Help I have trouble eating under 2000 cals a day!

mmk2988

The same problem I was facing now. Previously before reduction of weight my daily goal set by MFP is 2240 Calories, after reducing 10 Kgs, it revised the daily goal to 2070, it is too low, I have to work more for exercise and walk. As I was vegetarian there are no sudden calorie bursting foods, only few food like Samosa, Bajji, and Soft drinks gives the spike in calorie charts.

chooriyah

I think it's fine to eat 2000. You just gotta burn 500 in a workout each day and you'll net 1500 per day - perfect! That's about an hour a day on an elliptical.

furrina

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.

This guy knows how it's done.

yes protein and fat may have lots of calories but they satiate you more than carbs which have just as much or more calories and cause you to want to eat more of them.

finding foods you like so you look forward to eating them, that's really key too. foods you love or crave (Justin's dark chocolate peanut butter cups, anyone?) only as an occasional treat.

Jessel0001

I'm sorry, 900 calories for a meal is crazy. I only eat like on my once a week pizza night after burning at least 900 calories in the gym. I eat on average 2300 calories a day (trying to add some muscle) and I don't even over 700 calories for breakfast. When I'm cutting I eat around 1800 calories a day averaging 300 to 350 calories a meal. Carbs in morning are okay, but try to lower them through the day to have a higher fat and protein dinner. For breakfast I have a cup of fiber one cereal and a cup of skim milk with a banana and for dinner I usually have a large salad, with 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette dressing and 4 oz of chicken breast and a serving of un-roasted un-salted almonds.

I ate 1,772cals in my breakfast today.

Are you calling me crazy, son?

I just looked at your profile, first you are 18 years old, second from what I can tell you are an ectomorph (extremely high metabolism) and third I'm guessing your goal is not lose weight. If you put those things together, then no, you are not crazy.

damiannikodem

meat for breakfast works, 200->400 g of boiled chicken breast, 1/2 cup of egg-whites (fried without oil) and a few slices of shaved turkey (browned in an oil-less frying pan) can come in at a rather reasonable calorie count _AND_ give you a nice percentage of your daily protein intake

heathercicle

If you're willing to accept that change will happen slowly then I suggest making substitutions. You mentioned what made your breakfast of tacos and a potato equal 900 calories:

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::

Try making some of these substitutions: 96% lean beef (or 99% lean turkey!) 140 calories per 4oz, fat free cheese ~45 calories per 1oz, fat free beans ~40 calories per 1/4C (refried), smaller potato 110 calories per 148oz (small), whole wheat pita ~74 calories per 4" circumference (or go with brown rice and ditch the wrap all together).

Add in some fresh veggies, pan fried with zero calorie cooking spray like onions, peppers, and zucchini/squash. Adding more vegetables will help to fill you up without a bunch of extra calories. Also, when possible, add in some whole grains. Anyway, once you get used to eating smaller amounts, you'll begin to notice that you physically can't eat as much anymore without becoming uncomfortably full.

As a side note: I basically ate the same thing for my afternoon snack/dinner (burrito and a baked potato) today but I think the biggest issue is your portions so strive toward smaller portions. I always have an open diary (because I want to be held accountable for my crap days) so feel free to check it out if you are interested.

I hope this helps!

Msdirection

OP, essentially what I'm hearing is you want to keep doing exactly what you're doing, but lose weight. You want to do none of the work but get all the benefits. You've done nothing but try and justify what you are doing, and cut down anyone who dares to tell you that SHOCK HORROR, the reason you can't lose weight is because you're eating too much. Something has to give here, and the way I see it you have two choices. You can either keep eating 'normal' and stay fat, or you can start to realise that how you are eating is nowhere, NOWERE near normal. Once you do that, and actually start to take on board some of the very good advice you've been given, you might be in a position to change your definition of normal, change your eating habits, and lose weight.

furrina

The idea of the bacon and eggs breakfast was in image to sell people on American prosperity.... come stateside, we're so rich we can eat meat for breakfast!!! Most people have never eaten like that, housewives typically don't vaccumme in heels and pearls, and no one is "normal".

