Having a hard time eating all the calories.....

Your body needs fuel. Eating is not essentially cheating - it is fueling your biological machine. You're better off eating a bit of "bad" food and making your calorie requirements, than falling behind.
Maybe you need to jazz up your idea of "good" foods to make them more appetizing. Say, make your own pizza with flatbread, a few veg, a bit of meat, a sprinkle of cheese - heaps less fatty than a store pizza, and still good.

I know this sounds so stupid for someone on a diet but my allotment is 1300 a day and I don't really feel like eating that many calories. I don't really "like" the food that I should eat and I won't allow myself to eat the foods I really want. Most of the time when I'm hungry I settle for a cup of tea. I drink as many as 8-10 cups a day.

I know I could go and have a piece of pizza and it would be fine but for some reason I feel like I'm cheating if I eat something really good and I don't want to cheat.

Does this make any sense to anyone? lol I don't want to go into starvation mode but I'm just not super hungry for the "healthy" foods.

Well, just try to eat as healthy as possible. It's really calories in vs. calories out. Don't stop counting.

There are no bad foods, some are just more nutrient dense than others. Pizza can be an excellent addition to a healthy diet. Ditto, ice cream. What matters is maintaining a calorie deficit and meeting your macro/micro/fiber goals. I've had ice cream everyday for 51 days and quite often before that and it does not affect my weight loss in any way, except for making the whole process far more sustainable.

You should try to work on your relationship with food. There aren't bad foods. If pizza fits in your day, there's no problem with having it.

I know this sounds so stupid for someone on a diet but my allotment is 1300 a day and I don't really feel like eating that many calories. I don't really "like" the food that I should eat and I won't allow myself to eat the foods I really want. Most of the time when I'm hungry I settle for a cup of tea. I drink as many as 8-10 cups a day.

I know I could go and have a piece of pizza and it would be fine but for some reason I feel like I'm cheating if I eat something really good and I don't want to cheat.

Does this make any sense to anyone? lol I don't want to go into starvation mode but I'm just not super hungry for the "healthy" foods.

i mean this in the nicest possible way... you're on the road to failure.

don't undereat. don't deprive yourself of foods you enjoy. don't feel guilt or shame over your food choices.

these are all classic symptoms of somebody who will binge later.

weight loss is not hard. it's simple math. eat fewer calories than you burn and you'll lose weight. eat enough calories and the types of food that fill you up, make you happy, and meet your nutritional needs. take a multivitamin and/or supplements if necessary. if you don't have enough calories to eat what you want, add some exercise that day to allow for it. don't get too focused on the day to day numbers, look at the longer view and worry about weekly averages.

There are no bad foods, some are just more nutrient dense than others. Pizza can be an excellent addition to a healthy diet. Ditto, ice cream. What matters is maintaining a calorie deficit and meeting your macro/micro/fiber goals. I've had ice cream everyday for 51 days and quite often before that and it does not affect my weight loss in any way, except for making the whole process far more sustainable.

I'll add my own anecdotal advice to this lovely lady's, as well. I experienced some success trying to eat "the right foods" or "clean" or whatever other label you'd like to put on foods that are supposedly healthier than others, but I was pretty miserable and cranky the entire time. I didn't enjoy eating, and I was feeling pretty "meh" about the success I was having because I felt deprived of the foods I enjoyed. Worse, I eventually got to a point where I felt panicky about eating: 1) was the food I was eating really healthy? 2) were there healthier foods I could be eating? 3) seems like everywhere I looked, someone was getting down on this food or that food, and it seemed like nothing was really that healthy. 4) if nothing is healthy, what am I supposed to eat?!

Stop. This is a dangerous method of thinking. It eventually led me down a path of mild depression and small panic attacks whenever it was time to eat. I'm not saying you'll follow the same route I did, but from what I've gathered, it's not uncommon. You really can eat the foods you enjoy and lose weight. It's not even that difficult when you come to the realization that there are no bad foods.

I know this sounds so stupid for someone on a diet but my allotment is 1300 a day and I don't really feel like eating that many calories. I don't really "like" the food that I should eat and I won't allow myself to eat the foods I really want. Most of the time when I'm hungry I settle for a cup of tea. I drink as many as 8-10 cups a day.

I know I could go and have a piece of pizza and it would be fine but for some reason I feel like I'm cheating if I eat something really good and I don't want to cheat.

Does this make any sense to anyone? lol I don't want to go into starvation mode but I'm just not super hungry for the "healthy" foods.

So, what are you actually consuming, then, besides tea?

For that matter, what do you consider "bad" or "cheat" foods, besides pizza?

there are no bad foods.

wrong.

asparagus and black licorice are bad foods.

brussels sprouts are legitimately evil.

I know this sounds so stupid for someone on a diet but my allotment is 1300 a day and I don't really feel like eating that many calories. I don't really "like" the food that I should eat and I won't allow myself to eat the foods I really want. Most of the time when I'm hungry I settle for a cup of tea. I drink as many as 8-10 cups a day.

