Consistently under calorie level

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TRae0815
TRae0815 Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
SOOOOO, because of my height and weight MFP is telling me to eat 2,640 calories per day, which was easy when I wasn't eating healthy but now that I am it's really hard to meet that goal. Even when I stuff myself I barely hit 2,000 because I cut down on my portion size and have been eating lower calorie foods like wheat bread, lean meat, and more veggies. How can I eat these calories? And is hitting around 1,500 unhealthy?

Replies

  • _stephanie0
    _stephanie0 Posts: 708 Member
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    bigger portions for one.

    cook with olive oil or coconut oil then add some olive oil on top
    add avocado- one avocado is 300 calories
    eat NUTS!! man i could eat 2600 in just nuts :$
    eat FULL FAT foods. like full fat milk, cottage cheese, yogurt.

    eat more healthy fats and starchy carbs like potatoes and whole wheat pasta
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
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    Eat more oily fish, nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, whole coconut or cocoa: these are nutrient and calorie dense.
  • Natihilator
    Natihilator Posts: 1,778 Member
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    GO NUTS.

    And seeds. Get seedy too. :wink:
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    Peanut butter + spoon
  • mambagirl
    mambagirl Posts: 137 Member
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    Make sure that your settings are correct....
  • mgobluetx12
    mgobluetx12 Posts: 1,326 Member
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    Make sure that your settings are correct....

    This. Your calories sound very high unless you work in an active job, which may be the case.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    SOOOOO, because of my height and weight MFP is telling me to eat 2,640 calories per day, which was easy when I wasn't eating healthy but now that I am it's really hard to meet that goal. Even when I stuff myself I barely hit 2,000 because I cut down on my portion size and have been eating lower calorie foods like wheat bread, lean meat, and more veggies. How can I eat these calories? And is hitting around 1,500 unhealthy?

    I can't see your diary, but you might want to reconsider the appropriation of various foods as "healthy" and "unhealthy." If you *should* be eating 2640 a day, then it is not healthy to be eating 1500. It's better to eat ice cream than to deprive your body of the energy it needs to function daily.

    And seriously, there are a LOT of nutrient dense foods that are high calorie. Eat meat that's not so lean. Eat full fat dairy. Have a baked potato with cheese, have avocado. Nuts and seeds have been mentioned as well. Fat is 9 calories per gram, so that's the easiest way to reach your calorie goal.

    Keep it simple, and learn to enjoy eating the right amount of food for your needs. Make changes gradually.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Make sure that your settings are correct....

    This. Your calories sound very high unless you work in an active job, which may be the case.

    Could be. But her ticker on her profile says she is trying to lose 180 pounds. A high body weight increases TDEE. I have a desk job and my TDEE is around 2200-2300 without exercise and a little over 60 pounds to lose.

    But it's hard to say without more info.
  • TRae0815
    TRae0815 Posts: 2 Member
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    Thanks Everyone! Some more info: I'm allergic to most nuts and fish (except the hazelnuts in Nutella and Tuna and Salmon for some reason) and I'm a college student with no car in DC, so I walk everywhere and for exercise I do Zumba 3 times a week and 2 mile walks 3 times per week. Eating wise, because I'm really trying to get fit before I graduate (in 2014) I cut out pretty much all sugar and fat but I'll try to put a little more in my diet. I saw a lot of websites that said to cut out potatoes, corn, rice, sugar, white bread etc. so I wasn't sure...
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    Thanks Everyone! Some more info: I'm allergic to most nuts and fish (except the hazelnuts in Nutella and Tuna and Salmon for some reason) and I'm a college student with no car in DC, so I walk everywhere and for exercise I do Zumba 3 times a week and 2 mile walks 3 times per week. Eating wise, because I'm really trying to get fit before I graduate (in 2014) I cut out pretty much all sugar and fat but I'll try to put a little more in my diet. I saw a lot of websites that said to cut out potatoes, corn, rice, sugar, white bread etc. so I wasn't sure...
    Don't cut out potatoes, bread etc just because a website says so, make sure it's right for you. There are so many different opinions on what constitutes a "healthy" diet. Read lots, experiment, and figure out what way is going to suit you best. Some people have medical issues with carbs. Personally, I haven't cut out any of that kind of food, and I've not had any problems losing weight. A lot of people assume you need to eat low fat, but actually, your body really needs fat to function properly. Fat doesn't make you fat, only if you have too much of it.

    As for calories, as others have said, healthy food doesn't have to be low-calorie food. Fat is the main thing to look at when trying to up your calories. Also, remember you can drink your calories too, and it's sometimes easier to do that if you feel full. So, milk, smoothies and protein shakes could be a big help.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Thanks Everyone! Some more info: I'm allergic to most nuts and fish (except the hazelnuts in Nutella and Tuna and Salmon for some reason) and I'm a college student with no car in DC, so I walk everywhere and for exercise I do Zumba 3 times a week and 2 mile walks 3 times per week. Eating wise, because I'm really trying to get fit before I graduate (in 2014) I cut out pretty much all sugar and fat but I'll try to put a little more in my diet. I saw a lot of websites that said to cut out potatoes, corn, rice, sugar, white bread etc. so I wasn't sure...

    Don't cut out fat, for sure.

    Also, did you select Lightly Active for your non-exercise daily routine with that much walking?

    And at this point you can select 2lb weekly loss.

    And use MFP as intended, you log the extra exercise that is intense walking or classes, and you get to eat that back, at least majority.

    If you have a problem with a certain food type causing you to over-indulge, then that might be useful to block out until you can control urges, otherwise the processed carbs might be useful just to cut back on, so you have more calories for better stuff.
  • abuchfinck
    abuchfinck Posts: 10
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    zumba kills calories lol, but yes if you walk everywhere and do zumba and cut out all your carbs you are going to have a difficult time. Protien will be your friend and so will those potatoes.

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