How to eat less: Check out my diary!

lesliezimmer
lesliezimmer Posts: 85 Member
Hi everyone! I'm kind of new to this. Here's some helpful info so hopefully some of you can help me!

I'm 5'4", 32 years old, 172 lbs. 30.5% bodyfat (hydrostatic test done) I have been working out for the past 3 weeks, 5 days a week. Mostly HIIT for 10-20 minutes at a time and weight machines at the gym. I LOVE IT. Even when I'm tired after work I *crave* my workouts. I'm totally into it, and I am so happy I have found something I can do consistently at a high intensity!

I'm doing the TDEE method, which basically -20% would leave me eating 1700 calories a day or so. This doesn't seem like it should be so hard, to be honest.

I have eight days of food logging. For a couple days, I tried to eat under 2000 cals and I ended up having severe insomnia. I never, ever have trouble sleeping. Ever. I can sleep on the ground in the middle of a highway.

That being said, I decided to increase my cals so I could just get some sleep. I've been eating 2100-2500 calories a day. I'm pretty sure I'm just going to see a weight *gain* from taking in all that food, but I'm really trying to get acquainted with using a food scale for everything I eat, putting my recipes in my database, and all that jazz.

I don't normally drink alcohol daily, but I have been for the past week. I know that's something I can cut out and save ~150-250 calories a day, but that alone doesn't bring me down to 1700. I also know that I can have 150-200 calories of alcohol and still get adequate nutrition and only eat 1700 calories. I know it's possible. I seriously just need some suggestions and advice from people who have done this. I don't believe in cutting out food groups or alcohol entirely, it's not realistic for the long term. I'm a firm believer and exerciser of moderation.

I'm a newbie, it's my first week. I want to keep doing this and see what works, what doesn't work etc... so I can be successful. I'm realistic. I know I'm not going to lose the weight overnight.

Thank you in advance :)
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Replies

  • allaboutthefood
    allaboutthefood Posts: 781 Member
    You can add me if you would like. I post recipes and hints and tips my dairy is also open.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
    edited June 2015
    If you're struggling to eat 1700 cals, cut out the alcohol, and eat less calorie dense carbs like bread, beans and pasta. Ditch the honey. Eat more non starchy vegies, change to lower carb fruit. Perhaps consider using less whole eggs and add whites (only if you're over on fat by a lot - don't cut fat!)

    Double check all your entries to make sure they're accurate and make sure you're logging accurately. There's lots of entries for "one serve", "one cup" etc. which is fine if you're weighing out one serve or the weight of one cup.

    Magnesium is good for sleep issues...
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Have you been eating back any of your exercise calories? If not, try eating back at least half of your estimated burns. You want to have a NET intake, as the number MFP sets for you already has the calorie deficit built in, before exercise.
  • todzak
    todzak Posts: 1 Member
    I eat a high fat diet, at least 50%. It keeps me totally satiated. I don't feel crazy at all. It's actually pretty easy to stick to my calorie limit... and I have NEVER been able to do that before on previous diets.
    BUT... no grains. NONE. No pre-prepared foods. No boxes, cans or packages of pre-made food.
    I eat mostly unprocessed foods:
    egg yolks, organic grassfed butter, coconut oil, grassfed beef, sweet potatoes, veggies... etc
    basically paleo, but I eat a little dairy.
    I stick to: fat 50%, carbs 30% (root veggies), protein 20%.
    somehow, WHAT I'm eating makes it easier, despite my decreased calories.

    No, I haven't been dieting for a long time.
    Just off and on for the past 3 weeks.
  • lesliezimmer
    lesliezimmer Posts: 85 Member
    Have you been eating back any of your exercise calories? If not, try eating back at least half of your estimated burns. You want to have a NET intake, as the number MFP sets for you already has the calorie deficit built in, before exercise.

    I am doing the TDEE method, where I'm working out 5-6 days a week and since my TDEE is about 2100 a day to maintain my weight, as long as I'm working out consistently, if I eat less than 2000 calories every day I'll lose weight over time.

    The thing with TDEE is that after losing 5 lbs I have to redo the numbers, every time I lose 5 lbs, since the amount of calories to maintain the new weight is always getting lower.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
    Hi everyone! I'm kind of new to this. Here's some helpful info so hopefully some of you can help me!

    I'm 5'4", 32 years old, 172 lbs. 30.5% bodyfat (hydrostatic test done) I have been working out for the past 3 weeks, 5 days a week. Mostly HIIT for 10-20 minutes at a time and weight machines at the gym. I LOVE IT. Even when I'm tired after work I *crave* my workouts. I'm totally into it, and I am so happy I have found something I can do consistently at a high intensity!

    I'm doing the TDEE method, which basically -20% would leave me eating 1700 calories a day or so. This doesn't seem like it should be so hard, to be honest.

    I have eight days of food logging. For a couple days, I tried to eat under 2000 cals and I ended up having severe insomnia. I never, ever have trouble sleeping. Ever. I can sleep on the ground in the middle of a highway.

    That being said, I decided to increase my cals so I could just get some sleep. I've been eating 2100-2500 calories a day. I'm pretty sure I'm just going to see a weight *gain* from taking in all that food, but I'm really trying to get acquainted with using a food scale for everything I eat, putting my recipes in my database, and all that jazz.

    I don't normally drink alcohol daily, but I have been for the past week. I know that's something I can cut out and save ~150-250 calories a day, but that alone doesn't bring me down to 1700. I also know that I can have 150-200 calories of alcohol and still get adequate nutrition and only eat 1700 calories. I know it's possible. I seriously just need some suggestions and advice from people who have done this. I don't believe in cutting out food groups or alcohol entirely, it's not realistic for the long term. I'm a firm believer and exerciser of moderation.

    I'm a newbie, it's my first week. I want to keep doing this and see what works, what doesn't work etc... so I can be successful. I'm realistic. I know I'm not going to lose the weight overnight.

    Thank you in advance :)

    Realistically, you are eating above tdee, so you are following a gaining weight plan currently, without "" around gain. You either need to adjust your portions, or you need to accept weight loss is not happening. I have seen your diary for a few days, and it is not so much what you eat, as how much you eat. Learning portion control is going to help you. Which might mean that yes, you will need to eat based on scale for a while, not based on feeling full. If feeling hungry is the issue, work more on how you eat throughout the day, like smaller but more meals or larger and fewer meals, or figure out when you are mostly hungry and aim at eating your bigger meal at that time of the day. Also adding more vegetables might help, as in salads but without sauces etc.
    Try prelogging meals, and eat as much as your diary tells you to, not until you are happy. A simple example: grapes are awesome, healthy, low calorie. Over 600 grams of grapes though, it is not one serving of grapes, it is closer to 3-4.
    Also do not skip treats, but reduce the number in one day. Again from the same day, beer, ice cream, pop corn, yoghurt with honey, are all perfectly fine and can fit into your calories. But do they all need to be eaten on the same day? Figure out one treat per day, fit it into your calories, and space the rest through the next days. Or from another day, cookies, and chocolate truffles, and gin, and pizza and ice cream? No. One of these things, one serving. Or of course you are going way over in calories, and probably even feeling hungry in the end.
    A lot of what you describe seem to me like you need to push through a mental barrier. You are not going to starve or affect your health by eating less. And you are not accomplishing anything jsut because you are logging your food or exercising. In the end of the day, you are consistently eating more than you should. Now you have mastered logging and counting, you have a choice: Analyse your data and see what can go, like eat smaller portions, eat less calorie dense food, and bring your calories down, or accept things are not changing. Realistically, you are eating a lot of food for someone trying to lose weight, with your height and level of activity. If eating less feels like a sacrifice, and havign to think twice and plan about favourite yummy treats, it is understandable and you are not alone. The question is, is it a sacrifice worth it to you or not?
  • elfin168
    elfin168 Posts: 202 Member
    I'm not sure if Im on the right track here but you are relatively new to working out = having been doing so 5 days a week High Intensity Cardio and Weight training and you are on a calorie deficit. I wonder if possibly your body is adjusting to the level of exercise you are doing and hence the less sleep - I also wonder if you are overdoing the exercise somewhat out of sheer enthusiasm? Perhaps your need to eat more is your body craving recovery from your hard out work out sessions?
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
    elfin168 wrote: »
    I'm not sure if Im on the right track here but you are relatively new to working out = having been doing so 5 days a week High Intensity Cardio and Weight training and you are on a calorie deficit. I wonder if possibly your body is adjusting to the level of exercise you are doing and hence the less sleep - I also wonder if you are overdoing the exercise somewhat out of sheer enthusiasm? Perhaps your need to eat more is your body craving recovery from your hard out work out sessions?
    She is not in a calorie deficit. She is eating well above maintenance.
  • lesliezimmer
    lesliezimmer Posts: 85 Member
    aggelikik wrote: »
    elfin168 wrote: »
    I'm not sure if Im on the right track here but you are relatively new to working out = having been doing so 5 days a week High Intensity Cardio and Weight training and you are on a calorie deficit. I wonder if possibly your body is adjusting to the level of exercise you are doing and hence the less sleep - I also wonder if you are overdoing the exercise somewhat out of sheer enthusiasm? Perhaps your need to eat more is your body craving recovery from your hard out work out sessions?
    She is not in a calorie deficit. She is eating well above maintenance.

    Yeah but I do agree that when I tried eating below maintenance my brain & body went a little temporarily insane. I couldnt sleep and I felt like I had taken speed for two straight days, it was the strangest feeling. That's the only reason I went back to eating like I "usually" do
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    You need to get your calorie intake under control

    What's your activity level without your workouts? Do you work a desk job? You'll be sedentary

    If you're accurately logging 1700 there is no reason for your physical symptoms that you are attributing to dieting ...other potential causes?
  • lesliezimmer
    lesliezimmer Posts: 85 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    You need to get your calorie intake under control

    What's your activity level without your workouts? Do you work a desk job? You'll be sedentary

    If you're accurately logging 1700 there is no reason for your physical symptoms that you are attributing to dieting ...other potential causes?

    No, I'm a surgery assistant, so I'm standing or walking around the OR for 5-6 hours 3 days a week. Using a pedometer, I average 8,000 steps a day when I *don't* do exercise. Other than that I do woodworking at my home which requires a lot of lifting of wood planks and use of power tools and standing while I use them. Usually at the end of the day the bottoms of my feet are pretty sore if I don't wear good shoes!

    OH, and gardening. Not that that's super labor intensive, but I garden/pull weeds/transplant large plants often enough. I'm definitely not sedentary.

    When I get groceries I walk to the store, I have a bicycle which I use every now and then for longer trips.

    But, my weight gain DID happen while I had a desk job for 3.5 years. That's when 100% of my weight came on that I'm now trying to lose.
  • blueskydiver408
    blueskydiver408 Posts: 6 Member
    If you're struggling to eat 1700 cals, cut out the alcohol, and eat less calorie dense carbs like bread, beans and pasta. Ditch the honey. Eat more non starchy vegies, change to lower carb fruit. Perhaps consider using less whole eggs and add whites (only if you're over on fat by a lot - don't cut fat!)

    Double check all your entries to make sure they're accurate and make sure you're logging accurately. There's lots of entries for "one serve", "one cup" etc. which is fine if you're weighing out one serve or the weight of one cup.

    Magnesium is good for sleep issues...

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    You need to get your calorie intake under control

    What's your activity level without your workouts? Do you work a desk job? You'll be sedentary

    If you're accurately logging 1700 there is no reason for your physical symptoms that you are attributing to dieting ...other potential causes?

    No, I'm a surgery assistant, so I'm standing or walking around the OR for 5-6 hours 3 days a week. Using a pedometer, I average 8,000 steps a day when I *don't* do exercise. Other than that I do woodworking at my home which requires a lot of lifting of wood planks and use of power tools and standing while I use them. Usually at the end of the day the bottoms of my feet are pretty sore if I don't wear good shoes!

    OH, and gardening. Not that that's super labor intensive, but I garden/pull weeds/transplant large plants often enough. I'm definitely not sedentary.

    When I get groceries I walk to the store, I have a bicycle which I use every now and then for longer trips.

    But, my weight gain DID happen while I had a desk job for 3.5 years. That's when 100% of my weight came on that I'm now trying to lose.

    Cool so you're active

    You can't eat at maintenance and lose weight

    So what are you going to do?
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
    edited June 2015
    Why don't you try cutting a little at a time? Figure out your TDEE and cut 100 calories at a pop until you're down to your desired calorie range. You do get used to it, maybe you're just doing too much all at once.

    Definitely get rid of the alcohol. You're complaining of being hungry-why are you wasting calories on liquids? Or just have the occasional drink rather than daily.

    Lastly, play with your macros and food choices. Try multiple small meals. Try 3 big meals. Make the effort to figure out what works for you.
  • lesliezimmer
    lesliezimmer Posts: 85 Member
    slaite1 wrote: »
    Why don't you try cutting a little at a time? Figure out your TDEE and cut 100 calories at a pop until you're down to your desired calorie range. You do get used to it, maybe you're just doing too much all at once.

    Definitely get rid of the alcohol. You're complaining of being hungry-why are you wasting calories on liquids? Or just have the occasional drink rather than daily.

    Lastly, play with your macros and food choices. Try multiple small meals. Try 3 big meals. Make the effort to figure out what works for you.

    I like this idea. I feel like going from eating 2200 cals a day to 1700 all of a sudden my body was like "what are you doing to me?!" It was a weird feeling.

    Maybe if I do go down by 100 cals at a time, per week or every few days, I can "trick" my body into eating less and eventually get down to a good solid meal plan at 1700 cals!

    OH I also wanted to see if anyone here uses mason jars or small tupper ware and how successful that is or isn't. I agree with a previous comment that my issue is portion sizes and if I just had a pre-made portion size in the fridge in a box, I wouldn't necessarily have the issue of eating too much in one sitting. Okay. Now I just have to ACTUALLY DO IT!!!!

    And yeah... I know, alcohol has to go!

    I love how supportive everyone is around here!!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    OP - you just need to eat less. Maybe try to shoot for .5 pound per week loss and eat 1900 a week and see if you can do that…?

    Honestly, if you cannot earn to eat less then you are not going to get to where you want to be. Are you eating all your meals at once, or are you just logging everything as "breakfast"?? You may want to spread your calories out over the day so that you feel like you are eating more.
  • lesliezimmer
    lesliezimmer Posts: 85 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    OP - you just need to eat less. Maybe try to shoot for .5 pound per week loss and eat 1900 a week and see if you can do that…?

    Honestly, if you cannot earn to eat less then you are not going to get to where you want to be. Are you eating all your meals at once, or are you just logging everything as "breakfast"?? You may want to spread your calories out over the day so that you feel like you are eating more.

    Yeah, I like this idea a lot. I think if I shoot for minimal loss I will be happy to see results and not feeling super hungry.

    I also should probably split up my logging since I see how that can be confusing for an stranger trying to parse out what my diet is like! I normally eat 3-4 separate times a day.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    OP - you just need to eat less. Maybe try to shoot for .5 pound per week loss and eat 1900 a week and see if you can do that…?

    Honestly, if you cannot earn to eat less then you are not going to get to where you want to be. Are you eating all your meals at once, or are you just logging everything as "breakfast"?? You may want to spread your calories out over the day so that you feel like you are eating more.

    Yeah, I like this idea a lot. I think if I shoot for minimal loss I will be happy to see results and not feeling super hungry.

    I also should probably split up my logging since I see how that can be confusing for an stranger trying to parse out what my diet is like! I normally eat 3-4 separate times a day.

    my only other suggestion would be to eat more fats and vegetables as tend to fill you up for longer...
  • lesliezimmer
    lesliezimmer Posts: 85 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    OP - you just need to eat less. Maybe try to shoot for .5 pound per week loss and eat 1900 a week and see if you can do that…?

    Honestly, if you cannot earn to eat less then you are not going to get to where you want to be. Are you eating all your meals at once, or are you just logging everything as "breakfast"?? You may want to spread your calories out over the day so that you feel like you are eating more.

    Yeah, I like this idea a lot. I think if I shoot for minimal loss I will be happy to see results and not feeling super hungry.

    I also should probably split up my logging since I see how that can be confusing for an stranger trying to parse out what my diet is like! I normally eat 3-4 separate times a day.

    my only other suggestion would be to eat more fats and vegetables as tend to fill you up for longer...

    Yes! I'm trying hard on the veggie front. Fats, though, I eat full-fat yogurt and eggs, avocados when I can afford them... Nuts, but then I tend to overdo it and take handfuls and ruin the cal intake. I gotta get my portion sizes down so when I do eat fats-foods I'm not eating too much.

    I showed 6 months of my eating habits to a nutritionist once, and she asked me if I was a vegetarian. I'm not. I don't know why I tend to NOT eat meat, but I've been trying to eat more lately for obvious reasons.
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    OP - you just need to eat less. Maybe try to shoot for .5 pound per week loss and eat 1900 a week and see if you can do that…?

    Honestly, if you cannot earn to eat less then you are not going to get to where you want to be. Are you eating all your meals at once, or are you just logging everything as "breakfast"?? You may want to spread your calories out over the day so that you feel like you are eating more.

    Yeah, I like this idea a lot. I think if I shoot for minimal loss I will be happy to see results and not feeling super hungry.

    I also should probably split up my logging since I see how that can be confusing for an stranger trying to parse out what my diet is like! I normally eat 3-4 separate times a day.

    my only other suggestion would be to eat more fats and vegetables as tend to fill you up for longer...

    Yes! I'm trying hard on the veggie front. Fats, though, I eat full-fat yogurt and eggs, avocados when I can afford them... Nuts, but then I tend to overdo it and take handfuls and ruin the cal intake. I gotta get my portion sizes down so when I do eat fats-foods I'm not eating too much.

    I showed 6 months of my eating habits to a nutritionist once, and she asked me if I was a vegetarian. I'm not. I don't know why I tend to NOT eat meat, but I've been trying to eat more lately for obvious reasons.

    I personally wouldn't be striving for more meat if you tend to shy away from it. For me, what made lower calories really "stick" was eating what I wanted-within moderation.

    I try to have adequate protein (I don't eat meat much anymore) but I don't force extra when I am craving something else. I watch my macronutrients but I am not going to eat a piece of chicken when I am craving rice or chocolate and only have 150 calories left. It is all in the balance.