I can't eat 2,000 calories for dinner...

willot0722

So I have never been able to reach my calorie goal daily. Now that I'm working out, it's even more frustrating to watch my calorie goal go up and knowing I can't get to it. Like today, my calorie goal is 2800. Through breakfast and lunch I am up to 800+ calories. That leaves 2000 and one meal.

I see some people who eat anything to reach their goal.. but I feel like eating junkfood is taboo.. plus I had pizza last night lol and don't want to flub today too.

Advice?

iKapuniai

Make some Elvis bars... it's pretty much oatmeal, [dark] chocolate, peanut butter and banana. High in calories, yet not so bad w/ nutrition. And it's frickin' delicious lol

DPernet

Mid-Morning and Mid-Afternoon Snacking. (Nuts/Peanut Butter/Greek Yoghurt/Avocado/Prawns) Throw in a banana and peanut butter milkshake and you'll be amazed how fast your calories mount up

willot0722

Make some Elvis bars... it's pretty much oatmeal, [dark] chocolate, peanut butter and banana. High in calories, yet not so bad w/ nutrition. And it's frickin' delicious lol

Sounds great, I'll look up a recipe! Unless you have one... lol

schustc

Well, I wish (sometimes) i had that problem. Actually, I had something similar happen - I had eaten extremely healthy food that was very filling and low cal - and had a LARGE amount of calories AFTER dinner to use up or something close to it.. I was stuffed at that point and just gave up.

That said, I honestly can't think HOW to get that amount in in one meal without having some non-uber healthy foods. You could EASILY hit it with a bacon double cheeseburger and a milkshake (probably OVER 2000 calories)... although the thought of such a thing makes me gag now. I rarely crave that stuff anymore. Pizza? Sure.. and maybe a homemade cheeseburger, but not the fast food variety.

Anyhow - I don't think you have much hope of hitting that with healthy foods(which may not be a priority for you anyhow) - you could do some milk and 4tlbspns of peanut butter on whole grain bread -- just that alone would be about 700-800 calories. Maybe do that for a snack? then you only have 1200 to worry about for dinner.

Good luck! oh, and tell me, HOW do you get to eat that many calories?!! lol. My maintenance is around 2400 give or take. I can't imagine getting to diet with 2800!! GOOD LUCK!

TArnold2012

I haven't been a member long, but have read a lot of message board conversations about this. Some individuals say don't eat your exercise calories and other individuals say do eat your exercise calories. I, myself, am spiting the difference some days. If I am hungry I eat no more than half the calories back. By eating no more than half the calories back I am assured that I am not going over my calorie allotment that could be created from over estimated exercise calories. I do feel it is important to supply the body with the nutrients that is needs.

I hope this helps and good luck

schustc

I haven't been a member long, but have read a lot of message board conversations about this. Some individuals say don't eat your exercise calories and other individuals say do eat your exercise calories. I, myself, am spiting the difference some days. If I am hungry I eat no more than half the calories back. By eating no more than half the calories back I am assured that I am not going over my calorie allotment that could be created from over estimated exercise calories. I do feel it is important to supply the body with the nutrients that is needs.

I hope this helps and good luck

yes this can be confusing - I think what happens is, that MFP by default sets you at a level that you should eat back your exercise calories. If you are using an alternate calculation, one that goes off of total daily expenditure of calories, those calculations already figure in your activity so no need to eat them back. Personal preference. if I go with a goal of 1400-1500/day, then I'd eat them back(For me), if I went for a goal of 1700-1800 calories a day- using one of the mentioned calculations, i'd not eat them back since it's already accounted for. Anyhow, thought I'd mention that if it helps.

willot0722

Thanks, and my daily goal is 1950 but like I said, my workouts have been crazy so that ups my calorie goal. Peanut butter seems to be the way everyone says to get some calories. Those Elvis bars the second poster mentioned sound really yummy but the recipe I looked up had sooo much sugar! So I'm not sure yet, but I know I won't make the goal for today. I guess I'm just looking for some general advice since I have this problem every day.

DPernet

OK, just had a quick browse through your diary. Couple of suggestions

For breakfast, try and aim for 500-600 calories. I would go for a big bowl of oatmeal (not instant) with toppings of choice. Banana and Maple syrup is my favourite but you can pretty much add in anything you like. Try to avoid the Bacon and fried foods as much as possible. Wholegrain - low salt low sugar is the way to go here.

Have a mid morning snack between breakfast and lunch, Nuts and fruit is always a good choice or peanut butter on a wholewheat bagel. Aim for 200-300 calories or even more depending how much you need

For Lunch, again aim for 500-600 calories,

Mid afternoon snack - again 200-300 calories, Milkshake or some greek yoghurt with fruits. I like hummous with carrot sticks. Salad with eggs/avocado/prawn/cheese etc etc etc

Dinner - Mine usually come in around 800ish. Eat pretty much what you like here. Any calories left over have a nice dessert or a glass of wine or some chocolate. Treat yourself. You've earned it with all the work you've done :drinker:

willot0722

So nice, thank you!

Nikiki

Definitly work on adding more food throughout the day, try getting to 500-600 for breakfast and lunch and another 600 in snacks and that will drop dinner down, and look to add calorie dense things like nut butters, avocados, healthy oils and plenty of protein.

Must ask though: how did you arrive at such a high number??? I couldn't imagine having that as my goal every day!

hazelovesfood

I wouldnt bother with those elvis bars, coz after looking up recipe they look mega high in cals.

Nikiki

I wouldnt bother with those elvis bars, coz after looking up recipe they look mega high in cals.

That's the point! Lol

Nikiki

Also looking at your diary it looks like you're stuck (like lots of us get!!) in the "lighter is better" mindset. You could easily bump your cals by swapping out your light yogurt for regular (I love chobani and fage 2% Greek yogurt, they taste like cheesecake!) switch to 2% milk, use milk when you make your oatmeal (I use half walk water half almond milk and stir in an egg at the end) and increase your meat serving sizes, you're eating 1oz at a time and you should be doing 4-8. Good luck!'

TArnold2012

I haven't been a member long, but have read a lot of message board conversations about this. Some individuals say don't eat your exercise calories and other individuals say do eat your exercise calories. I, myself, am spiting the difference some days. If I am hungry I eat no more than half the calories back. By eating no more than half the calories back I am assured that I am not going over my calorie allotment that could be created from over estimated exercise calories. I do feel it is important to supply the body with the nutrients that is needs.

I hope this helps and good luck

yes this can be confusing - I think what happens is, that MFP by default sets you at a level that you should eat back your exercise calories. If you are using an alternate calculation, one that goes off of total daily expenditure of calories, those calculations already figure in your activity so no need to eat them back. Personal preference. if I go with a goal of 1400-1500/day, then I'd eat them back(For me), if I went for a goal of 1700-1800 calories a day- using one of the mentioned calculations, i'd not eat them back since it's already accounted for. Anyhow, thought I'd mention that if it helps.

Yes, that does make sense and help thank you.

mlb929

I read once eat breakfast like a king lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. If you have that many calories left you aren't eating enough befor that time of day. Try adding nuts or peanut butter or avocado.p, higher calories but still good for you if you are working out that much.

In looking over you exercise log are you using a heart rate monitor for calculating your calories. I only ask because the numbers look very high for burn. You may not need to eat that much. I work out very hard intense work am very fit and my hrm only has me at 400 calories for an hour on many activities. You are burning 1000 on circuit training, I ran 17 miles tha am in 3 hours faster than my training pace and still only burned 2k. I would question where you are getting those numbers.

willot0722

I read once eat breakfast like a king lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. If you have that many calories left you aren't eating enough befor that time of day. Try adding nuts or peanut butter or avocado.p, higher calories but still good for you if you are working out that much.

In looking over you exercise log are you using a heart rate monitor for calculating your calories. I only ask because the numbers look very high for burn. You may not need to eat that much. I work out very hard intense work am very fit and my hrm only has me at 400 calories for an hour on many activities. You are burning 1000 on circuit training, I ran 17 miles tha am in 3 hours faster than my training pace and still only burned 2k. I would question where you are getting those numbers.

Everyone says that...... heavier people burn more calories in less time than thin people.

willot0722

OK, just had a quick browse through your diary. Couple of suggestions

Try to avoid the Bacon and fried foods as much as possible. Wholegrain - low salt low sugar is the way to go here.

It's low sodium turkey bacon, and I microwave it. Very lean and no fried food here!

Nikiki

OK, just had a quick browse through your diary. Couple of suggestions

Try to avoid the Bacon and fried foods as much as possible. Wholegrain - low salt low sugar is the way to go here.

It's low sodium turkey bacon, and I microwave it. Very lean and no fried food here!

dont give up bacon, thats masochistic!!!

josyjozy

make sure to adjust your calorie goal every five pounds lost. I usually eat between 1600 and 1700 and it's pretty rare I feel hungry. I do breakfast, late morning snack, lunch, late afternoon snack, dinner - and occasionally I'll have fruit or yogurt desert if I have the calories to spare. I am lucky to have a job that I actually work with a dietitian twice a month (My doctor does weight management clinics) and I ran my calories past her. A few times I was only netting 1000 calories. I would consume more, but after exercise was subtracted I had 1000ish calories. She told me as long as I keep consuming, and try to keep the net at 1200 or higher. So that's what I do. I stopped logging my exercise and if I hit 1600 calories I'm good with that. I don't worry too much about my net calories because I know I've consumed healthy and adequate food. Also, if I still feel hungry at an off time, I eat something healthy and I don't worry about it because I know I have a buffer zone. I've been losing weight consistently with diet change and calorie deficit and not much exercise some days, and none at all other days. Yes I plan on increasing exercise, but I'm concentrating on stamina while it's sooo hot outside.

small_ninja

I don't see how your base goal can be set to 1,900 and you're still expected to lose weight...? If you set your activity level to active then I don't think you're expected to eat back your exercise calories if it's that particular exercise that makes you qualify as "active".
Just my $0.02

wookiemouse

If her TDEE is 2600 then 1900 will definitely have her lose weight.

Since this is a "daily event" for you, you need to plan ahead and earlier. I like to double up on things - like 2 packets of oatmeal instead of 1, toss in a chopped apple and some pecans, that gets me a 500 cal breakfast instead of 150! Make sure your morning and afternoon snacks are between 200-300 cals. And I always plug my dinner and lunch in for the day in the AM if I know it - it helps me plan easier, so that I can add a little to lunch and a little to dinner instead of a LOT to dinner alone.

Lozze

I don't see how your base goal can be set to 1,900 and you're still expected to lose weight...? If you set your activity level to active then I don't think you're expected to eat back your exercise calories if it's that particular exercise that makes you qualify as "active".
Just my $0.02

I don't know the OPs weight or how much she wants to lose but I'm guessing she is heavier. I started at 1800 and lost weight quickly. I'm currently losing weight on 1673 calories. You don't need to starve to lose weight.

small_ninja

I don't see how your base goal can be set to 1,900 and you're still expected to lose weight...? If you set your activity level to active then I don't think you're expected to eat back your exercise calories if it's that particular exercise that makes you qualify as "active".
Just my $0.02

I don't know the OPs weight or how much she wants to lose but I'm guessing she is heavier. I started at 1800 and lost weight quickly. I'm currently losing weight on 1673 calories. You don't need to starve to lose weight.

Yeah, I understand that, I was just wondering if that means she's required to eat her exercise calories back as well... 2,800 seems like an awful lot to eat whilst "dieting" is all I'm thinking.

HartJames

Your protein is way to low for the huge burns you're getting in workouts. You will lose a lot of muscle along with fat if your protein isn't up where it should be (and the goal default settings on MFP are wrong). If you can't eat enough clean food to close the gap then I would say you're working out too much. You will likely get yourself into a situation where you either stall due to overtraining or gain when you fall off the wagon due to calorie restriction. Also, wouldn't be so concerned with natural sugars from fruits and veggies as with added sugars and simple carb sugars like from potatoes.

mlb929

Everyone says that...... heavier people burn more calories in less time than thin people.

Who is everyone and where are you getting your information. This could be a major part of your problem.

jus_in_bello

I see some people who eat anything to reach their goal.. but I feel like eating junkfood is taboo.. plus I had pizza last night lol and don't want to flub today too.

Advice?

Eating pizza isn't "flubbing" and "junk" food isn't taboo. If you don't want to eat it, fine, but don't associate guilt/shame with food, it never ends well.

I used to have the problem (lots of left over calories), actually, I had an ED, and when I was in recovery I used smoothies or juice to make up the calories, it's a really easy way to pack in some guilt free calories without having to eat like a fiend.

DavPul

You can add a couple of snacks along the way. Something between b'fast and lunch and between lunch and dinner. A serving of peanuts will give you 150-200 calories.

But I have to ask about the amount of calories you're shooting for. I'm a 240 pound male, and it's a rare, rare day that MFP has my target at 2800 calories. That would be 1200 additional workout calories added to the 1590 that I get just for being so incredibly handsome.

I don't know your stats or your goals, but are you certain that 2000 calories (before exercise) is your proper target?

cordianet

Everyone says that...... heavier people burn more calories in less time than thin people.

Who is everyone and where are you getting your information. This could be a major part of your problem.

There's a ton of information on that here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_metabolic_rate
including the scientific studies the information comes from. This is pretty much accepted as fact in the physiology field that the bigger you are, the more calories you burn at rest and during exercise. Honestly, we don't need to turn to physiology to know this, however, it's physics 101. The larger the mass, the more energy it takes to move it. Think about it this way: which car burns more fuel, a tiny 2 seat model, or a huge pickup truck?

cordianet

I'm with ya today, I went into dinner 1800 calories short of goal! My thought is this: if you feel like you ate enough, you probably did and you don't always have to eat back every exercise calorie. On the other hand, if you are feeling run down, you're having issues completing your workouts, etc. then you do need to up the calories to fuel that energy burn. I don't think it's ever the right answer to overeat, just because some website tells you to.

tigersword

Well, I wish (sometimes) i had that problem. Actually, I had something similar happen - I had eaten extremely healthy food that was very filling and low cal - and had a LARGE amount of calories AFTER dinner to use up or something close to it.. I was stuffed at that point and just gave up.

That said, I honestly can't think HOW to get that amount in in one meal without having some non-uber healthy foods. You could EASILY hit it with a bacon double cheeseburger and a milkshake (probably OVER 2000 calories)... although the thought of such a thing makes me gag now. I rarely crave that stuff anymore. Pizza? Sure.. and maybe a homemade cheeseburger, but not the fast food variety.

Anyhow - I don't think you have much hope of hitting that with healthy foods(which may not be a priority for you anyhow) - you could do some milk and 4tlbspns of peanut butter on whole grain bread -- just that alone would be about 700-800 calories. Maybe do that for a snack? then you only have 1200 to worry about for dinner.

Good luck! oh, and tell me, HOW do you get to eat that many calories?!! lol. My maintenance is around 2400 give or take. I can't imagine getting to diet with 2800!! GOOD LUCK!

When you need a large quantity of calories, a bacon cheeseburger IS a healthy option. Food doesn't exist in a vacuum, nothing is inherently healthy or unhealthy on it's own, it all depends on context, dosage, and specific need.