Calorie Counting/Food Choices

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VastBreak
VastBreak Posts: 322 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So with my schedule for 2 weeks out of every 10 my life gets crazy chaotic. My husband travels so I am a one man show trying to balance kids (of course playing sports), work, the house, everything. One of my biggest challenges becomes food! My meals end up being more like snacks because there is just not a lot of time. I haven't done very well online tracking my food but I have also been keeping a written journal and most days I'm logging about 1000 calories. I understand this is too low. I also understand that eating under is not a great plan because I am overweight. My highest amount of calories this week has been 1135 (myfitnesspal says to aim for 1435) and I have walked several times and did a couple 30 minute strength training videos and my loss(weigh in today) this week is .4! Usually I make decent food choices and I even usually include higher calorie foods like peanut butter and hummus? So my biggest question is if I am going to be under in calories should I just eat crappy food to fill the void. Is it better to eat some cake/cookies/fast food and actually hit my calorie goals?

Replies

  • parissimone72
    parissimone72 Posts: 7 Member
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    try packing lunches and bringing fruit with you. don't eat crappy foods b/c you will crave them more. maybe before you go to bed make your choices the night before and you can add them in that night.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
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    If it is like that every 2 weeks out of 10, do not worry. I would suggest the 3rd week you eat extra and then the remaining 7 eat what MFP says. Just make sure to get plenty of protein and proper nutrients.
  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
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    So my biggest question is if I am going to be under in calories should I just eat crappy food to fill the void. Is it better to eat some cake/cookies/fast food and actually hit my calorie goals?

    Better yet. Do you see any down side to eating "crappy food to fill the void"? If not, eat it. You can loose weight eating anything as long as you consume fewer calories than you burn.

    PS. As to your busy schedule, try to take a weekend day and make larger amount of food that you can just pull from the fridge and warm up for you and your family. If their old enough, get your kids involved too.

    Good luck.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
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    So with my schedule for 2 weeks out of every 10 my life gets crazy chaotic. My husband travels so I am a one man show trying to balance kids (of course playing sports), work, the house, everything. One of my biggest challenges becomes food! My meals end up being more like snacks because there is just not a lot of time. I haven't done very well online tracking my food but I have also been keeping a written journal and most days I'm logging about 1000 calories. I understand this is too low. I also understand that eating under is not a great plan because I am overweight. My highest amount of calories this week has been 1135 (myfitnesspal says to aim for 1435) and I have walked several times and did a couple 30 minute strength training videos and my loss(weigh in today) this week is .4! Usually I make decent food choices and I even usually include higher calorie foods like peanut butter and hummus? So my biggest question is if I am going to be under in calories should I just eat crappy food to fill the void. Is it better to eat some cake/cookies/fast food and actually hit my calorie goals?

    Fill in the void with crappy food? I wouldn't. There are plenty of healthy low calorie foods that taste good, you just have to find what you like. Life is too short to eat food you don't like. It's a matter of finding what you like, that is healthy and lower calorie.
  • LeenaRuns
    LeenaRuns Posts: 1,309 Member
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    When my husband was traveling for weeks at a time, I would cook a big meal on Sunday (like a casserole or stew) and eat throughout the week. Only a microwave required!
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,590 Member
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    You don't need to eat crappy foods, there are lots of high calorie 'good' nutritious foods that you could nibble on - dried fruit, nuts etc., I've recently increased my calorie target and was determined that my additional 500 or so should at least be good for me. I've been able to reintroduce things like mackerel, avocado, trail mix.... good luck! x
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
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    If it is just 1 week out of 10, don't worry about it. If you are feeling hungry, tired or weak, then eat something. There are lots of things you can snack on that are healthy, that you don't HAVE to eat crappy just to get the calories in.

    The other thing I would recommend is looking up some Once A Month Cooking (OAMC) recipes. You make a big batch of food and then freeze it. Pull it out when you need something.

    Also your slow cooker is your friend. Meal ready when you walk in the door, with minimal prep time in the morning.
  • VastBreak
    VastBreak Posts: 322 Member
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    I usually pre plan fairly well. Crockpot meals thru the week. My kids eat simple like tacos and things but it works because you can add in the guac and veggies! I hit the market twice a week so we always have fresh produce. It is just a couple hard boiled eggs here, handful of almonds there, an apple, a yogurt, these types of foods at the end of the day are leaving me low on calories! I feel fine and am usually not hungry.
  • newcs
    newcs Posts: 717 Member
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    I wouldn't fill the void with crappy food just to get the calories. I'm a big snacker and I work a lot (with about 2.5 hours of commuting every day) so I go for quick and easy snacks:

    String cheese (70 calories)
    Pear (96 calories) - I cut it into quarters and core it so I can eat it quickly on the go without having a core to eat around or get rid of and it's less messy
    Almonds (160 calories for 24 almonds) - I get the baked ones with brown sugar & cinnamon or just the plain natural roasted ones with no oil
    Cottage cheese & pineapple (184 calories for 1c pineapple + 1/2c 4% cottage cheese) - the 4% cottage cheese is really good. Cut up a pineaple one day and keep it in the fridge. Then you just need to scoop the pineappe and cottage cheese into a bowl.
    Yogurt & frozen fruit (270 calories for 1c yogurt + 1/2c fruit) - I eat the whole milk french vanilla Stonyfield yogurt. It's really easy to throw it in a bowl with some frozen fruit, go do something else and it'll be cold but thawed when you come back to it.
    Wasa crackers with light Laughing Cow spreadable cheese (95 calories for 2 light rye crackers & 1 wedge of cheese)
    Whole wheat toasted or untoasted bread with almond butter (340 calories for 2 slices Matthews natural bread + 2T almond butter) - add a little honey if it's too plain for you
    Steel cut oats with raisins & brown sugar (219 calories) - I make these Sunday...just requires some occasional stirring and then I divide them into wide mouth half pint mason jars and use plastic lids. I grab one from the fridge every day, microwave for 1min, stir and eat.
    Chia coconut pudding (135 calories) - mix 1/4c almond milk, 1/4c coconut milk, 1T chia seeds, a pinch of sweetened shredded coconut and 1t honey in a wide mouth half pint (or other 1c container) mason jar, stir, refrigerate overnight. I make a big batch and eat them throughout the week. Sounds kinda gross, looks weird but it's really tasty.
    Hard boiled eggs (70 calories per egg)
    Sliced avocado (63 calories for a 1/4 avocado)
  • VastBreak
    VastBreak Posts: 322 Member
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    Thanks for the tips! The food ideas are helpful. A friend mentioned I might need to learn more about the ratios of carb, protein and fat. I'll try looking into that too!

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