Discouraged and it is only day 2 - HELP!!!

petey49

I really need to loose about 20 pounds so I decided to get going. Based on my readings I should be able to burn 300 calories by exercising and limit myself to 1200 calories a day to this successfully in a smart way.

Did my food log for the first time yesterday and I am discouraged already. I had 600 or so calories left for dinner. I ate what I thought were moderate portion sizes. Then I started to enter dinner into the log. Once I dissected my slice of meat loaf, main ingredients only (did not count the portion of egg, BBQ sauce and bread crumbs) and added the cup of dry pasta, I had exceeded the remaining allocated calories for the day. I did not even have the heart to count in the half dinner roll (no spread) and teaspoon of parmesan cheese I used on the pasta. Day 1 blown.

Today I had 1 cup Special K with Red berries (yuck) and 1/4 cup skim milk, 4 oz of OJ and coffee with skim milk and am already at 247 calories. I am drinking plain water, because the flavor powder has 5 calories in it. Lunch and snacks are going to leave me with 673 calories for dinner. I am planning turkey soup and a slice of nice bread for dinner. But it makes me sick to think how many calories are going to be in that meal once I start dissecting it even if I only have one cup of soup and one small slice of plain bread. I can just see me sitting with my family at the dinner table as I try to stretch my portion to last while they are eating. I can only play with my food and chew for so long.

I haven’t eaten since breakfast, feel sick about eating lunch and snacks and just want to cry. I know it is not good to skip meals, but how do you enjoy on 1200 calories? How do you stick with it?

AislynneRobot

Set a small goal for yourself instead of a large one. We need calories and starving and being unhappy is not the way to go. This is about loosing weight but also about learning to live healthy. I eat a portion of my calories in the afternoon for lunch and I always have lots of calories at the end of the day. Try messing with the goal page and find something that is not gonna make you suffer.

Stewie316

You should start planning your diary a day ahead, that way you can have each meal figured out and not have to worry about going over. I'm on a 1200 calorie a day diet and it's very doable. Besides planning my day ahead, I try to work out a plan where I know how many calories I can have at each meal. For example: Breakfast 200 calories, Mid-morning snack 100 calories, Lunch 300 calories, Afternoon snack 100 calories, Dinner 500 calories.

It's going to take some trial and error, but you'll figure out what works for you.

hunterzmomma

you workout to earn more calories! you said you exercise and burn 300 cals a day right? well then that definitely means you get to eat an extra 300 calories! also any housework you do, etc... you log as excercise... it also burns calories! every little bit counts!

evelynojedadiaz

Hey there..its amazing how many calories we do eat once we start journaling our food. Ive been at it for a while myself..i just started logging in and journaling my food and the key to not getting overwhelmed I have found is to simplyfy your meals..I myself try to stay away from the meals with tons of ingredients and go more for the grilled or baked meats, steamed veggies or lightly sauteed veggies and something as a baked or sweet potato in the micro..i also eat lots of veggies and greens with are all so low in cals. when I do go for a more complicated dish I try to find a similar recipe to what im about to cook with all of the ingredients I would use and use the already figured out nutritional info..its just an idea..this way you are not spending all of your time aggravated trying to disect all of the ingredients and how many calories etc...

Its a learning game..you will get the hang of it and you will see how easy it will become..the begining is always tough..I have about 20 to lose also so im with you on this one..keep me posted and I hope all goes well for you.

mcdowell3

It is good to record what you eat, even if you blow it. On my birthday, I was 1200+ OVER my daily limit. That was an I don't care day; however, in general it takes a while to get the hang of it. Eat more fresh veggies like carrorts or green beans = ~20 calories for 1 cup or something ridiculous like that.
Hang in there, a little progress everyday goes a long, long, way!:flowerforyou:

effthisdiet

Okay, first of all, I promise you that it does get better. My first two weeks were utter hell, but now, I am so happy to eat the way I do. I eat roughly 1300-1500 calories per day and usually, it's pretty easy.

Here's a sample food log of mine for the day:

Breakfast:
Fage 2% with strawberry
1 pkg. Trader Joe's steel-cut oatmeal

Lunch:
Egg salad sandwich (2 slices wheat bread, 1.5 eggs, 1 tbsp. light mayo, 1/4 tsp. dijon mustard, 1/2 stalk celery)
3/4 cup homemade applesauce

Dinner:
Taco salad (3 cups lettuce, 4 oz. ground turkey w/ seasoning, 1/4 cup light cheese, 2 tbsp. light sour cream, salsa)
10 oz. skim milk

Snacks:
2 clementine oranges
1 cup seedless grapes
1 pkg. diet hot chocolate

Totals: 1341 calories, 31g fat, 77g protein.