I know I could go and have a piece of pizza and it would be fine but for some reason I feel like I'm cheating if I eat something really good and I don't want to cheat.

Does this make any sense to anyone? lol I don't want to go into starvation mode but I'm just not super hungry for the "healthy" foods.

i mean this in the nicest possible way... you're on the road to failure.

don't undereat. don't deprive yourself of foods you enjoy. don't feel guilt or shame over your food choices.

these are all classic symptoms of somebody who will binge later.

weight loss is not hard. it's simple math. eat fewer calories than you burn and you'll lose weight. eat enough calories and the types of food that fill you up, make you happy, and meet your nutritional needs. take a multivitamin and/or supplements if necessary. if you don't have enough calories to eat what you want, add some exercise that day to allow for it. don't get too focused on the day to day numbers, look at the longer view and worry about weekly averages.

Excellent advice!

Why are you dieting if you can't eat that much?

wow thanks for all the replies and advise.

Oh.... I CAN eat a lot but I'm trying to change my lifestyle and eat normal portions.

I assure you I am eating my calorie allowance but what I was trying to say was that I'm finding it difficult bc the food that I have picked (that I think I "should" be eating) just aren't appetizing to me.

At first I was set up for 1lb loss a week and it was really difficult to "feel" like I was on a diet while eating 1500 calories. I then changed my goal to 1.5 lbs a week and that dropped me down to 1300 cal a week.

Breakfast and lunch are not really problems. I get home from work and I have anywhere from 600-800 calories to spend and that doesn't include any exercise (I ride a horse, competitively, for an hour a day). So if I expend 300 in that hour I'm up to 900-1100 calories that I can eat for dinner. I just don't know how to get that all in without eating a cheesesteak or something.

IDK but maybe it's eating healthy at breakfast or lunch that is taking away my appetite but to sit down a 7pm and eat 900 calories just doesn't feel right. Know what I mean?

I guess I'm so used to going on diets that really restrict and think that this should feel the same way.

I also have a problem knowing (and trusting what I read on the internet) how many calories are in certain foods so I avoid them just in case.

I'm a highly dedicated and meticulous person so not knowing is really hard for me. It's bad enough I can't get an accurate exercise reading for horseback riding that I don't really count it in my calculations. I have ordered a HRM that should be here today so that should work to help pinpoint cals spent.

Can someone tell me what macros/micros are? I have no idea.

Again, thanks for all the replies. I think it's starting to sink in what I need to do it just feels so wrong lol (ya know diets are supposed to suck right?) lol

macros = fats, protein, carbs. some people track sugars and fiber and other such things, but unless you NEED to track them, i wouldn't. i only track fats and protein. carbs are irrelevant and you can always figure out your carbs because those are what are left when you've accounted for your fats and protein.

micros = vitamins and minerals.

set your fat intake at 0.35g/lb of bodyweight. set your protein intake at 0.8-1.0g/lb of LBM. LBM is (1-BF%) x bodyweight.

your fat intake is a MINIMUM. try to meet it or exceed it. same with protein. that's all there is to it.

ignore the way MFP sets your macros as % of your calories. once you've met your fats and protein goals for the day, the rest of the calories can be whatever you want them to be. i generally look at 2-day and 3-day moving averages for my macros. that's how i know if i'm getting the right amounts. your body doesn't operate on a 24-hour clock, so you don't have to get too hung up on getting EXACTLY the correct amount of each macro every day. get close enough so that your averages look ok and you'll be ok.

yes! I totally agree, Coffee is my weakness. I could probably drink about 8 or 9 cups a day with out a real meal lol... But something that has helped me is Juicing. I found that after a few days of it, I was hungrier throughout the day. It has most of the nutritional value but without all the pulp that makes you full... you can buy a cheap juicer and see how you like it

Good luck,

April

There are no bad foods, some are just more nutrient dense than others. Pizza can be an excellent addition to a healthy diet. Ditto, ice cream. What matters is maintaining a calorie deficit and meeting your macro/micro/fiber goals. I've had ice cream everyday for 51 days and quite often before that and it does not affect my weight loss in any way, except for making the whole process far more sustainable.

This. I love pizza! I make it fit. =]

Thanks Shadow. I'm going to try to consume all that I can without feeling like I've cheated. I think I'll try to make that pizza tonight. Hope I count the calories correctly. lol

To count the calories correctly use the recipe function, this will really help.

wow thanks for all the replies and advise.

Oh.... I CAN eat a lot but I'm trying to change my lifestyle and eat normal portions.

I assure you I am eating my calorie allowance but what I was trying to say was that I'm finding it difficult bc the food that I have picked (that I think I "should" be eating) just aren't appetizing to me.

At first I was set up for 1lb loss a week and it was really difficult to "feel" like I was on a diet while eating 1500 calories. I then changed my goal to 1.5 lbs a week and that dropped me down to 1300 cal a week.

