A good problem to have: How do I eat enough calories?

prismblitz
prismblitz Posts: 196
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Champagne problems.

So I just finished a year's journey to lose 116 pounds, and I'm in my descent into healthy, everyday eating for maintenance and muscle building. I started my diet at a scant 1200 calories a day, adding 200 or so back every few months up until now, where I've been eating anywhere between 1900 and 2700 a day depending on exercise.

I'll be chowing and grazing throughout the day on healthy, clean foods, but I'll look at my calories remaining at 6 p.m. and still somehow have 1200-1600 calories remaining. I'll knock it down another 400-500 with a protein shake when I get home from work, but I'm just not a guy who eats four-digit calorie meals in one sitting anymore. It's a fantastic dilemma to be in, but a dilemma nonetheless.

I know this is something of an exclusive problem for men since our BMR is so much higher (sorry, ladies!), especially at a younger age. Has anyone else found this to be a challenge to adjust to?

Replies

  • dkoroschetz
    dkoroschetz Posts: 67 Member
    Congrats!! You must feel amazing!!!

    I'm still on my weight loss journey, I still have about 30 lbs to lose. I'm working with a personal trainer right now and he's given me a diet to follow - no carb, no fruit, no dairy, high protein - 1,500 calories and eating 5xs per day. I can't always eat at work and at the end of the day I usually still have a few hundred calories left.

    I was about to post a similar question....what do you do at the end of the day? Just don't eat or eat something on my list to get to the appropriate calories? The whey protein and almond milk I'm using is only 155 calories.

    Sorry I can't be of more help to you!
  • heytherestephy
    heytherestephy Posts: 356 Member
    I have no idea either, on cardio days I eat around 2400 calories and even then I can't seem to eat them all, most days I can just barely hit a 1500 net.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    adding olive oil, even a small amount adds up fast.

    great things like avocado are calorie dense.

    nuts are the easiest and fastest way for me to add a bunch of calories late in the day
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    Peanut butter, protein shakes, adding extra things to each meal is a start. I was having the same issue when I was restricting to 1200 but then my workouts added almost 500 each days. It seems hard but it really isn't. Add a couple egg whites to breakfast or lunch; eat a handful of trail mix. My mid am snack was usually cottage fruit and grapes; I upped to 1 cup of cottage cheese. I also incorporated healthy sweets back in slowly since I'm at my goal like frozen yogurt. Pre/Post workout snacks help to both to add cals and endurance. If you know your workouts are going to add extra plan ahead instead of tallying at end of the day.
  • heytherestephy
    heytherestephy Posts: 356 Member
    Peanut butter, protein shakes, adding extra things to each meal is a start. I was having the same issue when I was restricting to 1200 but then my workouts added almost 500 each days. It seems hard but it really isn't. Add a couple egg whites to breakfast or lunch; eat a handful of trail mix. My mid am snack was usually cottage fruit and grapes; I upped to 1 cup of cottage cheese. I also incorporated healthy sweets back in slowly since I'm at my goal like frozen yogurt. Pre/Post workout snacks help to both to add cals and endurance. If you know your workouts are going to add extra plan ahead instead of tallying at end of the day.

    loool i'll eat the whole egg. actually now that i think of it, hardboiled eggs help. not really concerned about the fat intake or cholesterol since mine are completely truly free range (from my parents chickens).
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
    I would even out your calories over the whole week. So if you are 600 calories under on a workout day, eat a few hundred more on a rest day.
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    Peanut butter, protein shakes, adding extra things to each meal is a start. I was having the same issue when I was restricting to 1200 but then my workouts added almost 500 each days. It seems hard but it really isn't. Add a couple egg whites to breakfast or lunch; eat a handful of trail mix. My mid am snack was usually cottage fruit and grapes; I upped to 1 cup of cottage cheese. I also incorporated healthy sweets back in slowly since I'm at my goal like frozen yogurt. Pre/Post workout snacks help to both to add cals and endurance. If you know your workouts are going to add extra plan ahead instead of tallying at end of the day.

    loool i'll eat the whole egg. actually now that i think of it, hardboiled eggs help. not really concerned about the fat intake or cholesterol since mine are completely truly free range (from my parents chickens).

    Hard boiled eggs are a great idea! Yea I meant by adding is if you already eat 1-2 eggs whole eggs add extra whites. I love eggs but I can't eat 4-5 yolks daily, or I just whip them up in the microwave for 40 secs and it's a easy snack/side to add.
  • dkoroschetz
    dkoroschetz Posts: 67 Member
    Hard boiled eggs are a great idea! Yea I meant by adding is if you already eat 1-2 eggs whole eggs add extra whites. I love eggs but I can't eat 4-5 yolks daily, or I just whip them up in the microwave for 40 secs and it's a easy snack/side to add.
    [/quote]

    I'm new to eating egg whites only :) How exactly do you make them in the micro, lol? I'm using liquid egg white substitutes, but I've been making them stove top, just like scrambled eggs. Looking for something to save some time!!

    My diet is egg whites/oatmeal for breakfast, 4oz chicken and veggies (which at work, i usually only eat the chicken), salad with veggies and chicken for lunch, dinner 4oz chicken or flank steak with small baked potato and salad and then egg whites or whey protein drink for the last meal of the day. I have a hard time getting all of that in, not only just eating it but the time as well. This is all my trainer wants me eating right now but I've been doing it as close as I can!!
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    Hard boiled eggs are a great idea! Yea I meant by adding is if you already eat 1-2 eggs whole eggs add extra whites. I love eggs but I can't eat 4-5 yolks daily, or I just whip them up in the microwave for 40 secs and it's a easy snack/side to add.

    I'm new to eating egg whites only :) How exactly do you make them in the micro, lol? I'm using liquid egg white substitutes, but I've been making them stove top, just like scrambled eggs. Looking for something to save some time!!

    My diet is egg whites/oatmeal for breakfast, 4oz chicken and veggies (which at work, i usually only eat the chicken), salad with veggies and chicken for lunch, dinner 4oz chicken or flank steak with small baked potato and salad and then egg whites or whey protein drink for the last meal of the day. I have a hard time getting all of that in, not only just eating it but the time as well. This is all my trainer wants me eating right now but I've been doing it as close as I can!!
    [/quote]

    I put them in a small (8-12 oz) ramikin type bowl/dish. Cover tightly with saran wrap as this acts as a pressure cooker and set for 40 seconds. You'll hear popping, it's normal. Depending on how many eggs or whites you've added you'll need to increase the time. I start with 40 then add 10 secs each check. Usually 1 whole egg + 2 whites for me takes 60 seconds but it also depends on how good your microwave is. Here is the link where I found it along time ago; I hated cooking on the stove as it added grease etc.


    http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Easy-40-Second-Egg/
  • prismblitz
    prismblitz Posts: 196
    Thanks for the responses, everyone! I usually find myself scooping a spoonful of peanut butter at the end of the day to round out my calories...But it's just too delicious to feel healthy! I'll do a occasional - okay, borderline nightly - run to the local frozen organic yogurt joint which helps, but again, doesn't feel as healthy as I could be. Totally on board with eggs, and a bigger pre-workout snack might get me the rest of the way.
  • dkoroschetz
    dkoroschetz Posts: 67 Member
    Hard boiled eggs are a great idea! Yea I meant by adding is if you already eat 1-2 eggs whole eggs add extra whites. I love eggs but I can't eat 4-5 yolks daily, or I just whip them up in the microwave for 40 secs and it's a easy snack/side to add.

    I'm new to eating egg whites only :) How exactly do you make them in the micro, lol? I'm using liquid egg white substitutes, but I've been making them stove top, just like scrambled eggs. Looking for something to save some time!!

    My diet is egg whites/oatmeal for breakfast, 4oz chicken and veggies (which at work, i usually only eat the chicken), salad with veggies and chicken for lunch, dinner 4oz chicken or flank steak with small baked potato and salad and then egg whites or whey protein drink for the last meal of the day. I have a hard time getting all of that in, not only just eating it but the time as well. This is all my trainer wants me eating right now but I've been doing it as close as I can!!

    I put them in a small (8-12 oz) ramikin type bowl/dish. Cover tightly with saran wrap as this acts as a pressure cooker and set for 40 seconds. You'll hear popping, it's normal. Depending on how many eggs or whites you've added you'll need to increase the time. I start with 40 then add 10 secs each check. Usually 1 whole egg + 2 whites for me takes 60 seconds but it also depends on how good your microwave is. Here is the link where I found it along time ago; I hated cooking on the stove as it added grease etc.


    http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Easy-40-Second-Egg/
    [/quote]

    Thank you!! I LOVE peanut butter but haven't had any for weeks. My 3 year old son wanted an english muffin with peanut butter yesterday, he ate two bites.

    Do you know how hard it was to throw that out without me taking a bite, lol. But I did it!!!! :)
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    depending on how my macros have been for the day, if it's last minute and I need more calories before bed I go for


    Olive Oil (just a quick shot of it packs a couple hundred cals and good fats)
    Cottage Cheese (I can kill a tub of it and get 60 grams of protein before bed)
    Milk (whole milk is loaded with everything you need. even if you're full you can down 16 oz and get over 300 calories w/ 16 grams of protein)
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    I know! I thought my husband was crazy when I was faced with not enough cals or protein and he said quickly add in PB; but it's a good snack. I actually now get the little to go cups to throw in my bag to snack on in class and at clinical. Gives me a boost for sure!
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    as long as you've eaten adequate protein and fat, just eat whatever you want. If you've got a variety of foods then you've most likely covered you're micronutrient needs.

    You're body sees macros/micros not food names.
  • charityheckler
    charityheckler Posts: 25 Member
    Dependant on how high your protien already is, I would recommend oils and nuts and seeds. But be cautious of these oils, for my understanding 1tbs of oil is approxiamtely 120 calories. Nuts and seeds are also typically really high in calories as well as bananas.

    If you want to add it to your meals just simply mix and match the oils and nuts into your regular meals, like seasame seed chicken.
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