HELP: eat all my allowed calories before 2pm

typicallyjazzy

Ok so I love to eat as does everyone else on the planet but this is more of an issue for me because once I start eating and the food is good I cannot stop...I can't have one thing, I have to have a side too. It's weird.

I'll have a 250 cal sausage biscuit and that won't be enough. I have to have 2 granola bars immediately after. Not that I'm hungry, I just want to eat. So I sort of binge about 500 calories at 9am, then by 12 I eat 400 more and at 2 I've pretty much consumed 1360 calories (my limit). I work out at night, daily doing at least 35 minutes of low intensity cardio or walking for an hour on the treadmill. I don't eat anything else until the next morning. By now i don't even get hungry in the evening. But find it soo difficult to wait to even 5:00 to eat dinner. Matter of fact I have 2 meals a day, breakfast and lunch. I eat A LOT of snacks in between: poptarts, granola bars, cupcakes, peanut butter crackers, baked chips... I crave those more than actual meals.

Yesterday for "breakfast" I had a bag of baked cheetos and a granola bar. For lunch I went crazy on a grilled cheese sandwich, a small amount of fries, 3 peanut butter cookies and a little over a cup of macaroni and cheese. Then I was pretty much done for the day. I felt I had gone over and according to MFP I had, even though I sort of guessed the calories in the Mac and cheese and the fries (when I don't know how many calories something has I estimate and sort of go towards the higher end as far as calories) So I walked at 2.0 for 60 minutes and got on the treadmill for 60 minutes at 3.5 mph. Last night I didn't feel too hungry but when I woke up my stomach was growling like crazy. Usually when I eat all my alloted calories before 5 I'm never that hungry in the morning but today it felt as if I hadn't eaten anything.

How can I stop doing this? Do you think maybe I underestimated my calorie burn and intake yesterday since I am starving more than usual this morning?

ETA: I'm about 120-121 pounds, 5'3 and my goal is 119 right now. I'm losing at half a pound a week then I'll start maintaining.

randomtai

Eat more protein and fiber. Will keep you full longer.

roniredd

Figure out a more satisying breakfast ... and if you are going to binge, choose healthier options (e.g., fruit, veggies, etc).

cebreisch

Eat more protein and fiber. Will keep you full longer.

^ DEFINITELY THIS!!! and drink lots of water.

Check out Chocolite protein bars at www.healthsmartfoods.com That's how I boost my fiber intake, and they're awesome.

rrsuthy

How much water are you drinking? Perhaps, instead of the granola bar after the sausage biscuit, you could drink 2 full glasses of water. Wait 15 minutes and then ask yourself if you are hungry. If not, don't eat. If you are switch out the granola bar for a greek yogurt or Fiber One bar or small amount of oatmeal so you get full and stay full.

susannamarie

1) Eat more protein.
2) Eat foods with more volume when you have the munchies. This is generally going to include more fiber and water content.
3) Drink water first when you have the urge to eat something and it's not 'time'.

SonicDeathMonkey80

Now I'm craving Cheetos, thanks!

_Zardoz_

ETA: I'm about 120-121 pounds, 5'3 and my goal is 119 right now.

Your body can vary up to 5 pounds in a day. So what time of day will you decide you actually weigh 119 pounds? Put your calorie allowance up to a maintenance level do some exercise and eat some proper food. A bag of cheetos and a granola bar is not a breakfast. Stop with this obsession over a number if your after a look find some exercises that will give you the look you want but overall eat some real food. Not high calorie snacks that don't fill anyone up

typicallyjazzy

I recently replaced my "water only for the last 6 months" with diet sodas. I'm addicted. I started drinking them 2 weeks ago and barely drink any water now . Gotta fix that somehow

kr1stadee

Empty calories.

Add some protein into your morning. The 2 granola bar this is an issue of control. If you eat foods that will fill you (protein, fibre, fruit/veggies) and drink water, you should stay fuller for a longer period of time.

If you can't hold back on the granola bars, then don't buy them. Some people have their foods that one just won't do.

Calliope610

I agree with my friend Randomtia, eat more protein.

For me, eating a breakfast of cottage cheese and fruit gives me a great headstart on my protein, is a substantial meal and really helps the rest of the day run smoothly.

