I am struggling to eat enough calories

jlsmiles22

I am finding it very difficult to both stay under my fat, protein and sugar limits and also eat enough calories every day. My goal for calories is 1300 and I am always struggling to find something to eat in the evening to get me to the 1200 mark, some days I barely make it over 1000.

I eat 3 meals a day and usually 2-3 snacks. But anything that is low in sugar and fat is also low in calories, so I'm not hungry but I'm not getting enough calories either.

Should I be worried about getting 1200 calories a day? What foods can I eat that have calories but are low in sugar and fat? Even a cup of broccoli has 2g of sugar.......and only 31 calories, when you're 300 calories below 1200 that doesn't help much calories wise but it does impact sugar.

Thanks in advance for any advice you might have.

dls06

I takes a while to find a balance but if you stick with it and enter you foods before you eat them you will get it.
I enter the foods I plan to eat and then if I don't like the numbers I make better choices. You need to eat enough food
to maintain a nutrition balance. If you are over in you protein all the time you can go to your goals and lower your carbs which will raise your protein automatically. If you are always over in fat you need to make different choices in the kinds of food you eating. Lower fat meats and dairy. I don't track my sugar. I was told by a nutritionist if I am staying within my carbs and not eating a lot of refind sugar snacks. The sugar you get from healthy food is not "bad" sugar. I track Cholesterol instead.

Also if you open your diary people can make suggestions.

registers

I am finding it very difficult to both stay under my fat, protein and sugar limits and also eat enough calories every day. My goal for calories is 1300 and I am always struggling to find something to eat in the evening to get me to the 1200 mark, some days I barely make it over 1000.

I eat 3 meals a day and usually 2-3 snacks. But anything that is low in sugar and fat is also low in calories, so I'm not hungry but I'm not getting enough calories either.

Should I be worried about getting 1200 calories a day? What foods can I eat that have calories but are low in sugar and fat? Even a cup of broccoli has 2g of sugar.......and only 31 calories, when you're 300 calories below 1200 that doesn't help much calories wise but it does impact sugar.

Thanks in advance for any advice you might have.

I just don't know what to say.... it's like the 5time this week this subject came up... if you're trying to gain weight, do what you can.

If you're trying to lose weight... you need to burn more calories than you consume. Don't make it hard. Seriously, how do you know you're not getting enough calories? Are you tired, is you rdaily performance suffering?

registers

-double post-

erickirb

I takes a while to find a balance but if you stick with it and enter you foods before you eat them you will get it.
I enter the foods I plan to eat and then if I don't like the numbers I make better choices. You need to eat enough food
to maintain a nutrition balance. If you are over in you protein all the time you can go to your goals and lower your carbs which will raise your protein automatically. If you are always over in fat you need to make different choices in the kinds of food you eating. Lower fat meats and dairy.

Also if you open your diary people can make suggestions.

Going over on fat is okay, you can go in your settings and change your ratios. Try lowering your carbs by 10% and increase fat by 5% and protein by 5%. If you are still over on protein lower carbs another 5% and increase protein by the 5%.

To make changes go to goals, click change goals, select custom, make you changes, then click save changes.

BeckyKSmith

peanut butter, almonds, and a hearty protein shake in the first half of the day. They will help you maintain or grow lean muscle mass which will help you lose weight faster b/c they are so full of protein. My protein shake after I work out is almost 400 calories sometimes and it makes me feel great!
You have to eat some of your exercise calories as well to see results.

RunNannyRun

You also need the good fats like in almonds and that has good calories in it too. Not eating enough can hinder your weight loss and metabolism. There's days where I didn't eat enough calories and can tell with my energy in my workouts. Eating fruits and veggies are very important but the good fat is also important.

Uk_Yogini

If your intake is coming from whole fresh foods, then I wouldn't worry about being slightly over. If you open your diary I can possibly give you some suggestions

evesacks

I tried to track sugar but gave up when even when I ate no processed food I was over on sugar just with some natural yoghurt, a banana and an apple.

IMO the default ratios are very high in carbs and I wouldn't loose weight eating in that way/

I track protein, carbs, fat and fiber. I have changed the ratios to 20% fat, 40% carbs and 40% protein.

Otherwise leave the ratios alone and don't worry about going over on either fat or protein. Just make sure not going over either calories or carbs.

crisanderson27

Go to my diary over the last month+...I'm not saying eat what i do...I'm saying there's some ideas there for high calorie, high protein foods with moderate carbs and decent fat. I too agree that fats agent going to harm you (if you're eating whole foods etc), and as long as you're watching your carbs, sugar takes care of itself.

I track calories, carbs, fat, protein, sodium, and fiber. Fat, protein, and fiber I track to make sure I get enough! 180g protein is my minimum.

Cris

registers

A lot of the stuff people are saying is... just a bunch of myths that have been developed over the years. YOU NEED a caloric deficit to lose weight, from your profile looks like that is your goal. So don't make a "smaller" caloric deficit by stuffing your face with food. If you're not hungry, why eat more??? trying to train yourself to over eat or what? here are some scientific studies. not going to get in to the details of how or why it works. Just watch your macro nutrient ratios, have the majority of your meals as protein. Unless you're doing competitive sports. Just let me say this, when you eat, you increase insulin which prevents fat being released from the body. Yes it can be done, but it's harder.

fasting burns 5 times more fat.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12051710

Weight training prevents muscle loss on a low calorie diet
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10204826

Multiple feedings has no effect on the BMR or Active metabolic rate
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8399092

breakfast slows down oxidation
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10967612

fasting longer than 6hrs increses fat oxidation,

Teeladog

As long as you are not hungry then I wouldn't worry too much about it. And, seriously....don't worry about the sugar in broccoli.

jlsmiles22

Well I don't really feel I'm not getting enough calories, MFP says I'm not lol. I'm usually eating 1000-1100 calories a day easily but have trouble getting all the way to 1200 many days.

I did not know you could change your ratios for carbs etc......I am always WAY under on carbs, so much so I stopped tracking them completely. I do better eating more protein. Sugar I have a much tougher time with than fat normally. I will try changing that and see if that helps. I am losing but I want to be sure I'm losing in a healthy way so that I can keep the weight gone.

What I find happening is I'm using sugar and protein I gained from exercise but not calories. It's a little harder to eat whole foods at the moment since I'm in Western Germany and with the e coli scare many veggies are off the shelf for I don't know how long.

I did open my diary to friends only, friend me if you like.

robin52077

STOP worrying about being OVER on protein. The default protein is way too low. Don't stop eating for the day just because you hit your protein or sugar limit and can't find anything without protein or sugar to eat. If you are HUNGRY, EAT!

Change the protein to 25 or 30 % instead of 15%. Lower the carbs. If your sugar is coming from natural sources it isn't "BAD". DON'T worry about the 2 g of sugar in your BROCCOLI for pete's sake. EAT the darn broccoli! The bad sugars come from cookies. cakes, white breads and pastas, etc. As long as they are from fruits veggies and whole grains they are FINE. Don't even track sugar. Track FIBER. Set it to 25g. Aim to reach or exceed that. That will ensure you get your carbs from good sources since good carbs have fiber and "bad" carbs don't have fiber, they have bad sugar instead!

You do need to fuel your body, especially if you are working out. If you feel hungry, tired, sluggish, lack of energy throughout the day, etc, then you are not eating enough. Eat healthy food till you feel good. It's that simple.

jlsmiles22

I suppose I could add that yes my goal is to lose weight. I have lost 19 pounds so far, and I would like to lose another 15.


I never did an intro or anything, I apologize. Anything you want to know just ask, I'm not shy lol.


Thanks everyone for the input, I'm sorry I brought up a subject that's been coming up a lot lately, I didn't do a search but I did look at the first few pages of posts.

OrganicGal

I can appreciate your concerns, and trying to find that right balance is sometimes hard. I struggle with the calories I am given because they are not enough! When you work out, you have to compensate in allowing more calories or you can potentially reverse all the good that you have been doing. Your body will go into "starvation mode" and hold on to every single calorie as if it is starving. I think what's more important than worrying about how much "sugar, protein, carb, etc" that a food has, is looking at the quality of the food choice. You cannot go wrong with fresh vegetables and fruits. Where people mess up is eating too many "low cal", "low sugar", "low fat" processed foods. If you stick to whole grains, veggies and fruits (in season), and complete proteins (beans, nuts, etc), then you will feel not only satisfied but your body will respond. If that means you consume less than 1200 calories or eat more than 1500 calories, the main focus is on WHAT you are eating. I think people "burn out" on diets when they restrict themselves to the point of obsession. Been there...done that. I like how my body responds to healthy choices. No shakes from going hungry. No spikes in sugar and bottoming out. No starvation. Just light, healthy, awesome feeling energy.

robin52077

I suppose I could add that yes my goal is to lose weight. I have lost 19 pounds so far, and I would like to lose another 15.

I should point out...since you are looking to lose just 15 more, and are very close to goal (less than 20 pounds is very close), you should be set at "lose 1/2 a pound per week".
Those last few are very stubborn and if you are only eating 1000 a day it will not let them go.
Your body thinks it is in a famine and not enough healthy food is available, therefore it will hold onto the "emergency fat" in case you start to starve, it will have a back up plan. When you are down to the last few, you need to convince your body that there is PLENTY of food available to you and that it is SAFE to let go of the emergency stores because it won'rt need them.

You should probably be eating 1600 a day or so.
My maintenance is 1800-2200 a day at 5'2" 108 lbs. You could probably eat 1800 a day and still lose the last few. Maybe, maybe not, we all have different metabolisms, but where your a mom, you are probably on the go most of the day cooking cleaning, playing, etc. That gives you a high activity level. Set it to active and 1/2 lb a week and see what it says.
No changes are permanent, you can change it back after you see what it says if you want.

But I highly recommend doing that, and keeping it that way.

crisanderson27

A lot of the stuff people are saying is... just a bunch of myths that have been developed over the years. YOU NEED a caloric deficit to lose weight, from your profile looks like that is your goal. So don't make a "smaller" caloric deficit by stuffing your face with food. If you're not hungry, why eat more??? trying to train yourself to over eat or what? here are some scientific studies. not going to get in to the details of how or why it works. Just watch your macro nutrient ratios, have the majority of your meals as protein. Unless you're doing competitive sports. Just let me say this, when you eat, you increase insulin which prevents fat being released from the body. Yes it can be done, but it's harder.

fasting burns 5 times more fat.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12051710

Weight training prevents muscle loss on a low calorie diet
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10204826

Multiple feedings has no effect on the BMR or Active metabolic rate
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8399092

breakfast slows down oxidation
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10967612

fasting longer than 6hrs increses fat oxidation,

/sigh...here we go again.

Dude, if this were the case, we could all live on supplements and not eat at all. So why don't we all just starve ourselves and lose lots of weight??

And once again...when handing out potentially dangerous information...flying in the face of accepted, safe dieting practices...you forgot to mention that those practices are 'myths' IN YOUR OPINION!! It's amazing how those myths have helped thousands upon thousands of people lose weight...and who knows how many right here on this board.

Cris

registers

A lot of the stuff people are saying is... just a bunch of myths that have been developed over the years. YOU NEED a caloric deficit to lose weight, from your profile looks like that is your goal. So don't make a "smaller" caloric deficit by stuffing your face with food. If you're not hungry, why eat more??? trying to train yourself to over eat or what? here are some scientific studies. not going to get in to the details of how or why it works. Just watch your macro nutrient ratios, have the majority of your meals as protein. Unless you're doing competitive sports. Just let me say this, when you eat, you increase insulin which prevents fat being released from the body. Yes it can be done, but it's harder.

fasting burns 5 times more fat.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12051710

Weight training prevents muscle loss on a low calorie diet
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10204826

Multiple feedings has no effect on the BMR or Active metabolic rate
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8399092

breakfast slows down oxidation
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10967612

fasting longer than 6hrs increses fat oxidation,

/sigh...here we go again.

Dude, if this were the case, we could all live on supplements and not eat at all. So why don't we all just starve ourselves and lose lots of weight??

And once again...when handing out potentially dangerous information...flying in the face of accepted, safe dieting practices...you forgot to mention that those practices are 'myths' IN YOUR OPINION!! It's amazing how those myths have helped thousands upon thousands of people lose weight...and who knows how many right here on this board.

Cris

that won't work?!?!?

registers

Well I don't really feel I'm not getting enough calories, MFP says I'm not lol. I'm usually eating 1000-1100 calories a day easily but have trouble getting all the way to 1200 many days.

I did not know you could change your ratios for carbs etc......I am always WAY under on carbs, so much so I stopped tracking them completely. I do better eating more protein. Sugar I have a much tougher time with than fat normally. I will try changing that and see if that helps. I am losing but I want to be sure I'm losing in a healthy way so that I can keep the weight gone.

What I find happening is I'm using sugar and protein I gained from exercise but not calories. It's a little harder to eat whole foods at the moment since I'm in Western Germany and with the e coli scare many veggies are off the shelf for I don't know how long.

I did open my diary to friends only, friend me if you like.

Okay, the 1200 calorie thing isn't for everyone, it's not even for most people. We all have different needs, if you feel fine, meaning your'e not hungry don't over eat. would a 100lbs woman who's 4'10' be in starvation mode eating 1200 calories? you know. that is just a joke, and confusing, such as in your case.

registers

A lot of the stuff people are saying is... just a bunch of myths that have been developed over the years. YOU NEED a caloric deficit to lose weight, from your profile looks like that is your goal. So don't make a "smaller" caloric deficit by stuffing your face with food. If you're not hungry, why eat more??? trying to train yourself to over eat or what? here are some scientific studies. not going to get in to the details of how or why it works. Just watch your macro nutrient ratios, have the majority of your meals as protein. Unless you're doing competitive sports. Just let me say this, when you eat, you increase insulin which prevents fat being released from the body. Yes it can be done, but it's harder.

fasting burns 5 times more fat.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12051710

Weight training prevents muscle loss on a low calorie diet
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10204826

Multiple feedings has no effect on the BMR or Active metabolic rate
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8399092

breakfast slows down oxidation
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10967612

fasting longer than 6hrs increses fat oxidation,

/sigh...here we go again.

Dude, if this were the case, we could all live on supplements and not eat at all. So why don't we all just starve ourselves and lose lots of weight??

And once again...when handing out potentially dangerous information...flying in the face of accepted, safe dieting practices...you forgot to mention that those practices are 'myths' IN YOUR OPINION!! It's amazing how those myths have helped thousands upon thousands of people lose weight...and who knows how many right here on this board.

Cris

cris, since we're on topic of eating less or more. You said you lost weight by eating more calories. In one of my post, you also mentioned you changed a few things, i think you added exercise, or lowered carbs or something. You can't say "i increased my food and i lost weight "if you increase your workout too

crisanderson27

A lot of the stuff people are saying is... just a bunch of myths that have been developed over the years. YOU NEED a caloric deficit to lose weight, from your profile looks like that is your goal. So don't make a "smaller" caloric deficit by stuffing your face with food. If you're not hungry, why eat more??? trying to train yourself to over eat or what? here are some scientific studies. not going to get in to the details of how or why it works. Just watch your macro nutrient ratios, have the majority of your meals as protein. Unless you're doing competitive sports. Just let me say this, when you eat, you increase insulin which prevents fat being released from the body. Yes it can be done, but it's harder.

fasting burns 5 times more fat.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12051710

Weight training prevents muscle loss on a low calorie diet
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10204826

Multiple feedings has no effect on the BMR or Active metabolic rate
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8399092

breakfast slows down oxidation
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10967612

fasting longer than 6hrs increses fat oxidation,

/sigh...here we go again.

Dude, if this were the case, we could all live on supplements and not eat at all. So why don't we all just starve ourselves and lose lots of weight??

And once again...when handing out potentially dangerous information...flying in the face of accepted, safe dieting practices...you forgot to mention that those practices are 'myths' IN YOUR OPINION!! It's amazing how those myths have helped thousands upon thousands of people lose weight...and who knows how many right here on this board.

Cris

cris, since we're on topic of eating less or more. You said you lost weight by eating more calories. In one of my post, you also mentioned you changed a few things, i think you added exercise, or lowered carbs or something. You can't say "i increased my food and i lost weight "if you increase your workout too

Actually, I'll clarify what I said. I said I was eating 2000+ cal/day (recording everything but not setting a real limit...using 2000 or more as a target), with a mix of fast food and whole foods as my staple diet...doing 3 days a week worth of bodyweight exercises (high intensity), and lost 20lbs in a month. I came to MFP, which recommended 1530cal/day (I set it up wrong at 2lb/wk...there's no clear instructions on the phone app)...maintained the same exercise routine, and my weight loss basically stalled completely. Three weeks in (two weeks ago), I began eating more again, swapped to a zig zag calorie intake setup, and cut carbs with purpose (trying to be near 50g/day) rather than eating my typical 100-150g carbs/day. Last Monday I switched to P90x instead of my three day full body bodyweight routine. I'm still flatlined for now, varying up and down between 189-192 throughout the week (my normal variance). To shake things up more...I've started doing dedicated tabata style cardio intervals every morning starting this morning, changing up what form they take every day.

So there it is spelled out specifically.

It still doesn't prove your theory. With 600cal/day plus in deficit from P90x (based on my polar FT7), and daily intakes ranging from 1700cal to 2100cal zig zagged plus some of those exercise calories back...I'm not gaining weight like your theories say I should. I'm not losing it right now for whatever reason (probably something I have screwed up)...but I'm certainly not gaining.

dahlstromdanae

I have the same problem with getting my caloric intake up to 1200/day. I eat, I just eat when I am hungry, and i have only been sticking to fresh fruits, veggies and white meat (turkey, chicken), no red meat. I try to keep my protein intake up, while the sugars down. I do splurge every so often on a DQ mini blizzard.......

I just stick with my gut....i eat when I'm hungry and I snack healthy. I do my 30 day shred in the morning and feel great the rest of day! In fact, I have had more energy then I did 2 weeks ago when I started.

LisaKyle11

bump!

woou

I am having the same problem since cutting out food I'm sensitive to (grains and most high GI foods). Who knew it would be so difficult. :grumble: All I can say is keep at it. :flowerforyou: