People who eat less than 2000 cals...in need of support

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  • writergeek313
    writergeek313 Posts: 390 Member
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    MFP put me at 1830 calories a day, based on how many times I usually exercise per week and my lifestyle. I aim for about 350 calories for breakfast, including some protein. That usually means an egg, egg whites, or even hardboiled egg whites (I don't like hardboiled yolks, so I toss those out and usually have a few whites). Throughout the day, I eat when I'm hungry. It sounds like common sense, but that was a challenge to me at first, because I was used to eating at set times and was guilty of eating out of boredom or eating emotionally. Now I've learned to recognize actual hunger and to eat something that will help to fill me up without throwing off my calorie count for the day.

    A few pieces of advice I have: be careful of portion sizes, of eating too much bread, and of drinking your calories. Also make sure you're eating complete, well-balanced meals. It looks like you don't eat enough at meal time, which could be part of the reason you snack so much.

    As others have said, going with your mom to do grocery shopping would be great. Healthy options aren't always expensive, and you can help to choose foods that will last a few weeks if your mom doesn't shop at the same places or for the same things every week. Whole wheat pastas and brown rice can give you complex carbs (better for you than the simple carbs from white pasta, white rice, etc.). Try to get whole wheat bread with as few fillers as possible and whole wheat tortillas rather than white ones. Beans can be a good way to add protein to a meal, and if you're willing to cook them yourself, they're really cheap. Even canned aren't bad, but watch the sodium in some brands. While some fruits and vegetables don't last as long as others, carrots and apples can last a few weeks. Canned fruit in juice (not syrup) might be a better option than no fruit at all. You can also stock up on frozen vegetables. Try to avoid a lot of peas, lima beans, and corn, since they're starchy, and getting plain ones rather than ones with sauce will help you keep calories down (and they're usually cheaper). Single-serve packets of oatmeal can have a lot of sugar, but buying rolled oats and cooking them yourself can give you better control of what goes into them.

    Making lifestyle changes can be really tough at first, but healthy habits become second nature over time. You just have to stick with it and not give up on yourself if you have a bad day or even a stretch of bad days.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
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    We don't always have fruit at home so sometimes there is not much I can do but eat high carb foods. Could it be because I am heavier so my body needs more calories to sustain my whole body and therefore I crave more food?

    Appetite is not necessarily a reliable indication of how many calories you need. Have you used MFP to calculate how many calories you should be eating per day to lose 1/2 pound to 2 pounds per week? Yes, if you're heavier, you will need more calories. You'll have to cut back as you lose weight, in order to keep losing. I'm short and small, and need about 1500 calories a day to maintain, not to lose. I do it by eating more protein and fewer carbs. My diary is open if you want to get an idea of what I mean. I eat back my exercise calories, because I'm not trying to lose.
  • Mslmesq
    Mslmesq Posts: 1,001 Member
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    Ask to go shopping with your mom. She'll probably enjoy the company. Then grab some healthier items and ask her if she minds if you throw them in the cart.
  • Zuzanna100
    Zuzanna100 Posts: 39 Member
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    Here's a different perspective but unless your super physically active that is A LOT of calories per day.
    1. Some people need an appetite curbed for medical reasons. Not me, but I know people who just can't stop eating as a medical condition. Medicines can also do this, especially steroids.

    2. Boredom. When I ate carbs I was always hungry, ate more than was intended and when I restricted calories I was hungry and very crabby and sometimes just plain emotional for no reason. IF you decide to cut/restrict carbs, it should be for a lifetime in order not to futilely lose weight only to gain it back. OR find a boredom replacement, some activity.

    3. Maybe you can look for more fiber in your foods, you may be consuming to many "light" calories. This doesn't work for me but may for you.

    I have an open plan if you want to see it, I've just started but I'm not hungry any more since restricting my carbs and even have a hard time getting my calories in! PLUS, I'm not crabby or emotional.

