The DailyPlate actually hurting rather than helping?
I use thedailyplate.com just for accountability and to give myself an idea of where I am each day. Yesterday, I just didn't have much of an appetite and I had worked out pretty hard so I was reeeeally low on my calories. I figured since I had so many calories left, it's not a good thing to be that low (I was at about 700 AFTER dinner) so I ate...a lot. And I thought..had I not looked at that, I would have just not eaten anything more but because the website told me I could eat so much more I did when I didn't need to. Has anyone experinced this?
I also find it's really easy to underestimate my calories just so it looks better. Like I may have had actually consumed 2 cups of pasta but I count it as 1.
If you're incorrectly tracking your calories, then yes it is going to hurt you because you're going to end up eating more than you think you are.
As far as exercise go, I put all of my calories in for the day and on days that I exercise I try to eat about 200 more calories per day... I don't eat back ALL of the calories that I've exercised because that would kind of defeat the purpose for me. I usually don't track my exercise on the daily plate.
Well, everyone is different, but you could do a couple things differently: (1) Don't eat more if you aren't hungry, and (2) Log what you really eat, not a lie to make the numbers better. I mean really, TDP isn't doing anything to you; the real problem is that you're playing mindgames with yourself. I don't mean that as an insult, we all do it. You have to figure out whether you can use this experience withTDP to drop the mindgames, or whether the problem is bigger than that and maybe TDP isn't the best thing for you right now.
No matter how you track calories it is easy to lie to yourself to make the numbers look better. TDP isn't the cause of that. If you are lying about size there then you would do the same in a journal, or on fitday, or just in a ticker in your head. It can't help you be accountable if you put the wrong info in. Just ask my DH to tell you what he ate for the day! He underestimates calories a lot, and has stopped losing weight consistently...
On the other question about eating too much because of TDP - I did sometimes find that if I was low on calories after putting in exercise I might eat a bigger snack than I had originally planned. If I hadn't seen the numbers, I would have had something smaller. You could still eat the lower amount, or you could eat up a little. That is totally up to you. I always eat a little more on days I exercise.
Last edited by Shannon in ATL; 01-20-2009 at 02:02 PM.
I do believe that people who journal their food are more likely to lose weight and keep it off. But for me, its a mistake to not include my own intuition into the way I eat. Some days I am just plain more hungry, so I eat more. Some days I am less hungry, so I'm not going to force myself to eat more than I want. It evens itself out in the end... but this is just what works for me.
If I'm not hungry and I have left over calories I just don't eat. It's pretty easy for me to underestimate or not even put something on there too but I have to tell myself it's only hurting me if I don't put it on there or if I underestimate.
Is it maybe that you just arent eating enough calories in the day to "save up" or some other reason...like you may not work out or something? The bulk of your calories are usually done in the morning/lunch since you have all day to burn it off and you need them from waking up to start your metabolism. If your hungry, its your body telling you you need food! not a full meal or sandwich...but some nuts or something high in protein and good fats to curb that feeling.
I always figure, when I'm keeping track of calories and I'm "low" for the day, it is almost better to plan out a snack that fulfills the calorie deficit than to not eat as much. If I know I didn't eat "enough" calories the day before, I am more likely to cheat the next day because in my mind, there is a margin for error. So I would rather just eat enough in the first place!
There are days I am not plain not as hungry as other days....so, if I am low one day, I don't give it a second thought....I know I will have another day soon that will definitely balance it out..
I don't use the Daily Plate..I just use a spiral and pen
about two months ago when i was trying to lose some of the last few lbs..i joined up on the daily plate..but was a little confused because all along i was doing the WW points..and somedays at the 20 allotted points I wasn't eating the daily required calories..so i was a little confused as what to do...follow points or follow calories?????? I did find that I was hungry with just the 20 points so that made me think..hmm i'm not eating enough....
Now I just track here and there to be curious..to make sure i'm keeping on track and i don't follow the points..i just try to eat a healthy balance of food groups..mostly healthy things..occasional treats..and I still measure my foods.
Last edited by angelanicole23; 01-20-2009 at 06:18 PM.
Is it maybe that you just arent eating enough calories in the day to "save up" or some other reason...like you may not work out or something? The bulk of your calories are usually done in the morning/lunch since you have all day to burn it off and you need them from waking up to start your metabolism. If your hungry, its your body telling you you need food! not a full meal or sandwich...but some nuts or something high in protein and good fats to curb that feeling.
You are totally right! I do save up my calories, I guess because I always love a good hearty dinner. I hate skimping on my dinner. I also find it a lot easier to eat little throughout the day for some reason. I know it's probably not the best but honestly, sometimes during the day I have to make myself eat whereas when I come home from work I have much more of an appetite. I should try to distribute my calories more evenly...
Last edited by cooperistic; 01-20-2009 at 06:22 PM.
You are totally right! I do save up my calories, I guess because I always love a good hearty dinner. I hate skimping on my dinner. I also find it a lot easier to eat little throughout the day for some reason. I know it's probably not the best but honestly, sometimes during the day I have to make myself eat whereas when I come home from work I have much more of an appetite. I should try to distribute my calories more evenly...
I have a problem with this too. First of all I'm busy in the morning/afternoon and I forget to eat except major meals. Or I snack on the wrong things. Then I'm starving when I get home and I want a good big dinner. Usually I end up with a stomach ache. I need to distribute mine more evenly as well.
I found that I did have a problem with this last year when I tried to lose weight. I would obsess over the remaining numbers left for the day an either end up eating exactly that amount or more. Now I am just eating the amount my body wants. I don't even pay attention to the "You could eat ___ more calories today." When I do notice that I could have had more, I think of it like I did extra well that day or as a safety bumper just in case I calculated wrong. Seems to be working for me this time around!
The DailyPlate actually hurting rather than helping?
