Help I have trouble eating under 2000 cals a day!

jsd_135

For me, healthy swapping has been the key to still feeling "normal" without being overwhelmed. For a week, I wrote down what I ate each day, all the nutrients included. At the end of the week, I looked at what nutrients I wasn't getting enough of (iron, potassium), and what areas I was going over (sugar, carbs, sodium). I looked at the foods I was eating most often/daily (peanut butter, sweetened vanilla almond milk, slice of bread). These items were my starting point. I switched to a lower sugar/salt peanut butter, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and a whole grain/seed bread. The second week, I ate mostly the same as I had the week before, with my 3 modifications, then took a look at the end of the week. I was closer to where I needed to be. The third week, I replaced my canned chicken with baked boneless/skinless chicken breasts and replaced my sweeteners with blackstrap molasses. Week 4, I increased my protein level and decreased my carbs. Week 5, I focused on increasing my daily water intake and found some green tea that I like. My goal this week (week 6) is adding more veggies to my day.

-Be honest with yourself and log everything.
-Put in the nutrients. We eat for nutrition, not just calories. You need to be sure you're getting the nutrition you need.
-Use your diary to find your trouble areas and adjust them as needed.
-Set a small, manageable goal each week.
-Keep moving forward.

You CAN do this.

Nicely laid out. I hope she sees this.

jennaworksout

whoa!! 900 cal for breakfast is too much..whats in those? my breakfasts are usually in the 300 - 400 range , high protein, eggs, meat.

courtwhitear

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

Truth. Our "normal" diet is why so many of us need sites like MFP!

TheGnomeQueen

You need to eat healthy. Two soft tacos and a baked potato for breakfast??? Try a bowl of oatmeal.

If dieting was easy, everyone would be thin....

DistantJ

Trying adding beans to your diet. Black beans, kidney beans, etc. I made an omelet this morning with 2 eggs, beans, onions and salsa, and couldn't finish the whole thing. I add them to my salads too. Because let's face it. Salad is NOT a meal in and of itself and will not stick to your ribs. I also don't eat much red meat. Best of luck!

xDawnsgrace

i'm actually having a hard time eating 1200 cals a day. The reason i'm now trying to lose 50 lbs, is because my metabolism has slowed WAAYY down, and i love sweets.
So for me, my question, is how do you eat so much? ):

cloud2011

I actually eat more volume of food now that I eat fewer calories. Try the book, "Eat More, Weigh Less." Another good book is "The 400 Calorie Fix." Or, "Eat This, Not That."

The first book is extreme, so you might not like it, but the recipes are very filling, to me anyway.

The other two books work with the reality that most people will eat takeout at some point. So if I eat takeout, then I know exactly what to order. And, that book also has some good recipes.

I substituted smoothies for higher calorie drinks...and began experimenting. You can make it fun. Think of it as a lifetime change, not one that you have to make today and suffer for the "diet."

aschmidt679

You WILL feel hungry... AT FIRST. Your body needs to adjust to eating less. Eat smaller portions more often, good protein/good carb, and plenty of fiber and water. Having lost a total of 73 lbs on my weight loss journey, i remember feeling like i was starving at first. Now, the idea of 2 tacos AND a potato in one meal??? YIKES!!! You might feel hungry, grumpy, maybe sluggish at first. You have gotten your body used to eating way more than it needs, which is probably why you're here now trying to lose weight. It will adjust back. Smaller portions of healthier foods. That's the deal. It gets easier, i promise!

nathanielnieman

Heres a start

"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... "


Make the Hamburger 200cal
skip the bread
half a slice of chesse 40 cal
condiments 50

so you are at 290.

Skip the fries you don't need them. Eat something healthy. A Apply, Broccoli "Maybe use the other half of the chesse on it etc.

I work long hours on my butt in IT. Very stressful. But I also eat every 2 hours. Something small. 100cal snake bar from Special K etc.


for people like us that were use to 5000 cal a day you have to start with small changes. I eat almost everything now with out bread "besides Toast " and try to have 1 piece now. don't stop eating it or you are going to be hungry but you have to manage what you are eating and start making changes here and there and then it become the new Normal.

cloud2011

I looked at your diary...for the past few days you're not logging specific food, but just Quick Adding calories. It might help to see (for yourself) how you're doing if you log everything you eat. Try it for one week and then you can adjust what you want. I would keep trying.

Try to change one thing at a time: makeover one meal, to see if you like it. Then, keep going.

LioshaM

Why not ask for some friends to help you stay accountable and view their diaries for ideas. A baked potato and two tacos???? WTW.. 900 calories... what did you put on that potato? Try oatmeal with flaxseed... I'm not going to say eat 1200 calories, because I eat 1900 every day, but it's clean very minimally processed. And I've lost 2.4 pounds in one week. Try drinking half of your body weight in water... should fill you up reall good

meghan6867

Two tacos for breakfast! :noway: Is that really how a "normal" person eats?

And from the sounds of it... you eat red meat and potatoes way, way too much. Switch it out with some lower calorie veggies (think brocolli, asparagus, carrots) and lean meats (fish, chicken). I think that if you seriously sit down and calculate your options, you'll find that veggie omelet or a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast would be just as filling with about half the calories.

Also: drink tons of water. It helps.

blynnblair

not sure if anyone mentioned this yet or not but check out the "Eat More to Weigh Less" group here, i think you could benefit from the information they have.

Good luck on your weight loss journey :flowerforyou:

Schmelvie

Sounds like there are a couple of issues here. First, your definition of normal is screwed up. You might want to start creeping other people's diaries to get some ideas of how to eat. Second, you're really good at the excuses.

If you don't fix these two things first, you won't have a chance.

wareagle8706

It's really hard for me to not be mean, honestly.... looking at your diary and then reading your post pisses me off.

"quick add calories" or Coke.... hmm....

People on here cannot help you if you aren't willing to help yourself. All I heard was excuse after excuse, "I'm on my feet all day so I'm so hungry I grab whatever is closest" "the vending machines only have junk in them" "I want to eat like a 'normal' person."

If you want to do this, you will find a way. If not, you will find an excuse.

No one on here can help you, especially since at the beginning of your post you stated you already know "make better choices, pack your lunch, etc..."

Have fun staying overweight.

vim_n_vigor

lmaooooooooo sorry it made me LOL especially when most people have eggs, "toast, pancakes or waffles" a slice or two of bacon or sausage maybe both and lets not forget the condiments butter and syrup etc... breakfast is a big and fatty meal for a lot of people.... thats not an abnormal meal if you google breakfast you will likely get the above... so one baked potato for dinner is a large meal for you?

That is not what most people have for one breakfast. Even for a special outing we wouldn't have that much at the same breakfast.

Sweets1954

My husband and I have stopped eating a lot of bread. We get the sandwich thins which are 100 calories per "bun" rather than 100 calories per slice for most breads. These work really well for regular sandwiches as well as for a burger bun. Sara Lee also has bread that is 45 calories a slice. You can check around and find tortillas that are low carb, usually less calories as well. Instead of having two breakfast tacos AND a baked potato for breakfast, skip the tortillas (saves 200 calories) and put your taco fixings on the potato. For snacks throughout the day take cut up fruits and veggies. Instead of grabbing a pack of chips or cookes, eat a portion of your fruits and/or veggies. Try adding a salad to your lunch or dinner, all those veggies will help fill you up without adding a lot of calories or have a cup of soup, one that is broth based with lots of veggies. Part of the issue is retraining yourself to eat more healthy choices without feeling you are depriving yourself. If you look at how many chips make up 100 calories and how many carrots make up the same amount of calories, you will see you can have alot more food by making the more healthy choice. This doesn't mean you can never have another chip, just that you will be more satisfied with other foods and if you do have chips (or whatever your weakness is) you will include them in your daily totals. Hang in there, it takes awhile to retrain your brain.

carolynbergen1

I have trouble eating up to 1200 per day; MFP always says I am in starvation mode. Listen, I've always maintained, even to my doctors, that I just don't eat that much. BUT, I found MFP and tracked every single calorie I put in my mouth. Turns out I was drinking my calories because I had this thing for French Vanilla Coffeemate and I constantly used to drink coffee to obtain energy.

Your diet is well...crap. Sorry, don't mean to be harsh but it's the truth. Mine was for years. Takes one to know one. Turns out I natually eat really, really low fat and low cholesterol, which is strange because I have really high cholesterol problems. My doc says THAT is genetic....but what I am always too high on is still sugar and carbs. Too low in protein. I am working to rectify that. I also really didn't know what a portion was. Seriously...even one of those quicky microwave containers of soup you can grab for a lunch...Always assumed that was one serving. They aren't. Read the labels. Those containers are supposed to be 2 servings.

Use MFP to track every single calorie you consume. I even track my 10 calorie packs of crystal light. Try and cut out the processed foods...and to me that includes margarine, tons of low calorie pops with artificial sweeteners (yes, crystal light has that I am aware but I don't use a ton of that stuff), all this "low fat" stuff which instead use chemicals you can't pronounce to make up for the lack of natural fat. I generally only consume "real food" which means butter, full fat cheese, whole eggs with yolks from time to time, full fat mayo, etc...I cut out fast food years ago when my son was little because I did not want him getting into the happy meal habit. Really, once you get used to that it won't bother you and when someone is chomping down a large McDie Fry and a QP dripping with 6 servings of mayo, you will be repulsed.

It appears you are a fellow carb addict so I am not getting on you, but your breakfast is loaded with carbs and therefore sugar. Not to mention 900 calories for breakfast is a LOT of calories..and you mention you are struggling and hungry. You are eating the wrong stuff my friend.

Starting off with baby steps...start moving! Take the stairs. Go for a short walk. Park your car farther away in the parking lot so you have to walk a bit more.

Forgetting all of the above, I really believe that the bottom line is simple math. It would take 1200 calories per day for me to just survive if I were on life support in a coma. If I do nothing every day but sit on the couch and watch TV I'd still burn a few hundred calories more or less. So you have to have a calorie deficit to lose any weight. Calories burned has to be more than calories consumed or you will not be able to lose weight! Use MFP and log every calorie and see exactly where you are making decisions that are making it hard for you to lose weight. And don't think of it as being "on a diet". Think of it as "making a lifestyle change which will benefit you".
Good luck.

fbmandy55

This thread is ridiculous, full of good and BAD advice.

If someone wants to have a 900 calorie breakfast, and it fits in their calories, so what. I sometimes eat meals that are 1000 calories and other meals that are 200 calories. The total of calories in one meal means nothing if you meet your calorie goal. I could easily eat a 900 calories breakfast, a 500 calorie lunch and 600 calorie dinner and meet my daily goal.

OP, feel free to look at my diary. I eat between 2000 and 2300 calories a day, based on my TDEE and 30-60 minutes of cardio and lifting a day. I eat a combo of healthy and junk food. Usually, if I have one bad meal in a day, I just try to make sure the others are healthy and nutritious.

TigressPat

the line backer would eat the entire taco Bell menu... not two small soft tacos!


To the OP:
perhaps your problem is trying to have what we were brought up to believe were "balanced" meals.

I find the carbs kill me. I used to eat a homemade egg mcmuffin for breakfast every morning. Much healthier than Mc D's, but still close to 400 calories. and it's not really that much food, a small, easy to hold in the palm of your hand sandwich.
Now I eat crepes, or an omelette, scrambled, or whatever, but try not to do the eggs, the bread, the meat, and the cheese all together. Two out of four make a good meal, and way less calories.

the hamburger is fine, but the bun adds an extra 200 calories and very little nutritional value.
the taco stuff might be better served on a salad, especially if you want to eat the potato too.