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Exercise? No Problem! Limit my food intake? HELP!!!!!

So I am trying to loose around 30lbs (although I am not really worried so much about the number as I am about losing the inches.) I don't mind exercising everyday if needed but I am a stuffer. I eat until I am uncomfortable! On top of that I eat out all the time (lazy college student who hates to do dishes). I am learning to slow down and not eat out as much and actually read the nutrition labels but it is still hard.

Is anyone in the same boat?

Add me if you want support and are willing to give it!:happy:

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Replies

  • Posts: 29 Member
    I am the same way. I don't actually count calories anymore. I just use the MFP diary for tracking purposes, finding patterns and for the community support. I cut out sugar and most grains and I find that no matter how much I eat, I still don't excede my calorie allotment very often. I can only eat so many apples in a day :0) It's the refined carbohydrates that make you want to keep eating. If you want to snack all day, it's ok. Just snack on whole foods and not chips, crackers or sweets.
  • Thanks that was really helpful. Yeah since I started using MFP I realize I eat a lot of high sugar foods. I am not sure exactly what to do to cut back on carbohydrates. Just cut back on junk food or is it more complex than that?
  • Posts: 402 Member
    I have not been eating good at all. I like to exercise too but I have let my food slip out of control. Convenience has trumped cooking and my weight is creeping up to a number I swore to never see again. I also have to make choices not to eat out if possible. Eating out is too hard for me to make good choices and makes me think it is a "treat" even if there is no occasion but the fact that I didn't want to cook and I eat beyond what I should. You get more food volume if you make it yourself for the same calories and the key is not to be stuffed but satisfied. Trying to drill that into my head as well!
  • Posts: 15 Member
    I work out a lot and love it and I can eat great all day long but come night time when I'm alone and bored, I just can't stop myself. :-( I have lost my willpower!
  • Posts: 37 Member
    Hello, I'm in a similar boat though actually I love cooking so eat in most of the time! It doesn't help though; I moved out from my parents' place FINALLY last year and the joys of having a kitchen I can use without anyone standing over my shoulder all the time still haven't left me!

    What I find quite helpful though is to plan ahead of a morning, often when I'm on the Tube, and put what I plan to eat into MFP. Then I know how and when to limit myself and how much exercise I need to do to even it out. It makes it easier to stick to a plan, rather than realise after the day is finished that I ate way more than I should have.

    Add me if you like!
  • Posts: 833 Member
    If you can stop eating out and learn to prepare a handful of healthy dishes, I expect you'll find you've barely got room for the calories you *need*.

    Seriously, my standard lunch plate is a heaping pile of nothing but lean meat, vegetables, and some sort of greens like spinach. It's a *lot* of food, and it comes in just under 400 calories. My old fast food lunches weren't nearly as filling and they trended closer to 1300 calories.
  • Posts: 80 Member
    I have a sweet tooth so I can relate to how you feel. I've got the working out thing down 5x week... but I love to cook, bake & eat! I am looking forward to warmer weather & getting outside even more (this keeps me busier & out of the kitchen). Please add me if you want to share success & inspiration. I would like to add some others here :)
  • Posts: 26,371 Member
    You got to eat well to lose weight, unfortunately. By 'eating well', I mean stay under a certain amount of calories. Exercising will help you eating more, but you got to maintain your deficit.
  • Thanks everyone! I am glad to see I am not alone. I find by the time I get home I am to tired to cook. I go to school in the morning/afternoon and work from 2-10. On top of all that I take public transit (positive more walking, negative less time). I need to start planning ahead or something because I find I just have everything delivered because I don't have time for much else. Anyone in a similar situation. Any advise.
  • Posts: 418 Member
    Some very healthy do ahead items are baked sweet potatoes, any type of dried bean, barley mixed with veggies or in soups to make them healthier, and always tuna with celery and egg whites. These are super healthy foods...apples and grapes mixed with vanilla Greek yogurt make a healthy snack too.
  • Posts: 20 Member
    Protein. Since I've raised my protein intake (trying to stay near 100g), my hunger and cravings have greatly subsided. I actually have difficulty some days making my calories for TDEE-20%. I like to start my day with eggs to get protein from the start and include at least one Greek yogurt per day. Nuts can be a good protein. Unfortunately, I'm allergic. They might be a take along snack option for you. Just watch the sodium that sometimes comes along with them.
  • Posts: 20 Member
    Thanks everyone! I am glad to see I am not alone. I find by the time I get home I am to tired to cook. I go to school in the morning/afternoon and work from 2-10. On top of all that I take public transit (positive more walking, negative less time). I need to start planning ahead or something because I find I just have everything delivered because I don't have time for much else. Anyone in a similar situation. Any advise.

    When I cook, I like to make double batches of things that I can freeze. Use half, put the rest in the freezer for a later date. (You can even freeze them in individual servings for portion control if you like.) Then you can just pop it out and stick it in the fridge a day or two in advance, or defrost in the microwave, and reheat. I also like things that I can just pop on a tray, season, and pop in the oven. This works well with fish or chicken breast which don't actually take that long to cook. I used to come home from work, pop it in the oven, then go change clothing and such. By the time I was done and threw together a quick salad with spring mix, grape tomatoes, and maybe a few cucumber rounds, the fish was done. Very little effort and it takes care of itself while you're taking care of yourself.
  • @Hoosier_Kat I didn't think of that. I was actually always worried about making to big of portions lol thanks for the advise
  • Posts: 586 Member
    Thanks everyone! I am glad to see I am not alone. I find by the time I get home I am to tired to cook. I go to school in the morning/afternoon and work from 2-10. On top of all that I take public transit (positive more walking, negative less time). I need to start planning ahead or something because I find I just have everything delivered because I don't have time for much else. Anyone in a similar situation. Any advise.

    Get a crockpot! Or plan out meals several days ahead of time & the night before make the dinner and put it in the fridge to heat up the next day. Also, I like to eat easy things sometimes (oatmeal with blueberries, half turkey and cheese on whole wheat)
  • Hi, this is actually my first time posting in the forum but I think I have a suggestion that could help you. I'm like you, I like to be full after I'm done eating, and since I've started using MFP it's really opened my eyes to exactly how many calories getting full can sometimes translate to. But my mom told me this: Drink water, not just between meals, but while you're eating too. Its a trick I haven't mastered yet but supposedly, drinking a glass of water right before you eat, or sipping between bites, will help you feel full faster, without having to eat as much food. Eating slower is supposed to help too, because it actually takes your stomach about 20 minutes or so to realize it's had enough (or so I've read).
  • Posts: 645 Member
    I eat like this too... Way past full, no matter what I'm eating. So, I've been looking into Geneen Roth, who advocates looking into the reasons why you're an emotional eater (I definitely am, and you may be too, if you're consistently eating too much), and learning to eat mindfully. I'm not sure what my calories have been doing since then, but I feel like I'm accomplishing something when I can finish a meal without feeling stuffed, or even *gasp*, have food left over. :) Today I attempted to track my calories, and I was a little over, but I feel ok about it. One day at a time, I guess. lol

    Edit: I just saw what you wrote re: ordering in because you're too tired to cook when you get home. Sometimes you just have to do that, so maybe when you order something, before you even start eating, just take half (or even more if it's huge) and put it in the fridge so you can eat it tomorrow. Then, as soon as you're done with the portion you decided on, brush your teeth - RIGHT AWAY.

    Anyway, good luck, and feel free to add me if you like. :)
  • Posts: 508 Member
    Snacks such as cut-up veggies (carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, etc) or fresh fruit (apples, oranges, bananas, strawberries, grapes, watermelon, raspberries, etc) are mostly low calorie and very easy to prepare in advance. They are good for taming "the munchies" without adding lots of fat and empty calories, even if you add a little low fat dip.
  • Hi, this is actually my first time posting in the forum but I think I have a suggestion that could help you. I'm like you, I like to be full after I'm done eating, and since I've started using MFP it's really opened my eyes to exactly how many calories getting full can sometimes translate to. But my mom told me this: Drink water, not just between meals, but while you're eating too. Its a trick I haven't mastered yet but supposedly, drinking a glass of water right before you eat, or sipping between bites, will help you feel full faster, without having to eat as much food. Eating slower is supposed to help too, because it actually takes your stomach about 20 minutes or so to realize it's had enough (or so I've read).

    Yeah I have been downing water but by the end of the day I am sooooooo hungry! lol I end up devouring the first thing I see. Let me know if you get the hang of it and whats the trick
  • Posts: 6 Member
    I was exactly like you. Ate to uncomfortable all the time. As Kevin James said in King of Queens ...I'd stop for my pre-dinner whopper. I've tried every diet but on Jan 21st I started Ideal Protein. 47lbs in 3 months (with one week on a cruise ship). Personally, it has saved my life. My mother-in-law complains I look too skinny now! I'd check it out. No working out and amazing results! I use MFP religiously too :-)
  • I eat like this too... Way past full, no matter what I'm eating. So, I've been looking into Geneen Roth, who advocates looking into the reasons why you're an emotional eater (I definitely am, and you may be too, if you're consistently eating too much), and learning to eat mindfully. I'm not sure what my calories have been doing since then, but I feel like I'm accomplishing something when I can finish a meal without feeling stuffed, or even *gasp*, have food left over. :) Today I attempted to track my calories, and I was a little over, but I feel ok about it. One day at a time, I guess. lol

    Edit: I just saw what you wrote re: ordering in because you're too tired to cook when you get home. Sometimes you just have to do that, so maybe when you order something, before you even start eating, just take half (or even more if it's huge) and put it in the fridge so you can eat it tomorrow. Then, as soon as you're done with the portion you decided on, brush your teeth - RIGHT AWAY.

    Anyway, good luck, and feel free to add me if you like. :)

    Yeah I am working on being a glutton (one of my many topics in therapy :embarassed: ). But I like the eat half idea I just have to gain the will power to stop lol
  • Posts: 645 Member

    Yeah I am working on being a glutton (one of my many topics in therapy :embarassed: ). But I like the eat half idea I just have to gain the will power to stop lol

    I know, right?! That's why it helps to split it before you get in the eating momentum, and put it in the fridge - I like hot food flaming hot, so if it's in the fridge already getting cold, I'm much less likely to go pick at it. If you're not worried about money, it would probably work better to throw it away, but I just can't do that yet.
  • Posts: 20 Member
    @Hoosier_Kat I didn't think of that. I was actually always worried about making to big of portions lol thanks for the advise

    A trick I've found is to freeze portions in a muffin tin. (I have a silicon one that works really well, but a regular metal one will work as well.) A standard sized muffin tin is a little under half a cup. If you heap it you have about 1/2 cup serving. If you fill just above half you have 1/4 cup serving. Two tins is approximately 1 cup. Just fill the tin and put it in the freezer overnight to freeze completely. Then you can pop out the food once it's frozen and put the individual servings in a Ziploc bag or other container and take out the appropriate amount as needed. I've found this works well for a lot of thing: soup, pork or chicken bbq, taco and enchilada filling, beans and rice, etc. You can even do this with mini lasagna. You can make them in the tin and bake them off. Once they are cool, pop the tin in the freezer like you normally would and once frozen pop in your baggie or storage container. Then all you have to do is pop your serving in the microwave to reheat. Just make a thing or two up when you have a day off, and little by little you'll build up a supply of quick meals in your freezer that are ready to go and pre-portioned when you get home after a long day. I've also found that the good home cooked food with real ingredients tends to be much more filling with fewer calories than the fast food or prepacked dinners. Not to mention they're cheaper and have far less sodium.

