Tips for staying below calories?

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Mellowkmc21
Mellowkmc21 Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was wondering if any of you had any tips on how to stay under your calorie intake...I seem to go over everyday! I'm a very picky eater so eating healthy is quite challenging for me to do. I enjoy snacking between meals to keep my metabolism going. I'm just finding it hard to stay under....does that mean I should up my cal intake?
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  • 37mom
    37mom Posts: 74
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    I really try to eat alot of veggies....they are so low in calories. Maybe your not eating enough protein to keep you full.
  • daisymae9801
    daisymae9801 Posts: 208 Member
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    Plan out what you're going to eat at the beginning of the day. It makes it much easier to stick to then logging it as you go. Also, check out how caloric the foods you're eating are. A big salad with a little bit of dressing is going to be a lot bigger but less calories than a hunk of steak.
  • Harrar10
    Harrar10 Posts: 116
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    Maybe try planning out your meals ahead of time so you can see how many calories you have left for your snacks. Trying to stay as close as possible to your pre-planned meals. :)
  • suediet55
    suediet55 Posts: 27 Member
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    Sugar free jellies are good for snacks - you can buy ready to eat pots or make up from powder - less than 10 kcals - you can have a few
  • angelicdisgrace
    angelicdisgrace Posts: 2,071 Member
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    try eating 6 times a day works for me :tongue:
  • amaried621
    amaried621 Posts: 260 Member
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    I'm a picky eater too so maybe I can give some helpful hints. Ok so there is of course the obvious and eat more fruits and veggies since they are usually pretty low in calories. With the foods that you like, find healthier options of them. For instance, I love bread so instead of white bread I now eat Whitewheat bread which saves me 20 calories. I love cheese, especially string cheese as a snack so I get the light cheese which saves 20 calories. Little things like that can make a big difference. For lunch I buy the 100 calorie packs, that way I can control how much I eat of something and won't go overboard but still get my fix of deliciousness.

    I hope this helps!
  • defygravity531
    defygravity531 Posts: 289 Member
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    fruits and vegetables!!! they help keep me full and satisfied so I don't reach for junk between meals and I'm not over-hungry when it's time to eat lunch or dinner. I also eat JackLinks beef jerkey. It's really delicious and it's low cal/high protien. :)

    Also, make sure you're drinking REAL WATER (not other stuff) all day. A lot of times when I think I want something sweet, I really just need something refreshing: like water.
  • Alishaa18
    Alishaa18 Posts: 21
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    I have started eating more protein and less carbs and I can tell a huge difference in my appetite. I'm not wanting to snack near as often. Hope this helps!..Good luck :)
  • muelle71
    muelle71 Posts: 7
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    Focus on hitting your protein and fiber intake with healthy foods, like turkey, salmon, tons of veggies (steamed or salad, little or no oil), and you will feel fuller longer. Avoid processed foods, refined sugar, and empty calories!!! I have no trouble staying below my calories, and I make sure to eat these items at every meal, with fruits, veggies, or nuts as snacks. You'll feel better and the weight will drop off. Best of luck!
  • tigerblue
    tigerblue Posts: 1,525 Member
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    I make sure that breakfast and lunch are fairly small (under 600 cals total for both), and then I have a decent number of calories left for either a large dinner with dessert, or some small snacks and a moderate dinner. (I vowed at the beginning that I would not let this interfere with my 2 sons and husband getting the calories they need at dinner. The boys are very active and have huge calorie requirements, so I can't feed them "diet" food, and I'm not fixing a separate meal for me. If I do I end up eating my special "diet" meal, and their food too!!)

    I dropped 43 pounds doing this, and have maintained now for 8 months. I also make sure that I burn at least 200 calories in exercise pretty much every day. I'm very petite, and I know that I have to keep making these decisions for life if I am to stay in a healthy weight range.

    It's not easy, but you can do it. Just ask yourself, am I really hungry, or do I just want to eat? Most of the time I find that I just want food for pleasure, and not because I'm hungry! You have to learn to discern the difference. Don't increase your calorie allowance, that will just slow down your loss.

    Good luck.
  • shtaylor
    shtaylor Posts: 54
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    How many calories are you allowing yourself? Maybe you can cut down on your portion size. I'm on a 1200 calories plan and in fact most of the time I am under that goal. I am surprised by how much I can eat for that amount of calories. I love vegetable so that helps a lot.
  • shesblossoming
    shesblossoming Posts: 426
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    Each week, I put each of my meals on post it notes. I have four categories: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks. I give myself around three to for choices for each, and I can change what I want each day depending on what I'm in the mood for. I also know that mixing any of them won't go over my calories. That way I get variety, and I'm able to stay under my calories.
  • kklindsey
    kklindsey Posts: 382 Member
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    The way I have always done it even before MFP is when the calories are gone, I am done. period. Didn't have dinner yet? too bad, obviously I didn't make proper choices during the day or I wouldn't be out of calories by dinner, better do a better job tomorrow. I log all of my food AS I EAT IT, not later, that way I know before I put something in my mouth exactly how many calories i have left after each meal and can spread them out during the day so i don't run out of calories before I run out of day. But bottom line is when the calories are done, so am I. tough love for myself, lol.
  • jw17695
    jw17695 Posts: 438 Member
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    Super cold water and sugarfree gum help me out quite a bit. The colder your drink is the more calories your body has to burn to warm it back up. Also, sugarfree gum is only 5 calories for 2 pieces.
  • JPod279
    JPod279 Posts: 722 Member
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    I'm not trying to be rude but a lot of it comes down to self control.
  • Mellowkmc21
    Mellowkmc21 Posts: 5 Member
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    Those are wonderful ideas...thanks so much!
  • RangerSteve
    RangerSteve Posts: 437
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    I was wondering if any of you had any tips on how to stay under your calorie intake...I seem to go over everyday! I'm a very picky eater so eating healthy is quite challenging for me to do. I enjoy snacking between meals to keep my metabolism going. I'm just finding it hard to stay under....does that mean I should up my cal intake?

    You don't need to "snack" to keep your metabolism going. Your metabolism isn't going to slow down because you ate 3-4 meals instead of 6 during the day. In fact, glucagon will kick in to normalize your blood sugar and regulate hunger if you don't snack.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucagon

    Read up about it on Wiki.

    If you find yourself going over your calorie limit, maybe you're snacking too much. If you save up a solid 600 calories for the end of the day and eat a nice big meal, maybe you won't be hungry before you go to bed and won't end up snacking later. Willpower is usually higher during the day anyway and you can stay busy to keep your mind off of it.
  • TAWoody
    TAWoody Posts: 261 Member
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    What everyone has suggested is good so far. In addition, can you burn any more calories every day to help? Walking 30 minutes a day can burn I believe 150 calories right there. I take a quick walk around the block on both my breaks at work. Walking around also helps on breaks so you're not tempting to hang around inside and maybe end up snacking.
  • wildon883r
    wildon883r Posts: 429 Member
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    I don't eat junk or do i even desire food that doesn't benefit my body. Eat Meat, Fruits, Veggies, Grains and you will find if your eating normal sized portions that its almost a challenge to reach your limit. Try to eat with the mindset . If mother nature didn't make it you won't eat it. I have to eat a 350 calorie PB&J sandwich about every evening to get me close to my daily goal and generally i'm under it 3-400 cals on a 1/2 lb a week loss program.
  • Sarahmeridith
    Sarahmeridith Posts: 298 Member
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    Veggies are key for me becauseI like to snack too.Raw carrots and celery eat to fill me up when I want to save my calories for meals. Also lots of water helps

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