Difficulty Eating Calories

dvarrassi12

I haven't been losing weight consistently like I have been for the past 4 months, so I decided to change my settings to 1lb a week instead of 2lbs. I thought maybe switching it up for a while would help. The problem is, I'm having a really hard time eating 1440, let alone eating back my exercise calories. Today I should be eating above 1700 factoring in my workout and I'm not even close! I feel like I've been eating all day and I'm sooooo full. Has anyone else had this problem, and how did you deal with it? The way I feel right now makes me want to go back to 1200, because I can't see myself being able to make myself eat that much. Maybe I've just gotten too use to the 1200.

I've only been on 1440 for a day, so I'll try it for a week or so before I quit, just wanted other people's input.

johnhowson

Yes I agree it can be hard increasing once you have got used to eating a certain amount. Spread out the additional food and look for one or two things with more calories in to supplement your diet.

silveryflutterby

you could try eating things that are higher in calories, but still healthy like almonds or peanut butter for example. Or maybe drink some calories like fat free milk.

AmyJo54915

Wow...I thought I was the only one!

aunt_hbomb

I have mine set for .9 lb loss per week and have a really hard time eating all my calories due to all the activities I've been doing. You just inspired me to increase my weight loss goal so I have fewer calories to eat at the end of the day.

crazyeaCHANGED

I am of the opposite. I find it hard not to eat my calories!!!

SassyStef

Totally had the same problem, I just started eating every 2-3 hours and eating food higher in calories. To me this was totally the fun part LOL instead of eating half an avocado I ate the whole thing!

I just increased my serving sizes with most of my foods, and added in healthier fats.

mermx

Maybe having smaller meals with shorter intervals..meaybe 200 cals every 2 hours?

Or higher density calorie foods...baked potato with a filling.

Protein shakes?

when I stalled for a few days I ate 600 cals over my 1200 alloted for a day then went back to 1200 cals and things started moving again. Maybe you just need a kick start of a day or 2 and then go back to your allowance that you had?

brucedelaney

There's a few things you can do, but the easiest way is to increse the fat. Not all fats are bad for you, nut oils are especially good for you. Try some full fat options instead of the low fat options... or low fat instead of fat free if that the case... few calories here and there will help. Other nice side effect of going to full or low fat over fat free is the lower sodium.

mermx

I am of the opposite. I find it hard not to eat my calories!!!

LOL @ you ;-)

melaniecheeks

Eat the whole egg, not just egg white? Have a glass of fruit juice? Cheese and a cracker?

ArroganceInStep

I'd say up your fat intake, nuts and avocados are fantastic for that.

Also consider not always going with skim or fat-free versions of stuff. Although they are higher in fat/calories, they also tend to have less junk like sugars and such in them. That's my opinion based on some books that I've read. I'm by no means an expert.

What I can say from experience is that your body will adjust. In the same way my body is adjusting to a much lower daily caloric intake, yours will adjust to the higher amount. It takes time, stick with it!

elmsallmissile

I have noticed the calories burnt count for the cycling I do looks a bit optimistic, probably 50% too high, (it gives about 75 Cals per mile) therefore suggesting too much food, I have just subracted the difference I calculate from the suggested food intake.

melsinct

I looked at only today in your diary. You could have had a whole egg, not just the whites. You could have had full fat cheese on your eggs. You could have used more than 0.5 teaspoons of olive oil. You could have had an ounce of nuts instead of an apple. Or added a tablespoon of peanut butter to your apple. You could have opted for higher fat dairy (1% instead of skim milk, full fat yogurt).

It is pretty easy to eat a few hundred more calories if you don't think of it in the terms of "I need another 300 calorie meal." Break it down, eat calorie dense healthy foods (nuts, oils, avocado), and don't be stingy when cooking in healthy oil (walnut oil, olive oil, etc.).

StarGeezer

This has been one of the two biggest hurdles for me to overcome (the other is carving out time to get some meaningful cardio exercise on a regular basis.) Despite my rather "imposing" profile, I got myself into a vicious cycle of eating maybe one real meal a day, and no where near enough calories. As a result, I stalled after about 40 lbs or so. My fiance' finally convinced me to start eating a number of smaller meals throughout the day, and as counter-intuitive as it seems, it actually kick-started my metabolism in a big way. In between the major meals of the day, I try to eat a granola bar or similar "snack" to keep my furnace burning. I still sometimes have a hard time hitting my daily caloric goal, but I've been much, much closer than I had been previously, and I'm already seeing the results.

If I'm approaching the end of the day and need a caloric burst, I'll sometimes eat a small hunk of cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese, which also provides a little added dairy-based protein in case I've otherwise come up short during the day. I think the smaller meals spaced about 2-3 hours apart (and eaten more-or-less consistently day-by-day) will get your body used to the notion of burning the new sources of fuel you're providing for it.

Most of all... and it's sort of become my mantra for this whole journey... remain positive! Don't get too down if the scale isn't moving (or moves the wrong direction a bit), or if you just have a bad day and eat too little/much of your caloric goal, etc. Just keep an upbeat attitude and keep moving forward. It'll all come in time, just stay the course!

Best of luck!

rockstarginaa

I have the same problem eating 1200 calories a day let alone the additional exercise calories.