Trouble getting all of my calories

iluvsparkles
iluvsparkles Posts: 1,730 Member
edited September 18 in Food and Nutrition
Hi all!

i wanted to start a thread for folks who are struggling to get all of their calories in.

i know i know. Ive heard it a million times. "i wish that i had trouble getting to my calories' and " you can have some of mine!"

but the truth is, its a real problem for many folks. I have upped my exercise, but i am having trouble getting all of my calories in, in a healthy, non fattening way. I tended to be under cals when i wasnt working out so much, so adding extra when i do 1000 cals of exercise is proving difficult for me!

i know, nuts and beans etc., but when you have those things for dinner, you dont want them again for snack, and other snacks tend to be loaded with carbs and sugar. Sometimes i just want to eat a Sundae and get the calories over with, but then i am way over on fat!!!

So give me (and us) some tips! How do you vegetarians and other very picky eaters get to your calories in a healthy way, but without going over your fat, carbs and sugar!? I find that alot of days i have 600-700 calories left, but no fat or carb allotment left etc...

i would love some input on this

Replies

  • iluvsparkles
    iluvsparkles Posts: 1,730 Member
    Hi all!

    i wanted to start a thread for folks who are struggling to get all of their calories in.

    i know i know. Ive heard it a million times. "i wish that i had trouble getting to my calories' and " you can have some of mine!"

    but the truth is, its a real problem for many folks. I have upped my exercise, but i am having trouble getting all of my calories in, in a healthy, non fattening way. I tended to be under cals when i wasnt working out so much, so adding extra when i do 1000 cals of exercise is proving difficult for me!

    i know, nuts and beans etc., but when you have those things for dinner, you dont want them again for snack, and other snacks tend to be loaded with carbs and sugar. Sometimes i just want to eat a Sundae and get the calories over with, but then i am way over on fat!!!

    So give me (and us) some tips! How do you vegetarians and other very picky eaters get to your calories in a healthy way, but without going over your fat, carbs and sugar!? I find that alot of days i have 600-700 calories left, but no fat or carb allotment left etc...

    i would love some input on this
  • mommyskis
    mommyskis Posts: 277 Member
    Not sure from your post if you are a vegetarian, so then my tip might not work for you! I drink chocolate milk when I have calories left to use up. If you go for the 2%, that would add more. Also make sure you aren't still getting the low calorie stuff anymore, like get regular yogurt, salad dressing, etc.
  • TamTastic
    TamTastic Posts: 19,224 Member
    Hey Em!

    Can you try adding more to each meal? Like for example, maybe with your breakfast add a yogurt or a banana. With lunch, add something and same with dinner.

    It makes it a little easier to try and get all those calories in. That is what I do. On days I work out, I eat around 1800 calories. I sometimes use some of that for Nutella! LOL! (hey its skim milk, cocoa and hazelnuts! Not bad)....or ice cream or something at the end of the day.

    It is hard to have it all be exact!
  • tashjs21
    tashjs21 Posts: 4,584 Member
    I have this problem too! If I am right at my fat and carb allotment then I am no where near my calories. If I get my calories then I go over on everything else. I am at my wits end with this too. I have already added so many fresh things to my diet and drastically changed my eating habits but these numbers are driving me bananas. :indifferent:
  • shorerider
    shorerider Posts: 3,817 Member
    Well, maybe replace something with something that has more calories? Like have a smoothie instead of a sandwich or salad? A banana smoothie made with skim milk is low-fat but packs some calories! I made on this morning using 2 bananas and 1.5 cups of skim milk that was 293 calories! That can get those calories in--of course the carbs are high because of the banana, but like I said, maybe replace something else with a smoothie or similar high-calorie alternative?
  • iluvsparkles
    iluvsparkles Posts: 1,730 Member
    you guys rock! thanks so much for all the input..feel free to ad more for others reading this!

    Natasha, glad to know im not the only one!
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
    I'm trying to eat less meat these days. . . so this is still a problem for me sometimes (especially on my workout days). Here are several of my fav. "calorie bombs". ..each one is in the neighborhood of 250-300 calories, and none of them feel "heavy" in the belly

    A smoothie made with: 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup water and 2 tbs almond butter (sometimes I add protein powder)

    A salad made with:
    one avocado
    one ear of fresh corn (off the ear. . .no need for cooking it)
    one large tomato
    chili powder to taste
    and the juice of half a lemon

    one cup of plain yogurt
    1 oz chopped walnuts
    one cup of fruit (optional)
    and one tsp. of honey

    and my new current fave smoothie:
    (lots of sugar, though)
    one cup of chocolate soy milk
    one frozen banana
    (optional scoop of protein powder).

    and, last but certainly not least:
    the apple with peanut butter trick. (some days I'm convinced I could live on this combo)
  • iluvsparkles
    iluvsparkles Posts: 1,730 Member
    oooh apple and pb! why havent i been eating that more often?!
  • dothompson
    dothompson Posts: 1,184 Member
    Obviously, if you are hitting your carb goal before getting near your calorie goal you are eating healthy complex carbs. I wouldn't worry too much about exceeding the carb goal as long as you are eating healthy carbs, getting enough protein and staying within the calorie limit.

