Can't meet my calorie goal

apgabriel915

I'm also doing 1200 (though it's almost always more because of exercise) and I've added a snack after breakfast and after lunch. I don't do meal replacement shakes. You need FOOD. For lunch I'll do soup, crackers, veggie chips and I'm good. Or maybe I'll make a sandwich with some cottage cheese and pretzel sticks. For dinner (depending on the day) it's eggs, chicken. cheese and spinach on running group nights and then I cook all the other nights. You can still have cake, but be smart and plan it in your day or use it as a "free meal." It's definitely about moderation and not deprivation. By cutting so much out, honestly, you're just giving your body a reason to binge. I plan on upping my calorie intake as I get further down and I know that 1200 calories is NOT sustainable. Try looking at other people's diaries and see what they are doing. Good luck!

WendyTerry420

I track everything, but seem to always fall short. Trust me, I'd love to toss a chocolate bar or slice of cake back, but I'm setting goals for life, making this a habit not a phase. My big concern has always been skipping meals, and I'm definitely eating 3 times a day now, and trying to grab snacks too.

What should I be doing? I am trying to build up my gym time so I'll be burning more calories, which will create an even bigger deficit. And I can't sleep more than 4 hours at a time.

Does anyone have advice?

What's wrong with a bit of chocolate each night?

victoria_1024

I love when I have leftover calories because I fill them with chocolate. I eat it every day. At first it made me nervous, because I've always had this idea that I can't eat that kind of food to lose weight, but since I've been seeing the weight drop every week I've gotten more settled with the idea. I actually think I can maintain this kind of lifestyle for the long haul. A life without chocolate is no life for me!

Mygsds

I agree you should be eating more. Do you like wraps??? You can fill them with any kind of veggies, protein , chicken or ham , turkey and I like Greek yogurt with lemon, and dill in it. Or have omelet with mushrooms and cheese. Tons of people here have been there and done it so listen. Just bulk up your meals a little . Best to you..

Starfish1277

What I want to add that I don't think was addressed (I stopped reading after page 3), was that it is not your job to be the diet model or diet police for you husband. My husband has some medical problems and every time we tried to lose weight in the past we failed because he put me in the place of "Diet Enforcer" for the both of us. It was very stressful for me and ultimately caused me to give up, which in turn caused me to give up. Losing weight is a choice your (and my) husband has to make for himself.

Now, I support my husband by simply making sure there is healthy food in the house. I don't bring home food I know triggers him, but I still eat that food when we are out or I am on my own. Because I want to lose weight, I cook healthy dinners and/or control my portions. I have lost 25lbs in the last four months eating what I buy and cook. He has not. I have realized I can't "do it for him," like he wants me to. If he asks me about portion sizes or calories, I happily help him out. Anytime he asks me to go exercise with him, I go. I invite him to go with me, but if he says "no" I don't push it.

I had to be pretty stern about not being his police man. He is a grown man, he has to make the choice to change his life. I did feel guilty. Still, I have made what we eat at home healthier. I stopped buying a lot of junk food because we both want to eat healthier, but you know what happened? I go to his office now and there are bags of chips on his desk. His car has McDonalds and Jack in the Box bags. No matter what I do, if he wants to eat junk, he's going to eat because he is an adult that makes is own choices. So is your husband.

He has to be able to be successful on his own. He has to make the commitment. He has to have the will power. You can't do it for him. He will never be successful in the long term if you are the only reason he is staying on his diet.

WendyTerry420

I'd love to toss a chocolate bar or slice of cake back...

Toss them back to me. I'm open for a lateral pass!

Grumpsandwich

i peeked in your diary. You are doing 1200 cals, and not only that you are doing it in a very extreme way.

1 lettuce leaf for 4 calories and meals replaced with weight loss shakes?

People who want to eat more calories do so without coming on here to whine about how they just possible cant.

It is easy instead of one lettuce leaf have 2, instead of 1/4 cup oates have a 1/2 cup.

Eat a whole avacado ir handful of nuts.

See you in a few weeks when you start wondering why your 1200 calorie diet is failing you.

I had one lettuce chopped and added with my spinach. Spinach is better for me, but I like a variety of greens. The food diary can be clunky sometimes. I had a meal replacement shake one day because I was very busy. I should have added that I tossed fruit into the shake but I forgot. Perhaps part of my problem is not measuring everything, which I will try to do from now on also. I do get hungry sometimes.

I think it's important to be supportive of other people and encourage them when they post about their journey. Weight loss, weight gain and weight maintenance can be a struggle for some people, and sometimes you don't have the option to talk to a nutritional specialist. Also, being over weight can wreak havoc on your self esteem. Sometimes people are over weight or underweight because of stress, illness or other sensitive issues. MFP is supposed to be a resource for us to help each other.

I appreciate your response but could do without the condescending tone. Thanks.

