I am over-shooting calorie intake everyday

MyJourney1960

definitely portion sizes! if you look on Tuesday - you had in one meal:
a whole cup of oats (that's a LOT), 350 cals worth of Pani Puri (which i 'm not sure what that is but i think some kind of fried dough?), and two slices of low cal bread. so that is a lot of calories and a lot of carbs, all in one meal.

Try adding more salads and vegetables and protein to round out your meals.

maanders

Weigh everything and start logging accurately, stop guessing so much.

Also, a quick glance looks like you're high on carbs and low on protein. Try incorporating more protein into your diet. It will help keep you from feeling so hungry, as well as help maintain lean body mass while on a caloric deficit.

^^THIS!! Exactly what I was going to say!

nikibean123

I give you a starting place, 1000 calories for lunch is very high. 700 cals for dinner seems more normal but I would find an alternative for lunch. Even healthy ready meals and soup can be under 400 if you don't have a lot of time.

mschf3

Way way way too many carbs. Things to think about:

Calorie in - calorie out doesn't work. You need to check in on calories, but knowing your macronutrient ratios is far more important.

Sugar. You're eating a ton of it. Anything fat-free is probably too high in added sugars. Ditch salad dressings and make your own with real ingredients like olive oil, full-fat yogurt, avocado, etc. Sometimes I only drizzle olive oil on my salad and it's perfect.

You can't outrun a bad diet.

In a nutshell, stop eating premade, processed foods, get your carbs from veggies and fruit, and start cooking your own food. Cook your food in real oils like coconut oil and olive oil. And butter! Don't sweat the fat, worry about the sugar.

A good resource - a friend of mine is a vegan and she has a nice little blog at freeheelvegan dot com (I think it's dot com). Good recipes.

MorgueBabe

Yeah could try eating maybe Chana Saag, or Bagara Baingan, Baingan Bharta or some sort of vegetable vindaloo? Those are healthy less carby Indian foods that are vegetarian.

Sarahndipity30

Don't rely on whats in the MFP database. Alot of times it can be way off. When you make homemade foods, use the recipe builder, divide into smaller portions/servings. WEIGH. buy a food scale and weigh your food. portion control is the kicker it looks like. ultimately eating whatever you want as long as you are under your calories isnt what is going to help you..you have to learn some self-control and learn to pre-plan and make healthier choices. Alot of people cut out things they love for awhile just to get on track. then slowly incorporate them in. its a process. Also your weight will fluctuate DAILY. water weight, sodium intake, medications etc all effect your weight. pick one day a week to log your weigh ins. if weighing everyday helps keep you motivated do it, but only log once a week on the same day in the same situation (early morning, after you go to the bathroom etc) .

Most importantly don't give up. no one jump sinto this knowing exactly what to do, and exactly what is going to work for them. it is all trial and error. You have to find what works for you and your body. Dont giv eup and just keep trying everyday.

Sarahndipity30

oops double post

jonnythan

Way way way too many carbs. Things to think about:

Calorie in - calorie out doesn't work. You need to check in on calories, but knowing your macronutrient ratios is far more important.

Sugar. You're eating a ton of it. Anything fat-free is probably too high in added sugars. Ditch salad dressings and make your own with real ingredients like olive oil, full-fat yogurt, avocado, etc. Sometimes I only drizzle olive oil on my salad and it's perfect.

You can't outrun a bad diet.

In a nutshell, stop eating premade, processed foods, get your carbs from veggies and fruit, and start cooking your own food. Cook your food in real oils like coconut oil and olive oil. And butter! Don't sweat the fat, worry about the sugar.

A good resource - a friend of mine is a vegan and she has a nice little blog at freeheelvegan dot com (I think it's dot com). Good recipes.

This is not good information. Calories in - calories out does work, and it's literally all that matters for weight loss. Your first order of business needs to be controlling calorie intake, because that's the single most critical factor. Protein and fat intake are important for lean mass and hormone and neuron function. Vegetable intake is important for overall health. Everything else is really a matter of satiety and preference.

empresskelly68

I wish the tracker would accept manual entries for the goal weight because I find what it assigns based on age/activity level is too restrictive. 1200 calories is almost impossible to hit for me, I can do 1300 and still lose weight. I try eat stuff with a lot of bulk to fill up my stomach and keep the hunger away, I pre-plan my meals and have nothing in my kitchen that's too tempting because I'm a junk food lover. And the biggest diet buster is restaurant and fast food...

jonnythan

I wish the tracker would accept manual entries for the goal weight because I find what it assigns based on age/activity level is too restrictive. 1200 calories is almost impossible to hit for me, I can do 1300 and still lose weight. I try eat stuff with a lot of bulk to fill up my stomach and keep the hunger away, I pre-plan my meals and have nothing in my kitchen that's too tempting because I'm a junk food lover. And the biggest diet buster is restaurant and fast food...

You can custom set all your goals.

