Eating too much?

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MissJenova
MissJenova Posts: 258
in Introduce Yourself
I need some advise!
This is a long post, I'm sorry o_0 TLDR is below.

This may seem like a silly issue, but I am ALWAYS going over my calorie goal. I will admit that I've slacked on previous days and eaten poorly and sky-rocketed over my goal with one bad food choice, but even on days when I eat healthy and in moderation I still go over.
I eat when I'm hungry...like, really hungry. Between breakfast and lunch (8:30-12) I have to really try to ignore the hunger pains so that I don't eat more snacks.
For example, this morning I had a Fage yogurt around 8:30. Then around 9-9:30 I had a mango. By 11 I was so hungry that I had a half of a whole grain bagel.
By the time I'm done with lunch (piece of angus steak and a small salad) I'll only have less then 500 calories to last snacks and dinner until bed! I'm going to get much hungrier then less then 500 calories can satisfy.
And I don't want to eat back my excersize calories, so I usually try to keep my goal at the set 1360 calories a day. I don't mind eating into my exercise calories a bit, but not the whole thing! I just get hungry. And not bored hungry; actually hungry.

TLDR:
So, the point of this novel is what: I don't know how people can exercise and eat only 1200 calories a day. I really need to work out more, that's a given, but I am curious as to what some of your food choices are?
What do you guys do to stay full?
What food choices do you make that satisfy you longer?
How often do you eat and how much do you eat?

Thanks in advance for reading all that/responding!
^_^

Replies

  • lizardlizzie
    lizardlizzie Posts: 7
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    It sounds like you might need more protein at breakfast to help tide you over? I don't personally have an issue with tons of carbs in the morning leaving me hungry the rest of the day, but lots of others do :)
  • LindsayChick
    LindsayChick Posts: 129 Member
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    Eat super filling foods like apples, carrots, broccoli etc. Then a little goes a long way! I also am on a Vegan Boca Burger kick -- it's only 70 cal and then I put it on a whole wheat sandwich thin (100 cal) w/ some ketchup and mustard. Delicious and only about 200 cal!
  • jamielise2
    jamielise2 Posts: 432 Member
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    If you are exercising you should be eating back most of those exercise calories. I don't usually go over my goal, in fact I usually have a hard time keeping my net calories over 1000 because of exercise. Things that keep me full, though, are chobani yogurt, string cheese, and whole grain breads. I do find I'm eating something about every 2 hours...
  • NicolioRussell
    NicolioRussell Posts: 273
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    Eat more green vegetables! Add salads. For some reason, I don't get hungry as often if I eat a salad with lunch.
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
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    You need to eat back the exercise calories. You are hungry. Feed yourself.
  • peteb79
    peteb79 Posts: 386
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    You might want to try adding more water as well, that really helps me avoid feeling hungry.
  • kchen135
    kchen135 Posts: 14
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    You should always eat when you are hungry, and don't starve yourself. And I agree with the others. You can eat lots of veggies that aren't so filled with calories and they tend to keep you full for a pretty decent time.
  • witheredorchid
    witheredorchid Posts: 164 Member
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    I eat a lot of fiber and protien. Sometimes probably more than I should but it really helps me stay full. I also ONLY eat when I'm hungry. I used to snack when I was bored or stressed and now I find something else to do. If I keep my day really busy it helps keep my mind off of food.

    Some of my favorite filling foods are:

    Fiber bars. They are so much tastier than they used to be.
    Veggie Chips. They are super low in calories and supress my cravings for potato chips. Plus you can make some super low cal guac. and eat them together. Supper yummy.
    Greek Yogurt - I just learned to mix plain greek yogurt with some sugar free cheesecake pudding mix. It's amazing and tastes just like cheesecake.
    Lots of chicken and fish

    I usually eat my 3 main meals a day and have an afternoon snack because I eat dinner early.
  • trilikeagirl
    trilikeagirl Posts: 218
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    Protein. Healthy fats. Water up, half your body weight in ounces. I have to eat 900-1000 calories before dinner when I'm training to make it through the day without imagining eating my coworkers. I don't eat back all my exercise cals, but I do try to eat 100-200 extra protein calories directly following a workout.
  • agthorn
    agthorn Posts: 1,844 Member
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    If you only have 15 lbs to lose, you probably should be at 1/2 lb per week. 1lb max (but if you're constantly hungry, then that's your body telling you it's not comfortable with that rate of weight loss). My goal was 12 lbs and I'm an average height/average build gal, and I got 1450 pre-exercise at half a pound a week.

    Also, eat back your exercise calories. That's what they're there for (and being constantly hungry is a sign that your body is demanding more fuel).
  • h82bfat
    h82bfat Posts: 77
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    Hi, open your diary and folks more knowledgeable than I will help out. But if you're always hungry you won't be able to continue for long.

    • Check all your settings and make sure you're logging exercise and caloric intake properly.
    • Dense snacks like almonds and cheese are more satisfying to me than an equivalent number of calories worth of "low-cal" treats.
    • Exercise more = eat more
    • Get plenty of sleep.
    • Drink plenty of water. Sometimes we confuse hunger and thirst.
    • If all else fails, lower your goal. Loosing 1/2 lb/week (or whatever) is better than setting the bar higher and giving up.

    Keep at it, you can do it!
  • NaomiLyn15
    NaomiLyn15 Posts: 388 Member
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    Your body is telling you that you need to eat back your exercise calories. This is a mistake that people on here seem to make a lot. Remember that MFP is already lowing your calories in the amount you would need to lower to lose x amount of pounds per week before you exercise. So, when you exercise you are taking that even lower.

    If you BMR = 1700 and you have your weight loss set at 1 lbs loss per week, then you need to cut your calorie intake to 1200 a day to be down 3500 per week.

    Then you go work out and burn another 500 calories. This means that you are trying to force your body to live off of 700 calories a day. THat is not possible. That is why you are hungry. Listen to your body, it knows what it is talking about. Eat those exercise calories and you will feel better and lose weight faster.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    With the amount you have to lose you should be setting your goal at 0.5 lbs/week anymore is unrealistic when you have under 15lbs to go. That being said you should eat those, plus eat back the cals you burn from exercise.
  • jenn2me
    jenn2me Posts: 5 Member
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    Are you really hungry or is your stomach grumbling but actually feels like it has food in it? I ask because I had an ulcer and it felt like that. I always felt hungry even though my stomach felt full. It was a gnawing type of hunger pain that was there even after I had eaten. Anyway, if you have that type of feeling and you think you have eaten enough it is worth asking your doctor.

    Otherwise, make sure you are having a little bit of protein with your carbs to slow down the digestion.
  • sjstocker
    sjstocker Posts: 8
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    I personally don't have any objection to your breakfast - this is roughly what I have (although I have it altogether) and it should amount to around 300-350 calories. So if you have an allowance of 1350 and after lunch you have 500 or less left then I would say that's where the problem is. Steak can be quite a fatty and calorie dense meat compared to something like chicken. For example, you could have 2 chicken breast for around 200-250 kcals and then a good handful of salad (no dressing for 50-100.

    That will leave you with an extra 150-200 calories for snacks between lunch and dinner and then 500 for dinner. I am normally at around the 700 kcal level after breakfast, lunch and snacks and then have 500 for dinner, which works fine for me as long as I make sensible choices. You have an extra 150 calories that I don't have so you should be able to snack even more.

    So my advice would be try to reduce the calorie count of your lunch, not my making it smaller, but by choosing different foods. I find sandwiches are too many calories and don't keep me full, so I don't eat them. Soup is usually a good choice, and I also eat a lot of sushi which is a lot of food for a low calorie count.

    Hope that helps!
  • Lizzy_Sunflower
    Lizzy_Sunflower Posts: 1,510 Member
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    Please read : http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions

    more specifically: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/8977-your-body-s-thoughts-on-calories

    I have Tons of friends here, losing that last 10

    and they are not hungry.... there is another way

    Don't feel guilty, nourish your body

    :flowerforyou:
  • chelsifina
    chelsifina Posts: 346 Member
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    Yes, eat back those exercise calories! That's part of the plan. I often find, for myself, that when I plateau and it seems like I'm doing everything right, I''m not eating ENOUGH calories. I eat more, then I lose more. Not eating back your exercise cals is a plan for failure. Especially if you're hungry.
  • kimberly130
    kimberly130 Posts: 166
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    Yes, eat back those exercise calories! That's part of the plan. I often find, for myself, that when I plateau and it seems like I'm doing everything right, I''m not eating ENOUGH calories. I eat more, then I lose more. Not eating back your exercise cals is a plan for failure. Especially if you're hungry.

    I was in the same predicament, I was hungry and had plateaued with no gain or loss for 3 weeks. I found I was eating my 1200/day than exercising giving myself 200-500 more calories but not eating them. I thought since I did't loose any weight i should eat less, so I ended up gaining 2lbs. I ended up giving myself a calorie goal of what my BMI was, eating more along with eating my exercise and in 2 weeks I had lost 3lbs!
    Another suggestion to def eat more whole grains, fruit, veggies every 2-3 hrs rather than 3 large meals. this ensures that you never get to that "im starving" feeling, you feed yourself just before you start to feel hungry. its a weird Jedi mind trick when you know your only eating yogurt for dinner but you have to remember you had eaten all day long... ]

    Another trick Ive learned, if you are going to eat say, an apple for a snack, eat a piece of string cheese to add protein. Because apples have a lot of carbs, by eating the cheese you will "trick" your body into thinking it is eating just protein and it will process the food quickly rather than storing the carbs as fuel/fat. I do this with similar items such as a bagel, have a lot of cream cheese to speed up your metabolism. Ironic isn't it.

    Well that is all for my novel back to you...... we must be related?! LOL :laugh:
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    1200 is awfully low, try this

    figure out maintenance and take 80% of that, that should lead to slow and steady weight loss

    the most accurate formula is the Katch-McCardle, but is dependent on you knowing your bf%

    BMR = 370 + (21.6 x LBM) Where LBM = [total weight (kg) x (100 - bodyfat %)]/100

    You then multiply these by an 'activity variable' to give TEE. This Activity Factor is the cost of living and it is BASED ON MORE THAN JUST YOUR TRAINING. It also includes work/lifestyle, sport & a TEF of ~15% (an average mixed diet). Average activity variables are:
    1.2 = Sedentary (Little or no exercise + desk job)
    1.3-1.4 = Lightly Active (Little daily activity & light exercise 1-3 days a week)
    1.5-1.6 = Moderately Active (Moderately active daily life & Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week)
    1.7-1.8 = Very Active (Physically demanding lifestyle & Hard exercise or sports 6-7 d

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