People claiming to be full in tiny calorie amounts

fatcity66

*Looks at food log* Yep, 2,426 calories for the day. *Looks at ticker* Yup, lost 30 pounds so far and only 6 left to go. Of course, my favorite game right now is how much food can I stuff in my face and still manage to lose weight. It's highly motivational, very challenging and I've found it works quite well for me, its a diet I recommend to everyone :happy: .

Seriously, eating enough so that you feel happy and healthy but still manage to lose weight doesn't make you a little piggy, that's what we call winning. If you have more to lose and can comfortably manage a larger calorie deficit that still remains healthy then go for it, but there's absolutely no reason to be hungry and miserable if you can eat more, be happy, and still meet your goals.

How much do you weigh? How much do you work out? And at what rate are you losing? If you don't mind my asking.

LOL, No I don't mind. I'm 5'8' 166lbs. I've been doing stronglifts 3 days a week since February with some running here and there when I felt like it. Since it's summer and I teach I switched up my routine a bit about a week ago so I'm now lifting 4 days a week for about 30-45 minutes and I started a training program to work towards running a marathon that has me running 4 days a week, 3 runs of about 30-60 minutes and one long run on the weekends 90 minutes and up as the distances get longer.

I use TDEE method so I eat the same amount of calories every day, around 2300 to 2500 and assume I'm getting 3-5 hours a week of moderately intense exercise, but I may actually up that since I'm increasing running time. We'll have to see how that balances with less activity overall because I'm not at work every day now.

My goal is to average around a half pound a week loss.

Thanks! That helps me a lot. I'm 5'9" and about 212 right now and you are very close to my initial goal weight (160 lbs). I've just been struggling a bit lately, losing less than 1 lb/wk, even though I am set to lose 1.5 lbs/wk. I eat about 1650 cal/day and then I workout 30-45 min a day 4-5/wk, alternating the elliptical and circuit strength training. I used to eat those calories back, but since my weight loss has slowed, I try not to do that, or only eat a portion of them. I've tightened down even more on my food tracking, weighing and measuring everything, every time, so hopefully that will help. So far this week I have only seen a loss of .2 lbs.

I'm 5'9" myself and have gone from 215 to high 160s. How long has your weightloss been slowed?

A few weeks, not long. I haven't really plateaued, it's just frustratingly sloooow. Looking at my reports I have only lost about 2.5 lbs in the last month, about 8 lbs over the last 3 months. I'm glad I've lost, but it's definitely a lot less than I was hoping for.

TheVirgoddess

. Some people have small appetites, I get it, but it's kind of a slap in the face to those of us who are trying really hard not to overshoot our numbers.

No it is not a slap in the face to you or the OP or anyone else.

If people are having the opposite issue to you, that doesn't mean any such thing.

In order to count calories and hit 800/1000 cals, you would have to intentionally avoid high calorie items. It just seems like the easiest problem on the planet to solve. It would be like complaining that I'm too rich. :sad:

I'm sorry, that's untrue. I had McDonalds for breakfast and pizza for dinner - I came in just at 1100. I get full very quickly. What else would you suggest I do? I ate about 3 hours ago and I'm still very full feeling. If I tried to eat more right now, I'd end up with a belly ache. I suppose that's preferable than............what?

It's not like complaining that you're rich, it's just an issue that's different from your issue. One issue is not more worthy of support and guidance than the other. They are just different.

What did you eat a mcdonalds? I get at sausage egg and cheese biscuit and an oj and am hitting 600 or 700

Egg McMuffin and a caramel fancy coffee something. The McMuffins are 290, the coffee was 50something (I didn't drink much of it).

Yup! Was thinking along the same lines as likitisplit.

1 sausage egg biscuit 510 calories
1 McMuffin 300 calories

Perhaps you're eating the McMuffin because you actually prefer it. To me it's actually really tasty. However I chose that item when I used to eat it because it was lower in calories than some of the other options. And McDonalds publishes their calorie info on all their items. You'd literally just have to pick the next sandwich over to get 200 extra calories in your day

My husband brought me my breakfast, but yes - it's the only thing I like from McDonalds.

I really tired of feeling guilty and like I've failed, yet again, so I'm gonna go to bed.

A piece of advice. A little self confidence can carry you a long way and you need to stop beating yourself up so much.

Never play the victim.

I'm not playing the victim - I didn't blame my guilt on anyone but myself. I didn't mean for that post to come quite so dramatic - I just HATE the little read "you're eating too few calories". It feels like a bad note from a teacher.

I don't lack self confidence generally speaking - but in terms of weight loss, I suppose I do. I'm two months in, and still learning. There's just so much conflicting info out there and it can be really overwhelming. Baby steps I guess.

Thanks for the pep talk. Appreciated.

If you are feeling berated and belleguered stepping back for a bit to collect yiurself and get some rest might not ne a bad idea though. MFP isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

I think the angst here is directed against those who eat so little and are proud of that rather than seeing it as a problem to address and fix. You hang around the forums long enough and you will see insyanves of "I can't eat enough help!" Posts from posters who actually show no interest in actually eating more and appear to actually be humble-bragging and attention whoring.

That isn't you and I feel sorry that you feel caught in the angst-net that was thrown a little too broadly and non specifically.

You're absolutely right. This isn't about me, and I'm making it about me, because I'm insecure about this topic.

Apologies for being a defensive spaz on the thread

Aaron_K123

*Looks at food log* Yep, 2,426 calories for the day. *Looks at ticker* Yup, lost 30 pounds so far and only 6 left to go. Of course, my favorite game right now is how much food can I stuff in my face and still manage to lose weight. It's highly motivational, very challenging and I've found it works quite well for me, its a diet I recommend to everyone :happy: .

Seriously, eating enough so that you feel happy and healthy but still manage to lose weight doesn't make you a little piggy, that's what we call winning. If you have more to lose and can comfortably manage a larger calorie deficit that still remains healthy then go for it, but there's absolutely no reason to be hungry and miserable if you can eat more, be happy, and still meet your goals.

How much do you weigh? How much do you work out? And at what rate are you losing? If you don't mind my asking.

LOL, No I don't mind. I'm 5'8' 166lbs. I've been doing stronglifts 3 days a week since February with some running here and there when I felt like it. Since it's summer and I teach I switched up my routine a bit about a week ago so I'm now lifting 4 days a week for about 30-45 minutes and I started a training program to work towards running a marathon that has me running 4 days a week, 3 runs of about 30-60 minutes and one long run on the weekends 90 minutes and up as the distances get longer.

I use TDEE method so I eat the same amount of calories every day, around 2300 to 2500 and assume I'm getting 3-5 hours a week of moderately intense exercise, but I may actually up that since I'm increasing running time. We'll have to see how that balances with less activity overall because I'm not at work every day now.

My goal is to average around a half pound a week loss.

Thanks! That helps me a lot. I'm 5'9" and about 212 right now and you are very close to my initial goal weight (160 lbs). I've just been struggling a bit lately, losing less than 1 lb/wk, even though I am set to lose 1.5 lbs/wk. I eat about 1650 cal/day and then I workout 30-45 min a day 4-5/wk, alternating the elliptical and circuit strength training. I used to eat those calories back, but since my weight loss has slowed, I try not to do that, or only eat a portion of them. I've tightened down even more on my food tracking, weighing and measuring everything, every time, so hopefully that will help. So far this week I have only seen a loss of .2 lbs.

Sounds like a really good plan and approach to me. 1 pound a week is pretty good so don't knock it just because you were aiming for a little more. As for losing only 0.2 in a week its probably just fluctuations not an actual stall. I know I ca MN go several weeks and not lose a thing then have a woosh that drops me back right on track. I'd also echo the sentiment its good to see women with healthy weight goals, so many on here seem to set them so so low.

But I want to lose all the pounds NAOW! :P Seriously, the lowest I have ever weighed was 152, and I was a size 6 then. I still have a lot of my old clothes from then, and I just want to be able to wear them again. That's my main motivation. Cute clothes. LOL

Believe it or not somewhat the same deal for me. 3 years ago I hit a lean 155 and bought a bunch of real nice fitted clothes. My attention switched from health to career and 3 years later before I really notices I was 190 and no way in hell I could fit into any of those clothes.

Currently working my way back and peoud to say I can put thembon now, theh are just overtight still.

My avatar pic is actually me 3 years ago at 155...serves as motivation. In my profile is a pic of my torso from the same time and one from when I started to diet again this year.

QueenBishOTUniverse

*Looks at food log* Yep, 2,426 calories for the day. *Looks at ticker* Yup, lost 30 pounds so far and only 6 left to go. Of course, my favorite game right now is how much food can I stuff in my face and still manage to lose weight. It's highly motivational, very challenging and I've found it works quite well for me, its a diet I recommend to everyone :happy: .

Seriously, eating enough so that you feel happy and healthy but still manage to lose weight doesn't make you a little piggy, that's what we call winning. If you have more to lose and can comfortably manage a larger calorie deficit that still remains healthy then go for it, but there's absolutely no reason to be hungry and miserable if you can eat more, be happy, and still meet your goals.

How much do you weigh? How much do you work out? And at what rate are you losing? If you don't mind my asking.

LOL, No I don't mind. I'm 5'8' 166lbs. I've been doing stronglifts 3 days a week since February with some running here and there when I felt like it. Since it's summer and I teach I switched up my routine a bit about a week ago so I'm now lifting 4 days a week for about 30-45 minutes and I started a training program to work towards running a marathon that has me running 4 days a week, 3 runs of about 30-60 minutes and one long run on the weekends 90 minutes and up as the distances get longer.

I use TDEE method so I eat the same amount of calories every day, around 2300 to 2500 and assume I'm getting 3-5 hours a week of moderately intense exercise, but I may actually up that since I'm increasing running time. We'll have to see how that balances with less activity overall because I'm not at work every day now.

