Scared of # of calories ?

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xSanoura
xSanoura Posts: 40 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi, just a little expression of concern.
I met with a dietician and she gave me a personal set of macros and daily calorie goals. 1800 on my days off and 2100 on work Days. So basically 600+ calories per meal. However, as I’m tracking I’ve been getting “scared” once I get close or hit 1000. I haven’t been going past 1200. I’m losing weight and don’t feel starved but I know she’ll scold me on our next checkup lol. Has anyone ever had this problem? Im new to calorie counting and just want to be healthy :(
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Replies

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    Kathryn247 wrote: »
    Hello!
    1200 is the bare minimum number of calories you should eat, and that's before adding calories for intentional exercise.
    What are your stats? (height, weight, age)
    How are you measuring your food? You should use a food scale and weight it in grams, or you may be eating more than you think.

    That's what I came in to ask, too^^
  • xSanoura
    xSanoura Posts: 40 Member
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    Kathryn247 wrote: »
    Hello!
    1200 is the bare minimum number of calories you should eat, and that's before adding calories for intentional exercise.
    What are your stats? (height, weight, age)
    How are you measuring your food? You should use a food scale and weight it in grams, or you may be eating more than you think.

    Hello. I’m 24(will be 25 in 3 weeks) , 5”4 and I was 300lbs, I’m 288 now. I’m weighing my food, but I’m getting a new scale (waiting for it to arrive VIA amazon) because the one I was using isn’t formally a food scale. I haven’t added additional exercise yet but I’m a nurse so I work 12 hour shifts and still attend school.
    On days I work, she wants me to eat 2100 calories, and on days I’m off she wants me to eat 1800 calories.
    I’ve been eating around 1100-1200 daily because of that anxiety of hitting in the 1000s. I should know better but it’s like a mental anxiety :/
    For breakfast I normally eat 2 protein waffles with almond butter and a banana
    -
    For lunch I eat either chicken or salmon with 1/4 cup of kale, 1/4 cup of spinach, 3oz of brócoli, 2oz of wild brown rice, some cheese and occasionally a fruit.
    -
    Dinner is usually my struggle. If i eat a big breakfast, I’ll just have a yogurt. If I had a lightr breakfast, I’ll eat a bigger dinner.
    ....
    Im new to all this so I’m trying to find balance.
  • xSanoura
    xSanoura Posts: 40 Member
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    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    At your height and weight, definitely eat what your dietician is telling you to eat. As you lose weight, your calories will drop. Enjoy them now!

    And start using the food scale 100%. The food you are describing above doesn't sound like 1000 calories to me.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    At your height and weight, definitely eat what your dietician is telling you to eat. As you lose weight, your calories will drop. Enjoy them now!

    And start using the food scale 100%. The food you are describing above doesn't sound like 1000 calories to me.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1

    thank you! that post you shared is very helpful
  • Luke_rabbit
    Luke_rabbit Posts: 1,031 Member
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    Your normal breakfast is about 500 calories and that's assuming that you are spreading the almond butter as thinly as possible (2 Tbsp) and using the smallest bananas sold in the store. I occasionally have rice cakes, 2 Tbsp of nut or seed butter and a very small banana for breakfast and that is around 400 calories. Rice cakes are at least 100 calories less than protein waffles, I reckon.

    The lunch with fruit and cheese has gotta top 500 calories, especially if any of those veggies have oil or butter added before or after cooking.

    So, you are likely hitting 1200 even if your dinner is just yogurt and you don't have any other calories during the day (drinks? cream or milk in coffee? etc?)

    That's good, because you need to be eating around what your dietician recommends.
  • xSanoura
    xSanoura Posts: 40 Member
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    boldknee wrote: »
    Your normal breakfast is about 500 calories and that's assuming that you are spreading the almond butter as thinly as possible (2 Tbsp) and using the smallest bananas sold in the store. I occasionally have rice cakes, 2 Tbsp of nut or seed butter and a very small banana for breakfast and that is around 400 calories. Rice cakes are at least 100 calories less than protein waffles, I reckon.

    The lunch with fruit and cheese has gotta top 500 calories, especially if any of those veggies have oil or butter added before or after cooking.

    So, you are likely hitting 1200 even if your dinner is just yogurt and you don't have any other calories during the day (drinks? cream or milk in coffee? etc?)

    That's good, because you need to be eating around what your dietician recommends.

    I normally drink water and loose tea. occasionally a homemade matcha latte with almond milk(70 calories) with breakfast. I’m trying to incorporate protein into my diet, because I need a big amount.
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
    edited October 2019
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    JEEBUS GIRRRLLLL! Eat what the dietician told you.

    I started at about 255 lbs on Aug 8 and am 240 lbs now (Oct 1) eating 1750 cals/day with *no exercise* due to orthopedic problems. Also I'm 56, so have a slower metabolism than you.

    It's fine. You will lose weight at those targets she gave you.

    Eating too few calories has the following effects (off the top of my head):

    1. puts your metabolism into 'starvation mode' so that you burn less calories
    2. with too few calories in your diet you can't get enough vitamins and minerals to stay healthy because they are only available in diluted form in food--you have to consume enough food to accumulate enough of these co-factors that your body can't make.
    3. may result in a weight loss rate that leaves you with so much loose skin that when you reach your target weight you need surgery to remove excess skin.
    4. is not a sustainable way to live for the rest of your life and so you'll only bounce back up in weight later-->leads to 'yoyo' dieting.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
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    Trust your dietician. She is working with you to build good healthy weight loss habits, not just losing in a rapid but unsustainable way. It is better to go a bit slower but properly fuel your body. 1200 may feel okay for you now but long term you would run into trouble so it is better to follow the path she set for you.
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
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    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    xSanoura wrote: »
    These are my macros k0tu9i54n25w.jpeg

    Looks good! For once, it looks like someone on these boards has found a good dietician.

    Second that. Looks good to me.
  • Luke_rabbit
    Luke_rabbit Posts: 1,031 Member
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    xSanoura wrote: »
    boldknee wrote: »
    Your normal breakfast is about 500 calories and that's assuming that you are spreading the almond butter as thinly as possible (2 Tbsp) and using the smallest bananas sold in the store. I occasionally have rice cakes, 2 Tbsp of nut or seed butter and a very small banana for breakfast and that is around 400 calories. Rice cakes are at least 100 calories less than protein waffles, I reckon.

    The lunch with fruit and cheese has gotta top 500 calories, especially if any of those veggies have oil or butter added before or after cooking.

    So, you are likely hitting 1200 even if your dinner is just yogurt and you don't have any other calories during the day (drinks? cream or milk in coffee? etc?)

    That's good, because you need to be eating around what your dietician recommends.

    I normally drink water and loose tea. occasionally a homemade matcha latte with almond milk(70 calories) with breakfast. I’m trying to incorporate protein into my diet, because I need a big amount.

    I currently eat around 1300 calories, which is reasonable because I am 5'3", 54 years old, weigh 131 pounds, and trying to get to 120 - 125 lbs. My goal is to lose up to 2 pounds a month. I started counting calories in July and have lost:
    July 4 pounds
    August 1 pound
    September 3 pounds
    I had lost 1 pound total in May and June trying to lose but before counting calories and another 3-5 pounds since my GERD issues started in Summer 2018 although I wasn't actively trying to lose.

    All of that was for reference. If you want to add me as a friend, you can see my food diary.

    For protein, which I struggle to get enough of (my personal goal is 70-100 grams daily), I rely heavily on higher protein skim milk, 0% fat Greek yogurt, and protein powders - along with vegetarian sources and occasionally fish.
  • xSanoura
    xSanoura Posts: 40 Member
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    Thanks everyone! I’m going to try and incorporate some smaller snacks or even a small dinner after works to help me reach my daily goals. I know my dietician is a sweetheart and I trust her, it’s just my mindset is so anxious about eating since I used to just binge. :) I’m still learning but I thank y’all for the tips and comments !
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
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    Here's the thing. For your height, you could legitimately eat 1200kcal once you're lean and are trying to achieve muscular aestheticism. But at your current weight (and for anyone else that isn't already lean) you want to eat as much as you can that allows you to lose weight because you can always cut a bit more once you hit a plateau - and I guarantee there is ALWAYS a plateau. Start at the bottom, and there's really nowhere else to go from there except frustration and anger.
  • New_Heavens_Earth
    New_Heavens_Earth Posts: 610 Member
    edited October 2019
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    xSanoura wrote: »
    These are my macros k0tu9i54n25w.jpeg

    I'm on a similar plan. 1700 calories on a 40/30/30 split for a small deficit and half lb. a week weight loss. My dietitian has taught me more than just count the calories, but actual nutrition facts and hunger awareness. She's amazing! So far down close to 3 lbs in a month.

    Hope everything works for you.

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