Female needing help hitting 2000 calories a day w/out junk
gunnshannonm
Posts: 4 Member
I train 6 days a week lifting weights with sprinkled in metcons or HIIT circuits after weight training. One of those days is sprints, bike, or rower work. I weigh 137 pounds currently after taking a week off from training but am typically at 140. Im lean and very muscular and i know i should be consuming around 2000 cal a day to maintain muscle and fuel workouts. I dont consistently log lately because i have an idea now of what i need to do but when i do log im no where near my goal and ive just accepted the fact that 2000 cal is impossible. I feel full and am usually eating 3 large meals a day plus snacks and supplement with a scoop of protein just to hit my protein goal but most protein is consumed via food. I do liquid carbs to fuel training and eat an additional 120g of carbs but my logs are hitting max 1600 cal a day and i feel like ive eaten all day. Helathier foods dont carry much weight in the calorie dept and without processed garbage i cant hit my goals. Does that seem to be the mistake im making? Not eating some sort of high calorie processed food to hit my numbers? Im 400 calories away and eating a 4th meal is insane to me because im not hungry for it. Ive logged my food today and havent had dinner yet but im sitting at 1400 cal. HELP!!
12
Replies
-
How long have you been at around 1600 calories and how much weight have you lost in that time? (not counting the last week where you took off training)
2 -
Peanut butter, avocado, nuts, rice, chocolate, granola, etc. You're only a few hundred calories away from your goal which can easily be attained by eating a relatively small portion of any of the foods I just mentioned. I mean if you absolutely have to theres nothing wrong with a couple servings of peanut butter that can be eaten in just a couple bites. When you say liquid carbs are you referring to juices? If so then try getting your carbs from more calorie dense sources like whole wheat bread, rice, etc. Use whole fat dairy in your shakes if you aren't already. So much can be done to give you an extra few hundred calories with very minimal effort.
Edited to add: I don't know what you consider to be "junk" or "garbage" food but I can assure you that it's okay to eat it, and some people even find it necessary to meet their calorie goals.16 -
It's also, like, 3 scoops of peanut butter.
But bigger picture... what do you have against "junk"?
Add in some full fat dairy, fattier cuts of beef/fish... nuts/beans/legumes. Have a bit of dark chocolate (dipped in peanut butter, even)... there are so many ways.12 -
Why are processed foods not healthy?11
-
Once you meet your nutrient requirements for the day, you don't get bonus points for eating more broccoli. Have some ice cream.33
-
I say nuts. Fats. They add up quick. Cheese. Eat more cheese!11
-
quiksylver296 wrote: »Once you meet your nutrient requirements for the day, you don't get bonus points for eating more broccoli. Have some ice cream.
This this this!8 -
First, if you have a nutritious foundation to your diet every day, I can't imagine why a few hundred calories of whatever you are considering "junk" would hurt, and I would caution that you might be defining "healthy food" far more narrowly than you need to.
Second, there are plenty of high calorie foods that aren't junk food: nuts, nut butters, whole grains like rice or barley or oats, full fat dairy, some nice homemade guacamole, a bit of butter or olive oil to cook or dress what you're already eating, some fruit, etc.
I would also double check that you are logging accurately, because as an active adult woman with average stats, there is no way you should feel full on 1400 cals, unless you are eating a metric ton of fibrous veggies. Check out this thread when you get a chance:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
And good luck!12 -
took a quick look at your diary - some thoughts - you could easily make up those calories, just by boosting your servings
i.e. you have 2x 112g servings of ground beef - bump that up to 150-200g
you have 2oz sweet potato noodles - have 3-4oz
you list 3 eggs - make that 4 or add some more egg whites
have 2 slices of cheese instead of 1
also notice you don't have a lot of starches - aside from your sweet potato noodles - why not have some rice, or another grain (unless you have a medical need to avoid them)12 -
I suggest you rethink some of your assumptions about food, specifically the one that has you dismissing a whole bunch of perfectly valid and healthful foods as "garbage" (while you're also consuming calories through processed drink mixes throughout the day).
When I need more calories, I'll usually add things like avocados/guacamole, coconut, dark chocolate, nuts/seeds, and potatoes to my day. I also don't worry about eating foods like pasta, oats, plant oils, tortillas, or muffins because I know that these can be part of a healthful diet.14 -
deannalfisher wrote: »took a quick look at your diary - some thoughts - you could easily make up those calories, just by boosting your servings
i.e. you have 2x 112g servings of ground beef - bump that up to 150-200g
you have 2oz sweet potato noodles - have 3-4oz
you list 3 eggs - make that 4 or add some more egg whites
have 2 slices of cheese instead of 1
also notice you don't have a lot of starches - aside from your sweet potato noodles - why not have some rice, or another grain (unless you have a medical need to avoid them)
The 13th was a true log0 -
Just looked at the 13th... To start, I'd...
- swap out teh egg whites for whole eggs
- swap out the 93% lean ground beef for 85%
- swap out 1 serving of blueberries for a banana (or apple) with peanut butter
12 -
janejellyroll wrote: »I suggest you rethink some of your assumptions about food, specifically the one that has you dismissing a whole bunch of perfectly valid and healthful foods as "garbage" (while you're also consuming calories through processed drink mixes throughout the day).
When I need more calories, I'll usually add things like avocados/guacamole, coconut, dark chocolate, nuts/seeds, and potatoes to my day. I also don't worry about eating foods like pasta, oats, plant oils, tortillas, or muffins because I know that these can be part of a healthful diet.
One scoop of iso whey protein is hardly a horrible choice when you are eating 1gm of protein per pound of body weight which is 140 gms for me and only supplementing with 25gms. So im doing good there. I look at macros also so i dont want to eat a bag of nuts or tons of fats just to hit my goals. Appreciate your feedback you mistook the word garbage since i primarily eat a variety of healthy foods all day long and still fall short. Guess i have to keep shoving my face and get over it.22 -
gunnshannonm wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »took a quick look at your diary - some thoughts - you could easily make up those calories, just by boosting your servings
i.e. you have 2x 112g servings of ground beef - bump that up to 150-200g
you have 2oz sweet potato noodles - have 3-4oz
you list 3 eggs - make that 4 or add some more egg whites
have 2 slices of cheese instead of 1
also notice you don't have a lot of starches - aside from your sweet potato noodles - why not have some rice, or another grain (unless you have a medical need to avoid them)
The 13th was a true log
I see some changes that can be made...
- Whole egg instead of egg whites
- Fattier meats instead of 93% beef and 99% turkey
- Whole fat cottage cheese instead of low fat cottage cheese
-Actual pasta instead of sweet potato noodles
I also see measurements such as .75 of a medium avocado and 1 cup measurements of your produce. Are you weighing your foods? If not then you could be eating more than you think and that's why you feel so full.13 -
gunnshannonm wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »I suggest you rethink some of your assumptions about food, specifically the one that has you dismissing a whole bunch of perfectly valid and healthful foods as "garbage" (while you're also consuming calories through processed drink mixes throughout the day).
When I need more calories, I'll usually add things like avocados/guacamole, coconut, dark chocolate, nuts/seeds, and potatoes to my day. I also don't worry about eating foods like pasta, oats, plant oils, tortillas, or muffins because I know that these can be part of a healthful diet.
One scoop of iso whey protein is hardly a horrible choice when you are eating 1gm of protein per pound of body weight which is 140 gms for me and only supplementing with 25gms. So im doing good there. I look at macros also so i dont want to eat a bag of nuts or tons of fats just to hit my goals. Appreciate your feedback you mistook the word garbage since i primarily eat a variety of healthy foods all day long and still fall short. Guess i have to keep shoving my face and get over it.
Why do you consider nuts garbage? What is not healthy about them? What's wrong with fats? I get not wanting them to come from Oeros, but something like nuts or avacado or eggs or... ?
It might be helpful if you clarified what makes something healthy vs not.
Taking a step back... if you want to stay low on fats, which it sounds like you do... it's going to be a bit of a struggle. What about more liquid calories? Fruit juices (if those are ok to you), milk, etc. Doesn't have to be soda and gatorade necessarily.13 -
gunnshannonm wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »I suggest you rethink some of your assumptions about food, specifically the one that has you dismissing a whole bunch of perfectly valid and healthful foods as "garbage" (while you're also consuming calories through processed drink mixes throughout the day).
When I need more calories, I'll usually add things like avocados/guacamole, coconut, dark chocolate, nuts/seeds, and potatoes to my day. I also don't worry about eating foods like pasta, oats, plant oils, tortillas, or muffins because I know that these can be part of a healthful diet.
One scoop of iso whey protein is hardly a horrible choice when you are eating 1gm of protein per pound of body weight which is 140 gms for me and only supplementing with 25gms. So im doing good there. I look at macros also so i dont want to eat a bag of nuts or tons of fats just to hit my goals. Appreciate your feedback you mistook the word garbage since i primarily eat a variety of healthy foods all day long and still fall short. Guess i have to keep shoving my face and get over it.
Exactly, it isn't a horrible choice at all. Neither are some other processed foods. That's my exact point. You can choose from the entire world of foods, processed and non-processed, to meet your nutritional needs.
Nobody is telling you to eat a "bag of nuts" or "tons of fat." There are lots of foods that can meet your needs if you're willing to consider them.
Frankly, it's kind of offensive that you equate meeting your nutritional needs with "shoving your face," but who am I? Just someone who is maintaining her goal weight and running marathons while meeting her calorie needs. I'll just get back to "shoving my face" with "garbage" and leave you to it.
It's 2019, it's ridiculous that women have hangups about eating what they need. It makes me angry and it makes me sad. I understand we're too often victims to it and we don't freely choose it and it's hard not to reflect the messages we're given, so I'll wish you good luck.37 -
You said you're eating 3 large meals a day plus snacks, but your dinners that you logged are very low calorie. Only one of them even hitting 300 calories, which is still on the low side for a dinner.9
-
The 13th was a full log. I slacked on the other days and didnt complete2
-
If you're not logging accurately in the first place, how do you know how much you're eating? 🤷🏼♀️23
-
gunnshannonm wrote: »The 13th was a full log. I slacked on the other days and didnt complete
Even on the 13th there were small changes that could be made to get you to 2000 calories, easily. It seems like your restrictions as far as what foods are good and bad are what is holding you back, and that can only be fixed with a changed perspective. You've gotten plenty of suggestions, but ultimately its up to you to apply them.
18 -
Chef_Barbell wrote: »If you're not logging accurately in the first place, how do you know how much you're eating? 🤷🏼♀️
This is a good question.5 -
gunnshannonm wrote: »The 13th was a full log. I slacked on the other days and didnt complete
Looking at the 13th, I echo the other suggestions to opt for whole eggs and not just whites - maybe try a whole egg plus whites if you are looking for the protein? Fuller fat diary and fattier meat choices would also help increase calories.
Do you mix your protein shakes with water? Subbing milk or adding a few ingredients to the shake might be an easier way to get some calories in without feeling like you are adding more food volume.8 -
First.. are you actually losing weight or maintaining?
Also what is your definition of processed garbage. I think you really should expand your horizons when it comes to your food choices, eating a balanced diet and a little bit of everything (even some treats) can go a long way. Adding more fat to your diet can help since it is very calorie dense. If you don't want to go that route, then lower fibre carbs are your best bet. Things like bread, bagels, pasta, white rice, pancakes, waffles, sorbet, candy, syrup, honey, dried fruits, bananas, mangos, pineapples, sugary cereals, juice. Making high calorie smoothies with juices and calorie dense fruit. Again adding fats to that can really help (nut butters, high fat dairy, oils) so I would consider increasing your fat goals.11 -
This never makes sense to me. How can a person be more scared of "garbage" than they are under-eating? Under-eating is unquestionably bad for your health.26
-
gunnshannonm wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »I suggest you rethink some of your assumptions about food, specifically the one that has you dismissing a whole bunch of perfectly valid and healthful foods as "garbage" (while you're also consuming calories through processed drink mixes throughout the day).
When I need more calories, I'll usually add things like avocados/guacamole, coconut, dark chocolate, nuts/seeds, and potatoes to my day. I also don't worry about eating foods like pasta, oats, plant oils, tortillas, or muffins because I know that these can be part of a healthful diet.
One scoop of iso whey protein is hardly a horrible choice when you are eating 1gm of protein per pound of body weight which is 140 gms for me and only supplementing with 25gms. So im doing good there. I look at macros also so i dont want to eat a bag of nuts or tons of fats just to hit my goals. Appreciate your feedback you mistook the word garbage since i primarily eat a variety of healthy foods all day long and still fall short. Guess i have to keep shoving my face and get over it.
You don't want to eat more fat. Would you be willing to increase your carbs a bit?
Not sure if you're still trying to follow the macros you set on mfp, but they seem to be at 35% carbs, 35% protein, and 30% fat. Adding a cup of cooked lentils, which are 40 grams of carbs and 18 grams of protein, to your day would help a bit with calories, and the difference between carbs and protein would only be a little over 20 grams.
3 -
gunnshannonm wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »I suggest you rethink some of your assumptions about food, specifically the one that has you dismissing a whole bunch of perfectly valid and healthful foods as "garbage" (while you're also consuming calories through processed drink mixes throughout the day).
When I need more calories, I'll usually add things like avocados/guacamole, coconut, dark chocolate, nuts/seeds, and potatoes to my day. I also don't worry about eating foods like pasta, oats, plant oils, tortillas, or muffins because I know that these can be part of a healthful diet.
One scoop of iso whey protein is hardly a horrible choice when you are eating 1gm of protein per pound of body weight which is 140 gms for me and only supplementing with 25gms. So im doing good there. I look at macros also so i dont want to eat a bag of nuts or tons of fats just to hit my goals. Appreciate your feedback you mistook the word garbage since i primarily eat a variety of healthy foods all day long and still fall short. Guess i have to keep shoving my face and get over it.
Do you have a medical need to have your fat goal be a maximum rather than a minimum? It's a myth that "fat makes you fat" - too many calories causes obesity. Fat is an easy way to meet your calorie goal.
28 g (about 1/4 C) of walnuts is 180 calories.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/nuts/art-20046635
...Most nuts appear to be generally healthy, though some may have more heart-healthy nutrients than others. For example, walnuts contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.11 -
How have you been maintaining weight up to this point? If eating 1400 calories a day you should be losing weight.
The link below contains many many calorie dense options to help boost your intake, expand the size of your portions, full fat, etc. It will be up to you how much you want to demonize foods to the point you don't get adquete intake to support the amount of training you do.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read/p11 -
How are nuts garbage? They literally grow on trees.
OP, as I said in my first post, I think you might profit from reassessing what "healthy" food is. Traditional cultures all over the world have thrived for centuries eating whole grains, potatoes, nuts and seeds, wine, etc. Your body needs fat, and it needs fuel. If you aren't giving it enough fuel, you are not eating healthy, regardless of your food choices. Best of luck.16 -
I feel like I'll be waiting in my grave for people to stop adding some kind of moral/purity value to foods: AKA Fuel.
OP, I understand, from a nutritional standpoint, why you want to give your body fuel that is nutrionally dense. HOWEVER-once you've met your nutritional goals, if you're trying to fill in the space to meet your energy needs, a small order of French fries or a cup of ice cream isn't going to deduct nutritional points off your log.
Additionally, "garbage" or "processed" foods are wildly subjective to personal opinion. Some people are quick to point out that Cheezits are processed, because they're made in a factory and come in a cardboard box, but have no issue eating boneless, skinless chicken breast-which is processed, unless you're buying it from a farm and watching them slaughter, bleed, pluck, remove the skin, de-bone, and wrap it on a piece of foam or cardboard, wrapped in saran wrap, all of which is a form of processing the material-so it really has no basis in logic at this point.
Literally this is an instance where you can have your cake and eat it too, but your very narrow view of what is fuel might be keeping you from seeing it.
EDIT:
I want to add: if your issue with 'junk' is that it is a trigger for you, meaning having some of X causes you to reflexively overindulge, then that's a totally different situation, and it would help if you could clarify.16 -
OP, fat is necessary for your brain to run! Unlike carbs, which your body can manufacture by breaking down fats, fats are an essential nutrient that you can't get except by eating it. 400 calories of nuts is two handfuls, but you don't need to consume all your fat as nuts - add some olive oil to your vegetables, eat fatty fish (which is very healthy), or add a few nuts to another dish. One modest salad with a tiny amount of cheese, nuts, and dressing would put you over your calorie limit AND be healthier for you than your current stripped down diet.8
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions