My problem with dinner......
LilleanC
Posts: 20 Member
Hi all. I am struggling with my food/calorie intake for the day. I normally would workout twice per day 5-6 days per week. MFP recommended that I eat 1400 calories per day (being a secretary). My problem is not so much the calories but I would normally be ok breakfast through afternoon snack but when it comes to dinner (after gym workout) I eat like CRAZY would this is where I would surpass my calorie recommended for the day. I really need help with this dinner thing/post workout. I really think that if I get this under control I would start losing again.
Thanks, Lillean
Thanks, Lillean
0
Replies
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Are you eating back calories burned through exercise?0
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Can you plan ahead? Eat less earlier since you know you will be eating more later.0
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Can you tailor your meals to allow for quantity eating in the evening? I.e. plan dinners with lots of low calorie, fiber filled vegetables and some lean meats and some whole grains? Or, save your carbs for the evening meal if that helps with satiety and fill up on produce and lean protein during the day. I recently realized that most days I function better fasting till mid morning, having a small snack around 10 and then having two larger meals for lunch and dinner. By 'banking' my calories till later in the day I can eat until I feel full and am less likely to blow my calories in the evening. Other things to try - drinking a big glass of water or having a small bowl of brothy soup before the evening meal, eating a small portion then brushing your teeth immediately. Also, 2 workouts a day on 1400 calories definitely sounds like you might need to eat back some of those calories. Good luck!0
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Try to pre-log your days. I just finished mine for the day. It really helps me see the gaps I need to fill in and makes it easier to have bigger dinners.0
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I know what you mean. Have you considered, not eating till lunch or eating very little and saving those calories and some from your exercise to have a big calorie dinner and you will still be in your allowance. It's IF (intermittent fasting). Just my .020
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Geekymonkey99 wrote: »Can you plan ahead? Eat less earlier since you know you will be eating more later.0
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If you workout twice a day you are not sedentary. (I'm guessing that's what you chose)
Do you eat back your exercise calories?0 -
I know what you mean. Have you considered, not eating till lunch or eating very little and saving those calories and some from your exercise to have a big calorie dinner and you will still be in your allowance. It's IF (intermittent fasting). Just my .020
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<cautious hand raise>
2x a day workouts?
why and what type?0 -
<cautious hand raise>
2x a day workouts?
why and what type?
Monday- Step aerobics
Tuesday- Circuit training/Dance
Wednesday- Upper body weight training
Thursday-Leg day
We don't have gym classes on Friday-Sunday but I do work out at home on Sundays.
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Iron_Feline wrote: »If you workout twice a day you are not sedentary. (I'm guessing that's what you chose)
Do you eat back your exercise calories?
Surprising yes I did choose sedimentary and most of the times at dinner yes i would eat back exercise calories. That's my problem (dinner time). Should I change it but then that to ALOT more right?0 -
Iron_Feline wrote: »If you workout twice a day you are not sedentary. (I'm guessing that's what you chose)
Do you eat back your exercise calories?
Surprising yes I did choose sedimentary and most of the times at dinner yes i would eat back exercise calories. That's my problem (dinner time). Should I change it but then that to ALOT more right?
If your exercising twice a day then yes you need more than 1400 calories. Either change to active or eat back most of your exercise calories.
No wonder you're starving.0 -
Iron_Feline wrote: »Iron_Feline wrote: »If you workout twice a day you are not sedentary. (I'm guessing that's what you chose)
Do you eat back your exercise calories?
Surprising yes I did choose sedimentary and most of the times at dinner yes i would eat back exercise calories. That's my problem (dinner time). Should I change it but then that to ALOT more right?
If your exercising twice a day then yes you need more than 1400 calories. Either change to active or eat back most of your exercise calories.
No wonder you're starving.
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Do you weigh and measure all your food?
And all means all.0 -
Iron_Feline wrote: »If you workout twice a day you are not sedentary. (I'm guessing that's what you chose)
Do you eat back your exercise calories?
Surprising yes I did choose sedimentary and most of the times at dinner yes i would eat back exercise calories. That's my problem (dinner time). Should I change it but then that to ALOT more right?
No, you are sedentary as a secretary. Log your workouts and eat back the calories -- MFP will add the calories to your daily total after you log your exercise.
You have your BMR (calories burned breathing and such) + lifestyle (calories burned for general movement, aka not sleeping all day) + exercise (which varies, so you log it on top). That's how MFP gives you your number. Your number starts as BMR + lifestyle, and gets added exercise after you exercise.
If you know you'll get your workout in, you can log it at the start of the day so you can see your real totals to help you plan.
And are you set to 2 lbs per week? Because you can always lower that goal. That will get you more to eat. Once you adjust, you can set it back, or keep going the way you are. Many people find 2 lbs a week to be so aggressive that they cannot stick to it and feel well (aka it's not sustainable for everyone).
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Iron_Feline wrote: »Do you weigh and measure all your food?
And all means all.
Honestly yes and no. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't because of time; but I have changed my fitness profile and it did up my calories. So let's see how this goes.0 -
I know what you mean. Have you considered, not eating till lunch or eating very little and saving those calories and some from your exercise to have a big calorie dinner and you will still be in your allowance. It's IF (intermittent fasting). Just my .02
this is what I do. I haven't had any problems for almost a year down almost 50 lbs. I will eat roughly 75% of my daily calories between 5 and 10 PM.0 -
I know what you mean. Have you considered, not eating till lunch or eating very little and saving those calories and some from your exercise to have a big calorie dinner and you will still be in your allowance. It's IF (intermittent fasting). Just my .02
If you were skipping meals and not eating enough calories, then yes. However, with IF you are still eating the calories MFP has allotted you, but you are eating them in a smaller window. For example, I eat all my calories between 1:00 pm - 8:00 pm, but I fall asleep early, cause I'm up at 5 a.m. This method is called 16:8.
Others, do shorter eating window, but in the big picture you are still eating your allotted calories and keeping your deficit. It helps me to keep my deficit after the weekends.
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I see two choices.
You either set yourself up as sedentary because you don't know your TDEE and/or do not exercise regularly enough to predict your daily burn and then you eat back all of your net exercise calories (which in effect means a big part but NOT ALL of your total exercise calories)
OR, you have enough data about how much you exercise and what your TDEE is, and so you set up as per the appropriate activity level (in your case probably active or highly active) and manually tweek your target calories to match TDEE -5%, or -10%, or -15%, or even up to -20% depending on how much excess fat you are starting up with (which cannot be that much in your particular case if you are teaching exercise classes, can it?)
I just walk around town for Pete's sake (admittedly about 3 hours a day) and my TDEE is slightly higher than what MFP guesses for an active person of my stats.
You talk about losing "again".
How much % per week has your weigh changed in the past 15, 30, 60, 90 days?
For the past two weeks I've been convinced i've reached a plateau/i am no longer losing, etc.
I reviewed my numbers (thanks MFP for the logs), and "discovered" that I am EXACTLY on my weekly weight loss target (actually about 6% faster).
YMMV but it sounds like you burn a heck of a lot more than 1400 cal a day!0 -
You've given some more info. Did you go to maintenance and then gained back the water weight you had originally lost? Or are you having trouble figuring out your maintenance calories?0
-
I know what you mean. Have you considered, not eating till lunch or eating very little and saving those calories and some from your exercise to have a big calorie dinner and you will still be in your allowance. It's IF (intermittent fasting). Just my .02
If you were skipping meals and not eating enough calories, then yes. However, with IF you are still eating the calories MFP has allotted you, but you are eating them in a smaller window. For example, I eat all my calories between 1:00 pm - 8:00 pm, but I fall asleep early, cause I'm up at 5 a.m. This method is called 16:8.
Others, do shorter eating window, but in the big picture you are still eating your allotted calories and keeping your deficit. It helps me to keep my deficit after the weekends.
I do this too.
I pre-log my diary and put dinner in first. Example: Today I know we'll be going out for pizza, so I put in the amount of pizza and wine I know I'll want. Then I know how much is available for the other meals and today, it's not that much. But, because I eat all my food in an 8 hour window, I don't get a chance to feel really hungry during the day between meal and snacks. The other non-eating 16 hours aren't as hard as they sound because I'm sleeping for half that time.
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Also op the closer you get to goal the more things like weighing and measuring all your food matters, you should be set to lose onle 1/2 a week being so close to goal.
Good luck with your new goal :flowerforyou:0 -
I see two choices.
You either set yourself up as sedentary because you don't know your TDEE and/or do not exercise regularly enough to predict your daily burn and then you eat back all of your net exercise calories (which in effect means a big part but NOT ALL of your total exercise calories)
OR, you have enough data about how much you exercise and what your TDEE is, and so you set up as per the appropriate activity level (in your case probably active or highly active) and manually tweek your target calories to match TDEE -5%, or -10%, or -15%, or even up to -20% depending on how much excess fat you are starting up with (which cannot be that much in your particular case if you are teaching exercise classes, can it?)
I just walk around town for Pete's sake (admittedly about 3 hours a day) and my TDEE is slightly higher than what MFP guesses for an active person of my stats.
You talk about losing "again".
How much % per week has your weigh changed in the past 15, 30, 60, 90 days?
For the past two weeks I've been convinced i've reached a plateau/i am no longer losing, etc.
I reviewed my numbers (thanks MFP for the logs), and "discovered" that I am EXACTLY on my weekly weight loss target (actually about 6% faster).
YMMV but it sounds like you burn a heck of a lot more than 1400 cal a day!Iron_Feline wrote: »Iron_Feline wrote: »If you workout twice a day you are not sedentary. (I'm guessing that's what you chose)
Do you eat back your exercise calories?
Surprising yes I did choose sedimentary and most of the times at dinner yes i would eat back exercise calories. That's my problem (dinner time). Should I change it but then that to ALOT more right?
If your exercising twice a day then yes you need more than 1400 calories. Either change to active or eat back most of your exercise calories.
No wonder you're starving.
Answer for a month was a gain of 6 lbs.
Guys, this isn't a case of she's not eating enough and therefore she's starving.
Her original post was right - she's overeating but still hungry. She needs advice on what to do so she can curb that hunger at night.
ETA: At least for that past month - she did say she's changed her exercise recently, but I'm not sure it will be enough to compensate for the gain even if most of it is from glycogen replenishment.0 -
You've given some more info. Did you go to maintenance and then gained back the water weight you had originally lost? Or are you having trouble figuring out your maintenance calories?
0 -
I see two choices.
You either set yourself up as sedentary because you don't know your TDEE and/or do not exercise regularly enough to predict your daily burn and then you eat back all of your net exercise calories (which in effect means a big part but NOT ALL of your total exercise calories)
OR, you have enough data about how much you exercise and what your TDEE is, and so you set up as per the appropriate activity level (in your case probably active or highly active) and manually tweek your target calories to match TDEE -5%, or -10%, or -15%, or even up to -20% depending on how much excess fat you are starting up with (which cannot be that much in your particular case if you are teaching exercise classes, can it?)
I just walk around town for Pete's sake (admittedly about 3 hours a day) and my TDEE is slightly higher than what MFP guesses for an active person of my stats.
You talk about losing "again".
How much % per week has your weigh changed in the past 15, 30, 60, 90 days?
For the past two weeks I've been convinced i've reached a plateau/i am no longer losing, etc.
I reviewed my numbers (thanks MFP for the logs), and "discovered" that I am EXACTLY on my weekly weight loss target (actually about 6% faster).
YMMV but it sounds like you burn a heck of a lot more than 1400 cal a day!Iron_Feline wrote: »Iron_Feline wrote: »If you workout twice a day you are not sedentary. (I'm guessing that's what you chose)
Do you eat back your exercise calories?
Surprising yes I did choose sedimentary and most of the times at dinner yes i would eat back exercise calories. That's my problem (dinner time). Should I change it but then that to ALOT more right?
If your exercising twice a day then yes you need more than 1400 calories. Either change to active or eat back most of your exercise calories.
No wonder you're starving.
Answer for a month was a gain of 6 lbs.
Guys, this isn't a case of she's not eating enough and therefore she's starving.
Her original post was right - she's overeating but still hungry. She needs advice on what to do so she can curb that hunger at night.
ETA: At least for that past month - she did say she's changed her exercise recently, but I'm not sure it will be enough to compensate for the gain even if most of it is from glycogen replenishment.
Since she isn't weighing and measuring her food she actually doesn't know how much she's been eating.0 -
<cautious hand raise>
2x a day workouts?
why and what type?
Monday- Step aerobics
Tuesday- Circuit training/Dance
Wednesday- Upper body weight training
Thursday-Leg day
We don't have gym classes on Friday-Sunday but I do work out at home on Sundays.
You could get away with a lot more than 1400 with this schedule. I prefer to eat in the evenings as well - I just go lighter on breakfast and lunch so I have more at night.
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Iron_Feline wrote: »I see two choices.
You either set yourself up as sedentary because you don't know your TDEE and/or do not exercise regularly enough to predict your daily burn and then you eat back all of your net exercise calories (which in effect means a big part but NOT ALL of your total exercise calories)
OR, you have enough data about how much you exercise and what your TDEE is, and so you set up as per the appropriate activity level (in your case probably active or highly active) and manually tweek your target calories to match TDEE -5%, or -10%, or -15%, or even up to -20% depending on how much excess fat you are starting up with (which cannot be that much in your particular case if you are teaching exercise classes, can it?)
I just walk around town for Pete's sake (admittedly about 3 hours a day) and my TDEE is slightly higher than what MFP guesses for an active person of my stats.
You talk about losing "again".
How much % per week has your weigh changed in the past 15, 30, 60, 90 days?
For the past two weeks I've been convinced i've reached a plateau/i am no longer losing, etc.
I reviewed my numbers (thanks MFP for the logs), and "discovered" that I am EXACTLY on my weekly weight loss target (actually about 6% faster).
YMMV but it sounds like you burn a heck of a lot more than 1400 cal a day!Iron_Feline wrote: »Iron_Feline wrote: »If you workout twice a day you are not sedentary. (I'm guessing that's what you chose)
Do you eat back your exercise calories?
Surprising yes I did choose sedimentary and most of the times at dinner yes i would eat back exercise calories. That's my problem (dinner time). Should I change it but then that to ALOT more right?
If your exercising twice a day then yes you need more than 1400 calories. Either change to active or eat back most of your exercise calories.
No wonder you're starving.
Answer for a month was a gain of 6 lbs.
Guys, this isn't a case of she's not eating enough and therefore she's starving.
Her original post was right - she's overeating but still hungry. She needs advice on what to do so she can curb that hunger at night.
ETA: At least for that past month - she did say she's changed her exercise recently, but I'm not sure it will be enough to compensate for the gain even if most of it is from glycogen replenishment.
Since she isn't weighing and measuring her food she actually doesn't know how much she's been eating.
I would have a cup of almond milk and 1/2 cup of dry oats for breakfast
Total: 210 calories (8-9 am)
Lunch: 1/2 sweet potato with either chicken or fish and probably some veggies
Total: 300-450 calories depending on the choice of protein or amount of potato(12:15 pm)
Afternoon snack: A medium pear/fruit or sometimes nothing; just my water (3 pm)
Then I would go to gym at 5:30 pm and leave at 6:30pm
When I get home and it's dinner time(normally not more than 30 minutes after arriving) I would eat white bread,whole milk,juice, anything in sight. I would sometimes have over 400 calories or more left for dinner I would still overeat that after gym. This is where I go wrong and this is where I need to know should I eat something more substantial before my workout so that I don't devour my kitchen when I get home. If so what do u recommend that I eat so I'm not so hungry after gym.
0 -
Iron_Feline wrote: »I see two choices.
You either set yourself up as sedentary because you don't know your TDEE and/or do not exercise regularly enough to predict your daily burn and then you eat back all of your net exercise calories (which in effect means a big part but NOT ALL of your total exercise calories)
OR, you have enough data about how much you exercise and what your TDEE is, and so you set up as per the appropriate activity level (in your case probably active or highly active) and manually tweek your target calories to match TDEE -5%, or -10%, or -15%, or even up to -20% depending on how much excess fat you are starting up with (which cannot be that much in your particular case if you are teaching exercise classes, can it?)
I just walk around town for Pete's sake (admittedly about 3 hours a day) and my TDEE is slightly higher than what MFP guesses for an active person of my stats.
You talk about losing "again".
How much % per week has your weigh changed in the past 15, 30, 60, 90 days?
For the past two weeks I've been convinced i've reached a plateau/i am no longer losing, etc.
I reviewed my numbers (thanks MFP for the logs), and "discovered" that I am EXACTLY on my weekly weight loss target (actually about 6% faster).
YMMV but it sounds like you burn a heck of a lot more than 1400 cal a day!Iron_Feline wrote: »Iron_Feline wrote: »If you workout twice a day you are not sedentary. (I'm guessing that's what you chose)
Do you eat back your exercise calories?
Surprising yes I did choose sedimentary and most of the times at dinner yes i would eat back exercise calories. That's my problem (dinner time). Should I change it but then that to ALOT more right?
If your exercising twice a day then yes you need more than 1400 calories. Either change to active or eat back most of your exercise calories.
No wonder you're starving.
Answer for a month was a gain of 6 lbs.
Guys, this isn't a case of she's not eating enough and therefore she's starving.
Her original post was right - she's overeating but still hungry. She needs advice on what to do so she can curb that hunger at night.
ETA: At least for that past month - she did say she's changed her exercise recently, but I'm not sure it will be enough to compensate for the gain even if most of it is from glycogen replenishment.
Since she isn't weighing and measuring her food she actually doesn't know how much she's been eating.
I would have a cup of almond milk and 1/2 cup of dry oats for breakfast
Total: 210 calories (8-9 am)
Lunch: 1/2 sweet potato with either chicken or fish and probably some veggies
Total: 300-450 calories depending on the choice of protein or amount of potato(12:15 pm)
Afternoon snack: A medium pear/fruit or sometimes nothing; just my water (3 pm)
Then I would go to gym at 5:30 pm and leave at 6:30pm
When I get home and it's dinner time(normally not more than 30 minutes after arriving) I would eat white bread,whole milk,juice, anything in sight. I would sometimes have over 400 calories or more left for dinner I would still overeat that after gym. This is where I go wrong and this is where I need to know should I eat something more substantial before my workout so that I don't devour my kitchen when I get home. If so what do u recommend that I eat so I'm not so hungry after gym.
Cups are not weighing, cups are for liquid only. If you don't weigh your dinner you have no idea how much you are eating.
Can you eat before the gym or pack something to eat straight after. I'd also add some protein to the afternoon snack to keep you fuller for longer.0 -
I don't think there is a simple answer for this. Or magic way to keep yourself from eating too much. Pre log and load your plate up before you eat it. Put the rest away. You just have to think what is more important. Losing weight or eating the extra rolls/or whatever? Make meals that are lower calorie. Lean meat and lots of veggies.0
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Iron_Feline wrote: »I see two choices.
You either set yourself up as sedentary because you don't know your TDEE and/or do not exercise regularly enough to predict your daily burn and then you eat back all of your net exercise calories (which in effect means a big part but NOT ALL of your total exercise calories)
OR, you have enough data about how much you exercise and what your TDEE is, and so you set up as per the appropriate activity level (in your case probably active or highly active) and manually tweek your target calories to match TDEE -5%, or -10%, or -15%, or even up to -20% depending on how much excess fat you are starting up with (which cannot be that much in your particular case if you are teaching exercise classes, can it?)
I just walk around town for Pete's sake (admittedly about 3 hours a day) and my TDEE is slightly higher than what MFP guesses for an active person of my stats.
You talk about losing "again".
How much % per week has your weigh changed in the past 15, 30, 60, 90 days?
For the past two weeks I've been convinced i've reached a plateau/i am no longer losing, etc.
I reviewed my numbers (thanks MFP for the logs), and "discovered" that I am EXACTLY on my weekly weight loss target (actually about 6% faster).
YMMV but it sounds like you burn a heck of a lot more than 1400 cal a day!Iron_Feline wrote: »Iron_Feline wrote: »If you workout twice a day you are not sedentary. (I'm guessing that's what you chose)
Do you eat back your exercise calories?
Surprising yes I did choose sedimentary and most of the times at dinner yes i would eat back exercise calories. That's my problem (dinner time). Should I change it but then that to ALOT more right?
If your exercising twice a day then yes you need more than 1400 calories. Either change to active or eat back most of your exercise calories.
No wonder you're starving.
Answer for a month was a gain of 6 lbs.
Guys, this isn't a case of she's not eating enough and therefore she's starving.
Her original post was right - she's overeating but still hungry. She needs advice on what to do so she can curb that hunger at night.
ETA: At least for that past month - she did say she's changed her exercise recently, but I'm not sure it will be enough to compensate for the gain even if most of it is from glycogen replenishment.
Since she isn't weighing and measuring her food she actually doesn't know how much she's been eating.
I would have a cup of almond milk and 1/2 cup of dry oats for breakfast
Total: 210 calories (8-9 am)
Lunch: 1/2 sweet potato with either chicken or fish and probably some veggies
Total: 300-450 calories depending on the choice of protein or amount of potato(12:15 pm)
Afternoon snack: A medium pear/fruit or sometimes nothing; just my water (3 pm)
Then I would go to gym at 5:30 pm and leave at 6:30pm
When I get home and it's dinner time(normally not more than 30 minutes after arriving) I would eat white bread,whole milk,juice, anything in sight. I would sometimes have over 400 calories or more left for dinner I would still overeat that after gym. This is where I go wrong and this is where I need to know should I eat something more substantial before my workout so that I don't devour my kitchen when I get home. If so what do u recommend that I eat so I'm not so hungry after gym.
I would try this first. Also, not minimizing your actual hunger because from your workout schedule I can see why you would be feeling hungry, but how much of it is either a habit or a reward? I'd drink a big glass of water first when you get home. Then eat your planned meal. Then leave the kitchen and go do something else. Honestly assess your actual hunger level after 20 - 30 min. See how you feel then.0
This discussion has been closed.
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