daly calorie goal??? HELP

sexymommi

so when i first signed up my daly calories goal was 2260, but i changed it to 1800 and i still cant manage to reach that goal... what am i doing wrong? should i be eating a heavier breakfast? im trying not to eat too much in the evenings. not sure how to find that balance..... help!!!!

laarae

Are you trying to eat 1800 calories or you are going over 1800 everyday? If you are trying to reach that much maybe you should pick a smaller amount of calories-yes you can eat a larger breakfast or maybe break up meals into 6 smaller ones. Make sure you are eating enough protein/fiber to keep you full in between. And open your food diary so I can offer other suggestions

diannethegeek

There is nothing wrong with eating in the evenings unless it disturbs your sleep or gives you heartburn. From a weight loss standpoint, your body doesn't care what time of day you eat.

Can't see your diary, so here's the standard advice. Look for calorie dense healthy foods. Add nuts, cheese, eggs, full fat dairy, Greek yogurt, dark chocolate, avocado, etc to your diet. If you can't eat enough calories you can try drinking them in smoothies and juices. Play around with your diet and see what works for you.

AmyRhubarb

Can't see your diary, so hard to offer help since we don't know what you're eating....but if you can't reach your goal, try eating more calorie dense foods - nuts, nut butters, avocado, whole eggs, full fat dairy, use olive and coconut oils in cooking and dressings - no "diet" foods. A handful of raw almonds, walnuts or pistachios makes a great snack, and packs a good dose of healthy cals in a small portion. Dip sliced apples in a tablespoon of peanut butter. Add sliced avocado to eggs, a sandwich, salads, etc. These cals add up quick without making you feel so full.

MaydayParadeGirl

There is nothing wrong with eating in the evenings unless it disturbs your sleep or gives you heartburn. From a weight loss standpoint, your body doesn't care what time of day you eat.

Can't see your diary, so here's the standard advice. Look for calorie dense healthy foods. Add nuts, cheese, eggs, full fat dairy, Greek yogurt, dark chocolate, avocado, etc to your diet. If you can't eat enough calories you can try drinking them in smoothies and juices. Play around with your diet and see what works for you.

that isn't entirely true your body has a harder time digesting food once you're asleep so it is better to not eat and then climb right into bed unless it is something light.

TeaBea

so when i first signed up my daly calories goal was 2260, but i changed it to 1800 and i still cant manage to reach that goal... what am i doing wrong? should i be eating a heavier breakfast? im trying not to eat too much in the evenings. not sure how to find that balance..... help!!!!

Taking a guess .....

There are lots of calorie dense healthy foods ...... nuts, nut butters, olive oil, avacado. These are high in fat .... but the "good for you" kind.

Complex carbs ..... whole grains, sweet potatoes, brown rice

Whole fruits ..... lots of fiber & nutrients ... don't worry about natural sugar so much

luckyjuls

Why'd you change the goal? Just curious.

chanel1twenty

You cannot just decide on a calorie-per-day goal. This is dependent upon your height, weight, fitness level, how active you are, and how much weight you want to lose/gain per week.
The more you workout, the more calories your body needs, the bigger you are-the more you need. The only time to reduce your caloric intake per day is as you lose weight, because the smaller your body the less you need. And the only time you should increase is if you begin being extremely active (most professional athletes will eat upwards of 5,000 calories a day).
Bottom line is, calories are energy. If you eat more than you burn in a day-you gain weight. If you eat less than you burn-you lose weight. Very simple formula. Up and deciding on your own to reduce a cal-per-day goal as significant as you have is dangerous and will hinder any weight-loss goal. If you start consuming too few calories, your body will go into starvation mode, which virtually shuts down your metabolism. This also causes your body to breakdown and essentially consume it's own muscles-killing all your goals.
Losing weight is easy. Chop your leg off. There you go, you just lost about 15lbs.
Losing BODY FAT is a long, exhaustive process that eating too few calories will absolutely destroy. Keep in mind that your body needs a certain amount of calories per day to burn just to stay alive and functioning. On no day, workout or no workout, did you not burn any calories. So if you ate 1500 and are worried because you didn't workout and didn't burn any, you're wrong. Your body burns hundreds a day merely to function. You burn calories with every breath, every toe tap, every single motion.

And the comment about your body not caring when you eat? Bogus. You shouldn't eat after 7, or least stop eating 2 hours before bed. Sleep is sleep. It's your body at rest. Your entire body. This includes your calorie/fat burning system and digestive system.

