So, I must be logging or doing something wrong.
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That's interesting Quasita. And a little shocking.0
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You answered all of your questions with your own post.
1. "I haven't even eaten any meals yet"
Exactly. You have poured empty meaningless food into your body. Do you want to lose weight or do you want to drink sweet tea all day. Others will pat you on the back and they are harming you. The answer is you can't drink sweet tea all day. Sorry.
2. "some days I am way under my calorie goals and drink diet shakes only. I know that sounds stupid."
Again, you already answered your own question. Drinking diet shakes all day is stupid. And I'm not being harsh. You said it yourself. Diet shakes aren't food. You're body needs food.
Unconsciously you are on here asking for permission to do things you already know are counter-intuitive. But you are hoping someone will give you a pass or a trick to beat the system. But there isn't one.
As a lifelong denier and excuse maker I can tell you that you aren't ready to lose weight. You are still in the "I have a dream" phase. When you are ready to lose weight you will stop drinking sweet tea. To that end I will now give you some advice that won't make you as mad as I'm sure my previous advice has.
Drop your sugar in the tea by half immediately and drink it that way for a week. Half it again for a week. Half it again for a week. Then stop putting it in there altogether. Unsweetened tea is actually good. I used to drink tea so sweet it was like syrup. Now I drink it unsweetened when I drink it. And I enjoy it. I will say I much prefer water though.
You CAN do this. But you must want to do it first. Wishing will get you nowhere.0 -
Maybe you should make your own tea and squeeze fresh lemon in it. That has no calories at all! The lemon is good for weight loss as well. And as far as sugar goes, I switched to natural Stevia which has no calories as well. This will save a ton of calories throughout the day. If you don't like Stevia, maybe try a little honey. Good luck!
I went to their site and contacted them to see if they can send me a sample. We shall see, but the pricing on their site looks outrageous. Where do you get yours from?0 -
As others have said, if you have 83 pounds to lose you can do it eating more than 1200 calories, even though you are sedentary. 1,200 is usually too unsustainable for a person who has little weight to lose, therefore it is really too unsustainable for someone in a bigger body.
As for filling up your calories too quickly, moderation is the key. These are examples I pulled out of a hat, which have nothing to do with your diary: Instead of having loads of sugar and cream in your coffee, you cut it down. Instead of having two cookies after dinner, you have one. Instead of having a huge portion of whatever it is you like just have less.
You don't need to cut any of the foods out you like, you just need to eat less of it. Variety is always good so you meet your macros, which are not a key to weight loss but they sure are to energy levels and how you function throughout the day. Also, you will feel less hunger if you eat more protein and fat.
Don't be too hard on yourself. We all sometimes don't make the best food choices.
It really would help if you opened your diary up.0 -
You answered all of your questions with your own post.
1. "I haven't even eaten any meals yet"
Exactly. You have poured empty meaningless food into your body. Do you want to lose weight or do you want to drink sweet tea all day. Others will pat you on the back and they are harming you. The answer is you can't drink sweet tea all day. Sorry.
2. "some days I am way under my calorie goals and drink diet shakes only. I know that sounds stupid."
Again, you already answered your own question. Drinking diet shakes all day is stupid. And I'm not being harsh. You said it yourself. Diet shakes aren't food. You're body needs food.
Unconsciously you are on here asking for permission to do things you already know are counter-intuitive. But you are hoping someone will give you a pass or a trick to beat the system. But there isn't one.
As a lifelong denier and excuse maker I can tell you that you aren't ready to lose weight. You are still in the "I have a dream" phase. When you are ready to lose weight you will stop drinking sweet tea. To that end I will now give you some advice that won't make you as mad as I'm sure my previous advice has.
Drop your sugar in the tea by half immediately and drink it that way for a week. Half it again for a week. Half it again for a week. Then stop putting it in there altogether. Unsweetened tea is actually good. I used to drink tea so sweet it was like syrup. Now I drink it unsweetened when I drink it. And I enjoy it. I will say I much prefer water though.
You CAN do this. But you must want to do it first. Wishing will get you nowhere.
Thanks, but I am not asking for permission to do anything. I am new to dieting, really have no idea how to do it, I am finding things out daily like iced tea is really not that great for me. I am working on changing things, and really am asking for suggestions. I do want to do it. I wasn't asking for a trick to beat the system, just wondering if i was doing something wrong. Thanks though, I will definitely stop whining and just get on with it.0 -
When I first started, I found that the goals MFP sets for me were WAY TOO LOW! I couldn't survive on 1200 (and in fact, still can't).
What I did was use the "Custom" setting, set my calories at 2000, and then track how much food I was currently eating. So, instead of starting off by restricting, I started off by figuring out the number of calories I was already consuming on a daily basis. Obviously, these calories are too high for me to lose weight, so I would need to cut back eventually, but knowing where I was at to begin with was a great start.
For me, I found that naturally I was eating somewhere between 1600-2000 calories each day. This was not helping me lose weight, but I had been maintaining on it for a long time. So, I started cutting down slowly. My first goal was to eat less than 1800 each day. This stopped my higher calorie days. Then I cut down to 1500, 1600, etc. until I got to the number of calories I wanted to eat each day.
This allows you to slowly adjust your habits, which results in better more longer lasting results and prevents you from just feeling like you CAN'T do it.
When I looked at your calories, I did notice a few things, though. Like other people said, you should make healthier choices. Eating cheese and chex mix isn't that great. They have lots of fat and chex mix is high in calories. You may find that if you switch out chex mix with a yogurt and switch out your cheese (4 slices of cheese is like 400 calories!) with something like a lean protein (fish or chicken), you'll be full longer and your calories will even out.
Another suggestion is to change how you're logging. You said you work night shift, why not start you calorie counting when you wake up to start your day (even if that's afternoon) and end it when you sleep? This prevents you from starting at midnight and already feeling like you've failed for the day when you've just woken up to start it!
How do you know what to set your goals at, like how do you know that your set goal is a deficit to what you were eating? I have no idea, trusted the site to set my goals. Or do you just start somewhere? I have no idea calorie wise what I ate before, just that I generally only ate 1 meal and drank the same drinks minus the diet shakes (which by the way, i drink for protein really and to fill tummy when it;s grumbling and not food time yet).0 -
I love iced tea too - have it everyday - luckily here in Australia lipton has a range of light teas which are only about 4 cal for a whole 500ml bottle - I couldn't live without them. The other thing I have started doing which may help you if light teas aren't available is making fruit tea (my current flavor obsession is cherry and cinnamon, but there are hundred of flavours out there) and chilling it (although I find having it warm is more filling) - most fruit teas have less than 5 calories and are sweet enough without sugar or sweetner...0
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That's interesting Quasita. And a little shocking.
I was extremely shocked to see how much american cheese was when i first added it to my salad last week. Won't be eating it any more, thank you very much.0 -
I just skimmed the post beyond the OP, so please forgive me if I'm repeating what others have already stated. I'm also a fellow hypothyroidism sufferer, I have a small idea what it's like.
1) Measure how much sugar you're using in your tea and coffee. Don't "eyeball" it, use an actual measuring spoon. Once you've done that, I'd suggest cutting down on the sugar, switching to unsweetened tea or swapping to artificial sweeteners if you cannot have your drink without some sweetness.
2) Cut back on the processed food. Try to trade some of it out for fresher food, such as fruits and veggies. You don't have to give it up in entirety, but you will need to cut down on it if you want to stay within your calorie goal for the day.
3) Measure your portions with actual measuring cups or a kitchen scale. I scoffed at that at first, but I tried it and it opened my eyes and helped me see some of my trouble spots.
4) Plan ahead! This helps a great deal. It's hard to get off track if you're already mapped what you're going to have that day. If you brown bag it for lunch, you can make something that doesn't have as many processed foods in it ahead of time, helping you keep in your calorie goal for the day.
Hope this was at least a little helpful!
