Trouble reaching 1300+ calories and still eating healthy.

So I have been trying to really buckle down and watch what I eat.
I spread out my meals throughout the day, usually eating 4-5 times a day with healthy proportions, exercising, not eating after dark, and drinking ALOT of water

By the end of the day, myfitnesspal says that I am in starvation mode, and it really sucks, because I've basically maxed out my sugar and sodium intake for the day, but my calories are sitting at around 800-900.

I mostly eat salad, grilled chicken, rice, hard boiled eggs, or sugar free whole grain cereal.

Ideas?

Replies

  • danijoy07
    danijoy07 Posts: 11 Member
    Can't see your diary but some healthy fats like raw nuts and avocado will be calorically dense without adding significant sodium or sugars.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    Open your diary so we can see more of what "healthy" means to you and what you could add.

    With sugar, unless you have a medical reason, don't worry about naturally occurring sugars like in fruit. Worry about added sugars and keep those to moderation.

    Otherwise, with calories, avocados, nuts, nut butters, whole fat dairy, and meats would all work. Don't eat anything considered "diet" foods like "low fat" junk.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    Your profile says that you're a 21 year old male. I'll be shocked if you aren't eating quite far under your BMR at 1300.
  • keem88
    keem88 Posts: 1,689 Member
    agree with other posters.
    full fat dairy, healthy fats (nuts seeds avocados olive oil) should easily up your cals. sprinkle seeds and olive oil on a salad with hard boiled egg and chicken.
    avocado on a salad as well, or just plain as a snack.
    spoonfulls of pb!
    and agree on the sugar. if you're getting it from fruits then don't worry about it.
    and if you are eating fairly healthy, you shouldn't be going hella over on sodium on only 800-900....
  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
    do you log oils that u cook with? supplements that may be fatty like cla or fish oil? sometimes we forget about those things... if you are and need a few more calories I agree with everyone else.. add a greek yogurt or some almonds or avocado to your salad.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    lean proteins.
    real cheese.
    peanut butter.
    ice cream.
    bread.
    cook with olive oil.
    avocado

    .... etc.

    I never understand these posts.
  • CMB1979
    CMB1979 Posts: 588 Member
    Open your diary so we can see more of what "healthy" means to you and what you could add.

    With sugar, unless you have a medical reason, don't worry about naturally occurring sugars like in fruit. Worry about added sugars and keep those to moderation.

    Otherwise, with calories, avocados, nuts, nut butters, whole fat dairy, and meats would all work. Don't eat anything considered "diet" foods like "low fat" junk.

    Indeed. Open the diary so we can judge you (just kidding). Really, nuts/avocado/oily fish/whole milk products (limited) are all good to push your cals up with healthy fats and proteins. If possible, run away from anything that wasn't squeezed/picked/pulled/plucked/cut/grown/raised in nature.
  • yourenotmine
    yourenotmine Posts: 645 Member
    I'm not sure how you're going over your sodium while eating whole unprocessed foods, as long as you're making them without salt. But having said that, unless you have a medical reason to watch sugar & sodium, I think you're better off not worrying about that, especially the sugar. MFP's setting is ridiculously low.

    I also don't know how YOU define "healthy", but you can certainly eat more calorie dense foods than those you mentioned while remaining healthy.

    Try more eggs, add some nuts/nut butters, avocado in your salad, yogurt if you eat dairy, fruit. You really need to try to get the calories up, because at that low number you're unlikely to be meeting your body's basic needs (not starvation mode, but definitely not doing yourself any favors).
  • manlyboobs
    manlyboobs Posts: 3
    Food diary is public now.
    I went over on sodium today because I didnt realize how much sodium was in soy sauce. I knew it was high but I limited myself on it and I know now not to touch it at all.

    Thank you all for the tips.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Food diary is public now.
    I went over on sodium today because I didnt realize how much sodium was in soy sauce. I knew it was high but I limited myself on it and I know now not to touch it at all.

    Thank you all for the tips.
    don't consider the protein/carb/fat numbers as limits. They're goals.

    eat more.
  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
    Are you kidding me a carrot for breakfast. All due respect but if you are here trying to lose weight you didn't get overweight by eating carrots for breakfast. I'm sure you know how to eat healthy you don't need to go to extremes to lose weight. Cereal or toast for breakfast a sandwich or salad for lunch and lean meat and veges for dinner with 2 snacks in between not hard to reach 1300 cals I do it everyday.
  • CMB1979
    CMB1979 Posts: 588 Member
    Food diary is public now.
    I went over on sodium today because I didnt realize how much sodium was in soy sauce. I knew it was high but I limited myself on it and I know now not to touch it at all.

    Thank you all for the tips.

    Scary small meals. Eat more. Eat what everyone is telling you to eat - healthy fats and proteins with every meal. You have a 80 lb weight loss goal. What is your current weight/height?
  • manlyboobs
    manlyboobs Posts: 3
    "all due respect" doesn't mean anything when you're judging me, which is why I was keeping my food diary private.

    I don't really consider when I eat to be necessarily "meals" I just enter them on the site.

    In all honesty, the food I ate on my second 'meal' wasnt long after i ate 'breakfast'.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    stop eating what you think is "diet" food. If you don't plan on eating this way for the rest of your life (and you can't/won't) why start down a seriously-undereating pattern now?
    "all due respect" doesn't mean anything when you're judging me, which is why I was keeping my food diary private.

    I don't really consider when I eat to be necessarily "meals" I just enter them on the site.

    In all honesty, the food I ate on my second 'meal' wasnt long after i ate 'breakfast'.

    don't come here asking for help and then getting pissed off when someone gives you the advice you need to hear. no one is judging you, but if you ask for help.. be THANKFUL that most people are asking for more information from you instead of just tossing out blanket ideas.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Eat!!

    Eatin healthy =/= low calorie. It also does not require you to eat nothing but rabbit food.
    You ate half a some kind of a hot dog at 50 calories. Eat the whole thing. Have two. You had 42 calories worth if chicken - eat more.

    Get out of the mindset of "dieting". Eat food, just make it fit your goals. Focus on mostly whole foods - which include calorie dense foods that are also nutritious like eggs, avocados, olive oil, nuts and nut butters - and eat other stuff in moderation.

    As a young male your calorie intake is too low even at 1400.
  • mhorn2142
    mhorn2142 Posts: 319 Member
    Can't see your diary but some healthy fats like raw nuts and avocado will be calorically dense without adding significant sodium or sugars.

    This- use avocado on salads, or to top your chicken, and use almonds or pecans in salads for the crunch or in yogurt and oatmeal.
  • DandelionCupcakes
    DandelionCupcakes Posts: 234 Member
    stop eating what you think is "diet" food. If you don't plan on eating this way for the rest of your life (and you can't/won't) why start down a seriously-undereating pattern now?
    "all due respect" doesn't mean anything when you're judging me, which is why I was keeping my food diary private.

    I don't really consider when I eat to be necessarily "meals" I just enter them on the site.

    In all honesty, the food I ate on my second 'meal' wasnt long after i ate 'breakfast'.

    don't come here asking for help and then getting pissed off when someone gives you the advice you need to hear. no one is judging you, but if you ask for help.. be THANKFUL that most people are asking for more information from you instead of just tossing out blanket ideas.

    I agree. No one is judging you. You need to make sure you're eating in a sustainable way right now, 1300 calories is not a lot to get to.
  • luckydays27
    luckydays27 Posts: 552 Member
    Even if you considered them all one meal, if that is what you ate for the entire day, you did not eat enough. Carrots are a snack food when you want to stop yourself from eating potato chips Or as part of a meal with a meat of some kind. Not as your entire breakfast.

    it looks like you attempted to eat sushi for lunch and dinner. Add some fish to it and it can be real sushi. Plus you will get great protein out of it.

    For a guy your age, 1300 cals is too low. You should be higher than that by several hundred.
  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
    The reality is not what you want to hear I get that. But you are in for a fall big time if you think that what your doing is healthy. If you keep going you are at sometime going to have a huge binge or you are going to continue to eat like a sparrow and your body is going to hang onto everything you are feeding it and you will not lose weight.

    Guys should be no lower than 1500 cals a day according to this site. So I don't know where you even got the 1300 from. Go and plug your numbers and stats into MFP and eat the baseline calories it suggests, then whenyou exercise log them and eat them back also.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    lean proteins.
    real cheese.
    peanut butter.
    ice cream.
    bread.
    cook with olive oil.
    avocado

    .... etc.

    I never understand these posts.

    Me either.

    Eat bigger portions. Done.

    Also not judging.....just very confused. If you're overweight, you got there by eating too much. So, you know how to eat more, but you're just unwilling to do it? That always confuses me.

    You're a 21 year old male. You need to be eating quite a bit more, even when trying to lose weight.

    Instead of 42 calories of chicken, have a full serving, which is typically about 100-110 cals. Cook it in olive oil for another 60 cals. Have a potato on the side - 100 cals right there. Top that with half an ounce of cheese, and you've got another 55 cals. Have a salad with it. And you've got a decent meal.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    The reality is not what you want to hear I get that. But you are in for a fall big time if you think that what your doing is healthy. If you keep going you are at sometime going to have a huge binge or you are going to continue to eat like a sparrow and your body is going to hang onto everything you are feeding it and you will not lose weight.

    Guys should be no lower than 1500 cals a day according to this site. So I don't know where you even got the 1300 from. Go and plug your numbers and stats into MFP and eat the baseline calories it suggests, then whenyou exercise log them and eat them back also.

    before he decided to close his diary, take his ball to another park, and leave...

    His goal was actually closer to 2200. He isn't using the site as designed. Maybe he's still in the "eat less to weigh less" mindset.
  • ColleenRoss50
    ColleenRoss50 Posts: 199 Member
    Many people find the sugar limit on MFP to be very confusing. Many diet tracking programs don't even put an upper limit on sugar. Sugar is a subset of carbohydrates and is already accounted for in your total carbs for the day. While it is advisable to try to limit "empty" sugars (found in processed foods, baked goods, etc.) there is no need to be concerned about going over if most of your sugars are coming from healthy sources such as fruits, etc. which are nutritious and contribute to a healthy diet.

    Other than that, I agree with the others that you are eating far too little. I am much older (like three times your age) and a female and I eat way more calories than you do and have no trouble losing weight.
  • I thought it was impossible to get healthy and reach 2000 calories a day until I tried it. Its really easy, don't think about it and its easy really. If you know whats healthy and not then your ok. The list of foods that people will give you will go on forever. You dont need to worry about sugar unless your doctor tells you to be below a certain number. Sugars from fruits is healthy for you, unprocessed foods that has added sugar isn't. I don't cut nothing out of my foods, I just cut down the size of it. I still eat cheese pizza, only once or twice a month now. I still eat hamburgers, I just buy the leanest beef. It's really doable, there are people that eats up to 2500calories a day. Just like someone else mention, don't think about "diet food" and limiting yourself to certain foods. Eat what you want just make it healthier. You can take a fatty dish and turn it to a healthier dish. Its all in the kitchen.
  • badtastebetty
    badtastebetty Posts: 326 Member
    I just bumped up my calories to 1400, but my diary is open and usually around 1300 - very healthy.