Difficulty consuming enough calories

Options
younucorn
younucorn Posts: 4
in Food and Nutrition
Hi, I was diagnosed with prediabetes, and the doctor told me to eat healthier and exercise more. I sit at a desk all day, and in addition, I wasn't exercising at all. I was eating fast food, sodas, energy drinks, and candy every day.

After the diagnosis, I started commuting to and from work 5 days a week. Each day, I go 12 miles and ride for 60 minutes of intense heart rate. 3 days a week, I also do strength exercises in the gym for about 30 minutes on those days. I also cut out all sugars and fast food. I haven't touched a soda in a month.

The problem now is that I can't seem to eat enough calories. I have so far lost about 15 pounds in the last month, and this wasn't my intention. What I really want to do is keep my blood sugar at a reasonable level while also increasing my muscle mass and reducing my body fat.

I look on the nutrition facts of many different "healthy" foods that I started eating, and I'm shocked by how little calories they have per serving. For example, this cereal I've been eating has about 120 calories per serving. As an example, if I wanted to get enough calories per day, I'd need to eat 20 servings of that cereal per day. This seems like just a lot of food - a lot of time to eat all of that. It's a lot of volume to stuff down my mouth.

Another example - 1 egg has like 70 calories. That seems so small compared to my daily caloric need. How do you guys manage to get enough calories while eating these so called healthy foods, which are high in volume but low in density. In comparison, I could eat 1 Big Mac in 5 minutes and call it a meal. Spending the same amount of time eating rice wouldn't even give me 100 calories.
«1

Replies

  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Options
    there are foods that are high in calories that are healthier than other choices. Foods like peanut butter, olive oil, eggs, butter (not the substitutes), avocado oil, protein powders, granola bars (like Nature Valley), protein bars, oatmeal, potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, breads, pastas, rice, cheese, milk, meats, no low calorie condiments/snacks, etc. Maybe include some ice cream, pizza and poptarts now and again :)
  • buzzcockgirl
    buzzcockgirl Posts: 260 Member
    Options
    Well, you need to eat calorie dense foods.
    Peanut butter, nuts in general, whole grain bread and tortillas, avocado, red meat, cheese/dairy. All things that are healthy for you, and pretty 'high' in calories (so to speak).

    I mean- the cereal you're talking about-- you mention that a serving is only 120 calories. But is that serving size like 3/4 cup? Do you relaize how small that is? Most of us pour cereal in a bowl, it's probably 2 servings right there. Add whole milk to your bowl- you're probably up around 300 calories. Just for that one bowl of cereal. Don't believe me-- measure out 3/4 cup of that cereal and pour it in a bowl... I doubt that's what you were eating previously. Those serving sizes (for cereal) are tiny!
    Make a whole grain tortilla wrap with some grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, a touch of mayo or greek yogurt or hummus, a slice of cheese and 1/4 avocado- there's another 300-400 calories, easy. The wrap/tortilla itself is about 175. A healthy dinner can be a 5oz. piece of grilled steak (200 cals), a healthy serving of veggies grilled with olive oil or butter (100 cals), some mashed potatoes or rice (150 cals), a piece of bread with butter (150) - there's a 600 calorie dinner that is healthy and filling- and about 1/2 the cals you probably are aiming for in a day! Snack between meals- celery and a few tbs of peanut butter, or a handful of cashews - 200 calories!
    It can be done-- I mean, none of us are here because we ate too little! Just look for higher cal foods that are good for you. Just takes a little 'searching out'.
  • younucorn
    younucorn Posts: 4
    Options
    You're right - maybe I need to ease up on the diet and enjoy some cake very once in awhile. I have been using olive oil for cooking, and I've been eating about 6 eggs per day, a handful of cashews, a handful of sunflower seeds, a handful of granola, a plate full of brown rice, a big turkey, bacon sandwich, 2 bowls of healthy cereal, a glass of rice milk... that's just an example of a typical day of food for me, but I'm still losing weight. I'm just frustrated becuase I spend a lot of time cooking and eating, and it doesn't seem to be enough calories.

    Also, how will I know whether I'm losing fat and gaining muscle? Is it just by how I look? Because if I use a scale, my weight might be the same today as it will be in a month, but since muscle weighs more than fat, I won't know how much fat I have lost and how muscle I have gained. Is there a tool for this kind of measurement? Thanks.
  • naturallyme36
    naturallyme36 Posts: 155 Member
    Options
    try granola, craisins, and fruit like bananas, mangos and pineapples, yellow rice, and lentils. they all are a little higher in calories yet they are still healthy for you. I just upped my calories because 1200 was too low and i felt like I was starving so i would stuff myself with snacks at the end of the night. Hopefully I will still lose. Good Luck on yourr journey :wink:
  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
    Options
    I don't think losing 15 pounds in a month is horrible unless you are pretty close to goal weight/ideal weight. If you are starting at 300 lbs you can lose more and faster. It will slow down at some point what you eat to lose at 300 lbs is going to have to be reduced to keep the number on the scale going down.

    But, my advice would be to eat real food and it sounds like you are trying/doing that. You don't have to have a carb heavy diet though. I hate to say that cuz carbs are my favorite. But, adding protein is a good idea to preserve muscle, keep you satiated longer, and to help even out the blood glucose spikes.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Options
    You're right - maybe I need to ease up on the diet and enjoy some cake very once in awhile. I have been using olive oil for cooking, and I've been eating about 6 eggs per day, a handful of cashews, a handful of sunflower seeds, a handful of granola, a plate full of brown rice, a big turkey, bacon sandwich, 2 bowls of healthy cereal, a glass of rice milk... that's just an example of a typical day of food for me, but I'm still losing weight. I'm just frustrated becuase I spend a lot of time cooking and eating, and it doesn't seem to be enough calories.

    Also, how will I know whether I'm losing fat and gaining muscle? Is it just by how I look? Because if I use a scale, my weight might be the same today as it will be in a month, but since muscle weighs more than fat, I won't know how much fat I have lost and how muscle I have gained. Is there a tool for this kind of measurement? Thanks.

    Well, in order to build or gain muscle, you'd have to be eating at a caloric surplus. But you can strengthen the muscle you have. and weight training and meeting your protein macro helps ensure that you won't lose muscle mass. You don't want to lose a bunch of weight and it turn out to be muscle and body fat.
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
    Options
    Honestly if you're eating above your BMR then it's not really that big of a deal. You'll eventually get hungry and want to eat after dieting for a LONG time. Making meals that have multiple ingredients will add calories and nutrients.
  • beyondjupiter
    beyondjupiter Posts: 247 Member
    Options
    How many calories are you eating each day? What do you not think it is enough? What is your daily calorie goal?

    Jen
  • aronao
    aronao Posts: 112 Member
    Options
    Hi

    You didn't tell us how much you weighed or your height or age. It's hard to gauge whether you're eating enough without knowing these. It's also hard to judge if the weight loss was needed or not. If you were overweight to start, the weight loss would hopefully help to reduce your risk of diabetes. If you are not overweight, you need to look at increasing your caloric intake to accommodate all the exercise you are doing - especially if your aim is not to lose weight.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    Options
    your typical day includes ZERO vegetables.

    Add some of them. Fibrous types will be very low cal so some of them and some starchy types like potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn etc.
  • younucorn
    younucorn Posts: 4
    Options
    Thanks for all your replies. I am 24 years old, 5'11 and currently weigh 145lb - I started at 160lb.

    I haven't been keeping track of number of calories. I eat whenever my hunger gets to be uncomfortable. The problem is that the meals I eat only satisfy me for about an hour, which makes me think it simply isn't enough calories. Then the hunger starts to appear and gets worse and worse until I eat again. I think I need to eat bigger meals and with more calorie dense foods - like peanut butter, which I haven't had yet. I'm just not accustomed to so much cooking. Up until now, I would just go out to eat and let someone else do all the work of preparing my food. Now that I have to do it myself, it sometimes seems easier to just not eat and ride it out rather than spend the time in the kitchen making something, especially when I have to do this multiple times per day.
  • Isakizza
    Isakizza Posts: 754 Member
    Options
    I have a hard time with this too. Since I workout a lot now, I'm always trying to find new ways to eat some of those workout calories. Some things that helped me are:

    NUTS
    AVOCADOS
    PROTEIN SHAKES (plain or add fruit/veggies)
    SEEDS


    21525558.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods
  • ShandaLeaS
    ShandaLeaS Posts: 136 Member
    Options
    Cook more than 1 serving/meal at a time, add veggies and fruit. Veggies are low calorie but will hold you over longer as will eating more protein. About the cooking, about 2x a month I buy a big bag of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and grill them, freeze and then I can pull them out as needed. I make soups in the crockpot and then pre-portion and freeze, etc. Cook in bigger batches and make your own 'frozen' meals to cut down on cooking constantly. Also prep all your veggies like 2-3 days at a time.
  • aronao
    aronao Posts: 112 Member
    Options
    Based on the calculator at freedieting.com, you should be having 2465 calories to maintain your weight. You exercise every day so that's a lot of calories you have to make up for. Perhaps you can cut down your exercise a little AND eat more.

