Help I have trouble eating under 2000 cals a day!

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  • queenbear5
    queenbear5 Posts: 76 Member
    I feel your pain. I feel miserable if I can't eat whatever I want, and I can't fit whatever I want in under 2,000 calories. Therefore, I exercise a lot. If you want to eat more, exercise more. It works like a charm. :smile:
  • rdjamis
    rdjamis Posts: 26 Member
    eat less carbs more fiber you feel fuller
  • Woomytron
    Woomytron Posts: 253 Member
    It sounds like your definition of "normal" needs to change. 900 calories for one meal would be normal for, maybe, a linebacker. Or an unhealthy person. I think I eat like a "normal" person. I don't restrict anything, if I want it, I have it. And I am usually right where I need to be for calories. If I am going to eat more I exercise and "earn" some more calories. Check out my diary, it is open.

    Couldn't have said it better.
    You gotta look at what you are putting in your mouth. Sometimes its ok to eat a big huge hamburger for lunch but don't do it every day. No one says you have to eat 2 hard boiled eggs for a meal... I mean wtf is that? haha You can have great HEALTHY meals that fill you up without it being so boring. It takes awhile to learn how to do it... google is your friend. Start there. Trust me there is some great stuff. Took me 3 years to learn that eating healthy doesn't need to be boring.
  • The easy answer to this is to simply exercise a little more so that you can eat more. Sometimes that's easier said than done. Try eating complex carbs that fill you up. Stay away from hamburger. Only Chicken and Turkey... Eat Bananas! Have a lot of sugar but proven to help your mood and make you feel good. When you feel good you feel confident. When you feel confident you won't feel the need to eat more... Not sure that makes sense! LOL! Bottom Line - the truth hurts - Eat All You Want and EXERCISE ALL THE TIME! :-)
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member

    lmaooooooooo sorry it made me LOL especially when most people have eggs, "toast, pancakes or waffles" a slice or two of bacon or sausage maybe both and lets not forget the condiments butter and syrup etc... breakfast is a big and fatty meal for a lot of people.... thats not an abnormal meal if you google breakfast you will likely get the above... so one baked potato for dinner is a large meal for you?

    no way. SOME people have a meal like that for breakfast on the weekends. anyone who eats that way regularly is either genetically very lucky, an athlete who needs the calories... or fat.
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
    OP, essentially what I'm hearing is you want to keep doing exactly what you're doing, but lose weight. You want to do none of the work but get all the benefits. You've done nothing but try and justify what you are doing, and cut down anyone who dares to tell you that SHOCK HORROR, the reason you can't lose weight is because you're eating too much. Something has to give here, and the way I see it you have two choices. You can either keep eating 'normal' and stay fat, or you can start to realise that how you are eating is nowhere, NOWERE near normal. Once you do that, and actually start to take on board some of the very good advice you've been given, you might be in a position to change your definition of normal, change your eating habits, and lose weight.
    that makes complete sense.
    Yes, yes it does. OP just doesn't want to hear anything that means she has to stop eating like a "normal" (read: junk vacuum) person.
    Wow i cant believe how ignorance can be so bliss and widespread...smh
    I'd be careful advising the OP to eat less than 2000 cals without looking at her diary and stats. She says she works in an active job - so do I and my cal goal even now I'm down to 186lbs is still over 2000 cals and I eat my exercise cals back.

    I am mildly confused as how she gets to the cals she does with what she has for breakfast - it is important to check foods in the MFP database are correct.

    I have three eggs for breakfast and toast and I never come out at half her calories.
    Ding Ding Ding we have a winner!

    If i was to follow all the tdee, bmr stuff or even MFP i'd have thouands of calories left even with eating 2300 cals and today i made this post because i was at a surplus or overage way more than I would have like.. and that was an edited version meaning i didnt eat as much or what i would have liked, i was surprised 2 tacos and a potato came out to 900 cals... it sounds ridiculous but its true...

    Some people completely missed the point of this thread, saying i wanted to eat what i want and not put in the work... umm i have put in the work.. the problem is the work isnt apparently enough.. the problem is even with the work i cant consume a certain amount of cals without losing. My body seem to be more about consumption than expenditure, which sucks... and even with that i must have a lower consumption with an expenditure.. so all the talk about i want to eat what i want, no...i want to eat a normal meal or even forget the normal meal i want to eat 2000 cals whether it be (4) 500 cals meals or a 1300 cal meal and a 700 cal meal...basically not have to worry so much about simple stuff.. and im hungry because i burn A LOT OF CALS i mean stomach grumbling hungry, hunger pains like i said in the original post.. im not laying around all day and saying i want to eat what i want.. Im asking people if they have had the same issue, where they are active and cant lose without eating under 2000 its hard when your body is telling you its hungry!

    im gonna have to go biggest loser style i guess lol get my 8 hours plus of workout and eat less than 1200 cals wow that would never work for me i'll be the one who had 1 doughnut at a challenge after exercising everyday for weeks and gained 20 pounds lmaoooo super sucks!!!

    I'll certainly have to edit myself i cant have tacos, sounds silly.... i should have had 3 baked potatos for 330 cals or 3 eggs and toast 320 cals etc i'll have to eat what gets the job done for now.... sucks!

    only thing that sucks is your attitude.
    I would like to help, but I am not sure if anything I have to say will even been helpful
  • Woomytron
    Woomytron Posts: 253 Member
    It sounds like your definition of "normal" needs to change. 900 calories for one meal would be normal for, maybe, a linebacker. Or an unhealthy person. I think I eat like a "normal" person. I don't restrict anything, if I want it, I have it. And I am usually right where I need to be for calories. If I am going to eat more I exercise and "earn" some more calories. Check out my diary, it is open.
    Are you serious? A line backer eats 2 soft tacos and a baked potato.. LMAOOOOOooo um okay.. im not sure what kind of linebacker you're accustom to, but definitely not a normal one!

    how easy it is to have a 900 cal breakfast.

    2 small flour tortilla shells 100 cals each, 90% lean beef @ 400, 1 oz cheese 110, 1/4 cup beans 60 cals, medium potato 150... yea because a linebacker eats just enough meat to fill the small tortilla shells, 1 0z of cheese between two tacos and a quarter of a cup of beans and 1 potato ::eyeroll::

    Anyway I watch all the people at work eat garbage everyday this typical day for one of my coworkers is taco bell or fries and a dbl cheeseburger... another one she had a bag of marshmellos eating them like candy and a big bag of bbq potato chips and sour cream to dip them in and a bag of twizzlers.... i jut watch these people and im like wtf am I in bizarro world they all eat normal meaning just whatever nothing extra special or even healthy and are skinny to average body type.... i know i have to lose the weight in order to be able to eat "normal" but it would be nice to be able to eat what is considered a "normal or whats considered average amount of daily cals which is 2000 and lose" probably wont happen.. if anyone has done it let me know!

    Not being mean, I'm trying to help but you ever think about making small changes. Maybe using wheat wraps instead of the white soft shell tacos. Or instead of potatoes you use sweet potatoes. Small changes add up to a big difference.


    Also the people that are shoveling junk food in the mouths all day at work and still are "skinny" are probably not as healthy as you think. Some people are naturally skinny and some need to work their butts off to get that way.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    Okay, so basically I need SOME ADVICE from people who have had trouble eating under 2000 cals a day...

    I know all the simplistic answers make healthy choices, pack your lunch, stay away from junk etc... but i work long hours on my feet all day and at work i grab the nearest thing around, ive been good these last couple of days about not eating a crazy amount of cals but still i ate way over 1500 and felt like was darn starving myself.. how do you do it? Seriously my stomach grumbles and im having hunger pains.. i dont see how people sustain themselves off salad and a few chunks of chicken breast or fruit and water.. i feel like i ate nothing.. plus who wants to eat two hard boiled eggs for a meal wtf.. you know how it(2 boiled eggs) is on the menu in every restaurant:huh: :indifferent: ... i want to eat like normal.

    like for breakfast i had 2 homemade soft tacos and a baked potato and it came out to @ 900 cals for two small tacos and a baked potato...

    for lunch a homemade hamburger and fries almost 600 cals.. and it not like im using fatty meat... 90% lean ground beef is 200 for a quarter pound, bread is 100 cals, cheese 100, condiments about 50, potato and ketchup @ 150 cals...

    you get my point... is anyone eating like a normal person and losing? I mean at work im gonna grab something convenient if i missed breakfast and am starving and the only thing in my vending machines are junk! chips and cupcakes etc... im not going to be hungry... this seems way more difficult than it should be.. Eat Less Cals, Exercise = Lose Weight.. but Doesnt seem like it works like that for me.. seems like im going to have to be in pain and starve and eat carrots and grass...

