Obsessed w/tracking AND Cannot get enough calories

Tonyswoman
Tonyswoman Posts: 8 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I feel like I need a food tracking Anonymous meeting to go to!

I'm obsessed with tracking my food. I track either the night before what I anticipate to eat or the in the morning while packing my to go bag.

The problem is I'm either WAY under on food consumption or WAY over...

I'm not sure what to do... I guess I just needed to vent.

Replies

  • Wrenbot87
    Wrenbot87 Posts: 100 Member
    Plan better. I usually log my morning and after noon snack and lunch before I leave for work. This way I know exactly what I need to eat before I'm back home at 4:30. Try to keep foods on an average. I aim for 350 breakfast 400 lunch, 350 Dinner, and 400 calories in snacks. I leave a wide margin in my snacks just in case after dinner or a workout I have enough room for a piece of fruit or a protein shake! Just keep playing with it!
  • TravelDog14
    TravelDog14 Posts: 317 Member
    For me it's all about the planning ahead.

    If I plot out my days food ahead of time then I can relax on the logging because I can see I'll be at or under my calorie allotment for the day.

    For example if you look at my diary for today you'll see it's already filled in so I can "pace" my eating. I eat small snacks throughout the day almost constantly as I'm much happier to graze than have "meals".

    I consider myself pretty obsessed by tracking my food so I understand that issue. I don't have a problem getting to my calorie goal, I enjoy eating too much and with my calories pre-logged I know I won't go over so long as I only eat what I've pre-logged.
  • charlieibeling
    charlieibeling Posts: 93 Member
    pack all your meals that you tracked the night before in tupperware and eat them when you were planning on eating. if you want to log in 1500 calories for the day then put 1500 into individual meal tupperware and eat only them. plus if youre under just add in some coconut oil. great health benefits and you will feel good about eating it
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    I also track early, but that's probably a good thing for when you undereat. You can see you're short x calories, so add y and z as a snack or with dinner, etc. As for how to add calories, it's easier than you think. Add a serving of nuts, a spoonful of peanut butter, cook with olive oil, add an avocado to a salad or on top of scrambled eggs in the morning. Or hell, have a piece of good dark chocolate or a serving of ice cream. Too many people try to eat "healthy" and they get horribly restrictive with their diet. You don't have to cut out everything just because "oh it's high fat" or "that's unhealthy". You can have those things, just make sure it's in moderation and fits in your calorie goals.

    This is a great post:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/925464-fitting-it-in-giggity
  • Green_eyed_beauty
    Green_eyed_beauty Posts: 101 Member
    pack all your meals that you tracked the night before in tupperware and eat them when you were planning on eating. if you want to log in 1500 calories for the day then put 1500 into individual meal tupperware and eat only them. plus if youre under just add in some coconut oil. great health benefits and you will feel good about eating it


    ^^This
  • ryanwood935
    ryanwood935 Posts: 245 Member
    Planning is a big part, but it sounds like you are doing that already. The way I read this is that you plan all your meals for the next day, but still fluctuate greatly. Are the foods you are planning for the next day not the ones you feel like eating when it comes time? Perhaps rather than planning strict meals which you will eat no matter what, have an idea of how many calories you plan to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, etc.. Then have a half dozen meal ideas that you can decide between when you are ready to eat.

    I guess if you are already tracking and not hitting goals, find out why you are having the discrepancies in calories.
  • Tonyswoman
    Tonyswoman Posts: 8 Member
    I eat every few hours and I love eating what I plan, it's just not enough. But I'm full all the time. I sit here at work trying to eat more to get my intake higher, but I'm so full I just get left feeling bloated.

    I'm going to have to find a different strategy, for sure...
  • blaaaaah
    blaaaaah Posts: 11
    It can be a bit dangerous to be overly obsessed with tracking your calories. So if you feel like it's really impacting on your mental state to be tracking them or something then it's best to try to stop or see someone about it.

    If you're hungry then eat (sensibly). If you're not hungry then don't.
    Learn what foods keep you satisfied with enough energy for the day without your body getting bloated. Don't feel like you need to meet your calorie goals every day - if you're sitting at your desk trying to eat more to meet your calorie goals while you're already full, then stop, because if you're full you don't need to eat more.

    It's also about more than just the calories, look at the nutritional info and make sure you're getting enough of everything else - like protein, calcium, vitamins etc and make sure you aren't eating too much sugar. Too much sugar can make you feel hungrier and also contains a lot of calories, while protein makes you feel fuller for longer AND helps maintain muscle mass - which is vital for staying healthy. Calorie restriction can cause your body to freak out and break down muscle, to help this stop happening you need to feed your muscles protein.
    It's not just all about calories. In the grand scheme of things, they end up being a pimple on a pumpkin.
    Hope this has helped! (:

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