Struggling to meet calorie goal

cakemunchkin

Thanks to everyone helpful - I will be more mindful of weighing things and add in some calorie dense foods that were suggested. Thanks also to everyone who was supportive.

I hope the rest of you find time to remember when you were just starting out, and think about how you felt then, and how hard it is to ask for help, before you jump on someone. I'm removing my original post because I simply don't think the level of aggression I'm receiving for trying to do the right thing is healthy for me.

Be productive. Love each other.

malibu927

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods

Mycophilia

Don't wait until you're hungry before eating.
Drink something with calories in it.
Eat more calorie dense foods.
Eat larger portions.
Have 2, 3 or even 4 cookies instead.

I could go on and on, you get a idea.

beemerphile1

cakemunchkin wrote: »

I'm going to preface this by saying: I know I'm vastly under my calorie goal almost all the time. I only eat when I'm hungry, and I've been trying to stick to only healthy foods I make at home. I struggle to hit 700 calories, even when I do cross training (sprints and body weight exercises), and yoga. I'm not sure what I am doing wrong. I'm not really denying myself. If I wanted food, I'd eat food - if I want a cookie, well gosh darn it i'll have a cookie.

I'm seeing a nutritionist next week, but any suggestions in the meantime?

Frankly, I don't believe you. You did not become overweight by eating 700 calories per day.

That low of an intake is absurd and is not a sustainable lifestyle.

janejellyroll

If you're sure you're logging correctly (sometimes people think they are eating less than they are), then it looks like your hunger cues are not a good sign of when you should eat. Try adding calorie dense foods to your meals.

Ninkyou

What did you eat before joining MFP? Surely you can eat those still, just less of it.
There's a plethora of higher caloried food that you can fill your diary with.

cakemunchkin

@ Beermephile1 No, I became overweight by not exercising, eating crap, and emotional eating while I dealt with mental health issues. I've only started tracking my calorie intake for the last month. I reached out for help.

JayRuby84

Are you underweight, or have an eating disorder? Your post is peculiar.

callsitlikeiseeit

beemerphile1 wrote: »

cakemunchkin wrote: »

I'm going to preface this by saying: I know I'm vastly under my calorie goal almost all the time. I only eat when I'm hungry, and I've been trying to stick to only healthy foods I make at home. I struggle to hit 700 calories, even when I do cross training (sprints and body weight exercises), and yoga. I'm not sure what I am doing wrong. I'm not really denying myself. If I wanted food, I'd eat food - if I want a cookie, well gosh darn it i'll have a cookie.

I'm seeing a nutritionist next week, but any suggestions in the meantime?

Frankly, I don't believe you. You did not become overweight by eating 700 calories per day.

That low of an intake is absurd and is not a sustainable lifestyle.

that. all. day. long.

strong_curves

Eat.

It's not that hard to eat to the minimum 1200 calories. If you're eating "healthy" or "clean" then add some "unhealthy" or "unclean" foods to get your calories up.

ConicalFern

Peanut butter on toast.

cakemunchkin

I am neither, I'm actually a bit overweight (medically speaking). Just someone struggling to figure out how to eat right and finding this a bit confusing and hard to navigate.

@callsitlikeiseeit Yeah. I know its not a good thing - that's why I'm asking for help.

ames105

Cheese. Everyone loves cheese. Its got protein, vitamins and some fat (which we still need). Its also a higher calorie content food. If you have a hard time eating your daily calories, have an ounce of cheese as a snack, put a piece of cheese on your lunch.

Another option would be nuts. Again, lots of good things, some good fat, higher calorie content and they are great for snacking, tossing in salads, etc. Its not hard to do.

Make your portion sizes a bit bigger. Have an extra 2 ounces of protein with your meal, an extra quarter cup of fruit, veggies. Have a smoothie and mix it with extra things, yogurt, fruit, veggies.

I'll give you the lecture. Your body requires a minimum number of calories to function. You feel ok now but your metabolism will start to slow to conserve energy (makes it hard to lose weight). Your hair may start to fall out. You may have foggy thinking, trouble sleeping, etc. Food is fuel. You don't give your car less fuel than it needs to get you places. Don't do it to your body.

quiksylver296

Do you weigh everything you eat on a food scale and religiously log everything you eat? For example, looking at this:



Your Chex cereal at 1.5 cups to be accurately measured should be in grams. Your two ounces of chicken should be weighed on a food scale for accuracy. Your "one piece" of banana could be anywhere from 90 calories to 300 calories. I suspect you are eating more calories than you think.

janejellyroll

JayRuby84 wrote: »

Are you underweight, or have an eating disorder? Your post is peculiar.

This is pretty common in people who radically overhaul their diets. Typically they're trying to eat very low fat (or sometimes very low protein). They remove most calorie dense foods from their diet, so it becomes difficult to meet goals for calorie consumption.

cakemunchkin

Thanks to everyone who is being helpful. I do religiously log everything I eat for now so I know what I'm eating and how much (so I can make sure its accurate). I'll try and add it some of the higher calorie foods people suggested!

cakemunchkin

@janejellyroll THANK YOU. I've been keeping protein in my diet, but honestly do have a hard time sorting what is junk and what is healthy but calorie dense.

callsitlikeiseeit

cakemunchkin wrote: »

I am neither, I'm actually a bit overweight (medically speaking). Just someone struggling to figure out how to eat right and finding this a bit confusing and hard to navigate.

@callsitlikeiseeit Yeah. I know its not a good thing - that's why I'm asking for help.

look, the thing is, you are VERY LIKELY eating more than you THINK you are. If you are not using a food SCALE (not cups, not eyeball measurements) then you simply can't be SURE. 700 calories is NOTHING and your body simply wouldnt function for very long on that little. you would be tired, lethargic, and start to have other health problems. You would not be able to meet the nutrients that your body NEEDS to function properly.

if you truly ARE eating that little (again, I doubt it), for the love of god go eat some peanut butter or nuts!

quiksylver296

And watch this video, OP...


https://youtu.be/XpHykP6e_Uk

janejellyroll

cakemunchkin wrote: »

@janejellyroll THANK YOU. I've been keeping protein in my diet, but honestly do have a hard time sorting what is junk and what is healthy but calorie dense.

If you truly are only eating 700 calories a day, that is going to be far more harmful to your health than any food you have identified as "junk."

If you're meeting your goals for protein and fat and other micronutrients, including foods commonly put in the "junk" category isn't going to harm you. So have some cookies or bread or oil or whatever you're ditching. You can have tasty stuff.

cakemunchkin

@callsitlikeiseeit Yes, and those problems are what I'm trying to avoid by rectifying it early on. Criticizing me doesn't help anybody.

quiksylver296

cakemunchkin wrote: »

Thanks to everyone who is being helpful. I do religiously log everything I eat for now so I know what I'm eating and how much (so I can make sure its accurate). I'll try and add it some of the higher calorie foods people suggested!

I really think you are finding the wrong solution to your problem. Please buy and use a food scale first, before you start adding more calories to your day.

lyndefisher

Don't you love how people automatically assume that's how you've been eating? I went thru the same thing. Since being on MFP it's been a struggle to get all my calories in! I am now on maintenance and uppedvmy calories and that had been a challenge also!

cathipa

Just looking at your diary for the past 2 days and I see there are some entries that are incorrect (raspberry vinaigrette for 3 Tbsp is typically more than 5 calories). Also I see you measure in mostly cups. Do you weigh everything you eat? This is a better way to measure what you are truly consuming. And I would think at only eating <1000 calories a day your Crossfit would suffer (I lift weights and if I don't eat enough I can tell. I typically eat 2200 cal a day don't know what would happen at 700 cal a day).

acorsaut89

beemerphile1 wrote: »

cakemunchkin wrote: »

I'm going to preface this by saying: I know I'm vastly under my calorie goal almost all the time. I only eat when I'm hungry, and I've been trying to stick to only healthy foods I make at home. I struggle to hit 700 calories, even when I do cross training (sprints and body weight exercises), and yoga. I'm not sure what I am doing wrong. I'm not really denying myself. If I wanted food, I'd eat food - if I want a cookie, well gosh darn it i'll have a cookie.

I'm seeing a nutritionist next week, but any suggestions in the meantime?

Frankly, I don't believe you. You did not become overweight by eating 700 calories per day.

That low of an intake is absurd and is not a sustainable lifestyle.

Exactly. Also your first log in is February 8 so I don't think you can say you religiously log . . . because it's only been one day.

strong_curves

lyndefisher wrote: »

Don't you love how people automatically assume that's how you've been eating? I went thru the same thing. Since being on MFP it's been a struggle to get all my calories in! I am now on maintenance and uppedvmy calories and that had been a challenge also!

She says she's vastly under her calorie goal almost all the time in her original post.

callsitlikeiseeit

cakemunchkin wrote: »

@callsitlikeiseeit Yes, and those problems are what I'm trying to avoid by rectifying it early on. Criticizing me doesn't help anybody.

And not accepting help and advice from someone who has loads of experience won't help you either .....

but hey - what do i know ....

Rabidrunner

I gotta give you a shout out here cakemunchkin (cute username by the way, I can never think of anything imaginative like that). People make assumptions about other people here without knowing all the facts. I actually completely understand where you're coming from. I have overhauled what I choose to eat and MFP has been an amazing tool for that. Now that I'm eating predominantly fresh veggies, whole grains, and lean meats I definitely have days where my calorie count is low and I'm thinking "ugh, I need to eat something more but the last thing on my mind is eating another damn thing today!"

And for the record, the highest my BMI ever got was 24, so it doesn't help to jump to conclusions about how people did or did not become overweight. This may amaze some here but there are many people out there who decide to make changes even if they're still in the 'healthy' BMI range.

However, as others have mentioned, there are a few good ways to add calories to the diet without adding bulk. This helps on those days where you're really full but need to add some calories. Here what I have in my bag of tricks:

Avacado
Nuts and seeds (add them to your salads!)
Butter (add to cooking, on cinnamon toast)
Dark chocolate
Ice cream (especially home-made)

Good luck!

pussingtonp

Cakemunchkin, looking at your diary it looks like you might not be logging accurately. Sometimes the estimates in MFP are off, for example a "banana" can weigh anything. Try to quantify things using a measurable scale, don't just eyeball. I don't eat much myself, but I found that that I was missestimating quite a bit when I didn't use my scales to weigh things. It's not always convenient to weigh things, but it will let you know how many calories you are actually eating.

But if your not hungry don't eat, and you'll loose weight easily !

janejellyroll

scottyxxx wrote: »

Cakemunchkin, looking at your diary it looks like you might not be logging accurately. Sometimes the estimates in MFP are off, for example a "banana" can weigh anything. Try to quantify things using a measurable scale, don't just eyeball. I don't eat much myself, but I found that that I was missestimating quite a bit when I didn't use my scales to weigh things. It's not always convenient to weigh things, but it will let you know how many calories you are actually eating.

But if your not hungry don't eat, and you'll loose weight easily !

If someone's hunger signals are off (that is, if they really are eating 700 calories a day and it isn't a logging issue), the advice to not eat if they aren't hungery can be harmful.

jkal1979

I bet if you used a food scale and accurate food entries you would find that you may be eating more than you think. I suggest working on accuracy as well as getting more food in.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1