big trouble with having healthy calories :(

manoozo

OK guys, i'm from Egypt, and in my city i just can't find protein powder, energy bars or any snacks of the healty kind, and i'm really busy with going to college and studying , so i end up with 800 calories maximum, and also i'm doing high-moderate impact workout, burning 300-700 calories....
i don't know what to do or eat ...
in today's workout, for some reason i feel weaker and slower, my whole body is sore, and this is only week 2!!!
i don't know if it' because i don't eat enough calories or because of another reason...
so please guys help me out....other than fruits, what snack can i have?? recipes??
and why do i feel weaker and slower???

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

You need to fuel your body, it's no wonder you feel lousy. Eat protein, dairy, nuts/nut butter, avocado, etc. Add some more veggies and drizzle them with a bit of olive oil.

Sarauk2sf

Just eat 'normal' food and portion control it. Do not stress so much on what is 'healthy' v not. Just make sure that you get a good amount of protein (meat, dairy etc), some fats (nuts, oils etc) and fruits and veggies. Keep your diet varied from a mix of sources.

ETA: I looked at your diary - what you are eating is fine - just eat more of it and add some oils/butter. Have nuts as snacks for example. Your fats (and calories) are way too low.

neandermagnon

you can get chicken and eggs though, they're great sources of protein. Chicken breast especially. I live in Bahrain and I can get packs of 2.5kg frozen chicken breasts very cheap. You don't need protein powder or fancy packaged snacks. You can get protein from real foods. Where in Egypt do you live? Can you get fish? I've heard that Alexandria is legendary for fish.

Eat whatever you can out of fresh meat, fresh fish, eggs, dairy, fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. All of those make healthy snacks. If you're worried about calorie density, go for fish or leaner meat like chicken rather than beef or lamb. However fat is not a bad thing and beef and lamb are a good source of protein and iron, they're just higher calorie because they have more fat than chicken, but that doesn't mean never eat them. If you need to bump up your calorie intake, they're a good choice. Just measure them carefully so you can log your calories accurately.

If you are feeling weak in your workouts, then that's nearly always due to not eating enough. You really need to eat more. There's a thread called "in place of a road map" where you can calculate how many calories you should be eating.

taunto

I live in Saudia currently and I feel you about protein powder. However even with lack of protein powder... 800 calories (500 if you subtract the 300 calories you burned) is simply too low. Don't worry about macros like protein fat and carbs. Work on bringing your calories to a moderate level. Eat some eggs and/or meat and/or milk/cheese etc

Heres a good thread to checkout if you'd like to see how much you should be eating. Increase the calories slowly though and you'll see more energy and soon, results
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

astronomicals

F protein powder.... eat dead animals...


eat more

manoozo

i'm from port said, and we do have fish...but another problem is ,i really can't eat too much protein like this, because my stomach got a bit lazy from being stressed , so i have a case of indigestion...this much protein might give me cramps and vomiting....i really don't know what to do....
i'm always afraid of eating fats, cuz i don't know how much to take ,and i want my workout to pay off ,so i want to make every thing perfect.....
what kind of nuts should i have??? and in what portions a day???

kss1231

Are you able to order protein powder online? otherwise eat as much fruit and veggies as you can, especially berries and
green leafy veggies which are higher in protein. Good luck.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

i'm from port said, and we do have fish...but another problem is ,i really can't eat too much protein like this, because my stomach got a bit lazy from being stressed , so i have a case of indigestion...this much protein might give me cramps and vomiting....i really don't know what to do....
i'm always afraid of eating fats, cuz i don't know how much to take ,and i want my workout to pay off ,so i want to make every thing perfect.....
what kind of nuts should i have??? and in what portions a day???

Try to worry less about perfection. Any kind of nuts you like. I'm partial to cashews myself but a lot of people seem to like almonds. Like Sara said just eat food.

manoozo

Are you able to order protein powder online? otherwise eat as much fruit and veggies as you can, especially berries and
green leafy veggies which are higher in protein. Good luck.

yea , but i don't want to try something i don't know
do you have any recommendations??any trust-able websites?

manoozo

[/quote]

Try to worry less about perfection. Any kind of nuts you like. I'm partial to cashews myself but a lot of people seem to like almonds. Like Sara said just eat food.
[/quote]


but i really really need to lose lots and lots of weight...about 70 Kg
that's why i'm so worried, i know it's going to take long way already...so i don't want to to mess it up and make it longer...you know?

taunto

Are you able to order protein powder online? otherwise eat as much fruit and veggies as you can, especially berries and
green leafy veggies which are higher in protein. Good luck.

yea , but i don't want to try something i don't know
do you have any recommendations??any trust-able websites?

There are a few websites however, before you dip into protein powder, I must insist to increase your calories first. Eat normal food and bring your metabolism up. Protein powder won't do much good on a 500 calorie diet

ailixia

Same problem here! I live in China so I also have trouble finding many products. Also, I'm a vegetarian so no chicken breast for me

Would anyone care to look at my food diary and give me some tips? For example today... Had a good day, but still only at 1000 calories. Don't feel the need to eat more. I just had my dinner and I also don't like to have snacks at night as I sleep early.

AbdicoVeritas

As suggested here nuts are an awesome source of calories and healthy too.
As for protein, dairy and meats provide nice complete sources of protein but when combined correctly non-animal sources can work well too.
Beans for instance combined with brown rice form complete proteins your body can use at a low price. Just google 'complete protein' for more info. Oh and rice is a good way to pack in some calories.

susannamarie

Perfect is the enemy of the good.

Don't worry so much about making it perfect -- just worry about making it good and workable. The thing that you really need is consistency and if you make yourself sick from undereating or give up and start eating more again because it's not enough food, you will blow all of your hard work and then how long will it take?

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

but i really really need to lose lots and lots of weight...about 70 Kg
that's why i'm so worried, i know it's going to take long way already...so i don't want to to mess it up and make it longer...you know?

You're shooting yourself in the foot by not eating enough. It will have a negative impact on your health. It's true that if you have a lot of weight to lose you can sustain a bigger deficit than someone with less. But you should still aim for enough calories to keep you going and to get adequate nutrition, and you're not doing that right now. Set MFP to lose 2 lbs per week and stick to that. Eat back half your exercise calories. See how you do from there.