Boosting calories to meet daily minimum in healthy ways
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amyrebeccah wrote: »At the risk of being jumped on--these questions are asked because we see people asking this question a lot who are not doing the work you are doing with measuring.
Now, to your question, the usual suggestions of nut butters, olive oil, cheese, avocado, etc, don't necessarily work for this OP since she's already meeting her fats and is lower on protein and carbs.
OP, I would try looking at hummus and beans to up your fiber, bananas to up your potassium (although Stef is right, many entries just don't have their potassium entered because it's not going to be required on food labels.) Greek yogurt will up your protein, so will cottage cheese, and lean meats or fish.
Thank you for the general forum insight + the tips for food. I do really like hummus and think that could be a great choice for me. Is the store-bought stuff something I should steer clear of? I know some healthy foods are much less healthy if you don't make them at home due to additives of all kinds.0 -
Maxematics wrote: »That actually makes a lot more sense. Thank you for clarifying. Other users have touched on great healthy foods to boost calories, but I will add that coconut water and low-sodium V8 are also fantastic for potassium intake. I have muscular calves that were prone to cramping and increasing my potassium intake helped with that and water retention immensely. I love drinking a glass of low-sodium V8 while having string cheese and crackers. It's one of my favorite snacks. Low calorie and well balanced.
Thank you. I think a drink could be a really smart route for me to try given my general low appetite/apathy toward eating (a life-long thing, all the way back to pre-K). I carry a water bottle and drink from it constantly, so replacing it with a low-sodium V8 would be an easy and effective swap. I'm really excited about this option; it's not intimidating and I feel confident I could phase in the V8 easily. Thank you again.0 -
amyrebeccah wrote: »At the risk of being jumped on--these questions are asked because we see people asking this question a lot who are not doing the work you are doing with measuring.
Now, to your question, the usual suggestions of nut butters, olive oil, cheese, avocado, etc, don't necessarily work for this OP since she's already meeting her fats and is lower on protein and carbs.
OP, I would try looking at hummus and beans to up your fiber, bananas to up your potassium (although Stef is right, many entries just don't have their potassium entered because it's not going to be required on food labels.) Greek yogurt will up your protein, so will cottage cheese, and lean meats or fish.
Thank you for the general forum insight + the tips for food. I do really like hummus and think that could be a great choice for me. Is the store-bought stuff something I should steer clear of? I know some healthy foods are much less healthy if you don't make them at home due to additives of all kinds.
Not who you asked, but... In all seriousness if you are only eating 600 cals per day, undereating that much is way more harmful than worrying about processed/homemade/ etc. You just need to get more fuel and nutrition into you! I don't buy all the "processed food is bad for you" stuff anyway, but if store bought hummus will work for you right now, go for it
I eat probably 50% convenience foods, and I've maintained a healthy weight and had great health markers for years. 6 -
I had problems with under eating in the past, due to stress. Easy ways to rectify that is to eat things like nut butters, almonds, cottage cheese, greek yoghurt (it's the best ice cold with blueberries and cinnamon I think, feels almost like ice cream then haha), avocado and boiled eggs. When it comes to store-bought or home made (referring to your hummus question above) I always think it's great to make your own if you can and have the time but don't give yourself another project if you have enough going on. In most grocery shops you will have organic versions with fewer ingredients, just read the labels.2
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amyrebeccah wrote: »At the risk of being jumped on--these questions are asked because we see people asking this question a lot who are not doing the work you are doing with measuring.
Now, to your question, the usual suggestions of nut butters, olive oil, cheese, avocado, etc, don't necessarily work for this OP since she's already meeting her fats and is lower on protein and carbs.
OP, I would try looking at hummus and beans to up your fiber, bananas to up your potassium (although Stef is right, many entries just don't have their potassium entered because it's not going to be required on food labels.) Greek yogurt will up your protein, so will cottage cheese, and lean meats or fish.
Thank you for the general forum insight + the tips for food. I do really like hummus and think that could be a great choice for me. Is the store-bought stuff something I should steer clear of? I know some healthy foods are much less healthy if you don't make them at home due to additives of all kinds.
Not who you asked, but... In all seriousness if you are only eating 600 cals per day, undereating that much is way more harmful than worrying about processed/homemade/ etc. You just need to get more fuel and nutrition into you! I don't buy all the "processed food is bad for you" stuff anyway, but if store bought hummus will work for you right now, go for it I eat probably 50% convenience foods, and I've maintained a healthy weight and had great health markers for years.
Thanks. I think this makes a lot of sense. I went from eating really poorly to being really concerned about eating poorly, and now that I've learned I'm just not eating enough (in part due to that concern intersecting in unfortunate ways with my chronic low appetite)... I should probably try to let go of the "eating poorly worry" just a little bit so that I can get to just eating enough. Right now it is probably smartest for me to focus on better/good enough rather than perfect. And it's encouraging to hear that you're doing perfectly well even with a significant amount of convenience foods. My history makes me super wary of them but I'm probably vilifying them unnecessarily. A good reminder.1 -
getupforchange wrote: »I had problems with under eating in the past, due to stress. Easy ways to rectify that is to eat things like nut butters, almonds, cottage cheese, greek yoghurt (it's the best ice cold with blueberries and cinnamon I think, feels almost like ice cream then haha), avocado and boiled eggs. When it comes to store-bought or home made (referring to your hummus question above) I always think it's great to make your own if you can and have the time but don't give yourself another project if you have enough going on. In most grocery shops you will have organic versions with fewer ingredients, just read the labels.
Thank you for your tips. I'll have to try the greek yogurt extra chilled... sounds good. I think your comments about stress are totally relevant (partially stress related to my work, partially stress about food because of a long and complicated history with it and a desire to do much better than I have been) and that your comment about not giving myself too many projects is wise. Right now is the time to keep it simple so I can make important progress toward not undereating so often and so drastically. When I get things steady, then I can refine the details.0 -
I've been using MFP for 16 days now, and while my goal is feeling stronger and losing weight, I am learning a lot about my general nutrition. It turns out I was wrong about a lot of things. For example, I thought I was overeating generally and probably eating way too many carbs and sugars and fats. It turns out I'm almost never eating the recommended amount of calories (1200 per my height, weight, and activity according to MFP), even on days when I exercise and feel hungrier than usual. I'm not starving myself... just not hungry. I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full. I'm now thinking perhaps part of the reason I've gained weight in recent years is I'm largely sedentary (doctoral student, work at a computer all day and into the night usually) and apparently drastically under-eating (some nights I'm ready for bed but am only at about half my goal for the day), so I've slowed down my metabolism. Oops.
I am exercising at least 30 min a day 3 times a week, but this hasn't really boosted my appetite much. I would like to boost my calories to the recommended minimum and keep on track with my nutrition goals, but I also don't want to force myself to eat all the time when I'm not hungry. What are you favorite nutrient-dense recipes or foods or snacks?
I would really prefer suggestions for things that will boost me in my problem areas (see below), and it would be great if I could boost my calories + problem nutrients without eating a large quantity of food that I'm not really hungry for! If you have food or supplement suggestions that can help me target the stuff that's missing from my diet, that would be wonderful. I have no dietary restrictions... except olives and coffee taste gross.
Here's what I'm doing well and doing poorly with in terms of nutrients:
On the "week view" of my app, I'm meeting my recommended amounts with the following:
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Iron
I'm meeting about 75% of the recommendation with:
Calcium
Cholesterol
Fat
I'm meeting about 50% of the recommendation with:
Protein
Carbs
Fiber
Sugar
Sodium
I'm only at about 25% of the recommendation with:
Potassium
I would really recommend talking to a doctor and seeing if you can get a referral to a dietitian and bringing your diary. The concern is no appetite, especially as what you are missing here and what you have described doesn't make it sound like you are eating an unusually satiating diet. If you believe you've not been eating that much more when gaining (I am not sure about that from your post, as you said you were undereating before but not specific amounts), then there could be a thyroid issue going on.
That said, as others mentioned if you don't pick the good USDA entries for whole foods or are logging based on package information/bar codes, a lot of information isn't going to be included (I'm kind of impressed you hit iron, as I never do according to MFP, and I eat tons of greens and definitely have not removed red meat from my diet). Anyway, my comments on the missing nutrients:
75% calcium -- could be missing information on the entries, but dairy, and if you are having trouble consuming enough food milk is not all that filling, IMO, although cottage cheese or greek yogurt will have more calories. Lower fat will have more protein percentagewise since you seem to be doing okay on fat, but to get the calories up full fat would be better.
75% Cholesterol/fat -- cholesterol is a max, not a minimum. I'd ignore it (I'd ignore it as a maximum too, actually). Fat is mostly personal preference, so if you are getting in adequate healthy fats (nuts, seeds, avocado, olives and olive oil (cook your food in it), fatty fish), I wouldn't worry about it. If you get up your calories chances are this will take care of itself.
50% protein -- this is the biggie. At 1200 your protein goal is probably already too low to best maintain muscle, IMO, so you really don't want to be way below it. It's also one of the things that makes me concerned about you being so full on so few calories, as protein (and fiber, more on that later) is one of the things that for the average person makes a diet filling. Meat/fish/eggs/dairy are the easiest sources of this. Maybe make a couple of hardboiled eggs and include them with breakfast or a snack? Or if you are a vegan, consider adding in nuts and seeds or have nutbutter with your apple (you can do this without being a vegan also). ;-) Other options that many wouldn't find that hard to consume/filling would be a protein shake or even a protein bar with breakfast or as a snack if there are any you like.
Carbs -- it really doesn't matter how you split calories between fat and carbs if you get enough protein and reasonable calories, so I wouldn't worry about it.
Sugar -- it's supposed to be a maximum, but you could always add some fruit to that protein shake, like a banana, to increase cals.
Sodium -- it's a minimum, and often underreported, I wouldn't worry about it.
Fiber -- again, being so low on this I am surprised your diet is so filling. Legumes will give you fiber and protein (and carbs), but are often filling. Vegetables, whole grains, the avocado I mentioned, berries, are all good sources.2 -
OP it sounds like we are all coming to more enlightened place of what your specific situation and history entails, what exactly you are struggling with, and where a lot of the MFP forum veterans are coming from with regards to common perceptions/situations we've experienced countless times on these boards with new members.
A couple of comments from reading through the thread...
1. You mentioned that MFP recommended 2 lbs/week for you. Keep in mind that YOU chose 2 lbs/week and that based on the stats you provided, MFP is suggesting 1200 cals as your NET calorie target, as that is the lowest that it will go for a female. You didn't mention how much weight total you are looking to lose, but based on your height and current weight, I'm speculating it is less than 50 lbs so a goal of 1 lb/week may be more appropriate for you, in order to preserve lean body mass, as well as provide ample nutrition, energy, etc.
2. A lot of people go from one extreme (very sedentary, eating a lot of calorie dense foods) to another (more active, eating only healthy foods, which tend to be nutrient dense and sometimes quite filling) and struggle to get to the minimum calorie targets. They aren't hungry, partly because the foods they are eating are high volume and filling, but also excited and eager to get started so the body tends to suppress some of those hunger cues. Most people here (myself included) find lasting success with striking a balance of nutrient dense foods (whole foods, cooked from scratch), some processed foods which can still provide a great deal of nutrition (frozen veggies, greek yogurt, protein powder, etc) and even treats in moderation (ice cream and wine are my favorites). Finding a balance and not thinking in the extremes is helpful, in my opinion.
3. You seem eager to learn, so I would suggest spending some time reading the stickied most helpful forum posts at the top of the getting started section. \
This one is fantastic as a compilation of other helpful posts:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10260499/i-like-old-posts-and-i-cannot-lie/p1
This one is my favorite for brand new members:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1235566/so-youre-new-here/p1
And this one is a list of calorie dense foods that can help you get those total calories up, many of which are quite nutrient dense as well:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1
Good luck.4 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »I would really recommend talking to a doctor and seeing if you can get a referral to a dietitian and bringing your diary. The concern is no appetite, especially as what you are missing here and what you have described doesn't make it sound like you are eating an unusually satiating diet. If you believe you've not been eating that much more when gaining (I am not sure about that from your post, as you said you were undereating before but not specific amounts), then there could be a thyroid issue going on.
Thanks for your reply. I've been tested for all sorts of things, including thyroid issues. Consistently my results are "hmmmm, various things are not normal but they're not so abnormal that we'd diagnose [condition being considered]." The no appetite thing does concern me and does concern doctors I've had over the years. This has been a lifelong thing for me. I was hospitalized right before I started kindergarten because despite my parents desperately offering me mountains of food of anything I could possibly want, I didn't really want anything, and I eventually got pretty weak. It's also been an issue for me during times in my life when I was actively trying to gain weight (e.g., in high school when playing sports that had weight classes). I remember crying because I just wanted to make the next weight class but loathed all the eating I had to do because I never wanted the food. Unfortunately, in 27 years of this "why don't I ever really want food even when I know I should be starving" I've had no good answers from doctors.
That said, I do think I was eating pretty poorly when I was gaining weight. I ate a lot of foods that were just easy, and due to stress that was happening at the same time, I ate a lot of comfort foods that are definitely not healthy. I wasn't necessarily eating a lot of volume, and I have been a chronic meal-skipper my entire life, but what I was eating was total crap, and I was super sedentary at the time. Like... get up, go to work, spend day at desk, come home, sleep. Repeat. I think this accounts for the gain, which was slow and steady over a period of a few years, but the lifelong crappy appetite is still weird and unpleasant.
I won't quote the rest of your post, but it was so very helpful. Thank you. I will look for USDA entries and be more wary of barcodes. I do use those and thought they'd be more accurate. I really appreciate you noting which things are minimums and which are maximums, as I was reading every nutrient as "do this as exactly as possible or you suck." Thank you so much for all of the time you put into writing your very lengthy and detailed reply.
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I am the same height as you and could not lose 2lbs sensibly when I was at that weight or at my current weight (160). I would have to undereat and I would also lose more lean mass than is ideal.
That said. You aren't losing 2lbs per week by your own admission so eating more isn't going to resolve that. However, I would recommend you do slow your rate of loss and thus eat more.
Finally, if you really have been undereating for years you'd be anorexic thin by now. Sure there is down regulation of the metabolism but chronic undereating will always and forever result in loss. It would be very rare someone's BMR lowered so much they'd gain eating under 1200 calories on a consistent basis. And your losing more than 1lb per week at the moment would also prove this to be true.
People aren't trying to have a go but just give you some information, science of human physiology and guidance.2 -
WinoGelato wrote: »1. You mentioned that MFP recommended 2 lbs/week for you. Keep in mind that YOU chose 2 lbs/week and that based on the stats you provided, MFP is suggesting 1200 cals as your NET calorie target, as that is the lowest that it will go for a female. You didn't mention how much weight total you are looking to lose, but based on your height and current weight, I'm speculating it is less than 50 lbs so a goal of 1 lb/week may be more appropriate for you, in order to preserve lean body mass, as well as provide ample nutrition, energy, etc.
Yes, I made this adjustment already based on the weight loss chart that was c&p'd into one of the replies. I picked the 2 lbs per week goal because it felt like "well why not work on more faster?" but now that I am learning more, I have adjusted this. I also didn't consider 1200 my net goal, so apparently I was doing that wrong. On my days when I felt like I was doing everything right, I was eating 1200 and also exercising. Good to know I was doing this wrong. It seems like a big thing to get wrong, oops.
I didn't mention a specific weight because I'm not sure I have one. I'm at 173 and would be thrilled to get to 150, but in a dream world I'd get back to more like 135, where I was years ago. Even more than the weight, though, I want to feel healthy again. I feel big and sluggish and weak, and I'm sick of it! I think for now the 150 goal makes sense. 135 can be the next one, I guess.WinoGelato wrote: »2. A lot of people go from one extreme (very sedentary, eating a lot of calorie dense foods) to another (more active, eating only healthy foods, which tend to be nutrient dense and sometimes quite filling) and struggle to get to the minimum calorie targets. They aren't hungry, partly because the foods they are eating are high volume and filling, but also excited and eager to get started so the body tends to suppress some of those hunger cues. Most people here (myself included) find lasting success with striking a balance of nutrient dense foods (whole foods, cooked from scratch), some processed foods which can still provide a great deal of nutrition (frozen veggies, greek yogurt, protein powder, etc) and even treats in moderation (ice cream and wine are my favorites). Finding a balance and not thinking in the extremes is helpful, in my opinion.
