Having trouble staying under my calorie limit

LovahLaura

So, I've been a member of MFP for only 3 days but I find that it's hard to stay under my calorie limit the site assigned to me. I almost stayed under it yesterday but I had a pretty light dinner (you can consider it healthy snacks) but I was STILL hungry! I had one more healthy snack to make myself no longer hungry and that pushed me over my limit.

How am I supposed to do this?! This is difficult and I don't want to go to bed hungry every night!

kaizen31

I have the same problem. If you record your exercise, it bumps up the number of calories you're allowed. I pretty much have to exercise at least 20min a day to have enough calories to not feel hungry. I guess there are worse things to be forced to do, though.

thankyou4thevenom

Given I can't see your diary I can't see what you're eating. At a guess you're eating the wrong things.

If you're choosing high calorie options you're going to find that staying under the calorie goal is really hard. Also if your portion sizes are too big you're also going to have this problem.

Start by reducing the portion sizes of things. See how that does. Other things like not having butter on your sandwich when you've got mayonnaise will cut the calories there and allow you to have extra fruit/vegs or healthy snacks.

Also drink water. You may not actually be hungry. You might actually be thirsty.

pa_jorg

Adding exercise calories helps (although just a reminder that MFP calculates high) or you can recalculate your loss by setting it to 1/2 or 1 lb. loss per week.

Finally, you can eat up to your BMR and will most likely still lose. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator

rachelleahsmom

Try eating denser foods with lower calories. Chicken breast, for example. I personally think yogurt is a wonder food. So few calories and really fills me. Eat more veggies and drink more water. You could fill your plate and belly with something like brocolli and have very few calories consumed. Eating a huge plate of brocolli doesn't appeal to me, but you get the idea... Good luck!

AsiaKenney

It was hard for me too at first but then i started eating snack bags of carrots and a lot of salad. Ive also started eating special k 100 calorie snacks, they fill you up and they taste so goooooooooooood ...... now its much easier and I find myself having 100+ calories left over everyday

susanofscottsdale

Some things that work for me:

Distractions that consume. For me it is painting, sewing, call a friend to catch up and sometimes I will leave the house and get away from food.

Time. The first few days are the toughest.

Exercise. A brisk walk not only leaves you less hungry, it earns you more calories.

Shifting to more protein and less carbs, at the same calorie level. It tends to be much more satisfying.

Carbonated drinks. Diet soda, or the healthier option of sparkling water.

Good luck & hang tough!

atomicpunk1974

I had the same experience when I started this. What helped me was that a friend told me that after two or three weeks of staying within the calorie limit, her appetite adjusted to it, and she stopped feeling hungry all the time. So I pushed through those first few weeks too, and the same thing happened to me. It's hard at first, but you will adjust.

LivLovLrn

It really is necessary to see your diary to know how to help, but what I can tell you is this. The people I see on here who have a few foods to stay under their calorie limit are eating a lot of bread products, processed foods (including nutrition bars etc) and sweets. Basically eating the same way they always have, just less. This will make you feel hungry a lot because your body is not getting the nutrients it needs. The people I see on here eating lots of fruits and veggies and being careful what they eat with their proteins (not a lot of thick, heavy sauces on meats etc) are getting plenty to eat and not feeling hungry. Plus they feel MUCH better for having eaten so well. Also drinking water is a good filler

Dona_Maria

I was looking at your food diary from yesterday, and it looks like you had a yummy lunch but way too many calories. What has been working for me is eating light healthy foods/ snacks every few hours; but you'll want to plan your day. I like to stay between 200-300, every 2-3 hours. Best of luck to you.

I forgot to add, these are examples of snacks I eat: 100 cal. yogurt, 60 cal. Jello temptations, 50 cal. Cheese stick, light sandwich meats.

sneezles

You need to ditch the sugar cereals, reduce your sodium intake to 1,500mg/day, stop eating processed foods, eat more veggies and protein and fewer carbs. By protein I mean lean meats...no chicken wings or other fried foods.

aiyana1228

You gotten lots of good advise so far. Here are a few other ideas I would add.
Time: I always think the first three days of changing any food intake is the hardest. I bet your day 4 will already be better.
Meals: Be sure to eat a really filling breakfast. Breakfast bars are fine once in a while but this is the time of day that your body is preparing for its day of work. If I eat plenty at breakfast I stay pretty satisfied all day. (I often struggle to get in enough calories). I eat a lot of oatmeal with fruit for breakfast. I did switch from milk to coconut milk to giver me more calcium and less calories with my oatmeal. Not the instant stuff. Oats only take 3 minutes in the microwave. I add cinnamon a splenda and blueberries or bannana. Its really filling and really yummy. Someone mentioned yogurt-Also love this for a quick breakfast or snack. If you have Krogers where you are there carb master yogurt is lower in calories than most lite varieties and the best yogurt I have ever had.
Choices: I agree with limiting sugar (it will make you crave) and learn to eat as much fresh frute and veggies as you can (I don't do many salads becase dressing is the enemy). I keep Cerery, red and yellow bell pepers, cucumbers broccoli and califlower around all the time. I love frute so I make sure I have lots of variety here too.
It will get easier
expectations: Trying to loose more than a pound a week is too hard on your body. Do it for the health not the numbers on the scale.
Good luck

