Not eating enough calories

jillcwatson1

I am new to calorie counting and am not getting in the calories that MFP (and my dietician) says that I should be eating. I am wanting to lose about 150 pounds, so naturally my daily calorie count is high. I am about 345 lbs and they are telling me to eat 1800 calories each day to lose 2 lbs per week. I have lost about 20 lbs so far but in the past 2 weeks I have not lost any despite the fact that I am still staying below my calorie guide. Some days I barely get in 1100 calories. What should I be adding in, in order to get closer to my goal and NOT add in the wrong calories? My only area of concern is that have been going over on sodium, and I am working on reducing that as well.
Can you all help me to make some better choices?

malibu927

You can eat the same things you ate before, just less. If you're trying to keep to more nutritious items, calorie dense foods like nuts, nut butters, dairy, and avocados will work. Also remember that weight loss is not linear. Some will come in here touting that you aren't losing because you're eating so little, but that's impossible. Make sure your logging is as accurate as possible and you'll lose.

Liftng4Lis

Nuts, nut butters, avocados (more nutrient dense foods). There are no wrong calories. You eat what you always have, only in moderation, at a deficit.

jillcwatson1

Thanks. I am trying to get a variety of foods, but my vegetable choices (of those I like) are limited. But these tend to be low in calories so when I add them, they come in such small numbers that it doesn't amount to much but fill me up so I don't eat anything else!. I started to use some "diet" products and wonder if I should go back to using normal items. I am using a light butter, 80 calorie/slice bread, skim milk, etc. I thought this would be good for me, but wonder if I should add back calories by going back to the regular options instead. I don't like the artificial sweeteners so tend to avoid that when I can...drink unsweetened tea or water only.
Any thoughts on this?

SergeantSausage

There are no "wrong" calories ... other than the "too many" kind.

jkwolly

Calorie dense foods are key!

Cheese, oils, nuts, peanut butter, ice cream, wine, beer, etc......

acorsaut89

jillcwatson1 wrote: »

I am new to calorie counting and am not getting in the calories that MFP (and my dietician) says that I should be eating. I am wanting to lose about 150 pounds, so naturally my daily calorie count is high. I am about 345 lbs and they are telling me to eat 1800 calories each day to lose 2 lbs per week. I have lost about 20 lbs so far but in the past 2 weeks I have not lost any despite the fact that I am still staying below my calorie guide. Some days I barely get in 1100 calories. What should I be adding in, in order to get closer to my goal and NOT add in the wrong calories? My only area of concern is that have been going over on sodium, and I am working on reducing that as well.
Can you all help me to make some better choices?

So 2 things . . . if you're looking to lose 150 (which is a substantial amount of weight loss) but you can't get to eating 1,800 calories/day - how did you get to a situation where you need to lose that 150 lbs? Unless you're about 5'0, in which case 1,800 is probably still too high.

When you put your foods for the day in, do you accurately measure what you're eating? If not, you could be consuming a whole lot more than you think. Further, the initial 20lbs is going to drop quickly due to a change in diet and perhaps a new exercise routine that shocks your body.

Second . . . what is a wrong calorie? Some people may debate this, all things in moderation. You can eat whatever you want, just be mindful of what you're consuming and the weight will come off. You need to burn more than you consume to lose the weight. That's the basic science. I think you want calorie dense foods - which are oils, peanut butter, nuts, etc.

ana3067

I honestly don't see how eating veggies fills people up... I had a high-veggie meal last week and I was starving within a few hours. It was like, 400+ calories too.

You either haven't lost due to a) logging errors and eating more than you think (incorrect entries, not using proper measurements or weight, using weight entries when you are only measuring, etc), or b) natural fluctuations. I honestly doubt that you'll enjoy eating so much below your goal for that much longer and I'm betting part of your problem is psyching yourself to believe you are full.

And as already said, wrong calories don't exist.

TimothyFish

Everyone is different, but I find that hunger tells me if I'm eating low enough to lose weight or not. There are enough inconsistencies in food to make it easy to eat more than I realize, even when I think I'm at a deficit, but if I don't feel hungry for part of the day, then I know I'm eating too much, no matter what the log says.

jillcwatson1

I am working towards an initial weight loss of 35 lbs. By April to qualify for bariatric surgery. I am 5'11" with a BMI of 48. At 56yrs old I have spent a good amount of my adulthood packing on the weight. I have cut out snacking on chips and eating out FAR less often. My trips to McDonalds is now limited to an unsweetened tea and grilled chicken without bun and the basic side salad. fat free dressing is working fine for me but sometimes I think I should use regular just to add the calories back in. That seems wrong to me at the same time, so I use diet because my goal is to lose.

TiliaIvanovska

It's not just how much calories you eat, but what kind of food do you eat. Since you take lot of sodium, I suggest you stay out of pre-made or processed food of any kind. Cook veggies, bake, and boil/steam your food. Fruits, seeds,nuts, meat can have many calories so you will fill up your calorie goal. Secondly, take it easy- you can't lose weight that fast. Enjoy the food and be positive. Anyway, it's great that you are motivated, which I admire a lot

jillcwatson1

Thanks everyone! I need to head out to work. Keep posting and I will check back when I get home from work. You have helped me to focus a bit. Have a great and successful day!