  • A trick I've found is to freeze portions in a muffin tin. (I have a silicon one that works really well, but a regular metal one will work as well.) A standard sized muffin tin is a little under half a cup. If you heap it you have about 1/2 cup serving. If you fill just above half you have 1/4 cup serving. Two tins is approximately 1 cup. Just fill the tin and put it in the freezer overnight to freeze completely. Then you can pop out the food once it's frozen and put the individual servings in a Ziploc bag or other container and take out the appropriate amount as needed. I've found this works well for a lot of thing: soup, pork or chicken bbq, taco and enchilada filling, beans and rice, etc. You can even do this with mini lasagna. You can make them in the tin and bake them off. Once they are cool, pop the tin in the freezer like you normally would and once frozen pop in your baggie or storage container. Then all you have to do is pop your serving in the microwave to reheat. Just make a thing or two up when you have a day off, and little by little you'll build up a supply of quick meals in your freezer that are ready to go and pre-portioned when you get home after a long day. I've also found that the good home cooked food with real ingredients tends to be much more filling with fewer calories than the fast food or prepacked dinners. Not to mention they're cheaper and have far less sodium.

    Wait I am confused are you cooking the food then saving it, or are you prepping it freezing it then cooking it?
  • Posts: 120 Member
    I've managed to stop stuffing entirely by convincing myself that my fork is NOT a shovel. Taking big bites was making me bloated and stuffed! I concentrated on eating slowly and now within a week I can stop when I feel full. :)
  • I'm in the exact same boat. TBH it usually gets worse during the school year when I'm more distracted/ trying to use food to distract myself from my studies.

    I've noticed that once I eat anything with *refined* sugars, I am much more likely to crave more things with refined sugars throughout the day. A little is usually fine but I know that if I avoid sweet things I will not crave them as much (not counting fruit, love fruit!).

    One thing that has helped me is taking really small bites (don't fill your mouth completely with food and chew completely before swallowing... gets easier over time) because they force you to SLOW DOWN the eating and you'll realize you're getting full on much less food.

    Best of luck! I am currently right there with you trying to re-boot my eating habits. :) Feel free to message me if you need support etc. because talking to people w/similar problems really does help me think through my own ;)
  • Posts: 20 Member

    Wait I am confused are you cooking the food then saving it, or are you prepping it freezing it then cooking it?

    Depends on what you're making and what you want to do. If you only have time to prep it and freeze it raw to cook later,you can do that (kind of like those ready to cook meals in the freezer section where you just dump the bag in the skillet and heat). Most of the time, I just do it when I'm cooking something I can make in a larger batch. Like If I'm making filling for chicken enchiladas, I'll make a really big batch. After I've finished cooking it, I put what I'm going to serve that meal in a dish and scoop the rest into the muffin tins and stick them in the freezer. Out of sight out of mind kind of thing. I do the same thing when I make soup. I make a huge pot, dish out a couple of bowls, then automatically freeze the rest. Makes it so I can have quick meals ready to nuke (kind of like a prepackaged food), and the leftover food isn't sitting out where I can see it and mindlessly grab it. I can be a mindless eater and just grab whatever I see when I'm hungry. My brain takes a minute to figure out the rest of what I made is in the freezer which gives me time to combat that mindless grab and remind myself that the food is for later and already cold. Then I can go about grabbing something like fruit or yogurt instead. It's a bit like forced mindfulness.
  • Posts: 29 Member
    I spend either Sat. or Sun. afternoon cooking for the week. I bake a bunch of chicken/fish, etc. and portion it out into tupperware. I add a large portion of vegetables to each one to make sure it fills me up. I put 1 snack serving of nuts into 5 little baggies and those are my afternoon snacks. I only bring the portions I set out for myself to work. In your case, school. This helps me a lot. If I don't bring extra food, I don't eat it. In between meals/snacks, if I feel hungry, I drink coffee or tea. Womens' bodies don't process flour/sugar very well so I cut out bread, pasta and anything that contains refined sugar or corn syrup. Oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa and sweet potatoes are still ok for carbs, but mostly, I stick to protein, vegetables and fruit. I hope this helps. Feel free to add me if you want.

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