This makes sense and seems wise. It rings true for me, too with the extremes. Many posts here are advocating for flexibility and balance and I think I need to just beat that into my head rather than looking for really rigid formulas or writing off all processed foods as evil.WinoGelato wrote: »3. You seem eager to learn, so I would suggest spending some time reading the stickied most helpful forum posts at the top of the getting started section.
Yes, if I don't learn, I won't do better. Thank you for the links. And thank you for your post as a whole.0 -
VintageFeline wrote: »That said. You aren't losing 2lbs per week by your own admission so eating more isn't going to resolve that. However, I would recommend you do slow your rate of loss and thus eat more.
Finally, if you really have been undereating for years you'd be anorexic thin by now. Sure there is down regulation of the metabolism but chronic undereating will always and forever result in loss. It would be very rare someone's BMR lowered so much they'd gain eating under 1200 calories on a consistent basis. And your losing more than 1lb per week at the moment would also prove this to be true.
Please see previous posts. I have clarified already that when I said "I'm not losing 2 lbs a week" I was only saying that it hasn't been exactly that or been that consistently. Sometimes it's been less, but lately it's been more. This is actually what inspired me to start using MFP 16 days go, well into a diet and exercise regimen I've been using for a while, because I knew it was a red flag. So MFP was my way of getting info about my calories and nutrients. I am not looking to "resolve" my failure to lose 2 lbs per week. The goal of this thread getting tips for adding healthy nutrients to my diet.
I have also already clarified that I haven't been doing nothing but undereating for years; there was a time not that long ago when I gained significantly due to being exceptionally sedentary and eating calorie-rich, unhealthy foods. As I've explained, I'm a life-long meal-skipper with a life-long low appetite, but that doesn't mean I didn't spend a few years sitting on my butt all day and eating really unhealthy meals when I didn't skip them. I've always been a sporadic eater with low interest in food, but I've certainly eaten diets that were very high calorie, and that's when I put on the weight I'm currently losing.0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »1. You mentioned that MFP recommended 2 lbs/week for you. Keep in mind that YOU chose 2 lbs/week and that based on the stats you provided, MFP is suggesting 1200 cals as your NET calorie target, as that is the lowest that it will go for a female. You didn't mention how much weight total you are looking to lose, but based on your height and current weight, I'm speculating it is less than 50 lbs so a goal of 1 lb/week may be more appropriate for you, in order to preserve lean body mass, as well as provide ample nutrition, energy, etc.
Yes, I made this adjustment already based on the weight loss chart that was c&p'd into one of the replies. I picked the 2 lbs per week goal because it felt like "well why not work on more faster?" but now that I am learning more, I have adjusted this. I also didn't consider 1200 my net goal, so apparently I was doing that wrong. On my days when I felt like I was doing everything right, I was eating 1200 and also exercising. Good to know I was doing this wrong. It seems like a big thing to get wrong, oops.
I didn't mention a specific weight because I'm not sure I have one. I'm at 173 and would be thrilled to get to 150, but in a dream world I'd get back to more like 135, where I was years ago. Even more than the weight, though, I want to feel healthy again. I feel big and sluggish and weak, and I'm sick of it! I think for now the 150 goal makes sense. 135 can be the next one, I guess.WinoGelato wrote: »2. A lot of people go from one extreme (very sedentary, eating a lot of calorie dense foods) to another (more active, eating only healthy foods, which tend to be nutrient dense and sometimes quite filling) and struggle to get to the minimum calorie targets. They aren't hungry, partly because the foods they are eating are high volume and filling, but also excited and eager to get started so the body tends to suppress some of those hunger cues. Most people here (myself included) find lasting success with striking a balance of nutrient dense foods (whole foods, cooked from scratch), some processed foods which can still provide a great deal of nutrition (frozen veggies, greek yogurt, protein powder, etc) and even treats in moderation (ice cream and wine are my favorites). Finding a balance and not thinking in the extremes is helpful, in my opinion.
This makes sense and seems wise. It rings true for me, too with the extremes. Many posts here are advocating for flexibility and balance and I think I need to just beat that into my head rather than looking for really rigid formulas or writing off all processed foods as evil.WinoGelato wrote: »3. You seem eager to learn, so I would suggest spending some time reading the stickied most helpful forum posts at the top of the getting started section.
Yes, if I don't learn, I won't do better. Thank you for the links. And thank you for your post as a whole.
Based on your responses here:
1) Feeling weak can be related to malnourishment, so eating more should help with that. However, this can take some time to correct.
2) What type of exercise are you doing? Strength training can certainly help, but again, meeting your nutritional needs while doing intense strength training is really important.
3) Several of your comments have hinted at striving toward perfection. Personally, when I let go of perfection as the goal, it became a much less guilt inducing process. Try aiming for close enough.
4) I can't currently recall, and since I'm mid-post I'm not going to look, but just wondering if you've worked with a registered dietician. You indicated some of your blood work was off, but not enough for a diagnosis. Consider taking those lab results to a dietician and see if they can help you with improving those particular markers. Some things can be improved through diet, but that would be outside of our scope here (obviously).
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nutmegoreo wrote: »1) Feeling weak can be related to malnourishment, so eating more should help with that. However, this can take some time to correct.
I'm hopeful it will help, and it's good to know to be patient. Even if I just feel less tired, that would be great.nutmegoreo wrote: »2) What type of exercise are you doing? Strength training can certainly help, but again, meeting your nutritional needs while doing intense strength training is really important.
I've been experimenting a lot lately with different workouts. As a main/core component, I'm doing the 30-minute circuit at Planet Fitness regularly, which is 30 minutes of various machines and cardio. You do a machine, then cardio on a little step thing, then another machine, then another step thing, etc. It's supposed to be a "total body workout" but I have no idea how legit it is.
And then I've been experimenting with adding something to that workout each time I go. Sometimes I do 15-30 minutes on a cardio machine (e.g., I can cycle at a fair clip for 30 min but the arc trainer is the spawn of satan and I can only do 15 min right now). Sometimes I go to one fo their core/ab classes. Sometimes I just walk or jog on the treadmill. When I do the treadmill, I usually do intervals of brisk walking and a moderately-paced jog. I'm also an avid hiker, so I do that once or twice a week. I'm in the midwest so things are pretty flat around here, so it's not a grueling workout.
I'd love your (or anyone else's) thoughts with how my exercise might intersect with my goals and/or particular nutritional challenges.nutmegoreo wrote: »3) Several of your comments have hinted at striving toward perfection. Personally, when I let go of perfection as the goal, it became a much less guilt inducing process. Try aiming for close enough.
Yes, this thread has encouraged me to make "close enough" my current goal. That will be hard for me and goes against lots of old habits, but I think it is worthwhile to work on this. Thank you for the encouragement.nutmegoreo wrote: »4) I can't currently recall, and since I'm mid-post I'm not going to look, but just wondering if you've worked with a registered dietician. You indicated some of your blood work was off, but not enough for a diagnosis. Consider taking those lab results to a dietician and see if they can help you with improving those particular markers. Some things can be improved through diet, but that would be outside of our scope here (obviously).
I have not worked with a dietitian. I have basically had lots of PCPs run tests, shrug, and say to just focus on eating healthy and exercising regularly. I am soon to change jobs and will have better insurance soon, so I think at that time I will look into getting a referral to a dietitian since a few commenters have suggested that now. Thank you for the additional nudge.
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Doctors don't have much nutritional training, so it doesn't surprise me that you are getting a canned eat healthy response. I do think a dietician would be a great thing for you.
As for your exercise, you are doing mostly cardio activities (circuit training is mostly cardio), these tend to burn through more calories which will necessitate eating more to support it, and for many people will actually kill the appetite. No wonder you are feeling tired. Plus all that studying (also a grad student, but only at the Masters level). I do find that my appetite increases considerably with proper strength training. Of course your results may be different.
Here's a great thread on different strength focused programs:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
Maybe a switch in focus from cardio to strength will drive your hunger cues up a bit.3
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