Trouble sticking to a reduced daily calorie intake.... suggestions?

[SvetaDoll]

I tend to log my daily food before i start the evening meal. It's then i realize that i have consumed too many calories to make a decent dinner.... And up until that point i would be have been thinking 'oh i have been such a healthy girl today!' and then i get all bummed that i wasn't careful enough.

I tend to snack... a lot... if i don't eat every 2/3 hours i get angsty and will tend to binge when i get home.. i snack on fruit, nuts, healthy popcorn, cottage cheese and egg whites...... so it's not like i'm sitting there with a bag of crisps and a chocolate bar!!

I also get very tired at around three most afternoons and assume i must eat something to perk myself up. It works for a while but i tend to be tired in the afternoons no matter what i do.

SIGH Any suggestions on how i should tackle this???

[erinmrystrom]

I tend to log my food as I eat it. That way I know exactly how many calories I've eaten and can make better choices for snacks. For example, today I really wanted a bagel and cappuccino for breakfast, but I wasn't sure if I could afford it calorie-wise. So I logged on first thing this morning to see how many calories my lunch and dinner were going to be, and determined I could afford what I wanted.

It definately helps to preplan your meals. That way you can budget your day better!

As for the 3:00 tiredness...I think we all tend to get this. Maybe get up and walk around a bit. Get some water or chew some gum!

[SvetaDoll]

Thanks I think i would benefit a lot from pre-planning... i worry that all the thought going into my food will cause me to want to eat more but i'll tackle that problem once it rears its ugly head....

And water.... yeah, i definitely know i should drink more... but it's just so blah! haha.

[Misery16226]

Sounds liek you might need to up your protien. It really helps prevent hunger.
As for snacking, try snacks that take longer to eat ? like Celery ?

[eric1407]

Me too I log my calories intake before eating while I am cutting food and preparing it.

[mecompco]

I always pre-plan. I enter my breakfast, mid-morning snack and lunch in the morning. I make sure I have 800 cals, more or less left for supper and "dessert" (dessert is always prunes, which I love).

This way there is no worry that I'll run out of calories before the end of the day.

I'm not saying this is the only way to go, but it's what works for me.

Regards,
Michael

[cjohnson728]

I don't know if this will work for you or not, but my usual way of doing it is to eat breakfast, log it in, then log in what I know I'm going to have for dinner. Then I know what calories and macros I have to hit with lunch and snacks, and plan those accordingly.

[SvetaDoll]

Awesome suggestions, thanks!! i'm going to experiment and try them all out to see which may suit me and my routine!