I am over-shooting calorie intake everyday

13

Replies

  • Not true. If calorie count was the only thing, you could eat 1200 calories worth Snickers bars a day and lose weight and stay healthy. Calories are IMPORTANT because you need them to stay active and rebuild, and if you eat a LOT more than you should you'll gain weight. However, WHAT the calories are is far more important. It's not black and white, but if you think about it, it's common sense.

    Incorrect. If you were in a calorie deficit by eating 1200 cals of Snickers bars, you would still lose weight.

    Calorie deficit is all thats needed to lose weight. Doesn't matter where those calories come from, a calorie is a calorie. May not be the healthiest solution but you'll still lose weight.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    It does not work,
    It is NOT the amount of calories you eat ... it is the quality.

    Haha. I wonder how I lost all my weight then, eating so much McDonald's and ice cream.

    You are wrong, period, end of story. Science proves it over and over. There is no evidence for your claims.
  • Not true. If calorie count was the only thing, you could eat 1200 calories worth Snickers bars a day and lose weight and stay healthy. Calories are IMPORTANT because you need them to stay active and rebuild, and if you eat a LOT more than you should you'll gain weight. However, WHAT the calories are is far more important. It's not black and white, but if you think about it, it's common sense.

    Incorrect. If you were in a calorie deficit by eating 1200 cals of Snickers bars, you would still lose weight.

    Calorie deficit is all thats needed to lose weight. Doesn't matter where those calories come from, a calorie is a calorie. May not be the healthiest solution but you'll still lose weight.

    Wrong. So so so so very wrong. A calorie is NOT a calorie. 300 calories of spinach does NOT equal 300 calories of a Big Mac. Where the hell do you learn this stuff????
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    Not true. If calorie count was the only thing, you could eat 1200 calories worth Snickers bars a day and lose weight and stay healthy. Calories are IMPORTANT because you need them to stay active and rebuild, and if you eat a LOT more than you should you'll gain weight. However, WHAT the calories are is far more important. It's not black and white, but if you think about it, it's common sense.

    Incorrect. If you were in a calorie deficit by eating 1200 cals of Snickers bars, you would still lose weight.

    Calorie deficit is all thats needed to lose weight. Doesn't matter where those calories come from, a calorie is a calorie. May not be the healthiest solution but you'll still lose weight.

    Wrong. So so so so very wrong. A calorie is NOT a calorie. 300 calories of spinach does NOT equal 300 calories of a Big Mac. Where the hell do you learn this stuff????
    I hardly think this thread is the place to bicker over whether or not calories in/out is all it takes to lose weight. The OP needs assistance with overeating and portion control which is obviously her CURRENT problem. Once she gets that straightened out, she can decide if she needs to tweak her macros or clean up her eating.

    Please take this little side argument somewhere else. It's not helping the person who has asked for help. It's only going to confuse her.
  • MakePeasNotWar
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
    I find that a salad and/ or broth based soup at the start of each meal helps a lot with lowering calories through portion control. I get partially filled up on veggies and water, so that by the time I get my entree i am not so hungry.

    Higher fibre also helps satiety, as does protein.
  • GoMizzou99
    GoMizzou99 Posts: 512 Member
    Simple answer - aim lower :-)

    A little more protein might help you feel full, longer.
  • rexroars
    rexroars Posts: 131 Member
    ..... everything in your diary looks so delicious haha I want to eat it all!

    I think the best thing to do is work on modifying your recipes to substitute lower-calorie ingredients. It will probably take several tries to get it tasting really good but it's definitely doable!
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,148 Member
    Not true. If calorie count was the only thing, you could eat 1200 calories worth Snickers bars a day and lose weight and stay healthy. Calories are IMPORTANT because you need them to stay active and rebuild, and if you eat a LOT more than you should you'll gain weight. However, WHAT the calories are is far more important. It's not black and white, but if you think about it, it's common sense.

    Incorrect. If you were in a calorie deficit by eating 1200 cals of Snickers bars, you would still lose weight.

    Calorie deficit is all thats needed to lose weight. Doesn't matter where those calories come from, a calorie is a calorie. May not be the healthiest solution but you'll still lose weight.

    Wrong. So so so so very wrong. A calorie is NOT a calorie. 300 calories of spinach does NOT equal 300 calories of a Big Mac. Where the hell do you learn this stuff????