^^^^5 for your reply. The EGOS of some people on these boards are helpful to NONE

Grumpsandwich

and in regards to all the cake posts. I bet if you had one slice of choco cake you would have a whole barrage of people riding you for that too :P

I can understand why you wouldnt want to. But they are turning a mole hill into a mountain. I eat a little bit of sweets and it triggers binging in me.

I went through the same problem with not enough calories or struggling to make them for the first few months as I was eating no sauces, nothing fried, lean meats portioned and I cut junk food completely. But now I have snacks of like lentil chips with salsa or hummus, nut mixes ect. I also started having low fat dressings and mayo for my sandwiches ect. Cutting out too much fats had adverse effects in the erm lower area of the digestion department lol Keep that in mind

jlynnm70

I try to net 1250 - so I understand your position. However, the only thing I have really made a concentrated effort to cut out is SODA, and yet somedays I still even have one of those.

I eat relatively normally - just smaller portions or some adaptations in recipes.

Yesterday I had egg whites on toast with veggies for breakfast - and 2 homemade iced coffees with cream and sugar in them!
Lunch was chicken and cheese
snack - M&M's
DInner - buffalo slider burger (yes on a bun) with cheese and a salad with Ranch Dressing (yes I buy the 'light' stuff)
and 2 glasses of wine.

I use scales and measuring cups/spoons - so I know my stuff is pretty accurate - and I use the barcode scanner on my phone all the time for logging so I have the RIGHT food listed as much as possible. And I eat back my exercise calories (I usually log a little less than I did rather than just eat back 1/2 or 3/4)

I have a family and a life. If we are out I still eat (had a Whopper Jr a couple days ago!) It's learning moderation, and portions again. I may need to lose a bit (about 15-20# to go) but I've lost 15# doing it this way.

I need to eat - and I need to live - I eat light early and save calories for dinner when I'm home with the kids and hubby who by NO MEANS need to lose any weight (Heck my daughter is underweight by standards and she eats!) If I give everything up - I won't stick with it - and this time I've done the best I ever have - going on over 3 months - and 15#. Take it slow and make it something you can live with or it'll never stick!

hbwright74

This question is probably the question that bothers me the most. She didn't gain the weight by eating healthy, I'm pretty sure of this. I can answer this because this is me exactly. I have no problems eating over 1200 now, but when I first started it was a struggle, because you are transitioning from eating a couple thousand calories of crap to eating much lower healthy foods, which simply do not have as much calories and fat as what we were eating before our diet. You start tracking calories, eating low calories for breakfast and lunch, making sure you have room for the calories for your pre-workout snack, the protein shake after working out, dinner, etc., and end up at 11:30 at night with only 900-1000 calories, forcing yourself to eat something to fill in those last few calories before bed. You get in a "diet mentality" where you use the lowest calories sprays for cooking, using only egg whites instead of whole eggs, snacking on jello or broccoli for snack.... You see where this is going. Eventually you learn to eat those healthy foods and add on healthy calories, spreading them out through the day, not so afraid of running out of calories before dinner, but this takes practice and a mindset different than when you first started. This is actually really common with people learning a new lifestyle. It's easy to eat high calories when you're not counting or watching the quality of food you're eating. It's a learning process. I used to eat much LESS, but the calories were high in everything I ate. Stopping for a Big Mac instead of throwing together shredded chicken on a whole wheat bun to eat on my way, the difference of twice the fat, twice the calories, but same amount of protein.

Now, I eat all day long. If I ate like this the things I was eating that made me fat, I'd have gained about 20 pounds in the past couple months.

Sorry if this sounds rude, but if you can't eat 1200 calories (which I'm guessing not nearly enough for you), how did you get overweight in the first place?

krennie8

OP, first don't listen to ppl who say not to cut out sweets. If that's what it takes for now for you to stay on track, do it. But, if eating a piece of chocolate doesn't trigger you to want to eat 5 more, go ahead and eat one if you want.

I cut out most pasta/bread/chips for the first month b/c I knew once I start eating those I have trouble stopping. Now, over 2 months in, I generally feel like I have more self control for those items than I did previously. I can now STOP at a serving or two of chips instead of downing half the bag in a sitting.

Also buy a scale. I agree, weigh & measure & then see where your calories are. If you're still under, there's lots of ways you can add to your diet.

Revolutionwithin

I have the same problem. It is really hard for me to get to 1230 calories a day and get full really fast on very little. In my old habits I wasn't hungry until around 3pm and would have a bagel or something and would be full for hours.

My friend whom has lost 80 pounds or something has been helping me build up my calories again. He suggested getting things like almonds for a snack and they are 1/4c for 170 calories, dehydrated fruit, peanut butter, and other things that are healthy but calorie dense.

I'm trying to get up to 1400 calories a day.

Keep at it. I know it is really hard to eat when you're not hungry, I completely understand.

I've always got a bowl of almonds that I'm grazing mindlessly on to fill in my numbers. Hopefully my body starts getting hungry like a normal person again soon and I will make it to 1400 a day!

Grumpsandwich

I cant help but face palm at the people who cant figure out, how one can be over weight and not eat a lot. Sedentary lifestyles, eating high calorie foods as opposed to lean healthier options. Come on. Theres no reason to be rude. You could try to use some sense.

At my peak weight i ate 2 meals a day, thats it but its WHAT i ate then sat n watched tv or played video games. I wonder what makes people be so ignorant on here at times.

If you really want to help at least try some tact.

qfish

Hi,

I don't know if this will help, but it works for me. Every 3-4 days, have a cheat day! It's has many benefits with reward for your hard work being one of them. I mean, still be within your calorie diet on the cheat day, but make modifications to your meals that day so you can eat what you want. This will actually help with fat loss as the insulin spike will keep you in fat burning mode longer. At the same time, you'll be able to enjoy it. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but it works. Oh, and don't worry about not making the calorie limit (like eating more). Sometimes you gotta listen to your body and not put food into it just because. It'll make you more painful and you'll enjoy less of the process. I'm like you, I want to stick to a diet that can be maintained for long term, not just a diet that you use to lose weight and then stop. If you are interested in my style, let me know. Hope things improve for you!

krokus99

I NEVER go to gym, and yet I exercise - at home, when I have time. 30-40 minutes a day, maybe more. There are lots of fitness videos, even for activities that do not require special stuff...
(We have an exercise bike at home, but it is easier to buy one than to find time every day for the gym, which BTW takes more than just the exercise-time, because one must get there and then back home).

EvilFeevil

Wish I had that problem! I have trouble sticking to my 1200 without going over. :laugh:

To meet your daily goal, eat peanut butter; that stuff is full of calories! Or just eat peanuts. (But it's also got protein, which is supposed to make you feel full.) Everyone always recommends almonds, so that's another good one.

Whatever you do, don't eat broccoli, that stuff has like no calories, ha ha! (Maybe I need to eat more of it....)

Briargrey

Redo your goals - figure out your BMR and TDEE, eat above BMR, eat at a deficit from TDEE. I guarantee it will be more than 1200 miserably low calories. You will lose weight. It will be slower and it will be more sustainable. It's okay to eat any and all foods while staying within your calorie goals. If you choose not to do so, be aware that is a CHOICE, not because a food or food group is wrong or contributes inordinately to weight gain, but because you have recognized a weakness in yourself and have chosen to overcome it by not having it at all versus learning how to moderate it.

Soda was my weak point. I felt nasty when I drank it, but I loved it a lot. I suddenly didn't want it any more, so while I don't deny myself soda, if it fits my calories for the day, I haven't actually wanted one in over a year. That's me. At first, I wanted to go at least a month without it to reset my mental image of me 'needing' 4-6 a day and to gain control over my lifestyle change. Now, you could keep a rack of free ones lying around in my office, and even if I chose to have one, it wouldn't set me back into having lots more. I recognized it was a mental control issue and fixed my control. Anyone can do this, you just have to want it enough. It's also very helpful for the rest of your life where you're going to be constantly hit with tempting things.

Revolutionwithin

In reply to this comment: Sorry if this sounds rude, but if you can't eat 1200 calories (which I'm guessing not nearly enough for you), how did you get overweight in the first place?

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It's not hard to do.

I've damaged my metabolism so badly and that is the reason I now have to lose weight. I would barely eat for days, maybe even weeks not feeling hungry, then have a days where I was starving and at everything in sight. Then you put some insomnia in there, stomach issues, weight from having children, and medications and you have a bad combination.

I wondered for years why I could weigh what I do and be living on average 600 calories a day. I was annoyed that like Matt Damon or something would eat 600 a day for dropping weight for a movie and look like a skeleton and I was still overweight.....but I didn't realize that my body was so freaking confused over what I was doing to it that it just stop functioning.

melissarmonroe

OP - I think you are actually eating more than you realize b/c a number of things in your diary don't quite add up. A medium banana is 100 calories, not 60. Are you eating just plain broccoli slaw with nothing on it? Even with nothing on it 85 grams which is .3 cups is 25 calories and you have it listed as 10 calories for .5 cups.

Be sure to verify everything that you log with the actual package. Today I tried to log some buttermilk ranch dressing and 4 tablespoons came up with 52 calories under one of the entries. I can only wish!!!

HaelaBaer

I gained weight because I would eat only 1 real meal a day, and the rest of the time I'd grab a snack here and there. So I have a mindset of planning meals around balanced healthy choices now. A lot of my calories used to be empty ones, like constantly drinking flavored coffee triple cream, triple sugar, or choosing bad grains in rice and bread. What does a vegetarian zombie eat??? Graaaaiinnns!

Anyway, from your kind and otherwise posts, I've learned quite a bit. I ate my calorie goal with the help of peanut butter celery sticks, and it tasted better than cake, so who knew? I'll also add a dash of hummus to my salads and go with more fruits when I can. I avoid dairy ( no ice cream here!) but smoothies with juice is another great choice.