Giving myself more calories to play with

beautifulsparkles · April 2016

How do you increase the calories you burn? and eat more with less calories? I have given up things like bread, rice and cous cous because I felt like they weren't fulling enough. I miss that stuff sometimes though. I like my food to have a lot of flavour. If I am anywhere near the kitchen, I am constantly eating. I don't feel like I am ready to lose weight. I feel like if I make lots of little changes, maybe they will increase how many calories I have left over so I can eat more, like having cauliflower rice instead of regular rice.

I haven't lost weight for a while because I just want to eat all the time and the food I want to eat has too many calories. I replaced rice with cous cous then quinoa but found that it still had too many calories and was still technically a pasta, so not the best option for me.

I was thinking I should try and spend as much time away from the house as possible, try doing some fun exercise every day instead of things that are just for results rather than what brings me joy, having a low calorie vegetable broth in between meals or before snacks to fill my stomach and replace products with lower calorie versions, like I have considered using a non dairy milk product, then watering it down by half in my cup of tea. I thought I could have a simple and nutritious breakfast and lunch, then have something I really want for my evening meal so I don't feel deprived. I have considered intermittent fasting, trying protein powder again, eating egg whites or trying an appetite suppressant. I have thought about getting a scooter, drinking sparkling water and decaf tea.

I wake up most days or get to a point where I would rather eat certain foods than be slim. It's pretty bad.

Will these things work?

alyssa0061 · April 2016

Did you not like the responses on the other thread(s) you started? Are you hoping to get different answers?

You said you don't feel like you are ready to lose weight.

There's not anything anyone here can say that will change that.

beautifulsparkles · April 2016

alyssa0061 wrote: »

Did you not like the responses on the other thread(s) you started? Are you hoping to get different answers?

You said you don't feel like you are ready to lose weight.

There's not anything anyone here can say that will change that.

I'm sorry, is there a rule saying I can only start one thread a year? I love the replies on the other threads, I will respond when ready.

It must be wonderful to never need help from other people. Makes me wonder why you need the forums.

Francl27 · April 2016

You can't 'eat more with less calories'. You can increase your activity though to increase your TDEE so you can eat more.

My advice though is that if you really want some pasta... have some pasta. Seriously. I'm way less likely to resort to snacking if I have satisfying meals... and if I really want something specific, it will be much more satisfying to me. A couple days ago I had lasagna and sweet and sour chicken with rice, for example. I was satisfied and still managed to stick to my goal (1800). If I had eaten chicken breast with cauliflower rice instead when I really wanted pasta, I would have been more likely to go for the cookies or chocolate to find that 'satisfaction'.

Then the next day we still had both, but I didn't really want them that much anymore, so I had a ground beef patty with veggies instead, and it was fine.

The key for me really is to make my meals as satisfying as possible. And if I want a treat, I plan for it, have a lower calorie breakfast and dinner, and make it fit... For me though, I make lunch my main meal, as if it has more calories, I'll be less likely to be hungry in the afternoon and end up over my calorie goal, but we're all different.

What's important too is to pick a goal you are comfortable with. If you're miserable at 1300 calories or whatever, just decrease your goal to losing 1 pound a week... I NEVER ate under 1650, and I lost 80 pounds. I did however make sure to walk at least an hour a day (plus other things).

beautifulsparkles · April 2016

@Francl27 I guess I mean a bigger volume of food? I don't always word things well.

arditarose · April 2016

Of course you can eat more with less calories. Volumetrics. Eat lean cuts of meat, low fat dairy, hundreds and HUNDREDS of grams of veg. You've going to have to watch your fat levels so make sure you add in some avocado and olive oil once in awhile, or whatever you like to get fats in.

I'm a fan of the shirataki noodle which has basically no calories (5 per serving). I eat them whether I'm losing, maintaining or gaining.

Francl27 · April 2016

beautifulsparkles wrote: »

@Francl27 I guess I mean a bigger volume of food? I don't always word things well.

Veggies are your friend for volume! But I'm honestly often more satisfied nowadays with a smaller portions of foods with more fat/protein/fiber than s huge plate of veggies.

cajuntank · April 2016

To increase the calories you burn, you have to be more active. Whatever that might entail for YOU that YOU enjoy doing.

