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coffintop
Posts: 25 Member
What do you do if you eat all your calories early in the day, I do this so often and then I feel like hey whatever may as well eat EVERYTHING else cause I messed up anyway.
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Replies
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I get back on track in the same day. If I'm hungry, I will still eat the rest of my meals, just light ones. If I'm not hungry, I will just have a snack to ensure I don't wake up starving in the AM and repeat the cycle.
Think of it this way: if you spent more than you meant to, would you keep spending money just because you "messed up"? Or would you get back on track with your budget so you would be sure you could meet your financial obligations long-term?
The idea that I had to be perfect each day or the day was blown is part of why I gained weight to begin with. Once I figured out how to course correct within a day, even if it wasn't perfect, I was able to successfully lose weight and keep it off.20 -
I do intermittent fasting for that very reason. If I eat breakfast I tend to be hungrier and find I use all of my calorie allotment up by mid afternoon. But if I skip breakfast I can stay within my daily caloric deficit.11
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I ask myself why I keep on eating all my calories early in the day...
Are the things I eat not satiating (i.e. I need to change the macro distribution)
Do I restrict my calories too much (i.e. I need to reevaluate my weekly loss goals)
Is it that time of the month (i.e. I need to eat at maintenance for a day or two)
Do I not like the things I eat (i.e. I cut out all my favorites and actually don't particularly like the things I eat, so I keep on eating until I get those things I actually want).
...
As Einstein said: "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
If you keep on doing the same thing, you'll end up with the same result, every single time. Meaning you need to analyze what and why you are doing it so that you can change something.
Best of luck!11 -
Good analogy from @janejellyroll on this. I do something similar - if I am out of calories but still hungry, I try to eat lightly for the rest of the day as much as possible. So I might have a huge bowl of seasoned veggies for dinner with a scrambled egg or something else that's relatively filling but not a calorie bomb. Then the next day I start over because it's a new day. If I'm feeling really motivated, I might try to compensate for the previous day by eating a little less or moving a little more, but I often just let it go and move on.
If you're eating all your calories early in the day, that tells me that some better planning might be needed. Try pre-logging your entire day to ensure you will have calories for dinner.7 -
I workout for an extra long amount of time and eat super light the rest of the day2
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I usually backload my calories for the end of the day. This allows me more flexibility and enjoyment while I am at home at night.
Typical start to the day is a bowl of oats made with water/unsweetened almond milk with 1/2 scoop syntha 6. This is 285 calories and it keeps me full for hours. I always have black coffee too which kinda blunts hunger for me. If I wanted to keep calories down my next meal would be chicken and spinach or romaine lettuce or broccoli.
If I am over on cals and still hungry I have a couple bites of low fat cottage cheese.3 -
Eat more protein for breakfast it will fill you up quicker" less calories " question? Are you eating at your RMR? "Resting metabolic rate". Google RMR calculator online it helps to make sure your truly not starving your body, could be a reason your so hungry?....0
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I find in situations like this it is helpful to take a step back and remember the basic numbers... I'm not sure what your stats or goals are OP, or what you set your rate of loss at, but let's just assume for a minute that you are aiming to lose 1 lb/week. In order to do this, MFP provides you a calorie target that is 500 cals less per day than what your maintenance cals excluding exercise would be, so that you will have a WEEKLY deficit of 3,500 cals from what you would need just to maintain your weight.
Which means, on days like you describe where you ate all your calories early in the day, and feel like you need some extra for dinner or later in the day, as long as you are not exceeding your total by 3,500 cals (which would be highly unlikely), you are still in a deficit for the week. You would still lose weight that week, maybe not as much as you had hoped, but it will still be a deficit. Even in the unlikely event you did consume 3,500 cals over your goal that day, you are still just now at your maintenance amount, meaning that you wouldn't lose, but you also wouldn't gain.
Now, if you say, "to heck with it, I might as well give up and eat whatever I want today, tomorrow, and forever, this is too hard" then it is very possible to completely get off track. The smarter approach is to keep the math in mind, have a little perspective, and figure out what to do differently next time. You've gotten good advice about how to find more satiating foods, how to prelog your day, etc. Maybe your calorie deficit is too aggressive? Maybe instead of the 1lb/week target I assumed, maybe you are striving for 2 lbs/week and that's just too much for you?