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Maybe you should make your own tea and squeeze fresh lemon in it. That has no calories at all! The lemon is good for weight loss as well. And as far as sugar goes, I switched to natural Stevia which has no calories as well. This will save a ton of calories throughout the day. If you don't like Stevia, maybe try a little honey. Good luck!
I went to their site and contacted them to see if they can send me a sample. We shall see, but the pricing on their site looks outrageous. Where do you get yours from?
Keep in mind that a little Stevia goes a LONG way. It is much sweeter than standard sugar, so what looks like equal volume will likely get you at least 2x the use.
You can get some samples from Stevita by writing them via the contact form, requesting it and including your address...
http://www.stevitastevia.com/contact-us
You can request a Truvia sample here:
http://truvia.com/products/freesample
The stevia boom has been going for several years, and many companies produce it now, but the above was the first company to put it out there. Try looking at various websites for contact and sample options. Your local grocer should have some brand of it in the sugar and baking aisle.0 -
But, that's the thing. You don't have to cut anything out, you just need to eat less of it. And up those calories too because when you're bigger you can eat more.That's interesting Quasita. And a little shocking.
I was extremely shocked to see how much american cheese was when i first added it to my salad last week. Won't be eating it any more, thank you very much.0 -
Maybe you should make your own tea and squeeze fresh lemon in it. That has no calories at all! The lemon is good for weight loss as well. And as far as sugar goes, I switched to natural Stevia which has no calories as well. This will save a ton of calories throughout the day. If you don't like Stevia, maybe try a little honey. Good luck!
I went to their site and contacted them to see if they can send me a sample. We shall see, but the pricing on their site looks outrageous. Where do you get yours from?
Keep in mind that a little Stevia goes a LONG way. It is much sweeter than standard sugar, so what looks like equal volume will likely get you at least 2x the use.
You can get some samples from Stevita by writing them via the contact form, requesting it and including your address...
http://www.stevitastevia.com/contact-us
You can request a Truvia sample here:
http://truvia.com/products/freesample
The stevia boom has been going for several years, and many companies produce it now, but the above was the first company to put it out there. Try looking at various websites for contact and sample options. Your local grocer should have some brand of it in the sugar and baking aisle.
Thanks, I did request both. I like the Stevia option best, honestly, a squirt or so, if it is as sweet as it says it is, so maybe that is the answer.0 -
But, that's the thing. You don't have to cut anything out, you just need to eat less of it. And up those calories too because when you're bigger you can eat more.That's interesting Quasita. And a little shocking.
I was extremely shocked to see how much american cheese was when i first added it to my salad last week. Won't be eating it any more, thank you very much.
I don't know, for instance I put 3 slices in my salad, I don't consider that a lot of it, slices are 1 ounce each, I think, so how much less can u put, 1 slice, I guess. I folded the 3 slices up so i could cut it into little chunks.0 -
I just skimmed the post beyond the OP, so please forgive me if I'm repeating what others have already stated. I'm also a fellow hypothyroidism sufferer, I have a small idea what it's like.
1) Measure how much sugar you're using in your tea and coffee. Don't "eyeball" it, use an actual measuring spoon. Once you've done that, I'd suggest cutting down on the sugar, switching to unsweetened tea or swapping to artificial sweeteners if you cannot have your drink without some sweetness.
2) Cut back on the processed food. Try to trade some of it out for fresher food, such as fruits and veggies. You don't have to give it up in entirety, but you will need to cut down on it if you want to stay within your calorie goal for the day.
3) Measure your portions with actual measuring cups or a kitchen scale. I scoffed at that at first, but I tried it and it opened my eyes and helped me see some of my trouble spots.
4) Plan ahead! This helps a great deal. It's hard to get off track if you're already mapped what you're going to have that day. If you brown bag it for lunch, you can make something that doesn't have as many processed foods in it ahead of time, helping you keep in your calorie goal for the day.
Hope this was at least a little helpful!