    Dude, you need to learn the definition of "calorie" - it's the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius. That's why 300 cals of spinach = 300 cals of Snickers. Those 300 calories both do the same thing - raise the temperature of water, or in this case, provide energy for the human body.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member

    Wrong. So so so so very wrong. A calorie is NOT a calorie. 300 calories of spinach does NOT equal 300 calories of a Big Mac. Where the hell do you learn this stuff????

    OMG yes it does.

    300 calories = 300 calories.

    granted what 300 calories of spinach and 300 calories of big mac and 300 calories of butter look completely different.

    Much like people say a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat.

    no. A pound weighs a pound.
    DENSITY matters.

    quality of food matters because it HELPS you hit your calorie goal. Eating 1200 of snickers is what 5 snickers bars?

    You can't make it several days on that. It is not sustainable. That doesn't mean you won't lose weight- but it's not sustainable because it's lacking in other things. But you would absolutely lose weight.

    This is why the more specific you get with your lifting/body comp- the more important and specific your food stuff gets- every calorie must count- there is no room for higher calorie stuff when you are on a tight budget. Could you eat it? sure - but it makes doing what you need difficult.

    For 90% of the people trying to do this- subbing out one salad for a candy bar is not a crisis. For someone who is tracking every half gram of rice- because they have a show coming- that snickers bar makes a difference.

    But no- 300 calories is 300 frigging calories.

    Man why is science so hard for people?
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    Weigh everything and start logging accurately, stop guessing so much.

    Also, a quick glance looks like you're high on carbs and low on protein. Try incorporating more protein into your diet. It will help keep you from feeling so hungry, as well as help maintain lean body mass while on a caloric deficit.

    Yes ... you get carbs from vegetables also so you need to count them
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    Man why is science so hard for people?
    And why is "this is not the right thread for this discussion" so hard for others to understand?
  • ksuh999
    ksuh999 Posts: 543 Member
    Not true. If calorie count was the only thing, you could eat 1200 calories worth Snickers bars a day and lose weight and stay healthy. Calories are IMPORTANT because you need them to stay active and rebuild, and if you eat a LOT more than you should you'll gain weight. However, WHAT the calories are is far more important. It's not black and white, but if you think about it, it's common sense.

    Incorrect. If you were in a calorie deficit by eating 1200 cals of Snickers bars, you would still lose weight.

    Calorie deficit is all thats needed to lose weight. Doesn't matter where those calories come from, a calorie is a calorie. May not be the healthiest solution but you'll still lose weight.

    Wrong. So so so so very wrong. A calorie is NOT a calorie. 300 calories of spinach does NOT equal 300 calories of a Big Mac. Where the hell do you learn this stuff????
    In this universe, we obey the laws of thermodynamics!
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Man why is science so hard for people?
    And why is "this is not the right thread for this discussion" so hard for others to understand?

    At what point were you appointed Deputy Chief of the Thread Police?
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    Use the recipe tool on MFP. You can save all of your recipes for quick entry next time and it will calculate the calories more accurately. Just selecting whatever random option comes closest to what your eating isn't going to work, even if you are weighing all of your food.

    This is also very helpful and be honest about how many portions a recipe is. If you cook like me I start small and end up with a big pot full!!! I've measured recipes when they are done to be sure I am not consuming too large of a portion. If the calories look too high for a portion increase the portion amounts and freeze some if you have to.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Man why is science so hard for people?
    And why is "this is not the right thread for this discussion" so hard for others to understand?

    At what point were you appointed Deputy Chief of the Thread Police?

    1.) this is the internet- this is what happens.

    2.) understanding what calories actually MEAN- and how to utilize this tool to the best of your advantage is WILDLY important to someone who is struggling with going over their calorie content.

    it's incredibly pertinent to know that 300 calories of spinach = 300 calories of big mac and whatever else. HOW you use that information is also important.
  • leaner426
    leaner426 Posts: 89 Member
    I haven't had the chance to look at your food diary, but I can offer strategies for when others are eating. I can't eat gluten and it is all around, plus certain family members still try to push it in various forms. The best strategy is planning ahead. When you know you'll be around family and want to eat because they are decide on something you can eat that is consistent with your goals. You may be eating something different than they are but you will be eating. Find something that you can eat slowly and savor, like almonds and dried blueberries. If you eat one of each together and really taste what you're eating it will take you a while to go through them. Find things that are as satisfying to you - or that taste like junk food - but are better. One of my favorite recipes is to bake sliced sweet potatoes with sliced apples. You layer the two with just a tiny bit of sugar and butter in between (we're talking 1-2 pats of butter per 3 apples and 3 sweet potatoes) and lots of cinnamon. Its high in fiber and nutrients, will fill you up and it tastes like a dessert. Last, think about what is important to you and pay attention. Eat small portions of high calorie items, before you put it in your mouth ask yourself if it is out of hunger, or to be social. What is more important, losing the weight or participating with the crowd? Your mind is the greatest tool in this. Once you see why you're eating so much you can decide if that is more important than your goal. Focus on the conversations, not on the eating and controlling the eating gets easier. You can enjoy their company without eating, or with eating less or differently. Good luck.
  • soshiv
    soshiv Posts: 13 Member
    REPORT for today 1/16: I didn't fast whole day as I got negative publicity and discouragement but mostly because I was quite hungry. It felt really-really good that I could feel the hunger and not panic. I was able to really relish the food I finally ate (burrito). I am going to take this a day at a time. I am over-whelmed with the response and feel very *special* that so many people care and have responded. Some of you even wrote personal emails. Thanks a bunch!
    One person suggested that I may be having compulsive eating disorder which is very accurate. I do have OCD. I had gotten handle over that and had lost 30lbs in 2010 and was able to maintain it till OCt 2013 when a stressful episode made me gain 10lbs and I wasn't able to lose it. I thought joining MFP and putting food intake will miraculously "cure" me.

    All the input has helped me...it has encouraged me a lot.

    The fasting was the one I implemented right away as it was most drastic and I think it has worked for today ( I feel really good about it). I will google it more and do more research on it. I will work on portion control, protein intake and more intense workouts. Water drinking is also big challenge but I will work on it.

    One more thing I wanted to mention is I have very poor sleep pattern (allergies/sneeze attacks in night, middle age hormones). I stay away a lot at night. On a rare day I take valerian root to make my sleep better and it helps too. I have cut down on coffee almost completely in Jan 2013 but have relaxed it to sometimes (it has been exceptionally cold in Georgia this year) and do drink some watery sugar free tea all day (in lieu of water).
  • soshiv
    soshiv Posts: 13 Member
    On Calorie "controversy":

    WW does "allow" its members to eat their 28 points which ever way the members choose BUT none of their leaders would actuallysuggest or recommend eating macdonalds or 12 snickers etc. No one can sustain on that kinda diet in LONG run. One may surely lose weight (calorie-in---calorie-out). Our bodies will give up too. We may be too exhausted, hungry if we eat 12 snickers or m&m or potato chips and may end up eating real food ON TOP OF THAT.

    So lets be reasonable.

    ANother thing of note: WW has zero points on fruits and vegetables (which I liked a lot). That was the reason I wasn't adding my salad in the MFP (which I do now).

    Some of you commented that my food looked delicious. Well...one can definitely eat tons of indian junk food. e.g. Pani-puri, bhel, murukku, samosa, though a total delight on tongue, are completely JUNK (street) food.

    Lastly I have aunt who is doctor here in Georgia. One day I was telling her how my grandmom was obese (IMO) but only ate healthy indian home cooked food...desserts had ghee and jiggery but none of the modern desserts. She was tall and big. She lived to 90+ age. And had no diseases (BP/Sugar/heart). So my doctor aunt said "BUT it is important what kind of food she was fat on". I have her good genes but my heavy sodium diet has given me high BP. So it does matter what (quality) we put into our bodies
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Probably being overweight and sedentary that gave you high BP. Not sodium intake.
  • danimalkeys
    danimalkeys Posts: 982 Member
    Looking at your diary, it's all about portion control. Instead of 2 cups of brown rice, have 1. If you know you are near your target for the day, don't eat any more. Self control is going to be your biggest adversary until you get used to it. The 1st 50lbs I lost came off pretty fast, 7 months or so. I was hungry a lot but losing weight was more important to me than having that 11pm bowl of ice cream and half a bag of pretzels- that's what got me overweight to begin with. That's where the discipline comes into play. As you get closer to your goal, the weight loss slows down a lot, and it's even harder to keep up with because now you aren't seeing the results you did before. You just have to keep at it. My wife gets frustrated when she doesn't lose anything in a week, after counting and weighing and watching everything, yet she's down 30lbs in 3 months- so she's really doing great, and I have to keep reinforcing that to her. You can do this too!

    edit to add- you should most definitely be adding your fruit and salad calories in. A big salad with greens, cukes, tomato, onion can have 100-200 calories in it, it needs to be counted.
  • danimalkeys
    danimalkeys Posts: 982 Member
    Probably being overweight and sedentary that gave you high BP. Not sodium intake.

    then why does the doc tell you to cut out sodium when your BP is borderline? Yes, overweight and sedentary plays a part, but so does sodium, and the sodium intake she has, which is a LOT on many days, could be that one factor that put her over the edge.
  • Mojoman02
    Mojoman02 Posts: 146 Member
    I struggle with this too (especially on weekends and find myself going above 3k) and find that it's usually a result of my own lack of planning. Try to plan a full day of food ahead of time and see if it's easier to stay at goal. I'll try to take my own advice and put it into practice too.


    I agree 100%. Part of this struggle involves planning, and lots of it. You have to buy the right foods at the store, and make time to prepare meals and pack proper lunches. It takes some extra time in the beginning but once you are on a roll, things go much more quickly and smoothly. I love that we have MyFitnessPal to be able to log all of our info!
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Probably being overweight and sedentary that gave you high BP. Not sodium intake.

    then why does the doc tell you to cut out sodium when your BP is borderline? Yes, overweight and sedentary plays a part, but so does sodium, and the sodium intake she has, which is a LOT on many days, could be that one factor that put her over the edge.

    There are a lot of reasons. But the main reason is that high sodium intake can cause transient small increases in blood pressure. For someone with a normal BP, this is inconsequential. For people whose BP is higher than normal though, even these small increases can be damaging.

    As far as the evidence shows, sodium intake doesn't actually cause hypertension.. but you need to be careful with it once you have hypertension. Similar to sugar and diabetes. Sugar doesn't really cause diabetes, but if you have diabetes sugar can mess your system up.
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    On Calorie "controversy":

    WW does "allow" its members to eat their 28 points which ever way the members choose BUT none of their leaders would actuallysuggest or recommend eating macdonalds or 12 snickers etc. No one can sustain on that kinda diet in LONG run. One may surely lose weight (calorie-in---calorie-out). Our bodies will give up too. We may be too exhausted, hungry if we eat 12 snickers or m&m or potato chips and may end up eating real food ON TOP OF THAT.

    So lets be reasonable.

    ANother thing of note: WW has zero points on fruits and vegetables (which I liked a lot). That was the reason I wasn't adding my salad in the MFP (which I do now).

    Some of you commented that my food looked delicious. Well...one can definitely eat tons of indian junk food. e.g. Pani-puri, bhel, murukku, samosa, though a total delight on tongue, are completely JUNK (street) food.

    Lastly I have aunt who is doctor here in Georgia. One day I was telling her how my grandmom was obese (IMO) but only ate healthy indian home cooked food...desserts had ghee and jiggery but none of the modern desserts. She was tall and big. She lived to 90+ age. And had no diseases (BP/Sugar/heart). So my doctor aunt said "BUT it is important what kind of food she was fat on". I have her good genes but my heavy sodium diet has given me high BP. So it does matter what (quality) we put into our bodies

    WW works for some, didn't work for me. It is a great program if it works for you keep it up but I do find tracking calories works and it's educational - I have only been here a short time and I am learning a lot about portions and what foods are higher in calories than others, etc.

    I am also more accountable for my food when I log in every day. I think about what I am eating and even though it's a public forum it doesn't seem as "public" as it did going to weekly WW meetings and weighing in.

    Just a comment not attacking WW as I said it's a great program if it works - it's all about finding your own key to success. Good luck with your journey! :flowerforyou:
  • ksuh999
    ksuh999 Posts: 543 Member
    edit to add- you should most definitely be adding your fruit and salad calories in. A big salad with greens, cukes, tomato, onion can have 100-200 calories in it, it needs to be counted.
    How the deuce are you eating 200 calories in those vegetables????

    30 cals of lettuce = 200 grams. That's HALF A POUND OF LETTUCE!

    36 cals of tomato = 200 grams.

    32 cals of cucumber = 200 grams.

    40 cals of onion = 100 grams. That's like ONE WHOLE ONION!

    That's a 1.5lb salad! And it's 138 cals!
  • soshiv
    soshiv Posts: 13 Member
    edit to add- you should most definitely be adding your fruit and salad calories in. A big salad with greens, cukes, tomato, onion can have 100-200 calories in it, it needs to be counted.
    How the deuce are you eating 200 calories in those vegetables????

    30 cals of lettuce = 200 grams. That's HALF A POUND OF LETTUCE!

    36 cals of tomato = 200 grams.

    32 cals of cucumber = 200 grams.

    40 cals of onion = 100 grams. That's like ONE WHOLE ONION!

    That's a 1.5lb salad! And it's 138 cals!

    OK...I need to stop selecting from MFP's database. I need to create my own DB....I didn't eat so much lettuce/tom/cuke/....I promise...
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    edit to add- you should most definitely be adding your fruit and salad calories in. A big salad with greens, cukes, tomato, onion can have 100-200 calories in it, it needs to be counted.
    How the deuce are you eating 200 calories in those vegetables????

    30 cals of lettuce = 200 grams. That's HALF A POUND OF LETTUCE!

    36 cals of tomato = 200 grams.

    32 cals of cucumber = 200 grams.

    40 cals of onion = 100 grams. That's like ONE WHOLE ONION!

    That's a 1.5lb salad! And it's 138 cals!

    OK...I need to stop selecting from MFP's database. I need to create my own DB....I didn't eat so much lettuce/tom/cuke/....I promise...

    I east salad every day just about..

    just look up cucumbers raw (if that doesn't work try cucumber raw, you want the entry without the * next to it)

    You can create a meal. If you always have the same salad, you can make it a meal, then just click on that every time you have salad. I've never used the meal thing though, so I'm not too sure how it work. I just weigh everything and log individually. I eat the same things all the time so it's all under my list. I just have to find it the first time.

    yea.. my salad is 200 calories.. but i add a can of tuna to it. It really depends what is in your salad as to how many calories it is. I've had some pretty high calories salads, but your basic garden salad should barely break 100 calories... I like to put almonds and cranberries and cheese and avocado in mine though. lol.. so when I do that really gets the calories up. Of course that's usually a salad meant to be a meal.
  • danimalkeys
    danimalkeys Posts: 982 Member
    edit to add- you should most definitely be adding your fruit and salad calories in. A big salad with greens, cukes, tomato, onion can have 100-200 calories in it, it needs to be counted.
    How the deuce are you eating 200 calories in those vegetables????

    30 cals of lettuce = 200 grams. That's HALF A POUND OF LETTUCE!

    36 cals of tomato = 200 grams.

    32 cals of cucumber = 200 grams.

    40 cals of onion = 100 grams. That's like ONE WHOLE ONION!

    That's a 1.5lb salad! And it's 138 cals!

    My mistake. My salad yesterday was 515 cals, but I had 180cals of chicken, 160cals of blue cheese dressing, and 84cals of avocado, so it was only 91 cals of just the salad itself. I did say 100-200- 91 is close to 100! :)

    Still- if that 91 calories isn't counted and you eat that 5 days a week, that's 450 extra calories, which could make a difference.
  • soshiv
    soshiv Posts: 13 Member
    One of my favorite recipes is to bake sliced sweet potatoes with sliced apples. You layer the two with just a tiny bit of sugar and butter in between (we're talking 1-2 pats of butter per 3 apples and 3 sweet potatoes) and lots of cinnamon. Its high in fiber and nutrients, will fill you up and it tastes like a dessert.

    Thanks! I am going to try this today.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    edit to add- you should most definitely be adding your fruit and salad calories in. A big salad with greens, cukes, tomato, onion can have 100-200 calories in it, it needs to be counted.
    How the deuce are you eating 200 calories in those vegetables????

    30 cals of lettuce = 200 grams. That's HALF A POUND OF LETTUCE!

    36 cals of tomato = 200 grams.

    32 cals of cucumber = 200 grams.

    40 cals of onion = 100 grams. That's like ONE WHOLE ONION!

    That's a 1.5lb salad! And it's 138 cals!

    My mistake. My salad yesterday was 515 cals, but I had 180cals of chicken, 160cals of blue cheese dressing, and 84cals of avocado, so it was only 91 cals of just the salad itself. I did say 100-200- 91 is close to 100! :)

    Still- if that 91 calories isn't counted and you eat that 5 days a week, that's 450 extra calories, which could make a difference.

    I think more importantly, your entire salad meal was 515 calories. Most people at least use a dressing for salad! Well, the ones I've seen anyway. I had heard honey mustard had very few calories so I would use huge spoonfuls of it on salads. Come to find out all dressings are not created equal.