Not losing weight because of what I eat after dinner

smilesback

I have to say I just don't know how to lose weight. I know how to gain weight! I have lost weight in the past with my 3 pillars of tools - Less than 1000 calories a day, 30 min cardio daily, and 3 days of weight training. I am 60 now and 5'0" 144 lbs and want to lose to 125 lbs, and then optimally be less than 110 lbs. I just can't seem to get the eating habit under control. I do fine sticking with breakfast and lunch routines. But dinner -- forget it. I just eat what I want, I snack after dinner in front of the TV and so I don't lose any weight that I worked on losing in the day. What can I do? :frown:

Em_runs_away

Do you need to eat more in the day time instead of getting hungry by the evening and making not so good choices? I find if I'm too strict in the day I eat more in the evening.

dad106

You don't lose weight in a day.. It's a collective effort made up of many days, and anything that does happen in a day is most likely water weight.

Also why do you want to be less then 110? I get you are short, but in all honesty, at your age, it's only going to make you look small and frail.. and personally, I don't think any women wants to look like that at any age.

My suggestion, eat more protein at dinner. Protein helps you feel fuller and should help curb some of those snacks late at night. Or up your calories/exercise more so you have enough calories for the late night snacks.

bitterbrownie

try not having the snacks in the house?

plan your recipes/meals for dinner and log them every morning or at the beginning of the week. then you can plan the rest of your day around that and ensure you meet your calorie goal.

if neither sound good, perhaps switch what you snack on? for after dinner, i love frozen yogurt (yoomoo does great flavours), weight watchers desserts or muller light yogurts.

or exercise more to free up more calories?

good luck

XjuliaXannX

Do you need to eat more in the day time instead of getting hungry by the evening and making not so good choices? I find if I'm too strict in the day I eat more in the evening.

i do the same thing; try not to be so restrictive during the day. and eat vegetables! they have so few calories!

usmcmp

You aim for less than 1000 calories a day while working out like that? Of course you keep snacking after dinner because your body is begging for nutrition. Try eating more, like 200-500 calories below your TDEE.

ETA: Using the stats you gave me your TDEE is roughly 1977. You are eating half of what you should to maintain and 300 calories below your BMR (the amount your body would use if you laid in bed all day). Try changing to 1500.

OhKelsey1

Stop eating big dinners and snacks.

Seriously, there's no trick to this. You have to know that losing weight is what you want, and you have to tell yourself to stick to it. It will never happen if you don't keep to the program.

Heather_Rider

focus on preparing low calorie meals. You would be surprised how large a meal for 500 calories can be, if you choose properly. Mine are often so large that i have to split them into two portions.. i have my dinner and save the leftovers from my plate to snack on later... i have already logged those calories! Also, try a protein shake, and add some fiber to it! Mix in fresh fruit and you have a sweet treat!

i ALWAYS prepare my meals a day in advance! It shows me what i can have, and i even include things like chocolate, candy bars, ect! Have a large salad with your meals.. just be careful of the dressing! That will really help fill you up too!

Good luck & feel free to add me!!

Skyoctober

I know how you feel. I do the exact same thing...I would say though when I first started I would save calories for that late night snack. I would have a fudgie bar or pudding or what ever you like. Then brush you teeth right after.

momma3sweetgirls

Stop watching tv. Seriously. There's nothing but mindless drivel on anyway (unless it's Vampire Diaries of course!). Get out for a walk after dinner. Clean some part of your house you've been neglecting. Call an old friend. Find a good book and go to bed. Do an exercise DVD. Take up a hobby that keeps your hands busy (knitting, crocheting, cross-stitching, etc).

Edit: Also, your goals are pretty hefty and you're setting yourself up to fail. With 20 lbs or less to lose, you should have your goals set to lose 1/2 a lb a week (that's only 2 lbs per month loss) and eat them all AND most of your exercise calories. If you starve yourself at this stage, your body will fight back and hang on to the weight.

lisaabenjamin

I think 1000 calories a day is too little - even though you are quite, um, little! You are quite active so consuming so few calories can actually make you conserve weight rather than lose it because your body goes into starvation mode. It may also explain why you can't resist the urge to snack in the evenings - you;re just not satisfying your body through the amount you are currently eating.

RealWomenLovePitbulls

eat a healthy snack between lunch and dinner, eat a later dinner, and don't snack in the evening.... don't buy junk food, if you don't have it, you won't eat it

BigDaddyBRC

Less than 1000 calories a day, 30 min cardio daily, and 3 days of weight training. I am 60 now and 5'0" 144 lbs and want to lose to 125 lbs, and then optimally be less than 110 lbs. I just can't seem to get the eating habit under control. I do fine sticking with breakfast and lunch routines. But dinner -- forget it. I just eat what I want, I snack after dinner in front of the TV and so I don't lose any weight that I worked on losing in the day. What can I do? :frown:

You are not eating enough. Your body is in starvation mode. Your BMR is 1281. You are burning more and trying to build muscle...guess what....you have nothing to do so, therefore, your body is in survival mode.

