Calories

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melodytolles50
melodytolles50 Posts: 3 Member
in Motivation and Support
Ok so I am just getting started and I’m supposed to eat about 1500 calories a day! The first day I was under my calories, today I’m already over them and I still have dinner! I’m either real hungry or not hungry at all! What can I do?

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  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
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    I learned early on to fill out my food diary a few days in advance. It gets rid of all that “oh crap!” stress that goes along with weight loss.
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
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    It took me a couple weeks to get a mental grasp on logging my regular foods - quite the eye opening experience! Now that I have been doing it for a little while things have definitely settled down. The first couple weeks were a roller coaster with the high and low numbers - one day I came in 800 below! And that’s with 1540 for my daily allowance! I am pretty consistent now - under 300 for breakfast (almost always eggs of some sort), lunch is 400 or less, then a bigger chunk for supper and/or dessert depending on how I space things out. I rarely am truly hungry, and am finding when I am it’s usually the day after I didn’t eat all my calories for the day (usually because of extra exercise late in the day, or drastically overestimating a meal such as soup).
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
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    My husband joked, after watching me for a while, that if this were him he would just eat the same thing everyday to make it easier. That is SO his personality! But definitely not mine :D he happily eats the same exact thing for breakfast for months on end. I would love to do like LyndaBSS but most times I can’t tell you what it is I am fixing for supper until it’s almost time to be served. I’ll start with something like ground beef, start cooking it, and go from there! Last night was surprise stir fry! Cooked some rice. Found some ham. Oh look! We have pineapple. What else can I throw in here? Bada-bing, bada-boom, supper was served to cheering children. Suh-weet!

    (Makes logging super fun).
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
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    I live alone so I can get away with prelogging. 😆
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,716 Member
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    Be patient with yourself, keep logging (even if you go over), and you'll gradually be able to fine-tune what you're doing to hit your calorie goal, and figure out which foods and routines are most satisfying for you personally as well as practical for your daily routine.

    It doesn't have to be perfect from day 1, it can be a learning process, and that's fine.

    Think of it not so much as "a diet" (a project with an end), but as a way of learning how to eat first in a way that will result in gradual, sensible weight loss, and later in being able to happily maintain your healthy weight permanently. That's worth investing some time in, right? :)

    Best wishes!

  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 6,707 Member
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    I agree, it's going to take a little time to find your groove. In my case if I was way under and/or didn't eat any exercise calories back one day the next day I was starving. I'm upping the amount of exercise calories I eat (know I don't burn as much as what MFP says from my weight loss experience so I'm trying to find my sweet spot) and it's helped a lot with having more balanced days.
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,482 Member
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    There’s a significant calorie counting learning curve that doesn’t get a lot of discussion. Don’t know why. Just make sure you keep crunching the numbers and logging everything. Doing this successfully requires a few things- a calorie deficit, living with it, and time to make it work. It’s simple but not easy.

    A couple of things that helped me- I ate 3 meals per day and 3 snacks. Pretty much on a schedule. Waiting until I was hungry could lead to problems. Especially at work. So sometimes I ate to keep from getting hungry later. And I became a volume eater. I looked on my calories (for a while Weight Watchers points) as a budget for the day. I tried to get value for what I was spending. 2-3 of those little cookies could be an entire plate of food. Not a good bargain. Takes some planning.

    You can do this.
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
    edited November 2019
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    I agree that there’s a big learning curve. For me, the first couple of weeks logging foods was the most difficult and frustrating.

    Once I got a bunch of my usual food items logged, it was much easier. Now, having been here five months, it’s a no brainer, for the most part.

    Apply common sense logging your foods. Always remember that the database is full of user entries and many are wrong. If the nutritional values look to good to be true, don’t trust it. Look the item up on the USDA website.
  • Shortgirlrunning
    Shortgirlrunning Posts: 1,020 Member
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    It takes some time to learn how to space out your meals in a way that works best for you. I find it helpful to plan out my day the night before or first thing in the morning. I’ll make changes/adjustments as the day goes on but having a plan is really key for me.
  • thinmarjo
    thinmarjo Posts: 19 Member
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    I find drinking a gallon of water a day really helps. I often think I'm hungry but I was actually thirsty. Also eating protein, veggies, fruit, very measured nuts, and measured whole grains. I also buy super small apples and eat them without limit. I never eat more than 3 and they are low calorie, satisfy a sweet tooth, are easy to carry and always save the day. The other thing is herbal tea. I have a cup of tea when I am looking for a treat. The other thing is I remember that sometimes I'm hungry and guess what? I can survive it. I hate feeling hungry. I overreact to it. But these 3 responses help. If you are hungry and you don't want that tiny apple...you are F.O.S. It's not easy to change because its uncomfortable sometimes but it's better than what obesity offers Wishing everyone a healthy day!
  • shelleysykeskeene
    shelleysykeskeene Posts: 110 Member
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    As others said, logging in advance helps. If you can, try split your calories as equally as possible between your main meals and snacks, I get 1200 Cal so I try keep it around 250cal per meal and around 100cal per snack. Once you have worked this out you can meal prep stuff in advance so all you meals are grab, warm up and go. This way you know exactly what's on the menu and you know it's been weighed already - no chance of over eating and you know you are eating clean at least 80% of the time.

    Sometimes I will not have my 100 Cal snack and have a kitkat finger (just one) to satisfy my sweet tooth of I'm really craving chocolate.

    It's a bit boring eating the same stuff over and over so switching out your protein or your veggies per meal can help change things up a bit - also adding bulk to meals using veggies and salad ingredients really helps.

    Another tip to not use up all your calories is to not drink them! Don't have the "fancy" coffees with added sugar, or the fizzy drinks,fruir Juices, sports drinks and milkshakes. Limit beverages with milk (eg your tea and coffee) to 2 or 3 cups a day (no sugar) and switch from whole to low fat or fat free milk.

    Watch your sauces and dressings! They add up! Try having no more than 1 tablespoon of a sauce or dressing and no more than twice a day.

    I also give my self one cheat meal a week - (or every 2 weeks) but stick to smaller portions. I will make sure I get a workout in on the day of my cheat meal and then that lunch time or dinner time if we are having pizza I will have a slice, with salad on the side and a drink. If we are having burgers I will have that burger (just one, no cheese and no fries). And then it's straight back to the diet.

    It's worked for me in the past, a but more difficult now that I have an autoimmune condition but it's about consistency - not perfection.

    Best of luck, add me if you like xoxo
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 13,525 Member
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    I bet you a dollar this will not be the first time you go over your calorie goal. It's a learning opportunity. Keep logging. Look back at your log and see what the calorie dense things were early in the day. If they are not also nutritionally dense (or not filling), consider limiting the amount of them you eat going forward.

    On days when you're over your calorie goal, log them. Pay attention, and then move on. It's just one day. You're on a life-long journey. One day is just one day. Don't dwell on it. Just keep paying attention, and log everything you eat. Everything. You'll get better at estimating, but keep weighing whenever you can. And keep logging.

    As you get better at it, there will be days you decide you want to go over. It's fine. Do it. Do it with the full knowledge that there will be a price to pay. If you're just a little over just a day it's a small price.

    I am curious the weight loss rate you are trying to achieve. I know you didn't ask about this, but if you are targeting a fast weight loss, you will likely struggle. Slow and steady. Small deficit. No more than 1% of your body weight, and probably less especially if you don't have a LOT to lose.

    Let us know how all this goes for you. I'm hoping it's a big success!

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