I seem to go over on calories

nessa3093
nessa3093 Posts: 1 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
So my limit on calories I can have a day is 1,300 according to this app. I try so hard to eat the right foods, but even the small things use up all my calories for the day. I don't know what to do. I'm afraid one day I will chew off my arm because I'm so hungry. What should I do?

Replies

  • robot_potato
    robot_potato Posts: 1,535 Member
    Do you have it set to lose 2 pounds/week? I made that mistake too. Having an aggressive goal like that will ultimately fail because it's so very hard to maintain and you're likely to give up. Wouldn't you rather eat a bit more and be able to lose happily? 1 pound a week is still 4/5 pounds a month, which is 48/60 pounds a year.
  • pebble4321
    pebble4321 Posts: 1,132 Member
    First thing is to consider whether that's a realistic amount for you to eat - I'd be starving on 1300 cals/day too. As advised above, reconsider your setting in MFP and maybe change it to 1 or 1/2 lb a week. Yes it will take longer to lose weight, but if you set yourself up for something too hard, you will just fail, and that's not going to help you in the long term.

    Next - do you exercise? If you used MFP to set your calories goals, the assumption is that you will eat more on days that you exercise. Some people say that the calories burns are overstated, but I don't think that's always true. Try it out and see how it works for you.

    And third - try to pay attention to which foods tend to keep you full for longer. Everyone is different here, so think about what's working for you and try to fit in more foods that are satiation. For example, apples seem to make me more hungry. I still eat them, because I like them, but if I have one as a snack when I'm hungry, it doesn't seem to help at all. Whereas other fruit like watermelon or mandarin works better for me. Or a boiled egg or home made muffin or a skinny latte - only a few more cals and that fills me up much more.
  • RebelDiamond
    RebelDiamond Posts: 188 Member
    Agree with the above, you may need to reshape your goals and, in turn, up your calorie intake.

    Otherwise, be sure you are measuring your food correctly (weighing with a food scale).

    Another note is that the foods you are eating may be calorie dense. For for example; chicken thigh is more calorie dense per gram than chicken breast. This is fine (especially if fat helps you feel full), but for some people "bulk" (amount of food) makes you feel full, so you could eat a larger potion of chicken breast for the same calories as a smaller amount of thigh.

    Basically, this process is all about trial and error, what you like, what satisfies you, what fits your calorie needs - its going to take some time - Good luck! :smile:
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