How can it be hard to eat all your calories?

mkspriggs

I know in my case being in the army i burn roughly 800 to 1500 calories a day so trying to eat that much more is hard for me. my diet is 1900 already so adding that to it is putting me at 3000+. And I choose not to eat it all because if i do it will be junk with my kids,lol. but honestly it isnt easy for me to eat 3000+ calories in one day

TheMaidOfAstolat

This is directed to all vegetarians -
Have you tried quinoa? One of my best friends is vegetarian and eats quinoa (and quinoa pastas) to add calories/grain/protein to his diet. I've actually found that I really like it, too! Ancient Harvest makes a quinoa linguine (one 2 oz. serving is about 200 cal) that tastes like the real thing. And I love to use quinoa in a stir fry rather than just boring rice.

Yep. I've been eating it for years...long before it became popular because it is the only vegan source of all 8 essential amino acids.

misssuperstitious

People say they can't reach 1200 cals because in their mind if they reach that they are fat.
That is how I felt not too long ago and still feel like that.

There is no way in hell anyone can not reach 1200. It's easy to reach 1200 even on fresh foods...etc!

A lot of people on here eat less than 1000 and they say they are just not hungry....it's all a lot of talk, they are hungry, they just won't eat. And they want the satisfaction of someone telling them it's okay.

I've been through it, and still struggling to reach 1200 most days because in my mind I'm scared Im eating too much when I know Im not.

Agreed on all fronts!

schninie82

I find it hard...

my explaination is...Im a mother of two young boys who have a busier social life than mine... I work full time... I exercise 4-5 times per week, an hour two nights 20-30 mins the other nights...

I eat breakfast, mostly on the go... mid morn snak, a banana or something, sometimes I dont have time to grab mid morning snak.. Lunch, which I usually rush because I only get half an hour break, and most time I eat through it... I drink coffee like water...all day at work... then I get home and make something quick for all to eat... my kids have their tea at after-school club so they only wnat something lite later... then when Im finished tea time.. homework time... bath time... tudy everything up time... i try an squeeze in a 20 min workout... by then, im too shattered to eat a full dinner so end up having something light again... I find it hard because Im too darn busy... sometimes Im able to stick something in the slow cooker in the morning before I go work... sometimes my partner cooks... but other to that, I aint got time to eat...

weekends.... well they are different... even though I spend weekends preparing for the following week, I eat like a horse! all the right things... and Ill go over my 1200 cal limit VERY easy.... during the week? it doesnt happen... and the worse thing is, each time you exercise, you add to the allowance!! aarrgghh!!

I will definatley have to re-assess my eating patterns, get my partner cooking up at least once during the week to ease the pressure...

I dont follow a strict diet or anything, but I am aware that a chicken salad sandwich is much better for you than a mcdonalds...if you catch my drift....

hope this helps!

P90XLE

While doing INSANITY, I was up to 3000 calories a day and found it very difficult to eat that many calories. So I started to double up on my portions. For example I would have 2 cups of Kashi cereal in the morning, 6 oz of chicken for lunch instead of 3 oz etc. I found that I was able to easily reach my calorie needs of 3000 calories.

Hope this helps.

TeresaJTuck

I'm confused. How many calories are you eating a day? You mentioned something about 3,000 calories. Are you eating that many calories a day?
I weigh 188.6 and I eat 1,400-1,500 calories a day. I eat 6 small meals a day, not just Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Do you like fruit? Fruit is VERY good for you. Also, there's 100 calorie snacks, Graham Crackers, just all kinds of stuff you could eat for snacks.
This is what I eat on a typical day.
Breakfast:
1 package instant oatmeal
1/2 banana
1 teaspoon peanut butter
2 packages of sweetner

Lunch:
2 slices 45 calorie bread
1-1/2 oz. Deli Turkey
1 oz. Deli Ham
1 slice swiss cheese

Dinner:
4 oz. chicken or meat(low-fat)
1 medium potato
1/2-1 cup veggie

Snacks in between meals.
For snack you do a search on the internet for 100 calorie snacks. It should give you a whole list of different things to eat.
I LOVE the 100 calorie snacks.
I eat fruit, graham crackers, low-fat cottage cheese, 80 calorie yogurt like: Fit&Active, etc.
Just eat sensible(think small).

