Help I have trouble eating under 2000 cals a day!

IWantToo

Okay, so basically I need SOME ADVICE from people who have had trouble eating under 2000 cals a day...

I know all the simplistic answers make healthy choices, pack your lunch, stay away from junk etc... but i work long hours on my feet all day and at work i grab the nearest thing around, ive been good these last couple of days about not eating a crazy amount of cals but still i ate way over 1500 and felt like was darn starving myself.. how do you do it? Seriously my stomach grumbles and im having hunger pains.. i dont see how people sustain themselves off salad and a few chunks of chicken breast or fruit and water.. i feel like i ate nothing.. plus who wants to eat two hard boiled eggs for a meal wtf.. you know how it(2 boiled eggs) is on the menu in every restaurant:huh: :indifferent: ... i want to eat like normal.

like for breakfast i had 2 homemade soft tacos and a baked potato and it came out to @ 900 cals for two small tacos and a baked potato...

for lunch a homemade hamburger and fries almost 600 cals.. and it not like im using fatty meat... 90% lean ground beef is 200 for a quarter pound, bread is 100 cals, cheese 100, condiments about 50, potato and ketchup @ 150 cals...

you get my point... is anyone eating like a normal person and losing? I mean at work im gonna grab something convenient if i missed breakfast and am starving and the only thing in my vending machines are junk! chips and cupcakes etc... im not going to be hungry... this seems way more difficult than it should be.. Eat Less Cals, Exercise = Lose Weight.. but Doesnt seem like it works like that for me.. seems like im going to have to be in pain and starve and eat carrots and grass...

Alatariel75

For me, eating 'like a normal person' is why I'm now trying to lose 100lbs.

jojohnson090

It's all about changing your mind set. That was the biggest thing for me to overcome. Now I'm eating between 1200-1400 cals a day and feel satisfied. When I'm hungry, I eat. I have stocks of 100 cal snacks, I have chips (I just count out the serving size and bag it up so I can grab it on the go) I go out to eat, I drink alcohol! (although not nearly as much as I used to) and if I go over on a day, I don't stress about it. You can eat "normal" you just can't overindulge. When I go out to eat I eat until I'm full, not until I can barely breath and need to unbutton my pants the second I get outside (which is something I did very frequently before I started my fitness journey)

lithezebra

For me, breakfast needs to be something very filling containing protein and fat. In general, I eat more protein, more fat, and a lot fewer carbohydrates than I did when I was heavier. I eat less overall, and I'm not hungry or craving.

witchieboo

You need to change your eating habits. Add some fruits and vegetables. If you need to fry use very little oil.

nornyb

It sounds like your definition of "normal" needs to change. 900 calories for one meal would be normal for, maybe, a linebacker. Or an unhealthy person. I think I eat like a "normal" person. I don't restrict anything, if I want it, I have it. And I am usually right where I need to be for calories. If I am going to eat more I exercise and "earn" some more calories. Check out my diary, it is open.

rachelabdy

I agree with others who've posted.
Have you got your goal set to about 1/2 pound a week or so - to give you the greatest cal allowance.
For me it's a cycle - if I eat carbs (inc sugar, sweets, white bread things, etc) then I crave more a couple of hours later and find it hard to feel satisfied.
After a couple of days of excluding those things and only having one or two servings of carbs a day - my craving for them goes away and I can eat them more moderately.
If you're feeling hungry then I guess you should eat something - but yeah - 900 cals for a meal is not any sort of "healthy" normal - unless your allowance is about 4000 a day - then that sounds perfect
My normal cal for a meal is 300-400 (since I'm on 1300) a day. If I do that - I know I have enough cals for snacks in between meals.

nornyb

And protein.....protein with every meal/snack. I definitely notice when I don't get it.

Mouse_Potato

I don't know how much help I'm going to be, but I do sympathize! I have been tweaking my macros and trying different calorie combinations for a while now because I also felt like I was starving on 1500 calories a day. I am doing better now that I've upped my protein to 30% of my daily total and lowered my carbs to 40%.

One thing I do that has been very helpful is to cook in advance. Tonight I baked 2 pounds of marinated chicken breasts and divvied them up in to freezer bags for lunches. Now all I have to do is toss one bag in the fridge to thaw overnight, add a quick salad (bagged spinach and broccoli take only seconds and are very nutritious) and maybe nuke a sweet potato and I have a very healthy, low calorie lunch. I also pre-cook my breakfast (scrambled eggs, ham and cheese) and put it in individual Tupperware containers for the week. Every morning, I grab a container and a slice of whole grain bread and I'm set. I keep bags of high protein trail mix at my desk for emergency snacks and try to have a container of Greek yogurt, a wedge of The Laughing Cow Lite cheese, some Triscuits, and a small bag of apple slices available if I need a little something extra. It all fits in an insulated lunch bag that stays cold all day long at my desk and I haven't hit the vending machine in months.

Hope this helps!

Confuzzled4ever

Okay, so basically I need SOME ADVICE from people who have had trouble eating under 2000 cals a day...

I know all the simplistic answers make healthy choices, pack your lunch, stay away from junk etc... but i work long hours on my feet all day and at work i grab the nearest thing around, ive been good these last couple of days about not eating a crazy amount of cals but still i ate way over 1500 and felt like was darn starving myself.. how do you do it? Seriously my stomach grumbles and im having hunger pains.. i dont see how people sustain themselves off salad and a few chunks of chicken breast or fruit and water.. i feel like i ate nothing.. plus who wants to eat two hard boiled eggs for a meal wtf.. you know how it(2 boiled eggs) is on the menu in every restaurant:huh: :indifferent: ... i want to eat like normal.

like for breakfast i had 2 homemade soft tacos and a baked potato and it came out to @ 900 cals for two small tacos and a baked potato...

for lunch a homemade hamburger and fries almost 600 cals.. and it not like im using fatty meat... 90% lean ground beef is 200 for a quarter pound, bread is 100 cals, cheese 100, condiments about 50, potato and ketchup @ 150 cals...

you get my point... is anyone eating like a normal person and losing? I mean at work im gonna grab something convenient if i missed breakfast and am starving and the only thing in my vending machines are junk! chips and cupcakes etc... im not going to be hungry... this seems way more difficult than it should be.. Eat Less Cals, Exercise = Lose Weight.. but Doesnt seem like it works like that for me.. seems like im going to have to be in pain and starve and eat carrots and grass...

wow.. what was on those tacos?? i have breakfast tacos often and they never come out to anywhere near that...

I'm eating like a normal person. I had a cheeseburger today without a bun (only because I didn't have any.. if I did I would have ate one) and a beer and it came out to 600 calories. I eat normal foods at the right portion size and a lot of veggies and fruit., it's not that hard..

You might know all *simplistic* answers, but you're not adhering to them. Otherwise a breakfast taco would be well under 900 calories.

Here's another simplistic answer.. if what you are doing isn't working.. *do something else*.. maybe you have too many carbs in a day? potato and tortillas and fries on the same day?? (not judging just pointing out) what other protein did you have? Maybe you need more? If you're on your feet all day you might *need* to eat more.

Really look at your food choices. If you are just grabbing whatever is around, you're probably eating more then you think. Either more size or portion wise or more items then you remember. You won't lose weight until you get serious about ti and work at it..

Nothing worth it is ever easy. You have to be willing and ready to make the hard changes or you won't progress.

ETA: Quick added calories is not going to help you reach your goals. if you are serious about changing your eating habits you have to log everything, exactly what it is, that you eat. I'd wager you're eating more then you think you are..

Warchortle

I find meals heavy in carbs don't satiate me. Although high volume meals like a bag of frozen veggies + marinara sauce adds up to barely anything or soup tend not to be protein heavy... but I still will add some chicken or something into the mix.

This is weird advice, but find foods you kind of like. Foods that I enjoy too much cause excess cravings because of the endorphin rush it initially spikes. Cottage cheese with mixed fruits and nuts are all things I like or enjoy, but I don't LOVE or crave. I recently found that prosciutto is only like 60 calories a slice and I could easily wrap that around quite a few pieces of fruit and have it be a relatively low calorie meal.

FutureMrsWarby

Your entire diary is just quick added cals. It would be easier to help you if people saw exactly *what* nutrients you are getting, because it would better explain why you are so hungry. You need protein. You don't need condiments with every meal, you either have to get low cal/low fat/reduced versions or live without.

Also, I skimmed through your diary a bit further, the foods you do have logged are not good for you at all. Cupcakes and doritos? They are good as a simple treat now and then, but it looks as though you eat those types of things pretty freely on a regular basis. You can't do that and expect consistent loss.

grantdumas7

What may help is not to worry about daily calorie intake but weekly calorie intake. That way if you do go over one day you can try to make up for it a day or two later.
If you haven't tried it, intermittent fasting may work. For women fast for 14 hrs and use the other 10 hrs to get your required calories. Doesn't matter if it 2, 3, 4 or even 5 meals. So if your last meal is 6:00 P:M your first meal will be 8:00 A:M.

IWantToo

It sounds like your definition of "normal" needs to change. 900 calories for one meal would be normal for, maybe, a linebacker. Or an unhealthy person. I think I eat like a "normal" person. I don't restrict anything, if I want it, I have it. And I am usually right where I need to be for calories. If I am going to eat more I exercise and "earn" some more calories. Check out my diary, it is open.

Are you serious? A line backer eats 2 soft tacos and a baked potato.. LMAOOOOOooo um okay.. im not sure what kind of linebacker you're accustom to, but definitely not a normal one!

how easy it is to have a 900 cal breakfast.

2 small flour tortilla shells 100 cals each, 90% lean beef @ 400, 1 oz cheese 110, 1/4 cup beans 60 cals, medium potato 150... yea because a linebacker eats just enough meat to fill the small tortilla shells, 1 0z of cheese between two tacos and a quarter of a cup of beans and 1 potato ::eyeroll::

Anyway I watch all the people at work eat garbage everyday this typical day for one of my coworkers is taco bell or fries and a dbl cheeseburger... another one she had a bag of marshmellos eating them like candy and a big bag of bbq potato chips and sour cream to dip them in and a bag of twizzlers.... i jut watch these people and im like wtf am I in bizarro world they all eat normal meaning just whatever nothing extra special or even healthy and are skinny to average body type.... i know i have to lose the weight in order to be able to eat "normal" but it would be nice to be able to eat what is considered a "normal or whats considered average amount of daily cals which is 2000 and lose" probably wont happen.. if anyone has done it let me know!

corchy23

I don't have the same problem myself, so I'm not sure how helpful I can be...but I do know this is the issue for my father when he diets. He often says "you can't feed a body like mine on so little!", and I'm inclined to believe he's not overreacting because he's a man with a strong willpower. He works a job on his feet all day too and suffers from the vending machine issue. Here are a few things I know he's tried which have given him a little success in the past!

- Don't change the kind of meals you eat, just how you construct them. For instance the hamburger - wheat bun, low cal cheese etc. You could possibly already be doing that, but learning healthier ways to make things they like helps my parents.
- Eat more to eat less....if you stock up on veggies or something better for you with a meal, you might eat a smaller portion of the things you like that aren't the 'healthiest.'
- Snack! My dad utilizes that one a lot....it helped curve his cravings, so he could still have the meals he wanted but he wouldn't eat as much of them because he wasn't starving by the time meal time came.
- Lots of variety. This one helps me too. I like eating smaller portions of a lot of different things. That way my taste buds are getting a little bit of everything, so I'm not bored or in a food rut.

karmahunger

Drink lots of water. Eat 2000 and just workout and don't eat all the calories back.

FutureMrsWarby

It sounds like your definition of "normal" needs to change. 900 calories for one meal would be normal for, maybe, a linebacker. Or an unhealthy person. I think I eat like a "normal" person. I don't restrict anything, if I want it, I have it. And I am usually right where I need to be for calories. If I am going to eat more I exercise and "earn" some more calories. Check out my diary, it is open.

Are you serious? A line backer eats 2 soft tacos and a baked potato.. LMAOOOOOooo um okay.. im not sure what kind of linebacker you're accustom to, but definitely not a normal one!

For one, she's correct.

Two, why are you giving attitude to people clearly trying to help you?

When I first started here a year and a half ago, I was eating 1200 calories and did just fine. I eat 1800 calories a day at maintenance now, but only because I strength train and do HiiT cardio on a daily basis AND I'm only focusing on fat loss and loss of inches at the moment.

Unless you're an intensive sports athlete, as a woman, you don't need 900 calories for one meal.

gerard54

Beer is killing my calorie counts...

Dulcemami4ever

I understand where you are coming from, but the issue is that if you eat like everyone else does at your job, you'll gain weight. You watch them eat junk all day, but you don't see what they eat at home or if they are working out a lot to be able to eat those things and keep the weight off. And then there are the people who just have natural fast metabolism's.

You need to change your outlook on what you see as normal eating. When you lose weight it is much easier to try to eat healthy because you can fill up and eat MORE of those types of foods. If you stick with unhealthy fast foods, you will most like have to eat half of it and stay hungry. Unless you work out and burn the calories, then you can eat what you want as long as you are still within your goals.

I know it's hard, and if you have been eating whatever for however long it can be a lot of work to change the habits that you've had for awhile. But its worth it, for you and the body you want, inside and out. Once you get your body used to intaking these foods, you'll feel much better and won't need to eat all that outside food. I eat decently healthy all week and then allow myself one cheat meal a week. Maybe that will be something you might try.

Cadori

At 260 pounds and with a job that requires you to be on your feet all day...have you estimated your TDEE correctly? Using this one (http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html) and entering moderate exercise it gave around 3000 calories as your TDEE. Even aiming for a loss of 2 pounds a week you would be able to eat 2000 calories a day.

I haven't looked at your diary and it sounds like you would benefit from more nutrient dense food, but the reason 1500 is hard is probably because it isn't enough.

Sunny____

Learning to eat correctly takes time, because it is super hard to get used to. I remember being in that place. Slowly, I have changed. You should have a veggie with every meal (not a starchy veggie). You had two starches today. You then should have one carb the size of your palm. Your meat should be the size of your fist or 4 oz. If you're still hungry eat more veggies. Once I tried to do an all veggie and fruit cleanse and ate as much as I wanted of them. I ate and I ate and I ate. TONS of food and by day's end I had only had about 600 calores. Veggies are so low cal you can literally pig out on them. I then slowly started adding meat twice a day and I lost 10 lbs in three days but also learned sort of how to eat healthy. I slowly then added a dairy product and some nuts or avocado for healthy fat.

Mashed cauliflower tastes like mashed potatoes and are so filling, it's the bomb.
Take half a cauliflower and break it into chunks and put in a baking dish.
add 2 TBS of half and half and 1 tbs butter
microwave for 6 min.
recoat the cauliflower and then nuke for 7 minutes
now dump all of that in a food processor. I add sea salt, pepper and maybe some greek yogurt (less cal than sr cream) tastes the same). Blend it. Just like mashed potatoes, makes a ton, but half a cauliflower is low carb and only 38 calories (plus add the butter, half and half calories and yogurt).

Alatariel75

So by normal, you want to be able to eat junk and lose weight. Not going to happen. You're not the people you're watching eat crap, and if you were, you wouldn't be on here needing to lose weight. If you want to lose,you have to change the way you eat. Not necessarily LESS in volume, but better choices.

900 cal for breakfast is nuts.

BUT... maybe you should look into low carbing instead of low cal. Atkins may interest you, you'd have to ditch the carbs but you can eat as much as you want of meats, cheeses etc.

dgljones

You are setting yourself up to fail. Anything out of exactly what you want to eat is 'not eating like a normal person', so you will just go back to 'normal' and tell yourself you tried.
If you want to lose weight you have to be willing to make some kind of compromise from eating the way that made you fat.

Warchortle

I like when people assume that they're different. I see all these people eat X and when I eat X I get fat and they don't. Yea, but for example what if that's there only primary meal for the day. I had a 1000 breakfast today and still hit my goals just fine. You need to learn to separate mental hunger over real physical hunger if you can. The best way is to cut simple carbs / sugars and make sure you hit your fiber and daily water consumption.

Frank Yang and Michael Phelps eat 5,000-10,000 calories because they expend that much energy. The average person doesn't. The real answer is. If you can't find anything that works food wise to get you a caloric deficit you have to burn it off through exercise.

Sunny____

When you cut out processed foods, your food cravings and hunger pangs go away. Eat clean to cleanse of processed foods and sugars. It usually takes around three days to detox from this. A way to tell if you're truly hungry is to ask yourself if lettuce sounds good. If it does, then you are hungry. If it doesn't then it is a craving.

Again, it takes time to get used to. Begin by cutting a little a day and really focusing on change. Slowly, you just change. After my fruit and veggie cleanse. I am lucky to get 1,000 calories. Last year I ALWAYS ate over 2,000 calories. My stomach growled if I didn't. Now I eat under goal, but I listen to my body. If it isn't hungry, I am not feeding it more, no matter what MFP says I should do.

nornyb

It sounds like your definition of "normal" needs to change. 900 calories for one meal would be normal for, maybe, a linebacker. Or an unhealthy person. I think I eat like a "normal" person. I don't restrict anything, if I want it, I have it. And I am usually right where I need to be for calories. If I am going to eat more I exercise and "earn" some more calories. Check out my diary, it is open.

Are you serious? A line backer eats 2 soft tacos and a baked potato.. LMAOOOOOooo um okay.. im not sure what kind of linebacker you're accustom to, but definitely not a normal one!

how easy it is to have a 900 cal breakfast.

2 small flour tortilla shells 100 cals each, 90% lean beef @ 400, 1 oz cheese 110, 1/4 cup beans 60 cals, medium potato 150... yea because a linebacker eats just enough meat to fill the small tortilla shells, 1 0z of cheese between two tacos and a quarter of a cup of beans and 1 potato ::eyeroll::

Anyway I watch all the people at work eat garbage everyday this typical day for one of my coworkers is taco bell or fries and a dbl cheeseburger... another one she had a bag of marshmellos eating them like candy and a big bag of bbq potato chips and sour cream to dip them in and a bag of twizzlers.... i jut watch these people and im like wtf am I in bizarro world they all eat normal meaning just whatever nothing extra special or even healthy and are skinny to average body type.... i know i have to lose the weight in order to be able to eat "normal" but it would be nice to be able to eat what is considered a "normal or whats considered average amount of daily cals which is 2000 and lose" probably wont happen.. if anyone has done it let me know!

My point is that your definition of normal seems to be messing you up. "Normal" can be very subjective. Are the "normal" people at work individuals you would consider healthy and fit? If so, ask them how they are maintaining their health while eating like that. If not, find a couple of people who you would consider healthy and fit and make them your new "normal". And no, I don't know what linebackers eat for breakfast, but the point is that 900 calories for breakfast is a LOT of food. The meal you described is a LOT of food. In order to achieve the changes you desire you have to change how you are doing things.

Sunny____

I haven't looked at your diary and it sounds like you would benefit from more nutrient dense food,

Yes, You need more nutrient dense foods.

slrose

well...to lose weight you have to eat stuff thats not junk

try
eggs over easy in the morning with peice of toast an oatmeal
WHOLE fruit ,veggies and hummus, yogurt, or nuts for snacks
soup, salad and half a sandwhich for lunch
lean meat, baked potato and veggies for dinner
frozen yogurt or air popped popcorn at night

seriously try it, you should be alot fuller,be getting more nutrients and feel alot better

IWantToo

I like when people assume that they're different. I see all these people eat X and when I eat X I get fat and they don't. Yea, but for example what if that's there only primary meal for the day. I had a 1000 breakfast today and still hit my goals just fine. You need to learn to separate mental hunger over real physical hunger if you can. The best way is to cut simple carbs / sugars and make sure you hit your fiber and daily water consumption.

Frank Yang and Michael Phelps eat 5,000-10,000 calories because they expend that much energy. The average person doesn't. The real answer is. If you can't find anything that works food wise to get you a caloric deficit you have to burn it off through exercise.

That wasnt the point of the post. The point of the post was, I could never eat like that. even if i consumed what they consumed just on their lunch break if that was my meal for the whole day I would not lose, i would likely maintain and I would have to be way under the average daily intake of 2,000 even with exercising everyday and having a physical job.. im just saying that sucks for me!

FYI at nearly 300 pounds with a physical job and exercising I am always in a deficit.... yet i lose no weight eating 2000 cals, which means i cant eat 2000 cals. SImple as that it sucks and NO. I DONT EAT CALORIES BACK IF I CANT LOSE AT A DEFICIT HOW CAN I LOSE AT A SURPLUS SMH..

mockchoc

You very well might be able to eat 2000 a day and lose weight! Lucky you. I had a look at this calorie calculator for you and since I don't have all your stats I guessed a couple of them but I do know you are 260lbs and 31 yrs old if your profile is right. It asked your height and I put in 5'5 as a guess and your activity level I put in the lowest of them as little or no exercise (desk job) and it says your TDEE would be 2329. So if you ate 2000 you'd have a deficit of 329 a day! Good news?

Here is the calculator so you can work it out properly for youself and please let us know what it come out to for you.

http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

danielleburwell97060

MFP gives me an allowance of 2500 cals a day to lose half a pound a week. If you have a lot to lose you should change your settings to that pronto. I tried having it at 2lbs loss and it failed for me because on days where I didn't work out I felt too restricted (1700 I think was my allowance). When you have a lot to lose, it will come off faster anyways.

Second, I don't work out because I enjoy it. I work out because I like to eat and I earn what I want to eat. Find some stuff you can do to earn back some cals.

Third, don't stress so much day to day. Look at the bigger picture of the week. I've gone over a tiny bit 3 out of 4 days this week but I will be damned if I don't end up under for the week on a whole.

Oh and people who sit at their desks and eat marshmallows like candy and all that other junk you mentioned, please don't define that as eating like a normal person. It is not normal to eat marshmallows like candy and it won't get you anywhere that could be considered healthy. Please understand that just because a person is skinny or "normal" looking in appearance doesn't make them healthy!