(rant) "Help, I can't eat enough calories!"

I think the problem is that a lot of people went from stuff like fast food and preprepared box meals to fresh food. A lot of them also start avoiding fat like the plague. They may go from a cheeseburger and fries for dinner to a salad with grilled chicken breast and fat free dressing. That could easily be a 500 calorie drop from the norm. They're full, but they are now short on calories and don't know how to make it up.

That's my story. Luckily we learn little things to do to help out. If I need fat calories, peanut butter or a handful of nuts. If I need protein, yogurt or cottage cheese. Carbs, well there's too many choices! It's an adjustment when you're used to eating fast food all the time.

I believe what the OP was ranting about was the endless string of people who just "can't figure out" how to get more calories on the board. After about the tenth post in a week isn't anyone else tempted to just say: Food. Mouth. Swallow?

^^^^ this. i'm starting to notice a lot of the same types of posts. i realize there are new people added daily but come on if you just scroll down a bit you'll find the exact same question asked just in a different way. personally i never have any problems eating my calories including my exercise calories.

as for the egg white comments, if you're making an omelet with 2 egg whites how about adding 1 yolk to it. it's good for you. no need to be afraid of the WHOLE EGG. embrace the whole egg. it's your friend. mmmm eggs. it's what's for dinner.

lol actually it IS what is for dinner tonight at my house

well it's actually not so simple as got fat by overeating. before I got treatment for PTSD I was in a cycle of not eating anywhere near enough (by accident) because I was so stressed out (try having flashbacks of a really indescribably horrible past situation several times a week and see if you have much of an appetite....). Then, when going through phases of feeling comparatively less stressed, I'd overeat massively (i.e. basic human survival response from too few calories) and I got fat that way and probably burned up some lean body mass as well during the failing to eat enough phases, i.e. totally screwed up my body composition

so getting into healthy eating, well intellectually it's quite straight forward, i.e. eat the right amount of calories every day, no undereating = no rebound overeating and = slow and steady fat loss. Well try sticking to that when you have anxiety issues, flashbacks and the rest and you know you have to eat but the idea of actually eating makes you want to puke.... so yes, I had trouble eating enough calories on a very regular basis....

thankfully I'm a lot better from the PTSD these days, it's not gone away completely but nowhere near as bad. Heavy lifting has helped a lot with getting rid of some of the physical symptoms caused by anxiety. I'm at a healthy body fat percentage and just working at improving it and gaining some lean body mass as well.

So its really nowhere near as simple as many of you think!!

Christ on a bike.
You try waking up with no appetite and eating 1400 calories a day! It's not so simple when you're trying to lose weight and one half of you thinks it's good to have no appetite and the other knows it's physically wrong. Also not everyone here is overweight. I'm 132lbs and 5'5, my appetite disappeared for 3 or so weeks and I'm only just getting it back. Please do not judge people who find it hard to reach their calorie goal because it's so easy to judge until you've been there and felt that split in your mind and everything. It's so horrible to just say EAT. Because if you don't realise it's physically wrong you could head down the ED path, and that's never good.

Christ on a bike.
You try waking up with no appetite and eating 1400 calories a day! It's not so simple when you're trying to lose weight and one half of you thinks it's good to have no appetite and the other knows it's physically wrong. Also not everyone here is overweight. I'm 132lbs and 5'5, my appetite disappeared for 3 or so weeks and I'm only just getting it back. Please do not judge people who find it hard to reach their calorie goal because it's so easy to judge until you've been there and felt that split in your mind and everything. It's so horrible to just say EAT. Because if you don't realise it's physically wrong you could head down the ED path, and that's never good.

So your not overweight, you don't need to lose weight so why are you eating at a deficit then?

For quite a lot of people using MFP is a means of learning healthier choices to use up your calories with. Some people take it to the extreme and eat LOADS of veggies and come in way low. Some people have cut out certain junk foods that made them fat from their diet. I used to eat oreos by the columns. No joke. That and soda and chocolate bars by the lbs (no joke.) Thats how *I* got fat. Cut that crap out of my diet and then eating portions correctly and BAM look at where my calories are now. I actually eat *more* food through the day now than I did before, and worry about the eventuality of hitting maintenance calories, but even there I know I will be fine.

Im a HUGE fan of eating. I loved learning that I could eat so much and lose weight. Love knowing a vigorous walk means more food :P Wish I had all this insight years ago..

Hope that clears up your rant peeve some ;-)

Ohhhhh OREOS!! My favorite store bought cookie of all time! Double Stufs even. My DH came home yesterday and said "I'm not trying tempt you, but I saw Mega Stuf Oreos today". My reaction? "Don't you DARE bring them into this house!" I'm slowly learning to not give in to temptation, but it's definitely slow! I don't need to be tempted by my favorite cookie just yet!

But that's just me....

No, no it's most certainly not just you. I've never been afraid to eat more calories than was good for me. Which is why I'm now having to count and budget the stupid things. :laugh:

I can help you to understand.....maybe

When I wasn't tracking I was eating Bullisht! I could down a McDonalds breakfast of 700+ calories easily.....Then I could eat some Doritios on the fly and get a large latte at Starbucks- easy. Not tracking. Not trying to be healthy. Didn't care.

Now I'm having egg white scramble, with spinach and a slice of whole wheat bread and carrots on the fly- with more water than ever. Tracking. Caring and Trying to be healthy.

I think it's a very realistic concern for people who have truly changed the way they eat for good and are trying to lose and I understand.
There are a lot of things that I have "eliminated" or cut down drastically from my diet until I'm in maintain mode, I have 15 more pounds to lose so it's been very difficult for me to make my 1500 when I'm being very cautious of what I'm putting in my body.

I think you should always 'release' and 'rant" when needed, as to not hold it in and be stressed but I don't think you should judge and assume that everything should be easy for all people. I don't think the majority of people are lying just to hear someone tell them to eat more. It's very complex to some people and overall I think thoughfulness and empathy can help people become healthier opposed to ranting.

One other thing that may help is just not to read the posts that say "Help, I can't eat enough calories"
Just a thought :flowerforyou:

Exactly! I agree completely. I think back to all the crap I was having before I started MFP and I cringe at the ginormous amounts of calories I just downed without a thought or care. Now I think twice!!

The whole idea is that we are having difficultly eating the kind of calories that fit our macros. Sure I can eat peanut butter by the spoonful and get my calories but then I will go over in fat or I can have an extra sandwich and go over in carbs. It's the right combo of healthy calories we rant about. Also, I thought that was the whole purpose of this site, to share ideas and frustrations and encourage each other. We aren't just whining, we are voicing our opinion, in hopes someone that has been there and done that will give us an idea of how to be successful by sharing their knowledge with us based on their first hand experiences.

You can rant all you want....But I am having a hell of a time consuming 2100 calories a day and I have 16 lbs. to lose.....If you don't get it...I do.....ITS CALLED QUALITY FOOD....So instead of have a bowl of Fruit Loops (or whatever) for breakfast I now eat 6 egg whites with a piece of swiss cheese, a slice of dry toast, 1 tbls of salsa and a fruit smoothie totalling 429 calories in all. I burn damn near 3000 calories a day according to my fitbit. So...yes...its the quality of food that makes it difficult to adjust. We are here to help one another....not rant and complain that you see to many posts with people trying to help one another.

Amen Brother. :glasses:

Agreed; quality is the thing. I had no trouble eating enough calories when I was eating whatever I wanted. Now that I only have healthy food in the house, I have to eat quite a bit to reach an adequate amount for the day (especially if I have exercised).

Now you see, I don't get that. I eat pretty clean most days, fruit, greek yoghurt, high protein (chicken, turkey, fish), rice, veg etc and I certainly wouldn't say I have 'to eat quite a bit' to reach an adequate for the day. I have moderate sized meals with few snacks in between. My rice portions are smaller than my 11 year old sons and I'm on 1740 cals a day, not 1200!! 1200 Is not a lot of food, no matter how healthy you think it is.