Struggling

candacedianne

What are some go-to snacks or foods?

esarakinos

Personally I love sweets and have a portion everyday but in order to stay in control I try to exercise every day (loose some - gain some). Plus another option I choose (not very wise :ohwell: ) is to avoid all other meals but breakfast and dinner in order to enjoy a more plentiful dinner :drinker: .

Finally try to substitute some of the junk with snacks that make you feel full and are low in calories (boiled egg, a bit of tuna etc)

Francl27

If you're really burning 600 calories 5 times a week, you can probably eat more than that... that's probably why you're struggling so much. I would really try to eat most of those calories back, even if it's not on the same day, because you end up eating less than 1000 net calories and I would be starving too. For what it's worth, I'm older than you, 5'5" as well, and I've never eaten under 1600 calories, and I don't think I've ever burned 600 calories in a workout... maybe 300-400.

Just to make sure though, does your HRM have a chest strap? It's the only ones that are really accurate.

Anyway, I would increase your proteins by a lot. I agree with switching your macros to 40% carb, 30% protein and 30% fat. You can do that in the 'goal' page. After that, all you have to do is try and hit your macros as close as possible. And definitely log everything... it's the only way you can really know how much you're eating and make adjustments as needed.

candacedianne

If you're really burning 600 calories 5 times a week, you can probably eat more than that... that's probably why you're struggling so much. I would really try to eat most of those calories back, even if it's not on the same day, because you end up eating less than 1000 net calories and I would be starving too. For what it's worth, I'm older than you, 5'5" as well, and I've never eaten under 1600 calories, and I don't think I've ever burned 600 calories in a workout... maybe 300-400.

Just to make sure though, does your HRM have a chest strap? It's the only ones that are really accurate.

Anyway, I would increase your proteins by a lot. I agree with switching your macros to 40% carb, 30% protein and 30% fat. You can do that in the 'goal' page. After that, all you have to do is try and hit your macros as close as possible. And definitely log everything... it's the only way you can really know how much you're eating and make adjustments as needed.

Thanks for the suggestions! The only workout I do each day that isn't 100% accurate is my hour long walk at lunch because I dont wear my HRM. My evening workouts are using my Polar F7 with a chest strap. Like I said its between 500-600 calories (sometimes a little less). I roughly burn 260 calories on my hour long walks and try to hit 350+ calories burned on my evening workouts (running or workout videos/weights).

Francl27

If you're really burning 600 calories 5 times a week, you can probably eat more than that... that's probably why you're struggling so much. I would really try to eat most of those calories back, even if it's not on the same day, because you end up eating less than 1000 net calories and I would be starving too. For what it's worth, I'm older than you, 5'5" as well, and I've never eaten under 1600 calories, and I don't think I've ever burned 600 calories in a workout... maybe 300-400.

Just to make sure though, does your HRM have a chest strap? It's the only ones that are really accurate.

Anyway, I would increase your proteins by a lot. I agree with switching your macros to 40% carb, 30% protein and 30% fat. You can do that in the 'goal' page. After that, all you have to do is try and hit your macros as close as possible. And definitely log everything... it's the only way you can really know how much you're eating and make adjustments as needed.

Thanks for the suggestions! The only workout I do each day that isn't 100% accurate is my hour long walk at lunch because I dont wear my HRM. My evening workouts are using my Polar F7 with a chest strap. Like I said its between 500-600 calories (sometimes a little less). I roughly burn 260 calories on my hour long walks and try to hit 350+ calories burned on my evening workouts (running or workout videos/weights).

Ok well what I would do is check http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/, enter your info, pick 'moderately active' (which is probably an understatement), a 20% deficit, and eat that... Your deficit is just too big right now, it's no wonder you're struggling.

pplastics

If I am at the end of my day, craving something sweet, and I am all out of calories, I have found that some herbal tea, sweetened with Stevia helps fight off the craving.

But keep in mind that if you are fighting physical hunger at night, you need to eat more. From your original post, it didn't look like you filled your day with too many fruits or veggies. Try adding an extra veggie serving at dinner and lunch. And, as others have said...protein keeps you full longer, although I would stick to actual meats, dairy, etc. and not rely so much on protein bars and snacks. Sometimes those things have a lot of sugar in them, which, in my experience, makes me just want more sugar later.

My favorite afternoon snack is greek yogurt and/or almonds and half an apple. Filling, sweet and keeps me full until dinner. At night, you could try that, or maybe some strawberries?

If it is a mental thing, eating out of boredom or stress, only you can work on that. Find something else to do to take your mind off of it. Remind yourself of how hard you worked that day to eat right. Remind yourself that you are worth it.

candacedianne

If I am at the end of my day, craving something sweet, and I am all out of calories, I have found that some herbal tea, sweetened with Stevia helps fight off the craving.

But keep in mind that if you are fighting physical hunger at night, you need to eat more. From your original post, it didn't look like you filled your day with too many fruits or veggies. Try adding an extra veggie serving at dinner and lunch. And, as others have said...protein keeps you full longer, although I would stick to actual meats, dairy, etc. and not rely so much on protein bars and snacks. Sometimes those things have a lot of sugar in them, which, in my experience, makes me just want more sugar later.

My favorite afternoon snack is greek yogurt and/or almonds and half an apple. Filling, sweet and keeps me full until dinner. At night, you could try that, or maybe some strawberries?

If it is a mental thing, eating out of boredom or stress, only you can work on that. Find something else to do to take your mind off of it. Remind yourself of how hard you worked that day to eat right. Remind yourself that you are worth it.

Thanks! Yea I was thinking of doing greek yogurt at night too. I had been buying unsalted mixed nuts and had just forgotten it when I went grocery shopping. I do agree that more protein and veggies are needed at lunch and dinners...that is something I am going work on this week.

florange323

My go to sensible sweets include one cup of Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almondmilk - 1 cup (30calories 0(g)sugar 0.5(g)carbs)
and one serving of one of the below treats:

Jello's Dark Chocolate sugar free pudding (60calories 0(g)sugar 14(g)carbs)
Kashi's Cherry Chocolate Granola Bar (120calories 8(g)sugar 24(g)carbs)
Chobani 100 Calorie Yogurt (100calories 6(g)sugar 15(g)carbs)
Emerald 100 Calorie Almonds - Cinnamon (100calories 1(g)sugar 4(g)carbs)
Quaker Caramel Corn Rice Cakes (50calories 3(g)sugar 11(g)carbs)

candacedianne

My go to sensible sweets include one cup of Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almondmilk - 1 cup (30calories 0(g)sugar 0.5(g)carbs)
and one serving of one of the below treats:

Jello's Dark Chocolate sugar free pudding (60calories 0(g)sugar 14(g)carbs)
Kashi's Cherry Chocolate Granola Bar (120calories 8(g)sugar 24(g)carbs)
Chobani 100 Calorie Yogurt (100calories 6(g)sugar 15(g)carbs)
Emerald 100 Calorie Almonds - Cinnamon (100calories 1(g)sugar 4(g)carbs)
Quaker Caramel Corn Rice Cakes (50calories 3(g)sugar 11(g)carbs)

Great ideas-thank you!

xixshaiyaxix

Some snack ideas that I've enjoyed:

One apple cut into slices with a tbsp of peanut butter

One 12-grain slice of bread, toasted and a thin layer of peanut butter or fruit preserve (I like apricot)

One glass of milk (Almond or Skim)

Dried fruits and Nuts (get ones with no salt, mix your own blend!)

=] Good luck.

1princesswarrior

A couple of things. Tighten up on your logging just a tad, weigh your bananas and your peanut butter when you can (I was actually ripping myself off with peanut butter ). If you want more protein at night and a good snack consider adding a whey protein and making a shake or ice cream with it. You can add it to greek yogurt, add it, stir it up, put the yogurt in the freezer, stir after 30-60 minutes, wait another 30-60 minutes and then enjoy. You may need to add some sweetener as well. You can also find lots of recipes online to make protein powder ice cream. Or you can have Quest bars, they are expensive but have 20 grams of protein and lots of fiber.

Also, if you go to Scooby's workshop or iifym.com, etc. remember you then do not eat your calories back. You can customize your MFP settings. I also use the 40/30/30 macro split like what has already been mentioned. And you will need to re-assess every 5 lbs lost.

I've been going through the same thing lately at night wanting sweets and having a protein shake or Quest bar has really helped a lot where I had been eating ice cream and I can't stop at one serving because I haven't learned self control yet. Good luck.

MissHolidayGolightly

Looks like you're not eating enough protein or food in general. I tend to crave sweets if I don't get enough protein repeatedly. Go to http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ to calculate intake and macro nutrients.

I have TRIED to understand macros and iifym but it seems so complicated....is it really that easy to follow? How do I figure out my body fat?

You'd have to get measured with callipers to get an accurate reading but I don't use the equation that requires BF% to get macros. Enter your height, weight, age, and general activity level to get TDEE and BMR. The website will calculate different amounts for you to eat in order to lose, maintain, or gain. Below that on the page are macronutrient calculations. I use 0.8 multiplied by body weight to get protein, 0.4 multiplied by bodyweight to get fat, then the rest are carbs. You can adjust this, though.

0.8 x weight = protein in grams x 4 calories per gram = daily calories from protein
0.4 x weight = fat in grams x 9 calories per gram = daily calories from fat

Subtract your total fat and protein calories from your daily calorie limit to get calories from carbs. Divide by 4 calories to get grams in carbs.

candacedianne

Thanks everyone!! Much appreciated!