eating too many calories and going out to eat

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  • ChitownFoodie
    ChitownFoodie Posts: 1,562 Member
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    If I am going out to eat, and know where I am going, I typically look at the menu beforehand. I will log what I will eat at the restaurant, then build the rest of the day around that.
  • Lisah8969
    Lisah8969 Posts: 1,247 Member
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    Everything is a choice. You are already aware that you are eating too much and therefore going over your calories for the day. Think of ways to modify and tweak what you like to eat. Bagel with cream cheese and iced, flavored coffee for breakfast for 600 calories? Change to a bagel thin with light butter and iced coffee with skim milk for about 200 calories. All I have done is modified what I love to eat so I don't have to turn anything down and I don't ever feel deprived. If I am going to go for something truly over my calories for the day, I workout more to balance it. I was never a big fast food person, but I wouldn't have turned down a burger and fries from Checkers if offered to me. Honestly now, while my mind still thinks it is tasty, my stomach would not agree. I couldn't handle the grease from something like that anymore and therefore don't crave it at all.

    It's all about choices.
  • rower_girl
    rower_girl Posts: 1
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    Hello, I am new to this site and have not tried to lose wieght for a few years so I am struggling with this a bit right now too. One of the main things that I have found is that when I don't exercise I find it really tough to stay within the calorie limits. So trying to exercise a bit more helps me. I have started walking home (50 min) and I find that the few extra calories I am allowed make a big difference. Also DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP ABOUT IT. Slipping a bit from a goal often causes me to feel bad and feel like I may as well not bother.... this is not the right way to go about it I don't think. Research has shown that stressing yourself out increases your Corticosterone (stress hormone) levels which decreases will power. People often think will power is something you just "have" but scientists have shown that there are a lot of complex physiological processes behind it and that being negative and hard on yourself is one of the worst things you can do. Sorry if this got long winded but these are things that help me so I hope you find them helpful as well.
  • Weebs628
    Weebs628 Posts: 574 Member
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    Here is what I do. I eat what I want as long as I am willing to work it off later that day.

    So if I want to grab a five guys burger I have to be willing to work out additional hour that day.If I don't want to, then I can't have that burger. When I look at certain foods, I see it in calories and how long it would take to burn that off. Someone hands me a donut. Hmmm..I see 430 calories which for me is about 30 minutes on the treadmill. If I am OK with that, I get to eat that donut.

    So you want to eat out and go over your calorie limit. Fine. Just understand how long you are going to have to work off to burn that off and ask yourself if you WILL work that off.

    This! I also pre-log everything at the beginning of the day. That helps me stick to my plan.
  • smtillman2
    smtillman2 Posts: 756 Member
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    Try planning your meals ahead of time.

    Also, if you know were you are going to eat most places have nutrition info online. Do a little research. Just because it looks healthy (ie salads) doesn't mean that it is.

    It seems like a lot of work but after a while you will have a better understanding of which foods are high in calories and portion sizes and you can judge a little better on the fly.
  • estrange22
    estrange22 Posts: 210 Member
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    I am not "big" but I have always carried an extra 20 pounds or so around and I also LOVE to eat ALL THE FOOOODDDZZZZ. The solution that worked for me was intermittent fasting. I only eat between 1-8 p.m. each day and I have a specific calorie and macros goal for rest days and training days. I was only a little hungry the first two mornings and it feels so nice to be able to sit down to a large meal or two each day. Eating 300 calories several times a day wasn't cutting it for me because after work, I want my dinner. Try it, you may love it!
  • DoingItForME724
    DoingItForME724 Posts: 130 Member
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    You know i think like this too....im so deperate for a solution because i just want to eat but when I sit down and think about it I know the solution.....and thats to eat right and workout. If i really want to be that person who is sexy, beautiful, strong, confident then it is ALL up to me and what I put in my own mouth.....we will not be successful until we take ownership of our bad habits and change them.


    the reality that bothers me right now is that if i really want to be 130lbs and stay there, fast food is no longer a part of my life...EVER. Even a little could derail me and i have to tell myself life is so much better and so much more with out those unhealthy foods....I am better than the bad choices I have made!
  • Jori7071
    Jori7071 Posts: 19 Member
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    I like the way you think about it. That's exactly what I do....then I get alot of complaints from my family that I already worked out today, why do I need to work out some more? They don't understand that by working out I am rewarding my cravings!
  • kfitzpa
    kfitzpa Posts: 326
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    Willpower. Pure willpower. It takes all I have in me to deny myself extra food when I've already reached my calorie limit. You have to realize how bad you actually want it, and that eating all that crappy food is not worth it at all.
  • AubreySue81
    AubreySue81 Posts: 167 Member
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    Here is what I do. I eat what I want as long as I am willing to work it off later that day.

    So if I want to grab a five guys burger I have to be willing to work out additional hour that day.If I don't want to, then I can't have that burger. When I look at certain foods, I see it in calories and how long it would take to burn that off. Someone hands me a donut. Hmmm..I see 430 calories which for me is about 30 minutes on the treadmill. If I am OK with that, I get to eat that donut.

    So you want to eat out and go over your calorie limit. Fine. Just understand how long you are going to have to work off to burn that off and ask yourself if you WILL work that off.

    ^^ Yep, that's what I do as well.
  • gc_tweety
    gc_tweety Posts: 205 Member
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    Whether it be with baby steps or cold turkey, you must say no to unhealthy foods. When I started this new lifestyle there was not a middle ground, I cut bad food out completely. Now, I allow cheat meals because I have better control. I still crave terribly delicious foods but I must just say no. Good luck to you, it will not be easy but it is your choice.
  • JohnKoch33441
    JohnKoch33441 Posts: 2
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    Hi,
    My wife and I have almost given up fried food completely. I mean one of us once a week is about it.

    Our big tip is Taco Bell. 2 non supreme beef tacos are just 300 calories and when coupled with a diet soda is just easy to
    replace a lunch and sometimes a dinner if lunch was eat out and bad. Their salads are good too, just stay away from the burritos.

    MacDonalds has their nutrition info on the back of their menu. Only eat the items 350 calories or under like the egg mcmuffin
    for breakfast, the single hamburger on the $1.00 menu.

    Its easy at Wendy's. Split a baked potatoe and small chilli with your finance and have one of their broiled chicken wraps for $1.49.

    Whenever we go to a fancy restaurant we asked for a box right away and take home half. Once you shrink your stomach it
    gets easier.

    Hope this helps.

    John
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
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    Our family goes out to eat A LOT and it is possible to do that without nuking your calories for the day. It just takes some advance preparation. We mostly go to restaurants that have their nutrition information available online, and I plan ahead what I am going to order. Wing places have "naked" tenders to order in place of the breaded, fried ones. Many sandwich places will do lettuce-wraps instead of bread, or will put the sandwich ingredients in a salad for you. Lots of restaurants have healthier items on their menu that have the calorie information printed right there. Some of my restaurant favorites:

    Red Robin-- lettuce wrap, no mayo or cheese, go easy on the fries
    Denny's-- Fit Fare items are good, especially the veggie skillet (330 calories)
    Jimmy John's-- lettuce wrap and hold the mayo. My #6 unwich no mayo PLUS a whole bag of the Thinny chips is 403 calories
    Chipotle-- skip the tortillas, cheese, and sour cream. I get a veggie bowl with guacamole for under 500 calories
    Penn Station and Subway-- make your sandwich into a salad
    Taco Bell-- veggie cantina bowl is under 600 calories

    In general, try to eliminate/reduce the bread, get grilled instead of fried, avoid rich sauces and mayo, minimize cheese. If you are getting an omelet, ask for egg whites or egg substitute.
  • ktbollman
    ktbollman Posts: 32 Member
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    aaaaaaaaaaand you guys are all whay i love this website! SO much support. I will have to print these out and read them at home tonight...so great to hear all of your advice.

    It sounds like logging my meal the day before will help me stay on track. My calorie limit is 1290 (I can seriously eat that in one freaking meal!!!). I think I need to start eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day. I do drink plenty of water while at the office - I keep it in eye sight so I am constantly looking at my botle so I am good there. I also like the idea of working off that special treat I just had. I KNOW i have to get back to the gym - I am paying 33 bucks a month for a membership. I think that will also help with the weight loss. I think I just need to find healthier options that I actually enjoy (enjoy as much as I enjoy fried food).

    And yes, willpower is a huge thing I struggle with. It's quite obvious.

    Thanks AGAIN for all of the support. You all rock. Seriously.
  • bfitgirl
    bfitgirl Posts: 138 Member
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    Have you ever considering IF, intermittent fasting? And no it doesn't involve starving yourself but you do fast between your last meal of the day say dinner at 7pm and then your next meal say 11am. Basically a 16 hr gap (fast)

    I do it because it allows me to eat until I feel satisfied, I basically skip breakfast have a big brunch, mayb a snack then a big dinner, I feel full. Some people just don't feel satisfied eating small mini meals frequently, this might be you! It certainly released me from the 'I have to have breakfast at ...o'clock ......I now have to have my snack.... Now.... It's lunch... Now how long is it till I HAVE to wait until I can eat my dinner?'. And I am generally within my cal goals.

    There is a lot of information about IF on the web and also a group here on MFP.

    With regard to the fast food, I know if I'm heading out for the night, I'll eat a v large but healthy brunch and feel full, so I'll know i won't be starving going to the restaurant, but more importantly i can be free enough to choose what I want when I'm there.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    aaaaaaaaaaand you guys are all whay i love this website! SO much support. I will have to print these out and read them at home tonight...so great to hear all of your advice.

    It sounds like logging my meal the day before will help me stay on track. My calorie limit is 1290 (I can seriously eat that in one freaking meal!!!). I think I need to start eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day. I do drink plenty of water while at the office - I keep it in eye sight so I am constantly looking at my botle so I am good there. I also like the idea of working off that special treat I just had. I KNOW i have to get back to the gym - I am paying 33 bucks a month for a membership. I think that will also help with the weight loss. I think I just need to find healthier options that I actually enjoy (enjoy as much as I enjoy fried food).

    And yes, willpower is a huge thing I struggle with. It's quite obvious.

    Thanks AGAIN for all of the support. You all rock. Seriously.

    Or maybe you need to rethink your calorie goal if 1290 is too restrictive. Why not figure out your TDEE and subtract 20% from it?

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • NavyKnightAh13
    NavyKnightAh13 Posts: 1,394 Member
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    Definite willpower. As far as the eating out thing, if you must, do it once or twice a week as a treat. it will be difficult, but i actually am now to the point where i end up ill if i eat out. I literally end up dizzy and nauseous and my tummy hurts. IT just isn't worth it, and even the smell makes me drive away as quickly as possible. It took me a while, because my husband he eats out almost all the time but just because that is what he does, doesn't mean i have to. I can now go into places, get him food, and leave without getting myself anything. And usually on nights that he wants fast food, i will eat veggies :)

    I will definitely say to figure out the week if is possible because if not then it will spiral quickly. In my case, Fridays are hard to plan for because of my job as a sports correspondent and so i have to leave as soon as my husband comes home from work. As far as the eating before dinner, I have the same issue and no matter how much water i consume it doesn't help. I find it helpful to just stay out of the kitchen and usually do cleaning or just work out (I don't go running until my husband comes home so this way both of us can have our "me time"). Make sure you log everything, because if not, then eventually the guilt will catch up. Even on Fridays, when i do get food from the stadium, i log it (i catch weird looks from the coaches but i really don't care, though i think are surprised that i will down water). And if there is something you are dying to eat, exercise. It might be hard to start, but once you do, you will be addicted. even if it is only 10-15 minutes for the start.

    When I was pregnant, I was 243 (I gained weight due to eating out, no exercising, and gaming after my mom passed in 2009) and then lost weight during the pregnancy. When I restarted here on mfp, I was 205 (i lost weight due to being active during the pregnancy, which my doctors found it weird) and am now down to 183, and am hoping to get to 125. I will say that it isn't an easy journey, because if it was, no one would be here. But only YOU have the power, the tools are here, and the ball is now in your court.
  • dygitalgirl
    dygitalgirl Posts: 20 Member
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    Willpower

    For increased satiety, higher protein intake, smaller more frequent meals/larger less frequent meals, higher fiber intake, more water intake may be things that can help

    It's all in the willpower, IMO.
    I have been guilty of eating out lately due to illness and laziness, and not making some of the best choices and recently had my eyes opened by some comments that I had solicited about my food journal.

    But you know what? I eliminated McDonalds from my diet COMPLETELY about a month ago, and I don't even crave it now. In fact, I read some meme on Facebook that said if you ate a Big Mac, Large Fries, and a Large Coke, you'd have to walk for 8 hours (or was it 12 hours) straight to actually work it all off again. I don't know how true that actually is, but it was enough to turn me off completely! And to think, that used to be my normal meal at Mickey Ds. :/

    And when I do eat fast food, like Taco Bell or something, I end up with the worst feelings, not just of guilt but of actual stomach aches and nausea.

    As for eating most of your calories early and running into overages, maybe a little more planning and pre-packing of meals would help. I actually have the opposite problem. I haven't been starving myself but I have NOT been eating enough, so I am working on planning my meals and making myself eat them! Like today, I filled out my food journal with what I intend on eating and I just eat that much! This is a new practice for me that has worked really well this week! And I didn't know about skinnytaste.com. I was told my a bunch of MFPers that I needed to eat less hamburger helper type boxed meals but I didn't know where to get good recipes. Then I was introduced to skinnytaste.com and honestly, these recipes are no more expensive or time consuming to fix than what I was already cooking, in fact, some are cheaper and take much less time! Try it, you'll love it!

    Best of luck to you.

    Going out to eat is fun, and yummy. But actually think about what you are putting in your body when you do it. It's an ugly thought.
  • Drop_it_Like_Its_Hawt
    Drop_it_Like_Its_Hawt Posts: 226 Member
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    First, as far as the "I'm over anyway" concept, think of it like this - if you're going down the freeway, and blow out a tire, do you then get out and slash the other three? Or do you stop for a minute and figure out what happened, then do your best to fix it and move on? The latter makes a lot more sense.

    As for eating out, most places have healthier options - but if not, get what you like, but ask for a doggie bag/container to come out with the meal. Then immediately put half the meal in there, to be eaten later. Not a perfect solution, but then you get your favorite food, aren't feeling nearly as deprived (like when you're eating a salad while everyone around you is sucking down BBQ ribs), and you even get a little more value for your $$ that way.
  • namari
    namari Posts: 54 Member
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