My theory on why people fall under their calories

Subconciously people feel that the less they eat the better their weight loss will be and even after coming on complaining that they haven't lost weight for weeks, they fight having to eat more calorie dense foods. Just because you are trying to lose weight doesn't mean you have to cut all carbs (whole grain pasta, rice and bread in proper portions are just as good for you as veggies and chicken). Avocados, nuts, and full fat dairy are as well. When I was losing I NEVER had a hard time fitting in 1500-1600 calories a day and now I have hard time not eating more than what my TDEE is.

I really dont understand you people... I eat realatively healthy (keeping added sugar, sodium, cholesterol below recommended), and at 3000 cal a day i am hungry all the time. Imagining, how someone can eat below 2000 cal, and STRUGGLE to get it, even using dirty foods, is mindblowing. All your daily calories are like a half a chocolate bar...

Umm... I know it is supposedly bad for metabolism etc etc but I struggle to get above 800 cals a day. In fact if I just eat when hungry I would have only clocked 700ish calories and then panick 'ooh I havent eaten enough calories!!' and try to get in another milky tea or something but still... just proof that not all overweight people stuff themselves silly, its just not always the case.

People that eat as little as you and are overweight are at that weight because they are eating so little their metabolism has virtually slowed to a halt and their LBM is very low, so any up in calories will result in a gain. The fact that you would class a milky tea as something to up your calories is worrying.

If you upped you calories, accepted the initial gain and stuck with it, you will find that you will feel hungrier as your body adjusts to getting the food it needs, and you will still lose weight.

Actually, I am guilty of this. Some days I eat under 1000 calories, because I've stuffed myself on fruit and vegetables, and am really not hungry.

My downfall is that I don't eat fish or eggs because I absolutely cannot stomach them. So I really have no other idea what I can eat.

I too have trouble meeting my calories.
My Husband and I are retired in my sixties and my husband is 70, our food intake has greatly reduced

We are just not hungry as much as we used to be.
I am also a vegetarian and I do not like meat, so I cannot just go out and eat a hamburger.
My BMR should be 1200 but yesterday, I only got 900 calories.

This is a issue I am really fighting as I know I am in starvation mode and not losing the weight I want to.
Any suggestions for Me?

Add a few unsealed roasted Brazil nuts .. 3 nuts is 83 calories, and it's so hard to stop at just 3 !
*unsalted ^^

I find it very easy to rack up a calorie overage on vegetables alone. Sure, a serving of broccoli has 30 calories, but after you have four or five servings in a day that is 120 cals. Then add the drizzle of olive oil and its gonna be around 200. People who can't meet their calorie goal just arent trying. Especially if there is a chicken breast involved. Also, I think people have at that point gotten almost afraid to eat any thing with higher calories. They have been eating so much garbage for so long, they may worry that a high calorie item is a bad idea. I think it takes time to get comfortable in a new dietary plan.

i eat 2500 to 2700 calories a day and there is no way I am going to hit that on brocoli and olive oil ...

OP - I see what you are saying. I sometimes will have dinner which is usually around 1000 to 1200 cals and am like damn I am eating a lot ...but if you substitue in some steak or pork then you can usually get there and not feel like you are stuffing yourself....I usually do not have chicken for dinner..it is more steak strips with brown rice...something slow cooked..fish on my low cal/rest work out day..etc...

I didn't say I only eat broccoli and olive oil. Geesh.

I really dont understand you people... I eat realatively healthy (keeping added sugar, sodium, cholesterol below recommended), and at 3000 cal a day i am hungry all the time. Imagining, how someone can eat below 2000 cal, and STRUGGLE to get it, even using dirty foods, is mindblowing. All your daily calories are like a half a chocolate bar...

Umm... I know it is supposedly bad for metabolism etc etc but I struggle to get above 800 cals a day. In fact if I just eat when hungry I would have only clocked 700ish calories and then panick 'ooh I havent eaten enough calories!!' and try to get in another milky tea or something but still... just proof that not all overweight people stuff themselves silly, its just not always the case.

I'm guessing you're not eating enough variety, or not doing enough activity to GET hungry. If all you eat is salad then you won't be hungry but your body will not be nourished.800 calories is a MEAL not a daily allowance!

I have no trouble eating 1400, but when I first put it up to that I did struggle because I was scared of adding extra stuff now I'd got out of the snacking habit - I didn't want to eat crisps and chocolate for the sake of it! I now tak a pre-weighed portion of nuts as well as another snack, but don't necessarily eat the second if the nuts have filled me up. I just have a bigger protion in the evening. (Not eating the second is rare - only if I'm too busy to get it out of my bag!!)

I think the biggest thing people are missing here is the easiest answer to making up those missing cals you just can't find room for...

DRINK YOUR CALORIES.

Most people who jump on the fitness bandwagon start drinking crazy amounts of water, and stop drinking milk, juices, and sodas because they don't want to drink "empty" calories. Then they end up under and can't squeeze another broccoli stalk into their mouth. Here's an idea: drink orange juice or milk with breakfast, have some real fruit juice with lunch, have a regular full-calorie soda or a tall glass of milk with dinner! If you've had a real good day and are still 400 calories short, make yourself a couple cocktails or have the few beers you've likely deprived yourself of on the road to fitness and weight loss. If that's not your style, spread out two of your meals by an extra couple hours and add a protein shake using milk or yogurt or a blended smoothie using real fruit juices with whole fruits/veggies.

There's an easy 400-500 calories injected right back into your diet if you add to every meal. You can still get all your water in between or in addition to drinks with meals.

"My theory on why people fall under their calories"... it is an individual thing.

Yes, there are general guidelines, but we don't all do the same things everyday and our bodies do not all respond the same to everything we eat.

I think the main thing is to pay attention to your own body and how you FEEL.

One day I may eat 900 total calories and the next I may eat 1300 total calories. I don't sweat over that because my body didn't need any more than that 900 total calories that day. If I'm energized and "feeling good" then why would I stuff myself just to meet an estimated number? (key word: energized)

Everyone isn't the same and again, these are guidelines.

When I was young the FDA recommended eating an enormous amount of food/calories and as a kid I was always told to eat ALL the food on my plate. All of that is now debunked.

My calories on a day of hiking is totally different than my calories on a day of sitting on my butt at the office and not getting in a workout.

I started out using the "guidelines" and that was a good base for me. I learned a lot. Now, I've worked that into my own thing... what works for me.

Listen to your own body and let others do what they FEEL is best for them.

Bottom line... you don't have to reach a certain amount of calories to be the best YOU. If you're feeling good and energized, then... well, that's it.