To eat more with less calories will involve food choice. So for example, think about trying to eat 100 grams of broccoli or greens compared to eating 100 grams of cooked rice. The broccoli or greens will be more food volume in your stomach and less calories compared to the rice.

Do not give up the foods you love (unless there is a health issue that justifies it), just learn to incorporate smaller portions into your meals. If you tell someone they cannot have something, the brain tends to work against you and cause cravings for that food item. Eating the food you like let's you not feel deprived, thus you won't have those cravings.

Intermittent Fasting (IF), protein powder, etc... Are just tools that "might" help along the way. IF is just a diet protocol that some people find they better adhere to as they can go long stretches of not eating and save all their calories for larger meals. It still has to create a caloric deficit at the end of the day just like eating more frequent meals. Protein powder is fine if you are not meeting your daily protein need through other food choices (meat and veg.). Appetite suppressants are typically just expensive marketing for higher dose of caffeine (and I am not advocating the use of these products). Nothing wrong with caffeine, but you can refer back to food volume I mentioned to help with appetite. Also, when hunger is really tough, don't go with highly palatable food choices. So for example, how much plain baked potato can you eat compared to same baked potato with added condiments that make it more tasty. Try eating 100 grams of plain Greek yogurt with no added flavorings, you will be tired of eating it after a few spoonfuls

Sorry if post comes across a little fast and loose. Was trying to relay pertinent info without getting to "wordy"

beautifulsparkles · April 2016

@arditarose I love it when you comment on my posts, you seem to know what you are doing. I think you are amazing!

arditarose · April 2016

beautifulsparkles wrote: »

@arditarose I love it when you comment on my posts, you seem to know what you are doing. I think you are amazing!

lol. Well sometimes I think I know what's best for me, and if others seem like they want to try it I'll help. But then I learn I might not even know what's best for me. I changed my diet up this week actually by upping my fats and my love for volumetrics is taking a bit of a hit

MommyL2015 · April 2016

Play with your food and find ways to make it more satisfying without adding a ton more calories. Here are two of my tricks:

I recently discovered a veggie spiralizer and what I've been doing, because I love a heaping plate of spaghetti, is cooking one regular serving of pasta and filling in the rest with the zucchini noodles which you can have a butt ton of with very little calories and a plate of that usually stuffs me full.

When you spiralize the zucchini, boil some water and put it in for only about 30 seconds and then take it out and then just mix it in with your regular pasta. This way you're still getting the flavor and texture of the pasta, but you're getting a whole lot more for the calories. A normal plate of spaghetti would run me, with the sauce, about 800 calories because I can eat 3 servings of pasta easily. Now, I can have the same volume for around half the calories. My sauce is simple, consisting of ground beef with either jarred sauce or my own, so a 6-oz serving of that is about 200 calories. A single serving of pasta is 200 calories, and a heaping mound of zucchini noodles is around 50 calories.

Another one I use almost daily:

I love hot cereal, especially cream of wheat, so I discovered a way to make double the amount in my bowl for the same amount of calories by adding glucomannan powder to the pot as I cook it. One serving requires 1 cup of water, but I can get two cups worth by adding the fiber to it to absorb the extra water and have the same consistency as the cereal with no extra calories. I get a nice, satisfying bowl of hot cereal at night right before bed for about 160 calories, after I add milk.

I don't like being hungry, so use the morning when I'm naturally not hungry and don't eat and then at night, when the appetite monster comes out, that's when I implement these tricks because I seriously have a bottomless pit for a stomach sometimes.

beautifulsparkles · April 2016

arditarose wrote: »

beautifulsparkles wrote: »

@arditarose I love it when you comment on my posts, you seem to know what you are doing. I think you are amazing!

lol. Well sometimes I think I know what's best for me, and if others seem like they want to try it I'll help. But then I learn I might not even know what's best for me. I changed my diet up this week actually by upping my fats and my love for volumetrics is taking a bit of a hit

I would like to try volumetrics, but I can't afford to use lots of egg whites, it's about $4 for 12 eggs and I only spend $50 a week on groceries. It's one of the reasons I started a thread asking about shrinking my appetite.

