Eating Healthier

tinanicole
tinanicole Posts: 31
edited September 19 in Food and Nutrition
Hey guys!
I have a question for you...
I feel like I am eating a lot healthier, however my calorie count is still higher than 1200. What should I do?

My meals tend to look like this

cereal with chopped bananas or egg beaters and fruit for breakfast
nutrigran bar for snack
sandwhich or salad for lunch
chicken, veggies and some carb treat (such as plain rice) for dinner

I do not drink soda or coffee...ONLY WATER!

What should I change?

Replies

  • tinanicole
    tinanicole Posts: 31
    Hey guys!
    I have a question for you...
    I feel like I am eating a lot healthier, however my calorie count is still higher than 1200. What should I do?

    My meals tend to look like this

    cereal with chopped bananas or egg beaters and fruit for breakfast
    nutrigran bar for snack
    sandwhich or salad for lunch
    chicken, veggies and some carb treat (such as plain rice) for dinner

    I do not drink soda or coffee...ONLY WATER!

    What should I change?
  • Delaina1
    Delaina1 Posts: 168 Member
    Well it doesn't sound like it should be more than 1200 calories. How big are your servings?...Maybe it is the size of the meal or how you are cooking it?

    180909.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Calorie Counter
  • tinanicole
    tinanicole Posts: 31
    My portion sizes are good. For instance, I have less than a cup of milk to go with my cereal because the cereal bowl is not big enough to hold anymore. Maybe, I am overestimating the calories that I am consuming. But I am using the calorie counter on myfitnesspal.

    It seems as if I got the majority of my calories from the sandwhich and cereal today. But I only had 1/2 of a sandwich.
  • akamaki
    akamaki Posts: 33 Member
    Other than portion size, if you're using high calorie condiments such as milk, mayo, cheese or creamy dressings you can consider switching to lower calorie options. (you might be surprised to like it! o_o) or perhaps using less of it.
    If portion size is the problem, you can slowly lessen the size of your portions. You'll get used to eating less eventually.

    Also, for things like rice, a little goes a long way in terms of calories!

    Hopefully one of these ideas can help you. :smile:
  • Chuffmn
    Chuffmn Posts: 267 Member
    I have to stay at 1200 too and have learned a few tricks:

    Exercise!!!! The more you work out the more you can eat. I literally go to the gym some days just so I can have a yummier dinner or a couple more snacks! It feels impossible most days to eat only 1200 calories so I find myself working out 5 or 6 days a week. Even if it is just a 20 min walk it still = another snack ;).

    Cereals come in a wide range of calories & serving; I try to stick with cereals that are 1.5 cups for 100 cals. High fiber choices are the best because they keep you full longer. Bananas are actually high in cals so I use a half instead of a whole and add a few berries.

    Granola bars are high in cals and if you are like me you can eat one in 30 seconds and still feel hungry. I eat low sodium rice cakes with 1 tbsp peanut butter or an apple with peanut butter instead as it actually makes me feel full.

    Hope that helps some! :)
  • tinanicole
    tinanicole Posts: 31
    Chuffmn!
    Those are some great tips! Thank you.
    I do eat Smart start which is high in fiber but also in calories. Any cereal recomendations?
  • Chuffmn
    Chuffmn Posts: 267 Member
    Good Morning Tinanicole!

    My fav cereals are:

    #1 - All Bran - 1 cup contains 100 calories and lots of fiber! All bran is also really yummy mixed with Light & Fit yogurt and a few berries for a under a 200 cal breakfast that is filling.

    #2 Special K Red Berries - 114 cals per cup (super yummy!)

    More:
    Multi-Grain Cheerios - 1 cup contains about 108 calories
    Kashi Golean has 140 calories per cup (higher cal but so delicious!)
    Special K has 117 per cup
    Total Corn Flakes 114 per 1 1/3 cup

    Best of luck to you! I will share more ideas as I come across them :)
  • tinanicole
    tinanicole Posts: 31
    Thank you very much.
    This morning I had a bowl of cheerios which MFP said was only 100 calories. Yay!
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    if that is a photo of you, you should not be eating 1200 cals anyway. plus are you not exercising? because if you are you should be eating those calories too. Your meal plan sounds like good healthy foods, but ti doesn't sound like ENOUGH food. I eat quite a bit more than that.
  • MisoSoup79
    MisoSoup79 Posts: 517
    if that is a photo of you, you should not be eating 1200 cals anyway. plus are you not exercising? because if you are you should be eating those calories too. Your meal plan sounds like good healthy foods, but ti doesn't sound like ENOUGH food. I eat quite a bit more than that.

    I have to agree on this one... if that really is a pic of you and you have so little to lose, 1200 is completely unrealistic. You're young and have little to lose. You should probably be eating closer to 1400 net calories per day, maybe even 1500. How tall are you? If you try 1200 and you don't get anywhere and you start to feel low on energy, bump up your calories!
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