figured out where im going wrong..ohh the confusion!!

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flowersofhelady
flowersofhelady Posts: 35 Member
in Getting Started
Helloo, Iv just turned 30, mum to 4 children the youngest being 6 months.
Usually when i have a baby i put on 2-3 stone and it slowly falls off by itself by the time the baby is about 2. But this time i have ended up the heaviest i ever have been, 15st 8. This is really confusing as throughout my pregnancy i was the busyest and most active i have ever been when pregnant, and shortly after we moved house which involved lots and lots of heavy lifting and running around. I took a very long hard look at what i was eating and have realised my problem is i am sooo busy that i forget to eat, no breakfast because im getting 3 children ready for school and feeding a baby..then something i can just grab for lunch.a quick sandwich then at around 4 i suddenly get very grumpy starving and desperate to i reached for the biscuits!! :O or grab whatever i can find, stuff it down as quick as i can and carry on being busy.

So now i am making a conscious effort to eat properly. even if its just a banana i MUST HAVE BREAKFAST..im avoiding processed sugars as a means to boost my energy through the day and am limiting them to special treats. and making sure im eating proper meals.

my problems are..doing this has made me hungry alllll day!!!! instead of not feeling hungry and then suddenly being starving im just always hungry :( secondly the calorie goal is confusing the watsits out of me..i stick to my goal of 1500 which sometimes means i venture out into the kitchen in the evening to find something to make me up to my goal because im scared of "starvation mode"...but then i add the exercise i have done and it tells me i have 1200 calories left because its added what i burned with exercise (walking and gardening usually) and it tells me off for not eating enough. its very confusing.
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  • freemystery
    freemystery Posts: 184 Member
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    Ha your story sounds like mine. I was so sure I was eating well. Porridge for breakfast, something healthy and portion controlled for lunch and a sensible dinner.

    Didn't stop to think that while at work I'll snack like a fiend. If there are cookies on the table I'll grab a few. (Work is full of feeders!) Then maybe a chocolate or 5. After work sure, I'll join in with the team and have a few drinks. Some wine or beer.

    I'm the same, strange thing is once you start tracking and logging you suddenly feel like ARGH how was I so blind!? Just because these foods weren't part of a meal doesn't mean they don't count!
  • SpicesOfLife
    SpicesOfLife Posts: 290 Member
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    my problems are..doing this has made me hungry alllll day!!!! instead of not feeling hungry and then suddenly being starving im just always hungry :( secondly the calorie goal is confusing the watsits out of me..i stick to my goal of 1500 which sometimes means i venture out into the kitchen in the evening to find something to make me up to my goal because im scared of "starvation mode"...but then i add the exercise i have done and it tells me i have 1200 calories left because its added what i burned with exercise (walking and gardening usually) and it tells me off for not eating enough. its very confusing.

    well, if you have 1200 calories left after adding your exercise, that means you are not eating large/nutrient dense enough meals to keep up with your busy life and that is why youre hungry all day!

    if you know ahead of time what kind of things you are going to do, you could add the exercise in the morning already so you get a more accurate number of calories to spend over the day. you can always adjust exercise times later.
  • lisaabenjamin
    lisaabenjamin Posts: 665 Member
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    Don't be scared of "starvation mode" because IT DOESN'T EXIST! At least not in the definition that most often gets bandied about on MFP forums!

    Some people will try to tell you that the reason you're not losing weight or even gaining weight is because you're not eating enough calories. This is BS. Have you seen all those starving children in Africa? Or those super skinny anorexic girls? They're certainly not eating enough but you don't see them gaining weight!!

    The real definition of starvation mode is that your body will start to burn muscle because there is no carbohydrate or fat left to generate the energy that your body needs to function. THIS is what those starving children in Africa are suffering from, and it is obviously NOT GOOD!

    Eating 1200 cals a day, or whatever your MFP goal is set to will not cause you to enter starvation mode - that's something far more serious.
  • Rianne90
    Rianne90 Posts: 229 Member
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    I agree with adding in your exercise at the start of your day (or even the day before if you know what you're going to do). That way you get to plan bigger meals (and hopefully feel less hungry) with the extra calories you get from exercising, instead of 'having' to eat all those extra calories at night after you've entered the exercise.
  • flowersofhelady
    flowersofhelady Posts: 35 Member
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    but i thought burning calories through exercise was good!? lol. if i walk 4 miles a day for the school run and spend 2 hours gardening (which i do a lot because i grow our own veg and am digging a new huge beg patch) thats 1384 cal burned according to MFP added to my 1500 that im eating =2884 thats a lot.
  • flowersofhelady
    flowersofhelady Posts: 35 Member
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    your thinking makes good sense i had wondered the same thing.
  • lamps1303
    lamps1303 Posts: 432 Member
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    Don't be scared of "starvation mode" because IT DOESN'T EXIST! At least not in the definition that most often gets bandied about on MFP forums!

    Some people will try to tell you that the reason you're not losing weight or even gaining weight is because you're not eating enough calories. This is BS. Have you seen all those starving children in Africa? Or those super skinny anorexic girls? They're certainly not eating enough but you don't see them gaining weight!!

    The real definition of starvation mode is that your body will start to burn muscle because there is no carbohydrate or fat left to generate the energy that your body needs to function. THIS is what those starving children in Africa are suffering from, and it is obviously NOT GOOD!

    Eating 1200 cals a day, or whatever your MFP goal is set to will not cause you to enter starvation mode - that's something far more serious.

    This ^^ Check out the Minnesota study about starvation. If you are in calorie deficit you will lose weight. End of. If you want to ensure you lose only fat, not lean muscle, you lift weights.

    ETA: If you're feeling hungry, try to incorporate more protein and fat into your diet. If you are always on the go snack on nuts, avocado, peanut butter, chicken slices. Make sure your meals always include some form of protein. Remember that fat is not the devil. You need it.
  • flowersofhelady
    flowersofhelady Posts: 35 Member
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    lol..me..lifting weights phahaha..unless children, shopping and bags of comnpost count he he.
  • SpicesOfLife
    SpicesOfLife Posts: 290 Member
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    but i thought burning calories through exercise was good!? lol. if i walk 4 miles a day for the school run and spend 2 hours gardening (which i do a lot because i grow our own veg and am digging a new huge beg patch) thats 1384 cal burned according to MFP added to my 1500 that im eating =2884 thats a lot.

    you are right, 2884 calories are a lot but so is burning 1384. :) the calorie goal MFP gives you is net calories.

    total calories - burnt calories = net calories

    thats the amount your body needs to run, without added activity.
  • flowersofhelady
    flowersofhelady Posts: 35 Member
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    think i will eat a bit more then and not worry. better just make sure i eat the right things not half a packet of biscuits like i used to lol.
  • tahneesummers88
    tahneesummers88 Posts: 52 Member
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    I agree with adding in your exercise at the start of your day (or even the day before if you know what you're going to do). That way you get to plan bigger meals (and hopefully feel less hungry) with the extra calories you get from exercising, instead of 'having' to eat all those extra calories at night after you've entered the exercise.


    Agree :-D
  • SpicesOfLife
    SpicesOfLife Posts: 290 Member
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    think i will eat a bit more then and not worry. better just make sure i eat the right things not half a packet of biscuits like i used to lol.

    add nuts and seeds, avocados, good oils (olive for example) to your diet. you could incorporate things like whole grain bread, rice, cous-cous, amaranth, tofu, even potatoes into your diet as well. and eat larger portions. :)

    also peanut butter, cashey butter, etc.. dried fruit like apricots
  • flowersofhelady
    flowersofhelady Posts: 35 Member
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    Thank you that is extremely helpful. im trying to keep balanced, i dont want to exclude any of the food groups. will try to sort myself some snack out. i love avacardos.
  • SpicesOfLife
    SpicesOfLife Posts: 290 Member
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    Thank you that is extremely helpful. im trying to keep balanced, i dont want to exclude any of the food groups. will try to sort myself some snack out. i love avacardos.

    to give you an idea you could eat whole grain bread with avocado spread on it, topped off with tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, peppers, anything really. :) 2 of those amount to about 300 calories (depending on the bread ofc) and make a delicious and filling snack.
  • cbhubbybubble
    cbhubbybubble Posts: 465 Member
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    I'm pretty new here and haven't figured it all out, but I'm thinking the walking and gardening are not new activities for you, so I probably wouldn't log them. They're things you were doing before you started tracking, so not really new exercise. They should be accounted for when setting up your goals...i.e. you should be choosing the appropriate activity level when you set your goals that would reflect all those activities Someone with more experience with this will correct me if I'm wrong, I'm sure.

    As for feeling hungry, I find I'm far less 'hungry" a few weeks in than I ever was before I started MFP and eating more healthy. I choose a lot of filling foods like wild rice, sweet potatoes, whole grain bread, etc and add in a lot of healthy snacks instead of the crap I used to eat and I'm not hungry at all. I'm quite amazed. Take the food choice advice being offered to you for sure. Don't look at my diary for March 26-April 1, though as I was on vacation and eating properly was tough =)
  • SpicesOfLife
    SpicesOfLife Posts: 290 Member
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    I'm pretty new here and haven't figured it all out, but I'm thinking the walking and gardening are not new activities for you, so I probably wouldn't log them. They're things you were doing before you started tracking, so not really new exercise. They should be accounted for when setting up your goals...i.e. you should be choosing the appropriate activity level when you set your goals that would reflect all those activities Someone with more experience with this will correct me if I'm wrong, I'm sure.

    that actually makes a lot of sense, its a good way to look at it. :)
  • raven_ous
    raven_ous Posts: 223
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    Concerning exercise calories...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

    How to set up your calorie and macro goals effectively...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    A great general fuller guide to getting the most out of MFP...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    Concerning "starvation mode" explaining the facts vs myth etc...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1077746-starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-los
  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
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    lol..me..lifting weights phahaha..unless children, shopping and bags of comnpost count he he.

    Seriously, yes. Running up and down the garden a few times with a bag of compost on your shoulder=awesomely good for you :)
  • flowersofhelady
    flowersofhelady Posts: 35 Member
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    [/quote]

    Seriously, yes. Running up and down the garden a few times with a bag of compost on your shoulder=awesomely good for you :)
    [/quote]
  • flowersofhelady
    flowersofhelady Posts: 35 Member
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    great idea im so going to do that!!!

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