Having trouble staying under my calories lately..

xoTalim

I eat 1200 a day and it just seems like not enough lately. I've just been having trouble and end up giving in to cravings and over eating. How can I stop this? I try to have self control but it's not easy.

RaggedyPond

Exercise more and you can eat more.

rhye

Watching this because I am having the same problem, though my net calories are higher than 1200 by a lot. As the previous commenter said, usually I can spend 1-2 hours at the gym and get enough to stay within my calories but working three jobs and with a toddler getting to the gym every day is sometimes hard. And on days I don't get to the gym... oh boy!

xoTalim

Exercise more and you can eat more.

I've read on here that there's no point in even doing that because it makes exercising pointless if you're just gunna eat back your calories.

pixish

What foods are you eating? You could swap some of them for less calorie dense foods that you can eat more of? A lot of vegetables have barely any calories so you could eat quite a bit of it compared to some foods. You could eat a whole lot of cucumber instead of a tub of yoghurt (even low fat!) Also, drinking water with your meals is something that helps too

RaggedyPond

Exercise more and you can eat more.

I've read on here that there's no point in even doing that because it makes exercising pointless if you're just gunna eat back your calories.

Well if you are hungry and want to eat more but still lose weight you need exercise. So looks like it isn't pointless.

iron_jj

'it just seems like not enough'

Because it isn't. Solution? Eat more. Really, is it that hard?

lcyama

everyone is going to tell you to raise your calorie goal to something above 1200 -- to make it your TDEE - 20%.

i am 4'11" and 50 years old, so my TDEE-20% is 1289. it IS hard to meet. i try to choose nutrient-dense foods, but whenever i eat junk or restaurant fare i go over calories. if i exercise more, i can eat more, but i tend to also be hungrier, too.

if you can get past those cravings for a week or two, you might find you're not as hungry all the time. oh, you can also try drinking a lot of water to fill you up.

xoTalim

What foods are you eating? You could swap some of them for less calorie dense foods that you can eat more of? A lot of vegetables have barely any calories so you could eat quite a bit of it compared to some foods. You could eat a whole lot of cucumber instead of a tub of yoghurt (even low fat!) Also, drinking water with your meals is something that helps too

I've been going out a lot lately with family or whatever for dinners and stuff so it's been hard to stay under. And I've had the last 2 days off work so I've been at home and bored so I've just been snacking a lot.

Cindyinpg

Exercise more and you can eat more.

I've read on here that there's no point in even doing that because it makes exercising pointless if you're just gunna eat back your calories.

Well if you are hungry and want to eat more but still lose weight you need exercise. So looks like it isn't pointless.

Also, exercise improves your overall fitness, so it is never pointless. I burn about 800 extra calories a day and enjoy every one.:drinker:

TMLPatrick

Definitely exercise... it's the only way to stay sane. It is also the only way you're going to get your body to look the way you want, regardless of weight.

GiGiBeans

Has anything changed? Activity level? Stress? What you are eating? Sleep patterns? All those things can effect hunger.

I upped my cals as I lost weight because I was working out harder and longer. So what if it took me a few months longer to lose weight that way? Beats being so hungry ya binge.

xoTalim

Has anything changed? Activity level? Stress? What you are eating? Sleep patterns? All those things can effect hunger.

I upped my cals as I lost weight because I was working out harder and longer. So what if it took me a few months longer to lose weight that way? Beats being so hungry ya binge.

Activity level. I'm a waitress so I'm always on my feet and being active at work and burning calories that I can eat some back of. But I've had the past 2 days off so I've been way less active and getting back into my couch potato days. I go back to work tomorrow though so hopefully I can get back into my routine.

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Snow3y

don't use MFP to estimate your food allowance, it's retarded.

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Mongognom

You exercise to build muscle, so that you burn more calories and to build muscles you need to eat.