    Feel free to friend me so that you can see what I eat. On my heavy exercise days, I have trouble making it UP to my calorie goal. The key is cutting out empty calories and eating nutrient dense food. I have cut out sugar and wheat, but you may not have to do anything so drastic. Those two items bring more empty calories into our diet than any other two "foods". Cutting them out worked like magic to greatly reduce my appetite and open up a whole new world of food tastes and aromas. Now I eat like a "normal thin person". :smile:

    It likely means that you will have to develop a taste for things that you never thought you could (the first time I ate some avocado, I nearly gagged--now I love it). Eating a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, green pepper with a dressing of fresh basil, lemon juice and garlic is like dessert to me now. Really. :flowerforyou: I would never go back to the crummy way I used to eat.
  • giggitygoo
    giggitygoo Posts: 1,978 Member
    If you keep doing the same things you have always done, you're going to keep getting the same results. Continuing to remain the same and expecting a different outcome is the literal definition of insanity.

    Start honestly logging your meals, and I have a feeling you'll figure it out quickly. Invest in a food scale, it will make your life easier. Check out recipe websites like skinnytaste.com. Cooking a couple times a week will help you avoid the packaged stuff and feel more satiated.

    BTW, here's what 300 calories can look like if you're willing to throw some things in the slow cooker.

    slow-cooker-jerk-pork-with-mango-salsa.jpg
  • Maybe become MFP friends with people who make their food log public so you can see what they are eating. This might provide you with some good ideas. The real issue seems to be that you aren't ready to make the change which is totally understandable because it's such a difficult thing to change your mind set and emotional/physical cues. Hunger pangs are usually dehydration since very few of us on this site are likely starving. It has taken a year but I am finally in a mental place that I don't feel like 1200 calories a day is prohibitive. I have a very diverse array of foods that I eat (basically anything I want) and I have just become responsible for my portion size. I actually leave food on my plate if need be. I also try to log it before I eat it and that helps me decide if it's worth it. Good luck and hang in there!
  • Very nice!
  • willow_rb
    willow_rb Posts: 69 Member
    There are some really good suggestions here. Bump for later ref!
  • MadDogManor
    MadDogManor Posts: 1,529 Member
    I can completely relate to OP - I stand and walk all day at work (hospital lab) and I used to think that was enough exercise, probably because I'm exhausted when I'm done working. I'm also a binge eater who can inhale thousands of calories in a blink of an eye and still be hungry all day long. I didn't pay one rats *kitten* to my eating until I was 240 lbs - shocking, I know.

    Since I've been on MFP I've had to try and curb my appetite to get under 2000 calories a day, and I always feel hungry, too. I'm not really doing anything special in the way of carbs, protein, etc at the moment - I'm just trying not to stuff my face with 6,000 calories a day. Once I can get control, I can start figuring out how to get healthy.

    When I first started here, I found myself gorging on chips and queso. I then measured and weighed out what I continued to eat, so I could log it. What an eye opener it was for me to see I had just ate 1000 calories in 15 minutes. Before dinner.

    And no, I don't consider this "normal" and I don't think I'll ever be "normal" with food. That's just the way it is.
  • roxierachael
    roxierachael Posts: 81 Member
    colbertpopcorn.gif

    This thread wins. No, seriously, we need a best of MFP.
  • madrose0715
    madrose0715 Posts: 463 Member
    colbertpopcorn.gif

    This thread wins. No, seriously, we need a best of MFP.

    yep.
  • metacognition
    metacognition Posts: 626 Member
    "like for breakfast i had 2 homemade soft tacos and a baked potato and it came out to @ 900 cals for two small tacos and a baked potato... "

    Definitely can switch that out for some lower calorie, higher bulk foods. Try 50 calorie light wheat wraps, don't cook your meat in oil, stuff your tacos with a lot of veggies and salad in addition to the lean meat.

    There are lots of ways to cut calories. Snack on fruit, 100 calorie popcorn bags, etc.

    If I tried to copy the average American diet I would be fat again in a heart beat.
    It is so high in fat, low in nutrition, and high in calories without taking up a lot of volume. Eating clean, lower calorie foods is better and yep, I do feel full after meals. I also snack way more than those average people who are higher in weight.
  • What a bunch of BS this is. So what does one have to do on here? Check everyone's previous posts, food and exercise diaries before taking the time to respond to a person that may need help or encouragement? And yeah, I DO keep my diaries private, I will admit that, but not because I want to "fool" anyone. I stumbled on here and found the food/calorie calculator, which was exactly what I was looking for. Didn't even check out "the community" for weeks. Saw no reason to open up my food intake for the world to dissect. But this is total ****, and the OP knows it. What's her name on here? I Want it Too? Something like that...whatever....but as Judge Judy always says "if it doesn't make sense, then it isn't true". Who the hell goes on a fitness site with a handy cal counter app, but rarely logs her food intake?. When she does do it she's logging that she eats doritos, cream filled chocolate cupcakes and candy bars for breakfast,? She claims she is pushing 250 lbs and appears to be a beginner at working out, yet logs that she is doing step aerobics on an 8"-10" step for 30 minutes and then is on an elliptical for 20??? Yeah, riiiight. I just started working out again after being a couch potato for years. I do 30-40 min on a treadmill, 10% incline at 3.2-3.5 mph and I am wiped. I would collapse in a heap doing what she claims to do as a workout and I am nowhere near 250 lbs and I certainly would not even think of cramming cupcakes, chips and candy bars down my throat if 'IWantedItToo".

    Get a life. Seriously. Troll is right. How pathetic.
  • Justjamie0418
    Justjamie0418 Posts: 1,065 Member
    I agree with whats been said.. Lean beef, chicken, fish, pork chops....I rinse any beef I cook. At work, bring enough and stay away from the machines. I dont eat ANYTHING fried...make homemade fries in the oven. Cut out full fat cheese and salad dressings, i eat whole wheat light bread. Egg whites. Lean lunch meat is also your friend. Its all about making the most of what you eat. When my family eats tacos...i dont use tortillas, i put it on a salad and use fat free cheese with salsa.
  • My issue, not enough cal's... I eat once a day and then a snack. I just need some major exercise as I had back surgery. But off of that... But your issue is not to up and JUMP to grass and carrots... lol

    Take what you normally ate and cut down on it... even take half of "THIS" that you used to eat and then turn the other half into something of sugar free jello with light peaches... something like that.

    And don't go YUCK!!! :P But go into Walmart (or what grocery you prefer) and there is one of those 5lb cans of peaches. "Do you like peaches?" Well buy that up and 6 boxes of sugar free strawberry jello :) And I put 2 cups less of cold water. But it is a GREAT snack and it is actually very filling.

    But I'm not starving... I ate a cheapy totino's pizza... But I have gain so much not only due to my back surgery, in which they are talking about doing another one. But because my exercise went from very mobile to just doing the necessities.

    So I just signed a gym contract.... I hope this helps... DON'T starve yourself and DON'T eat nothing but cardboard. Just swap half... REWARD yourself, but do it HONESTLY...
  • YaQ6qVU.jpg
  • Ascolti_la_musica
    Ascolti_la_musica Posts: 676 Member
    I bust my @$$ on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. My reward? TWO hamburgers. I make chicken ceasar burgers, turkey ranch burgers, or bison burgers. And I get to eat TWO of them!

    If you want to eat more, just exercise more. You say you work long hours on your feet. Have you set your activity level to reflect that?

    I eat four scrambled eggs for breakfast, and a peanut butter sandwich for a midmorning snack. By lunch, I am usually not hungry, so I will have chicken nuggets or a salad. (Protein in the morning is the best thing you can do for yourself, imo.) My activity level is sedentary, because I spend more of my time with a book and a cat in my lap than anything else. Yet I seem to have no problem eating 1400 on a fat lump day or 1800-2000 on a good day of working out.

    Make better choices, starting with breakfast.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    I rinse any beef I cook.

    Wait...what?
  • IWantToo
    IWantToo Posts: 162
    What a bunch of BS this is. So what does one have to do on here? Check everyone's previous posts, food and exercise diaries before taking the time to respond to a person that may need help or encouragement? And yeah, I DO keep my diaries private, I will admit that, but not because I want to "fool" anyone. I stumbled on here and found the food/calorie calculator, which was exactly what I was looking for. Didn't even check out "the community" for weeks. Saw no reason to open up my food intake for the world to dissect. But this is total ****, and the OP knows it. What's her name on here? I Want it Too? Something like that...whatever....but as Judge Judy always says "if it doesn't make sense, then it isn't true". Who the hell goes on a fitness site with a handy cal counter app, but rarely logs her food intake?. When she does do it she's logging that she eats doritos, cream filled chocolate cupcakes and candy bars for breakfast,? She claims she is pushing 250 lbs and appears to be a beginner at working out, yet logs that she is doing step aerobics on an 8"-10" step for 30 minutes and then is on an elliptical for 20??? Yeah, riiiight. I just started working out again after being a couch potato for years. I do 30-40 min on a treadmill, 10% incline at 3.2-3.5 mph and I am wiped. I would collapse in a heap doing what she claims to do as a workout and I am nowhere near 250 lbs and I certainly would not even think of cramming cupcakes, chips and candy bars down my throat if 'IWantedItToo".

    Get a life. Seriously. Troll is right. How pathetic.

    Lmaoooooo WTF... I'M just getting a chance to look at recent post... but wtf??? some people are absolutely insane!!!! like whats the point of making up all the sht above... you cant do 30 mins on the elliptical without collapsing has absolutely zero to do with literally the man in the moon... i cant run 5 miles straight so anyone who does must be lying.. absolutely insane...

    Rather i eat 10 sticks of butter or 100 apples a cal is suppose to be a cal, so what does it matter.

    I dont log for you, I log FOR ME! I dont have to click and search for 90% ground beef, 1 oz cheese, tortilla shells etc.. I can do simple math.. it will add up the same, i dont need it to be individualized, but thank y ou for your useless advice and how i should log in my own diary LMAO!!!!

    To all the sane people who actually gave some real advice didnt make up sht and yell troll and actually have an ounce of sense..THANK YOU, SO VERY MUCH!

    The point of the was simply that, i burn a lot of cals, im hungry and i should be able to eat and lose..and i cant seem to do that...

    I should have NEVER posted what i had for breakfast it was given as an example to show how easy it is to go over cals without consuming mass amounts of food and editing yourself.. i actually wanted it twice but for 1800 cals and i knew id want dinner i was like heck no!!!! like seriously someone cant eat 4 tacos and 2 med potatos in a day or they have to skip dinner.. thats part of what sparked this thread.. everyone harping on the 900 cals forget it... simply put! "Is anyone losing weight @ 260 pounds eatng 2000 cals...with exercise.. thats all i wanted to know..."
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    I rinse any beef I cook.

    Wait...what?

    *scratches head, confused*
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    Tell me your height!.........I'm trying to cook Portuguese tarts so hurry up! :sad:
  • IWantToo
    IWantToo Posts: 162
    lmao i'm 5'3....
  • IWantToo
    IWantToo Posts: 162
    Most of the post in this thread where absolute garbage by people who need to get a clue and a grip. Below are some of the useful post from people who actually can read and comprehend. One of the best quotes ever *if the person next to you is scarfing McDonalds, and you find yourself jealous because they're not fat...you should remind yourself that they'll be ****ting all of that out in about 45 minutes anyway, so who cares. *

    I wouldnt say jealous just wondering why its ok for them and the same is not okay for me lol..

    Point of this thread was i burn more cals than i consume and yet i still have to eat under 2000 to lose, which is a struggle... All the talk about not wanting it and not being ready to work etc is hilarious, when it makes zero sense... the was point I do consume under a certain amount of cals whether i have 1500 in one meal or 5 at the ned of the day i burn way less than i consume and i exercise daily it would be hard for me to exercise more than i already do or eat less reallly... i wont be eating 2 boiled eggs or drinking water when im hungry..sorry thats not normal..when i want to eat something i'll have a meal.. one that is within my daily cal limits and i wont be draining my beef.. although some of the advice was very helpful i will incorporate soup or a salad as a side with my potato and just not worry and do what i have to do if i have to eat under 2000 and not have flour shells or cheese thats fine.... i'll just continue to stay within my cal limit because the only real answer is its gonna be a struggle i cant go above if i want to lose and thats just the way it is.
    I can completely relate to OP - I stand and walk all day at work (hospital lab) and I used to think that was enough exercise, probably because I'm exhausted when I'm done working. I'm also a binge eater who can inhale thousands of calories in a blink of an eye and still be hungry all day long. I didn't pay one rats *kitten* to my eating until I was 240 lbs - shocking, I know.

    Since I've been on MFP I've had to try and curb my appetite to get under 2000 calories a day, and I always feel hungry, too. I'm not really doing anything special in the way of carbs, protein, etc at the moment - I'm just trying not to stuff my face with 6,000 calories a day. Once I can get control, I can start figuring out how to get healthy.

    When I first started here, I found myself gorging on chips and queso. I then measured and weighed out what I continued to eat, so I could log it. What an eye opener it was for me to see I had just ate 1000 calories in 15 minutes. Before dinner.

    And no, I don't consider this "normal" and I don't think I'll ever be "normal" with food. That's just the way it is.
    the line backer would eat the entire taco Bell menu... not two small soft tacos!


    To the OP:
    perhaps your problem is trying to have what we were brought up to believe were "balanced" meals.

    I find the carbs kill me. I used to eat a homemade egg mcmuffin for breakfast every morning. Much healthier than Mc D's, but still close to 400 calories. and it's not really that much food, a small, easy to hold in the palm of your hand sandwich.
    Now I eat crepes, or an omelette, scrambled, or whatever, but try not to do the eggs, the bread, the meat, and the cheese all together. Two out of four make a good meal, and way less calories.

    the hamburger is fine, but the bun adds an extra 200 calories and very little nutritional value.
    the taco stuff might be better served on a salad, especially if you want to eat the potato too.
    I didn't read through the rest of the thread but I struggle with this too, OP. I had to start working out to support my eating habit. Now I can eat 2200+ though I still feel hungry. Willpower is key, though sometimes I have none.
    This has been a funny read.
    Good luck IWantToo. Remember: keep complaining, feeling sorry for yourself, eating tacos for breakfast and burning 8000 calories at work. The fat will just melt off.

    ^^^ *kitten* ALERT!
    I feel your pain!! I struggle with trying to comsume between 1400-1500 calories a day. It has truly been a challenge and the only thing I have done that has helped me is to take what I would normally eat and figure out what piece of it I can change out. For instance, you mentioned a burger and fries...well if I went to McDonalds I would normally order the quarter pounder meal (fries and coke) which would come to 1,110 calories. When I get my McDonalds mood, I now order the double cheeseburger meal with medium fries and diet coke, that reduces my calorie intake to 760 that is a savings of 350 calories, which is huge when you are counting calories. That is my breakfast intake. Another good example of modifying the foods you like....I love bagels and cream cheese which would be 270 for a regular plain bagel with 70 calories for the regular cream cheese. I know buy the bagel thins 110 calories and the 1/3 less fat cream cheese at 45 calories. That is over 1/2 of the calories I am saving for later in the day. Hope this helps.
    sometimes i can't keep it under 2000 cals too. Those days are usually days when i work long hours. It just helps to plan your day in advance, have food packed, etc. Buying crap at cafes is no bueno. I had a very unfilling single serve quiche for breakfast yesterday at a cafe...it ended up being almost 500 calories. WTF?!?!

    Today I had a 160 calorie yogurt that kept me satiated untl noon.

    It helps to be prepared.

    ETA: also, protein is your friend.
    If you're working on your feet all day, you probably DO need to eat more. The biggest thing is to just prepare. Pack yourself a days worth of meals and snacks. That way when you get hungry at work, you have your own, better choices, rather than whatever is laying around or in the vending machines. It doesn't have to be salad and a few chunks of chicken. There are lots of healthy foods out there that are very filling.
    This thread is ridiculous, full of good and BAD advice.

    If someone wants to have a 900 calorie breakfast, and it fits in their calories, so what. I sometimes eat meals that are 1000 calories and other meals that are 200 calories. The total of calories in one meal means nothing if you meet your calorie goal. I could easily eat a 900 calories breakfast, a 500 calorie lunch and 600 calorie dinner and meet my daily goal.

