Can't seem to consume enough to meet 1200 calories... Help!

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  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
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    Breakfast:
    2 hard boiled eggs (130 calories)

    Add some bread, or scramble them up with some milk.
    Lunch:
    1 slice of Domino's Hawaiian pizza (280 calories)
    2 cups romaine lettuce (15 calories)
    1 tbsp Caesar dressing (40 calories)
    Parmesan cheese 1 tsp (20 calories)

    2 slices of pizza?
    Higher calorie dressing (ranch dressing)
    Regular cheddar instead of parmesan - not because it's higher calorie, but because if you consume chunks of cheese you end up eating more in general. Parmesan is very finely grated.
    Add ham, scotch eggs, boiled eggs, fruit,... to your salad
    Dinner:
    2 cups romaine lettuce (15 calories)
    1 tbsp Caesar dressing (40 calories)
    Parmesan cheese 1 tsp (20 calories)
    Diced grilled chicken breast (100 calories)
    Diet Pepsi (0 calories)

    Higher calorie/fattier meat
    Olive oil
    Higher calorie dressing
    Salad ideas as mentioned above
    Full fat pepsi
    Pasta
    Snack:
    1 medium banana (84 calories)

    Avocado
    Glass of milk
    PB on toast?
  • arnfolly
    arnfolly Posts: 79 Member
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    what about adding some fruit to breakfast? your body needs carbs in the am to get a jump start. Try berries, apples, peaches, pears or whatever your favorite fruit might be! Or, yogurt and fruit. :)
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I am not a big salad fan, but when you really only enjoy pasta, breads and lots of mexican food, there isn't much room to consume all of that.

    Sure there is! I love pastas and breads and Mexican, and it fits in my plan just fine.

    First off, when you're having trouble getting near 1200, it makes no sense at all to cut off foods you like.

    What I do, when making pasta, is to add a cup or so of frozen vegetables in a compatible flavor to the sauce. Say "Italian Blend" to vodka sauce and raviolis. That way, I can still eat a plate of food, with a more moderate serving of pasta. Ditto for rice dishes. When I make Mexican style foods, I add a pile of spinach, tomatoes, corn and peppers to the mix. A "Peking blend" veggie mix to oriental dishes. And it's usually chicken with any meal. I have chicken about 5 nights a week, and never get sick of it because it's always cooked differently. Check my food diary.

    On the other hand, I also realized in a few weeks on here that 1200 calories wasn't for me, and I understood exercise calories, so I didn't have a goal as low as 1200. During the time I was losing weight, my calorie goal was around 1700-2200 or so. And there's plenty of room for things like garlic bread or cornbread or tortillas or ravioli in that calorie amount.
  • love8383
    love8383 Posts: 169
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    Your starving yourself without realizing it, if you start eating too few calories, your stomach will get used to that amount and you will feel full sooner, but thats not good if your not eating at least 1200 calories a day. It will only cause you to go into starvation mode where you gain it all back in a few months, try adding some 100 calorie snacks, they do make some heathly ones like almonds/mixed nuts granola oat bars ect
  • bekdavis
    bekdavis Posts: 290 Member
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    Nuts, peanut butter, full fat dairy, oils, avocado, eggs, cheese, food in general. Losing weight doesn't have to be all lettuce and chicken breasts.

    complex carbs are great on a salad too.

    Eat, Eat, Eat! Or, you will not stick to your diet.
  • GrnEyeGen
    GrnEyeGen Posts: 1
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    I had this problem originally as well, especially after starting a strict paleo lifestyle. I could not meet that 1,200 calorie mark and when cross-fitting, saw my energy decrease a lot (This is normal in the 1st couple of weeks of paleo, but I contribute a lot of that to a lack of calories). With a coach's suggestion, I switched for a month to doing the zone diet, but paleo style. Read: no grains, dairy or other high gylcemic carbs. Results have been 160lbs to 135lbs in 6 months & 5% decrease in body fat so far.

    The zone really really helped getting my portions in order. Over a 2 week period I gradually increased the amount of calories I was eating from 800-900 to 1200-1400. It is not something that is easy to do in a couple of days. Measuring is a pain, but after a week or two, you will really be able to eyeball most items that you eat on a regular basis.

    No matter what lifestyle you go with (I choose primal since I have found through this that I am very sensitive to grains), as many people have stated, uping your healthy fat intake is really the way to go. Doesn't need to be nuts. Try almond butter, avocado, homemade guacamole, cook with olive oil or use as dressing (the caesar will cause water retention).

    Also, check out your chicken (or other protein) quantities. 100 calories seems a bit low; my normal 3oz of chicken is about 180 calories.

    Good luck and keep trying! It may not be easy, but it will always be worth it:)
  • marqcutie80
    marqcutie80 Posts: 68 Member
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    Sorry to be "the mean girl" but I'm so sick and tired of people complaining that they can't manage to eat 1200 calories a day. If that were true, you wouldn't need to be on here trying to lose weight in the first place. I'm sure you can figure it out. It is simple math after all.

    :devil:
  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
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    Oh please, I could eat a 10oz steak and a bowl of oatmeal the size of my head for breakfast. Talking about "I can't eat 1200 ALL DAY!"
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    Don't eat bread, that's stupid. You can add stuff to your breakfast like turkey breast or veggies. I love doing eggs, tomato slices, and avocado. Avocado is a great source of healthy fats. As for your salad add more veggies- cucumber, tomato, avocado, you could even add hard boiled egg to it. I usually eat a tablespoon of peanut butter after a work out and thats about 80 calories but it's also really good for you. Load up your fridge with some fresh veggies and grab a carrot if you're feeling hungry or like you're not eating enough calories. Don't grab carbs. They might add to the calories but they're not calories that you want. Keep your head up, the longer you make healthy choices the easier it becomes.

    :laugh:

    I didn't read past the first page but clearly the answer was to eat more than 1 slice of pizza at lunch.
  • MJackson54
    MJackson54 Posts: 44
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    I don't worry about the calories. I make sure I am getting enough protein and carbs. I don't eat ANY bread, pasta, potatoes, etc. And I have no problem without that stuff. Hit me up if you want to be friends and you can look at my food diaries.
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
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    get some fiber one bars-140 calories and it gives u a chocolate fix.......
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
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    Don't be so extreme with the diet change.. eat real, normal food if you need to instead of fake diet food or nothing but fruits and vegetables. Plan your menu the night before if you're having that much of a problem.
  • pushyourself14
    pushyourself14 Posts: 275 Member
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    Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the suggestions!

    I am not a big salad fan, but when you really only enjoy pasta, breads and lots of mexican food, there isn't much room to consume all of that.

    Someone commented on 1-2 tbsp being low for 2 cups of salad.... I was actually really shocked at how much it actually covered. I was quite satisfied. Normally I would drench my salad, but it was cool seeing that it wasn't necessary. :)

    I find that nuts make my face break out (maybe I'm crazy and there is no correlation, but it sure seems that way).

    I'm only 3 days into this whole process.... and I want to start on the right foot. I've never been a beacon of healthy and never made really good food choices, either.

    I never used to eat healthy at all either. You gotta start somewhere :) If you stay at it, and continually make healthy food choices, it will get easier and easier to make them. In April/May of last year I ate McDonald's a lot and had not gone for a run or worked out, and now I'm addicted to fruit, salads, broccoli, lean proteins, peanuts, etc. And I exercise 4-5 times a week. It'll come with time if you stick with it :)
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
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    Calories ASIDE, your diet is pretty nutrient-poor. First, switch out your lettuce for some spinach and top it with some colorful veggies like mini peppers, snow peas, broccoli, carrots, etc.~whatever you like. If you don't like veggies, learn to do so. This won't add a ton of calories but it will add a ton of health benefits.

    Why not throw in a Greek yogurt with that banana for a pro-biotic and protein power punch? Have some nuts? More fruit, but fruit with fiber? Dried edamame is a good snack. I'm eating a wasabi one I really like.
  • Riemersma4
    Riemersma4 Posts: 400 Member
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    Nosh on some nuts.
    Eat some lentils.
    Dig in to an avocado.
    Grab a Greek yogurt.

    LOTS of excellent calorie dense food sout there for you.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    Breakfast:
    2 hard boiled eggs (130 calories)-maybe a nice sunny side up egg fried in some oil. Did you use any seasonings? This might have been the perfect time to add a piece of fruit.

    Lunch:
    1 slice of Domino's Hawaiian pizza (280 calories)
    2 cups romaine lettuce (15 calories)
    1 tbsp Caesar dressing (40 calories)-one more tablespoon of dressing?
    Parmesan cheese 1 tsp (20 calories)
    What about croutons or olives here? Cant have a casear salad without croutons.

    Dinner:
    2 cups romaine lettuce (15 calories)
    1 tbsp Caesar dressing (40 calories)-one more tablespoon? That seems low though for an oil based dressing. Is it a fat free dressing? I'm getting about 70 calories for a tablespoon.
    Parmesan cheese 1 tsp (20 calories)-instead of grating it cut up an oz
    Diced grilled chicken breast (100 calories)-how was this prepared? Did you add any sort of seasonings or oil?
    Diet Pepsi (0 calories)
    Once again this would have been perfect to add some croutons or olives.

    Snack:
    1 medium banana (84 calories) maybe add a tablespoon of peanut butter or a piece of string cheese or some deli meat slices

    Other:
    10 calories from crystal light
    8 cups of water
  • nathan6878
    nathan6878 Posts: 115 Member
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    I sometimes have a truly hard time to reach 1100 myself!!!
  • alishacupcake
    alishacupcake Posts: 419 Member
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    Oh please, I could eat a 10oz steak and a bowl of oatmeal the size of my head for breakfast. Talking about "I can't eat 1200 ALL DAY!"

    This. I really wish that I had your problem. I would eat a big mac personally but I'm sure you are meaning a more healthy food...
  • G30Grrl
    G30Grrl Posts: 377 Member
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    Nuts, peanut butter, full fat dairy, oils, avocado, eggs, cheese, food in general. Losing weight doesn't have to be all lettuce and chicken breasts.

    This^^

    I easily eat over 1200 calories per day, and I do it without eating any sweets or grains, since I follow a mostly Paleo diet. My diet generally consists of fruits, veggies (LOTS of those), mostly lean protein (Lots of that, too), nuts, and eggs, plus about 10 cups of water per day.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    I do have to put my 2 cents in she didnt use ice berg she use romaine, and romaine has a lovely nutritional profile. TYVM

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