So here is our calorie disconnect....

tinkermommc

Okay so here is our disconnect and hopefully those of you that have experienced this can help. Those of us struggling to eat our calories from those that find it easy.

If (before) I took my kids to McDonalds and I got a Big Mac, fries and a chocolate shake, I got 1500 calories in one sitting. Nice easy, I could make calories 2x in one day.

But now making smarter choices for that same 1500 calories I can eat...Here's yesterday:
Meals: Oatmeal with Applesauce and Chocolate milk
a huge Taco salad
Soup with a slice of french bread

Snacks: String cheese
Banana
Carrots with hummus

And I still have 200 left over calories, more if I've exercised. Now it's those leftover calories that get me into trouble. So then in the evening I'm making bad choices to use up the leftover calories. So do I stop when I'm full and not worry about the extra calories or do I splurge? Because the quantity of food I'm eating is much more, but so is the quality. I'm just starting out and have a long way to go and I don't want to start any bad habits now when that's what I'm trying to shake.

Mike523

You could easily use up those extra 200 with a more calorie dense healthy snack, like an ounce of nuts or a couple tablespoons of natural nut butter.

Stylistntenn

I wouldn't eat the calories just because they are there. If you are hungry or having a maaaajor craving that's different. I eat back my exercise calories sometimes. Just depends on the day. The trick is to not feel deprived though. So, if you have done your exercises and have made healthy choices throughout the day.. But you're still craving a little something, go for it. You will still lose weight.:flowerforyou:

JacksMom12

Add an ounce of cheese or Avacado to that taco salad. Have a serving of nuts with a string cheese as a snack or a large Apple with two T. of nut butter like previously suggested. Make a frothy chocolate/banana/peanut butter protein shake for dessert with chocolate protein powder, a T of peanut butter and a large banana, some milk and ice. There are tons of healthy ways to meet your goals.

racs80

i find it hard to eat all my calories sometimes but i never feel hungry after my eveing meal an im not going to eat just for the sake of it i like to save them up so i can have some alchol at the weekend if i feel like it without worrying about how meny calories there is in my vokda lol x

tinkermommc

Add an ounce of cheese or Avacado to that taco salad. Have a serving of nuts with a string cheese as a snack or a large Apple with two T. of nut butter like previously suggested. Make a frothy chocolate/banana/peanut butter protein shake for dessert with chocolate protein powder, a T of peanut butter and a large banana, some milk and ice. There are tons of healthy ways to meet your goals.

LOL there was cheese and sour cream on my taco salad. I don't have peanut butter every day but I have that with apples or carrots or as a sandwich. And I do protein in smoothies. I still don't make goal unless I splurge at night.

@ racs I'm still skeptical about saving calories. If seems like sleep to me, where you can't make up for it. Have you had success doing that?

shana_phoenix83

Just add peanut butter to the banana you had for a snack, and that solves the problem. If I have leftover calories at the end of the night, I make myself a yummy fruit smoothie with frozen fruit and almond milk (around 200 cals). If you have a sweet tooth, buy the Skinny Cow ice-cream sandwiches for dessert after dinner (around 150 cals). There are SOOO many options of healthy, quick things you can eat for 200 calories.

tinkermommc

And I do add ice cream or a snack late at night but only to make calories. I'm not hungry, I'm not craving anything, just to make calories. And thats what worries me. It feels counterproductive to eat more when I don't need to.

melsinct

It's all about the calorie dense foods. I eat a serving of almonds a day (170 calories) when necessary to make up my calorie deficit. You can do the same by eating nuts, nut butters, cooking in real olive oil and ditching cooking spray, adding avocado to sandwiches (or eat plain w/salt. Yum!), adding flax meal to your meals...

synthetiquecindy

If you're not hungry, then why have an extra meal or snack? Add a touch more of whatever you are having for each meal or snack (50 cals x 4 meals) then you won't have to force food down at the end of the night. .

If you want to add something extra each day, add some pb to your smoothies or some oats, natural oils or (as stated earlier) and handful of nuts with a snack.

Keep it simple.

alicepoppyh

I've only been on this site a few days, and I find that pretty odd too, I wouldn't have imagined how hard it would be to make up those calories when you're eating such good food! In general unless I'm WAY under I won't eat. No point eating for the sake of it if it's just a couple of hundred. When I was 800+ under I snacked on some dried fruit and had a much-needed couple of beers.