    I know I may get bashed for the above, but wanted to give you another option. YMMV.
  • annakow
    annakow Posts: 385 Member
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    I had a look at your diary..its shocking...I wouldn't eat single thing from your diary even if they were paying me for it.....I AM IN SHOCK
  • violetlattice
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    On one day you ate 10 tbsp of peanut butter...
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    I had a look at your diary..its shocking...I wouldn't eat single thing from your diary even if they were paying me for it.....I AM IN SHOCK

    You wouldn't eat peaches, plums, and salad if you were paid?
  • EatwellLivehappy
    EatwellLivehappy Posts: 34 Member
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    It's probably the content of what you are eating.
    For example, I could eat around 1,400 calories some days and feel completely full. But that is because I'm mostly eating vegetables, fruits and lean meats. I also don't consume any liquid calories, and don't usually consume breads or dairy. I'm a binge eater, and I LOVE devouring my favorite foods until I'm going to throw up (peanut butter, cereal, chocolate, yogurt, etc.) but when I eat clean there is no way I can over eat. Who can eat 400 calories of broccoli? I love broccoli but it's impossible. But 2,000 calories worth of peanut butter? Easy for me.

    You might want to change some of the foods in your house-that sounds hard but it really does help. What exactly are you eating? Mind if I look at your reports?

    When I was trying to lose weight and eating cereals, sandwiches, etc. it was REALLY hard. I was always hungry because those foods are calorically dense but don't fill you up as long as you need.
  • Amy910
    Amy910 Posts: 6 Member
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    I am on 1320 calories/day. I stocked up on low-cal foods to make sure I don't go crazy. I have also learned that 9 times out of 10 when I think I'm hungry, drinking a bottle of vitamin water makes the hunger pangs go away. Sometimes you THINK you're hungry when you aren't, but if you eat every time you think you're hungry, your body will think it needs all that food. Don you like Greek yogurt? I hated it at first, but Dannon Light&Fit Greek is SOOO good, they have many fruit-on-the-bottom varieties that are 80 calories each. It's packed with protein too so one cup of that keeps me full for a long time. I've also tried FullBars but they don't work for me. Plus I feel deprived when I'm on those =/
  • ktsimons
    ktsimons Posts: 294 Member
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    Well, I'm 5'8 and 179 pounds and LOVE to eat 1800 calories a day! However, my body doesn't lose weight.
    So I had to get serious and decide that its OK to be hungry sometimes. Mind over matter. My goal is 1450 a day, but I've been able to survive at 1300 a day. I'm hungry sometimes, but that's when I go for a walk or do something to get my mind off of food.

    Start small... tell yourself that for one whole week you will stay at 1800 calories. See what your weight does. Did you lose? Then stick to it. If you didn't then subtract 100 calories and stick to 1700 calories for the next week. See what your weight does.

    No 2 people are alike. You have to find what works for YOU!

    this totally!!!
  • Cindyinpg
    Cindyinpg Posts: 3,902 Member
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    The OP could very easily have a TDEE of 3000 with 'light exercise'. When I started I was at 300lbs at had a TDEE of 3500. I would've been very hangry eating 1200-1500, so there is no need to be immediately advising her to eat less, without additional information. As for WHAT she's eating, I think it just needs some tweaking, make some small steps in a healthy direction. She can hardly change her entire diet when she does not buy the groceries. Personally, I would eat any and all of what she's having, and I think her choices are mostly fine, just perhaps excessive, but I am not part of the clean eating crowd. I believe in the: if you like it, eat it, philosophy, providing you make it fit in your calorie and macro goals. You have to think about what you can do for life, not as a diet.
  • EatwellLivehappy
    EatwellLivehappy Posts: 34 Member
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    If you need help, feel free to message me. I'm not a nutritionist but I'm studying nutritional science AND have struggled with B.E.D. since I was in 3rd grade.

    I'm also young and a fellow peanut butter and jelly lover- I think we'd be a great support system for each other.
  • MissJanet55
    MissJanet55 Posts: 457 Member
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    Someone may have already suggested this, but fiber is a good thing to keep you feeling full. Are you tracking your fiber? Many nutritionists suggest eating much morer fiber than MFP suggests, ie 25 grams a day or more. I had a quick peek at your diary and don't see much in the way of vegetables, fruits and grains - these foods can really help you. They taste yummy, make you full, and keep you healthy.

    I don't have too much trouble keeping within my calories when I am cooking at home. I can control what goes in my meals and stick to foods that aren't too calorie dense, as well as getting lots of fiber. When I'm eating out a lot it is much more challenging.

    Good luck. It is totally possible, but it may mean reconsidering some of your food choices.
  • WhoDat5o4
    WhoDat5o4 Posts: 50 Member
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    Glancing over your diary it seems that it's not that you eat a lot of food, its that the food you eat is calorically dense. it would help you stay within your goals if you incorporated more vegetables in your diet. Instead of a PB&J sandwhich, make a smoothie with 1 Tbsp of natural peanut butter, half of a frozen banana, a big handful of baby spinach or kale, almond milk, splash of water and some ice. You'll get the peanut butter craving out of the way and also have the greens to provide nutrients and help you stay full. You won't taste the greens with the PB and banana. Also, try low calorie alternatives to pasta and rice and mashed potatoes such as spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, cauliflower mashed "potatoes" etc to help you with your veggie intake.
  • misti777
    misti777 Posts: 217 Member
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    I know I eat too much peanut butter. I know I need to cut back on how often I eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They are my comfort food, and eating out of stress is something I've been trying to work on for a few months now.
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
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    You can lose weight on lower calorie perhaps initially faster, but overtime it's more prone to plateaus and metabolic damage.
  • Bejede
    Bejede Posts: 191 Member
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    Bump!
  • gramarye
    gramarye Posts: 586 Member
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    I know I eat too much peanut butter. I know I need to cut back on how often I eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They are my comfort food, and eating out of stress is something I've been trying to work on for a few months now.

    This is really hard; I feel you. D: Unfortunately, the best thing for me was to stop and examine a stress craving before I eat. On my own, I'll start eating without even thinking, and then realize, "Hey, I've just been chowing on this bag of chips for ten minutes, what the hell?"

    So, I stop and ask myself why I want chips (or whatever salty food I'm craving -- it's almost always salty). I ask if it'll actually make me feel better, and if its worth the calories. A lot of times the answer is no. Sometimes the answer is yes and I carry right along. For me, that's okay. It may not work for everyone.

    It's not so much a trick as it is just an act of being conscious of what/why I'm eating.
  • Gwyn1969
    Gwyn1969 Posts: 181 Member
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    1. do the TDEE - 20% thing and make sure you set your MFP macros to include a bit more protein than they suggest on "custom."
    2. get a food scale
    3. weigh and measure everything.

    Even if you can't control what is in the kitchen, you can still stick to your calories and macros and lose weight. It does not have to be painful.

    Another option would be to take a week to log everything you are eating now, correctly. That means weigh and measure everything. Then, just subtract about 100 calories a day (subtract it from your fats and your carbs, not your protein requirement). Start there. It will be slower than TDEE - 20%, but you will lose weight and you will barely notice the different in food intake.

    The next thing I'd do after all this, is to make sure you are getting around 30g of fiber per day. Use a supplement like psyllium seed husk if you need to, but try to get as much of the fiber through your food choices as you possibly can.

    Good luck! This is all really simple - once you get strict about weighing and measuring so you know exactly what you are actually doing.
  • misti777
    misti777 Posts: 217 Member
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    I also had a peek at your diary. i think you may be entering things wrong - there is no way you could put 5 Tbsps of PB on a piece of bread. And 10 oz of chicken - that is a lot. Use measuring spoons and a scale, if you have one, for at least a few weeks to start seeing what portions look like. And you can make some simple changes, ask your mom if you can go shopping with her and pick out a few healthier items like a low calorie fruit spread instead of high sugar jelly. Try milk in your coffee instead of flavored, sweetened creamers. These simple things add up and you will notice your calories dropping.

    I usually don't use flavored creamer but If I get the chance I will snag a few of the little cups they have at my church where they sell coffee and stuff. Normally I do use milk or even powdered creamer.