No it really isn't easy eating daily calories

SimonLondon
SimonLondon Posts: 350
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
Ok so this is highly controversial and I will receive a lot of criticism but it’s something that I face almost every day and so do many more people on here so here I go; “I simply cannot eat all of my calories each day unless I eat junk or eat just for the sake of eating even though I’m full”. There, I’ve said it…phew! I will stand in front of the firing squad awaiting your replies :wink:

This site is full of people who believe that it isn’t possible to not be able to eat all your calories but there are enough of us on this site who have this problem so it is more common than many of you think. I actually WORRY about this. I would like to be able to hit the mark every day but for the majority of the time I’m way off.

Some people may post this problem as some kind of brag or troll post and I genuinely can see it would annoy people who really struggle to keep UNDER their limit. I’m asking YOU, the people who struggle to stay UNDER, to remember that there really are people like us who have just a bigger struggle with your opposite. It isn’t a brag for a lot of people and I bet I worry about my calorie intake just as much as you do!

I see posts a lot from people say it is easy to eat 2500 calories a day but I really beg to differ. I have changed my lifestyle completely and for a number of months now I can visualise what junk food is doing to my body so I try to stay well clear. Eating healthily means good you for which for the most part means low in calories, high in good stuff.

This then leaves me with a dilemma;

With my walk to work, exercise and general day-to-day movements I’m meant to find around 2,900 calories a day. I won’t eat junk and I won’t eat sugary snacks. I eat 3 main meals a day and 3 smaller meals/snacks in between. I can fairly easily eat 400 calories per main meal and a couple of hundred per snack which brings me nicely up to 1,800 calories but with the exercise etc I still have around 1,000 to eat. I would have to pretty much eat my three main meals all over again to get there or eat three 800 calorie meals a day plus snacks. You try and eat 800 calories in one sitting and do it healthily...bet you can't keep that up 7 days a week!

I’m at my goal weight which means my stomach is the smallest it has been for many years and I am increasingly being very careful about what I put inside it. If I am “genuinely” full from 6 meals/snacks a day I really don’t see the point in forcing a load of nuts or junk down my throat just to make up the numbers? I equally don’t want to stop exercising just because I can’t make up the numbers. I love running, I love the gym and I love my new lifestyle, I really don’t want to change any of it.

The calorie balancing act can be just hard down here as it is up there and I hope this posts helps those people who think it’s easy to eat the calories to think a little.
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Replies

  • mirgss
    mirgss Posts: 275 Member
    I don't generally have the problem of not being able to consume enough calories. BUT, my goal calories are much lower - less than 1600 - AND I do cheat and have cookies or a beer or something if it's within my daily allotment. I can definitely see how it is difficult, at your activity level, to consume all your recommended calories. Your body will send you signals when it wants to eat - there are numerous neurotransmitters and other things which control your level of hunger/fullness. I applaud you for bringing up the subject in such a way :)

    I think it's more concerning when people only consume 500 or 700 or even 1000 calories on a regular basis - those people must be starving themselves. I don't think I could eat that few calories if I really tried AND ate 100% clean! I would still be hungry :D
  • I have the same problem. Although, my goal is 1200 right now, because I don't work out. And by the end of the day, I am usually only at 800 or 900 calories. And I'm also eating 3 meal meals, and 3 snacks. I find it hard to increase calories. Veggies don't have a lot of calories and I'm already eating a cup or two cups each plate, I can't eat ALL this meat (usually 8oz at dinner, chew, chew, chew, chew... I dunno), I don't want to add bread or sugars.

    I think I'm going to add more oil and butter to things, but then that skyrockets my fats (good fats). They are easy calories. lol

    Edit: And yes, I am constantly FULL.
  • ssmom
    ssmom Posts: 128 Member
    As long as you are maintaining your weight and not still losing and getting extremely thin, then do what feels best for you. We are all different. I know some days I feel hungrier than others so I make up for deficits on those days. I just do what my body is telling me, otherwise I will get back into the habit of eating just because. It's weird, but I try to eat healthier, and when I am with a friend or family member I feel guilty for not eating the bad stuff along with them. Like eating my carrots over their doritos is a bad thing?!! Good luck maintaining, I can't wait to get to that point.
  • dsp79
    dsp79 Posts: 5
    I love this OP, and the replies from everyone. It certainly describes very well the way I feel about trying to eat MORE and as I'm learning on this site, the CORRECT balance of foods. It's really hard especially when your body is telling you you are full up (feeling bloated, lethargic, sleepy etc) but to make progress you have to carry on.

    My approach is to try and get a balance with my daily meals, and eat more of them (finishing the plate is always my target) - but to enjoy and fill up on snacks which I guess you'd class as junk food.

    Just wanted to say I think it's best to do whatever works for you - but the people on here also seem very helpful and well-informed, so also keep your eyes open to new approaches.
    D
  • evanlyn
    evanlyn Posts: 16 Member
    Hi Simon,

    I've been wondering about this recently. I've still got a way to go before reaching my goal weight but it occurred to me the other day that I'm happily eating around 1200 calories each day, enjoying the meals that I eat, not missing the junk and often feel full. I'm really starting to wonder what foods I can add to my diet to make up the extra calories when I get to maintenance. I don't really want to eat processed sugar or high fat foods just for the sake of it. I was hoping that some of the people here on MFP who have reached their goal would have the answer. :smile:

    I think this is why sports people spend a lot of their time eating - they need to eat constantly to refuel. I work in education and the students in the sports department always seem to be quaffing full fat milk by the pint and eating bananas by the bunch!
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    Ok here is what went through my mind, from personal experience, reading articles and reading what has happened to others.

    If you eat 1800 healthy calories. Feel HEALTHY and happy. Are HEALTHY and satisfied and your HEALTH is not jeopordized, then keep on keeping on!

    From what I have read and experienced when you lower your intake your body adjusts.............just as it adjusted to eating way too much for way too long. So now your body is proficient (sp) at utilizing 1800 calories.

    The real question comes in when you ask: Can you sustain this for the rest of your life?

    If so, then what is the big deal? Maybe your system only needs this much to survive in a healthy manner.

    From your pic and your name I assume you are male? I find it hard to believe your maint. cals are almost the same as mine at 135 lbs and 5/2"tall. my maint cals are around 1700......but if I eat that much I gain weight. I have a slow metabolism from menapause, genetics, prior diets that screwed with my furnace and I believe having a 5 yr span in childhood where I did not get the proper nutrition.

    Banks always says to increase your cals a bit at a time 50 or so a day for a week....to maint cals, to give your body a chance to adjust.

    But maybe, just maybe, you are doing everything right and should change nothing! My friend who eats super duper clean has a hard time getting in 1200 cals a day. She has been my healthiest friend for life and eats tofu, greens, veggies, water, no processed foods at all. She is 46 with rock hard abs and arms. I counted her cals for the day and she was lucky to get in 1200.......when she added proc foods after moving north she only gained 5 pounds but it looked like 20!

    Dang...........I went on and on didnt I?? :laugh: Sorry :blushing:
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    Oh and CONGRATULATIONS!!! on hitting your goal weight!! Good job!! :flowerforyou:
  • ladysw357
    ladysw357 Posts: 43
    I also have problems meeting my daily calorie goal. According to my doctor, eating too few calories is why I've been gaining weight; my body is storing up in starvation mode. I always figured that less calories equated to weight loss, but apparently that is not always the case.

    My calorie goal before exercise is 1600. I am having a hard to meeting that. On an average day, I maybe hit right under 1000. Add in exercise calories and I'm no where near close. I really try to get somewhere close to my pre-exercise goal, but it's difficult unless I eat all day. I have eliminated most (I say most because occassionally I will have some chips or cookies) junk food from my diet. I'm not a big fan of huge amounts of meat or oils, and veggies are very low in calories. I also do not want to eat if I'm not hungry.

    Thank you for posting this. Sometimes I feel like I am alone in the battle to actually make my calorie goals. It's nice to know there are others in the same predicament as myself.
  • rcatr
    rcatr Posts: 374 Member
    Ok so this is highly controversial and I will receive a lot of criticism but it’s something that I face almost every day and so do many more people on here so here I go; “I simply cannot eat all of my calories each day unless I eat junk or eat just for the sake of eating even though I’m full”. There, I’ve said it…phew! I will stand in front of the firing squad awaiting your replies :wink:

    This site is full of people who believe that it isn’t possible to not be able to eat all your calories but there are enough of us on this site who have this problem so it is more common than many of you think. I actually WORRY about this. I would like to be able to hit the mark every day but for the majority of the time I’m way off.

    Some people may post this problem as some kind of brag or troll post and I genuinely can see it would annoy people who really struggle to keep UNDER their limit. I’m asking YOU, the people who struggle to stay UNDER, to remember that there really are people like us who have just a bigger struggle with your opposite. It isn’t a brag for a lot of people and I bet I worry about my calorie intake just as much as you do!

    I see posts a lot from people say it is easy to eat 2500 calories a day but I really beg to differ. I have changed my lifestyle completely and for a number of months now I can visualise what junk food is doing to my body so I try to stay well clear. Eating healthily means good you for which for the most part means low in calories, high in good stuff.

    This then leaves me with a dilemma;

    With my walk to work, exercise and general day-to-day movements I’m meant to find around 2,900 calories a day. I won’t eat junk and I won’t eat sugary snacks. I eat 3 main meals a day and 3 smaller meals/snacks in between. I can fairly easily eat 400 calories per main meal and a couple of hundred per snack which brings me nicely up to 1,800 calories but with the exercise etc I still have around 1,000 to eat. I would have to pretty much eat my three main meals all over again to get there or eat three 800 calorie meals a day plus snacks. You try and eat 800 calories in one sitting and do it healthily...bet you can't keep that up 7 days a week!

    I’m at my goal weight which means my stomach is the smallest it has been for many years and I am increasingly being very careful about what I put inside it. If I am “genuinely” full from 6 meals/snacks a day I really don’t see the point in forcing a load of nuts or junk down my throat just to make up the numbers? I equally don’t want to stop exercising just because I can’t make up the numbers. I love running, I love the gym and I love my new lifestyle, I really don’t want to change any of it.

    The calorie balancing act can be just hard down here as it is up there and I hope this posts helps those people who think it’s easy to eat the calories to think a little.

    no. i INSIST you include a 600-800 calorie brownie or giant cookie laden with transfats in your diet EVERY DAY to get to your calorie goal!!!!! :mad:
    hahahahahaaaa :laugh: :laugh:

    I'm with ya. I'm not at maintenance yet, still trying to lose, but I'm also in training for races and there are days when I run a lot of miles and I'm SUPPOSED to take in close to 3000 calories and it just doesnt calculate in my head. I mean, Could I? Maybe. But if I'm putting together a combo of fresh, healthy foods it just doesn't add up. And I just thought that was the point of creating a good lifestyle. Healthy foods. Whodathunk? For me, your post is definitely not controversial. You're not harming yourself. I see your pic, you're not rail thin...you're healthy. If you looked closer to Christian Bale in "The Machinist" we'd be having some words. :frown:
  • summersmi
    summersmi Posts: 50 Member
    READY! AIM! FIRE!
    There got that whole firing squad thing out of the way. Simon I know what you are talking about, me and my wife are both on this site and I have a much harder time hitting my daily calorie requirement. With my job type (I am a power plant mechanic) I have a very physically demanding job and now I exercise which really puts my cals up there and I have a hard time hitting the mark without eating junk(which by the way I like to do). My wife dose not seem to mind eating a lot of food and has a lot less of a problem with the counter. Anyway the long and the short is, don't obsess about it too much, look at what you have accomplished (45 lbs lost) and how you feel daily and I would say you are doing just fine. Also I have found that drinking some of the calories ie juice or protein mixes helps reach the goal in a healthy way. Good luck and keep up the great work.
  • jmathews
    jmathews Posts: 196
    So glad you said it, thanks! I am having the same problem as you...Sunday is my day "off" from the gym and that's when I get closest to eating all of my calories. I am maintaining and eating 6x a day but I am not going to eat just to be eating. I still continue to eat with a purpose and am not going to eat if I'm not hungry. There I said it!
  • Amandac6772
    Amandac6772 Posts: 1,311 Member
    I think if you are at goal and are healthy not to worry about it. Those that have stalled really need to work hard to put the extra calories in with healthy foods like avocados. I am actually worred about this when I start cutting the sugar out of my diet because you can only eat so many veggies but I've got a while to worry about that.
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    I think if you are at goal and are healthy not to worry about it. Those that have stalled really need to work hard to put the extra calories in with healthy foods like avocados. I am actually worred about this when I start cutting the sugar out of my diet because you can only eat so many veggies but I've got a while to worry about that.

    exactly! those who are struggling should add and those that are healthy should continue. Amazing you said it in a few words, what took me a book! :laugh:
  • badrianne
    badrianne Posts: 101
    I am stil trying to figure this out as well. I know some people believe strongly about eating the additional goal calories that you have gained from exercise...and refer to Michael Phelps all of the time (with his 8-11,000 calories/day). Well, my work outs are no where near the level of his, clearly!

    I have decided that I am not going to stuff myself for the sake of eating those calories. I just cannot do it, I don't like that feeling. I eat 3 meals and 2-3 snacks/mini meals a day. As another poster mentioned vegetables are high in volume, but lower on the caloric end and that's a lot of what I eat.

    However, this is all about health. I learning as I go and think whatever gets you healthy-do it! We all have different bodies that react differently to food and exercise...but it doesn't hurt to hear that I am not alone in this boat!
  • cesse47
    cesse47 Posts: 947 Member
    I'm not quite a week into MFP although I've been trying to eat healthy since the first of the year. I'm really pleased with the nutritional info provided so I can better understand what I'm getting with each food and what I need to work on. I'm also coming in under my daily goal every day and have been concerned about it. Yesterday I tried to increase my intake and did but ended up going over in the Fat catagory. For me, it's a learning process. I know I need to consumue more so I can get closer to my daily goal ... and as I learn more about the foods I'm consuming, I'm sure I will. My preference will still be to stay a bit under ... but I do need to get closer. Thanks for raising this topic. I'm finding the replies very interesting and informative.

    Congrats for your weight loss!! WTG
  • Rea_K
    Rea_K Posts: 51
    I've been having a similar conversation on another post. I too struggle to eat my calories every day, and don't eat my exercise calories, especially as I eat mainly veg everyday.
  • Clew
    Clew Posts: 910 Member
    I agree - if you feel well, energized, etc. you're probably just fine. That goes for you Simon as well as anyone. Our bodies are pretty cool machines ~ and they tell you what's up, if you're lacking or overdoing ~ when you teach yourself to listen.

    As for a higher calorie snack if you feel you want one, I am a peanut butter hound. A simple multigrain wrap with a couple spoonfuls of low sugar peanut butter on it and rolled up is an awesome +/- 300 calorie snack for me.

    Congrats on your accomplishments, friend!
  • snowsflake
    snowsflake Posts: 214 Member
    With as much as I work out I STILL struggle to eat 1800 calories a day, which is my goal to feed my muscles and keep me at a loss. When I first started changing my lifestyle it was hard for me to stay under my calorie goal because I was so used to eating so much food! Once I started to measure and weigh my food out and be able to visually see the amount of food as well as feel satisfied on that amount of food my calories started to come down. It is totally something that I had to learn. If I would have kept eating the amounts of food that I was eating and the types of food in the beginning I don't think that I would have lost weight.

    I will say that I usually hit between 1700-1800 calories on days that I workout, but I'm finding on my days off that I want to eat the same amount of calories that I eat when I do workout, soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...I'm working on that. I got accustomed to eating that much food and when I don't have the workout calories to back up that much food I gotta be really intuned with what I'm eating, or I'll have an 1800 calorie day, when I should only have had a 1350 calorie day. And that is why I like to work out...more good, healthy food! :tongue:
  • SimonLondon
    SimonLondon Posts: 350
    Wow thanks for all your kinds words. I must admit I see people posting these kind of things and some do get taken down a peg or two. Most of those are because the people are eating below the 1200 and I fully support anyone who says don't do it. I just wanted to try and explain it a clearly as I could and it looks like I have :smile:

    If I sat at my desk all day and drove home this wouldn't be much of an issue for me. It is all the extra calories from working out, walking etc that really push it up beyond what I'm comfortable eating.

