Ways to increase caloric intake?

homecraftedmom

My trainer looked at my logs for the past month and says I am not eating enough calories, and I need to increase my carbs, lowering my fats. He wants me doing this through fruits and vegetables in the purest form? I hate cooking, suggestions on best way to do this?

KitCat103

Have you tried smoothies?

CharlieBeansmomTracey

what are you trying to accomplish? a low fat diet is not recommended. you need healthy fats to fuel your body and its vital to absorb vitamins and nutrients and your hormones rely on it.how many calories are you eating,how many carbs? why does he want to increase your carbs?

alyurete

Try dates and dried fruits! High carb, calorically dense, practically no fat.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

looked at your profile. it says you are prediabetic? I would not up your carbs unless the dr says its ok to do so. not all trainers are certified in nutrition or have a dietary background. talk to your dr first. this could be a disaster if you have insulin resistance or blood sugar issues depending on how many carbs you are eating now. also ask your trainer why he wants to up them and if he is certified in nutrition or any of those things. if hes not find another trainer. as for your calories we dont know how much you eat per day so we cant say. but if you are wanting to lose weight you need to input your info into mfp, how much you want to lose and eat to that calorie goal each day. and eat some of your exercise calories back. all that is needed is a caloric deficit to lose weight.make sure you have a food scale and weight all solids and semi solids and use cups for liquids

Merkavar

A lot of fruit and vegetable require no cooking. Apples, pears, carrots, celery, beetroot.

Either fresh or out of a can. Easy peasy.

What qualifications does your trainer have for giving out diet advice?

Lentils, not sure where they fit in the fruit vs veg world, but are about as difficult to cook as 2 min noodles, more like 15 min noodles. Come in a packet, with flavouring.

homecraftedmom

Yes trainer is certified. Yes working with dr. Know about healthy carbs. Been using mfp to get goals etc. I'm gluten intolerant dairy intolerant. Limits my choices. Thanks for the siggestions

Carlos_421

How many grams of fat/carbs/protein are you getting on average?

sanfromny

When I'm down on calories nuts and yogurt work for me.

RodaRose

If you want help with gym work, listen to the trainer.
If you want help with food, find a Registered Dietitian.

We need fats and oils.
What are the purest forms of fruits and veggies?
Frozen fruits and veggies are more nutritious than fresh because the are frozen close to
the farms instead of shipped and stored and moved far distances in trucks.

I agree about eating dates and dried fruits as an easy way to get more calories.
Other options for foods with more calories include peanut butter and nuts.
Also add chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, and hemp seeds to your smoothies.

homecraftedmom

MFP is saying i need to have between 2300-2700 calories per day. I average between 1300-1700. Thus his comment about not eating enough.

nonrg

Avocado and peanut butter are used to add healthy fat calories to my diet. I'd do that before adding carbs.

I don't agree with the dried fruit idea myself, too much concentrated sugar per serving. If you really wanting to add carbs and stay away from gluten I'd eat a white sweet potato.

janejellyroll

nonrg wrote: »

Avocado and peanut butter are used to add healthy fat calories to my diet. I'd do that before adding carbs.

I don't agree with the dried fruit idea myself, too much concentrated sugar per serving. If you really wanting to add carbs and stay away from gluten I'd eat a white sweet potato.

I don't see anything in OP's posts about a medical need to avoid sugar.

taypc

CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »

what are you trying to accomplish? a low fat diet is not recommended. you need healthy fats to fuel your body and its vital to absorb vitamins and nutrients and your hormones rely on it.how many calories are you eating,how many carbs? why does he want to increase your carbs?

What would you recommend as healthy fats?

CharlieBeansmomTracey

taypc wrote: »

CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »

what are you trying to accomplish? a low fat diet is not recommended. you need healthy fats to fuel your body and its vital to absorb vitamins and nutrients and your hormones rely on it.how many calories are you eating,how many carbs? why does he want to increase your carbs?

What would you recommend as healthy fats?

healthy fats like nuts,seeds,avocado,peanut butter,nut butters,olive oil,salmon,flaxseed,chia seed.things like that.

kmash32

janejellyroll wrote: »

nonrg wrote: »

Avocado and peanut butter are used to add healthy fat calories to my diet. I'd do that before adding carbs.

I don't agree with the dried fruit idea myself, too much concentrated sugar per serving. If you really wanting to add carbs and stay away from gluten I'd eat a white sweet potato.

I don't see anything in OP's posts about a medical need to avoid sugar.

Her profile says she is pre-diabetic. The problem with adding fruit is you are adding sugar. I to am pre-diabetic and my doc and endocrinologist both say I should keep my sugar under 50, unless it is a special occasion or something. Not always successful but usually close.

janejellyroll

kmash32 wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

nonrg wrote: »

Avocado and peanut butter are used to add healthy fat calories to my diet. I'd do that before adding carbs.

I don't agree with the dried fruit idea myself, too much concentrated sugar per serving. If you really wanting to add carbs and stay away from gluten I'd eat a white sweet potato.

I don't see anything in OP's posts about a medical need to avoid sugar.

Her profile says she is pre-diabetic. The problem with adding fruit is you are adding sugar. I to am pre-diabetic and my doc and endocrinologist both say I should keep my sugar under 50, unless it is a special occasion or something. Not always successful but usually close.

Thanks for the additional context -- I hadn't looked at her profile.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

homecraftedmom wrote: »

MFP is saying i need to have between 2300-2700 calories per day. I average between 1300-1700. Thus his comment about not eating enough.

ok did you put in your height,age,weight and how much you want to lose into MFP? what did you set your activity level to? do you work? if so are you active at your job or do you sit all day? 2300-2700 a day is a lot and 1300-1600 may be on the low end but for some its not too low.it all depends on your height,weight,age,etc. I would think the 2300-2700 would be to maintain or gain weight unless you are putting your activity level at active or extremely active. with what your profile says you want to lose I kinda dont think its gonna give you such a high number. maybe 1800-2000, again depending on your stats. something just doesnt sound right with the calorie amount it gave you. go back and try again and see what it gives you.

homecraftedmom

Ok, let me clear up some confusion.....I WAS prediabetic, per my doctor, ONLY because of my A1C numbers. I have a strong chance of becoming diabetic because of my family history. I am gluten intolerant, dairy intolerant, and I avoid sugar because it caused cravings that I dont like. My diet thus far has been okay. My trainer just wants me adding a few more carbs to my diet, trying to avoid any extra fats. I redid my settings and it is telling me 2400 calories. I am active, and I workout 60 min a day. Since I dont eat gluten and Im trying not to eat dried fruit, etc, what others use for carbs? I am thinking sweet potatoes, pumpkin, reg potatoes, starchy vegies like corn and peas. Maybe I just need to practice becoming a better cook. My trainer and I are just trying something different to see if it helps my metabolism.

homecraftedmom

I changed the MFP settings....Sedentary says 1600 calories, Lightly active - 1900. I had it on active because of the fact that I workout an hour a day, 6 days a week. I am a stay at home mom. For example. I am pretty much done eating for today and I am only at 1200 calories so far. Im thinking if i just include another snack/small meal throughout the day I should be fine.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

ok if you are a stay at home mom I would probably go with the lightly active. MFP has your exercise built in. so lightly active would be a start then eat back 50-75% of exercise calories you get from exercise. as for other carbs,yes sweet potatoes,reg potatoes,beans, corn and peas sure but they are high in carbs. if you are only at 1200 calories and need to eat say the 1900. then I would incorporate peanut butter,nuts,seed,nut butters,.when you say you avoid sugar do you avoid fruits and veggies? those have sugar in them,or do you mean added/processed sugars like cookies,cakes,sodas,etc? as for setting your mfp to active that would mean you are always on your feet like a delivery person,waitress,etc (not saying you are not as a stay at home mom as I was one too).as for your metabolism. it either works or is slow(which comes from yoyo dieting,eating too little,etc). if you think its a metabolism issue have it tested. eating more food isnt going to necessarily improve it. exercise can. thats a proven fact but there is no proof that food speeds it up or helps it in any way.if you are stressed or not getting enough sleep that can slow down weight loss too.healthy fats are needed though so make sure you get enough fat,carbs and protein. what are your goals and his? building muscle or losing weight/fat?

homecraftedmom

Both muscle & weight loss

CharlieBeansmomTracey

you build muscle in a caloric surplus or you do a recomp which is eating @ or a little above maintenance(which takes awhile). you lose fat and weight in a deficit. its really hard to build much of any muscle in a deficit, you can get some newbie gains, or if you had muscle and are returning to lifting but that will taper off and slow down. but if 1900 calories is you deficit then you will lose weight. its hard to build muscle and lose weight at the same time.sure if you build muscle in a surplus eventually you can lose a little fat/weight but it wont be much and it will be really slow for most people. you can retain the muscle if you lift in a deficit. and since you are female it can take a decent amount of time to build muscle compared to a male as we dont have the testosterone males do. you can still lift weights, but you have to choose if you want to lose weight or build muscle. also when you gain muscle you will gain fat too. so honestly you need to pick which one you want to do. most here recommend lifting and being in a deficit to lose weight until you get close to your goal weight or a certain percentage of body fat,then doing whats called a bulk. so if you set MFP to lose weight then you are in a deficit.

Orphia

Can people please just stop pushing Low Carb High Fat for once?

homecraftedmom wrote: »

Ok, let me clear up some confusion.....I WAS prediabetic, per my doctor, ONLY because of my A1C numbers. I have a strong chance of becoming diabetic because of my family history. I am gluten intolerant, dairy intolerant, and I avoid sugar because it caused cravings that I dont like. My diet thus far has been okay. My trainer just wants me adding a few more carbs to my diet, trying to avoid any extra fats. I redid my settings and it is telling me 2400 calories. I am active, and I workout 60 min a day. Since I dont eat gluten and Im trying not to eat dried fruit, etc, what others use for carbs? I am thinking sweet potatoes, pumpkin, reg potatoes, starchy vegies like corn and peas. Maybe I just need to practice becoming a better cook. My trainer and I are just trying something different to see if it helps my metabolism.

It sounds like you know what you need to do.

I'd let my doctor see your MFP logs after your change to lightly active and ask if he thinks you need to get your metabolism tested. Bear in mind that the vast majority of people think it's their metabolism when they're just not logging their calories accurately. Still, it could be your thyroid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA9AdlhB18o

What sort of workout do you do?

Best wishes.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

@Orphia no one is pushing low carb high fat,I dont know where anyone stated anything of the sort.

elphie754

Here's a question I haven't seen answered-are you losing weight the way you would expect with your calorie intake? Is your trainer telling you to eat more because you are not losing weight? If so-that is false.

Are you weighing all food consumed so you know exactly how many calories you are eating?

CharlieBeansmomTracey

elphie754 wrote: »

Here's a question I haven't seen answered-are you losing weight the way you would expect with your calorie intake? Is your trainer telling you to eat more because you are not losing weight? If so-that is false.

Are you weighing all food consumed so you know exactly how many calories you are eating?

thanks for asking that. I forgot about all that

homecraftedmom

I am losing consistently. He suggested this because of what MFP said was my caloric intake. He said it was something to "WORK TOWARDS"...not something I would do tomorrow. I think it is more of a balance thing. I have too much fat for the amoutn of carbs I am eating. He is not suggesting LOW fat, nor is he suggesting HIGH carb. In fact, he is just wanting me to be aware that REAL food is more important, my body knows what it is and how to use it, rather than the "fake" stuff.

I DO know what to do. I have done it before. This is contradictory to everything the media or other people believe.