Over calorie limit. What do I eat?

1. Meal timing doesn't matter. Stop worrying about the "late evening" food.
2. If you're binging on sugar and carbs, is it because you're restricting them too much?

As far as what you need to eat? Enough protein and fat to feel full. If you're not able to stay consistent, why are you trying to do something that's too un-stick-able in the first place? There's no magic food that makes you not want sweets.

Need to open your diary for one thing.....

Are you keeping some balance to what you eat?
Not totally cutting out carbs? or fat? or protein?

I feel I would say the same things about myself.

I can also get sweet cravings, I am fine during the day, but after my evening meal, for about 20 minutes I can crave something sweet.

I do not keep sweet things in the house as a rule. If I have had a lot of desserts or chocolate, I need to go 'cold turkey' on them. This is impossible to do if you have a 'goody drawer' or a regular supply of biscuits in the house.

For me I always feel better if I stop eating earlier rather than later in the evening.

What I have found helpful is to have friends with open diaries. I have seen what works for other people, and have experiemented for myself. I have learned a lot by looking at what other people do.

Try pre-logging your food for the day first thing in the morning - that way you can see if you're going to be over, and rearrange your plans.

I aim for three proper meals and two or three snacks - they need to be relatively healthy, but they are generally things like cereal bars, grapes, nuts/dried fruit (weigh it out into a small container). I also have a WW chocolate-covered biscuit with my last cup of tea, or else one square of Lindt dark chocolate - that is my "good girl" treat.

I make it a rule to only eat what I've taken into work, and then only eat all of it if I really want it - not because its there. So I do have a WW biscuit for "emergencies" which I've resisited since April!

Finally, if you "need" more calories then try upping your exercise - a Zumba class gives you 600 calories an hour, Aerobics about 400 (depending on intensity). I try to use my allocated calories for "good" stuff - meat, veg, fruit - and exercise calories for the less vital stuff (like wine). That way if I am naughty I've earned it by honest sweat!

One thing that I really like to eat when I want something sweet is frozen fruit. Some people like bananas or grapes but my thing is frozen sliced peaches. 1 cup of the 365 Whole Foods brand is 70 calories, but I only have a few slices.

Another snack which I love is air-popped popcorn.1 cup is 31 calories. Do you have an air popper? I get the corn kernals in bulk (again at WF) and then put them in my air popper. If i need a little flavoring, I might use a small drizzle of flavored olive oil and a pinch of sea salt or some other seasoning, like Chinese Five Spice or Cayenne.

I agree with the above post which says that if you're unable to stick with the calorie limit you set for yourself, perhaps you should up it a bit. If you consistently cannot meet it, it's going to make you feel bad about yourself, which I think will hurt your overall chances of being successful in your goal.

Could you perhaps incorporate more exercise instead? More walking? Parking farther away from the store, opting to take the stairs instead of the escalator, etc? Investing in either a heart rate monitor or pedometer has been SUPER helpful for me in terms of getting a realistic idea of how many calories I was burning in comparison to how many I was taking in.

Good luck!

I tend to crave sweets right after dinner. I think it's due to years of regular dessert...Not such a good habit. Now I drink a cup of mint tea sweetened with stevia after dinner if I really want sweets. It's similar to brushing your teeth right after a meal so that you have a mint flavor in your mouth which diminishes that sweet craving. The hot liquid also fills you up a bit and feels more comforting than just brushing your teeth.

What helped for me: plan, plan, plan. Plan your meals every morning and try to fill it up with foods that will keep you full. This means: protein, good carbs, healthy fats! I always start by planning my dinners (usually 100g of turkey breast and some veggies) and my breakfasts (always a protein smoothie with banana and berries - keeps me full for hours!) and then I plan the rest - lunch and whatever calories I have left I fill up with snacks. I really stick to that and over time I notice that my body gets used to the routine and I don't get hungry in between meals anymore.

Try making pots of low fat jelly with chopped fruit in them to fill you up and satisfy your sweet cravings.

Also the snack bags of sliced apple or carrots help me - something to munch on and low fat/calorie.

Drink plenty of water too.

Log everything that you eat and try and do a bit more exercise to work off the extra calories, I enjoy going for a walk and the more you up the pace the more calories MFP gives you

Good luck x

HMMM

---

you may need to rethink your goals. This is NOT a diet, this is a LIFESTYLE CHANGE. People fail at diets all the time and end up gaining more weight back. Make this your life goal and something you DO for life. If you look around, there are lots of things to use to break your cravings. Healthy choice makes a frozen yogurt that is 100 cals. Dannon makes an 80 cal greek yogurt and something I love for a night snack is Fiber One makes an 80 cals, chocolate cereal that I keep bagged and ready for a grab snack and they also make 90 cal bars that I use for breakfast when I don't eat my yogurt. Now if it is bread, at Walmart in the deli there is JOSEPHS FLAX AND OATBRAN Lavash bread. ( they are wraps). They make tortilla size and big sheets that are 50 cals a serving. I use those for everything and I even cut into bite size pieces spray with some EVOO and seasoning a little and toast them on both sides. These are great for chips or a low cal snack at the theater. Just look at your diary and see where your holes are and then decide when your worse snacking time is. But most of all--change your way of thinking--this is your Lifestyle change.

You basically need to try volumetrics. Since you are used to eating larger portions you need to start off by eating large portions of low calorie-high nutrient foods (veggies, fruit, whole grains) so you can fill up without adding pounds.

