Raising my calories when not hungrier

tamarastrahan

I have PCOS, so I need to stay under 50% carbs more than most, and its recommended by many to cut back or eliminate dairy because the hormones make ours go askew, which affects our insulin levels somehow, and can lead to diabetes (I've read over half of us become diabetic). I cut back. Because of this, I switched to unsweetened almond milk, but I come up low on calories each day now while being full.

My macros are better on almond milk, I get a little more healthy fat, which I tend to be low on sometimes. I sometimes have avocado toast to bump it up too. I prefer lean meats though, and tend to cook with just 1 tablespoon olive oil to saute veg for 4 portions so it's still a little low. I do fine staying at or below 50% on my carbs. My protein is always fine too, except when I have active days and it bumps up to double needed for me.

I wondered if you all had some healthy suggestions for adding food. In a day I usually have 4 almond milk iced coffees, a light breakfast beyond that (today is 1/2 cup cottage cheese with a nectarine, I have the coffees too from 5-12 am), lunch is not too heavy 75% of the time, today is southwestern gazpacho and I made adobe spiced pan-seared flounder soft tacos with fresh salsa in 1/2 a large whole wheat tortilla, dinner is whole wheat pasta (2 ounces) with chicken (3 ounces), summer squash, tomato, onion, broth, garlic, fresh basil, and a sprinkle of parmesan. Snack is a bowl of organic oil popped popcorn. It's not as though I am not eating! Calories are under 1000 though for all that.

Any suggestions on how you bump up your protein and fat without pigging out on cooking days? One day I had 2 portions nuts to raise it some. I'm just not a big meat or tofu eater so having 8 ounces of chicken, pork, beef, or fish is unappealing to me in a meal. If you keep carbs lower hitting those other macro goals is harder! I'm not hungry for more food in a day too often, so it makes it a little frustrating! Thanks in advance for your help.

NovusDies

tamarastrahan wrote: »

I have PCOS, so I need to stay under 50% carbs more than most, and its recommended by many to cut back or eliminate dairy because the hormones make ours go askew, which affects our insulin levels somehow, and can lead to diabetes (I've read over half of us become diabetic). I cut back. Because of this, I switched to unsweetened almond milk, but I come up low on calories each day now while being full.

My macros are better on almond milk, I get a little more healthy fat, which I tend to be low on sometimes. I sometimes have avocado toast to bump it up too. I prefer lean meats though, and tend to cook with just 1 tablespoon olive oil to saute veg for 4 portions so it's still a little low. I do fine staying at or below 50% on my carbs. My protein is always fine too, except when I have active days and it bumps up to double needed for me.

I wondered if you all had some healthy suggestions for adding food. In a day I usually have 4 almond milk iced coffees, a light breakfast beyond that (today is 1/2 cup cottage cheese with a nectarine, I have the coffees too from 5-12 am), lunch is not too heavy 75% of the time, today is southwestern gazpacho and I made adobe spiced pan-seared flounder soft tacos with fresh salsa in 1/2 a large whole wheat tortilla, dinner is whole wheat pasta (2 ounces) with chicken (3 ounces), summer squash, tomato, onion, broth, garlic, fresh basil, and a sprinkle of parmesan. Snack is a bowl of organic oil popped popcorn. It's not as though I am not eating! Calories are under 1000 though for all that.

Any suggestions on how you bump up your protein and fat without pigging out on cooking days? One day I had 2 portions nuts to raise it some. I'm just not a big meat or tofu eater so having 8 ounces of chicken, pork, beef, or fish is unappealing to me in a meal. If you keep carbs lower hitting those other macro goals is harder! I'm not hungry for more food in a day too often, so it makes it a little frustrating! Thanks in advance for your help.

You should not use a "healthy" food restriction to eat in a way that is unhealthy. Health starts with energy which we derive from food. If you like avocado why are you not adding it to your tacos? You can certainly add more oil to vegetables and salads without it seeming that different. There are also other numbers between 3 and 8 so try to have 4 or 5 ounces of meat. Generally speaking people are not as "put off" by fattier fish. You should definitely make an effort to eat more nuts and less popcorn.

amusedmonkey

Some foods have less volume and more calories and some can easily be incorporated into your meal without even noticing. Have you tried nut butters in your oatmeal? Snacking on nuts? Roasted chickpeas? Less "soup-like" foods to cut down on volume? Fried veggies? Fattier cuts of meat? High calorie sauces (tahini sauce cauliflower will be the death of me). Heck, have an ounce of dark chocolate! It's low carb, dairy free, and nearly 200 calories.

If you don't want to introduce new foods look at your current food. Most likely, you'll be able to think of a way to add fat (more oil, more cheese, garnish with nuts, mix in nuts, nut butters, sauces, seeds...etc). Fat is the easiest thing to add because you only need a little bit more to bump up your calories. I don't know if you're also cutting out dairy cheese, but that can easily bump up your calories quite a bit.

As for protein, here is a good spreadsheet, look if anything strikes your fancy and add it to your diet:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

tamarastrahan

I could do a little more avocado than I am now doing. I don't like oily food much, so I doubt I would add more than double the oil (30 calories a portion) to a dish and find it palatable for my tastes, unfortunately. Every little bit helps though. Nuts I like sometimes, but not enough to eat them every day. Ido sometimes though, a couple of times a week. Sometimes I have a slice of light high fiber bread with peanut butter and half a banana with breakfast too. Good suggestions for more fat though, thanks!

Protein is my biggest weakness, but a friend just suggested protein powder after my workouts, which I think I might try (with fewer coffees since I'll make them with almond milk). I've been burning 1000-1500 calories a day from my activity, on top of BMR, and losing too fast, so I am mainly concerned about raising it a little. You burn a lot when you are overweight really, almost double for me what my burn was when I had a healthy BMI.

MFP says I need over 100 grams a day of protein on my workout days because I burn more than many right now. Today is about 60 grams for me with the plan without it, so it would make a big dent in reaching that goal. I don't want to end up skinny fat in the end from skimping on protein or eating a starvation level and I am afraid some days I have not realized how much I was burning. I assumed 2200 and sedentary by the description MFP gives, but I am over 3000 calories a day that I am burning right now. I got my Fitbit out again which was highly accurate for me when I lost 135 pounds and it adjusted my workout calories upwards significantly. I have lost 30 pounds in 6 weeks, so I know I am too low now.

tamarastrahan

I do add nuts or sunflower seeds to salads, and I could switch to dressings with fat I suppose to up the oil. I think I am scared to add a lot (irrational) because I won't always need this many calories, as I lose. I would like to try roasted chickpeas too. I love salads and soups but they do fill me up sometimes quicker probably, you're right.

Thanks!