    If you consistently are 700-800 below your calorie limit however your metabolic rate may decrease and you'll stop losing weight.
  • lilmandy89
    lilmandy89 Posts: 323 Member
    If you like peanut butter, 1 tbsp is around 80 calories
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    I am having a horrible week....not one pound. So now I read I may be eating too little?!? Jeez cant win!. Anyway I really appreciate the comments, it is helping a lot.

    I have added an 8 oz glass of 1% Smart Balance milk (double the protien)

    Lets see if it works.

    have a great day.......
  • msarro
    msarro Posts: 2,748 Member
    My dark secret is I normally don't eat all of my calories when I exercise. In fact, I normally end up eating about 2-300, sometimes up to 600 calories under what I have for the day (ONLY on days with exercise calories). I normally get anywhere from 700-1300 calories from cardio, and I just don't get hungry enough to eat all of that. The 1480 a day MFP allots for me is enough to give me 5-6 small meals a day, and keep me pretty well stuffed (plus fit in my budget). I figure, if my body was still hungry after all that and exercise, I would feel some kind of hunger. But I don't - and if I eat more when I'm not feeling hungry I tend to a) go up in weight, and b) feel crappy the next day.

    So far its worked for me, but your mileage may vary. Everyone has a different body.
  • tashjs21
    tashjs21 Posts: 4,584 Member
    My dark secret is I normally don't eat all of my calories when I exercise. In fact, I normally end up eating about 2-300, sometimes up to 600 calories under what I have for the day (ONLY on days with exercise calories). I normally get anywhere from 700-1300 calories from cardio, and I just don't get hungry enough to eat all of that. The 1480 a day MFP allots for me is enough to give me 5-6 small meals a day, and keep me pretty well stuffed (plus fit in my budget). I figure, if my body was still hungry after all that and exercise, I would feel some kind of hunger. But I don't - and if I eat more when I'm not feeling hungry I tend to a) go up in weight, and b) feel crappy the next day.

    So far its worked for me, but your mileage may vary. Everyone has a different body.

    Exactly! I don't want to force myself when I am not hungry just because those extra calories are there. I will sometimes skip a workout because those workout calories will be looming over my head. :explode: I will try your advice maybe that will end the plateau I have been stuck on.
  • cp005e
    cp005e Posts: 1,495 Member
    All this time, and I never knew you were a vegetarian! Me too!! :flowerforyou:

    I do not exercise as much as you, so I usually don't have trouble eating my calories. And while I agree that you don't necessarily have to eat ALL your exercise calories if you are burning over 700 - in your case, I definitely think you need to eat more. You should never have a 1000 calorie deficit above your MFP built-in deficit. So, some suggestions:

    If you aren't a vegan, yogurt is a great addition. Stonyfield Farm has added a new 'whole milk' line of yogurts that are somewhat higher in calories - 170 for 6 oz instead of 140 for lowfat and 120 for nonfat.

    Olive oil! Add it to your salads, cook with it, dip a piece of crusty bread in it. Make your own hummus with olive oil and tahini and have it with whole wheat pita and veggies.

    Something I've been doing lately is making my own granola. It is really yummy with rolled oats, nuts, honey or brown rice syrup, raisins, etc. And it's (sadly for me!) pretty high in calories - about 300 calories for 1/2 cup.

    That reminds me - dried fruit is another higher calorie snack. It is somewhat higher in sugar, but I don't think that sugar from fruit is bad in moderation.

    And I agree - apples and peanut butter are delicious! Same for bananas and peanut butter. A slice of whole wheat toast with sliced banana and peanut butter (and maybe some OJ) is a really tasty breakfast.

    That's all I can think of for now. Good luck!
  • iluvsparkles
    iluvsparkles Posts: 1,730 Member
    thanks a ton!

    i havent been into cooking for myself all that long. I went straight from home with mom, to college where i had cafeteria food...which is one of the things that pushed me towards veggie... but in all honesty i have to say that i am more on pescatarian lately, as i have been eating salmon alot!! yuuuum! i also looove sushi. I cannot handle raw meat. I make my man do the gross stuff (he definitely eats meat) but i get teary and start to cry when i have to deal with raw meat! the smell totally grosses me out also...

    anyway...since i have my house now and im so picky about what goes into my body, ive just started getting good at a few dishes, so im having to ad more on slowly as i learn! All i know is i like it much better now than when i was still in college and eating mac and cheese and grilled cheese, and bagels all the time. Canned veggies were easier in the dorm, and got old fast!

    anyway,,, i didnt do much better today sadly :( i did pilates which doesnt burn nearly as many calories, but i still think i may have been under my 1200... i can finally see some definition in my core tho..yay (cept for the bra fat. it will never go away!
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