staying within calories

Are you exercising? Are you eating some of the exercise calories back? Maybe that would help...

You spend a lot of calories on candy. If you ate 100 calories of veggies vs 100 calories of candy you'll be fuller longer. Maybe instead of 2 or 3 candy bars a day limit it to 1 and spend the rest of those calories on more filling foods. I find that if I eat better candy I can eat less of it and still be satisfied. Because seriously - chocolate is important in life.

Cardio and veggies... ain't nobody got time for dat lel. I'd rather spend my days day dreaming at hourly intervals about my next meal haha. That's the life

It is hard and takes discipline. So easy to go over.

Are you by chance insulin resistant? Endless appetites after the sweets reminds me of when I eat sweets on an empty stomach. I will feel 10 times more hungry after I eat the sweets or strictly carbs on an empty stomach. Insulin resistance will do this to me (I'm pre-diabetic). The dips in your blood sugar sends the brain hunger signals.

Try to cut the carbs and sweets and your hunger will even out. Good Luck!

It may not be a reasonable calorie goal for you. Two ways around it: adjust your expectations to lose weight slower, so you can eat more per day. Or make a commitment to moving more so you can eat more and remain at the same deficit. A 30 minute walk can add ~75-125 calories depending on how aggressively you move. (And depending on your size now of course.)

SageIsla1985 wrote: »

I'm taking in about 1500 cals a day and I find it so difficult to stick to! I know it's about choices/priorities etc but it does feel bloody hard! Is it just me that finds this really difficult?

I'm opposite, I find it hard to eat enough.

Perhaps focus on lower calorie items that hold bigger portions. 300 calories of salad with a protein is going to be a lot more filling than 300 calories of cake or chips.

If losing weight was a piece of cake (pun intended), no one would have a weight problem. Yeah, it can be difficult to lose weight. Hunger is pretty normal while eating at a deficit. However, if you're extremely hungry all the time, you're either not eating enough calories in general or you're not getting enough volume.

When I'm cutting, I like to stick to low calorie, high volume foods. Fruits and vegetables clearly fall into that category. It's also important to find things that are filling to you. Some people find nuts filling - I don't, and I generally think they're a waste of calories unless they're in butter form (I rarely go a day without peanut butter, even when cutting).

As mentioned, you should be eating back exercise calories if you're exercising. Either that or you can use the TDEE method and not log exercise because those calories are already accounted for. TDEE is great if you have a set workout schedule. If you go some days/weeks without exercising or just do it when you feel like it, it's best to just add the calories you burn as long as you're using accurate estimates of calorie burns.

For me, it's important to find a balance between foods I like and foods that keep me satisfied between meals. I could eat a HUGE salad filled with vegetables for very few calories, but 1) salads do nothing for my hunger, and 2) I'm not a big fan of salads unless they're filled with things that are higher in calories like meat and cheese. I could munch on a big bag of carrot sticks for my afternoon snack, but I'd be miserable, so I choose snacks that are macro friendly, but that I actually enjoy eating. Don't be too restrictive, but don't waste all of your calories on candy bars unless you're prepared to be hungry all day.