HELP: eat all my allowed calories before 2pm

AnexRavensong

Clean eating isn't necessary, but it certainly helps! I eat junk, I eat real food and it works. I am not perfect, some days I am over and some days I don't eat enough.

Thing is, I'm real. I'm not gotta tell you "OMG YOU'RE ONLY EATING CHEMICALS" because water and oxygen are chemicals. So don't get hung up on something like that.

The EASIEST thing you can do first is buy less junk. Just stop. Don't. I know when I have it around it is calling me in the house and eventually I WILL eat it even if only because I don't want to waste food (also bad).

Cheetos for breakfast (I know you put it in quotes) is no good. If you want cheetos you can have a few for lunch with a healthier sandwich. A small amount, on the side as they are intended. That's cool.

Thing is you also have really low calories, so it makes it harder too. Do you really need to lose that ONE stupid pound in one week? As someone else pointed out, what is a pound? It's nothing, it's anything, it's everything... but most of all it is A NUMBER ON A SCALE.

Screw the scale, throw it out or get one that can tell you body fat percentage etc. Useful numbers. Take measurements, pics, look in the mirror. We aren't determined by the number on the scale. A ball of fat can weigh 120lbs, and a sexy lean body can weigh 160 lbs.

You need a sustainable plan if you're ever going to reach your goal and maintain it. Maybe you just need to eat at maintenance as someone else said and let it work itself out (it will).

I'm not knocking clean eating, the plus side of that is being able to eat MORE and stay within your limits, I'm just saying it isn't necessary. However you can't eat ONLY junk and lose weight (well you can, a guy only ate twinkies and did it, but it's not nutritionally ideal). You gotta add some other things in there.

I know carbs are cheaper inexpensive food (I'm currently having problems myself).. and that whole wheat isn't always better sadly (they often have more calories in my experience), but try to start with making small changes. Add a salad to your meals. Find things you LIKE in the salad to make them enjoyable when you eat it. Some people add things like nuts or apples or even mandarin oranges! Lots of ideas. Little steps and don't sweat that last stupid pound.

I'm rambling and all over the place but I hope that somewhere you get the point I'm trying to make XD

didislim

Now I'm craving Cheetos, thanks!

THis LOL I totally agree!

But really, Eating more protein is great advice. I will try this as well. I am usually good all day then so hungry at dinner.

For breafast at 8am, I usually eat Steel cut Oatmeal and one boiled egg. about 250 calories total and keeps me from 8am until 11:30am FULL. When I eat a bagel and egg 290 calories I am already starving by 10:00am

auddii

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

^This.

Zekela

There are two quick fixes: raise your calorie allowance to 2000 for that day or just stop logging after 2pm to keep yourself in the green.

Azchange

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?

Agreed. I drink a can of diet soda every day after work. Gotta have my bubbles. Of course artificial sweeteners aren't the best, but a lot better than 150 calories in a can of coke.

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.

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.

That's exactly what my family says!!! It's irritating because I'm embarrassed and they think that I'm overreacting to how much I've eaten the rest of the day but they just don't understand!

marilandica

1. Don't weigh yourself so often. Even when I was on the strictest calorie deficit, I weighed myself once every other week.
2. Eat less crap. You can eat MORE if you eat LESS calorie dense items. I love me some carbs -- breads, crackers, chips, yada, yada, yada -- and I eat them everyday, but they can't be the majority of what I eat or I can't stay within my calorie limits AND be full. More protein. More fruit and vegetables. Also, when you do need some bread or a cracker or whatever, pick something less calorie dense like whole grain toast rather than a biscuit or bagel.
3. Deal with your food issues. You're not eating because you're hungry, you're eating for other reasons. Work on fixing that. Take a short walk, drink water, do SOMETHING other than pick up a granola bar and put it in your mouth. Maybe find a good counselor to talk about this behavior and constructive coping mechanisms. Ultimately, there's nothing we can tell you to EAT that's going to fix this, you have to find it in yourself to change the behavior.

brianalynnx

Mac & Cheese is 400 calories per cup - eeek!

beachlover317

Mac & Cheese is 400 calories per cup - eeek!

LOL - weigh it and you'll really scream.

GBrady43068

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.

This. A pound is nothing to be stressing over. Make this about your overall health rather than precisely hitting that mark on the scale on a particular day.

PinkyFett

If it's not that you're hungry, just tell yourself no or you won't get to your goal. You have to have control.

typicallyjazzy

You've all been really helpful. Thanks so much. I'm gonna reevaluate a couple things and take into considering what everyone is saying. I'm doing it all wrong but it can be fixed with a little willpower, more protein, throwing out some of the snacks, and not obsessing over my weight.

