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

CoraGregoryCPA

It would be alot easier to share your diary rather than typing all of that out.

Serah87

You didn't get over weight by eating less calories!!! Like everyone says, eat, 2 table spoons of peanut butter is almost 200 calories!!! :frown:

djfriedman81

Protein shake if you cant eat it drink it...plus you have way too few g of protein...make a smoothie in morning real east to take with you and starts the day off with 400+ calories plus eggs for morning snack and you're already halfway there

jennybean1985

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the suggestions!

I am not a big salad fan, but when you really only enjoy pasta, breads and lots of mexican food, there isn't much room to consume all of that.

Someone commented on 1-2 tbsp being low for 2 cups of salad.... I was actually really shocked at how much it actually covered. I was quite satisfied. Normally I would drench my salad, but it was cool seeing that it wasn't necessary.

I find that nuts make my face break out (maybe I'm crazy and there is no correlation, but it sure seems that way).

I'm only 3 days into this whole process.... and I want to start on the right foot. I've never been a beacon of healthy and never made really good food choices, either.

sarahmarc

Milk, Greek yogurt, nuts, seeds, pita and hummus, ,tuna, carbs with eggs in morning, protein shakes as snacks. Creep others food journals for ideas... Mine is open

MorgueBabe

Yeah that dressing doesn't seem like enough at all for that salad! Add more.


Here's an example of a salad I had last week.
Trader Joe's - Organic Heart of Romaine Lettuce, 1 heart
Vegetable - Red Bell Pepper, 0.5 pepper
Broccoli - Raw, 1 stalk
Organics - Black Beans, 0.75 container (1 4/5 c (130g) ea.)
Cabbage - Red, raw, 0.25 cup, chopped
Generic - Today's Harvest Sweet Yellow Corn Frozen, 0.25 cup
Generic - Quorn Naked Chik'n Cutlet, 1 cutlet
My Salad Dressing, 1 serving
Generic - Raw Grape Tomatoes - 3, 9 tomatoes

583 calories.

JamesChargerWolf

My diary is public, have a look. I had trouble hitting 1200 in the beginning, especially on cardio and strength days. But now I almost always hit a minimum of 1200 net calories or get very close.

Btw, it's not a problem at all on my rest days! Then I have trouble staying under 1400.

peasantsong

4 tablespoons of peanut butter. Sounds pretty delicious to me and it will sure as heck fill you right up!

knowwhentoshutup

Eat balanced meals. Two eggs are great, but where are the rest of the food groups? What are your portion sizes?

Also, don't be afraid to include calorie dense food, like mentioned by other posters.

Find friends on here with open diaries to see what other people eat.

Find great websites, either through google or here on the forums to expand your list of meal/snack ideas. I love skinnytaste.com

jamieshrinking

I sort of have the same issue. I can't seem to come up to a consistant 1200 calories either. I workout 6 days a week, but have very little in the way of appitite. I'm just not hungry. I know I need to figure that out though or I'll put my body into starvation and not get the results I want.

MorgueBabe

You could friend me.

I eat pasta and Mexican at least once a week.

Just make it fit in calories.

CanGirl40

Nuts, peanut butter, full fat dairy, oils, avocado, eggs, cheese, food in general. Losing weight doesn't have to be all lettuce and chicken breasts.

Yes to all of the above!!!

stumblinthrulife

so sad...yet again ANOTHER person who just cant get 1200 whole calories down their throat. ~rolls eyes~ so attention seeking

Oh shut up. Resetting your diet is hard for some people. It's about learning which calorie dense foods are healthy. It's natural to start off trying to avoid ALL calorie dense foods, which will inevitably lead to the OP's problem. I experienced exactly the same, and I'm now happily eating 1800 - 2200 healthy calories a day, after more helpful members than you guided me in the right direction. Losing weight with it too, I should add.

Didn't your mother ever teach you that if you've nothing positive to say, say nothing?

jennybean1985

If I read this from someone else, I would want to punch that person in the face and would think the same thing. I really am just clueless on what to eat and am struggling to make "healthy" decisions vs. "stupid" decisions; if I had it my way, I would likely consume 3,000 calories in a day. I'm picky and struggle to want something that is healthy. A salad vs. pasta? I would pick pasta (and way more than recommended) every time.

jzammetti

I almost didn't read this thread because when we all found this site we certainly knew how to eat WAY MORE than 1200 calories. :happy:

But, I did it anyway and here is what I think: eat more calorie dense foods - nuts, ice cream, beef, full fat milk and dressings and everything else there is a low fat version of. You don't have to always eat "the good foods" but eat what you llike in moderation and within your caloric goals - this is where we learn how to eat for the rest of our lives...we need to be practical.

katrinajMiles

Don't just fill up on any calories just because you have to consume 1200 a day.

Maybe look at adding something to your meals that are healthy have good fats, protein and vitamins.

I always try to have 100g of protein with a main meal and 50g for snacks. I have 5 - 6 small meals a day breakfast, Morning tea, Lunch, Afternoon Tea, dinner and sometimes a snack after dinner.

Perhaps add grainy bread with your breakfast, add good fats such as avocado and nuts to your salads. Have a piece of fruit an apple has about 80cal.

Maybe at the start of the day prepare meals so that you know you are going to get the correct amount. Otherwise you'll be wondering why you haven't lost anything but you've been eating hardly anything.

glynda66

Bump

jennybean1985

I have never used myfitnesspal for anything more than counting calories.... how can I make my diary public?

MicroHez

Eat more dairy in general. Add nuts/seeds to your salad (I am a fan of sunflower seeds, mostly cos I was raised in a tree-nut free environment because of family member's food allergy, so the taste and smell of peanut butter/nuts is one of the things that kill my appetite quicker than anything).

This is my estimated day in a nutshell:

Breakfast (7 AM): 1 cup 2% milk and 3/4 cup cereal (200 calories)
Morning snack (9 AM): Water, non-fat yogurt and some kind of baked crisp (LOVED Pepperidge Farms Baked Naturals) (<300 calories)
Lunch (12 PM): Water, Babybel cheese, frozen meal, Cutie fruit (300-500 calories depending on the meal)
Afternoon snack (3 PM): Water and apple (80 calories)
Dinner (5 PM): Lean protein and side (300-500 calories)
Evening snack (8 PM): May or may not have (less than 200 calories)

So that equates to 1180 on the low end of the spectrum (1580 high end) and not including any evening snack (for either).

Also, I stay under on most of my metas other than protein and fiber... So, it's possible to get 1200 in a day through several small meals.

onyxgirl17

Sure you can consume enough to eat 1200 calories. Eat less lettuce, more high calorie foods. Swap the fat free caesar dressing out and get regular dressing.

Your diet looks extremely limited.