Actually two eggs (about 120 calories) and two slices of bacon (about 90 calories) and a fruit (80 calories) and coffee is a pretty low calorie breakfast. And I do think it's a normal breakfast for a weekend or restaurant meal.

The more "healthy" choice of two slices of whole wheat toast (or a bagel) with honey, butter or cream cheese, plus fruit is actually higher in calories and less nutritious.

Shadowknight137

I just looked at your profile, first you are 18 years old, second from what I can tell you are an ectomorph (extremely high metabolism) and third I'm guessing your goal is not lose weight. If you put those things together, then no, you are not crazy.

Three out of four of the things you said are correct.

I just looked at your profile, first you are 18 years old,

Correct.

second from what I can tell you are an ectomorph (extremely high metabolism)

Incorrect; my metabolism works just fine, thank you very much. If anything, it would be slower - went through hell last year and, amongst other things, I imagine my metabolism is shot because of it.

third I'm guessing your goal is not lose weight. If you put those things together, then no, you are not crazy.

Correct. I'm 5'5 and 121lbs with an (albeit estimated) very low body fat percentage. I don't have weight to lose.

Finally:

no, you are not crazy.

Absolutely, unmistakably wrong. :devil:

neandermagnon

If you're eating the right amount of calories and are still feeling hungry, my advice:

- eat high protein foods, these are more satisfying and filling
- eat fruits and vegetables, especially the more fibrous ones i.e. more filling for fewer calories
- eat more slowly. food is more satisfying that way
- don't drink calories, drinks don't fill you up so you'll use up your calorie allowance and not feel as full
- look out for empty carbs... I'm not a carb hater, but a lot of high carb foods are simply a waste of my calorie allowance. A "breadless sandwich" (i.e. your favourite sandwich fillings eaten as a salad rather than between two slices of bread) is just as filling as a sandwich, but lower in calories (even if you double the quantity of most sandwich fillings, though of course that depends what the filling is.
- avoid frying food, fat that's been heated loses a lot of its nutritional qualities, and it adds a lot of unnecessary calories, grilled, boiled or barbequed/cooked on a griddle is better. Eat fat calories raw or lightly cooked, e.g. avocado, cold pressed oils, nuts, oily fish cooked just enough but not overcooked
- avoid eating meals that are high fat and high carb at the same time, otherwise you can end up with very high calorie meals that are not very filling.

^^^^ a lot of this advice is commonly given as "how to lose weight" - none of this is necessary to lose weight if you count your calories carefully, but what these things do is allow you to feel more full, satisfied and also properly nourished on fewer calories.

Additionally, tea may be a mild appetite suppressant, so a cup of tea after a meal may help with feeling hungry

Caution: hunger in most cases is a sign that you're not eating enough, so it is important to double check you're eating enough calories. 2000 cals/day is an average, it's too many for some people and not enough for others. So you need to rule that out as a cause of excessive hunger, before you conclude that your appetite regulation system is out of whack and it's just a side effect of going from eating way too much to eating the right amount. A lot of people alternate between eating too much and eating too little and never learn how to eat the right amount.... then you get yo-yo dieting. Eating the right amount of calories results in slow and steady fat loss that's easy to maintain.

IWantToo

OP, essentially what I'm hearing is you want to keep doing exactly what you're doing, but lose weight. You want to do none of the work but get all the benefits. You've done nothing but try and justify what you are doing, and cut down anyone who dares to tell you that SHOCK HORROR, the reason you can't lose weight is because you're eating too much. Something has to give here, and the way I see it you have two choices. You can either keep eating 'normal' and stay fat, or you can start to realise that how you are eating is nowhere, NOWERE near normal. Once you do that, and actually start to take on board some of the very good advice you've been given, you might be in a position to change your definition of normal, change your eating habits, and lose weight.

????? i need to go to bed because i cant keep responding to these post, you do realize that your post makes absolutely zero sense.. please re-read and repost.

HolyPeas

The problem is your idea of what is normal. 900 calories in one meal is not normal for anyone with the exception of maybe atheletes and lumberjacks. but sadly, its not far off from the american norm.

I always had the mentality that I should be able to eat like that and still somehow manage to lose weight, and then it was this cycle of being ingidnant when I didn't and feeling entitled to eat certain things in certain amounts.

That has caused me to be nearly 150 pounds overweight - and in a position that I have resorted to having a vertical sleeve operation to get the weight off. There is no getting around the fact that you are eating too much for your activity level and you will not lose weight like that.

Hbazzell

I know you already have a million replies but quick loggin doesnt really help much because you cant judge your macros and you cant see what types of calories your are eating.

markstanley666

Sounds to me like you just wanna eat what you want and loose weight. everyone heres given great advice to you and it seems to me like youve thrown it in there face abit.

2 tacos and a baked potatoe is no were near a "normal" breakfast in fact that seems like a fairly big lunch for someone wanting to eat less than 1800 calories.

theres no easy method to loosing weight if there was obesity would be such an epedemic

you ether want it or you dont its as simple as that!

glovepuppet

OP, essentially what I'm hearing is you want to keep doing exactly what you're doing, but lose weight. You want to do none of the work but get all the benefits. You've done nothing but try and justify what you are doing, and cut down anyone who dares to tell you that SHOCK HORROR, the reason you can't lose weight is because you're eating too much. Something has to give here, and the way I see it you have two choices. You can either keep eating 'normal' and stay fat, or you can start to realise that how you are eating is nowhere, NOWERE near normal. Once you do that, and actually start to take on board some of the very good advice you've been given, you might be in a position to change your definition of normal, change your eating habits, and lose weight.

that makes complete sense.

seph1978

Cut down on the condiments and stack lower calorie but bulkier food. I had headaches the first few weeks but I know I want to get healthier and lighter so I just bit the bullet knowing that I will eventually adjust. I am just trying to maintain my weight right now (having lost about 55 lbs or so), but I have grown so used to my 1600-1800 cal per day that I keep losing weight (my current calorie quota is 2050 to maintain my current weight). I have a sedentary lifestyle (working in IT) so YMMV...

Alatariel75

OP, essentially what I'm hearing is you want to keep doing exactly what you're doing, but lose weight. You want to do none of the work but get all the benefits. You've done nothing but try and justify what you are doing, and cut down anyone who dares to tell you that SHOCK HORROR, the reason you can't lose weight is because you're eating too much. Something has to give here, and the way I see it you have two choices. You can either keep eating 'normal' and stay fat, or you can start to realise that how you are eating is nowhere, NOWERE near normal. Once you do that, and actually start to take on board some of the very good advice you've been given, you might be in a position to change your definition of normal, change your eating habits, and lose weight.

that makes complete sense.

Yes, yes it does. OP just doesn't want to hear anything that means she has to stop eating like a "normal" (read: junk vacuum) person.

rotill

Some tricks to feel full:

Eat whole grain. Avoid all white bread and all baked goods made without whole grain. The fibers makes you feel more satisfied, and it slows down the release of carbohydrates. This helps you avoid high blood sugar with the following blood sugar drop - which will make you hungry very quickly.

Eat lean meats and fish. Get more protein with your meat.

Watch the fat.

Do not mix cabohydrates and fat if you can avoid it. Fries are the worst thing you can have, as they are just starch and fat. Research shows that when you mix carbohydrates and fat, it takes more calories to trigger the sense of being satisfied. Fat and protein is good, carbohydrates and protein is good, carbohydrates and fat is bad.

Consider your idea of "normal." It is normal to become overweight when you eat twice as much as you need with each meal. If you exercize more, you will be able to eat more - which is normal too.

Be willing to experiment. This is a long and complicated journey you are getting into. You may need to find what works for you. So far, what you are doing obviously doesn't work. Only you can figure out why not, and how you can adjust it to make it work. All we can do is make suggestions.

Good luck!

jenilla1

It sounds like your definition of "normal" needs to change...

:drinker: