Slim Chance

rloechner
rloechner Posts: 3 Member
edited September 2017 in Introduce Yourself
Hello MFP community! I hope everyone is having a great day! I wanted to say hello as I feel like communicating with others who have similar goals will be helpful in me keeping mine.

I find it difficult to maintain my lifestyle while trying to "count calories". I don't want to give up the things that I love, but after just 1 week of tracking, I am amazed at how the small things really add up.

I wont' lie, I love beer and pizza and cheeze-its and cream cheese bagels and tuna with mayo.. the junk list goes on. I am not sure how I am going to actually hit my goal but I am hopeful that I can be strong.

Right now, my main goal is to try and adjust and flip my calories. My breakfasts are less than 200 calories and my dinner calories are ~1000 calories. I have a feeling that my dinner's shouldn't be that large.

Old habits die hard, this will not be easy, but here I am!

Replies

  • ISweat4This
    ISweat4This Posts: 653 Member
    Logging meals and tracking calories gets easier, but the process works. Good luck.
  • rloechner
    rloechner Posts: 3 Member
    Ohh beer, you are my downfall! Is there any one who struggles with this as much as I do? This week I lost 2 lbs. by getting in some workouts and watching my calories.. then Friday and Saturday night arrived. Freaking beer, so many calories!

    Are there any good alternatives? I would hate to just cut beer cold turkey.
  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
    I usually have a smaller or no breakfast to compensate for a larger dinner. It's up to you when you want to eat your calories so it's fine to have a 1000 kcal meal if it fits within your goals.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,409 Member
    Does it have to be beer? Beer is really high cal. How many beers are we talkin'? If it's more than two or three a couple times a week, that is a different type of problem.

    What about a bourbon on the rocks? Tequila with lime?
  • scoobytaylor1
    scoobytaylor1 Posts: 19 Member
    edited September 2017
    If you feel you have to have it, dare I say it but Lite beer might be an option. What time you eat your calories is up to what works for you. So far your saying you usually have a 200 calorie breakfast and 1000 dinner which means your under minimal calories for a male. By the way, good luck with fitting the beer in.
  • Polo265
    Polo265 Posts: 287 Member
    rloechner wrote: »
    Ohh beer, you are my downfall! Is there any one who struggles with this as much as I do? This week I lost 2 lbs. by getting in some workouts and watching my calories.. then Friday and Saturday night arrived. Freaking beer, so many calories!

    Are there any good alternatives? I would hate to just cut beer cold turkey.

    I'm also a beer lover and I don't give it up. However, I drink MIchelob Ultra Light (95 calories). Yeah, I know - a watered down version. :( I love all the foods you mentioned, especially cream cheese and cheez-its. I can eat a whole block of cream cheese and chips in one sitting. Having it on bagels or toast is awesome too. Everyone says you can have those things, just not as much. Well, I've been on MFP for 6 weeks and haven't been brave enough to try a small bit of cream cheese or a handful of cheez-its. They are binge foods for me. I do, however, anticipate that as my weight loss and confidence increase, I'll be able to moderate. You can do this!
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    I do not and never have been a lover of beer, wine, or the distilled spirits, so I can't really help you there.
    Pizza, though, is a regular part of the healthy eating plan of many people in this community. Don't imagine that you have to give it up.

    Your binge foods are going to be things that you may just have to banish from your presence. I had to do that with Nutella. I want to point out, though, that tuna and mayo can be managed into a very healthy meal or snack.

    Stick with it. You'll soon enough be slimmer and stronger.
  • rloechner
    rloechner Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks everyone for your replies! I am trying to take it all in. This weekend it was very difficult to track efficiently because I was out at restaurants and at some BBQs.

    @scarlett_k - I like the idea of being able to eat my calories whenever I want, and that makes a lot of sense. It doesn't really matter when, does it?

    @cmriverside - it probably is a bigger problem although I have never considered myself an alcoholic. It is hard to think that I am not one now that I start tracking. On a typical Thursday - Sunday, I could easily have 6-7 beers a day. I am going to try and go from Beer to.. something else - Gin, Scotch, etc. and see how that goes.

    thanks @scoobytaylor1 and @Polo265 - I will need all the luck I can get! I will try switching to Yuengling, America's oldest beer! ( I think, maybe that is just all the advertising :wink: )

    @JeromeBarry1 - I will try and stick with it as long as I can! I realize even now that my binge foods are what will have to go. It is tough, but I think in the end it will be worth it. However, now that you mentioned Nutella.. I may have to delay that binge just a few more days.

    I was reading today about BMI. Do many or any of you try and keep to a BMI standard? I was looking today, and for me, at 5'11", I would have to weight about 160 to be with in the "normal" BMI standard. That seems unrealistic.. how the heck am I supposed to go from 220 to 160, that doesn't even seem real. I think I will start with just getting to 200.

    Thanks all for your support!

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,409 Member
    rloechner wrote: »

    @cmriverside - it probably is a bigger problem although I have never considered myself an alcoholic. It is hard to think that I am not one now that I start tracking. On a typical Thursday - Sunday, I could easily have 6-7 beers a day. I am going to try and go from Beer to.. something else - Gin, Scotch, etc. and see how that goes.

    When I was a drinker I didn't keep count very well. I mean, once I understood that I was drinking too much I tried to count. Yeah. That worked until it didn't. If I thought I had three it could easily become six without my little counting ritual being effective.

    I'll just say that
    1.) Beer/drink affected what I ate - not only that day but the next day. It was hard to stay on track when under the influence. I just didn't make good food choices, due to craving heavenlier foods and it's just easier to eat comfort/convenience food. Especially on the weekend.
    2.) If you think you *may* be drinking too much (and 6-7 four nights a week is definitely way too much) Don't switch to hard alcohol. I did that in the name of saving calories and it accelerated my alcohol problem. Stick with your beer and try to cut it back. If you find you can't drink 1-2 and quit - start doing some research, because it's going to get worse. I'm an alcoholic in recovery and your story ticks the boxes.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,409 Member
    lol, "heavenlier" I'm leaving it. :lol:

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