In Shock

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Dolphino45
Dolphino45 Posts: 5
in Introduce Yourself
Hi all I am new to this.
I am in shock at how quickly my calorie allowance goes down
It says at the moment I can only have 1600, I am going over each day, not as much as I did on day one though but still over,
any tips please

been reading some of the success stories though and well done to you all
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Replies

  • kimmieey
    kimmieey Posts: 87
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    Are you counting exercis? That brings down your net calories.

    I pretty much only drink water which takes out calories.

    Special k breakfast is lower in calories than a normal breakfast.
    Veggies and fruit for lunch.
    Usually a box dinner.

    I only have 1200 and I usually can keep it under or at my goal.

    Just keep trying new things.
  • myopus
    myopus Posts: 321 Member
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    My appetite is much heartier in the evening, so I tend to eat lower calories earlier in the day (eggs, oatmeal w/CPB). It's also a great motivator for me to exercise to be able to eat a bit more :) And just in case, make sure you're eating your calories rather than drinking them.
  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
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    Salads and water. Low calorie, low fat, high in veggie goodness and fiber. Try to limit salad dressing - they are so full of calories, it's not even funny! I dip my fork in the dressing, pick up some salad and eat. Usually cuts the dressing use down to 1/3 and still tastes great!

    Make sure you're eating quality foods. Prepackaged crap eats up your calories fast and leaves you hungry. Lean protein, fresh fruits and vegetables (more veggies than fruits), quality whole grains. You'd be surprised at how much you can eat when you move to them!
  • jamesie8192
    jamesie8192 Posts: 1
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    I have 1200 and have figured if I stay away from pastas and sauces, I do better at keeping at my requirements. Also, when I plug it in to the system ,as if I had eaten it, then I can see the caloric count and make my choice before actually eatting it. I had a salad at Wendy's yesterday. I thought that was a good choice till I documented it. It was my largest calorie meal in the whole day. ugh! Of course, the lemonade didn't help. Hope that helps!
  • chippiek
    chippiek Posts: 14 Member
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    I plan out all my food and exercise the night before and enter everything in MFP. Then I have no choices left to make during the day, I only eat what has been entered in MFP. This strategy has really helped me out because when I don't plan the day before all those little bites of things I ended up eating during the day really added up. Now I don't have to think, just grab whatever is on my list for the day. I entered my target calories at 1300 but usually am between 1275 and 1380. This works out fine since I do exercise every day.
  • liliannahope
    liliannahope Posts: 7
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    I go by the whole portion size weighing everything and if possible halfing the size i would normally eat even taking off a few grams here and there it helps xx good luck
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  • 42micheller42
    42micheller42 Posts: 36
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    Yup ...went through that too. No wonder its so easy to put on weight eh ?? I have always heard that you shouldn't "drink" your calories. Also breads/starches are very high in calories. I have found personally that when you make a bunch of little changes it adds up to one big change ...for example one thing I cannot give up is the cream in my coffee but if I have 2 or 3 cups of coffee with double cream that really adds up quick..so I have just been trying to scale it back to single cream ..now i have just cut those calories in half. Good luck!:flowerforyou:
  • Roknmama
    Roknmama Posts: 1
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    Hi, yes its amazing how many "hidden calories" in food! I have been doing this since Feb. 8th and have made it thru Valentines Day and our daughters birthday and can only have 1310 calories a day. Some days I have been over and other days a little under.
    What I have found very helpful is to stick with boxed diet dinners (weight watchers, lean cuisine, numeasure, etc...) and lite breakfest, and salad/fruit or soup for lunch. Also, go ahead and pre-enter all your foods that you plan to eat in a day into calorie counter. If you know ahead of time what you can eat for the day, you'll be able to stay within your count much better than just eating something and then entering it after the fact. That way you can see ahead of time what adjustments you may need to make. DRINK your water or something like Diet Snapple or diet drinks if you are having a problem getting your water in. I have lost 3 pounds since Feb 8th and I have really learned alot in the last few days of what all is hidden in foods that I did not even think about before. Good LUCK!:smile:
  • jarrettd
    jarrettd Posts: 872 Member
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    We all went through that, Dolphino. My first few days, I tracked what I normally ate, rather than limiting. I couldn't believe I had been eating so much! Even more of an education when I started actually weighing and measuring food...I was underestimating portion sizes badly.

    This is a process. You won't get it right your first try. You will learn to look at labels and decide carefully whether that cookie is worth giving up half your dinner.

    I found it most helpful to pre-plan my food. Put it in your diary BEFORE you eat it. That way, you can spread your calories through the day, and not have to choose between going to bed starving, or going over your goals. It also helps if you have a hard time making choices on the fly or making good choices when you're hungry. You see what you need to eat to be on plan, then you just stick to it. Also valuable if you are going out to eat. Look up the nutritional info for where you plan to eat and you can pick healthier options.

    Don't get discouraged. You've come to the right place. Welcome, and good journey!
  • Bellamommy25
    Bellamommy25 Posts: 2
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    Hi,

    I have 1650 calories and have been on MFP for a week. I've only went over calories once, and it was the day I had a lot of juice.
    ~Try to drink a lot of water or Crystal Light--little to no juice or soda.
    ~The more you exercise the more calories you "earn."
    ~Be wise about snacks...try 100 calorie packs, fruit, nuts, or healthy meal bars (I like "Luna")
    ~Reduce your starches and try leaner meats or grab a Lean Cuisine or a Smart Ones meal if you are short on time

    Good luck.
  • _Sally_
    _Sally_ Posts: 514 Member
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    This is just a normal adjustment period, so hang in there!

    Here are some top of mind thoughts for consideration:

    The key is to maximize your nutrients and things that make you feel full within the budget of a smaller number of calories. It gets to be a bit of a game after a while, so consider it a challenge and have fun with it!

    I think it is generally pretty difficult to just eat less of the same foods you've been eating which helped you gain the weight. Review your diary and look at the things that are the high in calories per serving and think about how you can modify that meal or snack to be satisfying, but with less calories. I don't know if you drink alcohol, but cutting back on the number of drinks you have a week also helps to save calories.

    Eat more meals at home, not at restaurants or from takeout, so you can control the portions and know exactly what ingredients you are consuming.

    Consider making some small modifications to portion sizes. Everything adds up, even portions of "healthy" foods.

    Look at the amount of protein you are eating overall and at every meal/snack. Upping your protein target to perhaps at least 20 - 25% of calories may help you feel more full and the 1600 calories will be less of a struggle to hit.

    Eat more veggies and serve your protein on beds of greens and veggies instead of with carbs such as bread, rice, pasta, etc.
    (I tend to keep bags of frozen organic veggies in the freezer and easily eat a half or a whole bag in a sitting - with fresh lemon juice and sometimes also some nutritional yeast for added protein and a slightly cheesy flavor)

    Eat more egg whites instead of whole eggs.

    It is very helpful to have MFP pals with similar dietary targets and goals so you can get some good ideas from their diaries as well.


    Good luck! It sounds like you are headed in the right direction.
  • Dolphino45
    Dolphino45 Posts: 5
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    thank you for all your comments and encouragement
    will have to be strong on water with myself

    I will have to get out of the office and excercising
  • jazzalea
    jazzalea Posts: 412 Member
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    I found concentrating on eating healthier, not less, worked better for me especially at the beginning.....

    Find healthy foods that you LIKE, and make it a point to absolutely stay away from the junk....... just that alone will get your body primed to start losing weight.......

    Once you make consistent healthy choices and your body is getting the nutrients that it is really asking for when it sends out hunger signals, it will stop sending out those signals and you will find it easier to reduce your overall caloric intake.

    Also once you break that sugar addiction, you will be amazed at how bad most of that junk tastes.... it's like an ex smoker trying a cigarette 2 years later....yuck!

    Good luck :)
  • saritabandita
    saritabandita Posts: 67 Member
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    Exercise, exercise, exercise... oh, and did I mention exercise? Hang in there- you'll get it worked out!! :happy:
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  • CharityEaton
    CharityEaton Posts: 508
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    It takes time to adjust like everyone said.

    I found that learning where I could cut a serving in half helped a whole lot. A typical serving of pasta is 2 oz.....try 1 oz. You won't miss it that much if you add some lean protein and extra veg.

    Sauces and salad dressing are killers too. Go for low fat or light and use ONLY the amount perserving...you will get used to it in time. I prefer to go for the Regular olive oil based dressings and only use 1/2 a serving.

    My cals are only 1440 per day and even with exercise I stay right around 1440 cals per day...I have a very hard time eating back my exercise calories. You can do it. LOTS of fresh fruit and veggies, limit the breads and pasta (although I do eat oats a couple times a week).

    Make small changes too, don't try to change everything all at once!
  • judykay500
    judykay500 Posts: 26
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    I am new to mfp also. I am only allowed to eat 1200 calories per day in order to lose 1 lb per week. I suppose my age, 58 years old, my height 5'4" and medium active lifestyle, BMI 57 all determine how much I can have. I have 30 to lose. I have actually lost 9 lbs and tomorrow will be 4 weeks. That is actually more than the 1 lb per week that was predicted. My husband joined 2 days prior to me and he can eat 2600 calories! Not fair but he is a man with more muscle and he is 9 inches taller than me. He is actually the one that signed me up for the mfp. I struggle a lot more than he does trying to keep within my calorie goal. But it is also nice to have us both on the same page trying to be more healthy. My daily breakfast is a delicious Herbalife Protein Shake. Really delicious blended with ice, can add variations of fruit, yogurt or different flavors, whatever I feel like that day. Basic shake with non-fat milk it is only 170 calories, Total fat 1g, Carbs 13 g, dietary fiber 3g, sugars 9g, Protein 9g. There are so many protein shakes out there that taste horrible!!. These are really tasty. And they have a soy protein that metabolized slowly so I feel full longer! That helps to not start my day with a 400 calorie breakfast of 1 bacon, 2 fried eggs, 2 wheat toast with butter and a half glass of juice like it did this morning. (It's Sunday! :smile: ) My husband starts his days with the shake as well. He likes how it makes him feel and no messy dishes for me! So easy for the busy lifestyle of almost everyone these days. So easy and delicious that I have them quite frequently for lunch. So not over 400 - 500 calories some snacks and 2 meals!. You are welcome to contact me if you are interested in the shakes. I am a distributor but I do not sell unless someone is in need. My daughter is using the shakes as well. She is the one that sent my husband an invite to the website so this is kind of a family affair. I have found this site wonderful for actually helping you to track your calories though the day so you know where you are come dinnertime and eat portions accordingly.
  • misslissa121
    misslissa121 Posts: 126
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    thank you for all your comments and encouragement
    will have to be strong on water with myself

    I will have to get out of the office and excercising


    My husband and I were just commenting on the same thing. We have cut out soda (we were both really hooked on Dr. Pepper) It has been 4 weeks now with no pop, and I only drink unsweetened tea I brew myself ( no junk in it) and water and Friday, he stopped and got a 2 liter of Dr Pepper and I decided since I was way under on calories I would pour myself a small glass and I ended up dumping it down the drain. It tasted aweful. Chocolate, though, still taste like heaven, but if you don't buy it and the temptation isn't there it is so much easier.
  • HoosierMomma1
    HoosierMomma1 Posts: 76 Member
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    I went through the same thing so what I do now is try to eat the same things for breakfast and lunch which makes things soooo much easier especially during the workweek. I always have cottage cheese for breakfast and fruit then yogurt with chia seeds for mid-morning snack and string cheese, almonds etc for afternoon snack.

    I used to go out or order lunch every day (expensive and fattening) I'll usually go to a grocery store and make several salads full of fresh veggies. Then I don't have to worry about lunch for a few days and can go walk or workout. I usually have 1day a week where I go out to eat.

    Dinner is usually what hubby makes unless it is too fattening :drinker:

    I find repetition makes my life and diet sooo much easier and I still allow room for cravings.
    Theresa
  • HoosierMomma1
    HoosierMomma1 Posts: 76 Member
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    Oh yeah, I try not to drink my calories because they really add up. I make pot of tea with a little honey for the am. Drink ice water or unsweetened tea the rest of the day.

    Honestly, every once in awhile I do want a soda and hate diet sodas. Hubby bought the cute little 12 oz dr peppers and I'll have one every couple days if I get the craving. I hate it because they are more expensive but I really only want about 1/4 of a large one and 12 oz is still too much.

    Good Luck
  • becki0409
    becki0409 Posts: 1
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    I used to be a huge over-eater. I just could not seem to control myself at all. A friend introduced me to visalus and mfp at the same time. I was shocked when I found out I was only allowed 1200 cals a day! I really thought it was impossible. However, with the visalus, my breakfast and lunch are low cal, healthy, and surprisingly extremely filling. I am not hungry all day, the way I am with "diets" and since I only drink coffee or water (with the occasional diet soda thrown in), by the time dinner comes around - I usually still have more than half my calories and can eat pretty much what I want (portioned properly). I also, finally, have the energy to exercise pretty much every day. I used to dread the thought of any kind of exercising, but now I look forward to it - even started the couch to 5k app and am over halfway done!

    I have been doing this for 4 weeks now and I feel great - lost 12 lbs.

    Hang in there and find what works for you. When you start seeing the scale creep down, and able to post a weight loss update - it will all be worth it - I promise!

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