How To Reach Calorie Goal Without Bingeing?
amclain93
Posts: 64 Member
So I've noticed that on days when I exercise, I have an even harder time reaching my calorie goal than normal. My diary is open, so you can definitely see the correlation. It's not like I'm not eating any 'bad' foods, or skipping meals routinely, but except for days when I've eaten out, I'm rarely within 100 of my goal. Today, for example, my diary is basically complete except for any more water I drink, and maybe an antacid if the soup gives me heartburn, but I have 900+ calories leftover. I'm by no means an expert, but I'm pretty sure that's not a good thing! So my question is, what are some snacks that will give me the calories I need?
ETA: i may have reffered to calories as carbs... I'm ashamed.
ETA: i may have reffered to calories as carbs... I'm ashamed.
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Also i made a typo but the app has zero spell check of any kind which is super irritating so we're all just gonna have to make a group effort to ignore it.0
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You ate butter, bread, and soup today...literally just eat anything else. Your protein is low so you could have a couple eggs, or some greek yogurt, cottage cheese...0
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Well to be specific, i had french toast and garlic bread, lol. I used today mostly just as an example of a more widespread issue ive been having, which is undereating on days when i exercise. I exercise and i feel good, so i want to keep feeling good so I'm more satisfied with healthier (in comparison) foods, so I'm not hungry enough to do anything with those leftover calories. Really i just need to find a way to do this in reverse, and eat more on exercise days, and less on lazy days.0
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Could you eat twice as much soup (etc)? (one cup of soup is such a small amount for a meal!) A handful of pumpkin seeds? An apple with peanut butter? (Are you sure you're only eating one cup of soup? Like, half a mug full?) I know what you mean about being less hungry on work out days. Over time I think that will even out for you. In my (totally untrained) opinion, it's okay to go over some days and under on others. Anyway. Eat more soup.0
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What you are describing is not a "healthy" (whatever that means) attitude to food either. I'm sure you can physically eat more, or you wouldn't try to lose weight. If you starve yourself like this you may give up much sooner than if you ate what your body needs and keep you deficit low. Just add some higher calorie, nutrient dense foods to get close to your target, the goal isn't to lose the weight super fast but to learn better habits for the future.0
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kirstenb13 wrote: »What you are describing is not a "healthy" (whatever that means) attitude to food either. I'm sure you can physically eat more, or you wouldn't try to lose weight. If you starve yourself like this you may give up much sooner than if you ate what your body needs and keep you deficit low. Just add some higher calorie, nutrient dense foods to get close to your target, the goal isn't to lose the weight super fast but to learn better habits for the future.
I know it's not healthy? That's literally why I made this post, because it's not healthy and I wasn't sure what exactly those high calorie nutrient dense foods you mentioned are. I'm not going 'woo hoo, I only ate 800 calories and worked off half of those' or anything, I'm saying what i did, and tend to do, and looking for ways to prevent it from happening in the future.0 -
samwiserabbit wrote: »Could you eat twice as much soup (etc)? (one cup of soup is such a small amount for a meal!) A handful of pumpkin seeds? An apple with peanut butter? (Are you sure you're only eating one cup of soup? Like, half a mug full?) I know what you mean about being less hungry on work out days. Over time I think that will even out for you. In my (totally untrained) opinion, it's okay to go over some days and under on others. Anyway. Eat more soup.
Well, in my defense, it was supposed to be two cups, but i am obsessed with this soup so i ate half of it for lunch, lol. I added a banana and mimi muffin for dessert. Only brought me up from 900 to 700, but i don't generally do a lot of night eating so it'll have to do for today!0 -
So. You have lots more calories to go at the end of your day. If you want to lose 1-2 lbs/week, you can eat a bit more. I eat a couple eggs every morning with a bit of spinach and feta. You could change that to some peppers and/or black beans according to your taste. Maybe a green salad with some tuna or turkey for lunch. Salmon, turkey, chicken breast, or lean beef with lots of veggies for dinner. It is not hard, just find some good recipes. Please be careful that you eat enough calories so your skin and hair don't get all yucky (technical term).0
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Anything, at this point. Peanut butter. Avocado. A protein shake. All of the above.0
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I am wondering, 1- how much are you trying to lose? 2- are you aiming for calorie restriction or to eat healthier? (Btw, check the calories when you log things, I saw one day that it said 1/4 cup of syrup was 210 calories which I can guarantee you it was not)
I would try to eat healthier meals. I'm actually surprised your not hungry looking at your diary. Let's say your goal is 1250 a day. Maybe try to come up with a calorie scheme for the meals. Like 300 each breakfast and lunch, 400 for dinner and 2/125 calorie snacks or something like that. It's usually easier to eat the same things a few days at a time so it's not as much work.
What kinds of foods do you like? Do you like hot or cold breakfasts? Things you can buy or things you have to make? In looking at what other people eat, do you see anything that catches your eye? Do you want meal ideas? Do you not understand what healthy foods are? I'd love to help you in any way I can. Feel free to look at my diary. I've only been back at this for a week and although I didn't do the right thing for a long time, I know a lot.0 -
melissa6771 wrote: »I am wondering, 1- how much are you trying to lose? 2- are you aiming for calorie restriction or to eat healthier? (Btw, check the calories when you log things, I saw one day that it said 1/4 cup of syrup was 210 calories which I can guarantee you it was not)
I would try to eat healthier meals. I'm actually surprised your not hungry looking at your diary. Let's say your goal is 1250 a day. Maybe try to come up with a calorie scheme for the meals. Like 300 each breakfast and lunch, 400 for dinner and 2/125 calorie snacks or something like that. It's usually easier to eat the same things a few days at a time so it's not as much work.
What kinds of foods do you like? Do you like hot or cold breakfasts? Things you can buy or things you have to make? In looking at what other people eat, do you see anything that catches your eye? Do you want meal ideas? Do you not understand what healthy foods are? I'd love to help you in any way I can. Feel free to look at my diary. I've only been back at this for a week and although I didn't do the right thing for a long time, I know a lot.
What is so unhealthy about what she ate? She has plenty of room calorie wise to hit her other macros and micros. What a question..."Do you not understand what healthy foods are?" Ugh.0 -
My biggest problem with weight loss is not eating enough. Go figure! I also struggle to get in my calories and feel like I eat all day long. I am so full by 6pm after dinner and usually find I have 300-500 calories left over. Not getting close to your calories makes your body panic and will store the fat (so says weight watchers). Try to get within 100 calories of your goal. Peanut butter has protein which is a bonus, as does tuna fish, and nuts. When I fall short I will just east a tablespoon of peanut butter, yogurt, fiber one bar or some fruit. Pay attention when you log your foods which ones are high in fats and avoid those for snacks. It is a lot of trial and error to find the right foods that you like that are also healthy. YOU CAN DO THIS!0
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Just google nutrient dense foods. There are literally more lists then you could ever work through in your life... Pick one and go shopping.0
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arditarose wrote: »melissa6771 wrote: »I am wondering, 1- how much are you trying to lose? 2- are you aiming for calorie restriction or to eat healthier? (Btw, check the calories when you log things, I saw one day that it said 1/4 cup of syrup was 210 calories which I can guarantee you it was not)
I would try to eat healthier meals. I'm actually surprised your not hungry looking at your diary. Let's say your goal is 1250 a day. Maybe try to come up with a calorie scheme for the meals. Like 300 each breakfast and lunch, 400 for dinner and 2/125 calorie snacks or something like that. It's usually easier to eat the same things a few days at a time so it's not as much work.
What kinds of foods do you like? Do you like hot or cold breakfasts? Things you can buy or things you have to make? In looking at what other people eat, do you see anything that catches your eye? Do you want meal ideas? Do you not understand what healthy foods are? I'd love to help you in any way I can. Feel free to look at my diary. I've only been back at this for a week and although I didn't do the right thing for a long time, I know a lot.
What is so unhealthy about what she ate? She has plenty of room calorie wise to hit her other macros and micros. What a question..."Do you not understand what healthy foods are?" Ugh.
What a question? She literally said in a previous post that she didn't know what the high calorie nutrient dense foods were. That's why I asked her. To help her if she doesn't know. Not to be rude. Geez...
And she might have calories but chips, and mini muffins, syrups, hot dogs, Panda Express, apple fritters, Taco Bell, chicken and waffles, corn dogs, french fries, McDonald's, are not healthy foods. Maybe she needs some help and that's why she asked for it. I asked all those things to better understand her and what she wants. No need to jump all over me with your ugh comment.
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melissa6771 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »melissa6771 wrote: »I am wondering, 1- how much are you trying to lose? 2- are you aiming for calorie restriction or to eat healthier? (Btw, check the calories when you log things, I saw one day that it said 1/4 cup of syrup was 210 calories which I can guarantee you it was not)
I would try to eat healthier meals. I'm actually surprised your not hungry looking at your diary. Let's say your goal is 1250 a day. Maybe try to come up with a calorie scheme for the meals. Like 300 each breakfast and lunch, 400 for dinner and 2/125 calorie snacks or something like that. It's usually easier to eat the same things a few days at a time so it's not as much work.
What kinds of foods do you like? Do you like hot or cold breakfasts? Things you can buy or things you have to make? In looking at what other people eat, do you see anything that catches your eye? Do you want meal ideas? Do you not understand what healthy foods are? I'd love to help you in any way I can. Feel free to look at my diary. I've only been back at this for a week and although I didn't do the right thing for a long time, I know a lot.
What is so unhealthy about what she ate? She has plenty of room calorie wise to hit her other macros and micros. What a question..."Do you not understand what healthy foods are?" Ugh.
What a question? She literally said in a previous post that she didn't know what the high calorie nutrient dense foods were. That's why I asked her. To help her if she doesn't know. Not to be rude. Geez...
And she might have calories but chips, and mini muffins, syrups, hot dogs, Panda Express, apple fritters, Taco Bell, chicken and waffles, corn dogs, french fries, McDonald's, are not healthy foods. Maybe she needs some help and that's why she asked for it. I asked all those things to better understand her and what she wants. No need to jump all over me with your ugh comment.
Her question in this thread was how to get more calories in her diet. Not whether her diet was healthy or not.0 -
Whether or not MFP considers you to have met your calorie goal or not has a lot to do with how your activity level is set. Are you losing too much weight? If so, then you probably have your activity level set about right and really do need more calories. If you are gaining or maintaining, however, and your goal is to lose, then you may want to consider whether your activity level is set correctly. Don't ask me how one determinse activity level accurately though. MFP has its own guidelines for that but it still seems to be a largely subjective determination. If your weight is where you want it to be and you feel great, then, yes just improve the quality of your calories by making the good choices people, MFP and www are guiding you to.0
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arditarose wrote: »melissa6771 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »melissa6771 wrote: »I am wondering, 1- how much are you trying to lose? 2- are you aiming for calorie restriction or to eat healthier? (Btw, check the calories when you log things, I saw one day that it said 1/4 cup of syrup was 210 calories which I can guarantee you it was not)
I would try to eat healthier meals. I'm actually surprised your not hungry looking at your diary. Let's say your goal is 1250 a day. Maybe try to come up with a calorie scheme for the meals. Like 300 each breakfast and lunch, 400 for dinner and 2/125 calorie snacks or something like that. It's usually easier to eat the same things a few days at a time so it's not as much work.
What kinds of foods do you like? Do you like hot or cold breakfasts? Things you can buy or things you have to make? In looking at what other people eat, do you see anything that catches your eye? Do you want meal ideas? Do you not understand what healthy foods are? I'd love to help you in any way I can. Feel free to look at my diary. I've only been back at this for a week and although I didn't do the right thing for a long time, I know a lot.
What is so unhealthy about what she ate? She has plenty of room calorie wise to hit her other macros and micros. What a question..."Do you not understand what healthy foods are?" Ugh.
What a question? She literally said in a previous post that she didn't know what the high calorie nutrient dense foods were. That's why I asked her. To help her if she doesn't know. Not to be rude. Geez...
And she might have calories but chips, and mini muffins, syrups, hot dogs, Panda Express, apple fritters, Taco Bell, chicken and waffles, corn dogs, french fries, McDonald's, are not healthy foods. Maybe she needs some help and that's why she asked for it. I asked all those things to better understand her and what she wants. No need to jump all over me with your ugh comment.
Her question in this thread was how to get more calories in her diet. Not whether her diet was healthy or not.
I was going by what she said there, her diary, and her follow up posts, mentioning that she didn't know that about the nutrient dense foods. Maybe eating the junk food was making her bloated and full so she didn't feel like eating more. Maybe a healthier diet would allow her to eat more calories and feel satisfied. Maybe she exercises late and doesn't feel hungry then. If it were as simple as adding calories, then that's easy, eat more.
Why don't you let her speak for herself. Just looking to argue with me? If so, please don't. I'm certainly not here for that. If what I asked bothers her, she will let me know.0 -
I'm just curious about something... Do you consider yourself an emotional eater? Do you tend to eat more because you are bored or stressed out when you don't workout? I would look at that first then look at the types of foods you are consuming. Adding more protein and fat to your diet will help you stay satisfied longer. Try eating ever 2-3 hours so your metabolism is constantly burning. Keep your snacks between 100-200 calories. You are more than welcome to add me for help if you'd like.0
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OP, you don't have to "binge" to eat 1,500 calories in a day, not by a long shot. As someone else said, you could eat pretty much anything in perfectly reasonable portions to get more calories: chicken, eggs, roasted veggies, yogurt, peanut butter, fish, some pasta with marinara sauce, a Hot Pocket, a banana, a ham & cheese sandwich. Why am I mentioning these? Because I've eaten all of that in the last two days! Unless you are super short/small and sedentary, you should be eating at least 1,200 calories.
But the real question is - How many lbs are you losing per week? If you are losing faster than you should, you need to eat more to fuel your body and ensure you won't lose a lot of muscle and put your health at risk. If you aren't losing or are losing on schedule, you may have logging accuracy issues and are eating more than you think.0 -
melissa6771 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »melissa6771 wrote: »I am wondering, 1- how much are you trying to lose? 2- are you aiming for calorie restriction or to eat healthier? (Btw, check the calories when you log things, I saw one day that it said 1/4 cup of syrup was 210 calories which I can guarantee you it was not)
I would try to eat healthier meals. I'm actually surprised your not hungry looking at your diary. Let's say your goal is 1250 a day. Maybe try to come up with a calorie scheme for the meals. Like 300 each breakfast and lunch, 400 for dinner and 2/125 calorie snacks or something like that. It's usually easier to eat the same things a few days at a time so it's not as much work.
What kinds of foods do you like? Do you like hot or cold breakfasts? Things you can buy or things you have to make? In looking at what other people eat, do you see anything that catches your eye? Do you want meal ideas? Do you not understand what healthy foods are? I'd love to help you in any way I can. Feel free to look at my diary. I've only been back at this for a week and although I didn't do the right thing for a long time, I know a lot.
What is so unhealthy about what she ate? She has plenty of room calorie wise to hit her other macros and micros. What a question..."Do you not understand what healthy foods are?" Ugh.
What a question? She literally said in a previous post that she didn't know what the high calorie nutrient dense foods were. That's why I asked her. To help her if she doesn't know. Not to be rude. Geez...
And she might have calories but chips, and mini muffins, syrups, hot dogs, Panda Express, apple fritters, Taco Bell, chicken and waffles, corn dogs, french fries, McDonald's, are not healthy foods. Maybe she needs some help and that's why she asked for it. I asked all those things to better understand her and what she wants. No need to jump all over me with your ugh comment.
Context is important. There is no reason that the foods you listed cannot fit into someone's day and that person still lose weight.. Probably not all at once, but they can all be incorporated0 -
janellsosajs wrote: »I'm just curious about something... Do you consider yourself an emotional eater? Do you tend to eat more because you are bored or stressed out when you don't workout? I would look at that first then look at the types of foods you are consuming. Adding more protein and fat to your diet will help you stay satisfied longer. Try eating ever 2-3 hours so your metabolism is constantly burning. Keep your snacks between 100-200 calories. You are more than welcome to add me for help if you'd like.
I actually tend to not eat at all when I'm emotional. I've always been prone to eating disorders (had to fulfill that anorexic cheerleader stereotype, after all), and the one habit i can't seem to shake is not eating as a form of self punishment. It's not even like a conscious thought in my mind, but i can guarantee that every low calorie day in my diary something happened to make me sad or mad or nervous. But that's a whole other can of cats that no one wants to open!
I've tried the small meals approach, but I'm a full time college student, with the budget and free time that come standard. In a perfect world that would be my preferred method of eating, but between a grocery budget of 100 bucks a month for a family of four and a full week of classes with a combined total of 45 minutes between said classes, and a backpack with no room to spare for snacks, it's just not a realistic plan, lol.0 -
Really though, all I was looking for were some ideas for calorie dense foods. I tried searching pinterest and it was all fancy crap that I've never heard of on toast made from fancy bread that i could never afford.0
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janellsosajs wrote: »I'm just curious about something... Do you consider yourself an emotional eater? Do you tend to eat more because you are bored or stressed out when you don't workout? I would look at that first then look at the types of foods you are consuming. Adding more protein and fat to your diet will help you stay satisfied longer. Try eating ever 2-3 hours so your metabolism is constantly burning. Keep your snacks between 100-200 calories. You are more than welcome to add me for help if you'd like.
I actually tend to not eat at all when I'm emotional. I've always been prone to eating disorders (had to fulfill that anorexic cheerleader stereotype, after all), and the one habit i can't seem to shake is not eating as a form of self punishment. It's not even like a conscious thought in my mind, but i can guarantee that every low calorie day in my diary something happened to make me sad or mad or nervous. But that's a whole other can of cats that no one wants to open!
I've tried the small meals approach, but I'm a full time college student, with the budget and free time that come standard. In a perfect world that would be my preferred method of eating, but between a grocery budget of 100 bucks a month for a family of four and a full week of classes with a combined total of 45 minutes between said classes, and a backpack with no room to spare for snacks, it's just not a realistic plan, lol.
Well I am a single mother, full-time worker, part-time student (3 classes, only one online), and I spend about the same amount on groceries, so it's definitely doable. I buy in bulk and when meat is at a reduced price, prepare my meals ahead of time, and snack on fresh fruit like apples and bananas, nuts, protein shakes, sunchips, basically whatever I can afford and want. It still sounds like you have a bad relationship with food. Food should never be seen as a punishment it is something your body needs to survive. Not eating will slowly hurt you. Have you received some help for your eating disorder? I know on my campus there are nutritional classes plus the gym usually has people that are training to be personal trainers that study kinesiology and recruit people as an internship.0 -
Are you weighing your foods to know that the calories you're logging are accurate? For me, when I can't weigh foods (or chose not to...) I figure in about a 15% margin for error. Because after weighing my food for a year, I still make mistakes. You could be closer to your calorie goal than you think.
In regards to being busy, pack fruits, veggies and (measured) nuts for your snacks. Everything is portable if you get crafty enough!0 -
Really i just need to find a way to do this in reverse, and eat more on exercise days, and less on lazy days.
I think there's an issue with equating feeling good and not eating, perhaps, but this part of the issue is easy to solve. Average your workouts over the week, and pick a consistent goal -- that way you can eat more on off days and not worry about eating all your extra calories on the workout days.
I don't like to eat more on workout days and less on off days, so I eat 1700 or so every day.
(It's not at all hard for me to get to 1700, though.)0 -
kirstenb13 wrote: »What you are describing is not a "healthy" (whatever that means) attitude to food either. I'm sure you can physically eat more, or you wouldn't try to lose weight. If you starve yourself like this you may give up much sooner than if you ate what your body needs and keep you deficit low. Just add some higher calorie, nutrient dense foods to get close to your target, the goal isn't to lose the weight super fast but to learn better habits for the future.
I know it's not healthy? That's literally why I made this post, because it's not healthy and I wasn't sure what exactly those high calorie nutrient dense foods you mentioned are. I'm not going 'woo hoo, I only ate 800 calories and worked off half of those' or anything, I'm saying what i did, and tend to do, and looking for ways to prevent it from happening in the future.
Maybe it's helpful to think of the nutrient goals (carbs, fat, protein) as goals, and not simply part of the calorie limit? In particular, try to reach the protein goal. If you eat meat, meat is a way to do it, otherwise, dairy, eggs, beans and lentils, soy. Nuts and seeds and avocado are healthy sources of fat, and fat is calorie dense, and that would include any nut butters. Adding olives or cheese or a dressing with olive oil to a salad. Some fruits are an easy way to add some calories. (I can't see your diary right now, because the site said maintenance required, who knows why.)0 -
Really though, all I was looking for were some ideas for calorie dense foods. I tried searching pinterest and it was all fancy crap that I've never heard of on toast made from fancy bread that i could never afford.
Did you try the stickied "must reads" post at the top of the Food and Nutrition board? There's some good information there. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods0 -
Hey, I just wanted to check in on you. Seems you haven't logged anything pretty much since the last time you wrote here. How are you doing?0
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