Help I have trouble eating under 2000 cals a day!

I've come to the conclusion that OP is trolling all of you.

Agreed. But at least there have been 100+ posters who have put out really great ideas for the rest of us

It sounds like your definition of "normal" needs to change. 900 calories for one meal would be normal for, maybe, a linebacker. Or an unhealthy person. I think I eat like a "normal" person. I don't restrict anything, if I want it, I have it. And I am usually right where I need to be for calories. If I am going to eat more I exercise and "earn" some more calories. Check out my diary, it is open.

I routinely eat 750 - 850 calories for dinner.

OP: It isn't about just one meal - it is about making better choices all day every day, the ability to forgive yourself when you go over, the patience to stick to it, learn from your mistakes, and pick and choose the advice you will follow.

Try small changes at first - if you are continually hungry, try to up your fat, proteins and fiber. that should help you stay satisfied longer. Also, I eat every 2.5 hours or so so I never feel hungry. These things work for me, and maybe they will for you as well. Best of luck to you!!

One way to stay full is to eat fat at meals. Each meal NEEDS to have fat, protein, and fiber. That's one reason why a steak keeps you fuller than the same amount of calories in a hamburger or a boneless skinless tasteless chicken breast. Also, your body expects to get fat from things like meat and dairy, because humans evolved with only full-fat products. If you eat something that is artificially low or no fat, your body sets itself up to digest full fat, then you feel hungry when your body doesn't get what it expects (there are similar problems with no calorie sweeteners).

Soup is also awesome, it fills you up more than food and water separately.

Also, avoid any processed food- it's designed to make you want more! Sugars (even from too much fruit), white flour is the same way. It raises your blood sugar and than causes it to drop quickly, making you super hungry about 30 mins after eating.

For some people, snacking also increases hunger. Have you ever been not very hungry, then become ravenous as soon as you took a bite of something? That's because your body suppresses hunger signals after an hour or so (so that people weren't bothered by those signals while they were trying to hunt and such). Then, when you eat that first bite, your hunger signals flare up to tell you to keep eating and your stomach prepares to digest a meal. When you don't eat a full meal, your body is left with disappointed expectations and you get hungry again as soon as the tiny snack you ate is digested.

When you DO eat (during meals), try to do so rather slowly, and pay attention to the taste. This allows your body to know what you are eating and when you have had enough. Once your nutritional needs are met, you will notice that the taste changes slightly (you'll only notice if you're paying attention). The second that your meal doesn't taste as awesome as it did before, you know that your body is sending a signal that it has all it needs and that you should stop eating. If you never get full, eat more variety.

I don't know if it's been said already, but when I looked through your diary and scrolled back through all the 'quck add' calories, I found you eating things like chocolate cupcakes, caramel turtles and Hershey's chocolate bars for breakfast. The other meals seemed to be majorly refined carb heavy.

So perhaps you're feeling hungry a lot because you're eating lots of refined carbs and sugars which will send your blood glucose pinging all over the place? If you could substitute the refined carbs/sugars at breakfast with protein and slow-release carbs (bowl of porridge or something) you'd probably feel fuller for longer.

Rather than the hamburgers and fries for lunch, or the subways with absolutely everything on them (I was shocked at how many calories a subway could end up being looking at your diary) why not make something the night before to take into work? Make a frittata in the morning with lots of veggies and some lean meat in it and take it in cold with lots of salad. Take some soup with you if you have a micro at work - soup is a great way to get some good nutrients in and feel full. Marinade chicken breasts, legs or thighs in different spices, bake them and take them cold into work. Make little ham and egg pies (i.e. line a muffin tin with ham, whisk up eggs with herbs, veggies...whatever you fancy, pour into the ham molds and bake) If you cook the night before, just make extra and take it in for lunch.

Basically, you seem to be eating calorie dense food, but not nutrient rich food...and what you're eating is leaving you hungry.

If you are on your feet all day then set your daily calories to 2000. Track it for a few weeks and see how your body reacts. If you don't lose any weight or gain then drop it to 1800 and go from there.

This is your journey. Figure out what works for you not others.

whoa!! 900 cal for breakfast is too much..whats in those? my breakfasts are usually in the 300 - 400 range , high protein, eggs, meat.

You need to eat healthy. Two soft tacos and a baked potato for breakfast??? Try a bowl of oatmeal.

If dieting was easy, everyone would be thin....

i'm actually having a hard time eating 1200 cals a day. The reason i'm now trying to lose 50 lbs, is because my metabolism has slowed WAAYY down, and i love sweets.
So for me, my question, is how do you eat so much? ):

You WILL feel hungry... AT FIRST. Your body needs to adjust to eating less. Eat smaller portions more often, good protein/good carb, and plenty of fiber and water. Having lost a total of 73 lbs on my weight loss journey, i remember feeling like i was starving at first. Now, the idea of 2 tacos AND a potato in one meal??? YIKES!!! You might feel hungry, grumpy, maybe sluggish at first. You have gotten your body used to eating way more than it needs, which is probably why you're here now trying to lose weight. It will adjust back. Smaller portions of healthier foods. That's the deal. It gets easier, i promise!

I looked at your diary...for the past few days you're not logging specific food, but just Quick Adding calories. It might help to see (for yourself) how you're doing if you log everything you eat. Try it for one week and then you can adjust what you want. I would keep trying.

Try to change one thing at a time: makeover one meal, to see if you like it. Then, keep going.

Two tacos for breakfast! :noway: Is that really how a "normal" person eats?

And from the sounds of it... you eat red meat and potatoes way, way too much. Switch it out with some lower calorie veggies (think brocolli, asparagus, carrots) and lean meats (fish, chicken). I think that if you seriously sit down and calculate your options, you'll find that veggie omelet or a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast would be just as filling with about half the calories.

Also: drink tons of water. It helps.

Sounds like there are a couple of issues here. First, your definition of normal is screwed up. You might want to start creeping other people's diaries to get some ideas of how to eat. Second, you're really good at the excuses.

If you don't fix these two things first, you won't have a chance.

lmaooooooooo sorry it made me LOL especially when most people have eggs, "toast, pancakes or waffles" a slice or two of bacon or sausage maybe both and lets not forget the condiments butter and syrup etc... breakfast is a big and fatty meal for a lot of people.... thats not an abnormal meal if you google breakfast you will likely get the above... so one baked potato for dinner is a large meal for you?

That is not what most people have for one breakfast. Even for a special outing we wouldn't have that much at the same breakfast.

I have trouble eating up to 1200 per day; MFP always says I am in starvation mode. Listen, I've always maintained, even to my doctors, that I just don't eat that much. BUT, I found MFP and tracked every single calorie I put in my mouth. Turns out I was drinking my calories because I had this thing for French Vanilla Coffeemate and I constantly used to drink coffee to obtain energy.

Your diet is well...crap. Sorry, don't mean to be harsh but it's the truth. Mine was for years. Takes one to know one. Turns out I natually eat really, really low fat and low cholesterol, which is strange because I have really high cholesterol problems. My doc says THAT is genetic....but what I am always too high on is still sugar and carbs. Too low in protein. I am working to rectify that. I also really didn't know what a portion was. Seriously...even one of those quicky microwave containers of soup you can grab for a lunch...Always assumed that was one serving. They aren't. Read the labels. Those containers are supposed to be 2 servings.

Use MFP to track every single calorie you consume. I even track my 10 calorie packs of crystal light. Try and cut out the processed foods...and to me that includes margarine, tons of low calorie pops with artificial sweeteners (yes, crystal light has that I am aware but I don't use a ton of that stuff), all this "low fat" stuff which instead use chemicals you can't pronounce to make up for the lack of natural fat. I generally only consume "real food" which means butter, full fat cheese, whole eggs with yolks from time to time, full fat mayo, etc...I cut out fast food years ago when my son was little because I did not want him getting into the happy meal habit. Really, once you get used to that it won't bother you and when someone is chomping down a large McDie Fry and a QP dripping with 6 servings of mayo, you will be repulsed.

It appears you are a fellow carb addict so I am not getting on you, but your breakfast is loaded with carbs and therefore sugar. Not to mention 900 calories for breakfast is a LOT of calories..and you mention you are struggling and hungry. You are eating the wrong stuff my friend.

Starting off with baby steps...start moving! Take the stairs. Go for a short walk. Park your car farther away in the parking lot so you have to walk a bit more.

Forgetting all of the above, I really believe that the bottom line is simple math. It would take 1200 calories per day for me to just survive if I were on life support in a coma. If I do nothing every day but sit on the couch and watch TV I'd still burn a few hundred calories more or less. So you have to have a calorie deficit to lose any weight. Calories burned has to be more than calories consumed or you will not be able to lose weight! Use MFP and log every calorie and see exactly where you are making decisions that are making it hard for you to lose weight. And don't think of it as being "on a diet". Think of it as "making a lifestyle change which will benefit you".
Good luck.

the line backer would eat the entire taco Bell menu... not two small soft tacos!


To the OP:
perhaps your problem is trying to have what we were brought up to believe were "balanced" meals.

I find the carbs kill me. I used to eat a homemade egg mcmuffin for breakfast every morning. Much healthier than Mc D's, but still close to 400 calories. and it's not really that much food, a small, easy to hold in the palm of your hand sandwich.
Now I eat crepes, or an omelette, scrambled, or whatever, but try not to do the eggs, the bread, the meat, and the cheese all together. Two out of four make a good meal, and way less calories.

the hamburger is fine, but the bun adds an extra 200 calories and very little nutritional value.
the taco stuff might be better served on a salad, especially if you want to eat the potato too.