eating too many calories and going out to eat

ktbollman

Here's my deal. I'm 26, getting married next May, and have been battling this weight for years... I have always been a big girl (there's my brief intro hehe).

My biggest problem is that I eat too many calories. More specifically, i seem to eat most of my calories before dinner, and when it comes time for dinner...I eat! which puts me over my calorie limit...which makes me feel like ecrap and just eat more because "i'm already o ver my calorie count anyway..." and that bad habit doesn't allow me to lose.

How are you all staying within your calorie range? I know it sounds like a simple question, but I am looking for some tips. I just love food too much...

Also, eating out. I LOVE TO GO OUT TO EAT!!! Something about unhealthy, fried food just makes my mouth water. It's so bad. I hate it. I wish my brain would switch to bad thoughts when I think about eating out. Do you guys have any tips on how to keep eating out under control?

Thanks!

Acg67

Willpower

For increased satiety, higher protein intake, smaller more frequent meals/larger less frequent meals, higher fiber intake, more water intake may be things that can help

CM9178

Agreed.

ShallaLovee

Maybe you could find low calorie snacks that you will like and eat those before dinner so your not consuming a lot. I find chewing gum helps me when I "seem hungry". Drink water, stay away from the kitchen when you feel like you want to eat. Go do a 10-15 exercise. If you still feel like eating maybe go for fruit or veggies sometimes I eat a piece of lunch meat and I'm fine. Find what works for you at those times. As far as going out to eat. There are way too many unnecessary calories in the food try to not go out to eat so much. Maybe limit it to one or two times a week to "treat yourself" for working hard all week. Um, since I started changing my eating habits I never go out to eat. I cook something at home because I know its better. I'm weird cause I don't have that craving to go to a fast food restaurant or sweets like I long months ago or last year. It takes time to calm it down and put in your mind like this isn't good for me and this isn't going to help me and to let it go. Give it time. Take it slow and gradually wing yourself off. Good luck to you.

Jorra

I think that is most everyone's problem. The solution is to not do it.

Why do you eat so much before dinner?

cbrrabbit25

You have to imagine the outcome and think of how you are going to feel as a result of over-eating. All i did to stop eating fried foods was to imagine them being cooked in that yucky grease and think ahead about how bloated they make you feel in the end. I no longer crave them. I haven't eaten ANY fried food in over 2 years and i don't want to anymore!

Homer3D

Here is what I do. I eat what I want as long as I am willing to work it off later that day.

So if I want to grab a five guys burger I have to be willing to work out additional hour that day.If I don't want to, then I can't have that burger. When I look at certain foods, I see it in calories and how long it would take to burn that off. Someone hands me a donut. Hmmm..I see 430 calories which for me is about 30 minutes on the treadmill. If I am OK with that, I get to eat that donut.

So you want to eat out and go over your calorie limit. Fine. Just understand how long you are going to have to work off to burn that off and ask yourself if you WILL work that off.

countmein88

^ ditto to the above comment. You don't need to snack but i think we all enjoy snacking in between meals, that comfort of eating type of thing. Just try to make a mental note of why you're eating, it helps if you planned out your meals ahead of time as well. But often times it just comes down to will power

mammakisses

Sometimes you have to take one step at a time. Maybe you could change one eating habit per week and see how it works out for you. Instead of having french fries make potato wedges with the minimum of oil. Small step like that can really make a big difference in the long run. Also try to fill up on veggies and fruits. If you want more help you could make your food diary public.

MinnieInMaine

Well, I think you need to make it a priority. If you really want to get healthy and lose weight and get the right nutrition for your triathalon training, you just have to do it. Sit down on the weekend with a recipe book (or the internet) and plan out your meals for the week and then go to the grocery story for everything you need so it's handy. Hell, even prep and put everyting together that day if you want. Check out OAMC (once a month cooking) blogs - tons of recipes that are good for freezing so you cook one day a week or month, toss everyting in the freezer and you're good to go. If you live in a warm climate, you can do the same with grilling. Throw some meat in some marinade in the morning, throw it on the grill that night and microwave some veggies to go with it and/or have a salad on the side. It is so easy and not much less time consuming than going out to eat.