TripleJ3

Definitely start slow. Just like everyone else said, work on adding more protein and less carbs.
Start with a smaller portion, maybe 3/4 your normal and try to leave a bite or two behind.
I struggle with eating when not hungry. Usually just because I seen or heard something and just want to eat. I have been reminding myself, but are you actually hungry? I love veggies and can over eat on those but I'll say to myself, if you are hungry have some carrots or cauliflower. If I turn my nose at that then I know I'm not actually hungry.
Definitely weigh your food and have a plan for the day. Set a goal for the week, this week more protein, less carbs and slightly smaller portion. Give yourself time and grace. You will slip. You will probably slip occasionally the rest of your life. What you do after that is what counts. Forgive yourself.
I finish my meals with unsweetened tea. I still tend to eat too fast and the tea helps me feel more satisfied. If I think I'm kinda hungry or just want something I try more hot tea. Usually that will buy me time and distract me. If I really am hungry then I will eat something.

mschf3

Not true. If calorie count was the only thing, you could eat 1200 calories worth Snickers bars a day and lose weight and stay healthy. Calories are IMPORTANT because you need them to stay active and rebuild, and if you eat a LOT more than you should you'll gain weight. However, WHAT the calories are is far more important. It's not black and white, but if you think about it, it's common sense.

MorgueBabe

Not true. If calorie count was the only thing, you could eat 1200 calories worth Snickers bars a day and lose weight and stay healthy.

Losing weight and staying healthy (i.e building muscles?) aren't the same thing. Calories are the only thing that counts.
I don't eat "junk food" (candy, cake, cookies, chips etc), I eat nothing fried, I don't eat meat, or cheese or "unhealthy" foods. I eat pretty clean and tons of vegetables. Guess what I'm overweight. Calories are the only thing that matters.

jonnythan

Not true. If calorie count was the only thing, you could eat 1200 calories worth Snickers bars a day and lose weight and stay healthy. Calories are IMPORTANT because you need them to stay active and rebuild, and if you eat a LOT more than you should you'll gain weight. However, WHAT the calories are is far more important. It's not black and white, but if you think about it, it's common sense.

You can lose weight eating 1200 calories of Snickers bars, but you won't be healthy because such a diet will have a poor macronutrient breakdown and be severely lacking in fiber, protein, and micronutrients.

But you will lose weight eating 1200 calories of Snickers a day.

mschf3

She won't. Maybe you would, but she is overeating and eating too many carbs. A banana and a cookie is a terrible breakfast. A banana and a couple eggs would be much better. Or a banana with almond butter. Or an omelet.

OP - feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I really hope you find a workable solution and feel better soon!

jonnythan

She won't. Maybe you would, but she is overeating and eating too many carbs. A banana and a cookie is a terrible breakfast. A banana and a couple eggs would be much better. Or a banana with almond butter. Or an omelet.

OP - feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I really hope you find a workable solution and feel better soon!

The overeating part is certainly true. That's the big problem.

There's nothing inherently wrong with a banana and a cookie for breakfast. I've done that before myself. She should certainly get some more protein and fat, but macro breakdown has nothing to do with weight loss or gain.

Foodiethinking

You seem to have a small dinner.. dinner is my biggest meal because at night is when I'm more likely to fancy something else to eat. I'd suggest drinking plenty of water and bulking out your dishes with vegetables. Eat your normal food with vegetables on the side. Someone mentioned cooking more from scratch and I have to agree, you know exactly what's in your food- invest in a good cookbook or get some family recipes and substitute some ingredients where you can. I never cook in fat unless absolutely necessary, often a non-stick or 'seasoned' pan will do wonders.

Maybe a bit more moving around and exercise too, it was a bit of a struggle and a huff but I always take the stairs now instead of a lift which is four flights of stairs at least twice a day.

Good Luck though!!

steffipaulina

From what I can see you need to work on portion control and controlling what you need from what you want.

Ex. 1000 calorie lunches are way too much. And unless you are running a marathon you don't need to eat 2 cups of brown rice in a meal. - IF you were looking to 'bulk' i.e gain weight this would be a great way to do it.

When I was in college I thought that I could eat whatever I wanted and be slimmer so I would have 2 oatmeals for breakfast, 1 cup of rice with 1 cup of chickpeas for lunch and whatever else i could force myself to eat for supper. Sure, I was never hungry and I was eating 'healthy' but for my petite frame I did balloon up in weight. Then finally I just started to eat smaller portions, and started running more and I was back to my slim self.

Obviously this all takes time to get your body adjusted to eating smaller portions. I would recommend eating just smaller amounts and trying not to snack as much. Filling your time with other things? Find something else you're interested in so you're not thinking about food as much?

Good luck

FatSlowTriathlete

Johnnythan, adding to the myth of "calorie in vs calorie out" does not help anyone. It does not work, so the post you quoted was right on target. This old way of thinking and blief is part of people problems. It is NOT the amount of calories you eat ... it is the quality. Case in point, I ate a calorie deficit last week of -7500, so by your thinking I should have lost a little over 2 pounds. I gained weight. Please educate yourself, read new studies (plenty out there), try the books "Fat Chance", or "The Calorie Myth", or even "Fitness Confidential". Weight is lost in the KITCHEN not the GYM. Eat REAL food. If it has an ingreiants list do NOT eat it.

This thinking is what keeps Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig in business, and people flocking to the TV to watch the Biggest Loser and then wonder why they can't lose weight. A Calorie is not a calorie. 300 calories of spinach is not the same as 300 calories of a Snickers bar.

The amount of misleading iinformation on this thread is astounding.

FatSlowTriathlete

So wrong it's almost comical. Try opening a book written after the year 2000. The calorie myth still pervades everyones mind.