Can't seem to consume all my calories

Not a tough problem and this may have been covered before so apologies if this is a repeat. Based on my info, I can have @ 1800 calories without exercising. My daily exercise ranges from 400-1000 calories burned but lately, I barely get to the 1800. I've read some things that said that can slow down my metabolism, which I REALLY don't want. I have about 70 pounds to lose. Also, my doctor told me to not go over 2000 calories daily regardless of activity level. So I'm at a point where I'm not sure what to do. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :smile:

Replies

  • mcrowe1016
    mcrowe1016 Posts: 647 Member
    What exercise are you doing that is burning 1000 calories?
  • I'm not a trainer or a doctor but I would suggest if you're not hungry don't force yourself to eat more just to get to your number. However, you may want to look at what kind of calories you're eating and make some minor adjustments there. For example, if I eat a lot of carb calories I stay less hungry than if I eat a lot of protein calories.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I have this issue too, and just had to work with my dad to add calories to his diet (he is losing weight rapidly from health reasons).

    Add some calorie dense, healthy foods to your diet that you like. (All the things I have to drop from my diet.)

    Good whole grain bread or tortillas, cheese, brown rice or lentils, beans, potatoes. Dates or figs. A handful of nuts. Even a sausage or two or a slice of bacon.

    All these things have nutritional value and a lot of calories. That's why people can live on them.


    Although I have a hard time eating my calories, on those days when I'm hungry it only takes a little bit to add those extra calories - a cheese omelette with a side of potatoes, a grilled cheese sandwich, a sausage on bread, an enchilada, a milkshake. It's how I gained weight in the first place.
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
    It would be easier to give you specific advice if your diary were open. :wink:

    If you can't get to your calorie goal, then you have to change what you are eating.

    General advice as your diary is closed:

    -Add some fat back into your diet. If you're using low-fat cheese, for example, go back to full-fat cheese. Low-fat dressing? Go back to full fat.

    -Try adding nuts and nut butters. Very calorie dense and very easy to eat. Nut butters can be used as a spread,added to a smoothie, etc.

    -Sometimes it's easier to drink calories than to eat them. Have you tried making protein shakes? Most protein powders have around 140 calories a scoop, and that's before you add anything.
  • mcrowe1016
    mcrowe1016 Posts: 647 Member
    Well, first of all, make sure your calories are not being overestimated. Your profile says you have 90lbs to lose, so you could be burning that much, but I would still recommend getting a HRM to track cardio work (You can get a Polar FT4 for $60-70).

    If you are not already, I would recommend strength training. It burns less calories than cardio, but has many benefits. This could lower calorie burn while increasing health benefits. (HRMs do not work for strength training. I just use the strength training entry under the cardio section of MFP to estimate calories burned)

    Since you still have over 70 lbs to lose, it is fine to net a bit below the 1800 recommended, however strength training is even more important to maintain muscle while losing fat on a larger deficit. I would not recommend netting under 1400 calories.

    Otherwise, eat more nuts and nut butters and cook veggies in olive oil.
  • I do stationary biking, moderate and vigorous, walking, rowing and weight training up to 2 hours a day
  • Breakfast is usually whole grain toast with almond butter and skim milk
    Lunch I go for ease ad have a smart one dinner, @300 calories and fruit
    Dinner is lean meat and veggies
    Snacks are fruit, veggies, cheese, lean jerky, nuts or fiber bars (per doctor since I was not getting enough)
  • katie81smith
    katie81smith Posts: 40 Member
    I am trying sooo hard to loose the weight, and so far a whole pound.. wooohoo.. not... kind of depressing. I wonder what consuming all of the calories really has to do with weight loss? I almost always have at least 200 to 500 i not more left over at the end of every day and I am very consistent about logging my foods. HELP.. I want to loose the weight and don't think I have enough knowledge of how it all works....
  • mcrowe1016
    mcrowe1016 Posts: 647 Member
    Breakfast is usually whole grain toast with almond butter and skim milk
    Lunch I go for ease ad have a smart one dinner, @300 calories and fruit
    Dinner is lean meat and veggies
    Snacks are fruit, veggies, cheese, lean jerky, nuts or fiber bars (per doctor since I was not getting enough)

    From my calculations, because your diary isn’t open, your three main meals are about 900 calories. So for snacks, I recommend an apple and one serving of peanut butter (100c for apple and 200c for peanut butter – I cut the apple before work and eat with a fork at my desk), two servings of nuts (320 c), two fiber bars (280 c), and some jerky (100c). This is about 1900 calories. If you burn 500 calories, you are netting about 1400, which is a good about for a woman. If you burn more, you can have a protein bar, which will complement the more intense work outs (I like pure protein bars – 180 c for the chocolate one).

    You should be eating around 5 servings of veggies a day. If you are still having trouble getting calories in, full fat ranch and veggies go great together.
  • katie81smith
    katie81smith Posts: 40 Member
    This may sound silly, but how do i open my diary?
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    You may want to check your sum deficit (reduction in food calories + exercise calories). If you are already implementing a moderate deficit from calorie restriction (eating less), then let that do most of the work for you and add a moderate amount of cardio. Simply put, the greater the deficit attributed to calorie restriction, the less cardio you should do.

    To read more about too much cardio while on a large deficit, check out this article by Lyle Mcdonald - in fact, he has a lot of research articles that would help you:

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html
  • mcrowe1016
    mcrowe1016 Posts: 647 Member
    This may sound silly, but how do i open my diary?

    Under "settings"
    > "Diary settings"
  • katie81smith
    katie81smith Posts: 40 Member
    Ok, my diary is open now.. thankyou for the instructions.... any help at all is greatly appericated. any ideas or help on what i am doing wrong? or where i can improve my eating??