My goal is to average around a half pound a week loss.

Thanks! That helps me a lot. I'm 5'9" and about 212 right now and you are very close to my initial goal weight (160 lbs). I've just been struggling a bit lately, losing less than 1 lb/wk, even though I am set to lose 1.5 lbs/wk. I eat about 1650 cal/day and then I workout 30-45 min a day 4-5/wk, alternating the elliptical and circuit strength training. I used to eat those calories back, but since my weight loss has slowed, I try not to do that, or only eat a portion of them. I've tightened down even more on my food tracking, weighing and measuring everything, every time, so hopefully that will help. So far this week I have only seen a loss of .2 lbs.

Sounds like a really good plan and approach to me. 1 pound a week is pretty good so don't knock it just because you were aiming for a little more. As for losing only 0.2 in a week its probably just fluctuations not an actual stall. I know I ca MN go several weeks and not lose a thing then have a woosh that drops me back right on track. I'd also echo the sentiment its good to see women with healthy weight goals, so many on here seem to set them so so low.

I was actually going to say that when I said average half pound a week loss I really meant that. My weight is usually stable all month and then during one particular week *ahem* I drop two pounds, stabilize again, and then so on and so forth. When I first started basic strength training in November and bumped my calories up I "stalled" for a solid six weeks, but then adjusted to the new routine, saw a big drop and then steady monthly drops again after that. If you are still getting steady weight loss then you're still going strong. I usually caution people that if you make any sort of change to your routine or calorie intake give it *at least* four to six weeks to see what happens before you even consider making any other changes.

Aaron_K123

*Looks at food log* Yep, 2,426 calories for the day. *Looks at ticker* Yup, lost 30 pounds so far and only 6 left to go. Of course, my favorite game right now is how much food can I stuff in my face and still manage to lose weight. It's highly motivational, very challenging and I've found it works quite well for me, its a diet I recommend to everyone :happy: .

Seriously, eating enough so that you feel happy and healthy but still manage to lose weight doesn't make you a little piggy, that's what we call winning. If you have more to lose and can comfortably manage a larger calorie deficit that still remains healthy then go for it, but there's absolutely no reason to be hungry and miserable if you can eat more, be happy, and still meet your goals.

How much do you weigh? How much do you work out? And at what rate are you losing? If you don't mind my asking.

LOL, No I don't mind. I'm 5'8' 166lbs. I've been doing stronglifts 3 days a week since February with some running here and there when I felt like it. Since it's summer and I teach I switched up my routine a bit about a week ago so I'm now lifting 4 days a week for about 30-45 minutes and I started a training program to work towards running a marathon that has me running 4 days a week, 3 runs of about 30-60 minutes and one long run on the weekends 90 minutes and up as the distances get longer.

I use TDEE method so I eat the same amount of calories every day, around 2300 to 2500 and assume I'm getting 3-5 hours a week of moderately intense exercise, but I may actually up that since I'm increasing running time. We'll have to see how that balances with less activity overall because I'm not at work every day now.

My goal is to average around a half pound a week loss.

Making me feel a bit sheepish about me weight goal over here :-).

Oh no! Why? Don't be sheepish!

Well I was just about to compliment you on the healthy weight goal in comparison to all the 5'8'' women out there who want to be 120 pounds but then I caught myself because I am a 6' tall man aiming for 155 pounds (before transition to bulk).

Made me hesitate as it seemed hypocritical.

LOL, I take BMI with more than one healthy grain of salt. I was told by my pediatrician when I was 17 that under no circumstances was I EVER to consider going under 145lbs, and both my shoulders and rib cage expanded while I was in college (likely something to do with varsity lacrosse). I'll see what my body fat looks like when I hit 160lbs and decide if I can safely cut a little more before going in to a bulk, but I agree that I'm a bit of the odd duck for considering myself to be perfectly healthy even though *gasp* BMI says I'm OVERWEIGHT!

I have people on my FL who are on the other side of the spectrum and because of their very small frames come in underweight according to BMI. Healthy weight really is very dependent on the person and unfortunately BMI only actually works on populations but gets misused by individuals. Don't worry, not hypocritical, just reality.

Yeah I hear you. I'm very small framed and when I got myself lean 3 years ago was rather shocked my weight got as low as it did. If it wasn't for that experience I wouldn't have my goal set to 155. I'm likely a little under muscled for a guy and plan to work on that but I think from my profile pics can see that I am not full on scrawny.

likitisplit

*Looks at food log* Yep, 2,426 calories for the day. *Looks at ticker* Yup, lost 30 pounds so far and only 6 left to go. Of course, my favorite game right now is how much food can I stuff in my face and still manage to lose weight. It's highly motivational, very challenging and I've found it works quite well for me, its a diet I recommend to everyone :happy: .

Seriously, eating enough so that you feel happy and healthy but still manage to lose weight doesn't make you a little piggy, that's what we call winning. If you have more to lose and can comfortably manage a larger calorie deficit that still remains healthy then go for it, but there's absolutely no reason to be hungry and miserable if you can eat more, be happy, and still meet your goals.

How much do you weigh? How much do you work out? And at what rate are you losing? If you don't mind my asking.

LOL, No I don't mind. I'm 5'8' 166lbs. I've been doing stronglifts 3 days a week since February with some running here and there when I felt like it. Since it's summer and I teach I switched up my routine a bit about a week ago so I'm now lifting 4 days a week for about 30-45 minutes and I started a training program to work towards running a marathon that has me running 4 days a week, 3 runs of about 30-60 minutes and one long run on the weekends 90 minutes and up as the distances get longer.

I use TDEE method so I eat the same amount of calories every day, around 2300 to 2500 and assume I'm getting 3-5 hours a week of moderately intense exercise, but I may actually up that since I'm increasing running time. We'll have to see how that balances with less activity overall because I'm not at work every day now.

My goal is to average around a half pound a week loss.

Thanks! That helps me a lot. I'm 5'9" and about 212 right now and you are very close to my initial goal weight (160 lbs). I've just been struggling a bit lately, losing less than 1 lb/wk, even though I am set to lose 1.5 lbs/wk. I eat about 1650 cal/day and then I workout 30-45 min a day 4-5/wk, alternating the elliptical and circuit strength training. I used to eat those calories back, but since my weight loss has slowed, I try not to do that, or only eat a portion of them. I've tightened down even more on my food tracking, weighing and measuring everything, every time, so hopefully that will help. So far this week I have only seen a loss of .2 lbs.

I'm 5'9" myself and have gone from 215 to high 160s. How long has your weightloss been slowed?

A few weeks, not long. I haven't really plateaued, it's just frustratingly sloooow. Looking at my reports I have only lost about 2.5 lbs in the last month, about 8 lbs over the last 3 months. I'm glad I've lost, but it's definitely a lot less than I was hoping for.

DO NOT start eating less. You are doing the right things and it will show. I'm at a ****ing deficit and my scale shows I'm UP 5 pounds from last week (glycogen). But I know I'm at a deficit. Be confident. You've got this.

Aaron_K123

*Looks at food log* Yep, 2,426 calories for the day. *Looks at ticker* Yup, lost 30 pounds so far and only 6 left to go. Of course, my favorite game right now is how much food can I stuff in my face and still manage to lose weight. It's highly motivational, very challenging and I've found it works quite well for me, its a diet I recommend to everyone :happy: .

Seriously, eating enough so that you feel happy and healthy but still manage to lose weight doesn't make you a little piggy, that's what we call winning. If you have more to lose and can comfortably manage a larger calorie deficit that still remains healthy then go for it, but there's absolutely no reason to be hungry and miserable if you can eat more, be happy, and still meet your goals.

How much do you weigh? How much do you work out? And at what rate are you losing? If you don't mind my asking.

LOL, No I don't mind. I'm 5'8' 166lbs. I've been doing stronglifts 3 days a week since February with some running here and there when I felt like it. Since it's summer and I teach I switched up my routine a bit about a week ago so I'm now lifting 4 days a week for about 30-45 minutes and I started a training program to work towards running a marathon that has me running 4 days a week, 3 runs of about 30-60 minutes and one long run on the weekends 90 minutes and up as the distances get longer.

I use TDEE method so I eat the same amount of calories every day, around 2300 to 2500 and assume I'm getting 3-5 hours a week of moderately intense exercise, but I may actually up that since I'm increasing running time. We'll have to see how that balances with less activity overall because I'm not at work every day now.

My goal is to average around a half pound a week loss.

Thanks! That helps me a lot. I'm 5'9" and about 212 right now and you are very close to my initial goal weight (160 lbs). I've just been struggling a bit lately, losing less than 1 lb/wk, even though I am set to lose 1.5 lbs/wk. I eat about 1650 cal/day and then I workout 30-45 min a day 4-5/wk, alternating the elliptical and circuit strength training. I used to eat those calories back, but since my weight loss has slowed, I try not to do that, or only eat a portion of them. I've tightened down even more on my food tracking, weighing and measuring everything, every time, so hopefully that will help. So far this week I have only seen a loss of .2 lbs.

Sounds like a really good plan and approach to me. 1 pound a week is pretty good so don't knock it just because you were aiming for a little more. As for losing only 0.2 in a week its probably just fluctuations not an actual stall. I know I ca MN go several weeks and not lose a thing then have a woosh that drops me back right on track. I'd also echo the sentiment its good to see women with healthy weight goals, so many on here seem to set them so so low.

I was actually going to say that when I said average half pound a week loss I really meant that. My weight is usually stable all month and then during one particular week *ahem* I drop two pounds, stabilize again, and then so on and so forth. When I first started basic strength training in November and bumped my calories up I "stalled" for a solid six weeks, but then adjusted to the new routine, saw a big drop and then steady monthly drops again after that. If you are still getting steady weight loss then you're still going strong. I usually caution people that if you make any sort of change to your routine or calorie intake give it *at least* four to six weeks to see what happens before you even consider making any other changes.

