Anyone else struggle to eat enough?

I have heart failure and am struggling to eat enough. Trying to maintain rn but getting 1500 calories a day is a challenge unless i eat crap food..

Answers

  • rosiekin
    rosiekin Posts: 80 Member
    edited July 11
    Not many people would struggle to eat 1500 calories but if you can manage by eating crap food, you should be able to manage by eating more healthier foods.. You could try adding higher calorie foods like nuts, full fat yoghurts, a few squares of dark chocolate, peanut butter, etc into your daily diet. If you’re struggling to eat, perhaps you could eat smaller meals every few hours. Remember, where there’s a will, there’s a way, so just try your best every day. Good luck and take care.
  • emgracewrites
    emgracewrites Posts: 478 Member
    I’m trying to gain at the moment. Getting 1500 is a challenge for me too, largely because I have food sensitivity issues I have to work around. Pretty much all the healthy foods listed above would cause severe GI symptoms for me. I find things I can tolerate and then increase the quantity of those things. I also think you may have luck with eating small amounts often so you don’t overwhelm your system.
  • j1963herr
    j1963herr Posts: 6 Member
    I've been struggling to keep weight on since January. I workout 4 times a week for 30 minutes, I'm over 60 and don't really watch what I eat. I just log it. I found my sugar and carb intake was low, so I really started watching. Even with changes to get up to 3200 calories a day using 50/30/20 ratio, I still wasn't gaining. I was 185, down from 230, but decreased to 177 when I wasn't trying. I am always full and have very few days where I don't feel like I'm eating all the time. This was not my goal at all. So far, even with medical advice, I'm told I'm fine. I recently stopped protein intakes of 150 grams (because of lifting weights) and concentrated on more carbs. I have since leveled off at 181 for the past month. Too much protein can cause "rabbit starvation" -look it up. I suspect this was part of my problem. Keep this in mind as well: Approximately 100 grams of protein along with 200 grams of carbs and 50 grams of fat and 1000 ml of water build 1 pound of muscle. In shape is what I'm going for, not weight loss. Good luck!!
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,341 Member
    j1963herr wrote: »
    I've been struggling to keep weight on since January. I workout 4 times a week for 30 minutes, I'm over 60 and don't really watch what I eat. I just log it. I found my sugar and carb intake was low, so I really started watching. Even with changes to get up to 3200 calories a day using 50/30/20 ratio, I still wasn't gaining. I was 185, down from 230, but decreased to 177 when I wasn't trying. I am always full and have very few days where I don't feel like I'm eating all the time. This was not my goal at all. So far, even with medical advice, I'm told I'm fine. I recently stopped protein intakes of 150 grams (because of lifting weights) and concentrated on more carbs. I have since leveled off at 181 for the past month. Too much protein can cause "rabbit starvation" -look it up. I suspect this was part of my problem. Keep this in mind as well: Approximately 100 grams of protein along with 200 grams of carbs and 50 grams of fat and 1000 ml of water build 1 pound of muscle. In shape is what I'm going for, not weight loss. Good luck!!

    Do you have a citation for this? In a lifetime of dieting and even when I was a powerlifter, I've never heard anything like that.
  • LoganBennett715
    LoganBennett715 Posts: 57 Member
    You should consult the doctor, who will guide you better. You should also go for the food you like but you should control the intake.