I cannot seem to stay within my calorie goal

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Replies

  • nyiballs
    nyiballs Posts: 147 Member
    Also, I question how one can state my average intake of 1350 is not healthy without any context.

    I sit in an office for 8 hours a day, and sit in a car for 3 hours a day. My average burn without exercise is roughly 1800. I'm still in a hardcore weight loss mode. A 400 calorie deficit is working quite well.
  • MJDuley
    MJDuley Posts: 47 Member
    Thanks for all the tips everyone! Next time I'm at Walmart I will be looking for that scale!

    I know my #1 biggest problem is not quantity as far as portion sizes per meal. I've never been a big eater. My portion sizes are smaller than the usual recommended amount. People always pick on me for how little I eat (when I was younger, before having 4 kids, people used to ask me if I was anorexic). I am a bad junk food eater. Chocolate is my nemesis. I can literally sit and go through half a bag of Hershey's Hugs in one evening if I let myself. Thankfully, I really don't let myself very often.

    The frosting was leftover from a cake my daughter had to make for culinary class. I rarely eat cake, frosting, pies, ice cream, etc. Only at birthday parties. I had a small piece of birthday cake at my nephew's party last week and I couldn't even finish it. It's candy and cookies that get me. The longest I ever went without chocolate was 3 weeks and I was a raving lunatic by the end. My husband literally ran to our local convenience store, brought home a candy bar and threw it at me from across the room!

    Even when I try to eat healthy I end up picking the wrong things, not because I crave junk, but because I'm just ignorant (but learning!). Like with the pasta, I just recorded it wrong because I was measuring quantity after cooking, not weight before cooking. So I think I'm eating healthy, then I look at the label and find out it has all kinds of unexpected garbage in it.

    I'm also a "grazer" and I've found that when I don't carefully track what I eat, I end up eating more throughout the day than I realize. I know I need to really get diligent about tracking every single day. Which should get easier now that I'm only working part-time through the summer and then I'll be a stay at home mom.

    I'm also drinking more water lately, something I never used to do.

    And I was a good girl and had a salad for lunch. I measured everything very carefully, used low-fat dressing and just a small amount of cheese.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    I'm surprised I'm being judged for sharing my experiences so harshly... Everyone has their own view.

    I know many people who say, "I can have that cake as long as I only have X for dinner and exercise for Y more minutes..."

    Here is my own problem there and why I do take a different tact. For me, and we are all different, I would have to consider myself a food addict. Some may scoff, but having lived how I have, I cannot describe it any other way. So, having that piece of cake would be like telling the heroin addict to just have a little heroin today as long as they don't have any tomorrow. I know that piece of cake will lead to a second piece of cake, and then a larger piece of cake the next day, etc.

    The willpower for me is easier to just not eat the cake as opposed to eating in "moderation."

    I'm hopeful that at some point in my life I will be able to simply eat the one piece of cake every 10 days, or the one bowl of ice cream, or the one donut out of the box. But I have found for me, and for many others who are starting out, it is sometimes better to simply remove the temptation entirely as opposed to attempt to moderate something g that you have done to excess for years upon years.

    You are demonizing food, encouraging the OP to completely cut out perfectly fine foods, and your delivery did not help at all.

    There is no need for the OP to cut out butter, pasta, ect. There is no need for anyone to do that. It works for you, but don't deliver it as if the OP needs to do exactly what you are doing. You can make suggestions without making it sound like your way is right.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    Thanks for all the tips everyone! Next time I'm at Walmart I will be looking for that scale!

    I know my #1 biggest problem is not quantity as far as portion sizes per meal. I've never been a big eater. My portion sizes are smaller than the usual recommended amount. People always pick on me for how little I eat (when I was younger, before having 4 kids, people used to ask me if I was anorexic). I am a bad junk food eater. Chocolate is my nemesis. I can literally sit and go through half a bag of Hershey's Hugs in one evening if I let myself. Thankfully, I really don't let myself very often.

    The frosting was leftover from a cake my daughter had to make for culinary class. I rarely eat cake, frosting, pies, ice cream, etc. Only at birthday parties. I had a small piece of birthday cake at my nephew's party last week and I couldn't even finish it. It's candy and cookies that get me. The longest I ever went without chocolate was 3 weeks and I was a raving lunatic by the end. My husband literally ran to our local convenience store, brought home a candy bar and threw it at me from across the room!