Seconded. I "stalled" for about 3 weeks when I switched my routine to P90X. Before that my trend was pretty steady. Any change in routine can cause the appearance of a stall but I think the actual fat loss continues and its just water retention masking that.

m0llecule

As someone who has been overweight almost all of my life I can vouch that I get pretty damn full off of 800 calories a day. I've always eaten small amounts of food and felt full but the weight gain clearly didn't come from that. The weight gain came from being an emotional eater and stuffing my face until I was so full I couldn't move. Now that I am eating healthy options and no longer eating until I feel as though I'll burst, as well as exercising (something I never did and now do every day!) I feel perfectly full at the end of my days. Now if you feel starved eating 1500 cals a day you either need to change what you are eating, drink more water, up your calories or a combination of the above because that is a ****ty feeling and you cannot sustain this sort of lifestyle if you are always hungry.

WendyAdelissa

Well, for me it is a ton of issues, mainly the fact that I gained prob 1/2 my excess weight through depressive binging years ago, and the other half is a combination of the yoyo dieting to lose the previous half that led me to always gain more than I lost, Hypothyroidism (but Im on medication so I don't know if it is a valid excuse or not) and a crappy diet 75% fast food for the last 2 years that got me where I'm at. Unfortunately it also got me diabetic (or pre-diabetic, I have 2 drs with 2 different opinions on that bottom line I'm on metformin.) Metformin does really supress my appetite, but that wouldn't be a problem as I never had a problem eating when I wasn't hungry before... matter of fact I always ate before I was hungry so it is a novel sensation to actually be hungry, but I digress...but, if you cut out all the processed white carbs and you still have to stick to a conservative food budget, it is challenging to eat as many calories as they say you should on here. With that said, the few days that I just couldn't make it to 1200, I was really sick and I used to eat anyway (the old food makes you feel better trap) but I decided to wait til I was hungry, plus I had bouts of nausea. Now I am sorry to say I have fallen back into fast food but I always count the calories and carbs before I leave the house so at least no more mindless eating and terrible choices. I have a family member that is natural this and natural that and has a million opinions on things and I try to make her understand I have to fight one battle at a time and right now my battles are mindless eating, portion distortion, and making sure I am really hungry. I am losing weight like crazy and tend to hover anywhere between 1200 and 2000 calories and the only times I go over 1500 is when I eat fast food. I think that is why it is working lol my body is so confused it never knows what to expect from one day to the next so haven't gone into starvation mode. To the OP. one piece of advice I would give you from my 26+ years of dieting is this is a lifelong journey, there's no hurry and there's no finish line til you are dead. That is the #1 thing I finally got through to my brain that has made all the difference, so if you lose half a pound or 3 pounds you are still making progress. Better to lose half a pound a week and stick with it than deprive yourself and get discouraged or go into starvation mode. So don't stress, as long as you are seeing progress you are fine. Good luck.

QueenBishOTUniverse

Well I was just about to compliment you on the healthy weight goal in comparison to all the 5'8'' women out there who want to be 120 pounds but then I caught myself because I am a 6' tall man aiming for 155 pounds (before transition to bulk).

Made me hesitate as it seemed hypocritical.

LOL, I take BMI with more than one healthy grain of salt. I was told by my pediatrician when I was 17 that under no circumstances was I EVER to consider going under 145lbs, and both my shoulders and rib cage expanded while I was in college (likely something to do with varsity lacrosse). I'll see what my body fat looks like when I hit 160lbs and decide if I can safely cut a little more before going in to a bulk, but I agree that I'm a bit of the odd duck for considering myself to be perfectly healthy even though *gasp* BMI says I'm OVERWEIGHT!

I have people on my FL who are on the other side of the spectrum and because of their very small frames come in underweight according to BMI. Healthy weight really is very dependent on the person and unfortunately BMI only actually works on populations but gets misused by individuals. Don't worry, not hypocritical, just reality.

Yeah I hear you. I'm very small framed and when I got myself lean 3 years ago was rather shocked my weight got as low as it did. If it wasn't for that experience I wouldn't have my goal set to 155. I'm likely a little under muscled for a guy and plan to work on that but I think from my profile pics can see that I am not full on scrawny.

Estimate for my LBM is about 122 to 124 pounds but BMI says at my height I can safely go down to 124 pounds and not be underweight. :noway: I know enough to know that's utter rubbish for me, but yea, unfortunately a lot of women think that because that's what the chart says, that's how much they need to weigh in order to be skinny. I'll be a size 6 to 8 at 160 lbs, that's probably skinny enough for me.