    You can also still go out to eat, just make better choices about what you eat.
  • astrovivi
    astrovivi Posts: 183 Member
    Options
    so you have to learn to cook. this is a skill that can save your life. everyone should learn to cook.
    don't get lazy about it. You can prepare meals and also keep tins/bags of tuna or hardboiled eggs or whatever handy for a snack attack.

    Seriously, get some starchy veg into you (make sure it's all kosher with your health issues) and start having some good healthy fats.
    they will increase your calorie intake easily as well as keep you from getting hungry.
    Make sure you have a decent serve of protein at every meal.

    Increase your calorie intake gradually so you get accustomed to it, if that is ever an issue for you.

    no excuses. cooking is not hard...just get organised.
  • younucorn
    younucorn Posts: 4
    Options
    Thanks for these tips, everyone. Tomorrow, I'm going to the grocery store and buying a bunch of chicken to cook, and then store it in the freezer for easy access (thanks ShandaLeaS)... and I am also going to eat peanut butter, avocados, vegetables, and potatoes. I'm surprised I forgot about those foods. I think the strategy of making enough food for a few days in one cooking session makes more sense. I can then spend most of the time actualy eating the food instead of repeatedly cooking and washing dishes.

    Unfortunately, I can't cut back on the exercise because I have to get to work, and my license was revoked due to a DUI (strangely, at the same time of my prediabetes diagnosis). So I'm stuck riding my bike whether I want to or not. The weight lifting - I guess I can cut back on that, but I would rather try the diet approach where I try to stuff down more calories so I have the luxury of burning more for exercise.
  • brit_ks_89
    brit_ks_89 Posts: 433 Member
    Options
    read my dairy - its open , maybe not be the best of best but its high in calories and i eat pretty healthy, most people say anyways.
  • beyondjupiter
    beyondjupiter Posts: 247 Member
    Options
    Eat a diet that is chocked full of cooked and raw greens. Seriously, eat yourself stupid on them. So many nutrients for you. Get kale, collard greens, spinach, romaine, even iceberg. Eat some raw, cook some. Get lots of veggies, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, bok choy... there are SO many and most are all easy to cook. For things like broccoli and other mixed vegs, get them frozen. Just make sure you get some raw in there somewhere. Get 3-4 fruits in per day. All of this fiber will make you feel very satisfied. Drink lots and lots and lots of water. As snacks eat almonds, pistachios, walnuts, seeds... etc. Everything whole and natural. Your body will adjust and you will find your true hunger.

    You can do it!!
  • Bettyeditor
    Bettyeditor Posts: 327 Member
    Options
    OP, feel free to check out my diary. I'm doing a metabolism reset and I eat about 2400 calories a day on average, with no junk food, no diary/gluten, very few minimally processed foods, and lots of nutrient-dense foods. How do I do it? First of all, you have to FORCE yourself to eat a bit more at first. If you have been under eating, your stomach has shrunk. You will need to stretch it a small amount. Also, if you have been under eating while vigorously exercising for a while, your body will have dramatically dialed down your metabolism to survive, which also dials down your appetite. Don't go by your appetite. Figure out how much you should eat (learn your TDEE and BRM), and eat it. Just do it.

    One thing that will help is to eat six times a day (easier to fit in smaller meals). You will notice from my diary that I eat three meals and three snacks. I have completely eliminated my diabetes this way, btw. I eat breakfast every morning within 45 minutes of arising, I eat at least 20 grams of protein for breakfast, and I eat 45-60 grams of carbs for each meal and 15-30 grams of carbs for snacks (I also ensure each meal/snack has adequate fat and protein to slow the digestion of the carbs). This regulates my blood sugar throughout the day.

    A great way to eat more without resorting to junk food is to get good fats. I have fixed my borderline high cholesterol by amping up the fat I eat. I used to eat about 30 gram of fat a day. Now I eat up to 90+, but its the good kind: 4-8 servings of salmon/tuna each week, avocados, lots of walnuts, ground flax seeds and chia seeds every day, Omega 3-6-9 oil every day, cook with coconut oil and drizzle olive oil on all my food. Fats are very calorie dense. Side benefit: TONS of energy. :) Try peanut butter too.
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,721 Member
    Options
    A single egg is not very filling. Typically I'll have a three egg omelet with spinach and cheese, and a cup of coffee with cream and sugar ... 450-500 cal breakfast alone. I can pack a salad with yummy healthy things and it will be like 700 calories. I doubt anybody eats a single serving of cereal ... I mean when you get the packets of oatmeal they are between 130-170 cals and they barely fill up 1/4 of a bowl. You should not have trouble getting your calories on. Figure out what works for you. :)

Categories