    Even when I try to eat healthy I end up picking the wrong things, not because I crave junk, but because I'm just ignorant (but learning!). Like with the pasta, I just recorded it wrong because I was measuring quantity after cooking, not weight before cooking. So I think I'm eating healthy, then I look at the label and find out it has all kinds of unexpected garbage in it.

    I'm also a "grazer" and I've found that when I don't carefully track what I eat, I end up eating more throughout the day than I realize. I know I need to really get diligent about tracking every single day. Which should get easier now that I'm only working part-time through the summer and then I'll be a stay at home mom.

    I'm also drinking more water lately, something I never used to do.

    And I was a good girl and had a salad for lunch. I measured everything very carefully, used low-fat dressing and just a small amount of cheese.

    I got my food scale at Walmart. I really like the Taylor "Biggest Loser" one. You can stick your container on the scale, and then turn it on, and it automatically adds the tare so all you need to do is add your items! It was only $24.

    As a tip, if you find yourself overeating certain items, or grazing, one suggestion I've made to people is pre-portioning everything out in little Ziploc bags, and writing down the macros (calories, fat ,sat fat, protein, ect) on them if you have to. If you find yourself going for a second bag, seeing the macros can help you see how much you're eating, and contemplate if you can fit it into your macros for the day. Takes time, but being conscientious of portion sizes goes a long way!

    I used to have the same problem with chocolate. I could definitely eat a ton of it. But now I can grab 4-5 Hershey kisses (instead of the 9 serving size) and be satisfied with that amount...and even have the bag near me and not be tempted at all.

    Feel free to add me if you want!
  • ImaWaterBender
    ImaWaterBender Posts: 516 Member
    Hi there. I swim every day. Wow, what a burn that is! I'm burning 900-1200 calories for an hour in the pool. I swim well now, but I only learned a year ago.

    I also drink Metamucil twice a day as a fiber supplement. Fills me up and helps with my IBS and diverticulosis. Let me know if you need friends for support. Drop me a message.
  • DCarter1701
    DCarter1701 Posts: 45 Member

    I do like walking. I used to walk a lot, but lately it's been so hot here (supposed to be 110 tomorrow) that unless I go out at 5am I get hot and light-headed to quick. I'm seriously out of shape! Until recently I was on my way to work by 5am, but that changes starting this next week (well, except for tomorrow and Wednesday, when I have to be at work by 4:45am and then drive a school bus all day; the other days I don't work). I'm planning to start walking this week. Today I woke up feeling sick to my stomach, which is why I didn't walk today.

    I used to go hiking a lot when I lived at my old house (we moved 2 years ago), but now I'm half an hour away from the nearest hiking trails, so I can't justify making that drive every day (not to mention I won't have a car during the week). But I was thinking maybe every Saturday morning starting in July (I work every Saturday in June) I could head to the trails.

    I need to talk to my dr. though, because when I do walk my hands and fingers swell up really badly and painfully after about 20 minutes.

    You may want to check out Leslie Sansone's walking workout DVDs. They've helped me lose 28 pounds since November. I'm a SAHM and can't always get out for a walk, unless i go late at night after my youngest is in bed. So during naptime I put in a DVD and get a workout in. I started with the Walk Away the Pounds 1 Mile, worked up to the 3 Mile. I now alternate them depending on my schedule--the 1 Mile takes 20 minutes, the 3 Mile takes 45 minutes. I like that I can do them indoors, out of the heat (it gets hot here in the summers and I react badly to extreme heat).

    Try drinking plenty of water before, during, and after your workout, maybe that will help with the swelling?
  • ChristinWrites
    ChristinWrites Posts: 119 Member
    Also, I question how one can state my average intake of 1350 is not healthy without any context.

    I sit in an office for 8 hours a day, and sit in a car for 3 hours a day. My average burn without exercise is roughly 1800. I'm still in a hardcore weight loss mode. A 400 calorie deficit is working quite well.