SLLRunner

Hi you all,

I'm putting myself out there...and I'm feeling you gonna beat me.... :bigsmile:

So, I'm 5´4´´, sedentary work (all day at a desk in front of an computer), 144.8lbs.
MFP tells me to eat 1450cal a day, with 6 workout/week for a total of 1200cal minimum/week.
Additionally I avoid to use the lift and choose the stair (work in a 5th floor).

My weekly routine:
I wake up every day at 6:15 to do my exercises.
After that, shower, breakfast time and at 8:15 I'm on my way to work .
I have a morning snack around 11:00 and around 14:00 I have lunch.
Afternoon snack around 17:30 and dinner at 20:00

Some days I have difficulty reaching 1450cals a day....and I mean...without eating back my calories...
What I aim for its the net above 1200.
For today, without the dinner I already had 1136 (and I ate 1 square of Nestle Chocolate)
However the NET is only 854, so I have to eat at least 346 at dinner, and that will be 1482 in total.... It seams doable to me...but there is no way I will be able to eat all my calories back (around 200cals will remain), and I'm not worried about it...or hungry

I plan my snacks in advanced, I take my lunch to work and I dinner at home (mine, mother or mother in law)
I only drink water (85oz/day) and natural juices. No sodas. Alcohol only in special occasions.
Usually
Breakfast: Boiled Egg+dark bread+turkey sausages+fruit+coffee or Greek yogurt+fruit+muesli+coffee
Morning snack: 25g nuts + 1 or 2 pieces of fruit
Lunch: soup+raw vegetables+7oz meat+some carbs+fruit
Afternoon Snack: Greek yogurt+fruit+muesli or 1 or 2 pieces of fruit
Dinner: soup+cooked vegetables+7oz fish+fruit

I try to follow some rules that my grandma taught me, because they apply to my lifestyle:
1. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper!"
2. Main meals: first the fruit and the soup, then the main course. She used to do this to guarantee that we ate our vitamins and that we felt full by the end of the meal

I still have some day's where I eat all my 1450 and My exercise cals - I'm a Human - but usually that happens in the days we go out to dinner, or go out with some friends to lunch on weekends.

I eat fries and fried food! Just don't cook them in oil, like my grandma used to do, I use a healthier alternative:
http://tfalactifry.com/

Being hungry and crave for something is different. I'm never hungry, but sometimes I crave for something and I indulge when I can :happy:

Thank you for stepping out on a limb and sharing your eating style. I love your grandma's sayings. In my family it was always a small breakfast and lunch and then a huge dinner.

In my own life I like a big breakfast, a semi-big lunch, and then a lighter dinner. I eat protein and fat with each meal, and I eat anywhere from 1960 go 2300 calories a day, depending on my activity level. I don't deprive myself of anything, and I sometimes eat over on Fridays and Saturday, but it's never unplanned. I work to stay conscious of how many calories I put in my mouth, though I don't eliminate anything that I like and that I am not intolerant to (intolerances are soy, lactose, and too much caffeine).

Again, I really appreciate what you shared.

heybales

See to me this feels like a suggestion that the reason I can't is because I am not eating "healthy and clean". But even if I eat nothing but non starchy vegetables and something with protein (meat, fish, eggs, nuts, beans whatever). Even when my stomach is full to the point of being a bit uncomfortable, my head is still feeling dizzy and I'm still obsessed with food unless I get enough calories in.

Losing weight is pretty easy, I've lost and gained more weight than I currently weigh (and I weigh a LOT). It's not deciding one day that it's just too damn hard to live like this that I find hard, thinking to yourself "what good is being thin if the price is to never think about anything but diets and nutrition and exercise and never get to take an interest in other things because all you can focus on is food and avoiding food and how to get rid of the calories it comes with" and deciding your hobbies and your relationships matter more than the numbers on the scale. That's where I've gotten in trouble.

I think I can avoid that if I eat enough, of course it means I won't lose so fast but at least I'll get to have a life I can actually live for the rest of my life.

I'm still getting kind of obsessive because it's my personality but I'm not having the physical drive to obsess about food so long as I eat enough calories (and carbs to be fair, trying to cut those out makes me just as obsessive).

That's just the leptin talking, trying to get you to eat more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i_cmltmQ6A

2BeHappy2

Candistyx...I can certainly understand your misgivings as it seems farfetched or too good to be true.
I am with you on all this when I see people of your height and even a thread I was reading earlier of a 360lb 5'6 female who said she was on a 1200 calorie diet (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1331580-new-here-360lbs-and-doing-the-1200-calorie-diet-am-i-nuts)
Well..I am 4'2, so basically the height of a child...with my age and my current life being considered more or less "sedentary" and with what I was wanting to lose, MFP did initially have me set on 1230 calories but as I started to lose some weight, it lowered my intake total to where now its at 1200.
This is what I ate 1 day last week:
Calories Carbs Fat Protein Fiber Sugar
Breakfast
Egg - 1 Medium Hard Boiled, 2 whole 128 1 8 12 0 1 (total cals for 2)
Lunch
Light Yogurt, Lemon, 6 oz 80 12 0 7 1 9
Banana - (Small), 6 - 6.9 inches 90 23 0 1 3 12
Emerald - Dry Roasted Almonds - Per Nut, 10 nut 63 3 5 2 1 0
Dinner:
Baked Fresh - Spaghetti Squash 1 Cup, 2 cup 62 14 1 2 3 6 I replaced pasta w/ this...no it wasn't noodles but still good (2cups)
Ragu - Meat Flavored Pasta Sauce, 1 Cup 140 20 6 4 4 12
Parmesan Cheese* - Kraft 100%, 2 tsp (5 g) 20 0 2 2 0 0
Green Beans - Fresh, Steamed, 0.75 cup cooked 26 6 0 2 3 2

