I'm having problems upping my calories.

AbbyCar

When I started NROL4W, I decided to up my calories a bit. I wasn't losing anything doing 1200 calories a day, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I did not realize how difficult this would be for me! I find myself logging my calories in the evening and still having over 500 calories left a lot of times. I'm trying to eat somewhat clean, so I don't want to fill myself up with junk. Any advice or words of encouragement?

I'm getting very frustrated. I have 30-40 pounds to lose and it's just not budging, nor have my measurements changed. I just don't get how some people can cut their calories and add a few walks into their day and just whittle away the weight! Why does it seem so complicated for me!

ebaymommy

You can totally add more calories without adding more bulk (lots of extra food) if you want. Add 1T of peanut butter, a serving of almonds and 1T of olive oil to your day and there's 350+ extra calories right there and there's no way you can say "Oh, it's too much food to eat." Plus just taking a quick peek at your diary, looks like you could use some good fats in your diet. Cook up your chicken breast in the olive oil is an easy way to add that....or make a homemade oil based salad dressing. Peanut butter - spread it on apples, celery, toast or just spoon it out of the jar. LOL! I love almonds as a snack...they're one of my top "on the go" snacks, I portion them out in a snack-size sandwich back and toss it in my purse to munch on while I'm out & about.

Other high calorie, good fats you could incorporate would be real butter, chia seeds, flax seeds, avocados and other nuts or seeds. I like to toss some roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) or sunflower seeds on my salads. Have a square of dark chocolate for a sweet treat. Have you ever tried hummus? I love dipping my raw veggies in it...yummy!

Hope this helps a bit. Eating more is fun...and one of my favorite things to do.

melissaw1232

Thanks Ebay! all good advice that I could use too

AbbyCar

Ebay, can I add you as a friend? I just took a peek at your diary and was so encouraged to see lots of "real" food!

ebaymommy

You bet. I like to eat although I'm a fairly boring (or to be nicer, routine-oriented) person so if you've looked at a weeks worth of my food diary you've pretty much seen it all....I tend to eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch and snacks most days and rotate through maybe 5-7 different dinners.

My diary is a little nuts these days....most of the time I'm eating slightly lower calories (for me the 1700-1900 range is cutting) and trying to keep 40/30/30 ratios but I'm running a marathon with my mom next month and although I'm not training hard for it (I ran a marathon in June and am hoping that I've maintained endurance from that) I am doing one long run (15-20 miles) each weekend so I will have one day of higher calories and higher carbs to offset what I'm burning on those days.

holleysings

When I started NROL4W, I decided to up my calories a bit. I wasn't losing anything doing 1200 calories a day, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I did not realize how difficult this would be for me! I find myself logging my calories in the evening and still having over 500 calories left a lot of times. I'm trying to eat somewhat clean, so I don't want to fill myself up with junk. Any advice or words of encouragement?

I'm getting very frustrated. I have 30-40 pounds to lose and it's just not budging, nor have my measurements changed. I just don't get how some people can cut their calories and add a few walks into their day and just whittle away the weight! Why does it seem so complicated for me!

You need to be logging throughout the day or log at night for the next day until you get the swing of it. There is no reason that you can't figure this out! I eat fairly clean and have no problem getting in 2200-2400 calories every day. Peanut butter, avocados, maple syrup, honey, and whole grains helped me out! (I eat mostly vegan, except for bacon sometimes.) You're welcome to friend me if you want to see exactly what I'm eating! :drinker:

Your body is probably adjusting to the new program. Don't worry! I haven't lost any weight in three months since I'm eating at maintenance, but I lost a whole dress size just doing NROL4W and EATING. Give your body a chance to settle in.

BarbellCowgirl

Ditto what the others said. Yogurts, nuts, eggs, etc. all have good protein and fats. I don't really eat clean by most people's standards, but I avoid "junk" for the most part. Feel free to add me.
I also have 30-40 lbs to lose. I'm finding that the changes are sooo small that I don't notice unless I look at where I started. Did you take pics? Sometimes a picture is more telling than anything.