    OP, feel free to look at my diary. I eat between 2000 and 2300 calories a day, based on my TDEE and 30-60 minutes of cardio and lifting a day. I eat a combo of healthy and junk food. Usually, if I have one bad meal in a day, I just try to make sure the others are healthy and nutritious.
    I keep 100 calorie snacks, fruit cups, yogurt...I try to just do single serving snacks. Me counting out crackers form a big box is ridiculous. I cook an entire bag of frozen or fresh chicken breast. However, I cut it up in cubes, spice it up and cook with a little olive oil. I just keep this in the frig for quick meals with pasta or wraps. I drink herbal teas. I haven't changed my eating style much, I do more portion control if anything. I drink a lot water during the day. But having 900 cal for breakfast is a lot of calories, especially if you're not doing anything to burn those off. I try to have 300-400 cal for breakfast, snack at 10, lunch at noon, snack at 3 then dinner by 7 and then sometimes a snack before bedtime. I amped up m work out to 45 minutes in the morning and then another 30-45 minutes in the evening, so I'm burning close to 1,400 when I do this.

    You truly need to just "see" what you are eating and bring in your own snacks. You can get full off of chicken salad, especially if you add veges to it. I keep sauteed onions, peppers, garlic in my fridge too. Plus I add red pepper flakes for an extra zing. It did take me a few months to get on board with my calories and sometimes I make it, sometimes I don't but I don't beat myself up about. I just start fresh the next day. But if you want to truly keep 2000 a day, you have to work hard at it. Try to plan your meals for a few weeks and before doing so, look to see how many calories are in the food you want to prepare. Or make a lot of it but then portion control it in containers, that way you just have to take a container instead. Once you get the hang of it, it will get better and better. Try not to look at this as a diet but getting to a healthy lifestyle. Sometimes just adding rice and more vegetables to your meal does wonders.
    One way to stay full is to eat fat at meals. Each meal NEEDS to have fat, protein, and fiber. That's one reason why a steak keeps you fuller than the same amount of calories in a hamburger or a boneless skinless tasteless chicken breast. Also, your body expects to get fat from things like meat and dairy, because humans evolved with only full-fat products. If you eat something that is artificially low or no fat, your body sets itself up to digest full fat, then you feel hungry when your body doesn't get what it expects (there are similar problems with no calorie sweeteners).

    Soup is also awesome, it fills you up more than food and water separately.

    Also, avoid any processed food- it's designed to make you want more! Sugars (even from too much fruit), white flour is the same way. It raises your blood sugar and than causes it to drop quickly, making you super hungry about 30 mins after eating.

    For some people, snacking also increases hunger. Have you ever been not very hungry, then become ravenous as soon as you took a bite of something? That's because your body suppresses hunger signals after an hour or so (so that people weren't bothered by those signals while they were trying to hunt and such). Then, when you eat that first bite, your hunger signals flare up to tell you to keep eating and your stomach prepares to digest a meal. When you don't eat a full meal, your body is left with disappointed expectations and you get hungry again as soon as the tiny snack you ate is digested.

    When you DO eat (during meals), try to do so rather slowly, and pay attention to the taste. This allows your body to know what you are eating and when you have had enough. Once your nutritional needs are met, you will notice that the taste changes slightly (you'll only notice if you're paying attention). The second that your meal doesn't taste as awesome as it did before, you know that your body is sending a signal that it has all it needs and that you should stop eating. If you never get full, eat more variety.
    I'm sorry you've been struggling, believe me, I go through the same thing. Granted, I don't have a job where I'm able to be on my feet (I know it sounds crazy, but consider yourself lucky), I sit at a desk all day long, surrounded by people who are constantly bringing in sweet treats (seriously, I had to give up sweets for Lent to save myself from them) and snacking all day long.
    I do my best, but I havent been losing lately, and it comes down to one thing. Will Power.

    My guess is that you are hitting the same issues...you can know all the rules, and want to change for all the right reasons, but when push comes to shove, and you are still eating the way you used to, nothing is going to change. You have to want it for you. Forget what other people get to eat...work on you, and what works for your body...if the person next to you is scarfing McDonalds, and you find yourself jealous because they're not fat...you should remind yourself that they'll be ****ting all of that out in about 45 minutes anyway, so who cares.

    If you want to fix it, don't come whining and asking for a quick fix, you will never find it, and these people will never give it to you. Bottom line...stop eating junk, and stay under your calorie goal...if you want to reach your goal, that's it, end of discussion.

    Good Luck.
    I like when people assume that they're different. I see all these people eat X and when I eat X I get fat and they don't. Yea, but for example what if that's there only primary meal for the day. I had a 1000 breakfast today and still hit my goals just fine. You need to learn to separate mental hunger over real physical hunger if you can. The best way is to cut simple carbs / sugars and make sure you hit your fiber and daily water consumption.

    Frank Yang and Michael Phelps eat 5,000-10,000 calories because they expend that much energy. The average person doesn't. The real answer is. If you can't find anything that works food wise to get you a caloric deficit you have to burn it off through exercise.
    That wasnt the point of the post. The point of the post was, I could never eat like that. even if i consumed what they consumed just on their lunch break if that was my meal for the whole day I would not lose, i would likely maintain and I would have to be way under the average daily intake of 2,000 even with exercising everyday and having a physical job.. im just saying that sucks for me!

    FYI at nearly 300 pounds with a physical job and exercising I am always in a deficit.... yet i lose no weight eating 2000 cals, which means i cant eat 2000 cals. SImple as that it sucks and NO. I DONT EAT CALORIES BACK IF I CANT LOSE AT A DEFICIT HOW CAN I LOSE AT A SURPLUS SMH..

    I understand what you are saying. I also understand your frustration. I found out early on that I simply could not eat as much as other people and stay slim. I have never 'accidentally' lost weight like some people I know. I compared my diet to men around me and thought I was eating so much less than I was.

    The only time I could eat 2500 and maintain, was when I worked as a baggage handler for a major airline and lifted heavy in the gym 3 days a week, plus 45 minutes of cardio. I was 30 at the time and 5'6", 150-155 pounds.

    When I had a disabling injury that put me in a wheelchair for a couple of years, I gained a lot of weight, and am now working on getting it off at 49. It IS hard. It SUCKS that I can't eat like 'normal' people. But considering that 2/3 of the US population is overweight, and 1/3 is Obese, then 'normal' is definitely not healthy.

    I fought it for years. I would 'diet' for a week or so, lose a couple of pounds, then the scale would stop moving and I would get frustrated and quit, and go back to eating 1800 cals a day. Yeah, I maintained on between 1600-1800 cals a day. Being extremely sedentary will do that.

    Six months ago, after losing my mom to diabetes, and turning 49, I joined MFP and made the commitment to lose the weight. WHATEVER it took. I knew that if I didn't, I would be unhealthy, immobile, and end up with Diabetes very soon. And not be there for my kids and grandkids for all the important events in their lives. My mom died 3 weeks before my first grandchild was born.

    When you finally get sick and tired of being sick and tired, and reach the point that you are willing to do WHATEVER it takes to lose the weight and get healthy. THEN you will succeed.

    It sucks. It is not fair. But not much in life is fair. I had to finally put on my big girl panties. Accept my reality. And just do it. And the next day get up and do it again. And again. And here I am 6 months later, much slimmer, much stronger, much healthier, and much HAPPIER!

    Yeah, some days I'd love a Big Mac and fries. But it just isn't worth it anymore. My priorities have changed drastically. My biggest regret is that I didn't figure all this out when I was 30.

    Will I ever be able to eat like 'normal' people again? Not the definition of the average person's 'normal', no. But I have a 'new normal' and it is SO worth it.

    If losing weight was easy, there would be no fat people in the world. It takes commitment, patience, planning, hard work, and often times telling yourself "no".

    When you are ready, you can do it.
  • Justjamie0418
    Justjamie0418 Posts: 1,065 Member
    I rinse any beef I cook.

    Wait...what?

    If I cook hamburger ( I dont eat other beef unless I go to a steak house) I rinse all the fat and grease off of it. Like you'd rinse noodles. I use a strainer. For tacos and spaghetti you cant tell its missing all the grease.
  • MireyGal76
    MireyGal76 Posts: 7,334 Member
    I don't believe that this thread is still going. Every single time I return to this thread, I find insult after insult being tossed out by the OP

    Lady, and I am using this term loosely now, you asked questions and have been so freaking rude to so many people who took time out of their lives to try and help, and it is absolutely shameful!

    I get that some of the answers won't work for you, so IGNORE THEM and carry on!

    And how about thanking people more often than you smack em.

    Disgusting behavior.
  • sz8soon
    sz8soon Posts: 816 Member
    .

    eta: no