    For those asking wondering what it is like once you hit your goal weight it is hard to answer. My mind has spent many months being fine tuned into a healthy lifestyle and now I can't look at chips with running away screaming :laugh: The thought of having to eat high calorie foods just to boost my intake just seems so wrong to me now. I have nuts etc at home and will eat some but every day would just be too much for me to bare.

    I had lost zero weight (seriously not even 1/4 pound) over the last few weeks so my body does seem very content...saying that though my gym has sprung a leak so no gym last night and only part of a workout the night before...I've lost 1 1/2lb since not going to the gym... go figure :noway:

    Anyway there have been some really nice replies so thank you all very much for your feedback so far :drinker:
  • Robin1117
    Robin1117 Posts: 1,768 Member
    Simon, I agree, if you are staying the same weight and feel good, don't change a thing!

    I have been hovering around my goal weight, and some days I wish I had more calories to eat, like if I go out to dinner, but generally I have a few hundred left over each day. I have been afraid to change my goals to maintenance though because if I did, it would ask me to add 450 additional calories. I'm sort of hanging around the same weight now with a loss here and there while my "goals" state 1 lb a week loss. Kind of weird--I think this website does a great job but there are so many variations in each person, numbers are not always so cut and dry. I sort of feel I'm maintaining now, or at least losing at a snails pace, so if I add 450, I don't think I would stay the same, I'm pretty sure I'd gain again. I think the best we can all do is make educated guesses and test different strategies to find the one that works.

    Good luck!
  • Nina74
    Nina74 Posts: 470 Member
    My brother is very fit & healthy and does the Strongman competitions (yes, where they pull cars and junk!) Because he is so muscular, he has to eat 6 good meals a day of non-junk food and has the issue of calories vs. junk food. He told me one of his biggest ways to combat this is nuts- walnuts, almonds, etc. Even a small handful of nuts is high in calories, has fat (but good fat), keeps you full and satisfies this calorie deficit. Have you tried this? I usually eat about 10 almonds as my mid-morning snack (only about 150 cals) but they keep me satisfied and I'd rather eat that as a "good fat" than chips, etc.
  • andyroy
    andyroy Posts: 4
    My take is that you have accomplished the refinement of your metabolism. There are cars that weigh about the same and have the same number of cylinders under the hood, etc. but have very different fuel efficiency. It sounds to me like you're just running more efficiently than the average upon which calorie recommendations are necessarily based. I believe that your body...especially when healthy...can tell you honestly when it needs food or not. If it is telling you it has enough, then be ok with that. No 3rd-party calculation knows better than your own body! Do what feels good, eat what you crave, stop when you feel good about stopping.

    Now, that being said...I have never had any problem rounding out my own numbers with a pint or two of good beer! These days, I rarely have room in my target range for that...I'm always thrilled when I do! ;)
  • kwaters7
    kwaters7 Posts: 129
    Totally with you Simon. It takes a lot of creativity to eat back a big deficit. Maintenance cals + 1000 (or more) exercise calories and clean eating makes it hard. You are doing really well, have the right attitude to food and exercise so there is 100% no problem.

    I admit i find the 1800 odd maintenance calories really hard now as things like steak and salmon omelettes are on the table on exercise days, the body wants fuelled up more and more i guess.... There have been a few days recently where i had over 4000 to eat and couldnt do it.. probably due to a lack of planning and a ridiculous amount of end-loading to the day..

    It might be a tactic to up your breakfast calories to 600-700 on exercise days rather than try and shove in huge amounts later? Add a sushi to your lunch or sardines / peppered mackerel to dinner and there's another idea..
  • I just started on this journey a few days ago, but I too am finding it hard to consume all of my calories (1430 w/out exercise, 1697 w/exercise) for the day. I eat 3 meals and 2-3 snacks and usually I'm still way under, by like 300-600 calories. The one day I went over my calories I also went way over on my fat (I'm guessing the splurge on the Doritos didn't help!). I'm truly not hungry even being that many calories under.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    Simon, it's a matter of organizing your eating habits.

    my maintenance calories is about 2700 right now, and I work out every single day for between 400 and 1000 calories a day (depending on the exercise type), and I religiously eat my calories every day.

