Struggling to hit calories
nowmartin2001
Posts: 16 Member
Is anyone else struggling to hit their calorie intake? Mine is set at 1790 for a day to lose weight. I'm a 6ft 2 guy weight about 213lbs. After I've done my cardio for the day (4x a week) I really struggle to hit the daily recommended amount of 1790 calories. Does anyone else find it hard and does anyone have any tips etc to help me hit my goals?
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Replies
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Calorie dense foods........nuts, nut butters, avocado, olive oil.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p14 -
This isn't a real problem, or the real problem isn't what you think it is. If you need to lose weight, you know how to eat more. But if you're new to calorie counting, you may be logging incorrectly. You have to log the right entries, in the right amounts, and do it always, and for a long time, for calorie counting to have the desired effect. If you're eating back exercise calories, eat back half.7
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Not to sound crass, but how did you gain weight if this is a struggle for you to reach this calorie limit? Are you weighing your food and are you sure you are logging correctly (no homemade or generic entries)?6
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Peanut butter3
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Eat more calorie dense food with a focus on protein. It sounds like a pain in the *kitten* but you could also eat more frequently. For your current bodyweight, you could be around 2300-2500kcal/day and still be in a deficit if you're active.
You're pretty tall and without knowing your bf%, it seems you may be naturally lean with just some body fat to lose, though I could be wrong. Cardio seems to blunt hunger in a lot of people and strength training seems to increase appetite.
Besides fat loss, do you have any other goals; i.e. get stronger, build muscle, perform better at a sport, etc.?1 -
Nope, I would happily eat 2500 if I could except I wouldn't be slim anymore lol
Silly question maybe but how did you get overweight (not that you're actually much overweight given your height) to begin with if you can't eat 1790 cals now? 1790 is a low day for me on maintenance and I'm only 5ft 2.
As above says choose calorie dense foods, nuts and peanut butter are my go to except I usually don't have the calories to spare...2 -
Thanks for the replies everyone. I understand that I have obviously eaten more than 1790 calories to have gained weight in the first place. All my meals were very bad and since I've started eating better quality foods and higher levels of protein I feel a lot more full all of the time. I guess I will just eat more even if I don't feel too hungry.3
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i think this happens pretty often when people are just starting to lose weight. most cases i've seen on here it stems from a total diet overhaul. instead of eating what you ate gaining weight, you try to change everything all at once. eat a ton of veg, lean proteins, stay away from carbs and sweets. and that's well and good, but when you've increased fiber and protein sometimes you get full super fast. add some treats back in and you may find that you can hit your goal more easily and that your diet is more sustainable.7
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Eat more calorie dense food with a focus on protein. It sounds like a pain in the *kitten* but you could also eat more frequently. For your current bodyweight, you could be around 2300-2500kcal/day and still be in a deficit if you're active.
You're pretty tall and without knowing your bf%, it seems you may be naturally lean with just some body fat to lose, though I could be wrong. Cardio seems to blunt hunger in a lot of people and strength training seems to increase appetite.
Besides fat loss, do you have any other goals; i.e. get stronger, build muscle, perform better at a sport, etc.?
I would say I'm fairly lean yes. About 99% of my excess weight is stomach and chest area. I've ran a few marathons so I suppose my main goal is to keep beating my best times.2 -
nowmartin2001 wrote: »Thanks for the replies everyone. I understand that I have obviously eaten more than 1790 calories to have gained weight in the first place. All my meals were very bad and since I've started eating better quality foods and higher levels of protein I feel a lot more full all of the time. I guess I will just eat more even if I don't feel too hungry.
Stop thinking food is good or bad, that'll help...6 -
nowmartin2001 wrote: »Is anyone else struggling to hit their calorie intake? Mine is set at 1790 for a day to lose weight. I'm a 6ft 2 guy weight about 213lbs. After I've done my cardio for the day (4x a week) I really struggle to hit the daily recommended amount of 1790 calories. Does anyone else find it hard and does anyone have any tips etc to help me hit my goals?
YES! and i'm a tiny person and all i need is 1200 calories a day and i'm dying over here to get to a 1000. i just can't eat this much food even though i loooove food
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Or you could prevent "falling off the wagon" by eating all the foods you like in moderation. Demonizing foods (calling them "bad) intensifes our desire for them. No foods or meals are in themselves bad, it's about amounts and frequency, balance and context. Forcing yourself to eat "healthy" food will have the opposite of the desired effect. And keep in mind that hunger can need some time to catch up on you, but it will; you're in the honeymoon phase and no phase lasts forever.4
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nowmartin2001 wrote: »Thanks for the replies everyone. I understand that I have obviously eaten more than 1790 calories to have gained weight in the first place. All my meals were very bad and since I've started eating better quality foods and higher levels of protein I feel a lot more full all of the time. I guess I will just eat more even if I don't feel too hungry.
Just make sure you are logging correctly. Invest in a food scale if you aren't currently using one before eating just to make a calorie goal.2 -
kommodevaran wrote: »Or you could prevent "falling off the wagon" by eating all the foods you like in moderation. Demonizing foods (calling them "bad) intensifes our desire for them. No foods or meals are in themselves bad, it's about amounts and frequency, balance and context. Forcing yourself to eat "healthy" food will have the opposite of the desired effect. And keep in mind that hunger can need some time to catch up on you, but it will; you're in the honeymoon phase and no phase lasts forever.
QFT0 -
nowmartin2001 wrote: »Thanks for the replies everyone. I understand that I have obviously eaten more than 1790 calories to have gained weight in the first place. All my meals were very bad and since I've started eating better quality foods and higher levels of protein I feel a lot more full all of the time. I guess I will just eat more even if I don't feel too hungry.
Just make sure you are logging correctly. Invest in a food scale if you aren't currently using one before eating just to make a calorie goal.
I am defiantly logging correctly. I do have a food scale. I guess I am fairly new to the calorie counting side of a diet/ lifestyle change. I do appreciate all the input everyone has given me1 -
TavistockToad wrote: »nowmartin2001 wrote: »Thanks for the replies everyone. I understand that I have obviously eaten more than 1790 calories to have gained weight in the first place. All my meals were very bad and since I've started eating better quality foods and higher levels of protein I feel a lot more full all of the time. I guess I will just eat more even if I don't feel too hungry.
Stop thinking food is good or bad, that'll help...
Would you not consider takeaways and pre made foods etc as bad? Or is that still approaching things from the wrong direction?0 -
nowmartin2001 wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »nowmartin2001 wrote: »Thanks for the replies everyone. I understand that I have obviously eaten more than 1790 calories to have gained weight in the first place. All my meals were very bad and since I've started eating better quality foods and higher levels of protein I feel a lot more full all of the time. I guess I will just eat more even if I don't feel too hungry.
Stop thinking food is good or bad, that'll help...
Would you not consider takeaways and pre made foods etc as bad? Or is that still approaching things from the wrong direction?
No they are not "bad" foods. You're calling them bad foods and it makes your feel like you're doing something wrong.3 -
Getting quite tired of reading "How'd you get fat in the first place if you can't reach a calorie intake" that are regularly in these type of threads. Ever heard of making a life choice to only eat health foods? Eat processed foods for a week, then switch to fresh foods for the next week. Even if you eat the same amount of calories both weeks, the difference in energy is incredible. Low nutrient, high calorie food makes you feel like crap and it's hard to eat 1500+ calories a day of fresh food because it's so filling.
"So just eat small proportions of high calorie foods". That's not easy for everyone, and can definitely throw some people off their diet. If I get a taste of chocolate cake, i'll eat the whole cake. If I buy a bag of almonds, I'll eat the whole bag when watching TV.
OP: Just do what works. If you aren't feeling constantly hungry, you aren't under eating enough to cause problems. If you are concerned about not getting enough of a certain vitamin, take a multi-vitamin.9 -
kommodevaran wrote: »Or you could prevent "falling off the wagon" by eating all the foods you like in moderation. Demonizing foods (calling them "bad) intensifes our desire for them. No foods or meals are in themselves bad, it's about amounts and frequency, balance and context. Forcing yourself to eat "healthy" food will have the opposite of the desired effect. And keep in mind that hunger can need some time to catch up on you, but it will; you're in the honeymoon phase and no phase lasts forever.
Exactly. Not all "health food" is healthy, nor is all "junk food" garbage.
@nowmartin2001 since your goal is to perform better for marathons, but have some torso fat to lose, do some resistance training. It doesn't have to be traditional lifting (calisthenics can also be pretty intense), but pure focus on consistent cardio is catabolic to everything besides fat (think muscle, tendons, cartilage, etc.). Ideally, you want to retain as much muscle and lose fat. Resistance training and progressively overloading will retain/reduce the amount of lean mass lost while shedding fat. Proper protein will be synergistic with that. It also supports your running.2 -
nowmartin2001 wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »nowmartin2001 wrote: »Thanks for the replies everyone. I understand that I have obviously eaten more than 1790 calories to have gained weight in the first place. All my meals were very bad and since I've started eating better quality foods and higher levels of protein I feel a lot more full all of the time. I guess I will just eat more even if I don't feel too hungry.
Stop thinking food is good or bad, that'll help...
Would you not consider takeaways and pre made foods etc as bad? Or is that still approaching things from the wrong direction?
No. Takeaways are high in fat (generally) and so are more calorie dense, so I have to take more care to fit them in my week calorie and macro goal, but that doesn't make them bad, it makes them yummy.
The majority of food is pre made these days unless you farm your own livestock etc. So of course it's not bad.7 -
Drink some calories, have more snacks, don't eat "diet foods" (avoid low fat/low sugar/"lite" labelled items,), load up on fruit, decent portion of starchy carbs with your main meals, nuts....
For perspective I'm a 5'9 old fart maintaining on about 3000 cals.4 -
Love the "how'd you get fat in the first place if you can't reach a calorie intake" people. I'm so tired of reading that line on here. Ever heard of eating healthy versus unhealthy?
OP: Just do what works, ignore the "always eat at least X amount of calories" stuff. If you aren't feeling constantly hungry, you aren't under eating enough to cause problems.
I got fat off of healthy food. I was living way out in the country with no fast food around. All I ate was my own from-scratch cooking. Unfortunately, I'm a pretty good cook.
OP, I would definitely double check your logging. I'm a 5'3" over 40 female and I can easily tuck away 2700-3000 calories a day if I don't restrain myself!9 -
TavistockToad wrote: »nowmartin2001 wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »nowmartin2001 wrote: »Thanks for the replies everyone. I understand that I have obviously eaten more than 1790 calories to have gained weight in the first place. All my meals were very bad and since I've started eating better quality foods and higher levels of protein I feel a lot more full all of the time. I guess I will just eat more even if I don't feel too hungry.
Stop thinking food is good or bad, that'll help...
Would you not consider takeaways and pre made foods etc as bad? Or is that still approaching things from the wrong direction?
No. Takeaways are high in fat (generally) and so are more calorie dense, so I have to take more care to fit them in my week calorie and macro goal, but that doesn't make them bad, it makes them yummy.
The majority of food is pre made these days unless you farm your own livestock etc. So of course it's not bad.
When I said pre made I meant microwave meals and ready meals. I think instead of bad foods I should have used the term unhealthy. I feel like it was easier for me to eat say 800 kcal worth of unhealthy takeaway/McDonald's type food. Than to eat 800 kcal worth of healthy nutritional food. I'm very confident that I will get to my goals sooner rather than later1 -
nowmartin2001 wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »nowmartin2001 wrote: »Thanks for the replies everyone. I understand that I have obviously eaten more than 1790 calories to have gained weight in the first place. All my meals were very bad and since I've started eating better quality foods and higher levels of protein I feel a lot more full all of the time. I guess I will just eat more even if I don't feel too hungry.
Stop thinking food is good or bad, that'll help...
Would you not consider takeaways and pre made foods etc as bad? Or is that still approaching things from the wrong direction?
Not at all. No food is ever inherently good or bad. It's just the overfeeding and relationship with food that gives it that appearance, especially when so many online resources pander to that idea by claiming "superfoods" and magical health benefits.
At the same time, you don't need to be robotic about it. Sure there are tasty and enjoyable foods that provide satiety and satisfaction. And there are foods that we personally don't like or tolerate well. For your question specifically, eat food that you like. There are still ways to compromise the thought of it being a positive contribution to hitting increased calories without it being viewed as bad. Example: cook a steak in some butter and garlic, roast some potatoes and asparagus drizzled with some olive oil.. drink a glass of whole milk... these are easily identified as natural, whole foods that are both calorie and nutrient dense6 -
Love the "how'd you get fat in the first place if you can't reach a calorie intake" people. I'm so tired of reading that line on here. Ever heard of eating healthy foods only? Eat processed foods for a week, then switch to eating fresh foods for the next week. Even if eat the same amount of calories, the difference in energy is incredible with high nutrient fresh foods. v
OP: Just do what works, ignore the "always eat at least X amount of calories" stuff. If you aren't feeling constantly hungry, you aren't under eating enough to cause problems.
"Healthy foods" have calories too. Some of them, in fact, are quite calorie dense. And there are plenty of processed foods that are pretty reasonable calorie-wise. This distinction makes no sense to me.
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nowmartin2001 wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »nowmartin2001 wrote: »Thanks for the replies everyone. I understand that I have obviously eaten more than 1790 calories to have gained weight in the first place. All my meals were very bad and since I've started eating better quality foods and higher levels of protein I feel a lot more full all of the time. I guess I will just eat more even if I don't feel too hungry.
Stop thinking food is good or bad, that'll help...
Would you not consider takeaways and pre made foods etc as bad? Or is that still approaching things from the wrong direction?
Look at it this way. Losing weight is step #1. After you are done losing weight you can't just go back to normal eating habits. Do you intend for all of your new eating habits to be permanent? If you can't meet calories now, how are you going to meet maintenance calories?
Some things need to change permanently, but not all things. Less takeaway, less pre-made food, etc. Learning real portion sizes for those foods will help you keep your weight in check. I can't imagine giving up pizza for forever, but I do need to eat smaller portions.....forever.4 -
nowmartin2001 wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »nowmartin2001 wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »nowmartin2001 wrote: »Thanks for the replies everyone. I understand that I have obviously eaten more than 1790 calories to have gained weight in the first place. All my meals were very bad and since I've started eating better quality foods and higher levels of protein I feel a lot more full all of the time. I guess I will just eat more even if I don't feel too hungry.
Stop thinking food is good or bad, that'll help...
Would you not consider takeaways and pre made foods etc as bad? Or is that still approaching things from the wrong direction?
No. Takeaways are high in fat (generally) and so are more calorie dense, so I have to take more care to fit them in my week calorie and macro goal, but that doesn't make them bad, it makes them yummy.
The majority of food is pre made these days unless you farm your own livestock etc. So of course it's not bad.
When I said pre made I meant microwave meals and ready meals. I think instead of bad foods I should have used the term unhealthy. I feel like it was easier for me to eat say 800 kcal worth of unhealthy takeaway/McDonald's type food. Than to eat 800 kcal worth of healthy nutritional food. I'm very confident that I will get to my goals sooner rather than later
I don't like to think of single foods as healthy or unhealhty (with the exception of man made trans fats). A diet is healthy or unhealthy as a whole and some foods contribute to that more easily than others, but a single food on its own is neutral. It's just a food. It has macros and nutrients and whether it helps or hurts your diet depends on how it fits into the diet as a whole. Sometimes takeaway and McDonald's fit into my diet just fine. Egg McMuffins fit into my macros pretty easily. Two McDoubles probably wouldn't. That's not because they're ready made or from a fast food place, they just don't happen to fit into my goals.
When you remove entire categories of food, such as all fast food, anything ready made, any takeaway, anything packaged, etc, you'll find it harder to hit your goals because you're wiping out a ton of choices. Look at how each food fits into your goals rather than what kind of labels you've decided to put on it and you may have an easier time finding a balance.5 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Love the "how'd you get fat in the first place if you can't reach a calorie intake" people. I'm so tired of reading that line on here. Ever heard of eating healthy foods only? Eat processed foods for a week, then switch to eating fresh foods for the next week. Even if eat the same amount of calories, the difference in energy is incredible with high nutrient fresh foods. v
OP: Just do what works, ignore the "always eat at least X amount of calories" stuff. If you aren't feeling constantly hungry, you aren't under eating enough to cause problems.
"Healthy foods" have calories too. Some of them, in fact, are quite calorie dense. And there are plenty of processed foods that are pretty reasonable calorie-wise. This distinction makes no sense to me.
The problem is some people can't control proportions when it comes to non-filling high calorie snacks like Almonds. What works for you, may throw another person completely off their diet.
My success has always been to remove ALL and ANY dense calorie meals from my life entirely. I can't control myself around it. This makes it hard to even eat 1500 calories a day because I am always full on fresh veggies, fruits, chicken, etc.1 -
It's still demonizing and creating a black/white conflict that only sets you up for binges later. Of course a diet needs to be balanced to be healthy, and of course foods low in vitamins, fibre, water and protein and high in sugar and salt is easy to eat (and overeat). But a takeaway here and there is NOT unhealthy if you do balance your eating. DO eat your fruit and chicken and broccoli, but ALSO allow yourself indulgences. If you don't allow yourself indulgences, you'll indulge uncontrollably when "something" happens, and "something" happens all the time, that's what "life" is.nowmartin2001 wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »nowmartin2001 wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »nowmartin2001 wrote: »Thanks for the replies everyone. I understand that I have obviously eaten more than 1790 calories to have gained weight in the first place. All my meals were very bad and since I've started eating better quality foods and higher levels of protein I feel a lot more full all of the time. I guess I will just eat more even if I don't feel too hungry.
Stop thinking food is good or bad, that'll help...
Would you not consider takeaways and pre made foods etc as bad? Or is that still approaching things from the wrong direction?
No. Takeaways are high in fat (generally) and so are more calorie dense, so I have to take more care to fit them in my week calorie and macro goal, but that doesn't make them bad, it makes them yummy.
The majority of food is pre made these days unless you farm your own livestock etc. So of course it's not bad.
When I said pre made I meant microwave meals and ready meals. I think instead of bad foods I should have used the term unhealthy. I feel like it was easier for me to eat say 800 kcal worth of unhealthy takeaway/McDonald's type food. Than to eat 800 kcal worth of healthy nutritional food. I'm very confident that I will get to my goals sooner rather than later
Do you think you'll somehow lose faster depending on food choices, calories being the same, if so, that is wrong. A calorie is a calorie. You can't speed up the process, but you can make it torture or fun.5 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Love the "how'd you get fat in the first place if you can't reach a calorie intake" people. I'm so tired of reading that line on here. Ever heard of eating healthy foods only? Eat processed foods for a week, then switch to eating fresh foods for the next week. Even if eat the same amount of calories, the difference in energy is incredible with high nutrient fresh foods. v
OP: Just do what works, ignore the "always eat at least X amount of calories" stuff. If you aren't feeling constantly hungry, you aren't under eating enough to cause problems.
"Healthy foods" have calories too. Some of them, in fact, are quite calorie dense. And there are plenty of processed foods that are pretty reasonable calorie-wise. This distinction makes no sense to me.
The problem is some people can't control proportions when it comes to non-filling high calorie snacks like Almonds. What works for you, may throw another person completely off their diet.
What does some people having difficulty practicing portion control with almonds have to do with your statement about eating healthy foods only? It actually undercuts your position -- almonds are, by almost any perspective, a "healthy food." Yet someone who includes almonds in their diet may find it very easy to meet or even exceed a calorie goal, especially if they aren't monitoring their portions.
Yes, what works for me might throw someone else off their plan. That's a completely different thing than what you claimed earlier.
(Also, almonds being "non-filling" isn't a universal thing. Some people find the combination of fat and protein in nuts to be quite satisfying).
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