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Using up calories difficult
Replies
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I'm with you, and it's probably an unhealthy mental thing on my end. I want to see "and was under her calorie goal" when I end a day. That's probably not wise if my calorie goal is the bare minimum (which it is). One thing I'm starting to do is make my own slightly modified treats at home. (Like you, I don't eat store-bought junk food, but I'm backing off avoiding all sweets.) I made buckeyes this weekend (peanut butter and chocolate, for those who don't know) and they were ahhhhhmazing. I made them instead of buying them because 1) it feels more earned when you make your own treat, and 2) I could control the amount of sugar and butter that went into it. I seriously used 1/6 of the powdered sugar, and I can't imagine them being any sweeter than they are. They were perfect as was. I also added a bit of protein powder for good measure. So, anyway, my point is that if you're able, you might want to make some reasonable treats to keep around to eat toward day's end to help boost you over the finish line. And if your problem is mental like mine, remember that undereating is self-sabotage. The goal is to be healthy, and being healthy means to eat enough. (I'm typing this more for me than for you, honestly.) Best of luck.2
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TavistockToad wrote: »
Suggesting OP eat 1500 cals and doesn't eat back exercise calories is irresponsible when you don't know their stats.
Im suggesting they eat a full 1500, and if the exercise calories subtract from that, okay. Let it look like 1500 consumed -300 exercise= 1200 NET. Or, they could cushion the exercise' caloric deficit by eating back the calories they burned? They're already at a deficit at 1500, id be pretty confident.
I didnt say OP should eat over their calorie goal, what I'm trying to understand is, is the fact that they're burning calories from exercise the difficulty in reaching 1500? We all agree that 1500 is a low amount to reach. There are plenty of foods to substitute in for junk food. Moderation, sure. But from what I see, they're struggling to reach 1500 pretty regularly, to the point where it is an issue. Substituting junk food that regularly is exactly what is junky about junk food.18 -
Im suggesting they eat a full 1500, and if the exercise calories subtract from that, okay. Let it look like 1500 consumed -300 exercise= 1200 NET. Or, they could cushion the exercise' caloric deficit by eating back the calories they burned? They're already at a deficit at 1500, id be pretty confident.
I didnt say OP should eat over their calorie goal, what I'm trying to understand is, is the fact that they're burning calories from exercise the difficulty in reaching 1500? We all agree that 1500 is a low amount to reach. There are plenty of foods to substitute in for junk food. Moderation, sure. But from what I see, they're struggling to reach 1500 pretty regularly, to the point where it is an issue. Substituting junk food that regularly is exactly what is junky about junk food.
1200net for a male is still too low, which is why OP shouldn't be advised to eat 1500 and let exercise calories eat into that. OP should be netting 1500cal.8 -
Just for reference I don’t have much to lose I’m 12st 12
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trokey2110 wrote: »Unhealthy food like high saturated foods like chocolate crisps pizza etc
Make room for pizza or chocolate from time to time. Instead of learning portion control for diet foods......learn portion control for everything.
Losing weight is just the first step. Many people struggle with maintenance. Develop healthy eating habits....forever.6 -
MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »
1200net for a male is still too low, which is why OP shouldn't be advised to eat 1500 and let exercise calories eat into that. OP should be netting 1500cal.
Fair. So they should "cushion" the burned off calories. Unless we know their stats, I'd agree that a net of 1200 is bad for them, and not a added boost.2 -
trokey2110 wrote: »Just for reference I don’t have much to lose I’m 12st 12
12st 12?1 -
12st 12?
180 pounds if I am mathing correctly2 -
Experience - lost 61lbs in less than a year eating JUNK FOOD.
The problem with junk food is- the way I think of it, 500 calories of junk food is a waste of my daily caloric budget which I can use on more nutritious, satisfying foods. Plus, the sugar craving dependency is a huge plus. Congrats on the weight work tho. Personally I always tell people they dont HAVE to quit junk entirely, but they must think of their daily calories as a budget, they should eat what gives them the most for their calories. 180cal of tasty grilled chicken, or of cookies? You gotta think of longerterm gratification too.17 -
The problem with junk food is- the way I think of it, 500 calories of junk food is a waste of my daily caloric budget which I can use on more nutritious, satisfying foods. Plus, the sugar craving dependency is a huge plus. Congrats on the weight work tho. Personally I always tell people they dont HAVE to quit junk entirely, but they must think of their daily calories as a budget, they should eat what gives them the most for their calories. 180cal of tasty grilled chicken, or of cookies? You gotta think of longerterm gratification too.
Well you don't always, because you came in here proclaiming "AVOID JUNK FOOD". I agree with you though about the idea of thinking of one's calories as a daily budget. That being said, grilled chicken or cookies - why not both? No one says you have to eat the whole box. It's possible to make both fit.9 -
Settings... diary settings... Change it to public, and then you can change it back to private whenever you want.
Late to the party, but are we still waiting on a peek at the diary? It would be really helpful to have more information before diving into what the OP should do or not do.1 -
The problem with junk food is- the way I think of it, 500 calories of junk food is a waste of my daily caloric budget which I can use on more nutritious, satisfying foods. Plus, the sugar craving dependency is a huge plus. Congrats on the weight work tho. Personally I always tell people they dont HAVE to quit junk entirely, but they must think of their daily calories as a budget, they should eat what gives them the most for their calories. 180cal of tasty grilled chicken, or of cookies? You gotta think of longerterm gratification too.
That’s your personal preference and should not be gospel. I don’t get “sugar cravings” but sure some people do. My preference is to budget 110 calories every night for an ice cream cone because it tastes wonderful to me and fits into my budget. If I substituted that with broccoli or chicken or eggs, it wouldn’t be gratifying. I look at it as my daily treat. I can eat the tasty grilled chicken and the decadent ice cream cone and lose weight.11 -
trokey2110 wrote: »Just for reference I don’t have much to lose I’m 12st 12
So without more info, this is my suggestion...
Set your goal to lose 1 lb per week. I bet your goal will be more than 1500.
Get a food scale if you don't have one already, and log accurately and consistently.
Eat back at least half of your exercise calories.
Don't worry too much about individual healthy foods, look at the totality of your diet. You can have some saturated fat, some sugar, etc, just not too much. People will try to tell you it's more complicated than that, because they want to believe they have solved a mystery others can't, but it's really not. Make a healthy foundation to your diet, but eat some treats, it's not a big deal.
Check out these posts when you get a chance, and good luck!
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p17 -
I’ve set my diary to public0
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The problem with junk food is- the way I think of it, 500 calories of junk food is a waste of my daily caloric budget which I can use on more nutritious, satisfying foods. Plus, the sugar craving dependency is a huge plus. Congrats on the weight work tho. Personally I always tell people they dont HAVE to quit junk entirely, but they must think of their daily calories as a budget, they should eat what gives them the most for their calories. 180cal of tasty grilled chicken, or of cookies? You gotta think of longerterm gratification too.
You seem to have a pretty narrow view set and assume that people tend to eat either all “healthy” or all “junk”. Why is it either cookies or chicken? I eat chicken, vegetables, rice AND cookies pretty regularly. Looking at foods individually isn’t particularly helpful; it’s the context of the whole diet that is important.9 -
trokey2110 wrote: »I’ve set my diary to public
I really do suspect this is a logging issue. Check out the Logging Accurately post I linked to, and commit to really accurate and consistent logging for a couple of weeks, That will give you a good handle on where you really are and what you need to do going forward :drinker:1 -
logging issue? As in what way ..and the link ?
I really do suspect this is a logging issue. Check out the Logging Accurately post I linked to, and commit to really accurate and consistent logging for a couple of weeks, That will give you a good handle on where you really are and what you need to do going forward :drinker:
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i just looked at today - but you had 1 measure that was "a bowl" - how are you defining a bowl - what is the weight associated with that diary entry0
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trokey2110 wrote: »logging issue? As in what way ..and the link ?
For example, the bowl of potato and leek soup you logged today, did you create that entry yourself using the recipe builder? Or was it an entry that was already in the database?2 -
As I’m a cereal bowldeannalfisher wrote: »i just looked at today - but you had 1 measure that was "a bowl" - how are you defining a bowl - what is the weight associated with that diary entry
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nutmegoreo wrote: »
For example, the bowl of potato and leek soup you logged today, did you create that entry yourself using the recipe builder? Or was it an entry that was already in the database?
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trokey2110 wrote: »I’ve set my diary to public
many missing days and meals but based on what you have, and i'll assume portions are appropriate (highly recommend a scale) it would be super easy to either add a snack here and there or eat two slices of bread VS 1. eat 2 tablespoons of PB vs 1 (do measure by weight though, this is a place mannny people under log because 1 "tablespoon" is misleading, best to weigh)
do you cook your veggies in the microwave or in a skillet? what about your chicken do you use any oil?
stick something in your yogurt. nuts, granola.
add a small amount of rice or quinoa with your dinner.
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nutmegoreo wrote: »
For example, the bowl of potato and leek soup you logged today, did you create that entry yourself using the recipe builder? Or was it an entry that was already in the database?
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Okay, so looking back at just the month of January, you only have 1 day where you reached 1500 calories. And you have a lot of unlogged or partially logged days. The exercise calories don't seem terribly out of whack to me, but you aren't reaching even your base calories most days. Just to be sure, are you using a food scale for everything you have logged in grams or is that an estimate? You seem to eat exactly 100 grams a lot and that would be unusual unless you're, for instance, shredding or cutting a chicken breast until you get the exact amount you want.0
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trokey2110 wrote: »logging issue? As in what way ..and the link ?
The first few days seem not fully filled out, and yesterday might not be.
Focusing on 1/14 first: are you sure you only had one tbsp of peanut butter? If so, eat more, that's an easy solution, but normally it's easy to eat more than you think. Also, why generic entry? Use the information for your own peanut butter.
Only one slice of bread? Is that the bread you ate?
Was the muesli eaten dry? How did you measure the amount?
How did you measure the chicken breast amount?
Are the brands exactly what you got? 100 g -- again, how did you measure?
Those two meals don't look especially filling, are you really saying that's all you ate and you can't eat more?
1/15: exact same amounts as the day before seems unlikely -- how are you measuring?
Exactly 100 g of blueberries?
Homemade entries are someone else's recipe -- what precisely was the potato and leek soup?
Exactly 100 g of chicken breast? Did you use any oil in cooking it?
Again, precise same amounts as before.
There are lots of nutrient-dense ways to up those calories, but logging can also be difficult at first, so it's worth making sure you aren't missing any items or calories.1 -
trokey2110 wrote: »logging issue? As in what way ..and the link ?
Kimny gave you a handful of links a couple of comments up that would be useful reading. Just to check, can you see them? I know they sometimes show up weird if you're using a screen reader or other device. The logging one in particular is this one: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p13 -
The first few days seem not fully filled out, and yesterday might not be.
Focusing on 1/14 first: are you sure you only had one tbsp of peanut butter? If so, eat more, that's an easy solution, but normally it's easy to eat more than you think. Also, why generic entry? Use the information for your own peanut butter.
Only one slice of bread? Is that the bread you ate?
Was the muesli eaten dry? How did you measure the amount?
How did you measure the chicken breast amount?
Are the brands exactly what you got? 100 g -- again, how did you measure?
Those two meals don't look especially filling, are you really saying that's all you ate and you can't eat more?
1/15: exact same amounts as the day before seems unlikely -- how are you measuring?
Exactly 100 g of blueberries?
Homemade entries are someone else's recipe -- what precisely was the potato and leek soup?
Exactly 100 g of chicken breast? Did you use any oil in cooking it?
Again, precise same amounts as before.
There are lots of nutrient-dense ways to up those calories, but logging can also be difficult at first, so it's worth making sure you aren't missing any items or calories.
Seems to me that OP is going by nutrition label servings. Like, peanut butter jar label shows nutrition per tablespoon, so OP thinks they should have just one table spoon. Bread label shows nutrition per slice...0 -
As I’ve stated I weigh the blueberries chicken etc the only thing I didn’t count was the milk on the muesli
The first few days seem not fully filled out, and yesterday might not be.
Focusing on 1/14 first: are you sure you only had one tbsp of peanut butter? If so, eat more, that's an easy solution, but normally it's easy to eat more than you think. Also, why generic entry? Use the information for your own peanut butter.
Only one slice of bread? Is that the bread you ate?
Was the muesli eaten dry? How did you measure the amount?
How did you measure the chicken breast amount?
Are the brands exactly what you got? 100 g -- again, how did you measure?
Those two meals don't look especially filling, are you really saying that's all you ate and you can't eat more?
1/15: exact same amounts as the day before seems unlikely -- how are you measuring?
Exactly 100 g of blueberries?
Homemade entries are someone else's recipe -- what precisely was the potato and leek soup?
Exactly 100 g of chicken breast? Did you use any oil in cooking it?
Again, precise same amounts as before.
There are lots of nutrient-dense ways to up those calories, but logging can also be difficult at first, so it's worth making sure you aren't missing any items or calories.
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trokey2110 wrote: »As I’ve stated I weigh the blueberries chicken etc the only thing I didn’t count was the milk on the muesli
Why didn't you count the milk?2 -
MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »
Well you don't always, because you came in here proclaiming "AVOID JUNK FOOD". I agree with you though about the idea of thinking of one's calories as a daily budget. That being said, grilled chicken or cookies - why not both? No one says you have to eat the whole box. It's possible to make both fit.
I always tell people who're trying to lose weight
not the ones who've lost their 60ish pounds and know what they already know. Hairsplitting aside, avoid junk food. period. Hey, money budgets don't cut out pleasure spending entirely. Think back to the budget analogy. 9
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