I do hope this helps.
You can write me back if you want to.
Teresa

kelsully

I am a clean eater, so with the exception of my morning latte which is still under 200 calories, I eat mostly fresh, whole food. Which usually means low-cal.

And yet I have to watch myself like a hawk to make sure I don't go over. I am generally ravenous because I work out 5 - 6 days a week. I read all these posts of people struggling to fill up....I could easily fill up, and then some! I don't get this? On an average day I eat greek yogurt, fruit and granola for breakfast. Morning snack, fruit. Sandwich and veggies for lunch. Afternoon snack, protein bar. Well rounded dinner of a meat, a veggie, and a complex carb. I could very easily add a few crackers with peanutbutter, a smoothie, and another few pieces of fruit into my day if my calories allowed. I am nowhere near stuffed to the gills, just satisfied enough. I'm only programmed to lose 1 lb a week.

Can someone shed light on how they manage to work out, eat right, and have trouble finishing their daily intake? Are people supposed to be eating 3,000 calories a day? Are they burning a thousand? So confused!

I hd made some changes to my portions and eating to lose some weight when I was just working out at a moderate level. When my exercise became much more intense (like running 20 miles) my body had grown accustomed to the healthier changes I had made... I was feeling full when I added an extra apple or so to my day and really had a difficult time meeting my goals someday...but I was making very conscious healthy choices to the best of my ability...I could easily blow a day with one meal out however....but I don't eat meat...so that might be part of it...and I try to eat the fruits/veggies. proteins before the simple starches etc

hahahollylol

I'm reluctant to wade into this, but here I go:

I am one of those people who has trouble eating any more than 1100 calories a day. I have a moderately active job and I burn at least 350 calories (often more) in cardio exercise daily. The reason I'm in this predicament, I think, is because I'm eating so many vegetables, and some fresh fruit. On a typical day, I eat 1.5 cups fresh vegetables, 2 cups of salad greens, another cup of steamed vegetables (at least), and often a snack of low-sodium V-8. I also try to get two medium pieces of fresh fruit. I fill in the rest of my daily food intake (lean protein, whole grains) around those basics. The vegetables really--I mean REALLY--fill me up with few calories. I often find myself at the end of the day having consumed under 1000 calories and having to eat something else just to get above 1000.

So, there you have it, for what it's worth. I think we're all just different.

Good luck.

I have also been the same way lately. I have a hard time finding a way to eat up the rest of my calories.

fevre

I think it can be broken up into a few different causes-

1. Eating disorders. People with anorexia see themselves eating as few calories as possible, sometimes in severe cases even only a few hundred or less. I've seen a diet plan in the anorexic community called the "2, 4, 6, 8" diet where one switches between eating 20, 40, 60, or 80 calories a day. They are, obviously, in starvation mode, so they plateau and see gains when they eat only a quarter of what most people eat every day! If you imagine someone who has come from this background, you can understand why gains after a few hundred calories can lead them to doubt they'll lose weight eating 1200 every day. However, as someone said earlier in the thread, once one gets up to 1200/day, their metabolism will eventually return to them and they'll find themselves finally losing weight!
Imagine this situation also in someone who doesn't necessarily have anorexia, but is just very keen on their diet - MFP could have given them a goal of 1300, but they're "overachievers" who want to lose the weight quickly, so they cut a few hundred off of that. Suddenly at 1000 calories a day, they're in starvation mode and their metabolism slows. So they stop eating their exercise calories or diet even harder, pushing them even farther into starvation mode, etc etc. It's the same reasoning used by the anorexics, though the person doesn't have the accompanying mental disorder and is simply not aware of the concept of the 1200 minimum.
Not to mention, of course, the body grows used to whatever amount of food it's given, whether that's enough or not. Someone who severely undereats will stop feeling hunger as often as they should and may even feel like they're overeating if they increase their diet to a healthy amount, just as someone who severely overeats will feel like they're starving if they cut down to a healthy caloric intake. This is the reason that people who have become overweight through eating too much can't imagine how anyone could have trouble reaching their goals - they feel hungry enough as it is!

2. Size! Like people in this thread have said, petite women can have trouble getting in all their calories. Do a mouse and an elephant get full on the same amount? Of course not! Smaller things come with smaller stomachs, that get filled up by less food. So the same meal could fill up a petite woman while someone larger may not be satisfied.

3. WHAT you eat. This is my biggest problem in my diet - I hate the taste of a lot of healthy foods. I can't stand quinoa, beans, or vegetables, and my favorite foods in the world are beef and pasta. You can see how that can add up quickly, not to mention being in college in New York, a city famous for its restaurants and great places to eat! It's hard to pass up your favorite foods or activities, so if your favorite foods aren't healthy or you looove going out to eat, they can be a big source of calories for people! I envy the poster earlier in this thread who eats so many vegetables - I wish I could eat more like you!

Wow this turned out way longer than I meant it to. Sorry everyone!

schninie82

Just read through all the replies to this post, I should have done it before I wrote my reply but hey...

Folks, honestly, every one is different... different walks of life, diets, sizes, heights, life choices, mentalities even... just because one person has to eat 20,000 calories or 10 calories, it doesnt mean everyone else does... Yeah, some of us eat like pigs, yeah some of us cut back toooo much but I thought MFP was all about tracking our own calories and be supportive towards others, not grinding them down because they are indiffernt to ourselves... why not be helpful and share tips instead... ? aint it easier? I know I could do with some.... Just my thoughts after reading through...

ladyhawk00

I think it can be broken up into a few different causes-

1. Eating disorders. People with anorexia see themselves eating as few calories as possible, sometimes in severe cases even only a few hundred or less. I've seen a diet plan in the anorexic community called the "2, 4, 6, 8" diet where one switches between eating 20, 40, 60, or 80 calories a day. They are, obviously, in starvation mode, so they plateau and see gains when they eat only a quarter of what most people eat every day! If you imagine someone who has come from this background, you can understand why gains after a few hundred calories can lead them to doubt they'll lose weight eating 1200 every day. However, as someone said earlier in the thread, once one gets up to 1200/day, their metabolism will eventually return to them and they'll find themselves finally losing weight!
Imagine this situation also in someone who doesn't necessarily have anorexia, but is just very keen on their diet - MFP could have given them a goal of 1300, but they're "overachievers" who want to lose the weight quickly, so they cut a few hundred off of that. Suddenly at 1000 calories a day, they're in starvation mode and their metabolism slows. So they stop eating their exercise calories or diet even harder, pushing them even farther into starvation mode, etc etc. It's the same reasoning used by the anorexics, though the person doesn't have the accompanying mental disorder and is simply not aware of the concept of the 1200 minimum.
Not to mention, of course, the body grows used to whatever amount of food it's given, whether that's enough or not. Someone who severely undereats will stop feeling hunger as often as they should and may even feel like they're overeating if they increase their diet to a healthy amount, just as someone who severely overeats will feel like they're starving if they cut down to a healthy caloric intake. This is the reason that people who have become overweight through eating too much can't imagine how anyone could have trouble reaching their goals - they feel hungry enough as it is!

2. Size! Like people in this thread have said, petite women can have trouble getting in all their calories. Do a mouse and an elephant get full on the same amount? Of course not! Smaller things come with smaller stomachs, that get filled up by less food. So the same meal could fill up a petite woman while someone larger may not be satisfied.

3. WHAT you eat. This is my biggest problem in my diet - I hate the taste of a lot of healthy foods. I can't stand quinoa, beans, or vegetables, and my favorite foods in the world are beef and pasta. You can see how that can add up quickly, not to mention being in college in New York, a city famous for its restaurants and great places to eat! It's hard to pass up your favorite foods or activities, so if your favorite foods aren't healthy or you looove going out to eat, they can be a big source of calories for people! I envy the poster earlier in this thread who eats so many vegetables - I wish I could eat more like you!

Wow this turned out way longer than I meant it to. Sorry everyone!

Excellent points, and well said.

carmendownes01

Yup, can burn 1300 calories in 70 -75 minutes

nabrown382

Just read through all the replies to this post, I should have done it before I wrote my reply but hey...

Folks, honestly, every one is different... different walks of life, diets, sizes, heights, life choices, mentalities even... just because one person has to eat 20,000 calories or 10 calories, it doesnt mean everyone else does... Yeah, some of us eat like pigs, yeah some of us cut back toooo much but I thought MFP was all about tracking our own calories and be supportive towards others, not grinding them down because they are indiffernt to ourselves... why not be helpful and share tips instead... ? aint it easier? I know I could do with some.... Just my thoughts after reading through...

I read through the entire thread, amazed at the opinions and 'tones' that came across in the messages --- decided not to post on one side of the fence or the other. But I must say --- I completely agree with you --- well said!

bizybeemom

I understand how it would be harder to reach the higher calorie amounts, but I totally agree that it is hard to fathom struggling to get to 1200 calories. I never struggle to get there, even when I follow my plan to the letter. Glad there are others who feel the same, I was begining to think I was crazy! I guess if it's hard to eat 1200 calories, consider yourself lucky. Some of us must have stronger hunger feeling.

happy_vegan

I think the topic nobodys addressed is why this topic was brought up. Sure people are different sizes, or exercise more, or have more muscle, or don't get hungry.....
That's fine. But what's annoying to see (sorry, but it is) is the "how can I make it to 1200 calorie" threads everyday. Eat something! We all know nuts and avocado and some fruits are calorie dense, not to mention all of the garbage out there. If you exercise too much or only eat vegetables all day, ramp up your healthy fats/nutrient dense foods listed above.

Otherwise it just seems like a "pay attention to my undereating" plea to those of us with bigger appetites. Sorry if its a little cranky, but I'm just telling the truth.

llbonn

Opps.

llbonn

I have the very same problem and eat an identical diet! When adding 60 minutes of cardio and burning 600 calories I find it impossible to get to 1200 calories a day. When exercising I lose my appetite. I also drink at least 12 8 oz glasses a water a day and always have because I love water. I think all the fiber from veggies and whole grains mixed with all that water makes it nearly impossible to stuff anything else in there.

gehlerc

I think the topic nobodys addressed is why this topic was brought up. Sure people are different sizes, or exercise more, or have more muscle, or don't get hungry.....
That's fine. But what's annoying to see (sorry, but it is) is the "how can I make it to 1200 calorie" threads everyday. Eat something! We all know nuts and avocado and some fruits are calorie dense, not to mention all of the garbage out there. If you exercise too much or only eat vegetables all day, ramp up your healthy fats/nutrient dense foods listed above.

Otherwise it just seems like a "pay attention to my undereating" plea to those of us with bigger appetites. Sorry if its a little cranky, but I'm just telling the truth.

I'm sorry if I offended anyone here by posting that I typically eat fewer than 1200 calories and am not hungry. I posted only in response to the original question that was posed, which was, "How can it be hard to eat all your calories?" My point was to simply state that, in my case, I think it's because I eat a high proportion of vegetables. I was not complaining. I was not whining. I was not *lying*, as so many here have posted people like me must be. And, I am not mentally ill, as another poster speculated about people who eat fewer calories and "claim" to not be hungry. Oh, yes, and it was not a plea for attention. It was my honest attempt to present another side to the discussion.

live2smyle

I am one of those people who are having a hard time eating those calories. I am trying really I am because I want to to this right. I want to lose weight but more important I want to be healthy. Honestly though I am not hungry. I am also not looking for anyone to tell me its ok either. I know its not from reading the information available to me here.

My life never included breakfast, or lunch ever. I have to litterally force something in my mouth in the am and most of the time I have been doing the slim fast shake with a banana because everything else is to heavy. I dont think over eating is the reason I am as heavy as I am. I think total lack of excersise is. I mean 0. I also am struggling with the idea that I HAVE to eat those calories or I wont lose the weight I will admit that, all this is a new concept. Yet I am still eating and I am proud of that! VERY! This is more "real" food that I have put in my body in a long long time. Sure I could easily grab a piece of cake or something and reach 1200 but I want to do it healthy. So I am learning I spent 2 1/2hrs in the grocery store today reading labels comparing and educating myself just the smallest bit on what I am putting in my body. I will also say drinking so much water is something I have never done. It makes me feel full, then I dont want to eat because I am not hungry and the cycle repeats I am hoping my body finds a happy existance between food, water and excersise. Until then yes I struggle to get over 1,000 calories but I am working on it

MeghanAM

I have trouble getting over 1200 calories some days. I have two separate problems:

1. I've had some kind of disordered eating going on for a long time before this. I used to eat about one meal and 10 cups of coffee a day. Granted, it wasn't a healthy meal, or a correct portion size, but I'm just not used to eating this much food! My usual eating pattern was to get up in the morning, start drinking coffee whenever I felt hungry at all, and then eat whatever I felt like at dinner time. Over time, I pretty much stopped getting hungry, and also lost any knowledge of what makes a "serving".

2. Now that I'm tracking everything and trying to eat correctly, I don't want to go over sodium or sugar or anything. Even being too low on calories, I'm almost always over on everything else, and I don't want to be! So while I could force down another snack even though I'm not hungry, I hate adding a yogurt and watching the sugar spike up, or an avocado and the sodium.

I'm sure at some point, the 1200 will come naturally to me. But it is hard to do now, and that is in no way an attention-seeking statement or a lie. The original post was not judgmental, just curious, but I see the comments that people took badly and I understand why.

backinthenines

But what's annoying to see (sorry, but it is) is the "how can I make it to 1200 calorie" threads everyday.

hmmm... for every one of those threads there must be at least an equal number of "1200 calories only - are they serious???" threads... So what...?

HMKan

Just read through all the replies to this post, I should have done it before I wrote my reply but hey...

Folks, honestly, every one is different... different walks of life, diets, sizes, heights, life choices, mentalities even... just because one person has to eat 20,000 calories or 10 calories, it doesnt mean everyone else does... Yeah, some of us eat like pigs, yeah some of us cut back toooo much but I thought MFP was all about tracking our own calories and be supportive towards others, not grinding them down because they are indiffernt to ourselves... why not be helpful and share tips instead... ? aint it easier? I know I could do with some.... Just my thoughts after reading through...

I read through the entire thread, amazed at the opinions and 'tones' that came across in the messages --- decided not to post on one side of the fence or the other. But I must say --- I completely agree with you --- well said!

I agree with this too. Everyone is on this site because they want or need to track their food intake. But we're all different. I get that when things work for us, we tend to think we have the answer and want others to hear it too. But the "answer" is different for everyone so we should just be supportive. I'm trying to not be offended by some of the implications that people who struggle to eat their calories for the day are either: 1) anorexic or have an eating disorder, 2) crazy and have an unhealthy look at dieting or 3) begging for attention. I'm sure maybe there are those out there that fit into that mold. But even if that were the case, wouldn't that mean we should be reaching out and encouraging those people even more? But for the rest of us, it'd be great if we didn't make blanket generalizations about each other, but try to encourage and support (or give constructive criticism IF it's requested of you).

I think this was an interesting topic and I'm glad the OP posted it. But the point was to gain perspective from each side of the coin, I don't think the intention was to create a hostile environment.

msemejuru

My son is very active so after playing soccer, hiking or running while he rides his scooter I've burned another 300 to 400 calories. Added to my 700 calorie burn from my morning workout that means I get to eat another 1,000 calories a day. After being used to 1,200 calories a day while not working out 2,200 seems like a ton. I eat a ton of fiber because I love oatmeal with flaxseed and my hubby is a vegetarian so I get lots of steamed vegetables and whole grain pasta. That stuff is just filling. There are also days where I'm starving at 1,200 so it just depends.

cclala

Sorry guys I didn't realize I'd be opening such a huge can of worms here. In my original post I was mostly trying to educate myself about other's eating habits in the hopes that I might learn something, since I seem to have trouble staying under, even on my clean eating plan. I was beginning to feel a bit frustrated that it seems so easy for me to reach my calorie goal, like I was doing something wrong when others are having a hard time making it to 1000. (Cclala, Back. Away. From. The. Almonds.) I thought maybe I'd pick up some info that would help me to stay under.

(On that note, not putting olive oil on my salad has been this week's godsend, just in case anyone else is unaware of this secret calorie death trap!)

I go to bed peckish most nights and wake up super hungry. I can't wait to get to the maintenance phase so I can ratchet up a few hundred cals daily.

I hope everyone has a successful, healthy weekend---and congrats on making it another week.

shannonshock13

I don't think that that by me saying I'm having trouble getting to 1,200 cals a day, is me trying to get attention to my under eating... because well... i don't under eat!! I eat a lot during the day! I am trying to be a clean eater, so most things that i eat are whole and unprocessed.

I am in no way having trouble getting to 1,200 BEFORE my workout it's AFTER I workout that I may have a problem with. After the gym my food tracker is telling me that I still have 600+ calories to go to reach my 1,200 a day goal. I'm trying to watch fats and sugars and the food tracker says i still have 7 sugars left as well as 16 fat and a ton of carbs.

I'm not really keen on just eating an avocado... but i would really like some advice on what to eat during the day (thats low to no sugar) to fill in those extra calories i earned by working out. Do i even need to eat those extra calories, or can I just leave it at the 1,200 I already consumed??
I'm super confused!!

I have my program set to lose 2 pounds a week.

cclala

I don't think that that by me saying I'm having trouble getting to 1,200 cals a day, is me trying to get attention to my under eating... because well... i don't under eat!! I eat a lot during the day! I am trying to be a clean eater, so most things that i eat are whole and unprocessed.

I am in no way having trouble getting to 1,200 BEFORE my workout it's AFTER I workout that I may have a problem with. After the gym my food tracker is telling me that I still have 600+ calories to go to reach my 1,200 a day goal. I'm trying to watch fats and sugars and the food tracker says i still have 7 sugars left as well as 16 fat and a ton of carbs.

I'm not really keen on just eating an avocado... but i would really like some advice on what to eat during the day (thats low to no sugar) to fill in those extra calories i earned by working out. Do i even need to eat those extra calories, or can I just leave it at the 1,200 I already consumed??
I'm super confused!!

I have my program set to lose 2 pounds a week.

I was actually wondering if maybe those who struggle to fill up don't account for exercise until the very end of the day. You know what I do? I log it early on--before I've done it. That way I can ration my food better throughout the day, and as an added bonus I get all these congratulations notes from my friends, and it makes me guilty if I don't go do it! Haha.