Some of my more knowledgable and experienced friends suggest setting a good protein goal (some say .8gr per 1lb LBM) and focus on hitting that. By focusing on getting enough protein, the rest on your macros are kinda "forced" into staying in line. When you make a food choice based on getting enough protein, by default you are eating less carbs, plus you get a healthy amount of fat.

jstout365

You are eating a lot of calorie dense foods. Just a little and you will hit your mark. Try making the switch to more whole food options and eating more protein and fiber like randomtai suggested. If you are a habitual snacker and find that it is more a mental thing than true hunger, pick better snack options. Instead of two granola bars, get a thing of greek yogurt and sprinkle some granola on top. Instead of cookies, have a kind bar or other protein rich snack bar (I like kind bars and Clif Builder bars -- the crunchy Peanut butter one is my fav). Eat more fruit and veggies. Drink water or tea to keep your stomach with something in it.

kellyr730

I do the exact same thing. It is so frustrating. I don't snack and binge because I'm hungry at all - I have a good bowl of oatmeal just about every morning that is very satisfying and fills me up but I still just WANT to eat! Then I either have to go to the gym and burn 300-500 calories just to be able to have anything else to eat before I go to bed (usually at midnight) because I know my willpower won't last between noon and midnight to not eat anything. It's to the point where I can never even have dinner with my kids at night because I don't have any calories left and that's what I hate. I have tried eating protein for breakfast too - it doesn't matter what I eat I still just want to eat. I don't know how to avoid the cravings. I figure when it warms up outside maybe I can go for a walk when the urge hits or something but right now I'm stuck inside because it's 10 degrees out. I'm managing to keep my weight off but I hate fighting this every day too.

sillyvalentine

You can stop. You choose not to. You either want this or you don't. Make the choice and stick to it like you stuck to overeating in the past. Stop eating sugar and salt. They make you crave more food. It's 100% willpower. If you don't have, this will never work.

NancyL1221

My friend you have a sugar addiction. Yes all of those processed carbs turn into sugar in your blood stream. Plus they are filled with chemicals that keep you hungry and make you want to eat more and more. The solution is to cut out the junk and eat REAL food. Not something that was made in a factory. Food is grown in the ground or raised on a farm. Vegetables are very low in calories so you can eat them all day and not use up your allotment so quickly. Have a couple of eggs for breakfast with a side of fruit and it will sustain you longer than your cheetos. Have a salad or a wrap for lunch with some chicken and veggies. Have fish or a small piece of steak for dinner with vegetables on the side. Do that for a couple of days and see if you are still hungry all of the time.

typicallyjazzy

ETA: I'm about 120-121 pounds, 5'3 and my goal is 119 right now.

Your body can vary up to 5 pounds in a day. So what time of day will you decide you actually weigh 119 pounds? Put your calorie allowance up to a maintenance level do some exercise and eat some proper food. A bag of cheetos and a granola bar is not a breakfast. Stop with this obsession over a number if your after a look find some exercises that will give you the look you want but overall eat some real food. Not high calorie snacks that don't fill anyone up

My scale at home says I'm 118.5 (I got in 2 months ago) when I weigh myself first thing in the morning but I don't believe it because whenever I go to the drs. and get weighed, I'm a pound heavier. Yes, technically that would make me 119.5, my goal, but for some reason I just believe it. I go up to 121 in the afternoons, so how do I know what's real? Maybe it's my fear of maintaining? It's like I just want more, my goal was 120 but I always change it when I get closer to it.

Azchange

Take a peek at my diary. It may not be OPTIMAL, and I may even be harassed, but the main point I'm trying to make is every day at 5 am I make my own breakfast, and since I have it well balanced with enough calories, I actually have to force myself to eat at work (See snack 1 and lunch). Snack 2 is my preworkout meal generally. Dinner is post workout (6pm ish) and my before bed is where I "splurge" the rest of my calories generally.

Always always make sure you have adequate fat, fiber, and protein with each meal or you WILL get hungry. Also, do not wait for yourself to feel hungry, snack to keep content. Skipping food from 2pm until the next morning is of course going to prompt you to overeat in the AM.

Andrew

noramalone1635

You definitely need to switch away from the processed foods onto a more whole foods diet. The processed foods cause huge blood sugar swings which leave you feeling like you need to eat more and more and more. The first few days of dropping the processed foods will probably make you feel pretty terrible, but the cravings will pass fairly quickly and so will your desire to eat all the time. Your body is craving nutrients that it isn't getting with your current foods, so it keeps triggering you to eat - hoping it will get the foods it needs.

Part of your problem could also be habit - similar to people who bite their nails. You indicated you don't feel hungry, just that you need to eat. In this case, instead of reaching for the poptarts try drinking a large glass of water and doing something active to distract you. Most cravings will pass within 10-15 minutes if you ignore them. You can also try to figure out if you're really hungry or just bored (or whatever). When you get the urge to reach for a granola bar or a poptart, ask yourself "Am I hungry enough to eat an apple?" If the answer is "no" then walk away from the food. If the answer is "yes" then eat an apple.

typicallyjazzy

I do the exact same thing. It is so frustrating. I don't snack and binge because I'm hungry at all - I have a good bowl of oatmeal just about every morning that is very satisfying and fills me up but I still just WANT to eat! Then I either have to go to the gym and burn 300-500 calories just to be able to have anything else to eat before I go to bed (usually at midnight) because I know my willpower won't last between noon and midnight to not eat anything. It's to the point where I can never even have dinner with my kids at night because I don't have any calories left and that's what I hate. I have tried eating protein for breakfast too - it doesn't matter what I eat I still just want to eat. I don't know how to avoid the cravings. I figure when it warms up outside maybe I can go for a walk when the urge hits or something but right now I'm stuck inside because it's 10 degrees out. I'm managing to keep my weight off but I hate fighting this every day too.

It's frustrating. I too can never have dinner with my family normally. I always skip it and tell them im full already. It can be 4pm and I have to either go over my calories or skip meals. My family is starting to worry because I "never eat" but the thing is, I eat too much too quickly.

darrenj12

You need to figure out what triggers your eating, my weakness is portions or availability. If I but a large packet of chocolate I WILL eat it all in one sitting, If I buy a tub of ice cream I will eat it in about 3 days.

For me, I need to plan the meals in advance and buy the right foods at the supermarket stage. I allow for one cake treat a week and one pizza week, then I try to make very low cal/fat meals during the weak, like Salmon and rice or chicken in sauce etc.

geebusuk

This is one of the reasons I don't eat early and stick to a 1pm-9pm 'eating window'.

I also limit the tempting foods I have lying around.

On my lower calorie days one thing I often do is make a salad with plenty of lettuce and tomato with some lean protein (I also add some light Caesar dressing or similar - about 40cals worth). Not many calories from salad and dressing, but still fairly filling.

I only buy cakes/sweets and the like if I know they fit in to my calorie goals for that day. (Yesterday's post-run evening meal was a whole icecream roll and a whole small budget swiss roll.)

A big part of it is habit, too.
If you can, I'd try and set yourself a target to absolutely stick to for 28 days. 4 x 7 day weeks isn't THAT hard.
If you're not happy with it after then, it's unlikely to be sustainable. But most people actually 'develop the habit' quicker than that.

echofm1

ETA: I'm about 120-121 pounds, 5'3 and my goal is 119 right now.

Your body can vary up to 5 pounds in a day. So what time of day will you decide you actually weigh 119 pounds? Put your calorie allowance up to a maintenance level do some exercise and eat some proper food. A bag of cheetos and a granola bar is not a breakfast. Stop with this obsession over a number if your after a look find some exercises that will give you the look you want but overall eat some real food. Not high calorie snacks that don't fill anyone up

My scale at home says I'm 118.5 (I got in 2 months ago) when I weigh myself first thing in the morning but I don't believe it because whenever I go to the drs. and get weighed, I'm a pound heavier. Yes, technically that would make me 119.5, my goal, but for some reason I just believe it. I go up to 121 in the afternoons, so how do I know what's real? Maybe it's my fear of maintaining? It's like I just want more, my goal was 120 but I always change it when I get closer to it.

You know what that pound is? Breakfast. Poop. Clothes. That pound could literally be anything. You need to stop stressing about such a small variance in your weight because, as the poster said, your weight can vary by as much as 5 pounds in a day depending on the amount of water you drink, how much food is still in your stomach, etc. Go to maintenance. If you want to tone your body to get more muscle definition, do so. But do that at maintenance because you're not going to build muscle on a deficit.

Also, since you seem to exercise regularly, have you considered doing the TDEE method? This method splits up calories burned during exercise, so that they're on every day automatically rather than added in later. Then you don't add in exercise calories. It might help you to be able to eat more food.

crissygm

Well, speaking from experience, the more carbs I eat, the hungrier I get. I've recently started eating more protein and less carbs and I am not nearly as hungry any more. Also, veggies. Filling and low calorie.

ericarenee2005

It's sounds more like a comfort or anxiety than real hunger. I think a good solution would be just to pause for a few minutes and ask yourself what's most important to you. If you just pause for a few minutes between eating extra and relax your mind and focus on your goal and the benefits you will get from it, it might help a lot. I've personally had the same kind of problem. I have extreme fibromyalgia and have gained a lot of weight from it because of the same thing. It causes bad anxiety so I eat or I eat to forget the pain. I think the biggest thing is just asking yourself why you 'really' want to eat it. If it's just programmed in you to do then take small steps towards not eating more, say eat something like an apple if you want more or only eat a little bit extra. It takes a while to break a habit. That's what your food log is for though so you can see your weak spots and work towards them. Just don't overwhelm yourself. Best of luck!

beachlover317

Eat more protein and fiber. Will keep you full longer.

This.

However, after reading your later comments, it seems like the problem is in your self control. That's a hard lesson to learn, but is vital to losing weight. It's up to you. Only you can put the food in your mouth. Only you can stop yourself.

It's taken me 20 months to unlearn years of eating for the wrong reasons. Good luck. It's not easy - but you can do it.

SimplyMicheleR

You know diet sodas ARE addictive, and so bad for you in too many ways to count! Just stop them!

QuietBloom

My friend you have a sugar addiction. Yes all of those processed carbs turn into sugar in your blood stream. Plus they are filled with chemicals that keep you hungry and make you want to eat more and more. The solution is to cut out the junk and eat REAL food. Not something that was made in a factory. Food is grown in the ground or raised on a farm. Vegetables are very low in calories so you can eat them all day and not use up your allotment so quickly. Have a couple of eggs for breakfast with a side of fruit and it will sustain you longer than your cheetos. Have a salad or a wrap for lunch with some chicken and veggies. Have fish or a small piece of steak for dinner with vegetables on the side. Do that for a couple of days and see if you are still hungry all of the time.

So does any carb, processed or not. Our bodies run on sugar (glucose to be exact) so if we didn't break things down into sugars to run on, we would be dead pretty quick. There are no 'chemical' additives to foods that I am aware of that cause you to crave more. All that happens is she is eating a carb heavy breakfast with no protein or fats to satiate her. Thus she feels hungry within a short time of eating.

QuietBloom

You know diet sodas ARE addictive, and so bad for you in too many ways to count! Just stop them!

Not true, sorry. Why would you think this?

lamps1303

ETA: I'm about 120-121 pounds, 5'3 and my goal is 119 right now.

Your body can vary up to 5 pounds in a day. So what time of day will you decide you actually weigh 119 pounds? Put your calorie allowance up to a maintenance level do some exercise and eat some proper food. A bag of cheetos and a granola bar is not a breakfast. Stop with this obsession over a number if your after a look find some exercises that will give you the look you want but overall eat some real food. Not high calorie snacks that don't fill anyone up

My scale at home says I'm 118.5 (I got in 2 months ago) when I weigh myself first thing in the morning but I don't believe it because whenever I go to the drs. and get weighed, I'm a pound heavier. Yes, technically that would make me 119.5, my goal, but for some reason I just believe it. I go up to 121 in the afternoons, so how do I know what's real? Maybe it's my fear of maintaining? It's like I just want more, my goal was 120 but I always change it when I get closer to it.

Your weight constantly fluctuates due to a number of uncontrollable factors, such as water. You need to weigh yourself at the same time each week and use the same scales. If you weigh yourself one morning before you eat, then in the afternoon of course the number on the scale will change. You are 5'3 and weigh 118-121lbs based on what you've said. Even if you do weigh 121lbs that is by no means overweight so stop stressing

helpfit101

Right stay away from granola bars and the like. Why don't you try oatmeal and eggs? If you still get too high on the calories do egg whites.

Such as:
oatmeal + 1 egg + 3 egg whites

KatharineHaydar

1) Eat more protein.
2) Eat foods with more volume when you have the munchies. This is generally going to include more fiber and water content.
3) Drink water first when you have the urge to eat something and it's not 'time'.

I'd say eat more protein, but the foods that are going to give you the most bang for your buck are vegetables and the occasional fruits. If you're not into fruits/veggies, have you tried smoothies or juicing? That can help ease you into eating your veggies. Many of the foods you've listed are junk food. If you're wanting to eat well and lose weight, you will need to change your diet completely. It's going to be awful for about a month, but then you will find that the foods you were eating before just make you tired (and more hungry). Also, I drink about 100 oz of water per day. I try to drink at least 8 oz of water 30 mins before every meal.