How to Not Get Hungry While Looking Up/Adding Food to tracker

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khilbert4
khilbert4 Posts: 6 Member
in Getting Started
This question has probably been asked before but, how does one add to the food tracker without being tempted by foods coming up in the search results, even when after just eating? Any tips would be much appreciated!

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  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
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    Do it with your eyes closed!
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,603 Member
    edited May 2021
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    Log before eating.

    Might also help you manage your food timing by not waiting till you're absolutely famished. Or you might end up practicing the old "eat an apple a half hour before dinner" trick.

    But log by the gram before eating. Also: are you logging ingredients?

    I mean logging a random "bowl of borscht" that you have no idea how about size, ingredients, or preparation is less likely to prove a great guide in terms of how many calories you've actually consumed.

    Also verify that your chosen deficit size is appropriate for your current level of activity and size. Yes, 0.5 to 2lbs a week are all "safe" targets for 8 billion people on the planet in general... but they are not equally safe and appropriate for the particular you who is choosing to implement them.

    Unless you're obese and or have a TDEE that is in the 3,000+ Calorie range, chances are that a loss rate of 2lbs a week and possibly even 1.5lbs a week is excessive. Especially if you don't accurately account for your activity levels.
  • khilbert4
    khilbert4 Posts: 6 Member
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    I've got to work on the actual ingredients. Borscht. . . that's something I have not had in awhile. I have heard of that apple thing. . . does that really work?
  • khilbert4
    khilbert4 Posts: 6 Member
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    I have not idea what my TDEE is. I do know that I supposedly have something called a resting energy expenditure of 2,748. Kind of confused about all of these different terms.
  • AlexandraFindsHerself1971
    AlexandraFindsHerself1971 Posts: 3,106 Member
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    khilbert4 wrote: »
    I've got to work on the actual ingredients. Borscht. . . that's something I have not had in awhile. I have heard of that apple thing. . . does that really work?

    I usually have a 100 calorie snack (usually some nuts works best for me) just before I stand up to cook dinner. That way I'm not piecing on the ingredients and I'm not so hungry I'm making stupid mistakes around sharp knives and hot stoves. I am always nicely ready for things to be plated and done, but I'm not so hungry I'm crying that way.
  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,158 Member
    edited May 2021
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    I mostly prelog. I use the recipe builder a lot so looking up things like flour or onion or a particular cut of meat isn't very exciting. For prepackaged foods or foods I'm eating as-is like a whole fruit, I'm looking up that specific food by brand name or food type so all the entries popping up are going to be similar if not basically identical (check to ensure you're using updated, accurate information.)

    For restaurant food, or any prepared food by someone else, where I have to do some estimating, I still try to keep search terms as specific as possible. If you come across something that sounds good, you can always keep it in mind to have on some later date. Just because you're not going to eat it right now doesn't mean you can't have it, or something like it, later.
  • khilbert4
    khilbert4 Posts: 6 Member
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    So, are resting energy expenditure and resting metabolic rate the same? And, that would be ~65% of my total? I'm just trying to figure out the whole calorie thing. So, if my resting expenditure is 2748, then adding ~1480 would be my total daily? That seems awfully high (4,228) but we'll go with it. So, if I shoot for 1lb of weight loss per week, then, according to what I've read, I need to consume 500 calories less a day. Which comes to 3,728 calories per day. Is that correct?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,944 Member
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    khilbert4 wrote: »
    So, are resting energy expenditure and resting metabolic rate the same? And, that would be ~65% of my total? I'm just trying to figure out the whole calorie thing. So, if my resting expenditure is 2748, then adding ~1480 would be my total daily? That seems awfully high (4,228) but we'll go with it. So, if I shoot for 1lb of weight loss per week, then, according to what I've read, I need to consume 500 calories less a day. Which comes to 3,728 calories per day. Is that correct?

    Not enough information.

    Why don't you go into "Goals" here, set it at, "Lose 1 pound per week," (like it suggests,) set your Activity Level as honestly as you can according to the descriptors, eat that amount. Trying to figure all this out in the beginning is usually over-thinking.


    Eat what it tells you. Learn to log food accurately, on days you exercise, add that into the Exercise tab. Eat more on those days.

    That's how this tool is meant to be used. Don't confuse the process by over-complicating it, just run the experiment we all had to run at first. Use those numbers for a month as you get into the process and THEN adjust at the end of that month when you understand how it all works AND have numbers to go on that apply to YOU.
    :)


    Logging food accuracy How To:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1
  • khilbert4
    khilbert4 Posts: 6 Member
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    OK. . . I don't understand why the doctors used this scale-like body composition machine, giving me this resting metabolic rate number. I would think that you could do a more accurate requirements baseline and, thus, a more accurate calculation of what you should shoot for in terms of calories less per day. But, it is what it is, I guess.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    khilbert4 wrote: »
    OK. . . I don't understand why the doctors used this scale-like body composition machine, giving me this resting metabolic rate number. I would think that you could do a more accurate requirements baseline and, thus, a more accurate calculation of what you should shoot for in terms of calories less per day. But, it is what it is, I guess.

    Nothing you stand on is going to give you a particularly accurate resting metabolic rate number.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,603 Member
    edited May 2021
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    The rest of this discussion is based on you correctly reporting your resting metabolic rate as 2478 and not conflating the name with some other value.

    Based on the above information:

    --you are most likely to be correctly classified as obese, and would probably benefit from visiting us at: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/133315-larger-losers :wink:

    --your "sedentary" TDEE pre-estimate would be about 1.25x your resting metabolic rate so in the low 3000s.

    --an initial goal for 2lbs a week is probably relevant.

    --if you're extremely hungry you may be transitioning from a way larger intake to what is now a way smaller intake as you may have been on a gaining trajectory. One strategy may be to just log for a week without specifically trying to create a deficit and then going through your log and seeing which items seem to be worth the calories you're spending on them... and which ones don't.

    Starting from there and continuing on a strategy of incremental improvements.

    (I second what Alexandra said: when my deficits were large in the beginning and I was still figuring out ways to transition to more satiating strategies I had a very hard time pre-logging my food before eating it (which was one of my non-negotiable strategies with myself: "nothing gets eaten till it is logged"). Which is when I started eating that cut up, cored, and weighed apple or weighed 20g portion of nuts, or what have you. To give me time to finish food prep and logging :smiley: )

    It does sound as if you're "hangry" but this may be an issue having to do with total intake of calories especially when compared to before, as opposed to the size of deficit chosen. Generally a loss target of 0.25% to 1% of body weight per week would be considered safe. Most people find it easier in the 0.5% range. But larger individuals can usually tolerate a 1% loss rate for a few months. However long term adherence is much more important that speed for people who have a lot to lose.
  • g2renew
    g2renew Posts: 146 Member
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    LOL OP I understand completely re: hungry looking up foods and counts! I was 'asked to leave' WW many moons ago because I kept gaining weight. I was always hungry and the amount of focus on food was just making me worse! Arrgh! Eventually I learned the difference in 'mouth hungry' and real hunger, and that has been a huge help. Waiting 20 minutes before 'giving in' to an apparent feeling of hunger has helped, too, Often, I log right after eating so that I know I am satisfied. Drinking water while tracking foods and eating psyillium husk can help, too.
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
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    I log with my food in front of me but not having yet eaten it. Meaning that there is ACTUAL FOOD in front of my face for me to have, so other results showing up don't bother me much. Because actual food is the greater draw and it's RIGHT THERE for me to eat.

    ...This might be a problem if I was trying to eat food I didn't much like but i'm just not that person.
  • OhMsDiva
    OhMsDiva Posts: 1,074 Member
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    khilbert4 wrote: »
    This question has probably been asked before but, how does one add to the food tracker without being tempted by foods coming up in the search results, even when after just eating? Any tips would be much appreciated!

    I asked a similar question some time ago, it was just phrased differently and I was all but attacked. Although I don't react, sometimes when I look in my diary to add my foods I see foods that I have eaten and I think, now that sounds good. At least I know I am not alone in thinking this way.
  • khilbert4
    khilbert4 Posts: 6 Member
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    I am hangry at the moment and apologize. Psyillium husk. . . I'll have to find out what that is. Thanks, y'all.
  • g2renew
    g2renew Posts: 146 Member
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    khilbert4 wrote: »
    I am hangry at the moment and apologize. Psyillium husk. . . I'll have to find out what that is. Thanks, y'all.

    No need for apologies:-). We have all been frustrated at a time or two on this journey.

    FYI: psyillium husk is a sticky fiber, so some choose to add into water. I find it makes a gelatinous mess that way,so I sprinkle on foods or eat small quantities at a time dry. Look for one without any additives-100% husk. Konsyl brand is inexpensive, adds 20 cal per TBSP and 5carb grams-all fiber with 1g iron.

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