You need to eat back at least some of your exercise calories. This topic has been discussed tons, feel free to run a search, but basically MFP has already accounted for a calorie deficit you will need for successful weight loss. So, if you don't eat back what you burn off, you are stuck with double the deficit....MFP, plus your burn. Let's say you are eating 1200, as you stated. If you work off 400 and don't eat them back, you'll be giving your body 800 calories a day, which is not enough to fuel you. It needs more than that just to hang around the house. This will cause your body to sense you're in starvation mode and hold on to fat in order to survive.

This explains the relationship between starvation mode and metabolism: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

If you want to take a look at my diary, you can see how I try and space things out. Yesterday was a bit of a mess because I thought I'd work out and ate accordingly, then couldn't make it and had to skimp on dinner to stay within my goals.

But most days I plan everything out in advance, so you can add a treat of your choice to fill it up. Do you like nuts? They are super high calorie. I know you said no sugar, but are you avoiding fruit? Assuming you don't have a medical reason for avoiding fruit, t's helpful to have a well balanced diet and not avoid any one food group all together. So I'd say grab a handful of nuts and berries, or maybe a turkey and cheese roll, or a whole wheat tortilla with cheese spread...greek yogurt is great, protein bars are delish, the sky is your limit:-) PM me if you have questions-

ladyhawk00

I don't think that that by me saying I'm having trouble getting to 1,200 cals a day, is me trying to get attention to my under eating... because well... i don't under eat!! I eat a lot during the day! I am trying to be a clean eater, so most things that i eat are whole and unprocessed.

I am in no way having trouble getting to 1,200 BEFORE my workout it's AFTER I workout that I may have a problem with. After the gym my food tracker is telling me that I still have 600+ calories to go to reach my 1,200 a day goal. I'm trying to watch fats and sugars and the food tracker says i still have 7 sugars left as well as 16 fat and a ton of carbs.

I'm not really keen on just eating an avocado... but i would really like some advice on what to eat during the day (thats low to no sugar) to fill in those extra calories i earned by working out. Do i even need to eat those extra calories, or can I just leave it at the 1,200 I already consumed??
I'm super confused!!

I have my program set to lose 2 pounds a week.

I agree with Cclala - but just wanted to add a little. Remember that all sugar is not created equally. Putting too much emphasis on sugar intake in your diary can be detrimental, because MFP does not distinguish between processed/unprocessed sugar. It puts the sugar from a donut and the sugar from an apple in the same place. I've heard people time and again frustrated that they can't keep their sugar under goal - and it's because they're focusing too much on the NUMBER and not the source of the sugar. Eating a banana will spike your sugar in your diary - but is it bad to eat a banana? Of course not. So if you're intent on watching sugar intake, pay more attention to what kind of sugar it is, rather than how much. Same thing with fats - some are healthy, some are unhealthy. Of course, you don't want to be WAY over on it all the time, but it's far more important to be aware of what kind of fat it is, rather than just what the amount is.

Second, while you're not really close to goal yet, you probably are not in a position to lose 2 lbs per week. I would recommend reading this thread, it may help you figure out what a reasonable loss/week goal will be for where you are.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

Anyway, hope this helps. Good luck to you!

lulu_beans

I pretty much never eat all my calories.

When I'm stressed, I'm sick to my stomach.
When I'm busy, i forget to eat.
When I'm hungry, i eat sensibly.
I'm also a vegetarian.

I try and get 1200 net a day. Sometimes i get closer to 800. Being stressful and busy with two children can do that to you. I could set my calories higher, but it's not like I'd be able to reach them anyway. I'm maintaining my weight roughly week to week, so i don't think there's Anything wrong with what I'm doing.

I don't have an eating disorder and resent the insinuation. Just because one poster did does not mean everyone that cant eat their goals has one....

Let's flip this around. How can anyone possibly go over their calories. They clearly must be overindulgent pigs...Hang on, let me dissect your food diary. Clearly you must be using it wrong...

Hmm offensive to anyone? I figured as much.

Ahahahaha! :laugh: