How to say NO when you're within calorie limits

ilovesabrinamycat
ilovesabrinamycat Posts: 32
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone,

I have been working hard to stay within my calorie limits every day, but for the past couple of days I have found that I allow myself to eat beyond the amount I need (i.e. to the point of fullness instead of satiety) because it is within my calorie range to do so.

Any advice on how to stop eating once I'm full, even if I'm still within my target ranges?

Also, where do people stand on eating exercise calories?

Thanks!

Replies

  • pulsate
    pulsate Posts: 10 Member
    Normally I've been trying to just drink more water.. If you can drink a glass before your meals, and try drinking another during your meal, i find it tricks my body into that full feeling faster..

    Apart from that the best thing I can suggest is portion control. Measuring your meal makes it so you don't over eat. Measuring cups or a scale.. Even using the palm of your hand for portion sizes. If you do the preplanning, it helps put you in that mind set that "this is what I have to eat. I can't eat more than this."

    I find learning to keep the balance between takes some time. I'm now to the point when I over eat, I feel like crap. I try to eat a little something every few hours to keep me going, and to keep me satisfied. You should try to ride the border of hungry/satisfied.

    I find when I'm over eating it's because I'm bored, or don't have the brain stimulation to keep my mind from wandering to food.
    Try adding some extra stimulation to your day.. From walking, to reading, to blogging... Pretty much anything to occupy your mind more.

    As for eating exercised calories.. It's up to you. The way calorie counting is made, is so that you're injesting/burning X amount of calories per day. The daily intake without exercise is what you would burn doing nothing but sitting on the couch all day. When you burn more than that intake, you're going into even more deficit, making it so you would lose weight at a more rapid pace. So, depending how quickly you want to lose weight, it's up to you. There are roughly 3500 calories in every pound of fat, which would work out to burning or having a deficit of 500 calories per day/7 days a week. You'll lose weight faster if you don't eat your exercise calories, but it's not always the most effective way to do it. Eating them is still okay to do. I personally try not to eat them, as I'm trying to lose at a better rate.. And the exercise I do is on a pretty regular basis ( mainly walking to and from work), but all in all, eating them isn't something considered bad, and you'll still lose weight if you do. Just keep in mind the amount you take in per day needs to also be burned out.

    :)
  • kathyrazz
    kathyrazz Posts: 52 Member
    I'm working on not *over* eating myself, so I can't be much help there, but for exercise calories I've started trying to save a few if I've really earned a lot in a given day (I always eat some of them back, just try not to eat all of them). For some reason it makes me feel more in control and I'm better able to control the whole day.
  • cmayfield3
    cmayfield3 Posts: 176 Member
    What do you mean by your target range? MFP gives you a single number to target, not a range.
  • pulsate
    pulsate Posts: 10 Member
    What do you mean by your target range? MFP gives you a single number to target, not a range.

    You can eat anywhere up to less than 200 calroeis of your target without it being considered "bad". It's in best interest to hit as close to your target as you can yes, but you have a bit of play room if you don't hit it.
  • ilovesabrinamycat
    ilovesabrinamycat Posts: 32
    What do you mean by your target range? MFP gives you a single number to target, not a range.

    I just meant the range between the number MFP gives without exercise calories, and then with exercise calories.
  • zaithyr
    zaithyr Posts: 482 Member
    I always try to hit within 50-100 calories under or over my calorie goal in general. Right at zero makes me happy. I manually set my number by doing research on my caloric requirements (mfp was a bit too low and I was starving all the time). Some days I am a couple hundred under and rarely over, but I try to get close. (If I don't have much time to exercise over the course of a couple of days I try to reign it under a bit more.) When I was eating too far under I was lacking in energy, I was crabby, and my weight loss hit a plateau. Started eating more, and I felt a lot better and started losing again. When I eat a meal, I eat until I am satisfied/full (not bursting lol). I absolutely cannot stand feeling hungry. Usually by the time I'm feeling hungry, my blood sugar is dropping and I'm feeling pretty rough. I find that if I cut myself off too quickly just for the sake of proving I have "control", I end up starving an hour later and end up eating more calories throughout the course of a day too. I plan my meals carefully to make sure I'm getting enough protein and fiber so that I'm not just loading up on empty calories though. I have never been a believer that you have to make yourself go hungry to lose weight!
  • cmayfield3
    cmayfield3 Posts: 176 Member
    What do you mean by your target range? MFP gives you a single number to target, not a range.

    I just meant the range between the number MFP gives without exercise calories, and then with exercise calories.

    You should eat your exercise calories. You earned them! Live a little, drop the guilt and enjoy a treat... jmho
  • zaithyr
    zaithyr Posts: 482 Member
    What do you mean by your target range? MFP gives you a single number to target, not a range.

    I just meant the range between the number MFP gives without exercise calories, and then with exercise calories.

    You should eat your exercise calories. You earned them! Live a little, drop the guilt and enjoy a treat... jmho

    I almost always eat mine because I already have the calorie deficit plugged into my base numbers!
  • ilovesabrinamycat
    ilovesabrinamycat Posts: 32
    What do you mean by your target range? MFP gives you a single number to target, not a range.

    I just meant the range between the number MFP gives without exercise calories, and then with exercise calories.

    You should eat your exercise calories. You earned them! Live a little, drop the guilt and enjoy a treat... jmho

    I almost always eat mine because I already have the calorie deficit plugged into my base numbers!

    I definitely agree I should eat them when I am hungry. It's when I'm not hungry that I never know what to do. Thanks for your responses though!
  • Drastiic
    Drastiic Posts: 322 Member
    Also, where do people stand on eating exercise calories?

    If you use MFP to set your deficit and calorie amounts, then yes you should eat your exercise calories. You eat them because your deficit is already built-in. If you don't eat your exercise calories back, you're making your deficit a lot larger than is necessary. For example: if you set your "to lose" to 2 lbs per week, it's already factoring in 1000 calories less per day. If you exercise another 500 calories, your deficit would be 1500 per day. When you eat the 500 back, your deficit remains only the 1000. Here is a good link: http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

    If don't use MFP to set your goals and you use your TDEE minus 20%, then you wouldn't eat your exercise calories because your exercise is included in your TDEE. You would just eat the set amount.
  • lbmore33
    lbmore33 Posts: 1,013 Member
    Also, where do people stand on eating exercise calories?

    If you use MFP to set your deficit and calorie amounts, then yes you should eat your exercise calories. You eat them because your deficit is already built-in. If you don't eat your exercise calories back, you're making your deficit a lot larger than is necessary. For example: if you set your "to lose" to 2 lbs per week, it's already factoring in 1000 calories less per day. If you exercise another 500 calories, your deficit would be 1500 per day. When you eat the 500 back, your deficit remains only the 1000. Here is a good link: http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

    If don't use MFP to set your goals and you use your TDEE minus 20%, then you wouldn't eat your exercise calories because your exercise is included in your TDEE. You would just eat the set amount.


    Why would you eat your exercise calories when you are workn so hard to lose the lbs. I know it like extra credit but isnt that the purpose of workn hard to see progress. Seems to me that extra lil hard work you did execising should pay off that much faster...imo
  • zaithyr
    zaithyr Posts: 482 Member
    Also, where do people stand on eating exercise calories?

    If you use MFP to set your deficit and calorie amounts, then yes you should eat your exercise calories. You eat them because your deficit is already built-in. If you don't eat your exercise calories back, you're making your deficit a lot larger than is necessary. For example: if you set your "to lose" to 2 lbs per week, it's already factoring in 1000 calories less per day. If you exercise another 500 calories, your deficit would be 1500 per day. When you eat the 500 back, your deficit remains only the 1000. Here is a good link: http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

    If don't use MFP to set your goals and you use your TDEE minus 20%, then you wouldn't eat your exercise calories because your exercise is included in your TDEE. You would just eat the set amount.


    Why would you eat your exercise calories when you are workn so hard to lose the lbs. I know it like extra credit but isnt that the purpose of workn hard to see progress. Seems to me that extra lil hard work you did execising should pay off that much faster...imo

    You eat the exercise calories in order to make sure you're body is fueled properly for the work you are doing. You are already eating at a deficit from what you burn just by living, breathing, and going through every day life. Your exercise will put you at an even further deficit. Too much of a deficit is NOT always a good thing. It can run you low on energy that you need in order to work out and build those muscles.
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
    Wait a minute, why do you not want to eat until full if you are still in your calories? That makes no sense to me at all.

    And always eat back your exercise calories is my opinion. You need to fuel your body if you want to be able to push it.
  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
    Wait a minute, why do you not want to eat until full if you are still in your calories? That makes no sense to me at all.

    And always eat back your exercise calories is my opinion. You need to fuel your body if you want to be able to push it.

    This. I'll eat something just to get me in range, even if I'm not hungry at the end of the day. Your body needs fuel for workouts and to preserve LBM. MFP calculates how much fuel you need to take in for sensible, healthy fat loss and you should follow it. There are enough success stories here to validate this.
  • ilovesabrinamycat
    ilovesabrinamycat Posts: 32
    Also, where do people stand on eating exercise calories?

    If you use MFP to set your deficit and calorie amounts, then yes you should eat your exercise calories. You eat them because your deficit is already built-in. If you don't eat your exercise calories back, you're making your deficit a lot larger than is necessary. For example: if you set your "to lose" to 2 lbs per week, it's already factoring in 1000 calories less per day. If you exercise another 500 calories, your deficit would be 1500 per day. When you eat the 500 back, your deficit remains only the 1000. Here is a good link: http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

    If don't use MFP to set your goals and you use your TDEE minus 20%, then you wouldn't eat your exercise calories because your exercise is included in your TDEE. You would just eat the set amount.

    Haha, thanks for the website. I guess maybe my division of food needs to change because lately I've not been hungry enough to eat them all.
  • ilovesabrinamycat
    ilovesabrinamycat Posts: 32
    Wait a minute, why do you not want to eat until full if you are still in your calories? That makes no sense to me at all.

    By fulness I really meant over-fulness, like eating beyond being comfortably satisfied. I've always been told that eating that way is an unhealthy mentality. It seems the consensus here says otherwise though when it means running a significant deficit at the end of the day (which to me is anything over 300 calories leftover). I think maybe I should eat more in the mornings or something so that I can avoid this problem.

    Again, thanks for the feedback everyone.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    Wait a minute, why do you not want to eat until full if you are still in your calories? That makes no sense to me at all.

    And always eat back your exercise calories is my opinion. You need to fuel your body if you want to be able to push it.

    Well duh. Cause if you aren't suffering, you can't lose weight! Isn't it obvious?

    To be extra sure of scale victory, under my workout gear I wear a hair shirt, with extra brillo padding in the armpits, too. I reckon that extra discomfort has to be worth a couple of pounds, right?
  • ilovesabrinamycat
    ilovesabrinamycat Posts: 32
    Wait a minute, why do you not want to eat until full if you are still in your calories? That makes no sense to me at all.

    And always eat back your exercise calories is my opinion. You need to fuel your body if you want to be able to push it.

    Well duh. Cause if you aren't suffering, you can't lose weight! Isn't it obvious?

    To be extra sure of scale victory, under my workout gear I wear a hair shirt, with extra brillo padding in the armpits, too. I reckon that extra discomfort has to be worth a couple of pounds, right?

    I actually already responded to the comment you're quoting. I think my initial question has been lost somewhere in interpretation. What I am concerned with is eating when I am NOT hungry anymore just because I have the calories to do so. The question I posed honestly has nothing to do with starving myself nor making myself suffer in any way!
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