How are you sticking to calorie limit?
clafairy1984
Posts: 253 Member
Since losing weight, mfp has reduced my calories down to 1300 per day. I'm honestly struggling to stay within this limit, even eating healthily. As as result I got discouraged and gave up for a while, and binged, but think that enough is enough, and time to get back to it. I would appreciate some examples of what other people with similar calorie allowance are eating to manage to stay within it. I eat more on the days I exercise, but even then often don't feel satisfied and tempted to snack.
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What did you choose as your loss per week? You can lower that by half a pound and get an additional 250 calories.0
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One thing to remember is if you feel upset about not being able to stick with 1300 is binging and WAY OVER isn't going to fix anything. If you have a day where you are going to go over, shake it off and keep plugging along.
I eat a huge amount of cabbage or cauliflower with chicken or turkey kielbasa for dinner. I'm a small breakfast, small lunch, maybe a snack and then eat a huge dinner.2 -
AmandaIsherwood3 wrote: »This is a typical day for me on 1200 calories, even squeezed in a chocolate bar. As you can see I used most of my exercise calories but I only log half of what exercise I do so if I do a hour walk I log 30 minutes.
You know you can open your diary?0 -
On 1230 I manage a small breakfast, small lunch, reasonable dinner, evening snack and soya milk in tea or coffee a few times a day.
Breakfast might be a slice of toast or a bowl of porridge.
Lunch, perhaps a scrambled egg on toast, or Ryvita with Quorn ham and cucumber or tomato. Perhaps an apple or some zero fat Greek yoghurt afterwards.
Dinner would be a big bowl of veggie curry (no rice, just stuffed with veg), veg stir fry with Spiralizer veg instead of noodles, or something like some smoked trout and a big salad.
Snacks are popcorn, or rice cakes, or roasted soy beans. Sometimes a steal of the kids healthy fruit snacks.
I am rarely hungry - even went o Pizza Hut yesterday within 1200 cals!0 -
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You can set your goal to lose less per week. I'll bet you've got it set to lose 2 pounds per week. You can set it to lose 1 or 0.5 per week and eat more and not have to binge.
I eat around 1,500 a day and don't binge and lose pretty regularly. Those binges set you back pretty far. May as well do the slower rate and not have these setbacks at all.0 -
OP are you eating back any exercise calories you earn? What is your rate of loss set at?
Choosing a goal that is achievable and sustainable is an important part of being successful here. If the calorie goal is too low and results in you giving up and binging, then something needs to change.1 -
I'm 5'4" and have mfp set to lose half a pound a week. When I reached 130 lb and my calories were reduced to 1300 I almost cried. I manually raised it back to 1480.0
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clafairy1984 wrote: »Since losing weight, mfp has reduced my calories down to 1300 per day. I'm honestly struggling to stay within this limit, even eating healthily. As as result I got discouraged and gave up for a while, and binged, but think that enough is enough, and time to get back to it. I would appreciate some examples of what other people with similar calorie allowance are eating to manage to stay within it. I eat more on the days I exercise, but even then often don't feel satisfied and tempted to snack.
How much was your calorie goal lowered? What number do you feel comfortable at?
You can manually change your calorie goal or can change the amount you are set to lose per week. You can change the kind of food you eat- more protein, more vegetables. You can eat some of the calories earned from exercise.
I started MFP with 1340 calories to lose 1 lb per week. I didn't find that very difficult with prelogging and getting enough protein. When MFP first lowered my goal to 1200 I didn't feel I could do that so I changed it to 1270 and then 1250 for awhile. After a few months of that I did lower it to 1200 again. It isn't as easy to stick to 1200 calories. It is easier to exercise and eat a bit more than that.
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clafairy1984 wrote: »Since losing weight, mfp has reduced my calories down to 1300 per day. I'm honestly struggling to stay within this limit, even eating healthily. As as result I got discouraged and gave up for a while, and binged, but think that enough is enough, and time to get back to it. I would appreciate some examples of what other people with similar calorie allowance are eating to manage to stay within it. I eat more on the days I exercise, but even then often don't feel satisfied and tempted to snack.
1. It's mostly a mental challenge
2. I have days that I eat giant chocolate bars but still stay within my net calories
3. Get use to being uncomfortable2 -
clafairy1984 wrote: »Since losing weight, mfp has reduced my calories down to 1300 per day. I'm honestly struggling to stay within this limit, even eating healthily. As as result I got discouraged and gave up for a while, and binged, but think that enough is enough, and time to get back to it. I would appreciate some examples of what other people with similar calorie allowance are eating to manage to stay within it. I eat more on the days I exercise, but even then often don't feel satisfied and tempted to snack.
If you're finding it difficult to stay within a low calorie limit, it never hurts to reduce your lbs/week goal to allow yourself a bit more wiggle room.
What, exactly, do you find difficult? The temptation to snack or eat, or feeling hungry?
If it's a mental struggle, distract yourself. Find a hobby that has nothing to do with food to enjoy - even better if it's exercise. Try to divorce food from your current hobbies. For example, I very often would watch Netflix or play video games while snacking - which could easily net me hundreds of calories! Try to make a point, if you are going to eat something, of setting aside a set amount and not going past it. Forgo the snacks and form a new habit, such as a bottle of water to work on instead of a bowl of (if you're like me) Cheez-its. Often I find myself drinking so much water that I'm too full to even CONSIDER snacking lol
If it's hunger, try aiming for foods that are high in volume but not so much in calories. Make sure you're drinking enough fluids throughout the day AND during your meals. Sometimes hunger is thirst in disguise, and you'd be surprised how much easier it is to eat slowly and mindfully when you're also ensuring that you're drinking throughout the meal. Automatic portion control!
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I workout as much as I can and eat my exercise calories back. It helps if I choose foods with more protein and fat and try to limit carb snacking.
I definitely agree with the advice to consider changing your goals so you have a slower loss. You'll want this to be sustainable.0 -
You should probably consider replacing all your snacks with vegetables like carrots, celery, tomatoes, etc. They keep you full and contain fewer calories. Try to eat more protein as well, like greek yogurt, eggs, cheese, etc. Hope this helps
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It's very important to me that this process is enjoyable, not miserable. I'm less likely to quit, and if I'm "interrupted by life" as I am from time to time, it's easier to get started again. If it's miserable at all I procrastinate. Were it me, I'd up my calories, accept a slower rate of loss, and those days where I'm feeling up to it, aim for that 1200.1
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I eat roughly +/- 200 from my daily calories...sometimes I can go way over ...but I log everything honestly. Worked for me.1
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clafairy1984 wrote: »Since losing weight, mfp has reduced my calories down to 1300 per day. I'm honestly struggling to stay within this limit, even eating healthily. As as result I got discouraged and gave up for a while, and binged, but think that enough is enough, and time to get back to it. I would appreciate some examples of what other people with similar calorie allowance are eating to manage to stay within it. I eat more on the days I exercise, but even then often don't feel satisfied and tempted to snack.
Wait til you get old! I started out with my activity level as sedentary and by default because of weight and age I got 1200 cal/day. That was inspiration enough to get my a** in gear and get more active so I didn't have to limit myself every day.3 -
Well the first thing is... you're supposed to eat back some exercise calories. I would NEVER have stuck to it if I had to eat 1300 calories. Just nope. I lost 80 pounds and never ate less than 1650 calories (I was 34 when I lost most of the weight, and I'm 5'5"). For me exercising was key to give me more calories because I have a big appetite and I love eating.
So what worked for me was exercising to eat more calories, never have more than a 'lose 1 pound a week' deficit, eat 30% of my calories of protein and 30% of fat... then allow 100-200 calorie treats once I reached that (I don't count flavored Greek yogurt as treats though). And cut pretty much all drink calories.