Rae6503

The site assigns you your daily calories based on your weekly weight loss goal, your activity level, and your size. Maybe you picked too lofty of a weekly goal. 2lbs a week is HARD. I try for 0.5lbs per week (when I try, which I'm not right now). Also not as many people are actually "sedentary" as think they are.

potluck965

I've eaten pretty healthy and have lost weight, but I am usually hungry, mostly all the time. It is a constant battle. I have been at this over a year and have been successful, but I had to get used to feeling hungry.

hotcocoa8

Try adding protein powder to your diet that's what help me.

kristilovescake

I almost always have to add exercise in to be able to make my calorie goal of around 1200 net.

I've also found that low calorie lunches and snacks are the only way to help myself stay on track.

Try loading up on:
Celery sticks (VERY low calorie)
Carrots or baby carrots (also low calorie)
Apples (not super low calorie, but are a pretty filling snack)
Any other veggie you love - usually veggies are pretty low calorie and have fiber to keep you full
Light soups for lunch (usually you can get them for around 200 calories for 2 cups)

Have a huge salad before you eat lunch and/or dinner - try avoiding salad dressings. I load up my salads with sliced carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, baked chicken breast or tuna, etc. so it's full of flavor and doesn't need dressing (salad dressings can pack on a ton of calories).

I've also found that if I make sure I eat every 2 hours, I'm less hungry. If you spread out your meals instead of eating all at once then you're less likely to overeat when you finally do get food. Also drink a lot of water!

arlo1028

Are you having enough protein?? that usually keeps me full. I can have a Greek yogurt cup (6 oz) & some fruit and feel full for a few hours, until my next meal or bedtime. It's good for a snack or meal (with added fruit or nuts, or having it with a side salad) try to find snacks that are low in calorie, as mentioned before lol Special K fruit crisps are very yummy, or the Fiber One brownie. just a few examples. But you should definitely research on what's good & count up your calories. The more cardio you do, the more calories you can burn (:

LovahLaura

I had the same experience when I started this. What helped me was that a friend told me that after two or three weeks of staying within the calorie limit, her appetite adjusted to it, and she stopped feeling hungry all the time. So I pushed through those first few weeks too, and the same thing happened to me. It's hard at first, but you will adjust.

...This is somewhat of a relief, I just gotta get through the first few weeks and HOPEFULLY my appetite will adjust to my new eating habits!

Thanks everyone for your tips and ideas. I opened my diary to the public so y'all should see it now. Let me know if you can't.

aiyana1228

Hi Laura,
Here are a few more thoughts after viewing your diary. You are eating alot of carbs in the form of refined sugar and flour. These things tend to make you crave. They raise your blood sugar and then you get a crash that sends you into cravings. (hunger) I know its hard if this is how you have eaten most of your life but I would suggest you try to limit your bread, cereal (the stuff in the box-real oatmeal is fine), pasta (unless its whole wheat), crackers and cookies to no more than one portion per day. Trade those in for more fruit and veggies. If you want something crunchy try red, yellow or orange bell peper slices, celery and or baby carrots. Instead of the cookies try grapes (really good frozen too) or a sugar free pudding cup with whipped cream. Instead of the deli meat try grilling or baking a few boneless skinless chicken breasts and use these. A few ounces of good lean protien will fill you right up. You ate 400 calories with a few tortillas. Eat the stuff inside and forget the tortilla and you could have eaten twice as much filling. If you have questions about calorie counts try plugging in what you are thinking about eating before you eat it. Then you can see where you could trade something that is small with lots of calories for something more filling. Good luck. Figuring all of this out is really hard. The best place you can be to figure this out is right here! Think about just makeing small changes and you will be amazed at how they add up...

One more thought. Drink more water.

ansonrinesmith

It's small changes that can make the difference.
Looking at your diary, I would do things like low carb tortillas, low calorie bread, lighter calorie snacks, and/or cutting out cheeses.
I found these things to be very high in calories (I cut cheese out all together), and changing them can make up about a 500 calorie a day difference.