Hang in there!

littleluvbug

You are setting yourself up for failure. When you posted that day two you had "Special K (yuck!)" you are really showing that this is something that is NOT sustainable for you. You have to find something that works for you and that you will enjoy. I KNOW how hard this is, believe me, I have lost a lot and my food is still a DAILY issue for me. Research different things. Find what works for you, and if you don't like something, don't eat it. You will not sustain a lifestyle change with something that you think is nasty. I have lost all this weight, and I hate salad, so I did it without ever touching lettuce! It can be very frustrating to start seeing how many calories are actually in the things that we like, but stick with it, even if it is ugly. You NEED to know how many calories you are putting in your body, you will start seeing what things are not worth the calories that they cost you. Also, it's very encouraging to work out, even just for a 30 min walk, it will up your weight loss incredibly. Good luck, don't give up, find what works for you and stick with it, it's so worth it!

Suzy12

Try incorporating more fruit and vegetables into your meals. Roasted veggies are wonderful and very healthy AND filling.

Remember too that food is meant to fuel to the body, not the soul. Find pleasure in something other than food and making those healthy choices for YOU will seem much easier.

eleanoreb

Don't be discouraged! its normal to see how many calories we are eating when we just start out. i started last week and was shocked and appalled to see how many calories I was consuming without realising.

If you dont have many calories left for dinner have a big salad to help fill you up. Also 1200 calroeis is not much, maybe you can exercise and earn some more..thats what i am doing.. seems to be working so far. best of luck!

mrmarius

try to burn those extra ones off. I usually do my workouts later in the day so i often know how much i have to burn to stay under

LaurieEReid

Yes, I didn't understand at first that (especially at 1200 cal) you should eat your exercise calories.

I'm also striving for 1200 cal. Skip the juice in favour of an actual orange for snack. Much more satisfying calories.

Cut down on the meat portion (size of a deck of cards) in favour of lots of vegetables.

And stick with it. It took me quite a while (like a couple of weeks) to feel satisfied with regular portions and not getting stuffed at every meal.

kjensen15

Don't discouraged!!! I have my calorie count set at 1300 and I am eating 6 meals a day. Its all about choosing foods that give you the most bang for your buck i.e. lower calories but more filling! I have taken some time off from logging food and pretty much was eating anything I wanted, but I started again yesterday and I'm more determined than ever.

In case youd didn't realize when this site gives you your caloric needs it is already building in a defecit for you based on the number of pounds you said you wanted to lose per week. So when you excercise you are creating a bigger deficit so by eating the number of calories you expended during excercise you are still at the original deficit set by the site. If you don't eat back the calories you expended during excercise you risk slowing down your progress. Not saying if once or twice a week you don't eat teh calories back this will happen but consistently over weeks and months it could.

So I say don't stress if you go over the 1200 calorie mark a little every day as long as you're working out you should be fine.

neelia

I am having the same issues, too. I am so used to eating so much that I feel like I'm starving myself at 1,200. Some days I don't have a problem staying under, but lately it has been very hard.

The cold hard truth is that its not easy to lose weight, and anyone who claims it is is a liar. You will have to adjust your eating habits and once you stick to it for a few weeks, your body will adjust naturally.

The fight is worth it in the end, my friend! You can do it!

GorillaNJ

Where did you come up with the 1200 calories a day? Is that what was recommended on here when you put in your goals? Maybe try to bump yourself to loosing 1lb a week instead of 2... at least to start with.

avalonfloyd

You don't have to limit yourself to a 1200 calorie diet. Give yourself a 1300 limit, and that might help. I think that people pick 1200 sort of arbitrarily, when it might not be realistic or even needed for them.

I've been doing this for a few months now, and even before I joined MFP, I started writing down everything I ate. I was WAY above 1200 in the beginning. You just have to see what you are having, then see where you can cut down the calories. I used to snack a lot, and drink sodas, which gave me tons of empty calories. I've been going down steadily, cutting out things like only adding 1 tablespoon of mayo, or none at all to a sandwich. I try not to eat as much cheese on salads or on sandwiches and don't really notice the difference anymore.

Try not to be discouraged. I speak as someone who felt the exact same way, but people on MFP are really helpful and supportive. Just keep at it. It's always hardest at the start, and you'll have setbacks and days where you just say "screw it!" and eat a cake or something, but I speak from experience - if you stick to it and begin to see the pounds or even just the ounces at first, come off, you'll want to keep going.

Be strong!

peachygirl76

You know its really really hard to make a lifestyle change...and this is what you have set out to accomplish! You CAN do it!!
I understand that the initial shock is really hard to handle. I have seen this with me. However, you just have to keep in the front of your head your goal. For me I have cut out pictures from my Oxygen magazine of what my dream body would look like and put 4 pictures on my fridge so when I go to get something to eat that is the first thing I see. It helped me.
I would also surround myself with only positive people and those that will support me in my quest to be a healthier person (this is also the ultimate goal here!) Negative people or those that offer their criticism can really bring you down.

Also try finding some new healthy versions of your receipes...try Clean Eating magazine. they have fantastic meals and ideas. I have found that I have become more creative over the years when it comes to cooking and eating. Exercise is super doper key though. For me this has become easier. I have become friends with people that share the same interest as me and it all started at work several years ago by just talking about activities outside of work! Now I have a great group of guys and one or two gals that I mountain bike and road bike with and while exercising I'm having fun doing it!!

Keep the faith and remember you are a super star!! This is one of my favorite quotes that may help you:
"If you don't have confidence, you'll always find a way not to win" -unknown

Good luck!

laddoland

I started feeling discouraged as well,but I felt better when I went to the grocery store and actually looked at the different options for lunches/breakfast that were low cal, that way I could eat a normal meal with my family at dinner. For breakfast I usually do cottage cheese or a light yogurt, sugar free international foods coffee, mid-morning snack - graham crackers, Lunch: Green Giant simply steamed veggies (80-250 calories total - taste good and are filling plus lots of varieties!). Afternoon snack- 100 calorie snack pack. and a reasonable dinner. Lots of flavored water through-out the day to keep you full. Been successful so far - lost 43 pounds since feb, so stick with it, it gets easier!!

Cytherea

I've been eating 1200 cals a day for 11 months now. You have to get used to it and find a way. The first few days, I suggest eating what you normally do and logging it (and every bit of it) just to see how bad your diet was before. Then you can start the changes.

The biggest things are portion control (really, weigh/measure everything) and substitutions. What can you use instead of butter to cook with? Cooking spray, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray. Eat whole grain pasta and bread instead of white because it fills you up longer. Use less oil in cooking. Get the light mayo and use less of it- substitute with something else, like mustard, if you can. Eat more lean meats- like chicken; get the 93/7 ground beef. Skim milk instead of any other milk; but don't drink too much other than water- empty calories. Add vegetables- they are low in calories and you can eat a LOT of them. I've had massive salads for dinner and they have something crazy small like 200 calories! Don't use dressing though- that will kill you. Make your own with vinegar and herbs or find some low calorie ones. Buy the light cheese instead of regular cheese (Laughing Cow wedges are a GREAT substitution; I also like the Precious light string cheese). I don't eat sandwiches that often anymore- I bring my 2oz of ham in a baggie to work with a string cheese and a snack (100 cal pack usually) and that's my lunch. You save a ton without the condiments and bread- and I find that you can't even really taste the cheese IN the sandwich, so why not enjoy it separately!

There are ways to do it, and plenty of people have. But it IS going to be hard work. It isn't going to be easy, and you are going to have to think about everything you put into your mouth, look for better options, and plan out your day.

Planning out your day is a big thing. I do this all the time. I know what I am going to eat from the night before all day long, and then I just do it.

You don't have to give up anything either. You just have to make sacrifices. If there is something that you really want, a treat, then you CAN eat it, in moderation of course, if you plan for it and realize it means that you can eat less later.

And make sure to eat back some of your exercise calories. There is a lot of good stuff to read on this in the stickies and such in the forums. I typically don't eat back all of them to account for some error (unless you have a HRM), so I stick to about half.

jenneyd

I am just starting out, too. Good luck on your journey! The support here is incredible! I love this site! Keeping track of my food really opened my eyes! Don't forget the more calories you burn the more you can eat. One day I saw, at the end of the day, that I was over my calorie limit by about 100. I was shocked! I practiced portion control all day. And then it hit me! Hey! I can jump on the elliptical glider, and I can burn those 100 calories and then some in just 10 minutes!

jdubs1201

I agree with Aislynne - you should start small. And if you're used to something way above 1200 calories per day, you might want to gradually work your way down to that. Your body will eventually learn to be satisfied with smaller food portions.

Have you ever logged your food before, so that you have an idea of what a 'normal' day used to be?

Take these first several days and TRY to eat less than you usually do, but don't get caught up on the calorie count just yet. Figure out what's realistic for you and then try to gradually work your way down. Do this the healthy way - don't starve yourself! And even if it's difficult, try to log every single detail. This will help you go back and see what you can try to cut out as you decrease your calorie intake. (For example, log that BBQ sauce and see what it's got... then the next time you're at the grocery store, see if you can find some with less calories, sugar, etc).

