Back with my tail between my legs...

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sozzell
sozzell Posts: 166
in Food and Nutrition
Hi All,

I was a member her last year at some point, and when using MFP correctly and logging every day I did manage to lose quite a bit of weight.

Then I fell off the wagon, not just MFP, but exercise too, and as such I am now back at my heaviest. I feel like such a failure :-*(

Anyway. I am now back exercising again (30 Day Shred but not every *single* day) with the occasional run. The problem is I feel hungry all of the time! I have tried the old 'drink water or herbal tea' trick as I know hunger can just be thirst sometimes but I am genuinely hungry and thinking about food all the bl**dy time!!

Today for example, so far, I have had:

Weetaflakes and SS milk for brekkie
1 latte sachet
1 herbal tea
1 apple
1 banana
10 almonds
Lunch was lettuce, cucumber, red pepper, cherry toms and chinese chicken breast
Another apple

And that is from being up at 6.30am to now, 1.30pm.

What's wrong with me?!

Has anyone got any good tips/ideas for low cal foods to curb hunger? I work in an office so I need to have my brekkie on the go, hence the cereal. No microwave here either otherwise I'd have porridge.

Thanks for reading; looking forward to making those changes but for GOOD this time!

All the best :-)

Replies

  • ChangingAmanda
    ChangingAmanda Posts: 486 Member
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    Welcome back. Don't feel like your a failure. Look at it as a success - you've successfully determined through a real life experience that you need to continue to watch your food intake and exercise to maintain the weight/body you want. (Yeah, silly spin but trying to be positive).

    Make sure any of the changes you're making are things you can sustain for the rest of your life. For me, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I could not give up sweets. So, instead of denying myself all the time and end up having a binge on them, I eat them if they fit in my calories but just watch the portion size. Also, if I'm under my calories one day and over the next, as long as they net out to be even or under my goal, I'm good.

    With that said, be sure you're eating enough calories. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013 is a great post for helping determine calorie goal. With about 22 lbs (American here), you're probably looking at 0.5-1 lbs average loss per week. It's better to eat higher calories with a slower loss but is more sustainable than low calories, quick loss, and then gain it back when you go back to eating "normally". Also, from my experience, I strongly suggest investing in a Heart Rate Monitor to more accurately calculate your exercise calories. When I compare my HRM output to MFP calculations, MFP is pretty much double my HRM. Knowing what your burn is helpful depending on how you set your exercise goals.

    For breakfast, up your protein and fiber. They digest more slowly and therefore keep you feeling fuller longer. Protein shakes/smoothies are quick, on the go breakfasts. I use Syntrax Matrix - not sure it's available in the UK. It has 3 types of protein (quick, medium and slow releases) that will keep you feeling satisfied during the morning. If you look in the recipe forum, someone has posted egg "muffins" before. Scramble some eggs and pour it into a muffin tin filled with veggies and meats (ham, sausage, turkey bits) then bake. They can be frozen and then popped into the microwave for breakfast. Something that should be easy to go during the morning commute.

    I hope this helps. :)
  • sozzell
    sozzell Posts: 166
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    Hello and thanks for your reply.

    I like your point about being under one day and being able to use them up on another day. My problem, however, is towards the end of the evening I look at what I have left and think what else I could eat to use them up. It's like I think about food ALL OF THE TIME! It's unhealthy, surely?!

    I read the road map post - never heard of this before. When I first joined MFP I read about TDEE and BMR and working out from there how many cals you need to reduce to get a weight loss. This road map takes some reading and I'm not entirely sure I have understood it.

    I have worked out that (as I have a desk job and am therefore sedentary) my BMR is around 1960 ish (can't remember exactly) - I did this by putting in my age, height, weight as I am now, but then putting my goal weight as my current weight (as stated in the article). I then took around 20% off this amount for a weight loss and so my calorie allowance is around 1500 per day, extra if I have exercised (I understand that not everyone eats back exercise cals but I find that I always need to as 1500 is not enough for me!).

    Does this sound like a good plan, I'm calling on all you experienced people here!!

    Also - do I really need a HRM? My usual workout is the 30DS - and I have heard from those that use the Polar HRMs that what MFP says is the total calorie burn is pretty accurate? The only other exercise I do is running and I have a Nike + which goes on my trainers and my iPod and calculates calories, distance etc. and this is meant to be a pretty accurate reflection also? I don't object to getting a HRM if I do really need one, so I'd really like to hear people's thoughts on this...?

