Help I have trouble eating under 2000 cals a day!

Pookylou

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.

I like this - I think the key is to change your view of "normal" I think all of us that joined MFP over weight had a wrong view of what "normal" is, mine was to eat an entire large Dominos pizza and desert all to myself when I was feeling a bit low/bored/hungry/down. You need to shift your view to what is healthy, you don't want to be "normal" (when in the UK normal/average is 3 dress sizes above my current). You don't need to deprive yourself either - I still eat everything I ate before, just a lot less!

SteveJWatson

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.

boboff

Beer is killing my calorie counts...

I feel your pain!

Looking at what your eating, it's way way too much of the wrong foods, but you know what, we are all human, I like to drink, food not so much, so it's different but the same.

I can only suggest the same solution, try 4 days a week where you eat "normal" food.

1. Breakfast, Porridge with Water and Honey and Sultanas
2. Dinner Grilled Chicken breast with lots of Salad and Pickles.
3. Tea. 6oz Steak, Baked Sweet Potato and green beans.

? I don't know, like it or not, if you want to loose weight you are going to have to reduce your food intake or Exercise like a headless chicken for 19 hours a day.

It's hard though, hope you stick at it

neandermagnon

The problem is your idea of what is normal. 900 calories in one meal is not normal for anyone with the exception of maybe atheletes and lumberjacks. but sadly, its not far off from the american norm.

I always had the mentality that I should be able to eat like that and still somehow manage to lose weight, and then it was this cycle of being ingidnant when I didn't and feeling entitled to eat certain things in certain amounts.

That has caused me to be nearly 150 pounds overweight - and in a position that I have resorted to having a vertical sleeve operation to get the weight off. There is no getting around the fact that you are eating too much for your activity level and you will not lose weight like that.

^^^^ this

I'm British and a normal breakfast in Britain is cereal and milk with maybe a glass of juice. There's the traditional English breakfast of bacon, eggs, baked beans, hash browns, fried mushrooms, fried tomatoes and so on, but pretty much everyone knows you can't eat breakfast like that every day and stay thin. In my family growing up we had traditional English "breakfast" for lunch on Sundays, and traditional Sunday roast for dinner. Actual breakfast was always cereal and milk.

A lot of traditional American breakfasts are way too high calorie for everyone except athletes and manual labourers (in fact the traditional English breakfast comes from times when the men went to work down coal mines and the women had to do all the housework with elbow grease, or they went to work in factories, or the whole family worked on the farm, etc) - nowadays people are more sedentary, and so have to eat less to stay thin.

neandermagnon

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.

good points

my advice is given assuming that the calorie goals were correct for the OP's activity levels.... if they are too low then that would explain all the hunger

OP: if you're not sure if your calorie goals are correct for you, see the "in place of a road map" thread

IWantToo

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!

glovepuppet

i'm curious, how much weight have you lost and at what rate?

mockchoc

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

I gave you this tool way back in the thread but I haven't noticed you use it. It only takes about 1 minute to do. I even tried to work it all out for you as much as I could. Can you take a look at it please then you will know how much you can eat and from what I saw someone mentionyou aren't sedentry like I worked it out at so you can eat OVER 2000 not at 2000 and lose without a problem. Eat what you like with those 2000+ calories as long as you stay at that figure but it is better to eat filling foods like others explained.

So what is your TDEE?

neandermagnon

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 way more thanI would have like.. i was surprised 2 tacos and a potato came out to 900 cals... it sounds ridiculous but its true...

Some people completly 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 isnt the work.. 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 workut 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!!!

If you know you're not eating enough calories, then why make a thread saying "help I have trouble eating under 2000 calories a day"???

Eat your TDEE - 20%.

You're not "at a surplus" if you'd have thousands of calories left over using the TDEE method???

glovepuppet

If you know you're not eating enough calories, then why make a thread saying "help I have trouble eating under 2000 calories a day"???

Eat your TDEE - 20%.

You're not "at a surplus" if you'd have thousands of calories left over using the TDEE method???

i'm confused too...

AhlaWahda

I also went hungry in the beginning because I was used to eat a lot more and my stomach had expanded because of it.
So what you need to do is to:
1. Accept the fact that you'll be hungry in the beginning, maybe the first week.
2. Cut out or minimize sugars as much as possible since they make you crave and think you're hungry.
3. Realize that you're not hungry because you "need" food but because you're used to eating more and maybe eat when you're bored, craving or wanting to fulfill your emotional needs.

These 3 steps at least helped me. Good luck!

newterritory4u

Wow, I don't think you eat like a normal person. Tacos for breakfast! Plus potatoes! Try cereals, even better muesli. Lunch, if you have to have a burger, skip the processed cheese, really bad for you. The fries are probably quarter - half of your daily allowance.

You should also try and get some good walks in. This will really help your metabolism and burn off some of those excess calories.

Good luck!

IWantToo

i dont follow tdee i dont calculate the cals i lose from my job, one night i wore my hrm and it said i burned over 8,000 cals in a 10 hour shift... even if i cut that in half and say i burn 4000 plus the exercise i do, plus i walk from work most days which i also dont factor in.... the only days i see loss is when i eat under 2000 cals days like today when i ate 2300 i'll get on the scale and see nothing....

I know you two dont understand...

glovepuppet

i dont follow tdee i dont calculate the cals i lose from my job, one night i wore my hrm and it said i burned over 8,000 cals in a 10 hour shift... even if i cut that in half and say i burn 4000 plus the exercise i do, plus i walk from work most days which i also dont factor in.... the only days i see loss is when i eat under 2000 cals days like today when i ate 2300 i'll get on the scale and see nothing....

I know you two dont understand...

i see! ...or rather, i clearly don't see.
for i am but poor, uneducated pleb with only the flimsiest grasp of science.

:-)

lauren3101

Can we all please stop using the word 'normal'. There is no such thing - different people have different needs. I am on 1850 cals a day, and I eat 900 of those for dinner, because I like a big dinner and it stops me picking. Am I abnormal? I've been losing weight just fine doing that.

OP, some tips for you.

Firstly, you should stop quick adding calories. It really helps to see what nutrients you are getting and the different effect they are having on your body. I learnt from here that if I drink a bottle of diet coke, I'd crave sugary things after. I also learnt that after eating something carb-laden, I'd only feel full for an hour or so. Use this as a tool to see what foods work for you.

Fats and protein really do make you fuller. It is not a myth. I know the idea of a salad does not appeal to you much, it didn't to me either, but I now love my salad for lunch. There are plenty of ways to pep up things like chicken so it's not boring. Avocados, nuts, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, are all also good protein sources.

Drinking lots of water really helps. A lot of the time we think we are hungry when we are actually thirsty.

Everyone has different needs when it comes to meals. You need to work out what works for you. Personally, breakfast makes me hungrier. I also like to pick at night, so I save half my cals for dinner. When do you get the most hungry? Work your calories so you can have a larger meal when you need it.

I also have 'normal' foods - I just make them all myself. Burgers, chips, chicken nuggets, kebabs and curries are regular items on our dinner list, but I make them all from scratch with fresh ingredients so they are healthy.

Hope this helps.

Markguns

Normal = Average. The Average American is OVERWEIGHT.... (70%, 35% of those are Obese)
Do a web search for NUTRIENT DENSE FOODS / LOW CALORIE NUTRIENT DENSE FOODS
Try Green tea, drink a lot of water. Many times you think you are hungry but you are really thirsty
Take it slow give yourself tome to adjust maybe only aim for a 20% reduction in calories.
Remember if you exercise more you can eat more
Change the way you shop for food, see above.
Eliminate Fried Foods, a large order of Mickey D's fries is 440 Cal with 22 g of fat!
Speaking of Mickey D, NO Fast Food, it's the opposite of nutrient dense.
Try to eat 4 meals a day of one good protein (lean meats, chicken, fish) and one good carb.(unrefined grains, fresh vegtables)
Get ride of the junk, If it's not in the house you can't eat it.
Have a cheat day so you can splurge a little, all work n no play....:blushing:
Otherwise, If you want to "eat normal" you'd better start training like Michael Phelps! :bigsmile:

SteveJWatson

i dont follow tdee i dont calculate the cals i lose from my job, one night i wore my hrm and it said i burned over 8,000 cals in a 10 hour shift... even if i cut that in half and say i burn 4000 plus the exercise i do, plus i walk from work most days which i also dont factor in.... the only days i see loss is when i eat under 2000 cals days like today when i ate 2300 i'll get on the scale and see nothing....

I know you two dont understand...

I'm actually wondering if you need to eat more (nutrient dense, healthy foods obviously) - what is your activity level set to?

Change_is_Good_

Hey, haven't read the whole thread because I'm at work and shouldn't be on here shhhhhh

Anyway I do feel for you, it's hard to get out of a habit especially if you have been eating a certian way for a long time, but you have to truely want to change. I vouch for anyone who has mentioned more protein less carbs, i'm still strugging with this as I used to live on bread, pasta etc because it was quick but I feel massive amount's better for changing the way I eat.

I haven't looked at your diary but skimming this thread it looks like you don't log exact foods, seeing it there in front of you triggers something in your head "wow didn't realise that had so much carb/fat/cal", next time you reach for that snack or go to cook dinner you'll remember and if you are serious about losing weight you will pick something else.

I try, when possible to preset my diary, yesterday i had to take things off because I didn't eat them and I have snacks left over in my draw.

A bit rushed but hope it was a little helpful, happy to discuss ideas (you'll see I do eat some "normal food") if you are serious and want to add me

NeverGivesUp

Over the course of about 2 years I have officially re-taught myself to crave healthy food. I started paying attention to the way I felt after I ate certain things and then started giving things up slowly but surely. I have a huuuuge appetite but I eat a ton of fruits and veggies which adequately fill me and satisfy me. It is about filling bad habits with good ones. Exercise is important too. I can only tell you what I did and do because you are on your own journey and I am on mine. You have to learn your body and try new things till something fits with something you can do for the rest of your life!! Not all of this will be comfortable for you and yes you will be hungry a lot. That is the nature of the beast and you have to decide how badly you want it. I have learned that I actually like being hungry and feeling empty. Especially because I save all my calories to eat one nice and healthy meal in the evening when I am the most hungry. In order to get the rewards of health and fitness, you have to change your mind and realize this is not about getting down to a number on a scale. Health is forever and you only have one body. I love to run and lift weights. Food is my fuel and helps me get the energy I need in order to feel great within my body. For the longest time I separated myself from my body because it was just too painful to be present. Now that I am so close to goal, I see that I will have to work on how I see myself too. I will be a work in progress forever and that is ok with me. There is no end till you aren't on this earth anymore. There is no rush, start with making better decisions and learn how to love fruits and veggies.

709sherry

For me it was portion size... We tend to underestimate the amount we eat. I snack more frequently on fruit if I get hungry and I never eat out. I try not to eat processed food because the food companies add all kinds of crap to keep you wanting more, more, more!