It's difficult to be realistic with yourself, especially since we live in a fast-food culture where we want everything immediately. The small goals will help with that. You WILL be proud of yourself when you accomplish even a small goal. My "suggestion" to you (take it or leave it) would be to be conscious of what you eat, but log everything. THEN figure out where you can start cutting back and make realistic goals for yourself. Maybe after logging a few days if you find you are taking in around 2000 calories, try taking in 1900 instead, then 1800, etc.

Don't give up and don't get discouraged. This is a lifestyle that you will grow into

pamp1emousse

Aww I'm sorry you're having such an awful time! It all takes some getting used to, learning what are good, filling, low calorie choices for you and what are slightly more unwise.
I'd suggest...
1) Not punishing yourself! It'll be far like you stick with this plan if you're not suffering the whole way through Try finding some healthy choices so that you're not saying "yuck" when you describe what you're eating. Oatmeal with honey/fruits/cinnamon&sugar? Scrambled eggs and toast? For main meals I find stirfrys are a great option. I have 5oz chicken breast, 150g broccoli, 2 carrots, 150g spinach all cooked in soy sauce for about 280 calories or so. You could also add in some noodles (and maybe reduce the amounts of everything else) for something more filling. That bumps you up to about 350 - still pretty low.

2) I plan my meals at the beginning of the day so that I don't have nasty surprises calorie wise when I get to dinner. Obviously it's good to stay flexible, but it gives me a good idea of how I should be structuring my eating.

3) Personally, I hate being hungry! So I have 5-6 mini meals in the day (you can have a look at my diary if you're interested) ... it also keeps me from having too many cravings. In my opinion, hunger= very dangerous when trying to lose weight! That's when the snack attacks come.

4) Consider reassessing your goals. I don't seem to be able to do 1200 calories a day... a lot of people here can, but for me, going up to 1300-1400 makes such a massive difference in terms of my sanity! MFP is a lifestyle change to most people here, and if you're calorie goals are unsustainable then you may well not get where you want to be. That said, it does take time to adjust. I'd play around with calorie allowances and see how you feel. Maybe ease yourself into it by having a couple of hundred more for the first few weeks, then cutting down if you want later.

5) Following on from that point, are you exercising? It's a great way to boost your daily calories and keeps you metabolism revved up. Can't recommend it more!

I hoped I helped a little, don't give up!! Good luck :flowerforyou:

Kelly2708

Hang in there. I just started myself back in September. I am also doing 1200 calories. It took about 2 weeks to get the hang of it. I eat the same meals as my family, but I follow the serving size on everything. I also always allow for fun days. If we are going to a restaurant over the weekend, I don't feel guilty for eating my favorite meal. Do you have WII fit? I try to play on that for about an hour a day and burn 100-200 calories. It is hard to get used to, but don't give up. You will be surprised how easily it will become to choose better options to control the calories. Keep trying! YOu can do it!

StaceysPaige

Do not be sad:sad: , there is a rainbow at the end of all this!!!:flowerforyou:
First of all, the more you excercise the more you can eat. You are allowed to eat back some of your excercise calories most people do at least half. For example, if you are allowed 1200 cal a day but you burn 400 from excercise, at the very least you can eat back 200 which would be a total of 1400 cal for the day. Also what works for me are frozen dinners, you can eat some decent ones for around 3 to 400 calories try those for dinner or lunch (a little high in salt) Most of the foods we eat that come from the earth are lower in calories than processed food, try to eat things that come from the earth much lower in calories. Processed food is what puts so much weight on people. Do chicken and fish and lots of veggies, you will grow to enjoy these foods it just takes time to detox what your body has been used to eating. Limit your intakes of breads and sugar, not saying you can't eat them but try eating them early in the day not at dinner. Dinner should be your lighter healthier meal, less time to burn it off. Try eating like this for 2 weeks with excercise, and you'll get use to it and eventually love it!!! Especially when you see all of the results, so WORTH it!!!:drinker:

SparkleKittie

Don't know much about your situation, but I'll give my two cents: I know you've probably heard this, but you should consider cutting out most of your bread servings, especially if you're eating products made with white flour (even "enriched"). Replace your white bread with wheat or whole grain bread. A couple slices a day won't hurt you. Try to limit your dairy products, as they are high in fat and calories and virtually have no real nutritional value that you can't find in a healthier source like vegetables. Even if your'e not into becoming vegan, you should look up stats on the vegan diet to get a good idea of what kinds of great vegetables you could be eating in large amounts to get proper nutrition. You can blend those concepts with your meat recipes and your meals should come out pretty awesome. You'll feel a lot fuller too, with no guilt.