Breakfast and lunch are not really problems. I get home from work and I have anywhere from 600-800 calories to spend and that doesn't include any exercise (I ride a horse, competitively, for an hour a day). So if I expend 300 in that hour I'm up to 900-1100 calories that I can eat for dinner. I just don't know how to get that all in without eating a cheesesteak or something.

IDK but maybe it's eating healthy at breakfast or lunch that is taking away my appetite but to sit down a 7pm and eat 900 calories just doesn't feel right. Know what I mean?

I guess I'm so used to going on diets that really restrict and think that this should feel the same way.

I also have a problem knowing (and trusting what I read on the internet) how many calories are in certain foods so I avoid them just in case.

I'm a highly dedicated and meticulous person so not knowing is really hard for me. It's bad enough I can't get an accurate exercise reading for horseback riding that I don't really count it in my calculations. I have ordered a HRM that should be here today so that should work to help pinpoint cals spent.

Can someone tell me what macros/micros are? I have no idea.

Again, thanks for all the replies. I think it's starting to sink in what I need to do it just feels so wrong lol (ya know diets are supposed to suck right?) lol

You don't have to feel starved to be in a caloric deficit and lose weight in a healthy manner. And no, diets don't have to suck. In fact, if your diet sucks, you're doing it wrong and on the road to failure. Stop thinking about "being on a diet" and start thinking of your diet as a way of eating. How do you want to eat for the rest of your life? That's the key to not only losing weight, but keeping it off in the long run. If you "go on a diet," only to go off of it when you reach your goal, you'll eventually find yourself back at square one, needing to lose weight again.

"Macros" is short for macronutrient - protein, carbs, and fat. You need to make sure you get the right of each to properly nourish your body. This means about .5-1g of protein per pound of lean body mass (how much you weigh, minus the weight of the fat on your body), and fat and carbs split how you see best (just keep in mind that fat is not the enemy and is actually vital to getting proper nutrition; many nutrients can only be absorbed with the help of fat).

"Micros" is short for micronutrients - all the other vitamins and minerals you get from food. You need adequate amounts of these to keep everything working properly, too.

As for your calorie needs - again, what do you think is "healthy" and what you're "supposed to eat"? What are you eating for breakfast and lunch?

Wait, let me guess - egg whites and whole wheat toast for breakfast, and a giant salad, either without dressing, or with a low fat dressing for lunch. Right? If I'm at least close, then you're likely doing it wrong.

First of all, eat the whole egg. Especially when it comes to whole foods, it's really not going to hurt you. Yes, egg yolks have cholesterol, but guess what? That doesn't affect the cholesterol in your blood. Your body makes its own cholesterol, regardless of what you eat. Also, eggs are packed with nutrients, including choline and healthy fats. Add some veggies and make an omelette.

Salad is good, but it doesn't need to be the only thing. Slice up some steak, pork, chicken, fish, or other meat you enjoy and add it to the salad (and possibly make it smaller, if you're doing gigantic portions of salad). These add protein, fats, and calories. Use nutrient-dense lettuces, such as kale and spinach, instead of iceburg, and add other toppings, such as cheese or avocado (the full-fat ones, not the slim-cados; avocado fat is one of the healthiest fats out there), and finish with a high-quality oil and vinegar dressing or other one you enjoy. Alternative, make the salad smaller, and make it a side to other things, like a filet of fish.

If you're still finding yourself with 1000 calories or some absurd amount at dinner, then have the cheesesteak! Your body needs the calories, it will put that food to good use. Make it at home, with high quality ingredients, and it's not nearly as bad as you're afraid it will be.

If you're at a loss for meal ideas, check out whole-food-based lifestyle sites, such as vegetarian or paleo sites, and find recipes that look good to you and you want to try. You're not stuck with egg whites, chicken breast, and salad for this.

Also, eating a 1000 calories at one meal or at three doesn't make a difference, you're still eating 1000 calories. There are a number of people here who practice what's known as Intermittent Fasting (IF), and one of the ways of doing that is eating only within a 6 or 8 hour eating windows, and another variation is basically eating your day's worth of food at one meal. That means their meal sizes are huge - 1500, 1800, 2000+ calories. And guess what? They're still eating less than their body burns, so they're still losing weight.

That doesn't mean you have to do that, of course. It's just an illustration to show that losing weight does not mean eating 100-200 calorie meals all the time.

Now, not everyone can physically eat that much food at once (I know I can't!), and that's okay, too. If you really can't handle eating 1000 calories in one sitting (be it because of your own hangups, or because you can't physically eat that much), then spread it throughout the day. Eat more calorie dense foods at breakfast and lunch. Or, eat a fourth meal, or have snacks between meals that consist of things like almonds or other foods that help you get the calories you need. If you're still struggling, then consider smoothies or other liquid sources of calories, which will give you the calories, without filling you up as much - even something as simple as a protein shake made with milk after your workouts might be enough to boost your calories up to where it needs to be.