Bottom line is that it has to be sustainable, or you just won't stick to it, as you've noticed... so decrease your deficit, and eat more protein and fat, and if you really want something, make it fit in your calories.2 -
Cutting out carbs! But you don't have to! When I came to do this (for other health reasons) I started finding alternatives to my usual ingredients which were just as nice but with way fewer calories:
Before - After
Rice - Cauliflower rice
Pasta - Courgette Spaghetti
LF yoghurt - plain unsweetened yoghurt
Skimmed Milk - Unsweetened soya
Chopped tomatoes - Tomato puree
Set aside a night, have a big healthy dinner so you're full then go wander the supermarket. Examine things you've never looked at, scour the shelves above and below your normal choices to see what's there!
I'd also recommend drinking no sugar squash/coridal and green or herbal teas. Keep experimenting till you find one you like!0 -
I stick to mine by accepting that the loss is going to be slower because I like to eat. So I workout and earn my keep while getting fit.
I refuse to be hungry and deprived. Yeah I want the weight off, but I need to learn how to eat like the 50lb lighter person I'm attempting to be.
I guarantee you if we woke up tomorrow morning and the weight was gone, most would gain it all back( because you didn't learn how to maintain your new body).
That learned maintenance comes with time.
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dancing_daisy wrote: »Cutting out carbs! But you don't have to! When I came to do this (for other health reasons) I started finding alternatives to my usual ingredients which were just as nice but with way fewer calories:
Before - After
Rice - Cauliflower rice
Pasta - Courgette Spaghetti
LF yoghurt - plain unsweetened yoghurt
Skimmed Milk - Unsweetened soya
Chopped tomatoes - Tomato puree
Set aside a night, have a big healthy dinner so you're full then go wander the supermarket. Examine things you've never looked at, scour the shelves above and below your normal choices to see what's there!
I'd also recommend drinking no sugar squash/coridal and green or herbal teas. Keep experimenting till you find one you like!
Lol2 -
I can't believe how lucky I've been to find a diet that works for me around 1200-1300 calories/day. I never feel hungry for long (30 minutes maybe), have lots of energy and I'm not eating anything weird.
A big thing for me has been to basically turn meals into snacks that I eat slowly over several hours. Almost every day my breakfast consists of two hardboiled eggs and maybe a decaf coffee with some creamer (total: ~190 calories) I'll drink the coffee, let that fill me up for an hour or so, eat an egg, wait until I'm hungry again and then eat my last egg. I generally don't finish my breakfast until 10:30 or 11am, and have lunch at 12:30p.
For dinner I often put whatever I'm eating on a giant bed of greens -- pretty much anything can be a salad. The greens only add 20 calories but they add tons of fiber, nutrients and substance to help fill me up.0 -
I think your struggle is that the foods you're eating are satiating. You shouldn't feel hungry. Try eating more protein and fat and see if that helps.
On 1200 I can fit:
Apple (88cals)
Greek Yogurt (140)
Chicken & vegetable stir fry with peanut sauce (300)
Carrots (35)
Protein bar (160)
Chicken Thighs (228)
Asparagus (50ish)
200 calories of whatever I want0 -
Smaller bodies require less energy to run them. We need a calorie deficit to lose weight. Most people slowly lower their calorie intake so that they can keep the same deficit. I swap that around. I found a calorie amount that works for me (that's lower than my goal weight maintenance calories) and let the deficit get smaller as I get smaller. That way, I don't feel deprived because I just keep eating the way I'm now used to eating instead of having to figure out where I'm going to cut more calories.0
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To stay within calories I do 2 things mainly.
1. Move more. Much more. This is obvious.
2. Identify and replace high calorie components of my diet. Replacing rice with romaine lettuce and spinach for example.
Also, meal timing throughout the week.
Everyone is different in their habits, so, you'll simply need to try things out and find what works for you.1 -
I find the smaller and older I get the less food I have the hunger for. This seems logical in that hunger should equal amount of calories needed to sustain the energy output needed for the body.0
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When I was at 1200, I tried to get a reasonable amount of protein as my first priority, ideally .8g/pound of goal weight, but around .6/pound as a floor if at all possible. Since I'm an ovo-lacto vegetarian, that meant skim milk, kefir, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, tempeh, eggs, beans of all types including edamame, nuts in reasonable portions.
