Way too many calories?

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Apparently im supposed to eat around 1800 a day. That just seems crazy to me. Its a struggle to pass 1200. How am I supposed to do this??
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  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
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    What kind of foods/meals do you eat?
  • bretelgeuse
    bretelgeuse Posts: 11 Member
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    LyndaBSS wrote: »
    What kind of foods/meals do you eat?

    Lots of fruits and vegetables. Soups... some (wheat) carbs but only 2-3 times a week. Breakfast is usually assorted fruit or a fruit smoothie, eggs are more special occasion-y. Lunch is soup or leftover dinner. And dinner is just vegetables with some sort of meat portion.
  • scottyaus2732
    scottyaus2732 Posts: 67 Member
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    Exercise like a beast.

    You will increase the desire for calories.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    How are you measuring portions? Do you use cooking oil, condiments, salad dressing, beverages with calories?

    What is your current height and weight, and what is your primary goal?
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
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    boldknee wrote: »
    Add avocado and full fat yogurt to your smoothies. Eat yogurt with your fruit. Add butter or oil to your veggies. Eat a slightly larger serving of meat. Add small snacks with a lot of calories like cheese, nuts, or good chocolate.

    This should suit your needs. ^^^^

    Great advice.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,754 Member
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    This^^

    Cooking fat, you need to count them.
  • bretelgeuse
    bretelgeuse Posts: 11 Member
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    kimny72 wrote: »
    How are you measuring portions? Do you use cooking oil, condiments, salad dressing, beverages with calories?

    What is your current height and weight, and what is your primary goal?

    Usually I follow the measuring system on the nutrition label. I only have to cook for one, so it's no problem to figure out portion sizings.

    I do use olive oil, no canola oil, and some low sugar condiments, but usually only if its one that is 50 or less calories per tbsp.

    I only drink water and black coffee.

    My height is 5'5, and my wait is 187 lbs but Ive been told I look 150lbs, so Id wager a lot of that is muscle. Im really only wanting to start small and lose ten pounds.
  • bretelgeuse
    bretelgeuse Posts: 11 Member
    edited September 2019
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    LyndaBSS wrote: »
    boldknee wrote: »
    Add avocado and full fat yogurt to your smoothies. Eat yogurt with your fruit. Add butter or oil to your veggies. Eat a slightly larger serving of meat. Add small snacks with a lot of calories like cheese, nuts, or good chocolate.

    This should suit your needs. ^^^^

    Great advice.

    Oh thank you! I cant afford nuts and cant eat much cheese as it hurts my stomach but i have some vegan yogourts.
  • bretelgeuse
    bretelgeuse Posts: 11 Member
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    Exercise like a beast.

    You will increase the desire for calories.

    I do two 1 hour cardio exercises a week, and three 30 minute cardio exercises a week, not to mention I dont own a car so anywhere I need to go I have to walk. Should I be exercising more?
  • panda4153
    panda4153 Posts: 417 Member
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    Peanut Butter! Yummm!
  • bretelgeuse
    bretelgeuse Posts: 11 Member
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    NovusDies wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    How are you measuring portions? Do you use cooking oil, condiments, salad dressing, beverages with calories?

    What is your current height and weight, and what is your primary goal?

    Usually I follow the measuring system on the nutrition label. I only have to cook for one, so it's no problem to figure out portion sizings.

    I do use olive oil, no canola oil, and some low sugar condiments, but usually only if its one that is 50 or less calories per tbsp.

    I only drink water and black coffee.

    My height is 5'5, and my wait is 187 lbs but Ive been told I look 150lbs, so Id wager a lot of that is muscle. Im really only wanting to start small and lose ten pounds.


    To the bolded: This is what we see a lot of times here. A person complains they can't eat more than x number of calories but then they are stuck in a mindset of only eating low calorie food options. If you need to hit 1800 choose higher calorie food options to get you there.

    It's difficult. The only time my weight loss was succesful was when i ate 500 calories a day and was miserable (obviously). I'll try to increase calories in there of course, it makes the most sense.
  • bretelgeuse
    bretelgeuse Posts: 11 Member
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    kimny72 wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    How are you measuring portions? Do you use cooking oil, condiments, salad dressing, beverages with calories?

    What is your current height and weight, and what is your primary goal?

    Usually I follow the measuring system on the nutrition label. I only have to cook for one, so it's no problem to figure out portion sizings.

    I do use olive oil, no canola oil, and some low sugar condiments, but usually only if its one that is 50 or less calories per tbsp.

    I only drink water and black coffee.

    My height is 5'5, and my wait is 187 lbs but Ive been told I look 150lbs, so Id wager a lot of that is muscle. Im really only wanting to start small and lose ten pounds.


    To the bolded: This is what we see a lot of times here. A person complains they can't eat more than x number of calories but then they are stuck in a mindset of only eating low calorie food options. If you need to hit 1800 choose higher calorie food options to get you there.

    It's difficult. The only time my weight loss was succesful was when i ate 500 calories a day and was miserable (obviously). I'll try to increase calories in there of course, it makes the most sense.

    This can't possibly be true though, that's not how the human body works. Please consider weighing out your portions, double check that the entries you are choosing in the database have the correct calories, and do a gut check that you are logging every single thing. There are common logging mistakes that many of us used to make, and if you'd be willing to make your diary public temporarily, we may be able to help you troubleshoot.

    But it is true? I was eating 500 a day, drinking more coffee than I care to remember to curb the hunger, and had a job where I was on my feet running around for 8 hours. I lost a lot, and I lost it fast.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    kimny72 wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    How are you measuring portions? Do you use cooking oil, condiments, salad dressing, beverages with calories?

    What is your current height and weight, and what is your primary goal?

    Usually I follow the measuring system on the nutrition label. I only have to cook for one, so it's no problem to figure out portion sizings.

    I do use olive oil, no canola oil, and some low sugar condiments, but usually only if its one that is 50 or less calories per tbsp.

    I only drink water and black coffee.

    My height is 5'5, and my wait is 187 lbs but Ive been told I look 150lbs, so Id wager a lot of that is muscle. Im really only wanting to start small and lose ten pounds.


    To the bolded: This is what we see a lot of times here. A person complains they can't eat more than x number of calories but then they are stuck in a mindset of only eating low calorie food options. If you need to hit 1800 choose higher calorie food options to get you there.

    It's difficult. The only time my weight loss was succesful was when i ate 500 calories a day and was miserable (obviously). I'll try to increase calories in there of course, it makes the most sense.

    This can't possibly be true though, that's not how the human body works. Please consider weighing out your portions, double check that the entries you are choosing in the database have the correct calories, and do a gut check that you are logging every single thing. There are common logging mistakes that many of us used to make, and if you'd be willing to make your diary public temporarily, we may be able to help you troubleshoot.

    But it is true? I was eating 500 a day, drinking more coffee than I care to remember to curb the hunger, and had a job where I was on my feet running around for 8 hours. I lost a lot, and I lost it fast.

    Well yeah sure you lost weight rapidly at 500 calories a day that’s dangerously low.
    What I think @kimny72 is saying is there’s no way that’s the ONLY way you would lose weight is to go that low. Based on your stats and desired rate of loss - you should be aiming to lose 0.5 lb/week. That’s going to be slow and often masked by natural weight fluctuations. So it may seem you can’t lose or aren’t losing but with accurate logging and being careful not to overestimate exercise burns the weight should come off eating way more than 500 cals/day.

    You said MFP gave you a goal of 1800 - is that your base goal or after adding exercise? What activity level did you choose?
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
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    kimny72 wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    How are you measuring portions? Do you use cooking oil, condiments, salad dressing, beverages with calories?

    What is your current height and weight, and what is your primary goal?

    Usually I follow the measuring system on the nutrition label. I only have to cook for one, so it's no problem to figure out portion sizings.

    I do use olive oil, no canola oil, and some low sugar condiments, but usually only if its one that is 50 or less calories per tbsp.

    I only drink water and black coffee.

    My height is 5'5, and my wait is 187 lbs but Ive been told I look 150lbs, so Id wager a lot of that is muscle. Im really only wanting to start small and lose ten pounds.


    To the bolded: This is what we see a lot of times here. A person complains they can't eat more than x number of calories but then they are stuck in a mindset of only eating low calorie food options. If you need to hit 1800 choose higher calorie food options to get you there.

    It's difficult. The only time my weight loss was succesful was when i ate 500 calories a day and was miserable (obviously). I'll try to increase calories in there of course, it makes the most sense.

    This can't possibly be true though, that's not how the human body works. Please consider weighing out your portions, double check that the entries you are choosing in the database have the correct calories, and do a gut check that you are logging every single thing. There are common logging mistakes that many of us used to make, and if you'd be willing to make your diary public temporarily, we may be able to help you troubleshoot.

    But it is true? I was eating 500 a day, drinking more coffee than I care to remember to curb the hunger, and had a job where I was on my feet running around for 8 hours. I lost a lot, and I lost it fast.

    That's your definition of successful weight loss? If you'd been eating more, you would have lost some weight a little more slowly, and it would have been sustainable and not have made you miserable. That is the definition of successful weight loss. :)