My theory on why people fall under their calories

1223345

I find it very easy to rack up a calorie overage on vegetables alone. Sure, a serving of broccoli has 30 calories, but after you have four or five servings in a day that is 120 cals. Then add the drizzle of olive oil and its gonna be around 200. People who can't meet their calorie goal just arent trying. Especially if there is a chicken breast involved. Also, I think people have at that point gotten almost afraid to eat any thing with higher calories. They have been eating so much garbage for so long, they may worry that a high calorie item is a bad idea. I think it takes time to get comfortable in a new dietary plan.

i eat 2500 to 2700 calories a day and there is no way I am going to hit that on brocoli and olive oil ...

OP - I see what you are saying. I sometimes will have dinner which is usually around 1000 to 1200 cals and am like damn I am eating a lot ...but if you substitue in some steak or pork then you can usually get there and not feel like you are stuffing yourself....I usually do not have chicken for dinner..it is more steak strips with brown rice...something slow cooked..fish on my low cal/rest work out day..etc...

I didn't say I only eat broccoli and olive oil. Geesh.

OK I stand corrected you said "I find it very easy to rack up a calorie overage on vegetables alone"

On vegetables alone I am never going to hit my goal for the day of 2500 to 2700...I was just using this as an example..sorry if you took offense..geez....lighten up people..some of you take MFP threads way too seriously...

Actually, I did not take "offense". I was pointing out that that is not all I eat. Even on my veggie only days I can reach my calorie goal easily. Naturally my calorie goal is not going to be 2500 as your is. You should know better than to compare our calorie goals. You seem to be the one getting offended anyway.

ninerbuff

To be healthy no, but to sculpt a body yes. Bodybuilders are extremely tight on their diet and they only eat these kind of lean meats and veg/fruit etc.

They eat monumentos amounts of food because they eat these kind of foods, they could easily make their calories up in burgers, crisps and sweets.

So it depends what your going for, but I know many large blokes who do ONLY eat these foods and their is a reason.

Not to burst your bubble, but being in the bodybuilding scene for years, you are only really reading about the top bodybuilders diets. Trust when I say there are more "dirty" eating bodybuilders out there than clean ones. And the majority of them don't eat the amount of vegetables and fruits that would rival what they eat in protein and carbs.
Add in some enhancement......boom. And enhancement isn't just anabolic steroids...............insulin, GH, and clenbuterol.....well let's just say that pro and amateur competitive bodybuilders (non natural of course) aren't he epitome of healthy living.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ndj1979

Sorry, I just think this is stupid. I'll never understand it. One serving of peanut butter is 200 calories. A serving is pretty small. It doesn't take long to add up. Combine that with a banana, my favorite snack, and that around 300 calories. PB&J is around 450 calories or more. I mean, those are just a couple quick examples. An avocado has over 300 calories. It is so damn easy. I just think this is stupid. Really, really, really idiotic. " oh help me. I'm on a calorie site and over weight, but I can't eat 1200 calories ". Shut up.

umm not sure what peanut butter you eat, but the one I use is 90 calories..

Did you assume that all peanut butter brands are same calories? Now that is stupid...

Also, a 60 gram servicing of Avocado is 100 calories...where did you get 300 from?

Also, I think the OP said that eating just chicken breast and veggies it was hard to his calorie goal for the day...which is a legitimate question. OR did you not read the original post..again stupid...

Shut up! Stupid!!!!! :drinker:

stupid is, stupid does sir!

challenger9509

I agree!! 110%

amazonmama69

Sorry, I just think this is stupid. I'll never understand it. One serving of peanut butter is 200 calories. A serving is pretty small. It doesn't take long to add up. Combine that with a banana, my favorite snack, and that around 300 calories. PB&J is around 450 calories or more. I mean, those are just a couple quick examples. An avocado has over 300 calories. It is so damn easy. I just think this is stupid. Really, really, really idiotic. " oh help me. I'm on a calorie site and over weight, but I can't eat 1200 calories ". Shut up.

umm not sure what peanut butter you eat, but the one I use is 90 calories..

Did you assume that all peanut butter brands are same calories? Now that is stupid...

Also, a 60 gram servicing of Avocado is 100 calories...where did you get 300 from?

Also, I think the OP said that eating just chicken breast and veggies it was hard to his calorie goal for the day...which is a legitimate question. OR did you not read the original post..again stupid...

Shut up! Stupid!!!!! :drinker:

stupid is, stupid does sir!

To get back on a food track here...

If you love peanut butter and really want to get the calories down, go to the health food store and buy defatted peanut flour. DON'T go to the peanut butter section and buy the defatted peanut butter, it's almost twice as expensive and has extra salt.
I use it on toast and I also use it to make peanut sauce for Pad Thai noodles.

Also, try some of the fruit flavored applesauces to use for your PBJ. That should also cut some sugars down.

I'm looking at this change of eating as a challenge--how can I make healthy substitutes and still have the flavors and textures I like in my foods. Make it fun--not a chore!

mamax5

Totally agree!

I'm completely and utterly satisfied on 1300-1500 calories worth of good, nutritious stuff. But my weight was stalling because I wasn't reaching my goal of 1700. Then I calculated my TDEE -20%, and found I had to actually eat 1920(!).

People kept telling me to eat calorie dense food like peanut butter and nuts. Well, I already had the nuts covered, I love those. But they kept whining about the peanut butter. Who wants to eat 3 1/2 spoons of peanut butter at the end of a day just to reach their calorie goal? I didn't.

So I ate more nuts, and had a couple spoons of peanut butter. I also added brown rice to dinner (I usually just have a meat and vegetable). Those things alone added like 520 calories to my day. Just those three things and I was there.

But now I feel uncomfortably full at the end of the day.My weight is moving again... but at the expense of feeling stuffed like a turkey all the time?

Don't get me wrong, I indulge all the time. I get 680 calorie Frappuccinos, and eat junk every now and again (Friday is my designated "junk" day), but I feel like **** when I eat ****... go figure.

And I'd like to also add... I don't buy low fat anything. I eat the calorie dense whole wheat bread, full fat cheese... I don't buy anything that is touted as "low calorie" or "low fat." Ain't got time for that!

I do not believe in low fat milk or cheese....if it's something naturally lean, then fine....but not stuff that naturally has fat in it. I think the low-fat craze is down right stupid! I've seen so many fat people who eat low fat to know it doesn't work! I mean a cow isn't going to have skim milk coming out it's udders!

Annerk1

However if I try and meet that 600 calories in chicken and veg, I would have to eat 3-4 large pieces of chicken breast and a MASSIVE plate of veg.

My guess is that you don't weigh and measure. An average chicken breast weighs about 12 ounces and 330 calories. There's no way you could eat 3-4 of them plus a heaping plate of vegetables (and some vegetables have a lot more calories than others, ie peas, corn, cabbage, carrots) and have it equal 600 calories.

bumblebums

However if I try and meet that 600 calories in chicken and veg, I would have to eat 3-4 large pieces of chicken breast and a MASSIVE plate of veg.

My guess is that you don't weigh and measure. An average chicken breast weighs about 12 ounces and 330 calories. There's no way you could eat 3-4 of them plus a heaping plate of vegetables (and some vegetables have a lot more calories than others, ie peas, corn, cabbage, carrots) and have it equal 600 calories.

Wha? I eat chicken breasts all the time (both pre-butchered and cut off chickens I baked myself) and I have never seen a chicken breast that's bigger than 7 oz. They must be selling miniature dinosaurs masquerading as chickens wherever you shop

Annerk1

However if I try and meet that 600 calories in chicken and veg, I would have to eat 3-4 large pieces of chicken breast and a MASSIVE plate of veg.

My guess is that you don't weigh and measure. An average chicken breast weighs about 12 ounces and 330 calories. There's no way you could eat 3-4 of them plus a heaping plate of vegetables (and some vegetables have a lot more calories than others, ie peas, corn, cabbage, carrots) and have it equal 600 calories.

Wha? I eat chicken breasts all the time (both pre-butchered and cut off chickens I baked myself) and I have never seen a chicken breast that's bigger than 7 oz. They must be selling miniature dinosaurs masquerading as chickens wherever you shop

Maybe you are buying tenders or cutlets? Or are weighing post cooking?

bumblebums

However if I try and meet that 600 calories in chicken and veg, I would have to eat 3-4 large pieces of chicken breast and a MASSIVE plate of veg.

My guess is that you don't weigh and measure. An average chicken breast weighs about 12 ounces and 330 calories. There's no way you could eat 3-4 of them plus a heaping plate of vegetables (and some vegetables have a lot more calories than others, ie peas, corn, cabbage, carrots) and have it equal 600 calories.

Wha? I eat chicken breasts all the time (both pre-butchered and cut off chickens I baked myself) and I have never seen a chicken breast that's bigger than 7 oz. They must be selling miniature dinosaurs masquerading as chickens wherever you shop

Maybe you are buying tenders or cutlets? Or are weighing post cooking?

Nope, and nope. I weigh them raw. The chickens I buy are organic, though--perhaps they don't grow as big. Just like natural bodybuilders.

uneik3

I disagree with this post. I have fallen under my calorie goal on a number of occasions because I just didn' t want any more food. And I'm not going to force myself to put oil on my veggies if I don't want any that day or eat some peanut butter just to meet my calorie goal if I don't want the peanut butter. Some people may not be trying and some people may not know what to do. But some of us eat what satisfies us or eat what we want at the time and stop. If I fall under my calorie goal for the day, then so be it.

I agree with you. I know for me, I've found that I have certain domino foods and combinations where I feel I can't get enough even though I'm full. Just by making better choices, I naturally take in fewer calories and I don't set off the mechanism that makes me want more and more. On those days that I fall under 1200 calories, I just let it be. If that happens a couple days in a row, then usually by the 3rd or 4th day, my body will tell me I'm hungry and I'll eat more, maybe 1800, which is perfectly fine, and maybe even desirable for calorie cycling. The big thing for me is to try to be in tune with your body's natural hunger cues, which I feel I can mess up if I'm force feeding myself late at night. Your body doesn't reset the clock at midnight, so I see calorie guidlines as just a guideline, not a rule. If the goal is to be long-term and sustainable, you have to listen to your body. Besides, none of my "naturally skinny" friends force feed themselves at night :-)

uneik3

Also, I worked 12 hour rotating night shifts for years, so some "days" for me were 24 hours awake, while other "days," I was only awake for 4-6 hours. It's the net result, not the individual days. I focus more on the calorie total for the week to see how I'm averaging.

ndj1979

However if I try and meet that 600 calories in chicken and veg, I would have to eat 3-4 large pieces of chicken breast and a MASSIVE plate of veg.

My guess is that you don't weigh and measure. An average chicken breast weighs about 12 ounces and 330 calories. There's no way you could eat 3-4 of them plus a heaping plate of vegetables (and some vegetables have a lot more calories than others, ie peas, corn, cabbage, carrots) and have it equal 600 calories.

Wha? I eat chicken breasts all the time (both pre-butchered and cut off chickens I baked myself) and I have never seen a chicken breast that's bigger than 7 oz. They must be selling miniature dinosaurs masquerading as chickens wherever you shop

Maybe you are buying tenders or cutlets? Or are weighing post cooking?

Nope, and nope. I weigh them raw. The chickens I buy are organic, though--perhaps they don't grow as big. Just like natural bodybuilders.

12 oz chicken breast..damn! That thing must have some serious growth hormone in it..On average, the chicken breasts I get are like 5-7 ounces....

llabbott77

Coming from the opposite end of the spectrum, (I am not exceeding 2,500 calories each day and starving!) enjoy yourself. Have the butter, & jelly on your toast, and put cream and extra sugar in your coffee at breakfast. Have a bottle of soda with your lunch! Have cheesecake for dessert! Have a snack before bed!

If I was in you're place I sure would, and not feel bad at all. Being healthy is very broad topic stop being so focused on one little thing be it calories, fats, carbs, vegetables, sugars. Being overweight is bad, being underweight is actually worse. Not exercising is bad, and it doesn't matter if you have a huge waist or a perfect waist. Not eating your vegetables is bad, eating nothing but spinach and grapefruit is equally unhealthy.

I'm completely baffled by some of you, I assume everyone is on MFP to lose weight, & not to discourage the "fat kids". So if you've modified your lifestyle so radically, that you now aren't eating enough, congratulations! Now use your common sense and start enjoying your new healthier life.

1223345

However if I try and meet that 600 calories in chicken and veg, I would have to eat 3-4 large pieces of chicken breast and a MASSIVE plate of veg.

My guess is that you don't weigh and measure. An average chicken breast weighs about 12 ounces and 330 calories. There's no way you could eat 3-4 of them plus a heaping plate of vegetables (and some vegetables have a lot more calories than others, ie peas, corn, cabbage, carrots) and have it equal 600 calories.

Perhaps you would like to come to dinner. I was a binger at one point, (I have now worked to eliminate this problem) I easily could, and have, eaten SEVERAL large chicken breasts, along with about ten servings of vegetables, just to start. Trust me. People can and do eat much more. And you are right, it would not be 600 calories.

JakeBrownVB

Some really nice points being made here, very glad for the discussion guys! The main point is that noone believe it is hard to make up calories eating high calories foods. But the point was that it is actually really hard to make up calories eating nothing but what most people would consider "healthy food". I say "healthy food" because yes I know eating spoonfuls of peanut butter is not unhealthy, but it is not what most would consider as healthy either and that is why "new dieters" can often fall under their calorie goals as they try and only eat food that they "consider" healther...

Sorry for all the quotations but I can see that many people are getting pretty picky on terminoligy in this thread rather than having an actual discussion.

anniemarianas

I find this actually quite informative and helpful.

My usual (or previous) diet involved lots and lots and lots of snacks like crisps and popcorn and chocolate - I tricked myself into thinking if i didn't count the calories they didn't exist!!
With this I could easily exceed my TDEE, but I never really put on weight, just got a little bit softer round the tummy.

Now I'm eating more like two weetabix with milk and a cup of tea for breakfast, one granola bar, a salad and an apple for lunch and a pasta salad for dinner, and cutting out a lot of the snacks replacing them with water and perhaps a wholegrain cracker, and this could easily fill me up but wont always meet the calorie requirements (depending on what i put in my salad).

I fill very easily anyway, I think I owe my overeating to sheer boredom. Don't know what to do? There's the fridge. Spent too long on the computer? Let's visit the fridge. Nothing on tv? There's the fridge.

But since I've cut that out and installed a warning on my fridge ('remember your waistline!!!') it's been quite difficult to get the 'sufficient' amount of calories, but i'm pretty much just in the 'to hell with that' attitude phase now because i feel like if I'm full, why should I push to eat more?

I find it very satisfying to lie exactly on my calorie goal, but if I'm under a few days thats fine.
In the long run it doesn't really matter as long as I'm eating what's good for me and keeping my hunger in check.

jakkisr

i think it can be quite hard actually, I eat healthily anyway and have found myself reaching for a biscuit to make up some calories (which I wouldn't normally do!). I've found I can bump my calories up by eating nuts (3 brazil nuts has 83 calories alone). I'm getting a bit tired of chicken and as I eat lots for my main meals I don't want it as a snack too.

When I started this diet a few weeks ago I switched to low fat or no oils, only bought salad in for snacks etc and found I struggled to meet my calories (and they are set accurately to 1259 for my size, shape, age and goals). I've found switching back to extra virgin olive oil and normal cheese (not low-fat) tops my calories up nicely and fits better with my food philosophy. And thanks for posting this Jake!

Deipneus

Im sure we have all seen it a thousand times in the forums, when someone is eating 1200-1600 calories they are told "you are not eating enough calories" which is usually met by "but im not hungry" or "i feel it is a push to get 1600 calories".

These kinds of questions come up all the time and all the answers have to do with what a person might be doing wrong.

What I hardly ever see is a reminder that we are all genetically predisposed towards certain traits. I've lost 40-50 pounds and I've been on maintenance for just about one year so I am not making excuses. I have tried every different kind of food, serving size and meal timing and I am here to tell you that hunger is my near-constant companion. My success has not been because I got rid of hunger but because I learned ways to tolerate it.

StArBeLLa87

See my problem is that I can't eat oats or wheat meaning im allergic, but I am oroud to say i have came a long ways and have been slowly upping my calories! I started at consuming 350 calories a day now I'm ranging 1200 to 1400 on some day but I still struggle with the whole eating back exercise calories!

I agree in reading some of the post that people trying to lose weight and the fear of adding carbs and such in the diet! I'm gonna take some pointers that I have read and possibly add peanut butter and apple to my diet to increase my intake further!