How to stop going over my calorie goal?

I've been on my weightloss journey for 5 weeks and have lost 5 pounds so far with the goal of losing 14 pounds all together.
My calorie goal is 1500 a day which I stay under when I've gone to the gym, but the last 3 days I've had nearly 2000 and today over 2000 as I didn't go to the gym. What should I do? Btw I keep snacking and that's what makes me go over. Should I buy healthier snacks and increase the amount I go to the gym? As I only go 2 days a week and exercise at home for 10 mins 2 days a week as my gym is really expensive. I was thinking of joining a cheaper gym so I can go to the gym 4-5 days a week.
And btw I keep snacking on biscuits and chocolate if that helps.
Thanks in advance.

Replies

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Why are you snacking? Are you hungry? Bored? Stressed? Is it your TOM?

    This. If it's because you are hungry, try making your dairy calorie allowance a bit larger.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    You can change your goal to lose more slowly and get more calories. You don't have much to lose so this might be fine.
    You can work out more at home or at a gym. Maybe try to do a 30 minute workout more days a week. You can walk more. There are lots of free ways to increase your activity.
    You can eat lower calorie snacks that fit your goal better. If you are not getting enough protein, fats or vegetables/fruits then choosing snacks that also meet those needs might be more satisfying than biscuits or chocolate anyway.
    See what works for you.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    I prelog from the night before. I only eat what I've preloged. I don't snack.

    Occasionally I go over maintanance calories and by alot. It happens, it is normal and I just try not to do it too often.

  • annemsexton
    annemsexton Posts: 7 Member
    steveko89 wrote: »
    Trying to out-exercise a snacking/chocolate/biscuit habit can be a big uphill battle. As others have stated, users and methods to "measure" calorie burn from exercise is often in-accurate (includes the MFP database).

    As far as hitting my calorie number, I find that pre-logging as much food as I can and staying as diligent as I can about the type of foods I have available for snacking helps tremendously. At some point you just have to keep yourself accountable. No one is ever going to be perfect but make an effort not to have two miss-steps in a row and continuously improve the time between those inevitable less-than-ideal food choices.

  • annemsexton
    annemsexton Posts: 7 Member
    No matter how much you workout you can’t put train a bad diet. You probably have to cut back on the snacking. Eat good quality protein fats and carbohydrates. Drink lots of water .
  • JorrunFulhelm
    JorrunFulhelm Posts: 42 Member
    Snacking can often happen when your meal time foods aren't lasting long enough or fueling your body properly. Take a good look at what you are eating for meal times too...might need to make a change there.
  • sarahlovesfood25
    sarahlovesfood25 Posts: 408 Member
    edited April 2018
    This sounds like the exact same thing im going through.
    Ive been on it for 6-7 weeks and have lost 6lbs but there were a couple of weeks where i went over calories and couldnt stop eating, due to this i nearly fell off the wagon but realised i was sick of stop/starting a diet so i carried on with what i was doing before, exercising everyday and logging foods, i didnt want to give up cus of all the hard work it took me to lose this weight- this week im aiming to lose 1lb so that will be half a stone- my target is 14lbs but anythin more than that will be amazing.
    U can do it just b positive and try and keep busy so u dont snack on these foods or dont buy them :) good luck
  • DarianJP
    DarianJP Posts: 95 Member
    I agree with a lot of other people on here but if you know you’re going to want to snack, save some room for snacking. I usually have a snack after dinner and make sure I’ve got calories for it, I prelog almost all of my food at the beginning of the week to keep me on track and might add a couple things here and there if I have the calories for it. It might seem excessive but it’s what works for me. I also keep like a 5lb bag of baby carrots in the fridge and I’ll eat a couple of those if I’m snacks.
  • quinnivere1979
    quinnivere1979 Posts: 2 Member
    I am on a 1800 calorie diet. I am slowly changing my calories as I go. I prep cook for my breakfast making eggs or some kind of meat with veggies. I have been doing this for the last 3 weeks and have found that I don’t get hungry for lunch as I used to. I have also found that I am a little more picky about what I snack on as well. I think starting off the day with a healthy meal has influenced the choices I have been making through out the day. I have lost weight since. I will be changing my lunch by prep cooking here in a few weeks when school is out. I think mindset helps. When I start the morning on a good note
  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,267 Member
    Pre-log everything you will put in your mouth in the morning. It keeps me accountable and I know if I have wiggle room to eat a bit of chocolate or something else later in the day when my hunger strikes. If you can't fit everything in, then plan on walking or working out or whatever your calorie burn of choice might be.
  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,046 Member
    I agree with other posters that it's important to identify whether you're going over your goal because your overall intake is unnecessarily low or if it's because you're bored, tired, hormonal, etc, because the solution is going to be different depending on what the root cause is.

    That being said, I'm another vote for pre-logging as an accountability tool. I pre-log my day, meals and snacks both, before I begin eating. This helps me stick to my caloric goal but also to meet my macros - having enough protein and fat in your diet helps with satiety.

    Besides, I'm usually pretty tired when I get home from work and knowing in advance what I'm going to snack on prevents me from browsing through the fridge and cupboards and grabbing whatever looks most appealing - which is good, because when I'm tired what looks most appealing is something easy like potato chips or sweet like cookies. Pre-logging allows me to fit foods like that into my day while still ensuring that I have proper nutrition from my other foods.

    For me, a lot of it boils down to routine and habit. I don't mindlessly snack anymore because I spent years breaking those habits and replacing them with new and healthier ones. It takes time, patience, and the ability to forgive yourself.
  • itisidaisy
    itisidaisy Posts: 121 Member
    Drink more water so you feel fuller. Keep yourself busy so you don’t snack mindlessly. Also, track your food BEFORE you eat it. That way you can stay on track with what you should be eating. It’s ok to eat chocolate biscuits if it keeps you sane, but the key is to eat them in moderation—like 1 or 2 biscuits instead of the entire package.