I'm counting my calories, but I feel like I'm eating a ton. What's going on?

[Nuclear Indeed]

Hello, all. =)

I'm brand new to calorie counting. In fact, this is only my fourth day of counting. I'm trying to maintain a 1400 calorie budget, and honestly, I don't feel like I'm eating much less than I did a few days ago. I'm definitely staying at or slightly under 1400, and yet, I feel like I'm stuffing my face. I go to bed thinking I'm going to gain weight as usual, but I've come to find out that I've already lost 3 pounds! Is this normal? Maybe I'm counting incorrectly somehow.

[mariamherrera]

I felt this way at the beginning too! What Iv'e noticed is for me I actually tend to eat MORE when I'm calorie counting as in more often and more quantity.. I'm not just eating mindlessly or eating a ton of empty calories now! Isn't it great you still eat , you don't feel starved and it works! that's what I love about calorie counting it's a way of life not a fad diet. I weigh a lot more then you so I need to consume 1600-1800 calories and lost 8 lbs my first week! keep doing it! if it's working and your not feeling starved your doing something right! also which way are you tracking your calories? I use the plate at livestrong.com and have found it to be the most accurate calorie tracker so far that I've tried! make sure your paying attencion to the name brands of the foods your eating because even if it's the same food it can vary brand by brand. for example one piece of turkey bacon may only be 30 a slice with one company and it could be up to 55 with another.. so just make sure your reading your labels and tracking the brands and also accurately weighing and measuring portion sizes

[Em123]

Congrats! I've been doing calorie counting for a while now, and there are many foods that are low in calorie but are so filling! Perhaps your body is getting used to your small appetite, or perhaps you're eating low-calorie but filling foods??

As long as you're sticking to your 1400 calorie budget then I see no wrong. Enjoy losing the pounds!

[sontaikle]

Did you log a count of the calories you were eating before? You probably were eating a lot of food without realizing it and since you're forced to pay attention to the amount, you're eating a lot less. Also, are you eating fruits and veggies more often? Those—especially veggies—are quite a lot of food for a low amount of calories.

I'm trying to maintain anywhere in the range of 1600-2000 (but I might have to go higher) and it feels like A LOT of food sometimes...which it is if one eats a lot of non processed food

Like mariamherrera I used to do a lot of mindless eating, so I have no idea what amount I was eating before, but I know it was a lot more than what I'm eating now!

[nicolebug]

staying full and losing weight,,,lol,,,,that's great. keep it up that is awesome!!! i stay full on 1200 calories a day. i think it's because my food choices are healthier. high fiber and protein

[astrophe]

Sounds like you are making calorie wise choices.

After all, some foods are small in qty but large in calories, and other foods are large in qty but small in calories.

A.

[freelancemomma]

<<I'm definitely staying at or slightly under 1400, and yet, I feel like I'm stuffing my face.>>

I wish I had that problem! I'm eating about 1,900 calories (in maintenance) and I never feel like I'm stuffing my face. I'm sure I could comfortably eat 50% more, but I'm prepared to make the sacrifice to stay healthy and trim.

F.

[Nuclear Indeed]

Uh oh..false alarm. I woke up today and gained a pound. =\ Moving on...

Originally Posted by mariamherrera

I felt this way at the beginning too! What Iv'e noticed is for me I actually tend to eat MORE when I'm calorie counting as in more often and more quantity.. I'm not just eating mindlessly or eating a ton of empty calories now! Isn't it great you still eat , you don't feel starved and it works! that's what I love about calorie counting it's a way of life not a fad diet. I weigh a lot more then you so I need to consume 1600-1800 calories and lost 8 lbs my first week! keep doing it! if it's working and your not feeling starved your doing something right! also which way are you tracking your calories? I use the plate at livestrong.com and have found it to be the most accurate calorie tracker so far that I've tried! make sure your paying attencion to the name brands of the foods your eating because even if it's the same food it can vary brand by brand. for example one piece of turkey bacon may only be 30 a slice with one company and it could be up to 55 with another.. so just make sure your reading your labels and tracking the brands and also accurately weighing and measuring portion sizes

Even though I barely even started, I'm with you. I really do like counting! It's so simple. I don't use a specific program to track my food. I think I tried livestrong in the past, but I didn't like it all that much since it didn't have a lot of the stuff I ate. It didn't even have agave nectar!

I usually count what I see on the label and measure out the portion sizes. I will weigh almost everything as well. If something doesn't have a nutrition label (veggies, fruits, etc), I just look it up online and go from there.

Originally Posted by Em123

Congrats! I've been doing calorie counting for a while now, and there are many foods that are low in calorie but are so filling! Perhaps your body is getting used to your small appetite, or perhaps you're eating low-calorie but filling foods??

As long as you're sticking to your 1400 calorie budget then I see no wrong. Enjoy losing the pounds!

Thank you! I'm trying to stick to a lot of veggies to bulk up my meals. Hopefully, I'll still lose weight...

Originally Posted by sontaikle

Did you log a count of the calories you were eating before? You probably were eating a lot of food without realizing it and since you're forced to pay attention to the amount, you're eating a lot less. Also, are you eating fruits and veggies more often? Those—especially veggies—are quite a lot of food for a low amount of calories.

I'm trying to maintain anywhere in the range of 1600-2000 (but I might have to go higher) and it feels like A LOT of food sometimes...which it is if one eats a lot of non processed food

Like mariamherrera I used to do a lot of mindless eating, so I have no idea what amount I was eating before, but I know it was a lot more than what I'm eating now!

Funny that you ask that. Usually, I'd count my calories for the first half of the day, get sick of it, and then just eat whatever I wanted. I guess I can't really say how much I was eating before. There was LOTS of boredom and mindless snacking, though, so I totally know what you mean. I think I eat the same amount of veggies now, but I have cut down on a lot of other stuff.

Btw, I like your icon. Roy Mustang is one of my favorite characters on FMA. Also, congrats on your weight loss! I was a creeper and looked at the link in your sig.

Originally Posted by nicolebug

staying full and losing weight,,,lol,,,,that's great. keep it up that is awesome!!! i stay full on 1200 calories a day. i think it's because my food choices are healthier. high fiber and protein

That's awesome. You really can't go wrong with high fiber and protein! I should take a hint and get some more protein in there.

Originally Posted by astrophe

After all, some foods are small in qty but large in calories, and other foods are large in qty but small in calories.

A.

So true!

Originally Posted by freelancemomma

<<I'm definitely staying at or slightly under 1400, and yet, I feel like I'm stuffing my face.>>

I wish I had that problem! I'm eating about 1,900 calories (in maintenance) and I never feel like I'm stuffing my face. I'm sure I could comfortably eat 50% more, but I'm prepared to make the sacrifice to stay healthy and trim.

F.

That's really interesting. I predict that later on down the line, I'll probably get a little less used to this.

[124chicksinger]

Originally Posted by astrophe

Sounds like you are making calorie wise choices.

After all, some foods are small in qty but large in calories, and other foods are large in qty but small in calories. A.

^This exactly.^