Struggling to eat more

Ska_fan2021

Since February I have been losing weight. I have now lost the weight I wanted, and now I want to build more muscle. I eat around 1200 calories a day and I am full with that and struggle to eat more. I do 50 minutes of HIIT and 30 minutes of Pilates every day; on my rest day I do 30 minutes of Pilates. I think protein powder may be the way to go (using it in my overnight oats) but I am a bit hesitant about the taste (I am vegan and heard vegan protein tastes a bit odd) and not a fan of processed foods. Any suggestions or tips would be great. Thank you.

Lietchi

Without knowing what your current diet is like, adding calorie dense foods sounds like your best bet.
Nuts, seeds, nut butters, oils, avocado,...

penguinmama87

Calorie dense foods are a good choice for adding calories because they don't take up a lot of space. There's lots of very nutritious vegan options here - avocado, nuts, and nut butters are the first things that come to mind. A spoonful or two of peanut butter can add a lot of calories very quickly!

If you want to add protein in particular, I've found nutritional yeast to be an easy addition to many recipes. I put it on my oatmeal every morning.

Ska_fan2021

Thank you. I typically eat:
Breakfast: almond milk latte, small glass of orange and mango juice, overnight oats (with peanut butter and chia seeds)
Lunch: lentil soup, Buddha bowl or mushrooms on an English muffin, with a piece of fruit
Dinner: curry, salad, chilli, tagine, stir fry, etc. Always incorporating pulses.

Ska_fan2021

penguinmama87 wrote: »

Calorie dense foods are a good choice for adding calories because they don't take up a lot of space. There's lots of very nutritious vegan options here - avocado, nuts, and nut butters are the first things that come to mind. A spoonful or two of peanut butter can add a lot of calories very quickly!

If you want to add protein in particular, I've found nutritional yeast to be an easy addition to many recipes. I put it on my oatmeal every morning.

Thank you for the suggestion. I could definitely eat more avocado. I made some protein energy balls (nuts, nut butter and seeds) and just one of them made some incredibly full. I might give the nutritional yeast a go.

Lietchi

If you have trouble increasing your meal sizes because you feel full, the obvious route would be to increase your meal frequency, adding snacks to your routine., since you don't seem to be eating any at the moment.

Ska_fan2021

Lietchi wrote: »

If you have trouble increasing your meal sizes because you feel full, the obvious route would be to increase your meal frequency, adding snacks to your routine., since you don't seem to be eating any at the moment.

Thanks Lietchi. The main problem is I feel really full with snacks. I am going to have to review the way I eat as smaller more frequent meals may be best.

rosebarnalice

Ska_fan2021 wrote: »

I think protein powder may be the way to go (using it in my overnight oats) but I am a bit hesitant about the taste (I am vegan and heard vegan protein tastes a bit odd).

A fellow vegan, I make batches of own overnight "superseeded" oats with hemp, chia, and flax seeds added for more protein then microwave individual servings.

When i want savory oatmeal with mushrooms and onions, I will sometimes add unsweetened hemp powder for more protein, which doesn't have a pronounced flavor of its own, but does taste vaguely "grassy". The mushrooms and onions help cut the grassiness.

If I'm going sweeter with berries or fruit, I'll add powdered peanut butter.

Ska_fan2021

rosebarnalice wrote: »

Ska_fan2021 wrote: »

I think protein powder may be the way to go (using it in my overnight oats) but I am a bit hesitant about the taste (I am vegan and heard vegan protein tastes a bit odd).

A fellow vegan, I make batches of own overnight "superseeded" oats with hemp, chia, and flax seeds added for more protein then microwave individual servings.

When i want savory oatmeal with mushrooms and onions, I will sometimes add unsweetened hemp powder for more protein, which doesn't have a pronounced flavor of its own, but does taste vaguely "grassy". The mushrooms and onions help cut the grassiness.

If I'm going sweeter with berries or fruit, I'll add powdered peanut butter.

Thanks for tips. I haven’t heard of unsweetened hemp powder but will definitely look into it. Love the idea of adding more seeds to my overnight oats.

Redordeadhead

What did you eat before you lost weight? Is there something you cut out that you could add back in?

NVintage

I'm not vegan, but having the same issue because of having to limit gluten. I just discovered quinoa and wild rice have about the same calories as the bread and pasta I was eating, but a lot more nutrients. I like the ideas of adding more olive oil and avocados!

azuki

full fat skyr yogurts are my go to. delicious.

cwolfman13

Up the dietary fat.