MommyL2015 · April 2016

I've been using this site for a year now, and I have found that after a few months of lower calories, I can't eat as much as I used to and I can get full faster on less, so I don't know if you can physically shrink your stomach or not but I think you can retrain your brain.

benzieboxx · April 2016

If you're not ready to lose weight then don't stress yourself out so much about it. It's okay to feel like you're not ready to commit to a lifestyle change like this. I mean wouldn't you feel worst if you lost the weight but then gained it all back plus some?

Maybe instead of making LOTS of little changes just make one or two small changes. Sometimes we can get overwhelmed when we're changing too many things about ourselves and it's hard to focus on the end goal. I think what's helped me the most is I make really small goals and some of them aren't weight related. Just last week I reached goal #2: Log into MFP for 100 days! I was so happy.

As far as your diet goes, is there a reason you're cutting out so many things you love? If it's a matter of willpower just know that by cutting these things out you're not teaching yourself how to say no or how to eat smaller portions. You're just setting yourself up to crave and binge later. That's how I was.

beautifulsparkles · April 2016

benzieboxx wrote: »

If you're not ready to lose weight then don't stress yourself out so much about it. It's okay to feel like you're not ready to commit to a lifestyle change like this. I mean wouldn't you feel worst if you lost the weight but then gained it all back plus some?

Maybe instead of making LOTS of little changes just make one or two small changes. Sometimes we can get overwhelmed when we're changing too many things about ourselves and it's hard to focus on the end goal. I think what's helped me the most is I make really small goals and some of them aren't weight related. Just last week I reached goal #2: Log into MFP for 100 days! I was so happy.

As far as your diet goes, is there a reason you're cutting out so many things you love? If it's a matter of willpower just know that by cutting these things out you're not teaching yourself how to say no or how to eat smaller portions. You're just setting yourself up to crave and binge later. That's how I was.

I feel like some foods aren't worth the calories and I'm trying to eat healthy. I still eat chocolate. I try not to eat most bread, flour, sugar, rice, potatoes, bananas (this is new, they are too sweet), chips, corn and milk. I want my food to have nutritional value. Sometimes I treat myself or binge, I eat KFC more than I should and like eating salt and vinegar rice crackers. I used to have rice crackers a few times a week, but now I have something as a base with lemon on top, and I enjoy it even more. I have low calorie bread but not regular or white bread. I think my diet would be pretty good if I didn't binge so often. I think the problem is, when you take things out of your diet, you need something to replace it with. I could eat rice or pasta but I would want 4x the recommended portion. I could make burgers at home with lettuce instead of bread, but I feel like the bread seals it together and makes it feel complete. I don't know, I'm weird like that.

benzieboxx · April 2016

I

beautifulsparkles wrote: »

I don't know, I'm weird like that.

I wouldn't say it's weird. I'd say you're reacting exactly how someone would on a restrictive diet like yours. It sounds like, and I'm sorry if I'm overstepping here, you don't have a very healthy relationship with food. Especially carby or starchy foods. It's okay to cut back but when you're restricting yourself and failing you need to re-evaluate what's going on. This route is obviously not working for you. There's no magic solution to this. Start exercising willpower because I can tell you it doesn't get any easier down the road when you're being so restrictive about things.

beautifulsparkles · April 2016

benzieboxx wrote: »

I

beautifulsparkles wrote: »

I don't know, I'm weird like that.

I wouldn't say it's weird. I'd say you're reacting exactly how someone would on a restrictive diet like yours. It sounds like, and I'm sorry if I'm overstepping here, you don't have a very healthy relationship with food. Especially carby or starchy foods. It's okay to cut back but when you're restricting yourself and failing you need to re-evaluate what's going on. This route is obviously not working for you. There's no magic solution to this. Start exercising willpower because I can tell you it doesn't get any easier down the road when you're being so restrictive about things.

That's fair enough. I just want my food to have nutritional value and be worth the calories, like I would rather have a hard boiled egg than a regular piece of bread. I do miss those foods though. If I include them in my diet, I get really hungry because I can't eat as much volume.

capaul42 · April 2016

I try not to cut out any foods I like. I don't eat as much of them but I do still have them. Like bread. I have cut most bread out of my diet but still have toast 1-2x a week with breakfast or the occasional toasted tuna sandwich. I make my own pizza so it's not as unhealthy as take out. I still eat chips, sometimes I need the extra sodium and it beats drinking salt water lol.

benzieboxx · April 2016

beautifulsparkles wrote: »

That's fair enough. I just want my food to have nutritional value and be worth the calories, like I would rather have a hard boiled egg than a regular piece of bread. I do miss those foods though. If I include them in my diet, I get really hungry because I can't eat as much volume.

That's definitely a great step in the direction of nutrition. I know what you mean about making healthier choices, but for me cutting things out never works. At that point I'm not really making a healthy choice, I'm avoiding the issue. Which is kind of what helped me gain 50+ pounds in my life. Not facing the real tasks at hand.

RoxieDawn · April 2016

benzieboxx wrote: »

I

beautifulsparkles wrote: »

I don't know, I'm weird like that.

I wouldn't say it's weird. I'd say you're reacting exactly how someone would on a restrictive diet like yours. It sounds like, and I'm sorry if I'm overstepping here, you don't have a very healthy relationship with food. Especially carby or starchy foods. It's okay to cut back but when you're restricting yourself and failing you need to re-evaluate what's going on. This route is obviously not working for you. There's no magic solution to this. Start exercising willpower because I can tell you it doesn't get any easier down the road when you're being so restrictive about things.

There is a double standard in OP's posts. Such as I like to binge, I eat KFC, etc... Priorities are not set right and the money being spent on KFC and binging foods can be redirected into more volumes of foods as described. Also a carton of egg whites is a bit cheaper than a whole dozen eggs and goes A long way and certainly a high protein and certainly will cure some saiety.

Don't cut the treats like chocolate every once in a while, or even daily (small bit) but use the rest of the money you have to buy the things you want to acheive in your diet, which I see is not being done very constructively.

rankinsect · April 2016

If you want to burn more calories, really there are two things you can do:

1. Increase your body mass. Muscle would obviously be preferred to fat, here.
2. Be more active in general. If you have a desk job, try a standing desk, take walks on your breaks, get involved in a sport or outdoor activity. On a full day hike, you might need 3,000-5,000 extra calories depending on weight and terrain - of course the downside is you're eating only what you can bring in a backpack.

beautifulsparkles · April 2016

rankinsect wrote: »

If you want to burn more calories, really there are two things you can do:

1. Increase your body mass. Muscle would obviously be preferred to fat, here.
2. Be more active in general. If you have a desk job, try a standing desk, take walks on your breaks, get involved in a sport or outdoor activity. On a full day hike, you might need 3,000-5,000 extra calories depending on weight and terrain - of course the downside is you're eating only what you can bring in a backpack.

It's a nice thought, but I don't think it would be possible for me to burn 5000 calories in a day.

beautifulsparkles · April 2016

RoxieDawn wrote: »

benzieboxx wrote: »

I

beautifulsparkles wrote: »

I don't know, I'm weird like that.

I wouldn't say it's weird. I'd say you're reacting exactly how someone would on a restrictive diet like yours. It sounds like, and I'm sorry if I'm overstepping here, you don't have a very healthy relationship with food. Especially carby or starchy foods. It's okay to cut back but when you're restricting yourself and failing you need to re-evaluate what's going on. This route is obviously not working for you. There's no magic solution to this. Start exercising willpower because I can tell you it doesn't get any easier down the road when you're being so restrictive about things.

There is a double standard in OP's posts. Such as I like to binge, I eat KFC, etc... Priorities are not set right and the money being spent on KFC and binging foods can be redirected into more volumes of foods as described. Also a carton of egg whites is a bit cheaper than a whole dozen eggs and goes A long way and certainly a high protein and certainly will cure some saiety.

Don't cut the treats like chocolate every once in a while, or even daily (small bit) but use the rest of the money you have to buy the things you want to acheive in your diet, which I see is not being done very constructively.

I know, I'm trying to fix it, no one likes binging its disordered eating, I never claimed to be perfect. I'm trying to see if making those small changes I suggested will fix my calorie problem.

Francl27 · April 2016

You're binging because you're restricting too much.

beautifulsparkles · April 2016

Francl27 wrote: »

You're binging because you're restricting too much.

Am I? I feel like I'm always hungry, or craving something in particular. I should probably have mentioned, I am on mood stabilisers which supposingly cause hunger/weight gain. (Epilium, if anyone is interested).

I avoid white carbs because I feel like they won't be that filling.

lorrpb · April 2016

beautifulsparkles wrote: »

RoxieDawn wrote: »

benzieboxx wrote: »

I

beautifulsparkles wrote: »

I don't know, I'm weird like that.

I wouldn't say it's weird. I'd say you're reacting exactly how someone would on a restrictive diet like yours. It sounds like, and I'm sorry if I'm overstepping here, you don't have a very healthy relationship with food. Especially carby or starchy foods. It's okay to cut back but when you're restricting yourself and failing you need to re-evaluate what's going on. This route is obviously not working for you. There's no magic solution to this. Start exercising willpower because I can tell you it doesn't get any easier down the road when you're being so restrictive about things.

There is a double standard in OP's posts. Such as I like to binge, I eat KFC, etc... Priorities are not set right and the money being spent on KFC and binging foods can be redirected into more volumes of foods as described. Also a carton of egg whites is a bit cheaper than a whole dozen eggs and goes A long way and certainly a high protein and certainly will cure some saiety.

Don't cut the treats like chocolate every once in a while, or even daily (small bit) but use the rest of the money you have to buy the things you want to acheive in your diet, which I see is not being done very constructively.

I know, I'm trying to fix it, no one likes binging its disordered eating, I never claimed to be perfect. I'm trying to see if making those small changes I suggested will fix my calorie problem.

Everyone responds differently to dietary changes, especially when you have meds interfering. WHy don't go ahead and try some of the small changes you're considering and see what helps? I suggest making only 1-2 changes at a time. Otherwise, you won't know what's helping & what isn't.

Francl27 · April 2016

beautifulsparkles wrote: »

Francl27 wrote: »

You're binging because you're restricting too much.

Am I? I feel like I'm always hungry, or craving something in particular. I should probably have mentioned, I am on mood stabilisers which supposingly cause hunger/weight gain. (Epilium, if anyone is interested).

I avoid white carbs because I feel like they won't be that filling.

Moot point though if you avoid things then just end up binging on something else later.

rankinsect · April 2016

beautifulsparkles wrote: »

rankinsect wrote: »

If you want to burn more calories, really there are two things you can do:

1. Increase your body mass. Muscle would obviously be preferred to fat, here.
2. Be more active in general. If you have a desk job, try a standing desk, take walks on your breaks, get involved in a sport or outdoor activity. On a full day hike, you might need 3,000-5,000 extra calories depending on weight and terrain - of course the downside is you're eating only what you can bring in a backpack.

It's a nice thought, but I don't think it would be possible for me to burn 5000 calories in a day.

If you went on a full day hike, and I mean hiking for 12+ hours counting only time actually spent hiking, that's fully reasonable, depending on the terrain you're hiking and how much you weigh. If you're overweight or the terrain is very hilly, you can definitely average the 415 calories/hour you'd have to sustain to burn 5000 calories in 12 hours.

Granted, that's a significant amount of hiking - around 25 to 35 miles depending on your hiking speed, or less if there's a lot of elevation changes.

nickatine · April 2016

Eat for volume with most bang for the caloric buck: sugar free jello, boneless skinless chicken breast, most vegtables, most melons, shiritaki noodles, tuna, plain greek yogurt, look up frotein on youtube or protein fluff, sugar free syrup, pb2, hot sauce, mustard, salsa, yes this may seem boring but it will get the job done if your trying to cut calories. Also Carmel corn rice cakes topped with light cool whip if you have a sweet tooth.

itsbasschick · April 2016

i used to buy kelp noodles, which have a very small amount of calories and not much flavor. i'd wrap them in a seaweed sheet, pour a little galeo's world's best miso sesame flavor dressing down the roll and munch away. the noodles are very crunchy, the dressing savory/sweet and the seaweed added a little more savory. about 50 calories per roll.

sugar free jello and sugar free popsicles are both winners. your favorite veggies (mine are brussel sprouts and asparagus) lightly steamed with 15 grams of galeo's sesame or ginger wasabe dressing, or you can make a slow out of cabbage, maybe some shreds of carrot and a little galeo's, (and no, i don't work for them, but their dressings are delish and versatile), add a little pepper and let it sit over night.

Giving myself more calories to play with

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