Change your mindset. EAT MORE

tumblyweed

Plan what you're going to eat the day before. Make a 'Beautiful Me' menu. As for the post-dinner noshing, well... you're preaching to the choir on that one. What I do find helps, is eliminating junk from my house. Really. Make the things you have available actually beneficial to your diet. For example, a post dinner snack on jerky is probably okay, because the extra protein is good for your diet and jerky is truly nosh-able. Fresh berries are good to snack on with some cottage cheese for added protein or even just a smoothie.

Being concerned about health is a 'good' concern.

MrsHyland

You aim for less than 1000 calories a day while working out like that? Of course you keep snacking after dinner because your body is begging for nutrition. Try eating more, like 200-500 calories below your TDEE.

ETA: Using the stats you gave me your TDEE is roughly 1977. You are eating half of what you should to maintain and 300 calories below your BMR (the amount your body would use if you laid in bed all day). Try changing to 1500.

What is TDEE?

MrsMangler

I was just like that when I started! Breakfast, lunch no problem. Dinner, forget about it! The problem was I was fixing big dinners for just two people, and there was no portion control. I started plating portions of food before I put it on the dinner table (rather than setting the table with casserole dishes) and would put the rest of the food away. I stopped getting second helpings because it was no longer in front of my face. If my husband wanted more he had to get up and get it out of the kitchen. I also started measuring my portions. If you still can't be disciplined to do that, try something like a portion controlled meal like a Healthy Choice or Smart Ones. I know they have tons of sodium and are usually carb heavy, but when I had a hard time getting my eating under control, I would pop one of these in the microwave and cook a big side of broccoli or edemame or a nice salad or I would throw in some extra protein like a chicken breast. I just told my husband he had to bear with me for a while until I could push through this.

Now my stomach has shrunk because I know I can’t eat like that anymore. I also think going to bed a little hungry is ok, but if you are so hungry it is keeping you up at night, you do need to eat something. Once you get the over-eating under control I think it’s much easier to listen to your body.

Also, if you have food in your house you know you have a hard time stepping away from, get it out of the house. (Sorry this was so long! Good luck!)

MrsMangler

What is TDEE?

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) quantifies the number of calories you burn in a day

http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

marycmeadows

I eat dinner.... and I have an evening snack - every night -and I've lost 115lbs. I'm very conscious of what I eat all day long, and my night time snacks are carefully planned! My go-tos for evening snacks.....
celery, broccoli, cucumbers, cauliflower and roasted red pepper hummus.... (Or just cucumbers with salsa)
high protein sweet treat (chocolate protein powder, cocoa powder, pb2 all mixed with a little water and frozen for a while)

Once you stop eating crap it gets a lot easier. just keep only smart choices in your house. that's what I do. There's nothing wrong with snacking at night. Just avoid starchy carbs -- no chips, popcorn, fruit, etc. have something high protein. raw veggies are great because they are crunchy, and low cal!

usmcmp

You aim for less than 1000 calories a day while working out like that? Of course you keep snacking after dinner because your body is begging for nutrition. Try eating more, like 200-500 calories below your TDEE.

ETA: Using the stats you gave me your TDEE is roughly 1977. You are eating half of what you should to maintain and 300 calories below your BMR (the amount your body would use if you laid in bed all day). Try changing to 1500.

What is TDEE?

As MrsMangler said it is Total Daily Energy Expenditure. The number of calories your body uses in a day. It isn't exact (none of this process is), but knowing what your calculated TDEE is can tell you if you should eat more.

SueInAz

I'm something of a night time snacker, so I get where you're coming from. My tricks to compensate:

1. Eat low calorie snacks and pre-portion them. If I bring the whole bag in with me, I'm probably going to mindlessly eat the whole bag. I'll eat veggies with a low calorie dip or a pour myself a single serving size of what I want (cereal, popcorn, etc.) Sugar free popsicles are also a good treat. When that serving is gone, it's gone. There are no "seconds" for snacks.
2. Do something with my hands. Cross-stitch, knit, whatever you like. You can eat and do those things and your hands are occupied and you end up with something useful.
3. Exercise. You can do this in front of the TV or away from it. Go for a walk. If you have a treadmill or stationary bike, put it in front of the TV. I've been watching old Remington Steele episodes while riding my stationary bike. It's 42 minutes of 80s style entertainment!

Honestly, 1000 calories at your height and age is probably fine, but you're probably going to need to eat back your exercise calories if you want to lose weight.

ETA: Whatever you decide to do, you should leave enough calories in your day to allow a small snack. I'm not usually happy unless I have one each night, it's just the way I am, so I plan for it.

MrsHyland

What is TDEE?

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) quantifies the number of calories you burn in a day

http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

Thank you. I knew basically what the idea was I just wasn't sure exactly what the acronym stood for.