And maybe once a week or once every two week, you treat yourself with a cheat meal and go have that yummy food you like.

Look, I'm a foodie too - I get it, it's yummy and you don't want to give it up. And you don't have to give it up (I still eat pizza and chocolate). BUT you do have to learn to eat it less and control your portions. Otherwise, you're just going to keep spinning your wheels hoping to lose the weight but continuing to give in to temptations...and 10 years down the road, you'll wish you stopped when you should've. Trust me, that was me 3 years ago!

Another thing - exercise won't totally take care of the bad, but it will help! The more you do it, the more you can eat. That is a huge motivator for me!

YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

LoraF83

Willpower. I have decided that food is not more important than my health.

Also, preplanning helps a lot. I always plan for the next day before going to bed at night. I pretty much always know what I'm going to be doing, so I plan my calories around my day & activity. I leave wiggle room for the unexpected, but so far it's been working out great.

Here's something to keep in mind: There will always be more food. You don't have to eat all of the pasta/pizza/ice cream/cake/chips right now. You can get more anytime you want it. Have a portion, track it. If you liked it, have it some other time. If you have time, a car, and some money in your pocket, you can get more food. So, there is no reason to have ALL of it right now.

Edit to mention: I don't think you have to give up anything to lose weight. Eat the foods you want, just in moderation. Try to fuel your body with healthy stuff as much as possible, but don't think you can't eat "junk" food. You can. Just keep a calorie deficit.

NikkiSixGuns

Yes to willpower. That's the hardest part.

Have you outlined goals for yourself? If you haven't established what you want to do, by when, and how you're going to get there, it's way to easy to think that each bad decision is OK. Especially since your end target is so far off.

If you've told yourself something like, "I want to lose five pounds in the next thirty days, and I'm going to do it by determining how many calories I should be eating every day in order to lose weight, tracking everything I eat to make sure I stay within my calorie limit, limiting eating out to once a week, and getting in at least 30 minutes of exercise each day", then it's much easier to stay on track. Each little decision has an impact on the goal you've set. I'd recommend that you set even smaller goals (like one per week or two weeks) since you're just starting out.

I view my daily calorie limit like money. I only have so much to spend each day, and if I go over, then I'm putting myself into debt. I wouldn't do that with my money, so I don't do it with my food.

magj0y

Stop eating out except once a weel and learn how to cook your favorite meals at home in a healthier way (It honestly can be done)

find healthier foods you LOVE (they do exist)

Plan your diet to include food you live. One way my friends lost weight, their meals got smaller through the day.
large breakfast, medium lunch small dinner.

step up your exercise. At work you can take just 5 minutes to increase your heart rate. Try doing that once an hour. 10 minutes to increase it even more. if you can't do that at work, do it before work and after work before you get into your car.

don't bring junk food into the house. If all you h ave are lean meats, vegetables and healthy grains, that's all you're going to eat for dinner. If all you have is oatmeal, yogurt, health cereal and fresh fruits for breakfast, that's what you're eating. A hot breakfast will keep you feeling full longer. 2 scrambled eggs with a slice of toast is great.

Fictionista

I used to love fried food. But since I started on here, and saw how many calories it truly was, I tried like crazy to scale back as far as I could. Now I almost never have anything fried - the last two times I did (chicken fingers the first time, and deep fried sweet potato fries the next), it actually made me sick. Which is a great way to stop craving them!

Most fried foods can be baked if you make them yourself. Baked chicken tenders, or potatoes in any form (except latkes - those have to be fried), or whatever are usually very good and much better for you.

jfrog123

I agree with the above posters, but wanted to add that pre-logging has helped me in the past. When I was having a hard time "budgeting" cals for the day I would log the whole day either that morning or the night before. It requires some planning, but it was worth it to me. Then if I wanted to grab a snack I would look at the log and it would remind me I had already planned my calories for the day, which made it easier to resist temptation. It might be worth a try. Good luck!