I guess if it was consistently a couple of hundred under and you really wanted to make them up, maybe you could try adding in a few small snacks during the day to keep your energy up and ensure you're not wolfing down food just before bedtime? But the way I see it if it was really harming you not to have had those last calories, your body would be telling you so fairly quickly!

KareninCanada

Take a whole wheat tortilla (100 cal), spread it with peanut butter or nutella (100 cal) and wrap it around that banana you had for a snack. Or have a couple of boiled eggs for a snack mid-morning, that would give you a protein boost as well.

tinkermommc

Do I need to worry that I'm always over protein? Everyone's suggestions seem to be for more protein and It's easy for me to eat double my protein goal.

alicepoppyh

Where are you getting all your protein?! It's one thing I'm having a *lot* of trouble with.

slk1954

I have also had additional calories remaining at the end of my day and I choose to think that I really did extra well that day instead of having extra food to eat. I know that some days are going to worse than others, so on those days that I have calories left over, it helps me feel a little better about those days that I go over my allotted calories. You have to remember to forgive yourself for those little mess ups in whatever way works for you. Good luck and keep on with the good battle. It's all worth it in long run.

rainbowbow

Two words-

Skinny cow.

I eat a ice cream sandwich (try the mint) and I feel like I'm treating myself for doing a good job. At 150 calories they work perfectly for me.

tinkermommc

Where are you getting all your protein?! It's one thing I'm having a *lot* of trouble with.

Milk, cheese, meat, eggs, oatmeal and my biggest source, greek yogurt!

So basically just keep doing what I'm doing and don't worry if I'm short but if I want a late night snack then use my 'extra' calories?

astrampe

Don't worry about being over your protein, it's good for you...Just make sure you drink lots of water...

eileencorry

But how much under is ok? I am consistently under my calories almost everyday. I find it really hard to eat when i am not hungry. It really just seems counterproductive. I do eat nut snack bars (from the healthy food aisle) when i need to snack, but i dont want to be snacking at night time...

sschoolfield

I don't normally worry about eating those extra calories at the end of the day and rarely eat back my excercise calories. What works for one doesn't always work for all. Listen to what your body and the scales are telling you. I have had periods where I stop losing and then I adjust what I am doing; for example I might eat those extra calories for a while, then after a week or so, I go back to leaving them as surplus. This usually re-starts the weight loss for me.

LariBelle

I don't eat my extra calories - unless I am hungry. I really wonder how carefully you are measuring what goes in to your taco salad. I found that even though I thought I knew what 2 tbs of sour cream I really was underestimating. When I weighed a chicken breast I found it was 164g instead of the 100g serving size that MFP defaults to. So I've started measuring/weighing the foods I eat most often until I've learned how to more accurately gauge just how much I am eating.

I also like to use the reports tool to chart my calorie intake over the last 7 days. Every few days I try to get in some extra calories (not a total pig out but an extra 100 or 200 from my usual)

As for protein, after going a little nuts reading up on just how much I should have to support my weight loss without damaging my kidneys I said "screw it" . Now I'm just trying to stay between 50 and 115g.

tinkermommc

I don't eat my extra calories - unless I am hungry. I really wonder how carefully you are measuring what goes in to your taco salad. I found that even though I thought I knew what 2 tbs of sour cream I really was underestimating. When I weighed a chicken breast I found it was 164g instead of the 100g serving size that MFP defaults to. So I've started measuring/weighing the foods I eat most often until I've learned how to more accurately gauge just how much I am eating.

I also like to use the reports tool to chart my calorie intake over the last 7 days. Every few days I try to get in some extra calories (not a total pig out but an extra 100 or 200 from my usual)

As for protein, after going a little nuts reading up on just how much I should have to support my weight loss without damaging my kidneys I said "screw it" . Now I'm just trying to stay between 50 and 115g.

I do measure and weigh out but somethings are hard to input the exact amount and when that happens I go on the high side, not low. Side note, if you add beans to a taco salad it stretches that salad a long way ;-)

I will have to check out that chart, I haven't seen it yet. Thanks!