How Do I Make This Work for a College Gal that LOVES Food?!

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strawberrylemonade92
strawberrylemonade92 Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello MFPers!

I'm down about 4 pounds,6 from my highest weight. I am trying to count calories with my mom. I'm 21 and live at home while commuting to college, as a little background. She is not nearly as overweight as me. She has been exercising and 5-6 days a week and counting calories, and she is shrinking in her waist and losing weight every few days!! And she's eating like 1700 calories a day max, often less because she's not hungry for it.

I, on the other hand, struggle to stick to calories and find it very frustrating when I cook something at home and have to go calculate all the ingredients and figure out how many cals are in a serving. It drives me crazy!!

I guess I feel like it's really hard to calculate everything all the time. Does this get easier? I don't like feeling like I'm constantly planning and calculating. I don't want a part time job, I want to be a healthy weight. Am I going about this the wrong way? Is there a way to be mindful of calories without obsessing over it?

Also, I know I have become accustomed to using food for comfort and distraction. It is a tough habit to break. I feel like I'm missing out if I don't get to have treats or eat "normal" food. Help!!

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  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,721 Member
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    YOU have to make it work. If you are serious about losing weight you will make sure you do what you need to, to lose the weight. I'm down to 138 from my high weight last year of 174. I could have stopped and given up after a couple weeks when I didn't see much progress but I kept going. Maybe I only drop a pound every few weeks, but patience definitely makes a difference.

    Swap out healthier items for the ones you usually eat. Don't abstain from treats, just limit them to a certain amount.

    You can do this, you have to have the determination. No one can really give it to you.


    TL; DR: Do or do not, there is no try ;)
  • kbam17
    kbam17 Posts: 14 Member
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    I'm no expert, but I might be able to help :)

    "[You] struggle to stick to calories..."

    Try finding things higher in fiber or protein to eat. Vegetables or lean meats will fill you up faster and for longer periods than equal amounts of calories in pasta or sweets, etc. You could also consider exercising as a way to 'earn' a few extra calories each day.

    "[You] find it very frustrating when [you] cook something at home and have to go calculate all the ingredients and figure out how many cals are in a serving..."

    Use the MyFitnessPal recipe section to make this easier; you just search for each ingredient individually and it will do all the calculations for you. Then all you have to decide is how much constitutes a 'seving' based on how many calories you want to allot to this meal. I find it a lot easier to do this calculation ahead of time (before I make the food) so I can get straight to the yummy part once it's done without feeling guilty or wondering if I'm overindulging. I realize this isn't a super-fast process either, but you'll find that you'll re-make several of these recipes over time and will therefore have all the tedious work done.

    "Does this get easier?"

    It really does. You'll develop favorite, go-to foods or meals that you know the values for.

    "[You] feel like I'm missing out if I don't get to have treats or eat "normal" food..."

    You should absolutely still be able to eat treats, even while losing weight. If you keep telling yourself that you 'can't' have this or that, you'll start obsessing over those things. Instead, really think about whether you want that treat. Give it a few minutes and if you still decide you'd like to eat it, just have less of it than you normally would. One serving of ice cream or chips or whatever you're craving usually isn't a calorie-buster. Most important, however, is that we all have bad days. Don't beat yourself up over it; just don't let the bad days outnumber the good ones.

    Good luck!!
  • strawberrylemonade92
    strawberrylemonade92 Posts: 9
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    Thank you so much for your post!

    That was so helpful and very inspiring. Between you and my mom I feel like it's just this initial beginning phase that is tough. After that it will improve. Like you said, how often do I cook new things? Usually I just keep choosing from the usual choices, and when I find something new, figure it out ahead of time. I'm also working on the treat part. I'm trying to learn to enjoy a serving of whatever it is, instead of pigging out. Thanks for responding!
  • mwall2
    mwall2 Posts: 28 Member
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    I am also 21 years young and still new to MFP.I live in a house hold where most everything is Fried and loaded with grease. I made the decision to give myself a healthier lifestyle and afteronly a week of counting calories and planning meals... ive already had results on the scale. As far as planning meals... I preplan! That way I don't spend countless hours trying to figure out calories. Ive been baking boneless / skinless chicken ... unseasoned. I either use it in a baby spinach salad with no dressing only fresh squeezed lemon juice or just plain. I also interchange veggies (steamed and unseasoned) with fresh fruit. Ill spend about one or two hours planning and packaging my meals that lasts me about 4 days! May body feels better already. Feel free to add me since we're in the same place in our lives it seems! Hope this helped you!
  • mikegales
    mikegales Posts: 32 Member
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    I tend to get only motivated the hard way. After whatever it is I'm doing roughs me up. Overeating finally made me large enough (300 lbs) to want to change. It is something of a chore but I am trying to embrace it. Like any other chore I am seeing results from the work. On the plus side by following the advice I have read here to the best of my current ability I am not as hungry even after eating less.
  • tyralicious
    tyralicious Posts: 12
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    If you love food, here's the plan for you! www.eatmore2weighless.com
  • Mock_Turtle
    Mock_Turtle Posts: 354 Member
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    EM2WL is for people who are killing themselves with unnecessarily large deficits and would be better served increasing their caloric intake.

    It`s not a 1 stop shop for ``i just want to eat a lot and lose weight``

    OP - there`s no simple way around it. If you want to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you consume. The looser you are with tracking your caloric intake, the harder it is for you to make accurate analysis after a few weeks, months of your progress.

    Maybe an easier way would be to have a handful of go-to meals where you eat them often but only have to calculate the details 1 time. Then just add them in on MFP as recipes or `my meals``

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