Eating when not hungry to make sure all cals are had

If it happens once and awhile, it's not an issue. But if you make it a habit and not eat enough, your metabolism will adapt and slow down to compensate for low calories. If you need more calories, it's rather simple.. a few handfuls of nuts, avocado, cooking in EVOO or eating peanut butter out of the jar (my favorite). You can also pick up some higher calorie protein bars to help.

It's eating smarter, not more. Also, if you think 1500 calories is a lot, I have to eat 3000.

Peanut butter is your best friend.

I could rack up 3000 in junk foods no problem lol but in good food? Id be drawing all kinds of blanks lol. So basically I need to revamp my shopping list and find higher cal items to help reach my goal. Ill do that, this is all still new to me so Im still struggling and trying to figure things out. So glad I can still have my PB. Definitely going to take my time in the grocery store next time and really look.. thanks so much yall

I use "dirty" and "bad" food sometimes to help me meet my macros, but 1500 should be easy to get. Look for foods that are dense in calories. Peanut Butter is a great example, nautral pb or almond butter would be even better. Whole grain pastas and rice are good too.

I could rack up 3000 in junk foods no problem lol but in good food? Id be drawing all kinds of blanks lol. So basically I need to revamp my shopping list and find higher cal items to help reach my goal. Ill do that, this is all still new to me so Im still struggling and trying to figure things out. So glad I can still have my PB. Definitely going to take my time in the grocery store next time and really look.. thanks so much yall

I think part of the problem with this kind of situation is that when people start trying to cut down on "junk" food, they think they can't eat things that are high in fat or calories at all. I think most people would struggle to meet their goals on only low calorie food. I'm not saying don't cut down on the junk, but just be conscious of why you're cutting certain foods out. Is it because it contains something that you're specifically trying to avoid (sodium, or sugar for example), or because it's over-processed and you want to eat less processed stuff? Or is it just because it's something that's not traditionally seen as "diet" food? High calorie foods that people usually cut out when dieting are not necessarily bad for you.

When I'm trying to make up calories, nuts are one of my staples. Also, adding a bit of extra olive oil to cooking or salads. Remember you can drink your calories too, so milk, nut milks, smoothies, protein shakes... Also, I don't know if you have a lot of reduced fat food, like reduced fat dairy products, but you could switch to the whole versions of those.

When I'm trying to make up calories, nuts are one of my staples. Also, adding a bit of extra olive oil to cooking or salads. Remember you can drink your calories too, so milk, nut milks, smoothies, protein shakes... Also, I don't know if you have a lot of reduced fat food, like reduced fat dairy products, but you could switch to the whole versions of those.

You made a really good point and I didnt think about it. I do already eat nuts, almonds to be specific but if I can throw some sunflower and pumpkin seeds in there then I am all for it. I do want to try and keep my sodium in check though. I do currently drink whole milk but I was so focused on drinking water that I didnt think to up my cals by having a glass of milk or orange juice. The yogurt I get is the light version, easy to switch to regular once it's all gone. I was so caught up in cutting calories that once it was upped I was trying to stick with the same thing.

The reason I was cutting most things out or at least really limiting them was definitely because they were not traditional "diet" food. I mean if I can still have my rice sides with my protein and veggies then Id be one happy camper. I just get confused because there are so many different opinions on what you should and shouldnt have that I just get lost.

What are some of the high calorie foods that I can keep? That you think people normally cut out?

Who said they have to be diet foods. Heck, look at my diary. I eat chipotle (weekly) and pizza occasionally. What I cut out is fast food, deserts, and typical snack foods. Instead of chips, i have a bison burger. It's very easy to eat 3000 calories of good, wholesome food if you are smart about it. You just have to stop thinking this as a diet. Also, stuff like steak and fish are higher calories but excellent for you.

O, your body will quickly adjust and you'll ask yourself how you ever went by eating less! lol your energy will be up too!!!!

Ultimately I need to stop freaking out so much.. I really do appreciate all the input.. thanks so much yall!

Yeah, pretty much. Some people like to go the route of a very restrictive diet, others (including me) prefer moderation/portion control, so it's hard to know what to recommend sometimes. What I did, was when I first started using MFP, I just started logging what I already ate, saw immediately where I could make adjustments to fit into my calorie goal, and go from there. For quite a while, I didn't really worry too much about overall nutrition, I just worked on the calorie part.

There is so much conflicting advice out there, and everyone has different priorities, sometimes based on individual medical issues that they have or are trying to prevent. If you listened to everyone, you could end up cutting out sugar, sugar substitutes, sodium, caffeine, white processed carbs, all grains, fruits, red meat, fatty meat, all meat, (adding meat back in), dairy, etc etc. You need to figure out what is important to you and work on that.

Personally, I realised that I wanted to get more fluids, more fibre, and more protein, so I started to work on that. Later, because of some medical issues, I worried that I wasn't getting enough potassium, so decided to track that and work on getting more. Lately, I've been trying really hard to keep under my carb goal for the day. I don't track sugar at the moment though, and I don't worry about sodium, because I've never really got too much of that. I haven't given up any food, and still regularly have cheese, chocolate, bacon, bagels, pizza, black coffee and alcohol. I just have that stuff less often and in smaller portions. That's just what works for me though, it might not be for you.

Try to relax, work out what's important to you, and just focus on one or two things at a time. You have this great opportunity to make permanent lifestyle changes, so just take it slow. If you make lots of radical changes to your diet all at once, and cut out all your favourites, there's a good chance you'll run out of steam eventually and "fall off the wagon". Make gradual changes that you can live with, and you'll find there's no wagon to fall off.