Totals 609 79 22 32 15 42
Remaining 591 71 18 28 10 3

Yes, this was a good day of having calories available for a later snack but I have also eaten enough food to feel satiated!
BTW...for an evening snack I ended up having 2 cups of plain air popped popcorn which added another 30 calories.
I am NOT always this good, this just happened to be a day that I got a fair amount of food in for the day with not all my calories being used!

Theres days that I may run closer to the 1200 and if I know I might be having a day out, I make sure to get some exercise to input into MFP..
For me its hard to fathom how someone gets that low of a # because at 1 point I gawked at what MFP assigned me to but I have to realize that I'm considerably shorter than the average person on here.
Initially it was a struggle but I started learning how to swap things out.
My 2 cup of spaghetti squash was very filling & I know that someone else would've made a "healthier" spaghetti sauce but my husband went w/ me on this "swap out" for the noodles so the nice thing I could do (for him) was keep his meat sauce :smooched:
Of course I love pasta but its when I can make little changes like this that doesn't "break the bank," I can have calories to fall back on if I need to.
We love popcorn...the bagged is more expensive and has more things in it than what I need.
I have come to love plain air popped popcorn (for about 2 cups, put 2-3 Tbsp kernels in a brown lunch bag, fold down 2-3times (tape it if you want), put in your microwave).
Because I don't add anything to mine, I can re-use any kernels that didn't pop.
My husband has not gotten used to plain popcorn so he sprays a little butter or seasoning on his...just enough for a little flavor.
He's somewhat picky so I was surprised when he wanted to buy more sugar free popsicles (he'd found mine and tried it), said he couldn't tell any real difference!
Its little things like this that can add up to a lot of saved calories!
I did splurge today...I rarely have fast food fries anymore and when I do, its usually just a few off my husbands food but most of the time I am good about the temptation.
I remember not too long ago not having a care in the world and not even thinking about what I was eating, or how much of it.
Long gone are the days of endless, nonstop, not a care in the world of what I eat attitude.
No, Im not perfect...today I had something I haven't had for a long time.
Raleys/Checkers Fry Lovers Burger...if you don't know what that is...use your imagination...burger & fries all in 1!
Oh for only 600 calories....yes I was in shock :noway:
For breakfast I had 1 cup of sugar free jello which was 10 calories and 2 pieces of 35 cal toasted bread w/ 1/2 Tbsp of sugar free jelly on each which was 85 calories so a total of 95 calories
Then for dinner I had 1 small grilled chicken thigh 95 calories and 1 stuffed green pepper which was 190 so a total of 285.
That brings it to 980 calories and since I did have to work at keeping up w/ my husband (daddy long legs), I know I burned some calories when we were out today.
I still have 220 left (of the 1200) which isn't as good as the 1 day I had last week but that's ok...no ones perfect!
The 2 kinds of people that I get shocked at are 1's that say "add me as a friend, I do 1200, check my food diary" and theyre like consistently over...which doesn't really say that theyre on that calorie goal.
Or people that say that and when you do view what they eat, its junk that I would be so hungry on.
Sure I could eat 2 of these burgers but that would #1 max out my 1200.
#2 I would have nothing extra to fall back on for when I do get hungry...again!
Ill send you some low calorie suggestions!

fatcity66

*Looks at food log* Yep, 2,426 calories for the day. *Looks at ticker* Yup, lost 30 pounds so far and only 6 left to go. Of course, my favorite game right now is how much food can I stuff in my face and still manage to lose weight. It's highly motivational, very challenging and I've found it works quite well for me, its a diet I recommend to everyone :happy: .

Seriously, eating enough so that you feel happy and healthy but still manage to lose weight doesn't make you a little piggy, that's what we call winning. If you have more to lose and can comfortably manage a larger calorie deficit that still remains healthy then go for it, but there's absolutely no reason to be hungry and miserable if you can eat more, be happy, and still meet your goals.

How much do you weigh? How much do you work out? And at what rate are you losing? If you don't mind my asking.

LOL, No I don't mind. I'm 5'8' 166lbs. I've been doing stronglifts 3 days a week since February with some running here and there when I felt like it. Since it's summer and I teach I switched up my routine a bit about a week ago so I'm now lifting 4 days a week for about 30-45 minutes and I started a training program to work towards running a marathon that has me running 4 days a week, 3 runs of about 30-60 minutes and one long run on the weekends 90 minutes and up as the distances get longer.

I use TDEE method so I eat the same amount of calories every day, around 2300 to 2500 and assume I'm getting 3-5 hours a week of moderately intense exercise, but I may actually up that since I'm increasing running time. We'll have to see how that balances with less activity overall because I'm not at work every day now.

My goal is to average around a half pound a week loss.

Thanks! That helps me a lot. I'm 5'9" and about 212 right now and you are very close to my initial goal weight (160 lbs). I've just been struggling a bit lately, losing less than 1 lb/wk, even though I am set to lose 1.5 lbs/wk. I eat about 1650 cal/day and then I workout 30-45 min a day 4-5/wk, alternating the elliptical and circuit strength training. I used to eat those calories back, but since my weight loss has slowed, I try not to do that, or only eat a portion of them. I've tightened down even more on my food tracking, weighing and measuring everything, every time, so hopefully that will help. So far this week I have only seen a loss of .2 lbs.

I'm 5'9" myself and have gone from 215 to high 160s. How long has your weightloss been slowed?

A few weeks, not long. I haven't really plateaued, it's just frustratingly sloooow. Looking at my reports I have only lost about 2.5 lbs in the last month, about 8 lbs over the last 3 months. I'm glad I've lost, but it's definitely a lot less than I was hoping for.

DO NOT start eating less. You are doing the right things and it will show. I'm at a ****ing deficit and my scale shows I'm UP 5 pounds from last week (glycogen). But I know I'm at a deficit. Be confident. You've got this.

Thanks, dood. I am going to keep at it. Appreciate the support. I have been feeling ok with the amount I am eating. I could eat more, but I'm not starving. I would like to increase my workouts, but I work long hours, and would have to sacrifice sleep, which I refuse to do. I also just got over TOM, so I have a feeling I will see another loss soon.

kirili3

I think you're getting a bit obsessive about calories and you're connecting it to your 'womanliness'.

Honestly, I could eat 4000 calories a day. I'm trying to stick to 1200 so I can lose weight. However, some days, I can feel honestly full. Drinking lots of water throughout the day, eating bulky food, chewing food thoroughly etc. We don't need to overeat, those habits came from somewhere. Physical hunger and emotional hunger are different. Maybe the people who regularly get full at lower calories have sorted through some of those emotional issues.

Aaron_K123

I think you're getting a bit obsessive about calories and you're connecting it to your 'womanliness'.

Honestly, I could eat 4000 calories a day. I'm trying to stick to 1200 so I can lose weight. However, some days, I can feel honestly full. Drinking lots of water throughout the day, eating bulky food, chewing food thoroughly etc. We don't need to overeat, those habits came from somewhere. Physical hunger and emotional hunger are different. Maybe the people who regularly get full at lower calories have sorted through some of those emotional issues.

....or, possibly, they aren't in there 60s and sedentary so they require more to maintain the quality of their fitness.

dbmata

Let's lighten this up a little here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMUDVMiITOU

Let's hug it out, eh?

WalkingAlong

So you want to say most authorities wouldn't want people going so deep into the numbers. Why? So you can rely on them? So you can pay them? I mean they are in the business of making money. They are not in the business the giving you all the knowledge you can get to do it yourself to the point where you don't need them. Weight watchers wants you on their programs forever, not for a month or 2.

People chose to come here to MFP instead of those authorities so why not arm yourself with as much information and knowledge as possible. If the authorities and media were doing such a great job at educating the masses we wouldn't have so many people arrive here eliminating as much fat and carbs out of their day as possible when one of them is unhealthy and the other is unnecessary.

Me and you can debate opinions for days on end. But here's the thing, I know your posting history, your stance on a lot of things, your list of excuses, your approval of bigger than necessary deficits, fast weight loss approach and lack of optimal nutrition Al consideration. So as fun as it might be to debate with you the desire to do so is nonexistent due to my lack of interest in your mind set.

My "list of excuses"? What do I need an excuse for? And you took the time to read my posts? I'm flattered. I wouldn't have thought you cared so much. And here I know nothing about you.

By 'authorities' I'm not talking about 'plans for pay' only. There are a lot of weight management methods out there. The vast majority-- in fact I'd say pretty much all of them except the tiny worldview seen here-- don't require one to watch their daily fat and protein macros.

I'm well aware you have no interest in any mindset besides your own. It's clear that most of the Caloric Supermen of MFP have little interest in any plan that isn't IIFYM. Not that they need interest in it, but some tolerance and recognition that other plans exist and are not all B.S. might be nice for a change.

I'm sure it'll get there. I check in here once a year or so and each time there's less silly myth-spreading and more actual knowledge. And a few less White Knights trying to save the damsels from starvation.

2BeHappy2

Editing popsicle....it was that brand but its the sugar free fudgsicles that he ended up liking...and only 40 cal each!