(rant) "Help, I can't eat enough calories!"

Sweet_Potato

Honestly, I've noticed that a lot of overweight people just aren't that enthusiastic about food. They often have a narrow range of foods that they like (usually the worst possible ones for you) and just want to eat whatever's convenient without really appreciating it. I think it's pretty easy to stay slim if you're passionate about food and seek out quality food items, provided that you exercise portion control.

bcattoes

I think it's often people thinking fat and carbs are bad and eating mostly plain vegetables and fruit is "healthy". It's hard to get enough calories just from boiled chicken and vegetables. It's also pretty unsatisfying to eat that way.

corneredbycorn

I think the problem is that a lot of people went from stuff like fast food and preprepared box meals to fresh food. A lot of them also start avoiding fat like the plague. They may go from a cheeseburger and fries for dinner to a salad with grilled chicken breast and fat free dressing. That could easily be a 500 calorie drop from the norm. They're full, but they are now short on calories and don't know how to make it up.

sarahmartin2013

You can rant all you want....But I am having a hell of a time consuming 2100 calories a day and I have 16 lbs. to lose.....If you don't get it...I do.....ITS CALLED QUALITY FOOD....So instead of have a bowl of Fruit Loops (or whatever) for breakfast I now eat 6 egg whites with a piece of swiss cheese, a slice of dry toast, 1 tbls of salsa and a fruit smoothie totalling 429 calories in all. I burn damn near 3000 calories a day according to my fitbit. So...yes...its the quality of food that makes it difficult to adjust. We are here to help one another....not rant and complain that you see to many posts with people trying to help one another.

Amen Brother. :glasses:

^this..

witeowl

First, this is all opinion based on my past weight loss successes. Since those successes wasn't permanent, for reasons still unknown, feel free to liberally takes grains of salt with this.

So, I agree with much of what you (the OP) said. I'll also add/reiterate that there's often a certain kind of feeling of power that comes from denying oneself of food and/or "naughty" food. I think that some (SOME!) people become obsessed with or addicted to that feeling the same way they were "addicted" to overeating. Worse, I think that this sort of obsessiveness is what leads to people cheating, feeling bad, and then throwing it all in.

If you're not hitting your calories, then it's perfectly okay to bring back in a few of those treats you loved before this weight-loss journey. Have a bowl of ice cream at the end of the day. Remember that fat isn't the devil. Add a cookie to your lunch. Stop thinking of those high-calorie foods as "cheating"; they're just treats for a job well done. Just remember to maintain balance.

It's all about balance.

emmymcq

You can rant all you want....But I am having a hell of a time consuming 2100 calories a day and I have 16 lbs. to lose.....If you don't get it...I do.....ITS CALLED QUALITY FOOD....So instead of have a bowl of Fruit Loops (or whatever) for breakfast I now eat 6 egg whites with a piece of swiss cheese, a slice of dry toast, 1 tbls of salsa and a fruit smoothie totalling 429 calories in all. I burn damn near 3000 calories a day according to my fitbit. So...yes...its the quality of food that makes it difficult to adjust. We are here to help one another....not rant and complain that you see to many posts with people trying to help one another.

Amen Brother. :glasses:

^^THIS^^

cwolfman13

You can rant all you want....But I am having a hell of a time consuming 2100 calories a day and I have 16 lbs. to lose.....If you don't get it...I do.....ITS CALLED QUALITY FOOD....So instead of have a bowl of Fruit Loops (or whatever) for breakfast I now eat 6 egg whites with a piece of swiss cheese, a slice of dry toast, 1 tbls of salsa and a fruit smoothie totalling 429 calories in all. I burn damn near 3000 calories a day according to my fitbit. So...yes...its the quality of food that makes it difficult to adjust. We are here to help one another....not rant and complain that you see to many posts with people trying to help one another.

Amen Brother. :glasses:

Your assumptions are flawed. You are associating calorie dense foods with "junk" food...there are numerous calorie dense foods that are full of quality nutrition. For starters, eat the whole egg, not just the white...egg yolks are very nutritious and full of vitamins and minerals, as well as heart healthy fats and omega 3s. If you're worried about cholesterol, realize that dietary cholesterol has virtually no impact on blood level cholesterol...our livers make far more cholesterol than we could ever consume.

Nuts have awesome nutritional value and are calorie dense...so are avocados. Cook with a bit of olive oil...again, good omega 3 fats and other heart healthy fats and they give you a big calorie boost. Instead of steaming your veggies all the time, roast them or saute them in some olive oil. The list goes on and on.

onyxgirl17

I think it's a problem with getting enough of the "right" calories. I would be complaining too if all I ate was grilled chicken and broccoli

gfedex

I see both sides to this- mostly because on days where I exercise (read: most days) I'm usually way under what MFP says I should be eating. That said, on days when I do eat more (like yesterday's EAT ALL THE FOOD evening) I don't worry about it. It also helps not to take what an online calculator says as gospel.

It's not that I *can't* eat an extra 700 calories- it's not like I'm wearing a Bane mask or something. It's just that many of the foods I eat- fruits, veggies, lean meats, eggs (yes, with the yolk) and other Primal-friendly choices tend to be lower in calories. I also have a severe nut allergy, so it's not like I can just scarf some peanut butter on celery.

Like I said, though, it's not some great mystery. If I start feeling ill effects, I'll eat more.

tpfoodie

Look - every struggle is highly individual. I see no point in ranting about somebody else's struggle.

I've always eaten rather small meals. I don't like a lot of food at one time, period. My problem was snacking all afternoon every afternoon, little bits of food about half an hour apart - a pinch of this, a swallow of that, a bit of this other thing, etc. I had to get rid of that snacking habit, and when I did, I found that my meals added up to about 1100 calories. So yes - I've had a problem getting up to an appropriate calorie count. What does that have to do with you? Nothing!

This. There's a difference between packing in the calories before a lifestyle change, and getting enough after beginning that journey. I struggle to eat my TDEE -20%, because when I eat quality food I'm not hungry enough to eat all of those calories. But my body still needs them.

Sorry if you're struggling with your calories, but you shouldn't be rude to others who are doing the best they can to make positive changes. Yes, I could eat fast food every day and probably hit my calorie mark. But I don't want to do that.

People use these boards as a tool, and to ask for advice. If you don't like it, stop reading it.

CollegiateGrief

To OP: :flowerforyou: :drinker:

Tootce01

I can help you to understand.....maybe

When I wasn't tracking I was eating Bullisht! I could down a McDonalds breakfast of 700+ calories easily.....Then I could eat some Doritios on the fly and get a large latte at Starbucks- easy. Not tracking. Not trying to be healthy. Didn't care.

Now I'm having egg white scramble, with spinach and a slice of whole wheat bread and carrots on the fly- with more water than ever. Tracking. Caring and Trying to be healthy.

I think it's a very realistic concern for people who have truly changed the way they eat for good and are trying to lose and I understand.
There are a lot of things that I have "eliminated" or cut down drastically from my diet until I'm in maintain mode, I have 15 more pounds to lose so it's been very difficult for me to make my 1500 when I'm being very cautious of what I'm putting in my body.

I think you should always 'release' and 'rant" when needed, as to not hold it in and be stressed but I don't think you should judge and assume that everything should be easy for all people. I don't think the majority of people are lying just to hear someone tell them to eat more. It's very complex to some people and overall I think thoughfulness and empathy can help people become healthier opposed to ranting.

One other thing that may help is just not to read the posts that say "Help, I can't eat enough calories"
Just a thought :flowerforyou:

This!!

MBCook2

I hear ya!

The ones that get me are the ones that are on 1200 cals a day or less and can't get enough cals in. Really?! If I'm not careful I can eat 1200 in one meal!


But that's just me....

TOTALLY agree!!!!

Pixi_Rex

OP you're mean I don't like you.








Not true, I don't think your mean at all. I really don't get it either, honestly I have a hard time NOT going over my calorie goal, and thats eating actual real food.

5ftnFun

People know how to eat more calories, but may struggle on how to do it in a balanced way, e.g. more fruit? protein? carbs? treats?
That's how I read those threads anyway.

Must be tough for experts like the OP to tolerate the ignorant masses.

Catlady87

Like others have said a lot of it is that people have gone from eating rubbish, junk food (pizza, burgers, lots of chocolates, takeaways etc) to eating fresh, healthy home cooked food. This sort of food will fill you up more and for longer than say a McDonalds.
Speaking from personal experience I may miss some of my calories because I try not to overload in the morning and lunch in case I go over in the evening. There's a big fear of going over you limit, especially at the start of a lifestyle change (I don't believe this is a diet).
Anyway those are my 2 cents. And if I'm under on a couple of days I'll balance it out somewhere in the week.
Oh, last thing, I'm not going to shovel junk food and crap into my body just for the sake of hitting my limit. That how I got overweight in the first place and I'm not going back. I think it's a good thing people are at least thinking about what they intend to eat.

CharRicho

Everyone has their own struggles in this process, and people are here to ask for help with them.

Who are you to tell other people what struggles they SHOULD or SHOULDN'T have?!

How about being supportive???

dawnj87

I have to say that once you Relearn how to eat it can be a struggle to actually eat the amounts you need too. Being a former "fast food addict", I have eaten two to three times a day out of fast food places. Now I actually plan meals with snacks to try and stay within a 1200 calorie limit. At times it is hard but I am doing well and only look forward to more success.

Ed98043

I believe what the OP was ranting about was the endless string of people who just "can't figure out" how to get more calories on the board. After about the tenth post in a week isn't anyone else tempted to just say: Food. Mouth. Swallow?