    I am a 5'2 40 year old woman who works a desk job. I exercise 30 - 40 minutes on average per day - nothing too exhausting - I burn about 3-400 with exercise. My TDEE is 1900 - 2000 on a light day, more like 2200 when I workout harder (I have a BodyMedia armband that tells me what I burn)

    If you are a male, you are larger than me most likely, so I have a hard time believing that you would only burn 1800 total calories per day with exercise unless you are extremely sedentary even outside of work. I'm not saying it to be judgmental or harsh, just that there is no way I would only eat 1350 per day at my size and age, when I can eat more and still lose. Something seems off to me with your numbers also.
  • tryett
    tryett Posts: 530 Member
    Is there a mall nearby you can walk at when it's hot out?
  • jltheis7
    jltheis7 Posts: 496 Member
    Nyiballs, your tips are exactly what the research into food addiction recommends for food addicts. As not everyone on MFP is a food addict, some will scoff at what you posted. One of the important concepts I've learned in the last year and a half is to "protect my program", even going so far as to tell people "My doctor advises me to not discuss my weight-loss program as it can trigger my addiction issues." For truly genuinely supportive people, I recommend they research food addiction. For people wanting advice, I urge them to speak to their doctor because the source of their weight issues may not have anything in common with mine thus what they need to address will be different. And MFP has members with very different experiences with food and exercise not to mention different communication styles. As long as your doctor has no concerns for your health, continue with what fits you. That is my advice to OP, try different interventions to see what works; if it doesn't work, try something else. Best of luck!
  • nyiballs
    nyiballs Posts: 147 Member
    TY j.

    And what I would say to the OP and everyone else for that matter, is that there are literally hundreds of ways to achieve your goals of a healthy lifestyle and weight loss. People sharing their experiences should help give others insights into different options, strategies, challenges, etc. I would never tell someone it's my way or the highway... Far from it.
    I hope the OP can learn something from my specific experiences.
  • MJDuley
    MJDuley Posts: 47 Member

    I got my food scale at Walmart. I really like the Taylor "Biggest Loser" one. You can stick your container on the scale, and then turn it on, and it automatically adds the tare so all you need to do is add your items! It was only $24.

    I will definitely look for it when I go shopping this weekend!
    As a tip, if you find yourself overeating certain items, or grazing, one suggestion I've made to people is pre-portioning everything out in little Ziploc bags, and writing down the macros (calories, fat ,sat fat, protein, ect) on them if you have to. If you find yourself going for a second bag, seeing the macros can help you see how much you're eating, and contemplate if you can fit it into your macros for the day. Takes time, but being conscientious of portion sizes goes a long way!

    I like this idea! It sounds like something that could really help me. I think seeing that info right in plain view would really be good for me and help me curb my eating.
    Feel free to add me if you want!

    I did, thank you! :happy:
  • MJDuley
    MJDuley Posts: 47 Member
    Hi there. I swim every day. Wow, what a burn that is! I'm burning 900-1200 calories for an hour in the pool. I swim well now, but I only learned a year ago.

    I also drink Metamucil twice a day as a fiber supplement. Fills me up and helps with my IBS and diverticulosis. Let me know if you need friends for support. Drop me a message.

    I no longer swim because I've had skin cancer twice and I burn very easily, even with sunblock. But your post makes me think about our local YMCA and maybe they'd have an indoor pool. I'll have to check into that, because I know swimming is great exercise and I do miss it.

    I will give Metamucil a try as well. How does it taste?

    I'm sending you a friend request as well, thanks for offering!
  • MJDuley
    MJDuley Posts: 47 Member
    You may want to check out Leslie Sansone's walking workout DVDs. They've helped me lose 28 pounds since November. I'm a SAHM and can't always get out for a walk, unless i go late at night after my youngest is in bed.

    I've heard of those and wondered if they worked. I'm glad to hear they do and I'll definitely pick one up! Like you, I'll be a SAHM starting next month so being able to use a DVD like that during her naptime would be so convenient.
    Try drinking plenty of water before, during, and after your workout, maybe that will help with the swelling?

    I do take a bottle of water with me when walking, but maybe I'm not getting enough? I started upping my water intake just in the past week or so. We'll see if that makes any difference. If not, I guess I'll have to see what my Dr. says.

    Is there a mall nearby you can walk at when it's hot out?

    There are quite a few, actually. DH and I have both been talking about doing just that. We need to get off our rears and do it.

    I don't have a car during the day though (DH has it at work), so it would have to be an evening/weekend thing.

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