How do you stay consistent?

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klkutz1405
klkutz1405 Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've had a lot of trouble consistently eating my goal calories. I'm way under for a few days then I'll be way over. How do you guys eat consistently without eating the same thing every day?
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Replies

  • stines72
    stines72 Posts: 853 Member
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    well.. i actually do eat the same thing every day lol
  • angiechimpanzee
    angiechimpanzee Posts: 536 Member
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    There's no need to stay consistent or even try to. There will be days where you just feel like eating less, and there will be days when you feel like eating more. Thats how normal people eat. What matters is that by the end of the week, the AVERAGE amount of calories you've eaten matches up with your goal calories.

    I, like the person who posted above me, also have a basic meal plan that I stick to daily. BUT I can't say I don't stray from it occasionally because I definitely do.
  • Bob314159
    Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
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    I eat the same breakfast 90% of the time - its easier than having to be awake and actually plan a breakfast and the calorie values are exactly right. The problem with making different foods is getting the serving size and calory count correct. For dinner I'm cooking for my family also and I'm sure I constantly underestimate what I eat.
  • wdot
    wdot Posts: 8
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    If you get bored of eating the same thing everyday and enjoy eating out, try out a this iPhone app called HealthyOut that finds you healthy restaurant /grocery store meals nearby so you can mix it up. Enjoying your food and having variety definitely helps in sticking to any long-term plan.
  • BernadetteChurch
    BernadetteChurch Posts: 2,210 Member
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    I find I need to be really organised and plan ahead. I eat lunch and breakfast at work so have to prepare them the night before. So I add them to my food diary and then I know how many calories I have left for the rest of the day. Knowing this helps me plan dinner - not many calories means fish and salad, quite a few means I can fit in a pasta.
  • lisab0864
    lisab0864 Posts: 154
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    I'm another that eats pretty much the same thing everyday -- especially for breakfast or lunch. The surprising thing is that I don't get tired of it and can't go more than a couple days w/out eating those typical items w/out missing/craving them. Supper varies but mostly only in the choice of protein (ie pork, chicken, beef, beans, etc)..
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
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    Maybe try zig-zagging? I never ate to one set goal every day, it wouldn't match my lifestyle. I basically zig-zagged without putting too much thought or 'science' into it.

    Based on my WEEKLY net calories I would divvy them through the week, ensuring that I never ate above them and would generally be a 1000 plus under them by the end of the week (if you have the MFP phone app there is a clear chart with weekly net calls - I used this to gauge what I was doing).
    Generally I ate less mid-week and worked out, saving at least half of my exercise cals. At weekends I would be more indulgent and I guess those saved exercise cals gave me the leeway to do so). However I was a stickler for measuring and probably over-estimating calories (when out) which I felt was important.

    If you want to think about it, take your weekly net so e.g. 1400 per day x 7 = 9800

    Mon 1200
    Tue 1250
    Wed 1500
    Thu 1200
    Fri 2000
    Sat 1350
    Sun 1300
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of simple minds, adored by ... *kitten* ... statesmen, philosophers and the devine?
  • msbunnie68
    msbunnie68 Posts: 1,894 Member
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    Ok this is going to sound a little OCD but I decided when I started this plan I needed guidelines so I roughly worked out how many cals I would have allocated to what meal/beverages/snacks etc.

    Then I spent a very LOOOOONG weekend using the recipe function to plan out about 5-6 different breakfasts, 5-6 lunches and 6-7 dinners that fell into those categories, plus 3 that went slightly below and 3 that went slightly higher for each meal.

    Now all I do is look at how busy my day is going to be (work days I tend to eat a breakfast from the slightly higher cal group) and I know I always have go-to meals if I find I have over/under eaten my rough estimates per meal.

    Oh, and my after dinner snack plate is a rough 100 cal which gives me a buffer if I do go over, I skip the snack plate. If I go a bit under I change the fruit that goes on it, or bump it up a bit with some other things like a bit of yogurt or nuts etc.
  • nikilis
    nikilis Posts: 2,305 Member
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    A lot of

    Metamucil-for-Weight-reduction-1292.jpg
  • oldmanstauf
    oldmanstauf Posts: 202 Member
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    I've had a lot of trouble consistently eating my goal calories. I'm way under for a few days then I'll be way over. How do you guys eat consistently without eating the same thing every day?

    In reality if you're numbers are still working on a weekly basis, you're probably fine. I bank calories some days knowing I may be going over later in the week.
  • Amo_Angelus
    Amo_Angelus Posts: 604 Member
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    I eat the same things I always have, but control the portions. Once you can control portions you can be consistant.
  • CkepiJinx
    CkepiJinx Posts: 613 Member
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    I eat the same things I always have, but control the portions. Once you can control portions you can be consistant.

    I do this also!
  • vytamindi
    vytamindi Posts: 845 Member
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    Planning is important (lol, writing this as today is up in the air for a special event tonight) and crucial to your weight management.

    *I have a huge stack of recipes that I rotate through. What can I say? I'm a creature of habit.
    *Logging as best as you can the night before a new day helps, too. I do this every evening. I usually don't stick to it (craving something else sometimes) but it sets a good "budget" for the day.
    *Preparing for an indulgence/calorie dense meal by exercising earlier that day or saving calories from other days
    *I always keep bags of frozen veggies and chicken breasts in my freezer for days that I would otherwise have made fast food runs.

    Every day I try to make a goal, like drinking x amount of water, taking vitamins, burning a certain amount of calories, etc. Then I try my best to meet it!

    "If you fail to plan, plan to fail." <---This works for me.

    Best of luck!
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
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    just do it.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2uFH0NCMY4

    Seriously. it's really not that hard. don't bring junk into your house. don't eat fast food. keep healthy snacks on hand. If you're committed, you'll find a way. period.
  • tracybosch
    tracybosch Posts: 6
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    For me I found out that I needed to control my portions. When I ate until I was full, it was 1/2 day's worth of calories or more. So I started adding my food to mfp before I ate. Then if it looked like I would be going over, I would cut back on the portion or leave a dessert or soda out. I tried to stay consistent every day.
    Lots of people sound like they can bank calories for the week and that is great. But that did not work for me at all. I have to stay under my daily calories or I'm gaining.
    Also, I have been able to figure out how my natural "monthly" cycle relates to my weight. For example, this week, I've been about 200-300 calories over goal each day but I am still losing. I know that next week, if I am 200-300 calories under goal, that I will barely maintain or even gain a little. I have been on mfp for 6 months now and I know that I cycle this way and that it really is no big deal. Because in two weeks, I'll be right back where I am now, if I keep within my daily calories, and I can start losing again.
    Another thing, I am a heavy exerciser. I work out 6 days a week. I have been known, on occassion, to go on a quick bike ride in the evening before dinner so that I have enough calories to eat dinner with the family.
  • Breadbar
    Breadbar Posts: 334 Member
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    Some truly thoughtful responses - good topic!
  • BelindaDuvessa
    BelindaDuvessa Posts: 1,014 Member
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    I don't. Some days are great, other days not so much. The only consistent thing I do is log daily. Almost 2 months of consistent logging for me right now. Not all days are the greatest (had a fast food binge last week...ick) but I at least make sure to try to accurately log everything that I eat.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    Well, what you are doing is actually totally ok as long as you are still at a deficit at the end of the week. So if this is working for you, try looking at your weeks instead of days. I personally aim to have meals that are 200 to 400 calories (a little more sometimes now that I am maintaining) and fill in the rest of my calories with snacks throughout the day.
  • nogoldilocs
    nogoldilocs Posts: 87 Member
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    Like a lot of other posters have said: plan ahead. I pretty much eat whatever I want and cycle through a number of meals/recipes, but I control my portion sizes. And 95% of the time: *I LOG IT BEFORE I EAT IT*. That way there are no surprises at the end of the day and I can adjust things accordingly as I go.

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