Seriousmom3

i had a similar problem. chewing gum and water didn't help me. i found that if i eat low calorie snacks in between meals it helped. it didn't happen for me in a day, it was gradual. logging my food every day and seeing exactly what i was eating put it in perspective for me. grapes are a great in between meal snack. you can eat a bunch for few calories. also, gopicnic has prepackaged meals for 3.99. i like to break them up as snacks during the day too. it isn't easy at first. but that is what worked for me. more foods that were low in calories. maybe that will help you too.

oh, and i also got a food scale. get one if you haven't already. take it with you if you like to eat out. i do, portion control. ; ) good luck.

Martina_Who

First of all add a good few supportive people as a support network is key
Second open your food diary to them if you haven't already. Having an open food diary makes you so much more accountable and does stop you from overeating
Next make sure your eating enough calories so you dont feel like binging, have you checked out your bmr and tdee?
Eat back most of your exercise calories
If you can afford it buy a HRM and a fitbit to see how many calories you burn during exercising and to see how active you are each day
Exercise most days even if it's a very short walk
Allow yourself treats, this should be a healthy way of living not a diet.

Hope this helps!
Feel free to add me :-)

magj0y

**Also, juice fasts will allow you to lose weight, but it's a method that won't keep weight off unless you stick to your new allowance of calories so of course you gained it back.

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

try this and then hit the 'zig zag' method. it'll give you a varied amount of calories, but still a deficit at the end of the day.

vim_n_vigor

This may be a case of - you need to temporarily cut some foods out of your diet for a while until you have the self control not to 'eat all the food'. Plan out your day and stick to it. If you like to feel like you are eating all the time, meals and 2-3 snacks planned through the day may work very well for you. Exercise to earn more calories to eat. You are the only one in control of what you are doing. You just have to make up your mind that it is important enough for you to change.

mandi_444

Being healthy and looking good tastes wayyy better than those french fries!!

Just keep your eye on the prize! Mind over matter - your brain is a very powerful thing

Also, I leave all my money and cards at home so I can't stop at a fast food place on the way to or from work. Also, then I can't give in and go buy lunch or snacks throughout the day. I have cut myself off from crappy snacks and food.

Good luck to you! I know you can do it!

reree6898

You have to make the choice to turn away from those unhealthy foods. It is hard, truly hard to do because without realizing it those things become an addiction. Make the commitment to yourself that for a few days you will not eat those foods, then when you accomplish that make it a few more days until you break that addiction. I have been there. I had my ah-ha moment in May of this year that I had to make changes and get healthy for me. I was addicted to Soda's and fast food. I was the kind of person who would literally eat fast food 6-10 times a week and drink Coke, Mountain Dew, or Cherry 7-up all day long. During my first week of eating clean and going to the gym I felt like I was in detox but once I got past that first week things started turning around and I felt better and better. Since making that choice in May I have lost right at 52 pounds. I have a long way to go and I still let myself have a little cheat meal once every week or two, but I feel better then I have in years. If I can do this, anyone can do this! Good luck to you!

WendyTerry420

I plan out my food. In the beginning, it was the only way to make sure I stayed in my goals without being hungry all day.

Kslutsky83

I think you really want to have to get in shape and loose the weight for your willpower to really kick in.

A few years ago I was 220 pounds and my family told me they wanted to take a vacation and on a cruise none the less. So for me it really kicked in that I have to loose the weight. So I had to stop eating chicken nuggets and fries and soda and eating out was a major NO NO for me...

Fast Forward 3 years and I had lost most of the weight (almost 100) and I was watching everything I ate and drank and I would NOT even touch Booze... But then I met my soon to be husband (2 weeks) and I started eating badly and drinking wine all the time and not watching what I was eating really hurt me I packed on 30lbs and just the past few weeks it dawned on me it's time to get back in shape and eating right.... So I stopped eating out and drinking wine and soda and fried food.. Because it's something I really really want and need...


Goodluck

Lrdoflamancha

For increased satiety, higher protein intake, smaller more frequent meals/larger less frequent meals, higher fiber intake, more water intake may be things that can help
[/quote]

I hate the word willpower... That sounds like an invitation to failure. So my idea is to make sure I am never over hungry. I eat 6 times a day 300 calories every 3 hours. This does a couple of things for me. I am a type 2 diabetic so this keeps my blood sugar well under control. It also keeps me from feeling starved and shaky after 6 hours with out food.

melduf

Here is what I do. I eat what I want as long as I am willing to work it off later that day.

