Help I'm having a hard time meeting my calorie goal

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melissa7662
melissa7662 Posts: 93 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a calorie goal of 1700. I am having a really hard time meeting this goal. I'm getting closer to 1200 calories a day. I am also a diabetic so I have to be careful of the carb amounts. (I try to stay within 45 carbs per meal and 15 per snack).
Any suggestions?

Replies

  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,222 Member
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    Nuts
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Peanut butter
  • KateTii
    KateTii Posts: 886 Member
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    How are you measuring your calories? Are you using a food scale?

    If you're struggling to eat 1200 calories, you wouldn't be here needing to lose weight in the first place. You're probably eating more than you realise.
  • cbazinet434
    cbazinet434 Posts: 1 Member
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    Melissa, I just reached my weight loss goal, and I'm having trouble eating the maintenance number of calories, so I'll be interested in other replies. When I go over what I had been eating to lose weight, I feel very uncomfortable.
  • DonaldCriola
    DonaldCriola Posts: 19 Member
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    At the least ur proteing needs to be 1g per pound of body weight to maintain muscle. This is for an average person. For ur carbs stick with brown, black and Jasmine rice, regular oatmeal and sweet potatoes
  • mgookin1
    mgookin1 Posts: 72 Member
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    Nuts, Peanut butter, Butter, Avocado, Hummus, Glass of whole milk. Are you meeting your Macro needs of Protein and fats as well?
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
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    DonaldCriola wrote: »
    At the least ur proteing needs to be 1g per pound of body weight to maintain muscle. This is for an average person. For ur carbs stick with brown, black and Jasmine rice, regular oatmeal and sweet potatoes

    Ah, the good ol' arbitrary 1g per pound being trotted out to a dieting (I'm assuming) untrained female. Something that's not really even required for androgen geared up bodybuilders.

    Research.
    Effect of protein intake on strength, body composition and endocrine changes in strength/power athletes. Hoffman JR, Ratamess NA, Kang J, Falvo MJ, Faigenbaum AD. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2006 Dec 13;3:12-8.

    Tarnopolsky, M. A., Atkinson, S. A., MacDougall, J. D., Chesley, A., Phillips, S., & Schwarcz, H. P. (1992). Evaluation of protein requirements for trained strength athletes. Journal of Applied Physiology, 73(5), 1986-1995.

    Macronutrient content of a hypoenergy diet affects nitrogen retention and muscle function in weight lifters. Walberg JL, Leidy MK, Sturgill DJ, Hinkle DE, Ritchey SJ, Sebolt DR. Int J Sports Med. 1988 Aug;9(4):261-6.

    Protein requirements and muscle mass/strength changes during intensive training in novice bodybuilders. Lemon PW, Tarnopolsky MA, MacDougall JD, Atkinson SA. J Appl Physiol. 1992 Aug;73(2):767-75.

    Influence of protein intake and training status on nitrogen balance and lean body mass. Tarnopolsky MA, MacDougall JD, Atkinson SA. J Appl Physiol. 1988 Jan;64(1):187-93.

    Dietary protein for athletes: From requirements to optimum adaptation. Phillips SM, Van Loon LJ. J Sports Sci. 2011;29 Suppl 1:S29-38.

    Protein and amino acid metabolism during and after exercise and the effects of nutrition. Rennie MJ, Tipton KD. Annu Rev Nutr. 2000;20:457-83.

    Hartman, J. W., Moore, D. R., & Phillips, S. M. (2006). Resistance training reduces whole-body protein turnover and improves net protein retention in untrained young males. Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, 31, 557–564.

    Moore, D. R., Del Bel, N. C., Nizi, K. I., Hartman, J. W., Tang, J. E., Armstrong, D. et al. (2007). Resistance training reduces fasted- and fed-state leucine turnover and increases dietary nitrogen retention in previously untrained young men. Journal of Nutrition, 137, 985–991.

    Effects of exercise on dietary protein requirements. Lemon PW. Int J Sport Nutr. 1998 Dec;8(4):426-47.

    Effects of high-calorie supplements on body composition and muscular strength following resistance training. Rozenek R, Ward P, Long S, Garhammer J. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2002 Sep;42(3):340-7.

    Increased protein maintains nitrogen balance during exercise-induced energy deficit. Pikosky MA, Smith TJ, Grediagin A, Castaneda-Sceppa C, Byerley L, Glickman EL, Young AJ. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2008 Mar;40(3):505-12.