Pebble321

I think there are a few things to consider here.

The first one is - are your weight loss goals realistic? If you are set to lose 2 pounds a week this might be too agressive for your weight. If so, change your setting to 1 pound or 1/2 pound a week. Yes, you might lose weight a bit slower, but if you have a program that is sustainable you will see results in the longer term, instead of giving up in a few weeks because it's too hard.

Are you set at the right activity level? If you are really sedentary this chose this, otherwise think about what you do in a regular day (excluding exercise) and choose lightly active or a higher activity setting if this seems accurate.

Are you adding your exercise into your diary? MPF calculates your daily calorie allowance without taking exercise into account. This means that when you exercise and add this into your diary you get to eat the extra calories - and you still have a calorie deficit and you still lose weight!

You've had lots of suggestions about food - I think you need to treat this as a learning process and experiment with different meals and snacks. In general less processed stuff is going to have less calories and will fill you up more for the amount of calories you get. So, things like a banana or almonds will give you more nutrition and fill you up more than the same amount of calories in cookies or crisps.

And, dont panic if you go over your calories. Depending on your setting you will have a deficit of 1000/500/250 cals a day - do if you eat an extra 200 cals you will still have a deficit and can still lose weight. Just slower.
Remember, you don't have to change everything at once, if it all seems to hard then change one meal at a time to a healthier option and you will see results!

southernsweetie1978

I have always been a big pasta eater myself so I understand how hard it can be to make changes. I have chosen to eat Greek Yogurt in the morning or a Fried Egg in Olive Oil for my morning meal because you should eat protein or fiber meals first thing in the morning to help built up you energy level. The only real changes I made to my diet is that I am more aware of portion control, staying away from certain foods at restaurants because of their high calories and quit drinking sodas. I am on more of a high protein/low carb diet though MyFitnessPal actually has me on a high carb/low protein diet. I am always in the red on protein but I am losing weight easier this way. If you want to eat a pasta meal, make it yourself using 100% Whole Grain Pasta and find a healthy sauce in the store to use with it. I love those wraps at Fatz Cafe and found it was loaded in calories so I bought my own Multigrain flatbread and made me my own chicken wrap by using 2% shredded Cheddar cheese and those tyson grilled chicken strips that are already cooked that you can warm up in the microwave.

Jesung

Ship the calories over to me. I have trouble eating my daily calories.

LovahLaura

Thank you EVERYONE for your ideas and tips. If you noticed on my diary, I lose my motivation on the weekends. And some of my unhealthy meals are usually b/c of what my boyfriend fixes us or we go out to eat. It's very difficult.

- I'm trying to increase my water intake. I've never been a thirsty person so I never think to drink alot throughout the day.
- I'm trying to stay away from anything that isn't WHOLE WHEAT. I eat alot of oatmeal luckily and whole wheat pasta only at home.
- I'm trying increase my fruit and veggie intake as well. That's not difficult.
- Cutting out cheese is HARD b/c it's my FAVORITE with or on anything.
- Unfortunately, I found my sweet tooth w/in the past few years so I'm trying to "lose" it again. Lol.

aiyana1228

I love cheese too. This is probably the hardest food for me to give up. That and real salad dressing (ranch). I remember trying reduced fat cheese a few years a go and thought it was like eating rubber. Wrong consistency and flavorless. I was happy to figure out that the 2% cheeses now are a lot better. Especially when added to other foods like in a taco salad or an omlett I really can't tell the difference. Same goes for fat free ranch. I do not like the flavor on a salad on its own but when added to other things and with foods that also have a lot of flavor it works great. The other cheese things that I have found that are not bad are to replace cheddar with Motzerella and the mini baby bell cheese rounds. I know a lot of people like the laughing cow cheese wedges too. I try to save these for the evenings for those days that I still have lots of calories to make up. (Trust me you'll get there). I think the hardest part of doing this is eating with other people and especially eating out. I took my God son (17) to dinner at quaker steak and lube last weekend and even though I was careful it was the worst meal in months. Luckily I planned for it and ate very low calorie stuff the rest of the day but it is amazing what resteraunts do.

I was told and it seems to be true that you can have one larger meal like that once a week without it hurting you too much. As long as its not too horrible (no eating full cakes and gallons of ice cream) you will still have that weekly deficit that will allow loss.

Whoever talked about going over the protien-Most people believe that MFP levels for protien are a bit low. Its OK to go over here and in fiber (cause the more the better). Its the other categories that you want to be careful in -carbs, fat, calories.

timberbeast

im a runner just jog for a mile or something or even walk itl help you b able to eat more i have trouble REACHING my calorie goal.