Stories of how you convince yourself to eat in moderation?

Mitzigan94

First off. mine was. I bouggt some fitness diet books. The first book I bought says you have to burn 3500 calories to lose a pound. It also calculates bmr. But then, I went on google and typed how to count calorie, then I saw mfp. But it took a month before I finally used the account I registered on mfp.(that's coz too lazy to learn the tool.) I only learned how to use mfp through my android fone. Then I also research calorie burned per hour jus sitting around.. blah blah.. Sorry for the rant

anyway what about u guys? how did u finally started eating in moderation?

Mitzigan94

sorry for d wrong spellings. Im on mobile.

rainbow198

I don't have a story, but I first started by weighing my food. I had no idea what a true portion size looked like.

Then I bought smaller plates to help trick my mind to think I was eating more since there was so much extra space on my old plates.

Slowly my stomach adjusted and got used to eating less, but it did not happen overnight.

chellycakes

I usually think that if I save some of my meal, I can have it for later. I like restaurant dining so I can have dinner, and lunch for the next day. If I buy a package of cookies, I think I can enjoy it for a longer period of time rather than all at once. But sometimes I can't have things in the house, like the Keebler stripe cookies... Those things may last three days if I am lucky. I like separating things like goldfish into zip locks so I can easily have a portion whenever I feel like it.
To be completely honest, it is all about learning about yourself and what you can and can't do.

Lizzy622

I just started logging what I ate which I thought was really healthy. I quickly realized my portions were huge. I am finally eating "normal" portions. I t took a bit of trial and error and lots of measuring.

Poofy_Goodness

I look down and squeeze my belly fat. Then I think about how I want it to go away. Then I eat in moderation.

jbee27

A few things I do to keep myself from overeating:

I make my lunches for the week on Sunday, and pre-enter them here on MFP. (Not as tempted to go out to eat with coworkers.)

I preportion snacks with the calories written on the baggies to keep at work.

Everytime I want a snack I make myself go into another room, and drink large glass of water first. If I remember that I want the snack after I'm done with the water, I can have it. This helps to cut down on boredom eating.

Keep a few dinners on hand in the freezer at home (soup, chili, etc), so if I'm rushed for time in the evening I'm less likely to order-in or get fast food.

cwolfman13

I just started logging what I typically ate day to day. I've always eaten pretty good and enjoyed cooking with fresh ingredients...but I ate a lot of food and often went back for 2nds and 3rds. I also ate out more than I realized. Once I saw it on paper I just dialed it down to a level that I was comfortable with and a level that was healthy. It wasn't really a big deal...it was more about learning what a portion of whatever is and making sure I kept them under control.

I rarely allow myself 2nds and don't eat out nearly as much as I used to and I eat a lot more veggies and leaner proteins than I used to. I still consume a lot of volume....just a lot less calories.

seltzermint555

Just joining MFP worked for me.

I dunno, maybe I am weirdly rule-oriented or something but I act like going over my calories is an infraction of the freakin' LAW. I've been on this site for about 10 months now and for the first 6 months I only went over like two times! haha Now I go over by 50-100 calories a couple of times a month, and maybe like 300-400 on Christmas or another very special occasion.

As for being hungry, that has not really been an issue for me. I started at 262 lb so I did have a pretty big calorie allowance then. But now I have only 1,320 daily (before adding any exercise, and some days I don't exercise). Different things work for different people but I prefer to snack rarely and eat 3 meals per day, generally at 7 am, 11:30 am, and 5:30 pm. Obviously it can vary from day to day but that's basically how I eat.

seltzermint555

ahh just wanted to add a bit more...

MFP has made me so much more aware of which foods are culprits for going over on calories, sodium, etc.

For example, in the past when I made quesadillas at home, I would eat at least 4 (often 6) small tortillas and be sparing with my fillings of cheese and/or veggies. Now I have 2 of the same small tortillas but cram those FULL of veggies and even a bit more cheese than I used to use. It was weird the first couple of times, I felt like I was making them wrong. But now I'm used to it and actually prefer them that way, saving myself hundreds of calories on the meal. Just one example.