Next, I would prioritize a bit of healthy fat with every meal, either olive oil to fry the eggs, or those nuts, or maybe some seeds on a salad (I like pepitas especially).
Then I would fill in with lower-calorie, high-volume, high-nutrition vegetables and fruit, often raw (because chewing is satisfying). I like spinach or romaine, cabbage, broccoli, collards, cauliflower, berries, carrots, celery, spaghetti squash and other winter squash, apples, cucumbers, jicama, tomatoes, and more.
It helped me to experiment with the timing & composition of my meals/snacks to find the most satisfying approach.
By timing, I mean whether to eat or skip breakfast, which meal is biggest (or all equal), whether to reserve some calories for snacks or not, whether to eat 2, 3, 5 or whatever times daily.
By composition, I mean (with a healthy range) whether to have relatively more protein, fats, carbs, fiber, etc.
Everyone is different, but for me, it turned out that a big protein-filled breakfast was important (oatmeal, Greek yogurt, berries, small amount of walnuts), then solid protein in each meal & snack, with some high-fiber/low-cal veggies at some point in the day. It also helped to have a small protein snack if I started to feel hungry, rather than waiting to get ravenous (like a light string cheese for 50 calories, or 1/2 oz of dry-roasted soybeans for 63 calories).
But I didn't stay at 1200 for long. At 5'5", 60 y/o, and (then) around 150lbs, I found I didn't need to eat that little in order to lose weight. Even as I got lighter, I could eat more than that, as it turned out.2 -
As everyone has said different things work for different people. I get 1,200 net calories for 0.6 lbs a week loss. What works for me is intermittent fasting. I eat from 11am until 7pm so I'm constantly eating and I also keep my protein and fat up. For example, today I've logged 1,198 calories.
Before 11am black coffee with cinnamon and hot tea.
11am a protein shake.
12pm some low sodium tuna 42 grams with light mayo, a mini babybel cheese and 30 grams of unsalted cashews.
1pm a low carb yogurt
3:30pm some 2% cottage cheese with a sprinkle of chocolate protein powder, cinnamon, blueberries and some plain non-fat Greek yogurt.
4:30pm a protein granola bar.
6:30pm: chicken and low sodium refried bean and cheese burritos with salsa on a low carb whole wheat tortilla.
I never feel hunger except in the morning but I curb it with coffee. I also go to bed around 7:30pm since I work out at 5am so I'm never up late enough to want to keep eating.
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willammoney wrote: »clafairy1984 wrote: »Since losing weight, mfp has reduced my calories down to 1300 per day. I'm honestly struggling to stay within this limit, even eating healthily. As as result I got discouraged and gave up for a while, and binged, but think that enough is enough, and time to get back to it. I would appreciate some examples of what other people with similar calorie allowance are eating to manage to stay within it. I eat more on the days I exercise, but even then often don't feel satisfied and tempted to snack.
1. It's mostly a mental challenge
2. I have days that I eat giant chocolate bars but still stay within my net calories
3. Get use to being uncomfortable
One doesn't need to be uncomfortable to lose weight. I don't have aggressive weekly weight loss goals, do focus on foods that satisfy me, exercise and eat back some (but not all) of the calories I earn from exercise, and am only hungry right before meals.2 -
clafairy1984 wrote: »Since losing weight, mfp has reduced my calories down to 1300 per day. I'm honestly struggling to stay within this limit, even eating healthily. As as result I got discouraged and gave up for a while, and binged, but think that enough is enough, and time to get back to it. I would appreciate some examples of what other people with similar calorie allowance are eating to manage to stay within it. I eat more on the days I exercise, but even then often don't feel satisfied and tempted to snack.
I'm doing well so far staying around my 1260 goal and you're welcome to check out my diary if you want ideas. I tend to bulk up meals with extra veg to stay full longer.
But recently I'm also focusing on getting my macros in particular protein to try and avoid muscle wasting.
Feel free to drop me a message if you want any help with things, recipes etc.0
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