What to do when you hit your allowance too early.

taylorjgriffiths289

Ive been on here and other tracking sites a while but I always seem to have the issue of running out of my allowance before dinner. By the time dinner rolls around, its like 'oh well Im already over for today, Ill just start again tomorrow!'
I realise how bad this is, thats why I need advice.
So please tell me, what do you do when you hit your limit too early in the day? Do you just stop eating anything? Should i try to walk until i have enough cals in my allowance to 'afford' dinner? I dont know whats best!

michikade

I assume you're using a 1200 calorie diet plan, which is much easier to hit earlier in the day than a higher limit.

There is nothing wrong with exercising to earn back some calories, sure. Depending on your burn (so your height / weight) you could probably earn a chicken breast and some veggies through walking an hour or so, for an example.

Since you're diary's closed. I can't really suggest alternate meals or substitutions to save a couple calories so you'll have an allowance later on without exercise.

Kalikel

If I'm hungry, I eat. Don't usually bust a calorie limit (usually under my number), but if I'm hungry, I'm eating.

You could rearrange your calories so that you eat fewer during the day and more at night. If you're eating junk food, you could replace it with low-cal fruits and veggies. You can fill up nicely on those for very few calories! If you aren't eating a balanced diet, try balancing it out. You could be hungry because you are craving something you're missing. Take your vitamins, too!

Nature Valley Crunchy granola bars are extremely filling, not really high in calories and taste very good. Check them out!

If you're just wanting to snack and don't want fruit, wait half an hour. It will probably pass.

If it's a bad habit, break it. Gets easier as time goes on. It's OK to be hungry once in a while when you're eating less than you need, too.

Exercising more and eating some of those burned calories back is great. The exercise is good for you (yay!) and the extra calories will be a blessing. My personal opinion is that MFP is overly ambitious when they give you the total of calories you burned, so if it were me, I wouldn't eat them all back.

xenu01

Maybe try working with what you're eating already to change it up? Like if you're eating an energy bar at 4 that's 200 calories, eat an apple instead? Or oatmeal with milk and a tsp of honey for breakfast, or nonfat yogurt instead of plain? I find that I tend to go over in the middle of the day because I'm running all over campus and moving boxes, etc, so I try to eat a small breakfast when I'm counting things.

ana3067

know how much you eat every day (this is why TDEE-15/20% is much much better than MFP's net/eat back exercise cals approach) and divide that into your meals. If you eat 1800 a day, and eat 3 meals and 2 snacks, then that's 450 for each meal and 225 for each snack.

You might also want to adjust your goals so that your weight loss is no more than a 20% deficit from your caloric needs - meaning ~1lb or less lost a week instead of 2lbs. Healthier, more sustainable fat loss that will be easier to stick to over an extended period because you eat more food.

traceywoody

Maybe you could spend some time planning then logging your entire day's food in the morning(breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks), then only eat what you have logged. It might help you to stay within your limit.

FaylinaMeir

well it depends on what your goal is? My "goal" starts at 1200 and I wiggle up to 1500-1600 depending on how I feel. Like today I am at 1600 where as yesterday I was at 1235ish. It just varies. I know today though I was higher because I had several fig bars and they were really good so I'm okay with it.

But to answer your question if I was only at 1200 I would eat more food as long as you're below maintenance for your body type you'll be fine, you might get bloated from salt or something but that's not the same as weight gain. If I was already at 1600-2000 I would just deal with being hungry. Cold water helps and often you'll find after you drink cold water it was a mental hunger and not a physical hunger (VERY hard to tell the difference for most people). At the end of the day, eating over calories 1 day isn't going to hurt but if you make it a habit, well you got overweight in the first place for a reason you might need to slowly work into a diet just. Not everyone can go from eating like 2500 to 1200 calories a day. It can cause you to to start binge eating.

taylorjgriffiths289

My calorie limit is 1370.
I usually eat oats for brekky, a pb sandwich and a fruit salad for lunch. I have a tendancy to snack, which i find really good when im sitting in the library studying all day
Today for example:
Breakfast: strawberry and banana smoothie : 330 cal
Snack: string cheese 60 cal
Lunch: pb sandwich, apple, strawberries, peach slices and rasperries: 530 (you can see i have plenty of fruit)
Snack: cheese and crackers: 90 cal
Aleady at 1000 cal mark... And its only 3oclock!! And tonight i know i have a long study session ahead of me.

tiptoethruthetulips

Plan your meals and snacks in advance, adjust where necessary,that way you won't get caught out at the end of the day under or over eating.

For today, have some fish or chicken and veges for dinner.

traceywoody

My calorie limit is 1370.
I usually eat oats for brekky, a pb sandwich and a fruit salad for lunch. I have a tendancy to snack, which i find really good when im sitting in the library studying all day
Today for example:
Breakfast: strawberry and banana smoothie : 330 cal
Snack: string cheese 60 cal
Lunch: pb sandwich, apple, strawberries, peach slices and rasperries: 530 (you can see i have plenty of fruit)
Snack: cheese and crackers: 90 cal
Aleady at 1000 cal mark... And its only 3oclock!! And tonight i know i have a long study session ahead of me.