GBrady43068

Clean eating isn't necessary, but it certainly helps! I eat junk, I eat real food and it works. I am not perfect, some days I am over and some days I don't eat enough.

Thing is, I'm real. I'm not gotta tell you "OMG YOU'RE ONLY EATING CHEMICALS" because water and oxygen are chemicals. So don't get hung up on something like that.

The EASIEST thing you can do first is buy less junk. Just stop. Don't. I know when I have it around it is calling me in the house and eventually I WILL eat it even if only because I don't want to waste food (also bad).

Cheetos for breakfast (I know you put it in quotes) is no good. If you want cheetos you can have a few for lunch with a healthier sandwich. A small amount, on the side as they are intended. That's cool.

Thing is you also have really low calories, so it makes it harder too. Do you really need to lose that ONE stupid pound in one week? As someone else pointed out, what is a pound? It's nothing, it's anything, it's everything... but most of all it is A NUMBER ON A SCALE.

Screw the scale, throw it out or get one that can tell you body fat percentage etc. Useful numbers. Take measurements, pics, look in the mirror. We aren't determined by the number on the scale. A ball of fat can weigh 120lbs, and a sexy lean body can weigh 160 lbs.

You need a sustainable plan if you're ever going to reach your goal and maintain it. Maybe you just need to eat at maintenance as someone else said and let it work itself out (it will).

I'm not knocking clean eating, the plus side of that is being able to eat MORE and stay within your limits, I'm just saying it isn't necessary. However you can't eat ONLY junk and lose weight (well you can, a guy only ate twinkies and did it, but it's not nutritionally ideal). You gotta add some other things in there.

I know carbs are cheaper inexpensive food (I'm currently having problems myself).. and that whole wheat isn't always better sadly (they often have more calories in my experience), but try to start with making small changes. Add a salad to your meals. Find things you LIKE in the salad to make them enjoyable when you eat it. Some people add things like nuts or apples or even mandarin oranges! Lots of ideas. Little steps and don't sweat that last stupid pound.

I'm rambling and all over the place but I hope that somewhere you get the point I'm trying to make XD

+1. Nicely said...

writergeek313

Falling into a pattern of binging and then skipping meals to compensate for it plus the fact that you're obsessing over the scale is a little worrisome. As others have said, you're not making healthy food choices, which is why the food you're eating doesn't fill you up. Have a breakfast filled with protein and fiber, then get away from the food and do something. Don't let yourself keep thinking about food or being tempted to eat more. Keep yourself busy doing other things. It also might be a good idea to try to keep some of the junk food out of the house for now, and I really encourage you to think about meeting with a dietitian to help you figure out some healthier food choices that will keep you satisfied longer.

pinkpolkadots25

Late but adding an opinion in case it's helpful...

That would never keep me full in the morning. Try something with a lot more protein - a can of tuna and 2 eggs, for example. I often get hungry in 2 hours unless I have 40+ g protein OR if I don't work out in the morning. Even some moderate walking for half an hour as soon as I wake up helps keep my appetite in check. (We have similar stats; I'm between 5'5 and 5'6 and maintaining at 125 lbs).

My other advice would be to try distracting yourself in the morning. Don't spend time dwelling on food - keep busy - and see if that helps.

ashleycde

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

I second that. Buy some psyllium husk at any bulk store (Bulk Barn here in Canada carries it, and it's very inexpensive) and take 1-2 tbsp 30 minutes before meals to help feel full longer. It expands in water (a lot, an undrinkable thickness) so I suggest only putting a bit of water and pounding your drink, or, what I do is take each tablespoon dry and then drink a full glass of water. Do make sure you drink a full glass of water after each tbsp so that the fibre can smoothly go through your system.

tuneout

You need to stop buying the crap that you're buying. It's not doing you any favors! If it's not in the house, you won't eat it.

If someone else is buying the food (this was a problem when I was living at home during my summer recess, and my mom had lots of sugary snacks tempting me at all hours of the day) either request that they be hidden where you can't find them (out of sight out of mind!) or set aside a bank of calories where you'll let yourself indulge. Don't eat a row of oreos! I know they're yummy. But eat two and let that be all you'll let yourself have for the day. Track religiously, and add some friends on here that can encourage you

nikkylyn

Get the junk out the house. Crackers chips poptarts arent terrible on moderation but you dont seem to have much selg control so for now stop buying them. Eat real meals, snack on fruits n veggies. I love granola bars as well but I have a one a day limit. The thing with that is you actually havr to stick to your limits....eggs n veggies whole wheat toast breakfast. Will keep you fuller. Once you eat, get out of the kitchen go do something. Exercise, clean something read etc,...try to stay busy.