Not enough calories/ recipe ideas

LucyMcd1

Hi! I am having trouble getting enough calories in my day, and everything else for that matter. I'm over by 2 on sugar but everything else has a little bit left. On good days I eat breakfast lunch and dinner, as well as a snack. For breakfast 1 and 1/2 strawberry frosted poptarts. I'm not sure if you can see it but if you can check my food diary. I eat meat, a side, and a veggie (sometimes a salad as well) for dinner and anything semi-healthy around the house for a snack and lunch. However even on good days like today I am under the goal calories. Can anyone give me any ideas for a low sugar snack that would give me about 300 calories? If you have anything that would be great. Thank you!

iKapuniai

If you have a hard time reaching your cals and you're not exactly hungry but you know you need the cals, I'd go for nuts or nut butters. High in all macronutrients as well as calories. Perfect go-to snack.

Love and Alohas,
Ihilani Kapuniai

sunlover89

Poptarts, seriously? You might as well eat a chocolate bar! (sorry, that sounds a bit mean, just pleeease don't eat poptarts!!)
Try eggs, scrambled or an omelette with spinach. Or poached on seeded bread.
Snack on low GI fruit.
If you still have calories left at the end of the day, have a tbspn of nut butter (almond is the best, full of vit E)

Quinn_Baker

Poptarts, seriously? You might as well eat a chocolate bar! (sorry, that sounds a bit mean, just pleeease don't eat poptarts!!)
Try eggs, scrambled or an omelette with spinach. Or poached on seeded bread.
Snack on low GI fruit.
If you still have calories left at the end of the day, have a tbspn of nut butter (almond is the best, full of vit E)

I agree. Your sugar overage could be fixed by cutting the piptarts out. Every now and then is okay of course, but for breakfast most days try protein and healthy fats, not sugars

Skrib69

Nuts and seeds are probably the best place to start, closely followed by avocado and fruits. I also subscribe to graze on their Light plan and each punnet of snacks are around the 100-150 calorie mark. For me, it takes the guesswork out of healthy snacks that are interesting and varied. Happy snacking!

LexiAtel

This idea wont help the sodium levels... But I don't consume sodium much anyway... I literally only get my sodium from cheese and an occasional boxed snack.

I have recently got addicted to Wheat Thins. It's not the BEST choice, no, BUT I get the dietary fiber, and it cures my want for an "unhealthy" snack. What I do is very very thinly spread peanut butter (or the hazelnut spread if you have the will power) on 10 crackers (no not 16, but 10).

I also use then for deli meats and cheese with brown mustard (usually for lunch though). Also for lunch, I will use them to dip in tuna or salmon (with no mixture just the plain fish). I know this is weird, but it helps me a lot with boosting the protein I need.

Other than Oroweat's 100 calorie, Thin Rolls, rice, and breakfast cereal, I don't tend to eat a lot of grains. So I justify this snack of mine.

If you are getting your sugar from natural things like fruit (and I mean FRESH fruit), then I wouldn't worry about it, but since you're consuming poptarts let alone TWO of them, I can see your point on trying to cut out the sugar... If I need something sweet I put 1/4 cup oatmeal in a bowl (uncooked), add 1/2 cup milk and cook it in the microwave. Then add 15-30 chocolate chips to this and stir. You can also add Nesquik chocolate drink to plain yogurt and get a high protein/calcium sweet breakfast/snack that will at least be a little better than a Poptart.

And to answer your sole question, why not eat your calories in protein instead of sugar and fat. A tuna fish sandwich (made with yogurt not mayo) is very yummy on a wheat bread, and so much healthier, filling, and a bit more calories, but these calories are healthy ones..

stonel94

well if you're having issues with sugar just cut out the poptarts, and you'll be fine.
As for a snack, 300 calories for just one snack is a lot, so I would say have a couple smaller snacks: some nuts (protein and fat), maybe some rice crackers or whole grain crackers (carbs), and then I would say maybe a protein shake (if you do just protein powder and water then there's little to no sugar), or a plain yogurt (add splenda or something to sweeten), I also love having sugar free fat free jello pudding, no sugar, no fat, obviosly, and 70 calories per serving, just add fat free milk, stir, and chill ready in 5 mins. the boxes they sell to make it have 4 servings in it and calls for 2 cups of milk, so I only prepare 1/2 a box with 1 cup of milk at a time so I can eat it all and not be tempted to have more. My favs are pistachio and I like to have the banana pudding and put some cool whip, and real bananas in it. they also have chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, and cheesecake flavors that I've seen regularly.

also your food diary isn't public but if I could see it I could easily give you some more specific tips

Skrib69

I forgot to add that it's far too easy to go over on the sugar. Personally I ignore it becasue I dont have an issue with sweet stuff and can easily smash it by grazing on grapes all day in the car. HOwever, if I were you I would swap the pop tarts for something else - oats with honey, eggs, fruit....