How to eat within allotted calories and feel satisfied

TdaniT

Since joing MFP I have lost 10 pounds and then gained back 3 pounds after going on vacation. I got out of the habit of logging my food and exercising which caused the weight gain. I am now fighting back! I am doing good at getting active again. I was walking on my treadmill for 30 mins each day to start. I have now added a couch-to-5K program that I am trying (and yes I have signed up for a 5K - scared)! I am also getting back on my Wii Fit. Eventually I will be going to the base gym (free) twice a week at the minimum.

My main problem though is food. I try to eat "right" and stay within my allotted calories but there are most days that I am not satisfied. And my weakness leads me to eat/snack poorly. Does anyone have any suggestions?

FYI - I am allotted 1420 calories per day. I am 5'3" and 182lbs. I want to get down to 130lbs.

taso42

I find that if I emphasize protein and fiber I seem to stay better satiated.

Also, you may want to get a second opinion on your calorie intake. Find your TDEE and go from there.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

jonnythan

More protein, more fat, more fiber. Fewer carbs.

And more veggies.

You can have a filling, delicious meal for under 400 calories with a piece of lean meat and a whole lot of veggies.

tarakizer

Have a small piece of protein with each snack to help stay satisfied longer. Any time I have fruit or veggies as a snack, I always also have either 1 ounces of cheese, small portion of nuts, or Greek yogurt with it. There are other protein options, but those are my frequent choices.

I was starving all day long before someone told me the protein with snack trick, and it has helped me tremendously.

melaniecheeks

Could I suggest you change your diary to "public"? Then we can see what you're currently eating and make some suggestions.

metacognition

Yes, definitely consider eating more and gradually reducing your calories over time.

If you crash down to 1400 after previously eating 2000 + per day, your body will probably respond by spiking your hunger levels and making it harder to stick to a deficit. Try eating a few hundred less than you previously did, but take it slow. That being said, make sure your counts are accurate.

i find that it's better to eat more on the days that you exercise, and less on the ones that you don't. Try to eat smaller meals more often, and have some protein with them. Those tips keep my intake lower than it would otherwise be.


Adding more exercise to your days is a great idea. Strangely enough exercise helps to tame my hunger.

barenda_101

More protein and fiber will help. Try sticking to whole grain when you have carbs and have lots of fibrous veggies as sides to your meals. Protein helps because it has less of an effect on your blood sugar (so you don't get as much of a crash and then a response from your body that you need to eat) - try to spend more calories on lean meats.

cathynicolette

LOTS of veggies. You can do fruit to just remember that fruit has a lot more calories than veggies. You can pretty much eat veggies all day and still be with in a healthy calorie count. NOTHING processed. Processed foods are all pretty much empty calories... and really bad for you.

kristen6022

Stick with high protein/high fiber foods. They fill you up, examples are as follows:

Cottage Cheese
Greek Yogurt
Low Carb Wraps
Lean protein meats
Beef/Turkey Jerky
Protein bars/shakes


Oddly enough, I find the food thing easy and the working out thing hard.

taunto

I feel that variety is the key. That plus eating enough. Many folks here don't eat enough and start with a 1200 calorie only diet and then wonder why they're always hungry. Folks need to eat at a deficit but still leave enough calories to eat for the day.

Eat bunch of everything. Rice/pasta/bread. Some protein. Some veggies. Some lentils. Some fruits. Little bit of everything. It will take time to learn how to eat enough to feel satisfied. Try to eat some veggies with your meals but do not try to live on salad only...

colson72687

Try eating single helpings of vegetables (ie carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, etc.) and maybe even with a little ranch dressing to dip it into. Or single servings of fruit or nuts (ie. almonds, cashews - as long as they don't have tons of salt on them or are honey roasted). They are calories no matter what but they tend to fill you up more than if you grab for a snack and pick up something that's carbs. Even a few crackers isn't going to kill you if you eat them (a serving size or under) with a cheese wedge (ie. Laughing Cow light herbs and garlic wedge or Babybel light cheese wheel). Those are some of my go-to snacks and at the end of the day, you're having healthy snacks, filling yourself up more with those (and they last longer until your next mealtime), and you will see better results. Having a snack during the morning and afternoon between big meals is a good thing because it keeps your metabolism running so if you can eat healthy snacks, it's good for your body and you'll find yourself being full/satisfied without going over your "allotted calories". And on that topic too, don't beat yourself up if you go over your calories by a couple or even a hundred (that's what I try to give myself extra if I've worked out that day). As long as you're eating healthy and staying as close as possible to that number, you'll see progress!

Muddy_Yogi

Are you eating back your exercise calories? Add more protein, it will help you stay fuller longer. Other than that just make sure you are eating over your bmr.

HardRockCamaro

Eat smaller portions but eat slowly, your brain tells you you're full within 20mins.

Then if you get peckish later just have something low carb. I had this problem and has some chocolate protein cube bar things which were 70cals each and nibbled at them. Don't need them any more which is good as they weren't cheap...

I find that after a week or so of being strict my body doesn't get these cravings.
If you do feel really hungry though it's best to eat, just make it small and use some will power. Your body will get used to it.

If you start thinking about food and just having a little something when you don't really need to, find something else to concentrate your mind on. Works for me!

ldrosophila

Why not bump it up about 200 calories and see how you do? If your weight loss starts to stall or you gain then go back. You get to do this for your life so experiment.

beasilvac

I agree: portein protein protein. And choose wholewheat fos sidedishes: whole wheat rice, wholewheat pasta, whole wheat bread. You should'n t be hungry for hours. And don´t forget to eat at least 4 times a day. Good snacks: peanuts, almonds, yoghurt, hard boiled eggs, all of these are high on proteins and should keep u satisfied. Keep going ! Good luck!

MaryPoppinsIAint

Go take a peak at what I just had for lunch... 4oz of baked chicken breast, a great big salad with cheese and pretzel rods on the side, and a big mug of hot tea, and let me tell you, I am STUFFED.

I generally end up coming in under my calorie goals, WITH room for a piece of cheesecake or a couple of cookies after dinner. It's totally possible, and no, you don't have to be hungry all the time. I blow my protein counts out of the water on a daily basis, mind you, but I have never figured out how to stay under the *all* the nutrient caps and still curb the need to snack.

dirtmagnets

More protein, more fat, more fiber. Fewer carbs.

And more veggies.

You can have a filling, delicious meal for under 400 calories with a piece of lean meat and a whole lot of veggies.

Yes, that. My measurements are almost identical to yours, though I opted for a slower loss so I'm eating 1610 a day. I feel like I'm eating a huge amount of food most days, but I'm eating tons of roasted veggies, fresh veggies chopped up on green salads, and lots of chicken, turkey breast, yogurt, and eggs for easy protein. I'm also finding crispbreads, like Kavli and Wasa to be very satisfying replacements for regular bread.
Also, are you throwing away calories on drinks? Switching to water only made a huge difference in how satisfied I felt with my calorie goal.

gpizzy

What has worked for me was doing the Wild Rose Cleanse for 12 days - I was too scared of what would happen if I went 'against' it, and it's put me back on track. I have reintroduced foods (you can see my diary), but, have balanced out those 'bad' foods with lots more veggies and healthy foods. The cleanse definitely gave me a kick start.

For instance, my new fave dessert is to microwave unsweetened apple sauce and then add cinnamon. SO GOOD! I also know that I'd rather have say extra meat, or a LOT of guacamole instead of junk. This has all come about from the cleanse.

kikicooks

I find that if I emphasize protein and fiber I seem to stay better satiated.

Also, you may want to get a second opinion on your calorie intake. Find your TDEE and go from there.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

This^

FitBeto

Intermittent fasting

jonesin_am

I found that by upping my protein intake I stayed satisfied longer. Also, you may try eating a little more. My stats are similar to yours and I eat 1800 calories a day and am losing.

AllonsYtotheTardis

I feel more satisfied if I eat more protein and fibre. Also, getting healthy fats - It surprisingly helps me feel satiated. Fat is not evil.

Also, I found that adding a lot of veggies to the above ^^^ allowed me to get a lot more food for a low calorie count. Get a reasonable serving of proteins and healthy fat on your plate and then pile on the veggies.

wibutterflymagic

I agree with the others....protein and fiber. And if you aren't eating back your exercise calories then your body isn't getting 1400 calories.

gpizzy

oh yes! In case someone else hasn't said it (I didn't read everyone) - make sure you really balance your meals. For instance, a new fave is a greek salad with quinoa. The quinoa is higher in calories however, you only need a little make you feel full...FOR HOURS! Another example is a tsbp of chia seeds in greek yogurt. Again, full all day.

djtessatessa

eat more veggies!

make lower calorie healthy substitutions in recipes (for instance - use avocado in place of butter when baking, use cauliflower in place of potato for many recipes, unsweetened almond milk in place of 2%)

Lower the fat you add in recipes and cut down on sugar. Use more spice in their place (I find vinegar also works really well for olive oil in many recipes, especially when sauteeing).

Drink a lot of water with your meals, and in between. When you get hungry, drink water (or green tea), then have a low calorie (under 100 cals - not store bought junk packs).

And then, eat more veggies!

LindsayLL30

I snack ALOT!!! otherwise by meal time I am starving! I try to remember to bring greek yogurt and fresh veggies and dip with me to work...so by the time meal time rolls around I am not completely starved, and then over eat!

_AllieCat_

Lots of protein, fiber, whole foods. Exercise and eat those cals back! You've got this.

Steer clear of refined sugars and processed grains. They are calorie heavy and boost (my) appetite.

TdaniT

Are you eating back your exercise calories? Add more protein, it will help you stay fuller longer. Other than that just make sure you are eating over your bmr.

Honestly I don't understand how that works. If I exercise and eat my allotted calories, shouldn't I lose weight? How does eating more to make up for what you burned, right? Am I looking at it wrong?

redheaddee

Have a small piece of protein with each snack to help stay satisfied longer. ...I was starving all day long before someone told me the protein with snack trick, and it has helped me tremendously.

I would agree with this. I recently added free weights to my routine, and am trying to up my protein as well to encourage good muscle health (still working on this) . I am finding that I am not hungry, to the point of having to remind myself to eat. A few days there I was under net 1000 cal at the end of the day unintentionally (which I do NOT recommend!!).

cwolfman13

1.) More protein

2.) More protein...yes, I realize I said this twice

3.) More fiber

4.) More nutrient dense foods like veg and fruit...more heart healthy fats.

5.) Fewer simple carbs like white bread, white rice, pasta, simple sugars, etc (replace with some whole grains, but still should be pretty minimal). These things are calorie dense and don't offer a lot of bang for your calorie buck...they get metabolized very quickly and leaving you feeling hungry shortly after you consume them.

ottermotorcycle

I think there's a difference between full and satisfied... while veggies and water and other high-volume foods will make you feel full, the feeling doesn't last too long, and you start thinking about delicious food again. I suggest if you're having problems feeling satisfied, up your dietary fat. Have a spoonful of peanut butter and put the jar back. Doesn't it feel good?