Advice needed- how do you stick to your calorie goal ?

joan23_us

Just checked your diar... first how is it that you are only set to hit 64 grams of protein a day, you were able to hit 117 grams of protein that day which in my opinion is still a good number for protein intake just assuming that your lean muscle mass is 117 lbs as well, i dont know your stats but it seems to me that those numbers at 1700 calories are decent. Maybe you are calculating your intake very low.

charliejenny

Ah thank myfoodgod xx yes your kinda right, I'm terribly happy and fullfilles in life but yes boredom is an emotion I suppose lol

In all fairness I'm from a family of giants...both parents and both sisters over 6foot so I be always been around people who can eat a lot more...and large portion sizes. I think habit changing is more crucial for me. I'm certainly winning the weight battle, but can honestly say there has never been a time in my life when I'm not hungry

I think I'm what they call....a pig ???????? (:

gigglesinthesun

Ah thank myfoodgod xx yes your kinda right, I'm terribly happy and fullfilles in life but yes boredom is an emotion I suppose lol

In all fairness I'm from a family of giants...both parents and both sisters over 6foot so I be always been around people who can eat a lot more...and large portion sizes. I think habit changing is more crucial for me. I'm certainly winning the weight battle, but can honestly say there has never been a time in my life when I'm not hungry

I think I'm what they call....a pig ???????? (:

I can eat a lot in one go too so don't feel too bad. Some people are volume eaters. I try to make sure it's a 3lbs salad nowadays

DeliriumCanBeFun

Mine is set at 1430, and my diary is open.

MizTerry

MyFoodGod

Ah thank myfoodgod xx yes your kinda right, I'm terribly happy and fullfilles in life but yes boredom is an emotion I suppose lol

In all fairness I'm from a family of giants...both parents and both sisters over 6foot so I be always been around people who can eat a lot more...and large portion sizes. I think habit changing is more crucial for me. I'm certainly winning the weight battle, but can honestly say there has never been a time in my life when I'm not hungry

I think I'm what they call....a pig ???????? (:

I would not call you a pig.

I'm learning to recognize that tug that I want to interpret as "eat" but is most likely bored, frustration, celebration, stress etc. I find at 9:30 at night I often want to think I'm hungry but if I don't get a snack amazingly I wake up in the morning just fine and I am not starving and maybe not hungry either. On weekends I may not eat until I've been up a few hours.

One trick that has worked is to grab a pen and paper and write what I'm feeling. "I want to eat because I'm feeling....." It's surprising what lands on the paper. Any scrap if paper will do or write electronically. There's something tactile to me about handwriting my feelings.

_Zardoz_

Hello

Just looking for some advice really on sticking to my goal of 1350-1400 calories a day. I know if I'm disciplined and I stick to this I will be successful. I'm accurately logging everything and I find myself at 1700 so often and don't know why it keeps happening. Considering setting my goal to 1,000 as if I go over by. 400 I will be at my goal. I always feel I've done half my calories by like 1 and the rest of the day is such a struggle and calories add up so quickly..:/

Any advice from people who have been here and tips would be great

According to your ticker you only have 14 pound to lose. My guess if you've set too aggressive a goal. You have to accept it will come off slower than those who have a lot more to lose. Set your goals to lose .5 pound a week and it should hopefully give you a more realistic calorie amount you can stick to

ElizabethFuller

I have a goal of 1300 calories a day and I would go over constantly if I didn't exercise. In fact, this is why the MFP system has worked for me when every other diet has crashed and burned, so long as I exercise then I can eat 1500 -1800 calories a day. I've been doing this since June, I have lost about 35lb so far and I really don't feel deprived or as though I'm "on a diet".
I also agree that pre-logging your main meals helps you to plan out your day better, you know for sure how many calories you have spare for snacks.
Just try and stick with it, log everything, weigh dry food, measure wet food and see if you lose weight on the amount of calories that you're eating. If not, then either increase your exercise levels or revise your eating plans.
You can do this! :flowerforyou:

imjolly

I had a hard time at first sticking with 1200 calories, didn't realize how many calories I was actually consuming everyday. I started by cutting things I liked in half. I love cheese so now I only use a half slice instead a whole slice. Bread is a big calorie sucker so I try to either find lower calorie options or only eat one slice or one and half slices. I usually don't drink any calories except my coffee and creamer in the morning and I cut that in half. If I have orange juice I mix it with water. Portion control and sweets was the biggest thing for me but after doing this for several months it is so much easier. I realized eating the garbage accounted for too many calories so now I make better choices. EXERCISE is also key in helping me stay easily in my calorie range plus it encourages me to exercise so I can eat more. : )
Good Luck you can do this and in the long run you'll feel better for it.

charliejenny

Sorry to butt in on someone else's post but can I thank the comments I've had to my post. I think if nothing else it would be am using to write my comments of hunger down...let's see what I come up with...my book begins tomorrow lol

Its nice to know others are hungry to...sometimes I feel a bit embarrassed to admit it xx big up to all the hungry hippos out there lol xx rumbles in my tummy...bring it on!!!

SLLRunner

You're eating a lot snacks. Even though some of them are healthy I get the impression that you are grazing all day long. That's not going to be a good way lose weight.

And unless you are logging as you eat them, it's very easy to forget one. For example if some one brings cookies to work and you pop one into your mouth on the way pass the goodie table.

Grazing will not hurt at all as long as the person stays within their calorie goals. Some people are grazers.

CattOfTheGarage

Things which help me:

>>> Up the veg. You can eat a load of that for very few calories and it's good for you too. Start looking for veg-heavy recipes you like - my fallbacks are veg curry and stews with double or triple veg and half carbs (so half the amount of rice, potatoes, dumplings etc)

>>> More protein. It fills you up. I eat a lot of eggs, they make good breakfast or light lunches when calories are tight, I also like cottage cheese, so that's good for filling snacks.

>>> Watch the carbs. I'm not a low-carb person, but they are where most of my calories come from, so reducing them a bit is an easy way to cut the calorie total of any meal without feeling deprived. Also, too much carbs makes me hungry; white/simple carbs especially (white rice, white bread, sugar) make me nibbly, so I try to limit them a bit. Again, I'm not into low-carb as such, it's just a question of moderation.

>>> Find what fills you up. That can be quite individual. An oatcake will keep me going for hours, but someone else might find that too carby and makes them hungry. We are all different.

>>> Plan. I don't do this all the time, but if I'm having a hungry day and think I might go over, I log my meals in advance so I can see where the problems will come in and find solutions.

>>> Exercise. My net calories are too low for me to comfortably stick to as well (1360) so I try to get some exercise in most days so I can eat a bit more. It's not too hard to earn an extra couple of hundred calories by walking or cycling, and that makes all the difference for me. On days I don't exercise, I nearly always go over.


Don't stress it. It takes time to learn what satisfies you and how to stick within your goal without feeling hungry. It's a process of learning about food and your body, and it can be very rewarding, if frustrating at times. Read up advice and tips, experiment, you'll get there.