That is a very good start. And not eating outside of meals. Light snacks are okay but not eating until you feel overstuffed. Meals exist for the purpose of eating what you need to function. If you do that outisde of meals, having a complete meal on top of it all is a bad idea.

Also, you should take time to think why you eat so much. It might be physical but it might be psychological... I had to do some serious thinking and introspective work before I was able to take control of my appetite. Good luck!

RenfieldX

Here's my deal. I'm 26, getting married next May, and have been battling this weight for years... I have always been a big girl (there's my brief intro hehe).

My biggest problem is that I eat too many calories. More specifically, i seem to eat most of my calories before dinner, and when it comes time for dinner...I eat! which puts me over my calorie limit...which makes me feel like ecrap and just eat more because "i'm already o ver my calorie count anyway..." and that bad habit doesn't allow me to lose.

How are you all staying within your calorie range? I know it sounds like a simple question, but I am looking for some tips. I just love food too much...

Also, eating out. I LOVE TO GO OUT TO EAT!!! Something about unhealthy, fried food just makes my mouth water. It's so bad. I hate it. I wish my brain would switch to bad thoughts when I think about eating out. Do you guys have any tips on how to keep eating out under control?

Thanks!

When I first started trying to lose weight, I found eating smaller, more frequent meals, to be a big help. It felt like I was eating constantly, but it helped a lot with resisting the temptation to snack. I found the default settings that MFP gives you for protein to be far too low for me, so you might find that upping your protein intake helps.

I agree with what a lot of people have been saying; it's all about willpower. It's hard at first, but gets easier as you form healthier eating habits. When I started on MFP I had every intention of planning the occasional 'cheat day', but 3.5 months in I simply no longer crave the unhealthy stuff that I used to eat.

sgaranzuay

I concur with these previous comments. IT's the combination of eating the RIGHT types of foods (to satisfy your hunger for longer than 30 minutes) and to eat smaller portions more frequently. Water intake is a HUGE factor in the management of weight, your hunger, and generally your health. How much water are you consuming every day? As a rule, a minimum of 8 cups is the starting point. I try for 10-12. My sister is a nurse and her advice to me was: "Unless you're in the hospital, hooked up to an IV, you're dehydrated!"

Good luck to you! And BTW - I love fried food too. That's why I'm on this site - encouragement from and solidarity with others in the same quest - that's a very helpful tool. Please keep coming back and keep us posted.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

For increased satiety, higher protein intake, smaller more frequent meals/larger less frequent meals, higher fiber intake, more water intake may be things that can help

jtslim42

Willpower

For increased satiety, higher protein intake, smaller more frequent meals/larger less frequent meals, higher fiber intake, more water intake may be things that can help

Agreed!

mgmlap

First off..how many calories are you supposed to consume a day? Your intake may be too low. Are you eating cause you are hungry..or cause you are bored?

Are you eating too much processed foods? Are you getting your water intake in? But I do agree..its all discipline. Its a learned trait. If it was easy..we would not be on this website...

What works for me is pre-planning. I pack all my food the night before. I do not buy anything extra..even when walking to the kitchen for water..I see the vending machines..but I pay no mind...

SheilaN1976

deja vu...i was a fast food addict...........but what did it for me was my gallbladder attacks and then having to have surgery to have it removed.....to avoid an attack i had to eat no fat-low fat foods and be super careful........my last attack i had burger king whopper meal large size for dinner!!!!! i had surgery 6.5 months ago...........now i hardly crave fast food anymore. but as far as something you could do...is go out to eat but get healthier options........even a mcchicken or fish filet , yogurt parfait, a salad. etc.

MVY_

Girl, I feel the same wayyy! I love love food but you just have to control your appetite. If you are hungry find something healthy to chew on. Soonnn, you'll feel that you get full quickly and you don't eat as much any more. It's just you needing to adjust.