Having a hard time reaching my calorie goal?

Voca_Star

I can't workout that little. I don't feel right if I exercise less than 6 days a week.

merimeaux

I'm sorry, this may seem like a weird question, but....is that picture on your weight loss ticker a Cloud Strife cosplay?? :O

haha, that's what I was wondering, Miss Vocaloid

Voca_Star

It sure looks like it! xD

simplynaturalfarm

I should have mentioned that I work on a farm with very active lifestyle and am nursing a baby - if I eat 2200 normally I would gain a LOT of weight. Have you tried doing more like 1800? Also, if I eat lots of sugar. . even if I'm eating the same amount calorie wise I gain weight, feel like crap and it doesn't look so good. I would disagree with somebody saying you need 2200 and you filling that with lots of sugary snacks that get you there. I can get there with avacado, dairy etc.

Voca_Star

I just don't know what the heck to do anymore. Besides lame fad diets, I've tried everything. BESIDES eating above1700 calories.

Voca_Star

I'm pretty active, too. Exercising, playing WII, walking around in my backyard, doing an hour or so of cleaning every day.

Helloitsdan

I'm sorry, this may seem like a weird question, but....is that picture on your weight loss ticker a Cloud Strife cosplay?? :O

Yes.

As for weight loss heres the deal.

You are set to 2k for a reason.
It covers your activity.
If you eat 1500 on rest days you wont be covering the nutrients you need while cutting.
Heres an explanation from another thread I used....

<snip>

he trouble with new ppl and mfp is simple.
They don't tread stickies.
They set themselves up for unrealistic goals.
They setup the program incorrectly.

Mfp and my method are very alike.
Both use a form a cyclical dieting so one would have to understand how this works.

My method has you eating below TDEE 20-30% to lose fat.
So a regular week with 3 days working out using my cals as an example...

Sun rest 2k
Monday lift 2k-300=1700
Tuesday rest 2k
Weds lift 2k-300=1700
Thursday rest 2k
Friday lift 2k-300=1700
Sat rest 2k

Mfp method of eating back cals.

Sunday rest 1700
Monday lift 1700+300=2k
Tuesday rest 1700
Weds lift 1700+300=2k
Thursday rest 1700
Friday lift 1700+ 300=2k
Saturday rest 1700

It's a difference of 300 cals between the 2 methods.


I'll lose just about the same amount.

My method takes the stress out of worrying about eating back cals.
The end result is the same.
<snip>

Soes this make sense?

And didnt we just set up your numbers?
If you are just getting started then ease into the calories.
Youll get used to the volume!

Voca_Star

So 2000 does sound about right then? My TDEE is about 2500 calories.....I exercise 5 days a week.

BeantownSooner

My gut feeling is that I think you may be eating too much. As I mentioned, I'm a 210 lb male and we eat the same amount of calories and we're burning the same amount as well (I am doing Insanity now). I've never had luck doing the TDEE method nor the MFP method of eating back all calories. I've only had luck when I eat back some of the exercise calories but my rule of thumbs is always....If I'm hungry eat, if not don't.

Here's what I would recommend that you do:

- Track the sodium vs. saturated fat. It's pretty hard to stay under the 2500 limit MFP uses as a default but do your best. The better you are the more results you will see if you can moderate your sodium intake. If not, drink tons of water (which you should be doing anyway).

- I would ignore the TDEE stuff for the time being and go back to the MFP method. However, in your goals change the activity level to Sedentary, goal to lose 1lb per week and save.

- I would then go back into your goals and change Macro nutrient levels to something more balanced. When you're trying to lose weight carbs can be a challenge for some people. I'm not saying go "no or low carb" but use something like 40% Carbs/40% Protein/20% Fat or 40%/30%/30%. It should eliminate those red negative numbers on your diary in most cases. You do this by going to your home screen, then Goals on the blue bar at the top. Do Custom and change the Macro %'s and Save Changes.

- Keep doing what you're doing food wise as it appears your making good choices

- I am guessing this will give you a 1200 calorie target. Continue with your exercise, log it and do one of two things. Bounce your calorie intake so that one day you eat the exercise and the next day you don't. Keep that within reason however and if you're hungry, eat. Or, and this is what I would do, eat back about half the calories on a daily basis.

- Lastly, to make ultra-sure that your numbers are very accurate are you using a heart rate monitor with chest strap to monitor your calorie burn? The MFP database can be off quite a bit so if you're not burning what you're entering you could be consuming more than you really need to be.


I hope that helps. Again, that's what works for me and we're all different. But you're searching to alternative so perhaps this approach might work out for you. Regardless, keep at it!

Helloitsdan

i wish my calories intake can be that high. So what is your goal exactly besides reaching your caloric maintenance???

Most men on my numbers eat between 2k and 3600 and lose fat.
If that pic on your avatar is you then you would already know that.

kmhenry84

It looks like a large part of your frustration is not losing weight after a month. I know that when you see people who lose 15 or 20 lbs in the first month, its discouraging when you're not.

That being said.. you are 140 lbs, so it is going to be harder for you to lose a sizeable amount of weight versus someone who starts off at say, 200.

2000 calories DOES seem a bit high, as others have said. I'm also 5'3, and my goal is around 1200. ( I change it depending on what my work day looks like)

i would say try the 1400 calorie range, but stick with it a bit longer. Especially since you said you're having a rough time reaching the 2000 mark.

Just remember its not a race, and because you're starting off smaller, it will be slower to come off. But the slow and steady wins the race!

Don't think about what you'll look like next month, think about what you'll look like next year if you keep it up :-)

Helloitsdan

So 2000 does sound about right then? My TDEE is about 2500 calories.....I exercise 5 days a week.

Yep!

Perfect!

Helloitsdan

It looks like a large part of your frustration is not losing weight after a month. I know that when you see people who lose 15 or 20 lbs in the first month, its discouraging when you're not.

That being said.. you are 140 lbs, so it is going to be harder for you to lose a sizeable amount of weight versus someone who starts off at say, 200.

2000 calories DOES seem a bit high, as others have said. I'm also 5'3, and my goal is around 1200. ( I change it depending on what my work day looks like)

i would say try the 1400 calorie range, but stick with it a bit longer. Especially since you said you're having a rough time reaching the 2000 mark.

Just remember its not a race, and because you're starting off smaller, it will be slower to come off. But the slow and steady wins the race!

Don't think about what you'll look like next month, think about what you'll look like next year if you keep it up :-)

shes almost to the end of her weight loss journey.
Cutting too low will eat into her lean mass.
Thats why the moderate to low cut is better.
If shes burning 2500 daily and cuts 20% off, she will be cutting about 1lb of fat a week.
She will maintain lean mass if she does the slightest body weight work or lifting.

1200?
1200 is for people who are obese.
She isnt obese shes overweight.
Physiologically iots different.

funkyspunky872

Haha, I've never seen people say to not eat more around here! :P

I think it's great that you're giving the whole 'eat more to weigh less' thing a try. I've had the very same issues of not losing any weight despite 500, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, etc. calories a day. I'm trying out 1830 now based on the Scooby's Calculator.

Tips for getting your cals up: guacamole or avocados, milk with dinner instead of water, protein shakes or bars, eggs, full fat and calorie cheeses, condiments, and dressings, nuts, dried fruits, high-quality whole wheat bread, cottage cheese, and that occasional treat! I had a package of chocolate fudge poptarts because I was having trouble getting above 1200 calories -- that was 400 in just two yummy pastries. Good luck!

melodyg

No idea on whether your calorie settings are correct (though I will say that I weigh almost 100 more than you and have settings at just over 2000 to lose 2 pounds a week -- I just started though so I am not convinced it will work!)

To answer your original question... I was able to bump up calories by 300-400/day by adding in more nuts and seeds... but then you have to watch the fat! I am about where you are -- I can get in 1700-1800 by working at it, but I can't figure out how to get up to 2000 without going over on fat and sodium. You are welcome to look at my food diary and see if it gives you any ideas (with the warning that last week was vacation and not at all the norm).

1Kristine1

Your BMR is around 1470. Maybe try eating at 1600 then eat back only some of your exercise cals?

I dont really know what else to say.

Voca_Star

People aren't listening - I've already TRIED all of this (
I've tried eating anywhere from 600 calories to 1700. Cutting back on exercise, strictly eating nothing BUT fruits and vegetables (literally), doing two hours of exercise a day. EVERYTHING. I've tried it all. Most of it was too extreme, but even stuff I COULD stick to for MONTHS didn't do any good! (

smokinjackd

Hey there, after tracking your diary back to its start I think it's quite evident why you are not losing weight. I'm a 6'1" man and my caloric intake on MFP is only 1460 calories a day on a sedentary day. I have a fitbit that automatically adjusts my calorie requirements depending on my activity level on that day, but you can do the same thing manually if you are honest about the amount of exertion and length of time of your exercise.
But here's the real problem, ready...I'm going to be blunt.
You are eating way too many high sugar, high fat foods, and just estimating from the products you have put down your daily sodium intake is probably quite high.
Grapes, citrus, strawberries, in fact most fruits, are all high sugar. If you were to substitute broccoli, cauliflower, celery, legumes ( not beans in sugar sauce), and other fibrous, hard to digest vegetables for some of the other foodstuffs you are eating I'm pretty sure you'd see the difference fairly quickly.
Maybe check out some food diaries of people who are successfully losing on MFP and compare them to your daily log to get ideas how to tweak your menu.
Here's a start, Almond butter for peanut butter, it's sweet and good for you without all that sugar added.
Anyway, keep in there, don't starve yourself, use the MFP reccomendations, they work.
Cheers

Voca_Star

I'm not expecting to lose more than 3 - 5 pounds per month, at best.

My goal on MFP without exercise is 1500 because I am FAR from sedentary. I exercise about 40 - 60 minutes a day, I play on my WII, I walk in my backyard, I clean for an hour every day (sometimes longer) - I'm just an overall pretty active person. That brings my TDEE up to about 2500 calories according to THREE sites I was on.

mgobluetx12

This might be a good post to read: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/715411-you-are-not-different

Voca_Star

I'm trying to eat food I ENJOY so it's easier to stick to. I hate celery, broccoli, legumes, and especially almond butter.
I already force myself to choke down vegetables every day. Childish as it sounds, I hate vegetables. And grapes and strawberries are the only fruits I really enjoy.....>__<

Plus, what I can eat IS limited by what my mother is willing to buy for me, seeing as I have no money myself.

Voca_Star

Why? I never said I was different? Did I? :O

I just know what works for my body, I've tried 1200 calories for months and it didn't do any good. If that's what this is about....

Voca_Star

Thank you - So is it alright if sometimes i have a little treat to help me get that many calories? Does my diet look too bad in your opinion???

Voca_Star

I try not to eat dressings cause of the fat, but I guess it's no different than peanut butter. I may ask for reduced fat peanut butter next time I go shopping. I already eat almonds, but nuts are so expensive that I can't ask for too many!

Voca_Star

I've already done that, thanks though.

Voca_Star

I have it set to lose 1 pound a week.

Thanks for the suggestions

merimeaux

I try not to eat dressings cause of the fat, but I guess it's no different than peanut butter. I may ask for reduced fat peanut butter next time I go shopping. I already eat almonds, but nuts are so expensive that I can't ask for too many!

I'd stay away from the reduced fat peanut butter...yeah, it DOES have less fat, BUT it has a lot of unnecessary chemicals in it to make it that way. Can't go wrong with just a natural-style peanut butter...one with just peanuts and salt, or something to that effect I'm with you though--I love my nut butters, and I don't think I could give them up!

...and if you can convince your parents to splurge a little on a treat, check out PB2 powdered peanut butter on amazon. It's ~$5 a jar or so but it contains 85% less fat and calories than normal peanut butter (per serving--2 tbsp--it's 45 calories, 1.5g total fat, and 5g protein!) Not everyone likes the taste of PB2 (I love it--I put it in my protein drinks), but it's worth a shot if you're a fan of peanuts!

smokinjackd

Ummmmmm, you kinda answered your own question by your reply there.

Voca_Star

What? o-o?

Helloitsdan

Eat whatever fits your macros.

Protein and fat 30% each.