Overeating Calories

santosha85
santosha85 Posts: 8
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I really need some motivation. I am having a really hard time sticking to my daily calorie limit of 1200. I find that by the time I have breakfast and lunch I only have 300 left for dinner. 300 for dinner is not alot. I have noticed alot of posts saying people have a hard time eating 1200 calories and are often below. PLEASE WHAT ARE YOU EATING! I usually have coffee with fat free cream and cereal with skim milk for breakfast. For lunch I have soup and a sandwich and usually some fruit and yogurt. I will usually have one type of granola bar for snack. By the time I eat my dinner calories I am usually over and have none left for a snack....then I wake up starving. I really want to stick with it but I just feel like I am hungry all the time.

Thanks for the motivation!

Replies

  • brwneyes71
    brwneyes71 Posts: 89 Member
    Are you exercising at all. if so that will give you some extra calories to work with. You can then eat your exercise calories. try to at least burn 500 calories a day to give you a little extra calories per day to work with so that way you will not be starving in the mornings. i hope this helps. good luck.
  • StarryEyedGirl
    StarryEyedGirl Posts: 585
    see what this site allows you http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm#

    do you have the goal of losing 2 pounds per week? maybe you would do better with 1.5 or 1 I still lost more then that with that setting.
  • squoozyq
    squoozyq Posts: 305
    Have soup and half a wrap or sandwich on low cal bread...or soup and a few crackers. Use your fruit and yogurt for your afternoon snack, and you will not likely get hungry again until supper time. I'm guessing your sandwich is the culprit, depending on what type. Also, try to eat a vegetable only soup....use lean turkey/tuna/chicken in your wrap/sandwich. No mayo or dressing, unless it's a low fat dressing.
    Hope this helps a little...and yes, the exercise will give you extra cals, but you have to be very careful with your choices.
    Oh, and a high fibre cereal like All Bran sprinkled on some cheerios will fill you up all morning!
  • BeautifulScarsWECHANGED
    BeautifulScarsWECHANGED Posts: 749 Member
    OMG right?! I read all the time on here how people have a hard time eating their 1200 calories a day and I'm like "WHAT??!". It's hard for me to stick to my 1510 per day sometimes! Including exercise! I'd like to know what people are eating. Anyway, I feel your pain, but adding exercise will give you more calories to use....or change it to losing 1 lb per week to make it much easier to stay on track. :happy:
  • ssmom
    ssmom Posts: 128 Member
    I have found lower calorie stuff and found ways to make things lower in cals. I usually have an egg white omlet for breakfast with veggies or low fat cheese and some turkey bacon. Maybe try a salad at lunch time--soup and salad or sandwich and salad. It's a little difficult at first but once you start reading labels and finding what works for you it gets easier. Exercise is a big help so you can earn back some calories. I have also tried new foods that I am liking or learning to like for example cottage cheese and hummus. Just stick with it and you'll start to discover new ways to eat foods and stay within your calorie range. Good luck!
  • natspoiledbrat
    natspoiledbrat Posts: 133
    The only suggestion I can make is to have a meal replacement shake for one of your meals. The one I drink every morning for breakfast has a total of 180 calories, and this helps me a lot.
  • vicidoesstuff
    vicidoesstuff Posts: 214 Member
    I try and burn about 300 calories a day with walking (even round the house, if it comes to that) so I have that safety net if I go over 1200 calories in food. When I was struggling to get to 1200 per day, my typical food day was like this:

    Breakfast - if cereal, 30g with soya milk or semi-skimmed. if not cereal, a banana and apple or two slices of toast (rare).

    Lunch (which can be swapped for dinner.. sometimes I swapped the meal sizes round. Lunch would be big then dinner small on one day, vice versa) - All of it steamed vegetables. That means brocolli, cabbage, peas, carrots. Such a lunch would fill a plate. I'd often not be able to finish it. For taste, I used pesto or lower calorie ketchup. Sometimes mayo, considering the epically low calorie count on the actual meal. OR sachet soup. Slim-a-soup is gorgeous and under 100 calories per sachet. It doesn't matter if you have a large or small bowl because all you're doing is adding water. Having a smaller bowl of it means its just less diluted so the taste is stronger.

    Dinner - either something similar to the above or: pasta bolognese; salad (lettuce, tomato, celery, something for taste like cheese or chicken in moderation); baked potato on a bed of lettuce or spinach with a filling like cheese, chicken, bolognese sauce, pesto, beans etc; steamed or cooked chicken with or without a seasoning (which would be: line an ovenproof dish with foil big enough to create a parcel for your chicken, wash the chicken breast or other piece and put it on the foil, season with paprika, herbs, puree/ketchup and a tbsp of gravy granules if you wish and anything else you want, add water to cover the chicken but not so it comes out of the foil, bring the foil up to imitate the shape of a pasty and seal it, put it in the oven for 20-30 minutes, eat with or without the sauce that comes out of seasoning); basic pasta with sauce or pesto; bigger bowl of cereal if I was feeling really lazy.

    With the exercise on top of that (especially if exercise includes a DVD or a very long walk), it's easy to undereat. That's obviously not the best option. Hopefully the example of when I used to struggle to get to 1200 might give you a few lighter options for dinner. The sachet soup idea could bring down the calories of your soup lunch.
  • calamityjayneuk
    calamityjayneuk Posts: 1 Member
    Hi

    I am wondering what quantities you are having for your breakfast and lunch? and what cereal? Because cereal and skimmed milk and soup with bread shouldn't come to 900 calories. Try a non sugary cereal and skimmed milk. Pasta, rice or eggs are good choices to fill you up, anything rich in protein will satisfy you for longer. Try not to eat the same thing every day, you'll get bored!

    hope that helps.

    Jayne :)
  • ldr0024
    ldr0024 Posts: 7 Member
    Hi, 1200 calories is easy if you eat the right things, be sure not to drink your calories. Here is a typical day:

    Breakfast (305 calories):
    Kashi Cereal: 190 calories
    Almond Milk: 60 calories
    Fruit (usually berries: 1/2 cup): 50 calories
    Black coffee: 5 calories

    Lunch (300 calories):
    2 cups of salad: 20 calories
    Various salad vegetables: 50 calories
    4 oz of chicken breast: 110 calories
    2 tbsp vinaigrette: 90 calories
    Iced Tea with lemon (no sugar)
    Or, you could eat a Lean Cuisine, I really like the Spa Series

    Snack (150 calories):
    10 Almonds
    1 Small Apple

    Dinner (450 calories):
    Grilled fish or chicken: 200 calories
    Brown rice (1/2 cup): 100 calories (Or another vegetable to cut 50 calories)
    Grilled vegetables: 50 calories
    Yogurt (for dessert, only 4 oz!): 100 calories

    TONS of water throughout the day! Best of luck!
  • dansdeb
    dansdeb Posts: 164
    of course you have to exercise, which will allow more calories. but you also have to look at what you are eating. Granola bars are not always the healthiest choice. If you are having soup and sandwich for lunch, try just 1/2 a sandwich. Just go back to your food diaries and see what is adding up quickly. I believe it is all about choices.....
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
    I will sometimes have problems eating 1200 cals after exercise (I usually burn off 900-1500+ cals) on my heavy exercise days, so I would recommend doing exercise to get some more cals to work with
  • claw0416
    claw0416 Posts: 95
    This is just what I have done...not to say this is the best way or the correct way..But I log everything in my food diary...Throughout the day I look at how I feel..How long it has taken me to get hungry in between the meals..I look at how many calories are going into my mouth each time.. By the end of the day I can assess what I did wrong for that day. Or what I need to tweak in my meal intake. Like Breakfast..i generally try to have a dannon light and fit yogurt..40z is 60cal..With that depending on how hungry I am, I will have egg whites(i use the liquid mix) about 3-4 tablespoonsdepending on what I make..it is 25 cal per serving..I then either eat that scrambled, fried(very light on spray) or an omlette with some type of veggie..On the scrambled..I don't use milk, just go plain with seasoning..I do sprinkle a little cheese on it some times..Most days go with out.I also have a slice of whole wheat bread with a thin layer of I can't believe its not butter Light. That keeps my satisfied till mid day..I will then either grab a quick carrot, or apple to balance out my sugar level and control my appetite..AT lunch I do a salad, or a lean cusine or healthy choice..Those are great, and usually have under 350 cals. Watch which ones you eat, some are high in sodium,,and some even though they taste great..they dont' work with your body..you may feel full for the moment, but in 30 your hungry again.. At dinner..I usually check into what Ihave had throughout the day..and then go from there on how many calories I can use, and still make sure I have a few left over jsut in case I get one of those late night cravings..But for me, it is observing the foods I eat to see what makes me feel full longer..If I had alot of calories in that one sitting..then fine..I know I will be full and satisfied much longer and when it comes time for my next meal, I most likely won't eat as much..And like someone else posted above, report all activiites...If you walked alot at work..or you worked out during the day..cleaned the house..mowed your grass..every little thing counts in eating your calories and burning them off..Once you start inputting that you can have an idea of how many more calories you have to play with too. This is my theory on it..It may not be the correct one, but it works for me..In less than a month and half Ihave been able to lose close to 20 pounds..I have alot to lose so it may be a little easier than others..But before I started doing this, I wasn't budging..I stayed the same..So good luck..:happy:
  • jaj06760
    jaj06760 Posts: 9 Member
    Granola can have way more calories than you would imagine! Also working out for twenty minutes can free up some calorie room. Lean protein and veggies keep you full and have lower calories.As far as breakfast goes cereal can have higher amounts of calories and it is seldom someone eats the serving size on the box. It can also leave you hungry again in about two or so hours. Switching it out for protien may help. Fruit is great for you but can leave you still hungry and can have higher calories. For example if you eat a six inch banana it is around 100 calories but if you eat a hard boiled egg it is only 70 calories and much more filling. Also sandwiches and soups can really mask calories.
    I typically eat either scrambed eggs or two pieces of 45 calorie Sara Lee toast with light peanut butter for breakfast.
    For lunch i like big salads because i can eat a lot for fewer calories and feel full and satisfied. Watch out for dressings though! Another lunch i eat is a baked potatoe with veggies and light sour cream.
    As far as snacks go i try not to eat only carbs for snacks because i'm not full for as long. I usually eat apple slice with peanut butter or celery with fat free cream cheese. Maybe some 2% milk cheese cubes or cheese slices and Triscuits.
    Dinners I try to eat a small serving of meat with a larger serving of vegetables. Like tonight i'm having grilled steak with broccoli, green beans, red peppers, and cauliflower. This meal will be right around 300 hundred calories and with the crazy amounts of vegetables you can have for very few calories I will be stuffed! Calories are not a life or death. Just eat to be full and energized.
    Hoped I helped a little!
  • sjd2010
    sjd2010 Posts: 106
    My husband and I have found that the more natural the food (not processed), the more it fills us up. We eat mostly fruits and vegetables, as well as a small portion of some type of meat and yogart. I have an extremely hard time making my 1200 calories and that is before my exercise. Good luck!
  • cbirdso
    cbirdso Posts: 465 Member
    I have my goal set to lose only 1/2 a pound a week because I am trying to form new eating habits and not just lose weight only to gain it back again. This way I have more calories to eat PLUS I eat my exercise calories.

    I am very happy with this choice because I have actually been losing from one to two pounds each week since I started. I have not plateaued.(..yet???) Oh, and I don't really have that much to lose. I am halfway to my goal.

    I saw another poster thank MFP and I want to do that too!
  • Mirlyn
    Mirlyn Posts: 256
    My meals vary heavily but the calories are usually similar. Yesterday I had pancakes (1 serving of 1/3 cup batter equaled 3 small/med cakes) with sugar free blueberry syrup for breakfast, a baby spinach and cheese sandwich on a bagel thin (grilled in a skillet) with green tea for lunch, chicken thigh chunks and apples in a garlic balsamic marinade with whole grain couscous and steamed broccoli for dinner, and for snacks a cucumber/vinegar salad, 1.5 cups of black seedless grapes, and a sugar free pudding cup for dessert all for under 1200. It's all about portion control and not loading up calories with condiments/dressings/sauces.

    If your calories are burning through with cereal/sandwiches try lowering the calorie of those meals by buying a lower calorie cereal (I look for the ones that give me a serving size of 1 cup or more if possible) and try sandwich thins or bagel thins instead of regular bread. Also in my cereals I use almond milk because it tastes better and has less calories than cow's milk.
  • velvetechos
    velvetechos Posts: 234
    Maybe try one of the 45cal breads for your sandwiches - they taste the same as regular bread at about 1/2 the damage :) I love Franz 45cal whole wheat. Filling, but not caloric dense food like carrots, grapes, cherries, etc help out a lot as well. Kashi cereal makes a good snack versus the granola bar as well - maybe try the berry crisp one since it's similar to a granola bar :)
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