help please--don't understand what i'm doing

staceyw37
staceyw37 Posts: 2,094 Member
edited September 19 in Health and Weight Loss
hi all! i've read lots of posts these last 2 months and have learned a lot. but right now i'm very confused about what my body is doing.

i upped my cardio significantly this last week or so. i have a lot of flab to elim to get to the muscles underneath. i'm a sahm w/3 kids and put in lightly active in mfp. start 148 goal is 130. i'm 37 and 5' 4.5".

this week, i've burned a ton of calories (for me) but i'm still OVER my limits. some days i'm hungry and other days not so much. and i know there are a lot of sugar/junk/useless carb calories in my diet.

my q is why do i want so much to eat and how should i go about this? is it just mental? is it simply i need to make better choices each time i'm hungry?


Calories in (Mon-Fri)==9388
MFP says calories in should be ==9076 (not taking into account the "minus" number below)

333 minutes cardio burned 2626 (w/hrm)
minus what i'd burn in hour doing computer/nothing ==438 (total for Mon-Fri's workouts)

any advice helping me understand how to do this better would be great! thank you!!

Replies

  • staceyw37
    staceyw37 Posts: 2,094 Member
    hi all! i've read lots of posts these last 2 months and have learned a lot. but right now i'm very confused about what my body is doing.

    i upped my cardio significantly this last week or so. i have a lot of flab to elim to get to the muscles underneath. i'm a sahm w/3 kids and put in lightly active in mfp. start 148 goal is 130. i'm 37 and 5' 4.5".

    this week, i've burned a ton of calories (for me) but i'm still OVER my limits. some days i'm hungry and other days not so much. and i know there are a lot of sugar/junk/useless carb calories in my diet.

    my q is why do i want so much to eat and how should i go about this? is it just mental? is it simply i need to make better choices each time i'm hungry?


    Calories in (Mon-Fri)==9388
    MFP says calories in should be ==9076 (not taking into account the "minus" number below)

    333 minutes cardio burned 2626 (w/hrm)
    minus what i'd burn in hour doing computer/nothing ==438 (total for Mon-Fri's workouts)

    any advice helping me understand how to do this better would be great! thank you!!
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    You're probably hungry because there's a lot of useless carbohydrates, sugar, and junk in your diet. You will only get out what you put in. Get rid of the crap and replace it with wholesome foods.
  • adopt4
    adopt4 Posts: 970 Member
    What MFP says is already WITH a deficit, don't add another deficit on top of it. So if my math is right, you were eating roughly 1300 cals per day.. that's not a lot.

    So for example, if MFP says you should eat 1400 cals/day to lose weight, it already has a deficit built in based on your activity level entered in. So if you use another 500 cals a day in exercise, then you're really only taking in 900 cals per day, which will put your body in starvation mode.

    You will feel hungry for awhile, be sure to eat all your cals with good food, and if you are used to snacking all the time, it may take a while for you to determine what is actual hunger and what is emotional or bored or stress eating.
  • hiddensecant
    hiddensecant Posts: 2,446 Member
    Eat as many whole foods as possible. Stick with whole grains. Have 2 cups of steamed veggies with dinner.

    Don't follow the default MFP ratio's. Increase your protein as they will keep you full longer. Go for 30% protein and take the % from carbs.

    Go for a 100-calorie snack between big meals so you can eat every 2-3 hours. Divide the rest of the calories evenly among your other meals. And drink all your water!
  • staceyw37
    staceyw37 Posts: 2,094 Member
    You're probably hungry because there's a lot of useless carbohydrates, sugar, and junk in your diet. You will only get out what you put in. Get rid of the crap and replace it with wholesome foods.

    i know....i was doing good for over a month--and then the carb "wants" went up and up. so i exercised more and more, but still the sugar junk. somehow i have to get the will to just not eat it, the same way i would never consider eating my husb's canned rigatoni and pasta food (ugh!).

    man, i thought it would be so much easier b/c i never used to struggle with all this. but these bad habits, and that's all they are i suppose, are ingrained and i'm just gonna have to work harder.

    (i was trying to tell myself my body "needed" all this extra to "recover/repair" from all that hard work. yeah. right.)

    thanks all for your input. i knew it, but needed to hear it.
  • ekgstr
    ekgstr Posts: 21
    I like to eat every three hours. It helps me not be extremely hungry so I dont end up over eating at any meals.
  • iLose2Gain
    iLose2Gain Posts: 138 Member
    Yes, eating every 3 hrs does help you not feel as hungry, you just have to make sure you are eating the right kinds of foods. Eat more fruits and veggies and make sure to drink all your water during the day. Protein does make you feel full but the best is Fiber. I take a fiber supplement and drink 64 oz of water before 5pm (otherwise I end up going to the bathroom all night). Then I eat a healthy dinner and I try not to eat after 7. If I am too hungry I'll eat some fruit or eat a 100 calorie pack snack. Whatever you do make sure you eat. I watch the Biggest Loser and contestants always seem to having a problem dropping the weight in weeks 2 and 3 because they don't eat all of their calories and complex carbs. Also make sure you are getting at least 7 hours of sleep. They say that sleep deprivation can make you gain weight. Hope this helps!
  • thedreamhazer
    thedreamhazer Posts: 1,156 Member
    It sounds like you're having a difficult time with cravings...particularly craving sweet things. We've all been there. This might sound unsatisfactory, but when I find myself craving something sweet, I grab the yogurt. Yoplait Light and Dannon's Light and Fit are great! Low-cal and some really sweet, good flavors! If that just doesn't feel like it'll cut it, though, it's nice to keep no-sugar-added hot chocolate mix in the house! Swiss Miss makes a 60-cal one...just make it with water!

    If you can control the sweets cravings with low-cal things, you'll have more room in your calorie-intake for filling things, like the foods others have suggested above (proteins, whole grains, fruits/veggies, etc.) You'll feel less hungry and more energized!
  • staceyw37
    staceyw37 Posts: 2,094 Member
    thank you all!
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