Getting the Right Calorie Balance... ADVISE PLEASE!

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joshandstacy
joshandstacy Posts: 56 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I just cannot seem to get this right and it's getting frustrating! I'm supposed to eat 1370 a day. On days that I think I'm doing well with the calories I end up under the 1200 minimum and when I try to eat enough to get above that number, I go over too much! This is getting disheartening, either I eat well and don't get enough (and feel real hungry) or I eat too much. I just can't seem to get the balance. When I eat on the light days, it's usually yogurt, granola bars, salads, and vegetables. On those days I just have a hunger and a craving for peanut butter. I've been at this for almost a month now and have lost some weight but juggling the right amount of calories is driving me nuts! Please give me some help!! I am researching but find so much conflicting advise and at this point I'm kind of trying to find the theories that sound easy and are probably not going to be healthy.

Replies

  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
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    Sounds like you need to plan your days in advance, including meals and snacks, so you can add up the calories and adjust as necessary in advance, rather than wondering what you did after the fact.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Plan! I add in my mail meals first and then put in snacks (mostly healthy!) to make up the calories to where I need to be.
    If I exercise more, I add extra cheese and crackers or half a peanut butter sandwich.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    Have you checked to see what your BMR is? I always tell people this is the place to start in this journey. I truly think it is crucial to know what your body needs as a bare minimum to live. I really think knowing this number helped me to adjust my caloric intake properly. Do you know what yours is?

    When my calories are too low I crave the worst foods out there and am so hungry, I could eat my arm off. When I start adjusting them - I always feel better and don't struggle so much with food.
  • Holton
    Holton Posts: 1,018
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    Ditto previous remark. I try to enter my foods in the morning to get an idea of what the day is going to look like. SInce I pack my lunch that works well for me. Quite often it doesn't work out exactly as planned, but I go into the day with a good idea of my overall day.
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
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    in looking at your diary, I see you have really low days or really high days--- first, you need to plan to just stay away from pizza, pie, and other junk food--those are instant killers right there to the plan. Second, bring in lots of healthy whole foods, nuts, veggies, fruit and lean protein.

    Plan your meals the evening before---- without planning, any weight loss success will be impossible. Trust me, I know this- as for the last 7 months I have been planning diligently and it has paid off and that is because I am 150% committed to my program.
  • Ncookr
    Ncookr Posts: 11
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    Yeah i agree with them planing is everything! but you have to plan to eat peanut butter its got a lot of healthy fats in it! your body needs fats and if you skip on them on the healthy days that will be why you have such a big craving for them later make sure your getting all your nurtients or your body will crave food even if your already at your calorie limit.
  • marsha2175
    marsha2175 Posts: 1
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    I've been on this program now for 6 weeks. There are days when I'm way under the 1200 calories allowed. And I eat 5 or 6 times a day. Always eat breakfast, fruit mid-morning, a nice sandwich for lunch, fresh veggies in the afternoon and a good dinner. maybe a small snack later in evening if calories allow. acefitness.org has some great recipes and good size portions. Stick with it. I believe excersise daily is the key to making this all work. I've lost 21 pounds in 6 weeks so don't lose hope.
  • callipygianchronicle
    callipygianchronicle Posts: 811 Member
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    You can also run a report to see how you are averaging out over the course of a week. It might be that you are zig-zagging calories and are even on a weekly basis.
  • LiL_MisS_C
    LiL_MisS_C Posts: 332 Member
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    I find it very helpful to add foods to my food diary before I eat them ....this way I can see how many calories my meals and snacks are each and adjust the portion size accordingly. :)
  • joshandstacy
    joshandstacy Posts: 56 Member
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    Thanks everyone!
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
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    I find it very helpful to add foods to my food diary before I eat them ....this way I can see how many calories my meals and snacks are each and adjust the portion size accordingly. :)

    This. If I don't look up my meal ahead of time, I like to enter it before I start eating just in case I grabbed a little too much of something. I usually update my diary from my phone, so it's easy to get a good idea of what I'm eating right away.

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