valerierackly

I did a healthy eating course and that helped me to understand portion sizes. what we actually need and what we eat is very different. we nearly all of us eat far too big helpings of food. i've changed my plates and sometimes weigh my foods to check they are more healthy for me. i try not to restrict too much on what I eat and concentrate on how much.
I loose wight slower than most people, but I hope to live with those portion sizes of food for a long time.
I have got used to eating much less, and even when I try now to eat bigger portions I cann't face it and leave food on my plate. exersize will give you more calories to consume.
And since I've been using this site i've learned not to be too hard on myself with the 1200 calorie rule. I sometimes go a few hundred over and sometimes I go under. but i have learned not to loose heart and give up. It takes a long time to gain weight so we cann't expect to change what we eat for a few days and loose all we've gained, so you have to look at it more long-term. make weight-loss part of what you do now and that'll mean eating more carefully and thinking what you eat every-day.
You will go over, it takes time to re-ajust everything you have been doing to get you where you are now,
but gradually you can change those things. its about cutting down not cutting out completely, and adding new fresh foods to what you eat instead of processed foods take aways and things you know make you gain a lot of weight. please dont be discouraged, you've done well to start. and if you have to restart every day you'll get there, but remember its a new habit your growing into so it'll all take time.

Caperfae

The first few weeks is a learning experience. At least it was for me. Learning about portions, calories (among other things) and how to fit the foods into meals to add up to the amount I needed for that day.
Don't let it discourage you. Once you learn more about the calories in/calories out system it gets a lot easier.
Hang in there, keep journaling and working off those calories and you will start seeing results before you know it.

kjensen15

Don't know much about your situation, but I'll give my two cents: I know you've probably heard this, but you should consider cutting out most of your bread servings, especially if you're eating products made with white flour (even "enriched"). Replace your white bread with wheat or whole grain bread. A couple slices a day won't hurt you. Try to limit your dairy products, as they are high in fat and calories and virtually have no real nutritional value that you can't find in a healthier source like vegetables. Even if your'e not into becoming vegan, you should look up stats on the vegan diet to get a good idea of what kinds of great vegetables you could be eating in large amounts to get proper nutrition. You can blend those concepts with your meat recipes and your meals should come out pretty awesome. You'll feel a lot fuller too, with no guilt.

I agree with substituting the whole grain breads/pasta for white, but not with limiting dairy. I'd try switching to lower fat dairy products. If you are using whole or 2% milk switch to 1% or if you can handle it skim. If you are eating full fat yogurt and cheese switch to fat free. I eat yogurt at least once a day and I'm still able to stay within a 1300 calorie goal. The calcium you get from these dairy products is very important for women. There are also all kinds of studies out saying that lower calorie dairy is beneficial in weight loss.

petey49

Thank you everyone for your replies. I do feel a bit better. I realize that this is going to be an on-going journey but better than the high blood pressure medication that if I don't change I will have to start taking (blood pressure is borderline right now so I don't want it to go higher).

LaurieEReid: Thank you for pointing out the exercise calories. I did not understand how the calorie counter works, now I do (yahoo a few more calories for my day, if I exercise, great motivator to do so).

Littleluvbug: "Special K Yuck" This was the first time I tried that product and hated it. I prefer my plain oatmeal. I do know that if you like something you will be more successful with it.

GorillaNJ: The 1200 calories is what is suggested by the sight. I might try and change my weekly weight lose goal if I find this too difficult to follow.

Thank you all for the friend requests. It make me feel better that there is support.

FemininGuns

Hang in there... Check out my diary for ideas on low cal meals. Try eating 5-6 times per day. Replace milk with almond milk, use no refined sugars (use stevia instead) or processed foods (deli meats etc). Pork is not good for a nutritious diet either.

I ALWAYS plan my meals the day before. This way I don't deviate from what I can eat, and I know will keep me on track. When I enter it, I know exactly my caloric intake for the next day, this way avoiding disapointment when I would log it after ingesting it.

Keep at it, and take it day by day. Looking at the larger picture is sometimes ovewhelming. Be gentle with yourself - don't beat yourself up...

jsecret

Instead of setting your calories very low. Why not set them at something a little easier like 1500 or 1800 and then set a goal to yourself to work out and burn at least 300-600 a day so that it burns down to 1200 net instead? Or eat normal for a week and just log everything anyway to get a "feel" for the calories involved in some of your most common foods.