Struggling to eat enough

bstevens1021

I apologize for this being so long. Bear with me; I tried to provide enough info from the start to stave off some of the inevitable questions and criticism.

I am 5’8” and 240 pounds. My highest weight is 250, which I first hit in July of 2008. Since then, I have yo-yo’d back and forth-going as far down as 215 (when I got pregnant) back up to 250 (when I gave birth), back down after the baby was born, back up during the 15 months I was a SAHM. I started working in January of 2011, and I have gone back and forth between 230-245.

I have tried multiple times to lose the weight. We have a gym at work and I would go down on my lunch break, doing both cardio and weights, 4-5 days a week. I would get depressed when I saw no results, and stop. Then I’d gain five more pounds and commit to going back to the gym. I don’t go for 2-3 weeks and get upset with no weight loss, I’m talking doing this for 2-3 months solid, 4-5 days a week, eating clean and tracking my calories. I have tried multiple methods for calorie tracking-MFP’s suggestions, TDEE, BMR, etc. The last time I seriously kept to a workout schedule (from April-June of this year) and religiously tracked my calories, I *gained* two pounds and my clothes got tighter and more uncomfortable. (I do recognize that the body can slim/tone without actually losing weight as you exchange fat for muscle. That was not the case for me.)

So. After trying, and failing, so many times on my own, I finally went to my doctor last week and asked for help. After a lengthy discussion where she asked me many questions about my health, my routine, and so on, she put me on a 1400-1500 calories/day plan. I am doing a two-week detox from processed sugar/white flour of any kind-no sweets, white rice, white bread, anything like that. Every morning I have a smoothie with protein powder, frozen fruit, and skim milk. She also prescribed Phentermine for me.

Before anyone freaks out at me for using Phentermine, let me be clear that I have researched it. I know the risks, I know the side effects. I am *not* using it to avoid proper diet and exercise, nor am I using it so I can lose lots of weight really fast. I am using it as an aide to jump-start the weight loss because diet and exercise alone is simply not working. I don’t plan to use it for more than 6-8 weeks at most. I am also being monitored by my doctor, and I have a check-up scheduled in 6 weeks. I have low to normal blood pressure and I am not experiencing side effects-I sleep fine, I’m not jittery or over-energized, nothing like that. So I feel comfortable using it, but I am being cautious and alert.

Now. All of that said, my problem is, I am having a *really* hard time even getting 1200 calories/day by eating clean. I have my smoothie in the morning, I have something like a Chipotle salad for lunch (with meat/beans/cheese/salsa/lettuce), and then I eat veggies and meat for dinner (such as chicken or pork). I snack on fruits like strawberries or apples. By the time bedtime rolls around, I am barely at 1000-1100 calories and I have to have a slice of whole grain bread or a tablespoon or two of peanut butter in order to get myself at or above 1200. I’m not one of the 1200-advocates, and I know I need to eat more. I just don’t know how or what to eat, because my normal snacks, like chips and crackers, are things that are off-limits right now (and honestly not something I want to re-introduce once I technically “can” eat them again, because I am trying to create good/healthy habits now so that I don’t backslide and regain everything once I’m off the Phentermine). I also know I need to re-introduce exercise, which I’m honestly eager to do-but if I can’t eat my minimum now, how am I going to be able to eat back exercise calories, too?

kaylorraine44

Nuts are a good way to increase calories. They're pretty calorically dense and they're good for you. Don't restrict yourself when it comes to food. If you don't enjoy what you're eating and feel deprived, you'll never be able to maintain the lifestyle change. Best of luck!

kowajenn

Double the size of your protein and use full fat dressings. Problem solved!

I think we all run into this at the beginning of our weight loss because it's hard to find that medium between enough and too much. We are used to too much so we err in the other direction. You can eat enough, you just aren't.

nomeejerome

The types of food you eat is not the cause for weight gain, a calorie surplus causes the gain. If you were not losing weight, there was a miscalculation somewhere along the line. You say you have tried multiple methods for calorie tracking, but did you ever try the weighing all of your food method to ensure accuracy? A calorie deficit is all that is needed to lose weight (and you can do this with all types of foods) and exercise is for fitness. There is no "jump start" to this process, you just have to do it. There are plenty of ways to increase your calories for the day, which can include some of the items you have eliminated from your daily intake.

askeates

I have issues with this as well. I have been adding either nuts or peanut butter to my diet, and I do not get reduced fat anything. It has helped, but not quite as much as I need. So now I eat every 1.5-2 hours.... it is helping.

Confuzzled4ever

i eat clean
i started at 800 or less calories per day
i now eat between 1600-2000 each day
feel free to add or steal ideas from my diary
one step at a time
add in things that are higher in calories and have full fat
beef things up by adding veggies to them or doubling up on your protein portion
add tuna or eggs to salad.
i make "pudding" often (greek yogurt or cottage cheese, with protein powder or PB, tbsp milk and sugar free jam) - helps a lot and it's yum!

auddii

Add guacamole to your chipotle lunch. Mmm; it's so worth the extra money. Also, add a little oil to your veggies when you roast them or cook them. Also the nuts and full fat dressings are also good suggestions. Or add some eggs on top of your salad.

sjaykay13

OP - all these tips above are great!! once you start eating a bit over 1200, you will find it easier to hit your targeted 1400-1500. I had the same experience, I was eating super great stuff and struggling to get to 1400. Once I started incorporating nuts and more protein, it became much easier to WANT to eat 1500. Push through, try a bunch of stuff and your healthy appetite will come back! good luck!

bstevens1021

The types of food you eat is not the cause for weight gain, a calorie surplus causes the gain. If you were not losing weight, there was a miscalculation somewhere along the line. You say you have tried multiple methods for calorie tracking, but did you ever try the weighing all of your food method to ensure accuracy? A calorie deficit is all that is needed to lose weight (and you can do this with all types of foods) and exercise is for fitness. There is no "jump start" to this process, you just have to do it. There are plenty of ways to increase your calories for the day, which can include some of the items you have eliminated from your daily intake.

I don't have a scale, but I did/do use measuring cups/spoons for things that weren't pre-packaged with the nutritional info clearly labeled.

I know that I can increase my caloric intake by adding back some of the things I've eliminated, but most of what I've eliminated are carbs/white sugar- and flour-based. I mentioned early in my OP that right now I'm on a detox from all of that, so I can't add it back for a couple weeks.

bstevens1021

Thanks for the tips! I don't know why I keep forgetting about eggs, but it would be super easy to make a fried egg sandwich with whole grain bread for a snack, and that will add a couple hundred calories right there. I do try to add some nuts here and there, like almonds, but it's hard for me to just sit and snack on solid protein. The full-fat dressings are also a great idea, as I like to put dressing on lots of stuff.

Follow-up question... Can you OD on protein? Right now I am already eating double my MFP-recommended protein grams, what with protein powder in my breakfast smoothie, meat for lunch, and meat for dinner. If I add eggs/nuts, will having that much protein daily be detrimental?

nomeejerome

The types of food you eat is not the cause for weight gain, a calorie surplus causes the gain. If you were not losing weight, there was a miscalculation somewhere along the line. You say you have tried multiple methods for calorie tracking, but did you ever try the weighing all of your food method to ensure accuracy? A calorie deficit is all that is needed to lose weight (and you can do this with all types of foods) and exercise is for fitness. There is no "jump start" to this process, you just have to do it. There are plenty of ways to increase your calories for the day, which can include some of the items you have eliminated from your daily intake.

I don't have a scale, but I did/do use measuring cups/spoons for things that weren't pre-packaged with the nutritional info clearly labeled.

I know that I can increase my caloric intake by adding back some of the things I've eliminated, but most of what I've eliminated are carbs/white sugar- and flour-based. I mentioned early in my OP that right now I'm on a detox from all of that, so I can't add it back for a couple weeks.

The scale is going to be the most accurate measurement.

There is no reason to eliminate and/or restrict items from your daily intake, unless you have a medical reason for doing so. So what happens in a couple of weeks when you add them? Will you have learned any new behaviors? Or will you continue with the temporary fixes?

auddii

Thanks for the tips! I don't know why I keep forgetting about eggs, but it would be super easy to make a fried egg sandwich with whole grain bread for a snack, and that will add a couple hundred calories right there. I do try to add some nuts here and there, like almonds, but it's hard for me to just sit and snack on solid protein. The full-fat dressings are also a great idea, as I like to put dressing on lots of stuff.

Follow-up question... Can you OD on protein? Right now I am already eating double my MFP-recommended protein grams, what with protein powder in my breakfast smoothie, meat for lunch, and meat for dinner. If I add eggs/nuts, will having that much protein daily be detrimental?

MFP recommendations are really low on protein. I try for 1g per kg of my weight, so about 135ish. And that's a minimum, not a maximum. So, I'd basically say, no you can't OD on protein.

kowajenn

I eat lowish carbs and don't watch my protein at all and most days I end up somewhere around 90. I don't think I've ever once come in under the MFP recommendation.

AmberRyan54

Are you sure you're recording properly? Portions at places like Chipotle are pretty substantial and it sounds like that should be around 700 calories on it's own.

Gkfrkv

When I started out I had the same problem, mostly because I was used to eating processed food (and way to much of it) So when I started out I would eat half a chicken breast and some broccoli and that was it for dinner, and I was obsessed with eating only fruit and veggies the rest of the day. It took some time to change my mindset about food.

My best advice is to eat slightly bigger portions, or eat several smaller meals. As others have told you: Add nuts to your smoothies. Avocado is another high caloire item.

If you worry about protein (and there are some risks associated with eating to much protein, but you have to eat pretty much to get there) simply adding a tbs of oil will give you close to 100calories depending on what oil you use.