalo wings and egg sandwiches and muffins- But I have to be willing to make it. And it's usually pretty close, flavor wise. Every now and again anyone needs to be able to go to a restaurant or eat at a friend's house, and I usually just call those maintenance days (bc I am still trying to lose) and just limit my portions. But I can't do that every day, or really more than once a week.

Jo25369

Thanks for all the replies! Sometimes its hard to see whats in front of you! I had a good look at my food diary and what you all said was completely right. So breakfast will be eaten every day and less calories on junk food and hopefully I'll fly at it !

toxikon

I think it helps to try to mentally step back and look at the big picture. You're trying to build habits that will last a lifetime. Are you planning to meticulously count every calorie for the rest of your life?

Will one uncounted meal derail 3 weeks of progress? No.

A pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories. So if your TDEE is 1800 calories, you'd need to eat 1800 + 3500 calories in a day to gain a pound back. It's almost impossible.

The key is overall consistency. If you're on track most of the time, you're doing fine. One bad day won't matter.

WinoGelato

What are your goals - how much weight are you trying to lose and what rate of loss did you select? Do you exercise? Do you eat back exercise calories?

As others have said, 1200 is the bare minimum cals for women and not always an appropriate or necessary goal. Setting a reasonable goal will enable you to get an appropriate calorie target to allow you to eat a variety of nutritious foods and maybe have room for some treats in moderation.