    Dietary carbohydrate-to-fat ratio: influence on whole-body nitrogen retention, substrate utilization, and hormone response in healthy male subjects. McCargar LJ, Clandinin MT, Belcastro AN, Walker K. Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Jun;49(6):1169-78.

    Macronutrient Intakes as Determinants of Dietary Protein and Amino Acid Adequacy. Millward, DJ. J. Nutr. June 1, 2004 vol. 134 no. 6 1588S-1596S.

    Why not white rice or white potato?

    Do people actually pay you to give out this 'advice'?
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Eggs, tuna, salmon, dark meat chicken, beef and pork, cheese, olives, mayonnaise, sour cream, butter, avocados, regular (full fat) yogurt, full fat salad dressing, nuts, bacon, sausage.
  • melissa7662
    melissa7662 Posts: 93 Member
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    Kate,
    I eat a lot of veggies and only around 45 grams of carbs per meal.
    This is a more recent problem and I have actually lost weight too fast over the past few weeks.
  • melissa7662
    melissa7662 Posts: 93 Member
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    Mgookin1
    I am not sure how to to the micros. I do usually meet my protein and fat amounts and am usually way over on sodium amounts.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Try increasing slowly, like 100 cals each week. Add butter or olive oil to everything.
  • sthome925
    sthome925 Posts: 13 Member
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    Try and get between 60-80 g of Protein and 20-30 g of Fiber everyday... It should help you. You might want to relook at your calorie goal and adjust your %'s for protein, fats, and carbs.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,222 Member
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    @melissa7662
    How did you end up wanting to lose weight if you eat so little (or in other words how did you get fat in the first place)?
  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
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    gebeziseva wrote: »
    @melissa7662
    How did you end up wanting to lose weight if you eat so little (or in other words how did you get fat in the first place)?

    Just like many of us did, by eating very low volume, calorie dense foods (fast food, soda, candy). And it doesn't make much sense to just add those back in simply to increase calorie counts. Most people want to learn how to tweak their "healthier" eating habits to increase calories.

    @melissa7662: How many meals & snacks do you have per day? I've found hunger is not a very good cue for myself and eat to a plan rather than hunger. Do you feel that you can't eat more in your meals (i.e. you'd be stuffing yourself) or has the lower calorie counts simply become habit? Sometimes it's better to add snacks, sometimes it's better to increase the size of individual meals.
  • melissa7662
    melissa7662 Posts: 93 Member
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    @richardgavel I eat 3 meals a day and usually 1 snack. I do have a hard time adding more food at meals. As I said I'm a diabetic and have to be careful not to get my blood sugar levels high. Yes I was a fast food junkie. I now usually go to more home style resturants and eat mostly veggies and beans for protein. I have cut out sugary snacks and mainly drink water.
    I try to have a milk, fruit, starch, and protein at every meal.
  • melissa7662
    melissa7662 Posts: 93 Member
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    @gebeziseva
    I have just recently had the problem of not eating enough. I use to eat way too much and of course the wrong types of food. I am trying to make sure I am making healthy choices and we'll to be honest veggies don't have many calories. As said before I do try to have a protein, starch, fruit, veggies and milk at every meal.
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
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    Cook with oil, add butter, use full fat milk, use condiments such as mayo and full fat dressings, eat nut butters, cheese, fatty cuts of meat, nuts, eat more meals, eat more snacks.
  • Kareesdiet
    Kareesdiet Posts: 82 Member
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    I'm new here and I have no expert advice at all, but everyone is asking what happened, she shouldn't need to lose weight if she is eating so little, BUT it does happen. I have gained 10 pounds in the last year, and in trying to lose that weight I did it wrong and was starving myself. Of course I never gave up the beer, wine or chocolate.. I would just eat less food to make up for it. So now that I am trying to do it right and am supposed to eat a certain number of calories I have a hard time as well. I shrunk my stomach, and to be honest eating healthy is much more filling than the junk food. Which of course is good but it is much harder than I thought it would be to eat healthy and exercise and make it all balance out. I'm finding my way slowly with the help of the good people on MFP!
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    melissa7662 wrote: »
    @gebeziseva
    I have just recently had the problem of not eating enough. I use to eat way too much and of course the wrong types of food. I am trying to make sure I am making healthy choices and we'll to be honest veggies don't have many calories. As said before I do try to have a protein, starch, fruit, veggies and milk at every meal.
    Increase the oils by adding oil to the veggies.

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