Try starting off your day with an apple and peanut/almond butter, cheese or almonds. A smoothie also works well to keep you full. Oatmeal packets have sugar but are portion controlled, quick and easy. Look for the high fiber variety to keep you full even longer. Also adding a piece of fruit, berries, or nut butter would help fill you up in the morning. I also like to use low carb tortillas, fat free refried beans and turkey bacon to pre make breakfast tacos to keep ready to go in the fridge.

For lunch or dinner try a large garden salad loaded with veggies, grilled salmon, chicken or shrimp. Don't skip the dressing because the fat in the oil will help your body absorb the nutrients in those veggies, just make sure to limit your portions by asking for dressing on the side. Also any lean protein with a side of veggies is always a great choice. I also like to have what I call snacks for dinner, I'll have some hummus and veggies, a few small slices of cheese, and olives. High protein greek yogurt is always a winner. Chobani and many other brands have dessert like flavors, my favorite is the chobani bite in the raspberry dark chocolate flavor.

I eat about 1500 calories a day and drink lots of water with chia seeds mixed in. The are great for keeping you full and hydrated. Please feel free to look at my diary.

your diary isnt open. but here are my suggestions. eat every three hours. eat proteins. when you eat protein it keeps you feeling full and should stop you from wanting to go crazy! i also agree you are probably restricting too much so you want to binge. i repeat.. eat every three hours. even if you aren't hungry. because your body thinks you are gonna starve it.. so if you keep feeding it your metabolism will be burning and your brain will stop with all the crazy mixed signals. good luck.

What do I eat? I am over my calorie iimit by 1058. That's based on a 1840 callorie goal. I think I need help cause I keep binging on sugar and carbs. The worst cravings are at late evening which I realize is the worst time to eat. keep getting on track then off track. I can't seem to stay consistent with my eating habits. Any advice? Please look at my food diary and make some suggestions. I really need to know what to eat and at what times. And also what I can do toinimize the sweet cravings.
Thank you
Amanda

What you are describing sounds like a carb addiction. Many people will claim there is no such thing, but there really is. The processed carbs turn quickly into sugar in your body, spiking your insulin levels, then you have the crash and need more sugar to stay on that sugar high. You have to find a way to break that cycle.

You can do it cold turkey, by simply cutting out all processed sugars, grains, and starches for a few days. You might have headaches and feel like crap for 2 days until it gets out of your system, but after 48 hrs, you should feel better and the cravings will mostly be gone. After a week, start adding back in 1-2 servings of fruit, and then slowly add in some whole grains if you like.
Some people prefer to wean off the sugar more slowly. If you can moderate yourself, this is the less painful way to do it,but it does take longer. Planning and logging is the key. If you normally have 400g of carbs per day, then try sticking to 300g for a week, then lower to 200g, etc.
Eating more protein and healthy fats WILL keep you fuller and feeling better.

If you don't mind artificial sweeteners, they can be great to get your sweet fix in without the actual sugar. Atkins makes some great bars that take care of my sweet tooth. The ones with the whole nuts in them are the best. Hazelnut, coconut almond crunch, peanut roll, caramel nut roll, are all really good.

I also use sugar free coffee syrups in my coffee, and a late night sugar craving can be fixed with a cup of decaf with a shot of pumpkin Pie spice and caramel Torani syrups. A tsp of light cool whip on top is only 5 cals.

But the first thing you MUST do, is get your mind in the game and commit fully to making a lifestyle change. You have to get past the mindset of restricting cals for a few days til you get hungry and tired of depriving yourself, saying screw it, then eating everything in the pantry.
We have ALL been there at some point in our life. It is a vicious cycle that will only lead to more weight gain.

When you commit to finding out what you can do consistently, and decide that whatever it takes, you will make it happen. THEN it will happen.

You can do this. There are too many people on here who have proven that it can be done. You just have to be consistent and patient.

I went to your diary and it only had one day filled in. Perhaps this was day one of your diet?

Here are my suggestions to help reduce your calories:

For breakfast you had banana bread and cranberry walnut bread. You could have just had the banana bread and added some yogurt or fruit.

Lunch, well three packets of oatmeal seems like a lot. I usually have one packet of regular unsweetened oatmeal but I add fresh fruit to it. The oatmeal was already sweetened so there was no need to add 4 tsp of brown sugar to it. You really need to cut out the mountain dew and swap it for water. Even if you had a crystal light single to the water would be better. So try one packet of oatmeal with blueberries or strawberries, mini carrots or cucumber, any veggies you enjoy. Some almonds or laughing cow cheese...think healthy.

Dinner....oh where do I start about your dinner. A Slurpee?? I assume you're trying to lose weight? DON'T DRINK YOUR CALORIES! Water water water! Kentucky fried chicken is so high in sodium. They offer the skinless bbq chicken now. But if you are going to choose to eat a piece with the skin then you need to compensate by giving up something else. Instead of the mac and cheese you could have had a side salad. And say no to the brownie. And one biscuit would have been enough.

Losing weight doesn't mean giving up everything you love, but it does mean finding a balance in life. You can't eat everything you love in one day. You may have to adjust breakfast and lunch to make room to have KFC. You're trying to develop a lifestyle that you can follow for the rest of your life, so start looking for healthy alternatives to the things you enjoy. Take the time to look at other peoples food diaries to give you some food ideas.

And as for the carb and sugar cravings, I found when I reduced the processed foods and kept my carbs to one or two servings a day and only had sugar in the form of fruit that after a week I wanted them less and less.

I hope this was helpful.