The other thing to keep in mind about that weekly deficit is that it is possible to make up some lost ground if you do go over one day, you can try to exercise a little more or end your day a little short on the next few days to make up for it, as long as you are still getting adequate nutrition and enough calories total to sustain you. Probably one of the biggest mistakes if you go over on a single day is to then drastically cut in the next few days, this can set up binge/restrict cycles for some people.
So what are your calorie goals and weight loss targets? What kinds of foods are you eating?3 -
Thank you all, I'm definitely eating a salad today and your tips will be used tomorrow
I'm currently on a low calorie (1200 cal) diet for a short period of time that is a month because I want to loose as much weight as I can before my birthday, then I'll switch to my recommended amount of calories. I know some of you may not think that's a good idea but it is what it is. 0 -
I do intermittent fasting for that very reason. If I eat breakfast I tend to be hungrier and find I use all of my calorie allotment up by mid afternoon. But if I skip breakfast I can stay within my daily caloric deficit.
This!! I'm exactly the same, and intermittent fasting has made things so much easier this time! I have coffee in the morning, and don't eat until 1pm (except with PMS--then it's more like 11am). Then I have more calories to eat in a shorter amount of time, and I get fuller more quickly. Look it up!!3 -
Plan out the whole day the night before, this will ensure you can stretch the calories throughout the day.4
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Another vote for pre-logging your day - play a little calorie tetris so you know what you can eat and when to make everything fit.5
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Option 1- have a salad for dinner.
Option 2-go work out and earn more food
Option 3- allow yourself a day at maintenance (you may not lose but at least you won't undo any of your hard work)
Either way, try to prelog next time so you have an idea how many calories fit where...And where you really need them. Some people are starving first thing in the morning while others can hold some breakfast calories back for after dinner snacks.
Eta: I just read your response...it's not going to help you to go on this super low calorie diet if you're losing muscle instead of fat (which is what will happen) all ot will do is lower your maintenance calories permanently...that's why crash diets always end up with gaining back more than you lost.
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I try to fill up on super low calorie foods when this happens. My go to's are steamed broccoli with salt, or scrambled egg whites with asparagus and onion. They are not the yummiest foods, but can keep you from going too far over.1
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What do you do if you eat all your calories early in the day, I do this so often and then I feel like hey whatever may as well eat EVERYTHING else cause I messed up anyway.
I don't. I plan my meals and prelog them every day.
I eat about the same amount of calories for meals and often the same foods for breakfast or lunch. I tend to do better with protein at breakfast.
This is the sort of stuff I eat and how I distribute my calories:
Breakfast- Greek yogurt, granola bars, cereal with milk, sandwich, dinner leftovers, fruit, cottage cheese (about 200-300 calories)
Lunch- sandwich, salad, or dinner leftovers (about 300-500 calories)
Dinner- something different every night of the month. (about 500-600 calories) I have soup once a week usually.
Snacks- things like fruit, chips, popcorn, pretzels, chocolate, cookies, granola bar, carrots, celery, broccoli, trail mix, deviled eggs, pickles, cottage cheese (about 100-300 calories)
If you are really hungry in the mornings maybe you would eat more then but save some calories for later too. Planning will help.1 -
Another vote for logging before you eat and exercising more so you have more buffer.1
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I pre log all breakfasts and lunches and dinners. I also do not "break fast" until 10:30/11:00 a.m. so I have a window to eat all my calories except my planned dinner at any time I want to.
I never allow all my calories in one meal or at the beginning of the day. This would quickly end in disaster for me, especially if those calories were "calorie dense".
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Where are all you pre-wedding warriors? She clearly stated she's going under recommendations and you're congratulating her?
And not for 2 weeks either...for a month! For her birthday
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In those situations I find that I'm not hungry for quite some time so I don't need to eat again for a while. I will lightly snack throughout the day past then and if and when I do get hungry I do end up eating. If I'm over for the day I'm over, not a huge deal.0
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lightenup2016 wrote: »I do intermittent fasting for that very reason. If I eat breakfast I tend to be hungrier and find I use all of my calorie allotment up by mid afternoon. But if I skip breakfast I can stay within my daily caloric deficit.
This!! I'm exactly the same, and intermittent fasting has made things so much easier this time! I have coffee in the morning, and don't eat until 1pm (except with PMS--then it's more like 11am). Then I have more calories to eat in a shorter amount of time, and I get fuller more quickly. Look it up!!
Yeah. I eat low carb "brunch" around 10:30 or 11 and again a meal at family dinnertime when I load most of my daily carbs and eat fairly balanced macros.--- So much less stress and less hunger cravings plus I don't have to plan meals all day or even think about food for hours.
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janejellyroll wrote: »I get back on track in the same day. If I'm hungry, I will still eat the rest of my meals, just light ones. If I'm not hungry, I will just have a snack to ensure I don't wake up starving in the AM and repeat the cycle.
Think of it this way: if you spent more than you meant to, would you keep spending money just because you "messed up"? Or would you get back on track with your budget so you would be sure you could meet your financial obligations long-term?
The idea that I had to be perfect each day or the day was blown is part of why I gained weight to begin with. Once I figured out how to course correct within a day, even if it wasn't perfect, I was able to successfully lose weight and keep it off.
Pretty much the bolded...and really, you have to get away from the all or nothing mentality...it's not realistic that you're going to be "on" 100% of the time...you're never going to be perfect...but this is really the downfall of many, if not most people...3 -
I started planning what I ate daily so I never went over...if you have a plan and stick with it you'll never get in that situation.
If you do go over one day, do better tomorrow. Put it behind you and use it as a learning experience.1 -
Thank you all, I'm definitely eating a salad today and your tips will be used tomorrow I'm currently on a low calorie (1200 cal) diet for a short period of time that is a month because I want to loose as much weight as I can before my birthday, then I'll switch to my recommended amount of calories. I know some of you may not think that's a good idea but it is what it is.
The fact that you are "often" hitting your low cal goal early in the day and then overeating for the rest of the day since you've already blown it, is pretty clear proof this plan isn't going to work. You've discovered WHY crash diets don't work. They aren't sustainable, sometimes even for the short term, and undereating often leads to overeating which cancels out any benefits of undereating in the first place.
As someone else mentioned, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Maybe eating at a more moderate deficit and losing 4 lbs in a month would be better then torturing yourself with a fad diet and losing nothing (or losing 10 lbs but gaining it all back when you rebound)?2 -
Pre logging and preparing, cooking, weighing, etc ahead helps me when mealtimes come. If it is already preportioned
I can just grab it and don't have to fuss with it.1 -
This rarely happens to me anymore, but happened often when I first started counting. My solution was to stop eating when I reached my calorie limit (1200)....after being hungry from 10am until bedtime for a few days, I quickly learned to regulate my calorie intake to three (sometimes two) times a day. If you plan your meals for the week with your grocery list, you can purchase only what fits in your calorie goals for the week.1
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It is what it is, but it doesn't seem to be working for you. If you're eating all your calories early in the day is it because you're hungry? Maybe breakfast isn't holding you over long enough.
I'm still tweaking my own plan, but keeping the calories too low sabotages me every time. I also do better when I eat some form of protein at every meal and snack.
Good luck to you. 1 -
I'm currently 10 days out from a bb comp and on 2000 calories. I fast all day when I'm not hungry and save all my 6 meals for nights when I am hungry1
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lightenup2016 wrote: »I do intermittent fasting for that very reason. If I eat breakfast I tend to be hungrier and find I use all of my calorie allotment up by mid afternoon. But if I skip breakfast I can stay within my daily caloric deficit.
This!! I'm exactly the same, and intermittent fasting has made things so much easier this time! I have coffee in the morning, and don't eat until 1pm (except with PMS--then it's more like 11am). Then I have more calories to eat in a shorter amount of time, and I get fuller more quickly. Look it up!!
Me too! I have tried eating a breafast but I end up being hungrier because i do not get the full feeling with my meals.
I will eat a peeled grapefruit around 8:30am and I am ready to eat by 11:30 -12:00noon.
I will prelog 500 calories for supper so I will have the calories planned.1 -
ladyreva78 wrote: »I ask myself why I keep on eating all my calories early in the day...
Are the things I eat not satiating (i.e. I need to change the macro distribution)
Do I restrict my calories too much (i.e. I need to reevaluate my weekly loss goals)
Is it that time of the month (i.e. I need to eat at maintenance for a day or two)
Do I not like the things I eat (i.e. I cut out all my favorites and actually don't particularly like the things I eat, so I keep on eating until I get those things I actually want).
...
As Einstein said: "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
If you keep on doing the same thing, you'll end up with the same result, every single time. Meaning you need to analyze what and why you are doing it so that you can change something.
Best of luck!
That's not insanity, that's called practice! 0
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