    Is it always easy to get the right foods in? Nope. Are they always perfect "good for you" foods, naw, come on, I'm not fanatic about this stuff. But I always reach my goal (well, once every couple of weeks I'll come in under, but usually, I'm right there or even slightly over).

    and for those who don't think eating exercise calories works. I'm gonna break my own rule on anecdotal evidence (ugh, why WHYYYY!) and say, I've been at maintenance for well over a year, eating ALL my exercise calories for well over a year, and have been within 5 lbs (with daily fluctuation) of my goal weight since February 2009 (before Feb. I was actually trying to gain weight, which I did, from 172 to 184).

    All I'm saying is, I agree that it's not necessarily easy to eat your daily calories, but it is possible to do it, and maintain that lifestyle.
  • CreativeRedhead
    CreativeRedhead Posts: 2,166
    I definitely struggle with this.. Struggled to make it 1200 and now that I've uped my calories to 1800 it's ridiculously hard to get there eating healthy. I'm just full and unless I shovel down junk food then I'm lost as to how to get there. Thanks for posting Simon....it's a valid point!!
  • TalonaCat
    TalonaCat Posts: 241
    Good post. I have days where I occasionally go over a little.. but there are a lot of days, and it seems like it's the days when I pre-plan my meals, that I'm consistently under.

    I've ever planned a day before that was right on the money calorie wise.. and when I was eating that last meal, I got so full before I could finish that I felt sick. I could NOT eat the rest of what was on my plate.. Eating until I felt like a slug is what got me here to begin with.
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
    You know what man, I agree with you.

    This is the MAIN reason I don't believe in "starvation mode".

    Everyone's appetite is different. Some people's are BIG and some small and everyeone else in between..........

    When I first started low carbing in 2003, I forced myself to eat because the low carb board I belonged to told me I would go into starvation mode if I didn't eat something every 3-4 hours. Wrong, false..........

    I believe, let your body be your guide..................If you feel hungry, first drink something and wait 10-15 minutes. If you still feel hunger, then you are legitimately hungry, go get something to eat..................

    If your not hungry, then don't eat. Your calories probably vary day to day and that is OK!!!
  • Rhaeven
    Rhaeven Posts: 123 Member
    So very glad I found this thread!!!! I've been working at this for a solid two weeks (just joined the site though). I'm a short, fairly well muscled 5'2 and at 219lbs..I've got a long way to go before I hit my goal weight. My BF/personal trainer has set a goal of 2000cals for me to get my metabolism back up and running because I rarely eat regularly. I have been eating extremely low calorie for a very long time, but gaining weight until last year. I have only come close to my calorie goal twice and that was with the help of Burgerville. I eat every 2-3hrs during the day and still am right around the 1000cal mark. I am struggling to fill in the extra calories. I am eating a fairly low-carb diet, but that is mostly because I really don't LOVE pastas, breads and starchy stuff. To boost up calories if I'm way under, I am trying to add in some brown rice or something. Eating on a fairly consistent schedule has helped me drop 3lbs in the last 2 weeks, however, trying to eat those extra calories the last few days has left me feeling extremely full, and bloated, and today...very fat. I'm not hungry 90% of the time and am forcing myself to eat on a fairly regular schedule between 2 and 4hrs. I honestly struggle to eat enough, I just don't have an appetite. I worry that I'm going to be stuck at this weight forever because I've managed to shut down my metabolism. I know that a lot of people struggle to stay under their calorie goals, but we are all each so different and only WE can know our bodies

    **I also walk/jog with my dogs most days of the week, unless its raining, and will start a weight training program in the next few weeks. Hoping the weight training will help build up more lean muscle...and boost my weight loss.
  • gecallo
    gecallo Posts: 135
    I'm with you my friend! I have to consume about 2500-2700 cals a day. Just keep working hard at finding the right system for you. It took me quite a bit of experimentation and determination to find out how to make it work for me. But that's only half the battle! Once you solve that problem, then there's the struggle of turning that solution into a habit. Just stay motivated, always think about your goals, and keep working hard.
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