HELP

kbroche5

Okay so I am given 1360 calories a day, and I walk all day almost everyday with my job. I keep track of my steps and log those as well as the walk that I do everyday which adds to the calories I am allowed. I am having the hardest time eating all my calories. I know that I am not doing my body any good by not eating all my calories. Some help with ideas.

IanBee93

Eat what you can.

OMGeeeHorses

I believe as long as you eat about 50% of your added calories from exercise, you will be perfectly fine. Don't force yourself to eat as you will get sick . Slow and steady

lynn_glenmont

First of all, MFP expects you to include activity at work (such as walking all day) in your overall activity level (probably active, or at least lightly active), and then you don't add it a second time by logging it as "exercise." So if you said you were active or lightly active, MFP is probably already taking those steps at work into account (or party into account, if you told it you were lightly active).

If you're having trouble consuming enough calories, try eliminating any "diet" foods you might be eating and substituting "regular" food. Also, include more calorie-dense food in the form of healthy fats, which your body needs. For example, cook with a little olive oil instead of steaming things, have a handful of nuts or a spoonful of peanut butter as a snack, add some avocado to salads or sandwiches, and switch out some nonfat dairy products for reduced fat or full-fat versions.

tm82001

Peanut butter is the best thing in the world....eat that. You could also try hummus with veggies, granola and fruit with nonfat milk, a small tortilla roll up with cheese and turkey, an egg on toast, avocado and cottage cheese...trust me there are a gazillion things you could eat. Good luck....you must eat to lose.

WendyGr8

I rarely eat many of my exercise calories. I do eat snacks as it seems easier than getting everything into 3 meals. At the end of the day, if I'm still low - i check my nutrient ratios & see if I can find a snack to boost anything that's low (trail mix for added protein or fiber, fruit for more carbs, ....).

Capt_Apollo

drink a glass of whole milk at every meal, and have an avocado every day.

fruttibiscotti

Very likely you are not measuring your food correctly. Do you use a kitchen scale (accurate), or do you guesstimate quantities (not accurate)?

kbroche5

I am usually pretty good about making sure that I am sticking to my portion sizes. I am an ex WW member so portion size is not an issue. It is the issue of not being hungry or not wanting what is in the house. I do not add my activity at work when I get home, it is the 30 minute walk that I do when I get home, which is 2 miles. My other issue is that I can not beat my sweet tooth. I have given up soda completely and have turned to drinking water and hot tea with 1 tbs of honey every night.

Shanahoo

Could you try adding 1-2 small snacks throughout the day to get your calories up instead of trying to make one of your big meals even bigger?

+1 on the peanut butter and avocado. Another poster in another thread recommended eating chicken WITH skin and I thought that was an easy fix. I wouldn't have thought about a higher % milk but that is smart and easy too!

As for your sweet tooth-- I have that problem as well. I've found that the only way I can get myself to stop craving the candy/cookies/cake 24/7 is to eat a ton of fruit during the day. I keep dark chocolate squares in the house for emergencies.

I wish I had the problem of not being able to eat all of my calories! I can ALWAYS find ways to use them up.

vjohn04

ice cream.

kbroche5

I am working on when my sweet tooth hits in the middle of the work day to hit up my greek yogurt that I bring to work. On the way home I eat an apple....I have also been working on not eating at least two hours before bed, and if I get hungry I drink water or a glass of milk.

eldamiano

Eat. More. Food. Any more help and I would have charge you. Sorry.

conniemaxwell5

Peanut butter, avocado, nuts and cheese are great ways to get several calories in a small serving plus they're all good for you. A medium banana is about 100 calories. You can use full fat dairy products to add more calories too. If you drink tea or coffee, sweeten with sugar or honey.

CaitlinW19

It would be easier to help you on this if you open your diary so people can see what you are eating. Not knowing what you consume regularly, I would say try adding a handful of almonds or some healthy fat/protein food into your day. That number shouldn't be very hard to reach in your day...if you have been eating low cal versions of foods, go to the regular calorie versions instead. I agree that peanut butter would be a great way to help up your intake...get some english muffins (full calorie) and toast them and top with PB for breakfast. That should help. I like to end my day with a glass of red wine :-) so my extra calories go to that pretty often :-)

delaneysmom46

How can I view someone elses food diary? Several people have mentioned that their diary is open but I don't know how to get there. Thanks very much.

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

Donuts

shmulyeng

I'm not a nutritionist so what I say is just based on my experience.
When starting out, don't worry about eating too little. As long as you're not hungry and you're eating real food (not junk), don't force yourself to eat more. When you get closer to your goal, you might have to be more careful about this. But when getting started, the main objective is to learn which foods fill you up and which food just makes you crave more. If you get used to eating more snacks or bigger meals to consume all your calories, you might find yourself struggling once your allowed calories comes down.
When I started I was allowed 1960 a day. I was getting comments all the time that I'm not eating enough. At first I started eating more but realized I don't need it and my weight loss was stagnating. I went back to what I was doing and I've been losing fine since then. Over the first 3 months I averaged about 1200 calories a day (I'm 5' 11").
At this point just go with the flow as long as you're below your calories for the day.

Just my two cents.

shmulyeng

How can I view someone elses food diary? Several people have mentioned that their diary is open but I don't know how to get there. Thanks very much.

You can click on their user name in the forums to see their profile. If their Diary is public, you'll see a button labeled "Diary".