Not reaching my calorie goal

rosabangura

I'm finding it really hard to ever reach my calorie goal intake , I always feel to full and like i'm overeating , although I know my calorie goal is set at the lowest possible of 1200, i'm a bit worried that I will go into starvation mode but I honestly feel like i'm stuffing food down my throat just to reach the calorie goal . I'm not anorexic/ bulimic or overly skinny I'm 5ft 8 /5ft7 and weigh around 160 and looking to get down to 140 at a reasonable pace

does anyone else have this problem ? help please

F00LofaT00K

I posted pretty much the same topic when I started about a month ago. Try to increase calorie dense foods like olive oil, peanut butter, avocado etc. This way you'll meet your goals and get all of the nutrition you need without forcing yourself to eat a lot more quantity. Feel free to look at my diary though you should ignore today. I was over my goal because my boyfriend bought me a 410 calorie surprise. Totally worth it...

lets_fly_away_tonight

I have that problem too ! I tend to forget that when I excercise The net calories go down.. My goal is also around 1200 but I either don't make it to 1000 or go up to 2000 maybe try dense but healthy snacks like nuts and pb?

livingleanlivingclean

I'm finding it really hard to ever reach my calorie goal intake , I always feel to full and like i'm overeating , although I know my calorie goal is set at the lowest possible of 1200, i'm a bit worried that I will go into starvation mode but I honestly feel like i'm stuffing food down my throat just to reach the calorie goal . I'm not anorexic/ bulimic or overly skinny I'm 5ft 8 /5ft7 and weigh around 160 and looking to get down to 140 at a reasonable pace

does anyone else have this problem ? help please

you hardly eat anything, so i'm not sure how you feel like you're stuffing your face!!

you need more fat and protein - try to include both at every meal. plan your whole day of food in advance so you aren't trying to fit in lots at the end of the day.

neanderthin

Peanut butter, avocados, olive oil, banana's, oatmeal, cheese, full fat yogurt etc........not very hard. Or you could just consume less of the foods you normally do. Looking at your diary, you barely eat at some meals or skip them completely .....how that makes you full is a question you should be asking yourself.

AmyRhubarb

How did you get to 160 lbs if you can't even eat 1200 calories?

I'm about your height, started about that weight, and honestly, I've had my best success losing the weight by eating around 1800 cals a day.

1200 is the bare minimum requirement for women, and likely not enough for your height and weight.

You can get more calories in without eating tons of food by eating more calorie dense foods - nuts, nut butters, avocado, full fat dairy, no "diet" anything, use olive & coconut oils in cooking and dressings, put some butter on veggies, etc.

Glancing at a few days in your diary, I'd ditch the skim milk and cereal for breakfast and have some eggs and toast and a piece of fruit in the morning. Or cook up some oatmeal, and add plain Greek yogurt, some fresh berries, a handful of almonds or walnuts, drizzle some honey and add a few shakes of cinnamon - delicious!

Snack on nuts, dip sliced apples in peanut or almond butter, spread fresh avocado on a piece of sourdough toast - tasty treats that pack a good dose of healthy cals in small portions, getting you closer to goal without having to stuff your face.

Food is fuel - don't sell yourself short by restricting cals so much that you're under fueling your bod for daily life and workouts!

rosabangura

I'm not very active in the day (except from exercise i.e running or circuit training) so spend a lot of time eating at night , I didn't set my goal at that when i pressed sedentary it gave me that calorie goal not sure if that's the reason why I gain weight. this week i have made a conscious effort to eat throughout the day though ... thanks for the good advice . I'm not sure how telling me to "think about why i'm full" really helps though I've thought about it already hence why i'm asking the question

PikaKnight

I'm not very active in the day (except from exercise i.e running or circuit training) so spend a lot of time eating at night , I didn't set my goal at that when i pressed sedentary it gave me that calorie goal not sure if that's the reason why I gain weight. this week i have made a conscious effort to eat throughout the day though ... thanks for the good advice . I'm not sure how telling me to "think about why i'm full" really helps though I've thought about it already hence why i'm asking the question

If you're gaining weight, then you aren't eating at a deficit.

Do you weigh your food with a food scale? (No guessing, but actually weighing out to the gram or ounce)

Are you eating exercise calories back?

Do you log everything you eat (no quick add calories) and do you do it every day?


ETA: Okay, I looked at your diary. You only have 3 days logged. Give it another 6-8 weeks. Usually, whenever you change your exercise routine or food intake, you need to give your body 4-6 weeks to really adjust. If the exercise is something you've just started, your muscles may be holding onto water in order to heal. Focus on measurements over the scale.

PikaKnight

To add - with 20lbs to lose, what did you set your calorie loss per week to?

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal



OP, here are some links I'd suggest giving a read. It's good info to know

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://body-improvements.com/2013/05/24/undiet-your-diet/

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1122891-9-reasons-fat-loss-is-always-slower-than-you-d-like

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1105036-article-on-flexible-dieting-by-armi-legge?page=1#posts-17068746

rosabangura

thanks tons of advice here. I've only started myfitnesspal today so I haven't actually gained weight since Tuesday , I was just answering the question of how i'm 160g if i cant reach my calorie intake . thanks for the advice though , most of the things you mentioned I don't do )

PikaKnight

thanks tons of advice here. I've only started myfitnesspal today so I haven't actually gained weight since Tuesday , I was just answering the question of how i'm 160g if i cant reach my calorie intake . thanks for the advice though , most of the things you mentioned I don't do )

Were you eating the same way when you were gaining weight that you do now and at the same amount/consistency?

rosabangura

No , my eating tends to depend on my finances as i'm a student o it isn't very consistent at all

rosabangura

thank i'll try this

rosabangura

thanks for this

starlaca

I wish I had that problem. 1200 feels like nothing to me!

lynn_glenmont

thanks for this

Just FYI, if you want to respond to a specific post, you should click on quote (or include the poster's user name) instead of clicking on reply. That way people will be able to tell what you're responding to.
And welcome to MFP. Best of luck.

joycedomingo1

I'm finding it really hard to ever reach my calorie goal intake , I always feel to full and like i'm overeating , although I know my calorie goal is set at the lowest possible of 1200, i'm a bit worried that I will go into starvation mode but I honestly feel like i'm stuffing food down my throat just to reach the calorie goal . I'm not anorexic/ bulimic or overly skinny I'm 5ft 8 /5ft7 and weigh around 160 and looking to get down to 140 at a reasonable pace

does anyone else have this problem ? help please

You may not be counting your calories correctly, i.e. underestimating the number of calories. If you are not suffering from anorexia or other eating disorder, your body probably knows when you are full and you are most likely fulfilling your calorie goal intake. Do not worry about starvation mode. You'll only go into starvation mode if you've eaten less than 50% of your required calories for several weeks. Eating less than 1200 calories 2 or 3 days is not going to put you in starvation mode.