If you're having trouble consuming the calories MFP recommends, then I suggest you get calorie-rich shakes and protein supplements or else your weight loss will cease.

sexymommi

@luckyjula~ i lowered it because i was finding it too difficult to try and reach it, and i didnt want to eat crap food just to reach the caloire goal.

sexymommi

i should also mention that i am diabetic

TeaBea

@luckyjula~ i lowered it because i was finding it too difficult to try and reach it, and i didnt want to eat crap food just to reach the caloire goal.

You don't have to eat crap to reach a goal of 1800 calories .... you just have to "plan" ahead

Breakfast: Whole grain english muffin, 2% cheese, canadian bacon or scrambled egg .... think of a "healthier" Egg McMuffin

Breakfast tortilla (low carb wrap) with eggs, 2% cheese & sauteed veggies.

Oatmeal mixed with peanut butter .... whole grains & healthy fats.

Lunch: Soup or Salad greens with full fat dressing and a sandwich (or wrap) made with low carb bread or tortilla.
*Soups can be healthy and full of veggies ...... low sodium IF you make it yourself. Watch the cream based ones, they can be "fat bombs."

Dinner: Chicken breast, steamed broccoli, brown rice pilaf

Chicken parmaesan (use whole wheat pasta) and asparagus ...http://search.cookinglight.com/ck-results.html?in_dym=1&Ntt=chicken parmesan

chanel1twenty

i should also mention that i am diabetic

Being diabetic changes things. Due to your body processing and breaking down foods differently from us makes things different. Eating complex carbohydrates, which help you get the calories you need, can be dangerous and not as good for you as non-diabetics.
Have you spoken with your doctor? It is EXTREMELY dangerous for a diabetic to pursue a diet/exercise plan for weight loss without doctor supervision.
On a positive note, diabetics on insulin who lose weight usually no longer need insulin! This happens almost 100% of the time when a diabetic gets gastric bypass.

RieBerg

If you aren't hungry, then don't eat.

chanel1twenty

If you aren't hungry, then don't eat.

Good rule of thumb. Unfortunately, being diabetic, it doesn't work that way. I don't know your type or how severe you are, but you should be eating every few hours no matter what. At least you should be if you take your diabetes seriously and don't like comas!!

A great way to get hungry? Workout. The more you drive a car, the more gas it needs. The more active your body, the more fuel it needs.
Protein is very filling, if you need to eat more don't eat one-two things with a lot of protein. Eat a lot of things throughout the day with some protein that adds up to a lot. Same goes for fiber. Don't eat things too filling.

sexymommi

If you aren't hungry, then don't eat.

Good rule of thumb. Unfortunately, being diabetic, it doesn't work that way. I don't know your type or how severe you are, but you should be eating every few hours no matter what. At least you should be if you take your diabetes seriously and don't like comas!!

A great way to get hungry? Workout. The more you drive a car, the more gas it needs. The more active your body, the more fuel it needs.
Protein is very filling, if you need to eat more don't eat one-two things with a lot of protein. Eat a lot of things throughout the day with some protein that adds up to a lot. Same goes for fiber. Don't eat things too filling.

i am type 2, when i first found out i was diabetic it was sept 22 2011 and i was on a serious health kick and lost 70lbs, was feeling great right up until i got this pain in my side so i went to the hospital and i had a blatter infection, but their main red flag was i was drinking watter like i was addicted to it, sure enough my blood sugar was 56, not sure where you are but for how they measure blood sugar but it is suppose to be 5 here. they were all suprised that i was not in a coma.. it was a sad day for me. then un expecxtedly became pregnant ( i had always had to use fertility drugs for past pregnancies) and boom i was off insulin and have been offf it ever since and never want to go back Dr's say she is my miracle baby that cured my diabetes:D but i had also gained all my weight back and then some... so this time around i want to make sure im doing it right

sexymommi

i should also mention that i am diabetic

Being diabetic changes things. Due to your body processing and breaking down foods differently from us makes things different. Eating complex carbohydrates, which help you get the calories you need, can be dangerous and not as good for you as non-diabetics.
Have you spoken with your doctor? It is EXTREMELY dangerous for a diabetic to pursue a diet/exercise plan for weight loss without doctor supervision.
On a positive note, diabetics on insulin who lose weight usually no longer need insulin! This happens almost 100% of the time when a diabetic gets gastric bypass.

i am checking in with a health professional every week and she also has access to my "my fitness pal: account thank you for your concern it means alot