Struggling to eat my daily allowance

lemonyposset

Morning folks,

I joined MFP yesterday so today is my first day on plan.

I've filled out my diary with the food I plan to eat today and the exercise I'll be doing. The only thing I need to add onto my food diary is some protein to have with my salad at lunchtime, which would usually be tuna/ham or cottage cheese etc.

I have a huge deficit in my calories (and I mean huge). After exercise my daily allowance is 1646 cals and so far my intake today is only 868 cals. The protein I need to add for lunch will maybe take me up to 1100 consumed, so that still leaves me with over 500 cals to find!!!!

I'm not sure I can actually eat that much more. Could you guys maybe take a look at my diary and tell me if I'm going wrong somewhere?

Thanks

Tereztaylor07

When short on calories, I always find peanut butter and almonds. Good for you, high calorie, and very filling as well.

tracymnx

Definitely nuts, and you could add some avocado to your salads too.

Naomi_84

I'd say even if you just make it up to 1200-1300 calories that should be . A handful of nuts and dried fruits, a yogurt, a few pieces of fruit will do the trick.

cammers74

Yeah, avocado is good. Did you have any milk with your porridge? You could also try a couple of oat cakes with pb or something..

Naomi_84

I also see you're not eating any starchy carbohydrates which should make up a large proportion of someones diet, try adding some brown pasta or rice to a salad or a slice of wholemeal bread. Its a great diary but with no carbs you'll be seriously lacking energy.

lemonyposset

Thanks for the replies guys :-)

Peanut butter is wirth a try. I'll get some oatcakes and peanut butter tonight. A good pre workout snack.

Hi Lynds8481, yes, I have semi skimmed milk with my porridge, thats included in the calorie allowance.

Hey Naomi_84, would the new pots I have at dinner not count as starchy carbs? I try to avoid carbs at lunchtimes as they make me feel bloated and sluggish through the day. I don't mind so much in the evening as thats my chill out time lol.

roseymacdoo

You're way under on carbs! Your lunch sounds yum but have a couple of slices of bread with it.

Others suggestions for extra cals of nuts and dried fruit are all good, but also don't forget to treat yourself and maybe have a glass of wine and a bit of chocolate too!

cammers74

Im the same, I dont really eat carbs at lunchtime as they always make me feel sluggish and bloated, but the oatcakes are a good one. I've also just bought some rye bread to give that a go, as its wheat free...no idea how many cals it is a slice though - I guess I should have checked that!

Claire739

also what about drinking some fresh fruit juice? i always have a glass of fresh orange to help get my calories up on low days

Naomi_84

Hey, yes they would sorry didn't see those x

Naomi_84

A few seeded Ryvita and a mini pot of extra light Philadelphia would do the trick

losingtheselbs

I'm having the same problem, I also joined a couple of days ago. I fill in my food diary at the end of each day, and on both occasions I'm still left with over 300 extra calories. The thing is, it's already past 8pm and I really don't want to eat. What should I do?

welloiledmachine

What you could do to help balance everything out is to set your macros to 40-30-30 or very close to. It's hard to judge anything with only one day posted in your diary. I would make sure you get complex carbs, protein and fat with each snack/meal. You can take a look at my diary and see how I have it set up. I basically break down my eating regimen into 5 small meals and each one averaging around 300 calories. I don't always eat back my exercise cals as they can be a little skewed. Eating 5 smaller meals keeps you feeling full longer, boosts your metabolism and helps to burn more calories.

welloiledmachine

I'm having the same problem, I also joined a couple of days ago. I fill in my food diary at the end of each day, and on both occasions I'm still left with over 300 extra calories. The thing is, it's already past 8pm and I really don't want to eat. What should I do?

Open up your diary so we can possibly give you some suggestions. Your exercise cals could be way off too.

losingtheselbs

How do I do that exactly? Still learning

AmeChops

I often don't hit my daily allowance either but I'm happy that what I am eating is healthy and I get plenty of water etc. so I'm not too worried about it. It took a while for me to get out of the habit of eating just for the sheer hell of it so if I'm not hungry I'm not going to eat. Plus, as someone else mentioned, I don't think the calories burned are completely accurate :-))

fteale

How nice for you. I am always starving by the end of each day keeping under my 1380 allotted calories.

I would suggest a couple of days in you will start to feel it and get hungrier. I was fine on 1200 cals for the first two seeks, then it started taking it's toll.

Otherwise, on 900 odd calories a day, I would say you should perhaps start seeing someone for an eating disorder.

AmeChops

How do I do that exactly? Still learning

To 'open' your diary...go to 'settings' at the top of the page, then 'dairy settings' then click 'public' in the bottom section

losingtheselbs

Okay diary is public... I think.

welloiledmachine

Okay diary is public... I think.

I always recommend to include sodium and sugar in their diary. As those can really sabotage any effort in losing weight. If you are taking calories burned from this site or from a cardio machine, those numbers are really skewed. You are best to get an HRM for more accurate numbers. So be careful in eating back exercise cals as they might be too high.

losingtheselbs

Thanks I'm going to minus the calories burnt from my left over calories from now on, just to be safe.

lemonyposset

I've had a little tweak of my food for today....added some rice and cheese with my salad and a yogurt, couple more odds and ends. So I'm just over the 1200. But now my protein is way over.

I don't really want to reduce that as I'm doing strength training so think it's important for recovery. Does anyone know if this will make a difference in the grand scheme of things, if my cals are still ok?

welloiledmachine

I've had a little tweak of my food for today....added some rice and cheese with my salad and a yogurt, couple more odds and ends. So I'm just over the 1200. But now my protein is way over.

I don't really want to reduce that as I'm doing strength training so think it's important for recovery. Does anyone know if this will make a difference in the grand scheme of things, if my cals are still ok?

Since you are weight lifting it is crucial that you eat lots of protein. A good rule of thumb is 1g per pound of body weight. It also might be good for you to set your macros for 40-30-30 or close to that. It would be really good that you include carbs, protein and fat with all your snacks/meals.

lemonyposset

I've had a little tweak of my food for today....added some rice and cheese with my salad and a yogurt, couple more odds and ends. So I'm just over the 1200. But now my protein is way over.

I don't really want to reduce that as I'm doing strength training so think it's important for recovery. Does anyone know if this will make a difference in the grand scheme of things, if my cals are still ok?

Since you are weight lifting it is crucial that you eat lots of protein. A good rule of thumb is 1g per pound of body weight. It also might be good for you to set your macros for 40-30-30 or close to that. It would be really good that you include carbs, protein and fat with all your snacks/meals.

Thanks princesschic. I've heard about macros, but I don't really understand them to be honest.

Can you explain them in a REALLY SIMPLE way? ;-)

welloiledmachine

I've had a little tweak of my food for today....added some rice and cheese with my salad and a yogurt, couple more odds and ends. So I'm just over the 1200. But now my protein is way over.

I don't really want to reduce that as I'm doing strength training so think it's important for recovery. Does anyone know if this will make a difference in the grand scheme of things, if my cals are still ok?

Since you are weight lifting it is crucial that you eat lots of protein. A good rule of thumb is 1g per pound of body weight. It also might be good for you to set your macros for 40-30-30 or close to that. It would be really good that you include carbs, protein and fat with all your snacks/meals.

Thanks princesschic. I've heard about macros, but I don't really understand them to be honest.

Can you explain them in a REALLY SIMPLE way? ;-)

Carbs-40%
Protein 30%
Fat 30%

That's all it is based on how much you should eat everyday. You can change the numbers in your setting so it automatically calculates the percentages.

szczepj

Peanut butter!

lemonyposset

I've had a little tweak of my food for today....added some rice and cheese with my salad and a yogurt, couple more odds and ends. So I'm just over the 1200. But now my protein is way over.

I don't really want to reduce that as I'm doing strength training so think it's important for recovery. Does anyone know if this will make a difference in the grand scheme of things, if my cals are still ok?

Since you are weight lifting it is crucial that you eat lots of protein. A good rule of thumb is 1g per pound of body weight. It also might be good for you to set your macros for 40-30-30 or close to that. It would be really good that you include carbs, protein and fat with all your snacks/meals.

Thanks princesschic. I've heard about macros, but I don't really understand them to be honest.

Can you explain them in a REALLY SIMPLE way? ;-)

Carbs-40%
Protein 30%
Fat 30%

That's all it is based on how much you should eat everyday. You can change the numbers in your setting so it automatically calculates the percentages.

aaahhhh that looks much better now, as I said, I'm not a big eater of carbs through the day so this looks like a much more sensible plan for me now.

Thank you :-)