Do you force yourself to finish meals to meet calorie goals?
Baxie23
Posts: 34 Member
So I've been at this for almost two months now. Things are going really well - I've had steady weight loss, I'm getting so much fitter, and I bought a scale so I'm tracking way more accurately. Lately though, I've noticed that I get half way through a meal and I'm overwhelmed by how much food I still have left to eat. My calorie goal is 1400 a day. I'm thinking about switching to 6 smaller meals throughout the day but I am worried about that leading to binges. Has smaller more frequent meals helped other people or do you find that it's better to eat more than you feel like at each meal?
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No in fact the opposite I eat between 11-5pm most days, it helps me with hunger.
ETA no I don't force myself to finish a meal if I'm satisfied.0 -
Stop eating when you're 80% full.
Simple.1 -
I found that a 600 calorie breakfast, 600 calorie dinner, and 200 calories of lunch along with 200 of snacks after dinner are what works for me. The evening after work was my biggest challenge, as for a lifetime I'd been an eating machine during evening hours at home. I had to find a way to eat nutritious food, stop eating, and be satisfied.
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Perhaps try making your meals creamier and fattier? That way the volume of food wouldn't be so high, I guess.
I'm a freak who could eat 1400 calories for breakfast alone.
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I actually switched to eating five or six small meals a day because I was having a problem with hunger in between three larger, more spaced out meals. I typically eat between 1,500 and 1,600 calories a day, broken down into several 200-400 calorie meals, and I'm finding it much more sustainable than I did the larger, more infrequent meals.
Everyone's different, of course, but it works well for me. If you're having trouble forcing in a large meal in one sitting, then there's no harm in giving it a try. Just plan what you intend to eat in advance, and measure accurately, so maybe you're less likely to over-indulge.0 -
Smaller meal with a nice small sweet treat for afters......perfect x0
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Always play around with meal timing.. its different for everyone. Its a great strategy to help with adherence to your calorie goal, a method to help you with satiety and fullness, and over compliance..1
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I'm also having trouble with finishing/eating average portions of most meals, and getting full (too?) quickly. It's a new phenomenon for me and I'm getting a little frustrated. I might start having six smaller meals.0
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I don't force myself to finish. I try to stop when I'm full and let it settle. If I'm hungry later, I'll have a snack. If not I'll bank calories for another time in the week - provided I'm not under 1200 total. If I am, and still really not hungry, I'll have something high calorie like a hot chocolate or chocolate biscuits, which I don't have to be hungry for. I'm happy to bank calories but I don't like going below 1200 unless I'm actually ill and off my food.
I don't totally trust my feelings of wanting or not wanting food. Sometimes if I've undereaten throughout the day, I'll get into a state where I'm not interested in food, even though I really need it. This happens especially if I am anxious or overtired. The best approach then is to nibble something until the appetite appears. Anyone with small children has seen this happen when they're overwrought.1 -
I don't force myself to finish, but I don't have a regular problem eating enough. If I did, or was feeling overwhelmed by the amount of food in 1400 calories -- which is what OP is apparently dealing with -- then yes, I'd try more smaller meals or including smaller amounts of more calorie-dense foods (like fats).
If that doesn't work, see a doctor or dietitian.
I'm a little concerned that you think eating more meals might cause bingeing -- is there an ED history? (I don't like the lots of meals thing myself, eat more if I eat that way, since I don't feel satisfied as easily, so that you might prefer fewer larger meals doesn't set off warning bells. It was the combination of concern about bingeing plus the difficulty in eating 1400 and the feeling that a 500 calorie or so meal (1400/3 plus a bit) is overwhelming in how large it is.)0 -
CattOfTheGarage wrote: »I don't totally trust my feelings of wanting or not wanting food. Sometimes if I've undereaten throughout the day, I'll get into a state where I'm not interested in food, even though I really need it. This happens especially if I am anxious or overtired. The best approach then is to nibble something until the appetite appears. Anyone with small children has seen this happen when they're overwrought.
good to know.
I had similar concerns as the OP, of not meeting calorie goals, from not feeling hungry enough.
Can someone explain in simple lay person terms what is wrong with eating below the calories mfp sets (1400 or 1600)? or what is wrong with eating below 1200 calories? I ask as a person with zero (none at all) history of eating disorders. Yes, I am capable of overeating which is how I joined all you cool people here.
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wrote: »CattOfTheGarage wrote: »I don't totally trust my feelings of wanting or not wanting food. Sometimes if I've undereaten throughout the day, I'll get into a state where I'm not interested in food, even though I really need it. This happens especially if I am anxious or overtired. The best approach then is to nibble something until the appetite appears. Anyone with small children has seen this happen when they're overwrought.
good to know.
I had similar concerns as the OP, of not meeting calorie goals, from not feeling hungry enough.
Can someone explain in simple lay person terms what is wrong with eating below the calories mfp sets (1400 or 1600)? or what is wrong with eating below 1200 calories? I ask as a person with zero (none at all) history of eating disorders. Yes, I am capable of overeating which is how I joined all you cool people here.
Well, as another layperson, I understand 1200 calories covers our basic metabolism -- what we need to breathe, etc. I also have no history of eating disorders and see nothing wrong with eating under 1200 once in a while, since I am still overweight and not likely to starve or get into anorexia. If I'm hungry and have extra calories left at the end of the day, I will eat something, If I'm not hungry, I won't. I don't believe in forcing myself to eat or not eat.1 -
Thanks for this, it is simple enough and I now understand why this limit is given frequently.0
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I notice after 150 days of logging that i am fuller way quicker and i put way less on my plate. But if im at 1500, i know the next day i will be sluggish, tired, dizzy sometimes. So ill drink a glass of milk or protein powder so i get to 1700, which i feel normal at.1
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wrote: »CattOfTheGarage wrote: »I don't totally trust my feelings of wanting or not wanting food. Sometimes if I've undereaten throughout the day, I'll get into a state where I'm not interested in food, even though I really need it. This happens especially if I am anxious or overtired. The best approach then is to nibble something until the appetite appears. Anyone with small children has seen this happen when they're overwrought.
good to know.
I had similar concerns as the OP, of not meeting calorie goals, from not feeling hungry enough.
Can someone explain in simple lay person terms what is wrong with eating below the calories mfp sets (1400 or 1600)? or what is wrong with eating below 1200 calories? I ask as a person with zero (none at all) history of eating disorders. Yes, I am capable of overeating which is how I joined all you cool people here.
Your body needs a minimum number of calories to do the very basic things you need it to do: heart beating, breathing, digestion, cell repair, etc etc etc. Your mfp goal includes the deficit you need for the weight loss goal you chose. If you eat too much less than that on a regular basis you will lose weight quicker, which could lead to more muscle loss, since your body can only burn so much fat at once.
1200 is a generalized minimum because the vast majority of people will need more than that. Some older or very petite sedentary women might be okay with less than that, but they would be few and far between!
At least all of that is my understanding :drinker:0 -
I eat 5-6 smaller meals and will make myself eat to get to my 1750 calories for the day unless I am sick. I am, however, a recovered bulimic so I am in a different position than most dieters.0
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So I've been at this for almost two months now. Things are going really well - I've had steady weight loss, I'm getting so much fitter, and I bought a scale so I'm tracking way more accurately. Lately though, I've noticed that I get half way through a meal and I'm overwhelmed by how much food I still have left to eat. My calorie goal is 1400 a day. I'm thinking about switching to 6 smaller meals throughout the day but I am worried about that leading to binges. Has smaller more frequent meals helped other people or do you find that it's better to eat more than you feel like at each meal?
While I'm not opposed to overeating for psychological reasons from time to time, I don't believe overeating is ever good physiologically. This is probably why I naturally gravitate to smaller meals more frequently. My OH, however, is fine with three larger meals per day.0 -
On my current outlay, I don't have a choice. However, under normal circumstances, no absolutely not. Forcefeeding myself due to parental "clean your plate" monkey *kitten* is what made me a fat kid early in life.1
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CattOfTheGarage wrote: »I don't totally trust my feelings of wanting or not wanting food. Sometimes if I've undereaten throughout the day, I'll get into a state where I'm not interested in food, even though I really need it. This happens especially if I am anxious or overtired. The best approach then is to nibble something until the appetite appears. Anyone with small children has seen this happen when they're overwrought.
good to know.