    Thanks for the food recommendations - especially the egg muffin thing. It sounds yummy!! I also just read somewhere about Vitamuffins, I think they are an American 'healthy' chocolate muffin, but I just found a recipe for making them, so am really considering giving these a go. 100 cals in a nice fat chocolate muffin, sounds too good to be true but we shall see!

    Thanks again and I welcome comments/tips/suggestions/stories from all MFP users.

    Good day :o)
  • demorelli
    demorelli Posts: 508 Member
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    Wait your BMR is 1960? That's the base number of calories you burn when you're sleeping. Your TDEE is the number of calories you burn including all your daily activities. Your calorie intake to lose weight should be below your TDEE but above your BMR.
  • Elle562018
    Elle562018 Posts: 89 Member
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    I eat a lot of fruits for breakfast. It keeps me going until lunch. And welcome back to MFP.
  • sozzell
    sozzell Posts: 166
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    Wait your BMR is 1960? That's the base number of calories you burn when you're sleeping. Your TDEE is the number of calories you burn including all your daily activities. Your calorie intake to lose weight should be below your TDEE but above your BMR.

    Hi :-)

    Sorry about that. Just calculated again, using a website which displays clearly BMR, TDEE and calorie allowance based on goals, and it gave me this:

    BMR 1596
    TDEE 1916
    Daily allowance 1533

    So, assume that as I have said I am sedentary, whatever I earn via exercise I can eat back (if I feel I need to)?
  • sozzell
    sozzell Posts: 166
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    I eat a lot of fruits for breakfast. It keeps me going until lunch. And welcome back to MFP.

    Thank you!
  • sozzell
    sozzell Posts: 166
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    Bumping for the later crowd...

    :-)
  • Mouse_Potato
    Mouse_Potato Posts: 1,502 Member
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    You may want to increase your calories. I usually eat between 1800 and 2000 a day, depending on my activity level. And I'm a woman. And not a very big one at that. Just sayin'.

    Welcome back!

    ETA: Your profile picture fooled me. Thought you were a man. :smile:
  • sozzell
    sozzell Posts: 166
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    You may want to increase your calories. I usually eat between 1800 and 2000 a day, depending on my activity level. And I'm a woman. And not a very big one at that. Just sayin'.

    Welcome back!

    ETA: Your profile picture fooled me. Thought you were a man. :smile:

    Really? Even though all the calculates say to lose a pound a week I need no more than 1500?

    Haha yeah sorry my profile pic is Bill Hicks, the late comedian.

    As an aside, I was wondering if anyone could answer my query about whether I need a HRM...?

    Thanks guys!
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
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    if you are listing yourself as sedentary, then definitely eat your base calorie goal and then all of your additional exercise calories you burn. I have a goal of somewhere between 1800-1900 to lose weight.

    edited to delete comment about OP being male.
  • Mouse_Potato
    Mouse_Potato Posts: 1,502 Member
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    You may want to increase your calories. I usually eat between 1800 and 2000 a day, depending on my activity level. And I'm a woman. And not a very big one at that. Just sayin'.

    Welcome back!

    ETA: Your profile picture fooled me. Thought you were a man. :smile:

    Really? Even though all the calculates say to lose a pound a week I need no more than 1500?

    Haha yeah sorry my profile pic is Bill Hicks, the late comedian.

    As an aside, I was wondering if anyone could answer my query about whether I need a HRM...?

    Thanks guys!

    Depends on a lot of factors including how active you are and how much you have to lose. My ticker says I want to lose another 15 pounds, but that's not quite accurate. I want to lose another 3-5% body fat and build muscle, but I don't know where that will leave me scale-wise. I want to preserve as much LBM as possible, so I don't want too much of a deficit and I have to incorporate resistance training. Plus, with less than 20 pounds to go it isn't really a good idea to target too rapid a loss. My goal is set for half a pound a week, but lately I have exceeded that.

    I love my HRM, but I enjoy my BodyMedia even more. It tracks my burn all day long as I was surprised to find my TDEE is higher than I had calculated. I have been losing just under a pound a week since I got it. It changes my calorie goal according to how much I have actually burned that day, so I can be more consistent with my deficit.

    Hope that helps. If not, blame my lack of sleep. :wink:

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