Peanut butter is very calorie dense, but oh so delicious. The berries are a fantastic snack. Maybe some carrot and celery and cherry tomatoes too for snacking while you study instead of cheese and crackers? ...or have some cream cheese with your carrot and celery sticks instead of crackers(they still give a crunch without the higher calories)? In any case, plan these in at the beginning of the day and you may have a better chance of knowing what you will be consuming.

Camo_xxx

If it were me I would replace some of those carbs with protein.

Your body digest sugar (carbs) much more rapidly then proteins and that in turn makes you hungry sooner where as proteins and fats keep you satisfied longer.

If I eat a fruit smoothly for breakfast I am hungry by 10am and want to eat again. If I eat an egg, mushroom and avacado omelet I am good until well after noon time.

Just my .02

mandymack14

For me walking does the trick - it boosts the cals you can consume and you don't have to scrimp on food. I try to walk at least 5 kms a day which takes about an hour and gives me about 250 extra cals.

But for those days when I'm sailing close to the wind I have a couple of low cal meals. A garden salad with a 2 egg omelette (12g cheddar cheese and some salsa or fresh tomato, onion, spinach) is about 250 cals, and you could cut the cals further by making it an egg white omelette. A fruit salad (strawberries, passionfruit, mandarin and grapes) with 100mg unsweetened plain yoghurt and a tablespoon of LSA (ground linseed, sesame and almond) is also around 250 cals.

rosnz

Try logging in advance. Every night, without fail I have 2 squares of deluxe chocolate with a cup of tea. I know I'm going to so I just log them in in the morning. If for some reason (a good reason being chocolate brownie instead) it takes a second to change. It's a bit like popping $20 away in my account weekly. If it's not in my purse I don't spend it!

Sarra33

If I were in your shoes I would exercise to earn at least 200 cal extra per day.

That would put you at 1570 which is around what I eat in a day.

My general guidelines are:

300 cal breakfast
300 cal lunch
500-600 cal dinner
300-400 cal spread through the day for snacks

Try to get at least 10g and if possible 20-30g of protein with each meal.

For breakfast I either have a PBJ on Little Big Bread and coffee with cream and sugar (302 cal/ 11g protein total) or I replace the PBJ with a protein shake or bar (334 cal/ 25g protein total)

I eat lunch at home most of the time and will usually have some combination of eggs and veggies or leftovers totaling around 300 cal.

Dinner is always lean protein, 1-3 cups of veggies/salad and sometimes a carb component like yams or quinoa.

I don't snack a lot but try to leave room in my budget for a small bowl of cereal as a bedtime snack. I know most people say not to eat after 8:30 but I can't sleep on an empty stomach, just can't do it.

kingscrown

Several things come to mind. When I first began I watched my macros carefully. I lot of things I ate where high in fat and high in sodium. I learned to eliminate, replace or just eat less of those items. Try eating a healthy diet. I like Tosca Reno's Eat Clean books. She has menus. Though I may not follow them closely they really gave me great ideas on what to eat and how much. Exercise. Always a good way to earn more calories when you have that day and you're over. Me, I exercise all the time. So if it's not an exercise day and I run out of calories I figure I've already made up for it. If I go over frequently I really sit down and take a look at why. I increased my calories from 1200 to 1400 last year because I just needed one more snack in my day.

salvationsdying

I try to enter dinner in first thing in the morning. Before I eat. That way I know dinner is handled and i can plan my day around. If I do happen to go over i walk for a half hour our so. Or i find some way to move. I Have found if when i feel hungry and its not meal time i find something to keep me busy I don't over eat. I Find allot that I'm just bored. Not hungry

LadyGisborne

Can you try to pre-log for a couple of days? I eat about the same lunch everyday and I meal plan, so I know exactly what I will have for dinner. Then I know what snacks I can have. The day is not set in stone, I can tweak my meals, but I have a rough idea of the way my calories will be distributed.

taylorjgriffiths289

Because i still live at home, i dont actually get to choose what i eat for dinner. I usually end up cooking for my brothers and mum but because i am studying full time and working part time i only have enough to spend on breakfasts and lunches.
Dinners are a family affair so i cant really go making my teenage brothers live off lean chicken and fish and veg every night or ill have two angry brothers on my hands aswell!
Honestly, dinner in our house is usually an after thought too. I dont usually know what im meant to be cooking until mum brings the shopping home with her after work. It makes prelogging really difficult!

mandymack14

Not being able to plan the evening meal is a problem for you, I agree. But if you get familiar with the calorie content of the foods your family eats you will at least be able to work out HOW MUCH to eat of the things on offer. If it's a high-cal meal eat just a little and have some low cal snacks, like fruit, to fill up on.

Sued0nim

Change up your meals

I have porridge made with water and a tsp of honey and sometimes berries for breakfast quite a bit and that's around 140 cals

Rather than a pb sandwich have chicken or fish with a big salad with avocado and olive oil and you'll be around 350

Leaving lots for snacks and supper

FindingAmy77

bump