I had similar concerns as the OP, of not meeting calorie goals, from not feeling hungry enough.
Can someone explain in simple lay person terms what is wrong with eating below the calories mfp sets (1400 or 1600)? or what is wrong with eating below 1200 calories? I ask as a person with zero (none at all) history of eating disorders. Yes, I am capable of overeating which is how I joined all you cool people here.
Because your body does require a baseline of energy to operate. Calories aren't evil...you need them..they are a unit of energy...the energy that fuels your body...makes your heart pump...makes your lunges pull in oxygen...makes your kidneys and other essential organs function...your brain, hair growing, etc, etc, etc...
1200 is basically the minimum MFP will go to for liability reasons...but the reason that number exists is because below that, healthcare persons have determined that it becomes much more difficult to get essential nutrition, particularly without assistance. This is why VLCDs are generally doctor supervised and also usually involve a dietitian, etc.
If you search around the forums, you will find plenty of posts of, in particular, females losing hair, nails becoming brittle, losing menstrual cycles, etc due to substantial underfeeding and insufficient nutrition. When you don't provide your body with enough energy to just perform basic operating functions, it starts to shut down what are deemed more or less "non-essential" functions to keep you alive. Note that this does not happen from having a low calorie day here and there or a couple of weeks or whatever of underfeeding...this happens over longer periods of time consuming very few calories...these issues will arise sooner with someone who is leaner vs obese/morbidly obese.0 -
I don't. If I'm fueling my body I don't force myself to get to some magical number. I know that chances are within a few days I'll eat a bit more than I'd like. But again: FUEL YOUR BODY.1
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lemurcat12 wrote: »I don't force myself to finish, but I don't have a regular problem eating enough. If I did, or was feeling overwhelmed by the amount of food in 1400 calories -- which is what OP is apparently dealing with -- then yes, I'd try more smaller meals or including smaller amounts of more calorie-dense foods (like fats).
If that doesn't work, see a doctor or dietitian.
I'm a little concerned that you think eating more meals might cause bingeing -- is there an ED history? (I don't like the lots of meals thing myself, eat more if I eat that way, since I don't feel satisfied as easily, so that you might prefer fewer larger meals doesn't set off warning bells. It was the combination of concern about bingeing plus the difficulty in eating 1400 and the feeling that a 500 calorie or so meal (1400/3 plus a bit) is overwhelming in how large it is.)
There is a history of ED ( not to get too detailed but I was diagnosed/hospitalized for Anorexia and then developed a binge eating disorder while in recovery). I'm being supervised by my doctor while I do this. While my daily goal is 1400 I often find myself hovering around 1200 and that's only if I eat everything I plan for the day. So when I'm full and don't want to finish I find myself quite low calorie-wise. So it sounds like switching to 6 meals (if I can manage that) might be a good idea of stopping when full and having a high calorie snack later might be the way to go. What sorts of high-calorie but not filling snacks do people have?0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »I don't force myself to finish, but I don't have a regular problem eating enough. If I did, or was feeling overwhelmed by the amount of food in 1400 calories -- which is what OP is apparently dealing with -- then yes, I'd try more smaller meals or including smaller amounts of more calorie-dense foods (like fats).
If that doesn't work, see a doctor or dietitian.
I'm a little concerned that you think eating more meals might cause bingeing -- is there an ED history? (I don't like the lots of meals thing myself, eat more if I eat that way, since I don't feel satisfied as easily, so that you might prefer fewer larger meals doesn't set off warning bells. It was the combination of concern about bingeing plus the difficulty in eating 1400 and the feeling that a 500 calorie or so meal (1400/3 plus a bit) is overwhelming in how large it is.)
There is a history of ED ( not to get too detailed but I was diagnosed/hospitalized for Anorexia and then developed a binge eating disorder while in recovery). I'm being supervised by my doctor while I do this. While my daily goal is 1400 I often find myself hovering around 1200 and that's only if I eat everything I plan for the day. So when I'm full and don't want to finish I find myself quite low calorie-wise. So it sounds like switching to 6 meals (if I can manage that) might be a good idea of stopping when full and having a high calorie snack later might be the way to go. What sorts of high-calorie but not filling snacks do people have?- Peanut butter - 1 T, or more accurately, 16 g = 100 calories.
- Full fat ice cream like Ben & Jerry's or Haagendazs.
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never. ever.0
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If you feel full, then you are full. Don't force yourself because it's only going to make yourself feel sick. 6 smaller meals throughout the day may work for you though, a friend of mine did that and she did pretty well. It's not for everyone, but try it out and see if it does help you.
However, if you aren't meeting calorie goals, then I suggest eating snacks. Like ice cream that has been suggested. So far, it sounds like you aren't too far from your calorie goal (only 200 left) so it should be easy to find a non-filling snack that helps you. I like eating muesli bars as snacks, does are 113 calories. They're healthy and sweet, so eating two of those (or something similar) would help you and hopefully make you feel better 0 -
I never ever give up a calorie.. if I am out and about, and not able to eat, I will get home and determine the time frame needed to get in x calories, and most times it does not make sense to eat all my calories in 1 sitting so that day might transfer to the next one.. this happens rarely as I am one that counts my calories and "writes checks against my balance till its zero"..0
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Not typically a problem I have. I can think of maybe a few times where I was under my calorie goal by a good amount but felt full. To answer, yeah I ate more. Its a goal, I try to reach my goal. Sometimes its hard because I need to stop eating when I want to eat more. Sometimes its hard because I need to eat more when I feel done.0
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lemurcat12 wrote: »I don't force myself to finish, but I don't have a regular problem eating enough. If I did, or was feeling overwhelmed by the amount of food in 1400 calories -- which is what OP is apparently dealing with -- then yes, I'd try more smaller meals or including smaller amounts of more calorie-dense foods (like fats).
If that doesn't work, see a doctor or dietitian.
I'm a little concerned that you think eating more meals might cause bingeing -- is there an ED history? (I don't like the lots of meals thing myself, eat more if I eat that way, since I don't feel satisfied as easily, so that you might prefer fewer larger meals doesn't set off warning bells. It was the combination of concern about bingeing plus the difficulty in eating 1400 and the feeling that a 500 calorie or so meal (1400/3 plus a bit) is overwhelming in how large it is.)
There is a history of ED ( not to get too detailed but I was diagnosed/hospitalized for Anorexia and then developed a binge eating disorder while in recovery). I'm being supervised by my doctor while I do this. While my daily goal is 1400 I often find myself hovering around 1200 and that's only if I eat everything I plan for the day. So when I'm full and don't want to finish I find myself quite low calorie-wise. So it sounds like switching to 6 meals (if I can manage that) might be a good idea of stopping when full and having a high calorie snack later might be the way to go. What sorts of high-calorie but not filling snacks do people have?
Beyond my scope of practice.
Last thing you need is advice about food.0 -
Milk is a good one, or milk-based drinks. Nuts. Cheese, with or without crackers. A lump of cheese with some grapes or apple is a nice snack, not very filling but quite calorie dense.
Or add some calorie bombs to your meals, the kind of thing your barely notice but adds a lot of calories. Mayo is a winner; melted butter on vegetables, grated cheese on anything. You can fairly easily up main meal calories by a couple of hundred by adding things like this, and it doesn't make it much more filling.0 -
So I've been at this for almost two months now. Things are going really well - I've had steady weight loss, I'm getting so much fitter, and I bought a scale so I'm tracking way more accurately. Lately though, I've noticed that I get half way through a meal and I'm overwhelmed by how much food I still have left to eat. My calorie goal is 1400 a day. I'm thinking about switching to 6 smaller meals throughout the day but I am worried about that leading to binges. Has smaller more frequent meals helped other people or do you find that it's better to eat more than you feel like at each meal?
I have very rarely had this issue.
I spread my calories out like so-> 100-300 calories for breakfast, 300-500 for lunch, 500-600 for dinner and 100-300 for snacks. I have 1-2 snacks in the afternoon or night.
I have never had a binge eating issue.
If you are being supervised by your doctor for an eating disorder it would probably be best to take your questions and concerns about your diet to them.0 -
I am starting to listen to my stomach and stop when I feel that full pressure. I like to eat so saving the calories to eat something else later is how I think of it. Like I got full and am under goal, means I can have buttered toast later.1
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