Thank you!!!0 -
I also wanted to add that another sweetener option that some people are not familiar with is agave nectar. Usually found around the honey section. It's still sugar, so you don't want to go crazy with it, but it is quite sweet and some homeopathic peeps say it has health benefits (what exactly, I'm not well-versed in).
All I know is that I first considered it as an additive to my apple cider vinegar. I opted for clover honey at the time, but there are a lot of interesting options out there.0 -
But, that's the thing. You don't have to cut anything out, you just need to eat less of it. And up those calories too because when you're bigger you can eat more.That's interesting Quasita. And a little shocking.
I was extremely shocked to see how much american cheese was when i first added it to my salad last week. Won't be eating it any more, thank you very much.
I don't know, for instance I put 3 slices in my salad, I don't consider that a lot of it, slices are 1 ounce each, I think, so how much less can u put, 1 slice, I guess. I folded the 3 slices up so i could cut it into little chunks.
See, and that's where we have to consider portions and daily recommendations to understand what we are eating (this is no judgment mind you, as I am a huge colby jack addict, and have to limit its presence in my fridge
)
What I mean is, 1oz of cheese is one serving of dairy. In that one salad alone, you accomplished all of your recommended servings of dairy for the day, if you go by the general FDA recommendations of 2-3 servings. With the creamer added, assuming it's a full fat or reduced fat (not skim/non-fat) option, we're talking probably 5-6 servings of dairy fat for the day.
Now, I'm not hardcore about those recommendations myself, especially since my own calorie goals are exceptionally high. It's just a way to put some perspective on it. Maybe it would be easier to get cheese crumbles for the salad? That way you could measure in a measuring cup and it would require not only less prep, but also sprinkle on the salad much easier.0 -
Weigh your food so you know how many calories are in it.
Quit eating so many processed foods. Get rid of the jelly beans, tons of sugar, sliced/processed cheese, chex mix, etc. You are probably hungry because all you are eating are empty carbs that your body processed too quickly.
You've really had 20 cups of liquid already? That's a lot for anyone. Perhaps try swapping out some of it for water with fruit added instead of sugar? If you don't fear sugar substitutes, try Splenda or something else until you can phase out the sweetness in everything.
If you do need snacks, try a few nuts, but weigh them, as they are packed with calories. It will keep you full longer. Try some healthier cheese if you really want it. What about lower calorie string cheese? Greek yogurt with fruit. Boiled eggs. All of those will keep you full longer!
If you're mindlessly snacking, just don't have the stuff in the house. I have 6 people in mine and they LOVE their junk. I had to decide that I wanted to be healthier and just not eat the crap. It's a choice. It's my body.
Prelog your food the night before and plan higher protein, filling meals, so you wont be as hungry throughout the day.
Plan a treat once a week so you don't feel deprived. I have a small butterfinger blizzard almost every week and I'm still losing weight because I eat healthier foods throughout the week.
Are you exercising? If you work at your desk all day, maybe you can get up and move during your breaks. Even if you just walk around the house, it'll help.
Good luck. YOU can do this and you're worth the effort it takes. 0 -
So you may or may not drink that entire big cup of coffee. Rather than start with that huge cup, why not use a smaller one and that will cut back on the amount of cream and sugar you are wasting cals on - since you already said you sometimes dump part of it. Try using something less calorie dense than cream - even whole milk would be fewer calories or just use less.
You have to plan foods when your cals are low. Also exercise - walk for a half hour and earn a couple hundred extra calories.
You have to figure out what foods and portions will fit into the amount of calories you have to eat, if you want chex mix, then exercise for the cals you need for the treats and save yourself the calories for your meals.0 -
Just wanted to suggest Crystal Light Iced Tea as an option to replace your tea…. it tastes like "instant tea", but it hits the spot for me as a tea replacement. That would save you a lot of calories.0
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Maybe you should make your own tea and squeeze fresh lemon in it. That has no calories at all! The lemon is good for weight loss as well. And as far as sugar goes, I switched to natural Stevia which has no calories as well. This will save a ton of calories throughout the day. If you don't like Stevia, maybe try a little honey. Good luck!0
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