Can't seem to consume enough to meet 1200 calories... Help!

swagnificent3

Eat a handful of nuts (unsalted) or peanuts and or peanut butter is good and will boost your calories.

Trilby16

I'm finding it very difficult to reach 1200 calories a day (and I feel like I'm eating a lot!) Any suggestions?

Today I had:
Breakfast:
2 hard boiled eggs (130 calories)

Lunch:
1 slice of Domino's Hawaiian pizza (280 calories)
2 cups romaine lettuce (15 calories)
1 tbsp Caesar dressing (40 calories)
Parmesan cheese 1 tsp (20 calories)

Dinner:
2 cups romaine lettuce (15 calories)
1 tbsp Caesar dressing (40 calories)
Parmesan cheese 1 tsp (20 calories)
Diced grilled chicken breast (100 calories)
Diet Pepsi (0 calories)

Snack:
1 medium banana (84 calories)

Other:
10 calories from crystal light
8 cups of water

The dinner salad was to help consume more calories but I wasn't hungry. I have 463 calories remaining. Help?! As it stands currently, I feel like I am having to force myself to eat more often... and that's rare for me. My diet had been piss-poor, I won't lie, and my calorie intake was probably massive. I would eat once a day and maybe munch on a few things here and there. Perhaps my body is just trying to adjust to 3 meals+ a snack?

Any food recommendations would be fantastic. It isn't healthy to eat less than 1200, and it shouldn't be a struggle to hit that! I am just over paranoid and want to make healthy decisions. I obviously want to lose weight, but I want to do it in such a way that it's 1) healthy, 2) safe, and 3) something I can sustain long-term. There's no need to drop a ton of weight without being able to maintain it once it's gone!

Are you kidding me? NUTELLA!!!!!!!

dixiewhiskey

What is your goal? To lose fat?

If so.. eat some greek yogurt (easy 160 cals for 3/4 cup!), more of lean meats like chicken,/fish/turkey, beans, brown stuff (brown rice, multigrain breads, etc), vegetables (celery, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc,) whey protein, homemade smoothies, almonds, avocado, etc,. Pasta with high fibre and protein is OK too.

I know people are saying eat Nutella and a lot of other nonsense but if your goal is to lose fat, you will not help your efforts by filling your belly with sugar, salt and white starchy carbs!! There are a lot of ways to get calories in and meeting your goals without starving or sabotaging them!

366to266

I can't help thinking this thread is some kind of joke. Is it April Fool's Day?

Swapping Diet Coke for real Coke, or a glass of juice or a pint of milk would add calories.

But this cannot be serious

funhouse77

OMG Girl eat!!! You are trying to lose weight, right? So you are currently overweight, right? So you've been more than capable of eating waaaaaaaay more than 1200 calories before (at least double to put on weight).

Get yourself out of the 'I can't eat that' mindset. You can eat anything you want as long as you count the calories in.

Whats your favourite food? Pizza? Have a slice, Ice Cream? Have a scoop. Don't deprive yourself, have your favourite foods, just learn how to have them in a healthier way.

2EggsSeparated

For the love of God people just eat a damn sandwich! It's really not that hard. I highly doubt cups of salad dashed with parmasen cheese and a bit of chicken is filling. If that's too hard get the dang peanut butter out

Yeah, no kidding. If, and I mean *IF* I ever manage to not eat all my calories for the day, you can bet you'll find me sitting on the couch with a spoon a peanut butter jar.

rivphoenix

I do not understand how adding high fat foods works...I am reaching the fat% too easily..but have actually stopped eating all the nuts and nut butters...stop using coconut oil...how can one incorporate so much fat and still not go over the fat limit? I am missing the protein %...but other than eating chicken, meats, eggs and protein drinks, I can not figure out what foods are high in protein but not fat. I can not eat 3 egg whites and 1 yolk. The only way I will get that egg down is with the yolk. Which brings on the fat again! See the cycle here?

Your body needs fat. It provides the essential fatty acids that your body cannot produce itself, which are used to control inflammation, blood clotting, and promote brain development. It also helps lubricates your joints and increases the amount of absorption of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Plus if you need to hit a calorie goal, it provides double the amount of calories per gram than carbs or protein

Thanks for the reply...but what I am saying is that I am overstepping the fat intake daily and not reaching the calories. What foods can I eat that have calories, yet not so much fat? I have no problem finding healthly foods with fat. I understand that fats have 9 cal...that is the problem. If I am under in Protein and carbs. I just do not know how to get those without fat or sugars being involved. I would have no problem filling up my remaining 350 cal tonight with nuts and the like...but I have already hit 50% fat today and still have those calories left. It is already 7 pm and I will not be eating anything else today.

PHr34k0wt

I have the same issue too. Most days I'm around 800 calories, not including exorcize. People keep telling me to munch on peanut butter as snack. Mmm

babyblooz

I hope you're happy... my eyes are now permanently stuck in this rolled back position.

katejkelley

Try adding some grains and legumes to your diet. They are great protein and fiber sources - very healthy. My favorite is quinoa, but other good ones are barley, risotto, black beans, white beans (all kinds), wild rice ... I could go on and on.

whierd

After reading this post, I think I may go have a 1200 calorie breakfast.

SadKitty27

I see a ton of people suggesting peanut butter, but personally I love using MAYO (Duke's mayo is awesome b/c it has no sugar in it.) olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil or heavy whipping cream to bridge the gap calorie wise.

None of it is high in sugar or carbs

jesz124

I do not understand how adding high fat foods works...I am reaching the fat% too easily..but have actually stopped eating all the nuts and nut butters...stop using coconut oil...how can one incorporate so much fat and still not go over the fat limit? I am missing the protein %...but other than eating chicken, meats, eggs and protein drinks, I can not figure out what foods are high in protein but not fat. I can not eat 3 egg whites and 1 yolk. The only way I will get that egg down is with the yolk. Which brings on the fat again! See the cycle here?

Your body needs fat. It provides the essential fatty acids that your body cannot produce itself, which are used to control inflammation, blood clotting, and promote brain development. It also helps lubricates your joints and increases the amount of absorption of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Plus if you need to hit a calorie goal, it provides double the amount of calories per gram than carbs or protein

Thanks for the reply...but what I am saying is that I am overstepping the fat intake daily and not reaching the calories. What foods can I eat that have calories, yet not so much fat? I have no problem finding healthly foods with fat. I understand that fats have 9 cal...that is the problem. If I am under in Protein and carbs. I just do not know how to get those without fat or sugars being involved. I would have no problem filling up my remaining 350 cal tonight with nuts and the like...but I have already hit 50% fat today and still have those calories left. It is already 7 pm and I will not be eating anything else today.

Fat is not your enemy. Excess calories make you fat, not excess fat. It doesn't matter where you get your calories from, if you eat above maintenance (which you have no chance at 1200) you will gain, regardless if they are made up from fats, carbs, proteins, dust, clouds whatev's.

exile40

1 word

Nuts (non salted )

jesz124

After reading this post, I think I may go have a 1200 calorie breakfast.

Agreed. Just reading this thread makes me want to go and eat. :sad:

bubbinsnik

Eat more. Have a little of what you fancy. Double the size of your salad. You are making good choices, just choose to have more as well.
As long as you are hitting or just below calories and macros each day then you're on the right track.

michelle7673

No reason in the world to give up eating Mexican food. One thing we do a LOT at my house is "chicken bowls", which we usually make from shredded-up rotisserie chicken, though sometimes we broil boneless skinless breasts to do it.
We used to crunch up baked corn chips as a base, but now I use about a cup and a half of sliced bell peppers and onions. Add some black beans or kidney beans, then the chicken. Pour in some canned enchilada sauce (which is very low in calories), and microwave for a couple of minutes. Then pull it out, put some low fat cheddar on top, and nuke another minute. Add salsa, guacamole or light sour cream, as you like and as your macros/calories may indicate. You can vary the other proportions of ingredients to do the same. That's one of the reasons it makes a good dinner, because it's adjustable. If I have a lot of carbs left, I will sometimes do a cup of brown rice.

And everyone, I think there's a reason we see these posts. My guess is that starting on a new plan and worrying that it won't work makes people scared to eat too much, and it does take a while to prepare, and to eat, 1200 calories of healthier food. I know that it also takes 15 (20?) minutes to start registering that you're full, so eating less calorie-dense things would affect that too.

I don't think the answer is to advocate highly caloric foods to OP, but to give examples of some more substantial food for meals that is sustainable. Because I think all of the other dynamics I mentioned do eventually wear off.

Katieloula

Wow some people have been really needlessly mean here! The OP asked for help not to be patronised - this is what I mean about all the hostility on here lately. These types of replies are discouraging members from posting in the first place! Get some perspective - if you haven't got anything nice to say...

Advice can be candid without sounding condescending.

Also, not everyone likes Peanut Butter. You couldn't pay me to eat the disgusting stuff.

Graelwyn75

6-7 oz of greek yoghurt, 1 oz of oats, 1 oz milled flax, mashed banana, some agave nectar, stevia or honey and some berries. Leave in the fridge for a while to thicken = a relatively healthy 500 or so calorie dessert. Sorted.