Hard to eat *enough*?

stumblinthrulife

Am I the only one who struggles to reach even a 1280 kCal net goal?

I cut down to a very veg heavy, moderate meat, minimal processed food diet. I workout to the tune of about 300 extra calories a day, cardio MWF, weights TThSa, rest on Sunday. I am otherwise sedentary during the week (desk job). I have two light lunches a day, oatmeal for breakfast, and a family dinner in the evening. If I don't snack, I find that I end the day on about 1000 net calories. Quite often MFP will berate me for not eating enough. But I'm not really hungry, I find the veges very filling.

Nice problem to have, I guess, but I wonder what's going to happen when I reach my target fat-loss and perhaps want to put on some muscle.

EvanKeel

Given your workouts, that does seem like quite a deficit.

I kind of have the opposite problem. Veggies fill me up...for about 30 minutes. Of course I have the same problem with protein and fats so I can't really blame veggies.

You could try munching on some almonds if it'a concern for you.

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

What were you eating before? Add in a few of those foods.

cwolfman13

Just throw in some calorie dense foods that are also healthy if you're trying to eat cleaner. Half of a large avocado has about 115 calories, good heart healthy fats, protein, and other nutrients. A mere ounce of "naked" almonds (i.e. just plain old almonds) has about 160 calories and they're very good for you. The list goes on and on. If you're trying to eat cleaner, you need to learn which natural whole foods have some calories in them...veggies are great, but you have to have more than vegies to meet your calorie goals and get a balanced level of macronutrients.

Also, if you're wanting to add any muscle whatsoever...or just preserve what lean muscle that you have, you need protein. You say you cut back on meat..why...meat isn't inherently bad for you so long as you aren't going crazy with the saturated fats. Get more lean poultry and fish and eat red meat once or twice per week..perfectly healthy.

Firefox7275

Try eating five to six meals a day and structuring each so you get enough calories and nutrients - vegetables are fantastic but they don't supply all the minerals your body needs. Higher calorie produce includes avocado, olives and block creamed or unsweetened dessicated coconut. Better still add a serving of nuts or seeds to several meals and eat way more very oily fish like mackerel and sardines.

Hunger is not an advance warning it is meal time, it is a sign you are failing to give your body what it needs.

AyaKara

Eat something full of calories! A spoonful of peanut butter or a handful of nuts will do the trick. Or, just eat more servings of what you're eating.