Feel guilty eating so much. Healthier high cal foods?

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iamluce
iamluce Posts: 64 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I started on MFP almost a year ago. Started eating 1200 calories and working out religiously, lost about 35 pounds, then the weight loss stalled. After months of denial, I finally raised my calories to 1400. Nothing changed. I raised them to 1500. Nothing changed. I went up to 1600, 1700, then 1800. No inches came off and the scale didn't budge. At least I didn't gain, right?

Yesterday, I finally decided to stop thinking I'm a special little snowflake and to start listening to every single calculator online, which say I should be eating about 2000 calories.

I'm 5'4.5" and weigh 135-137 and I work out 8 or 9 hours a week. I'm starting StrongLifts 5x5, I pole dance 3x a week and I take two or three hours of dance classes a week, plus some stationary bike and a couple of hourly walks.

Most calorie calculators and the spreadsheet from IPOARM say I should eat 1900-2200 cals a day.
My question is HOW? I found it hard enough to eat 1700 (and hardly ever made it to 1800) without it really messing with my head, because I have a really hard time believing that I can eat that much and still lose weight (especially when I spent months eating 1200 or less) and because the only way I've found to reach those numbers has been eating junk.

I know that logically it should be as simple as just EAT MORE. HAVE A CHOCOLATE BAR. EAT SOME PB. HAVE AN AVOCADO. But it isn't as easy for me. I start stressing and feeling guilty the moment I realize that I'm eating the foods that I forbid myself for so long. I can barely eat bread/cookies without feeling bad about it, and I haven't eaten pasta more than three times in the past ten months. All the higher calorie foods became "unsafe" in my mind.

I'm trying to incorporate higher calorie foods to my diet so I don't feel like I need to eat like a pig to make it to 2000 (I can't make it unless I include candy and baked goods!!)

Has anyone had the problem where eating more messed with their heads? What did you do to get past it?

What are some foods, besides the obvious PB, nuts and avocado, that are good for my body and also high in calories? I'm trying to eat as healthy as I can so I can focus on eating "well" and being good to my body and try to ignore how many calories I'm actually consuming.

Replies

  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    Oftentimes we have to retrain our brains and not just our bodies...I know that I did. Read as much as you can on how our body functions and why we need to fuel it properly - that helped me a bit.

    But really, what worked finally for me was just doing it. I upped my calories by over 500 a day, put the scale away for 4 weeks (after a 4 month plateau) and after 4 weeks I had lost 2 pounds.

    I am in that stage again after another 5 month plateau...just upped my calories to 2000 per day (from 1750) and put the scale away again. I will take it out in three more weeks and see if I proved my TDEE correct. I have to admit that I cheated yesterday - took out the scale and saw that I had not gained (phew!) so I can leave it away for the next three weeks without panicking...

    I still fight the urge to check obsessively but I asked my hubby to hide it this time. lol

    Just try it out - add calorie dense foods and protein shakes if you hare having trouble getting to your goal - use oils when you cook, regular salad dressings, full fat milk and cheese, etc... You may be very please at the end of your 4 weeks.
  • WhiteGirlWasted13
    WhiteGirlWasted13 Posts: 178 Member
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    Do you eat dairy? I'd make sure you're eating full fat products. I was going to suggest avocado, too. But you mentioned that already. Did you know you can make other things with it? I just made a chocolate "pudding" for my parents yesterday that they loved and said was very rich and chocolately. I used one avocado, 1 ripe banana, a couple tablespoons cocoa powder, and honey to taste. Blend the first three ingredients, add honey, bam! Chocolate pudding!

    You can also add coconut oil. Cook in it, mix it into things, etc. Google some easy coconut oil recipes.

    Other than this, I got nothin.
  • zaftiggirl
    zaftiggirl Posts: 82 Member
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    I used to view food as a necessary evil, and would eat just enough to quell my hunger (I was convinced that I would gain if I ate over 1200, because I struggled to lose at 1200).

    Now, I view food as fuel for my body or something to enjoy! As Hippocrates said, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food."

    Another thing: I have always found that if I'm focusing on hitting my protein and healthy fat macros... I hit my calories for the day!

    And I don't stress if I don't make it to 2100 once or twice a week. I try not to eat less than my BMR, though–ever.

    I use organic coconut oil quite often, and I add vanilla protein powder to cottage cheese to pack a protein punch.

    And most of the time, I guess I don't have a hard time hitting 2100 because I have a husband that loves eating out. :ohwell:
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Stop feeling guilty! As long as it's under your calories, just eat what you want. Or have just a small piece of one of the things you forbade yourself to eat... the good thing with not eating it for so long is that it should be much easier for you to just have a bit.

    I made a thread asking the same thing yesterday in the food forum though. Cheese is good. Full fat milk/yogurt instead of low fat (although I still stick to low fat so I can eat more). Nuts, nut butters, avocado you know... Eggs, oil. I'm planning on making crustless quiche this week, it seems like it would be something healthy.

    My main issue is to find something that has calories but not a ton of fat...
  • bacitracin
    bacitracin Posts: 921 Member
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    My main issue is to find something that has calories but not a ton of fat...

    Hahaha, I'm always too high on protein and too low on fat. I have to pretty much eat coconut oil by the spoonful to hit my macro ratios.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    My main issue is to find something that has calories but not a ton of fat...

    Hahaha, I'm always too high on protein and too low on fat. I have to pretty much eat coconut oil by the spoonful to hit my macro ratios.

    Yeah your fat macro is way way higher than mine though! I'm 40/30/30.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    My main issue is to find something that has calories but not a ton of fat...

    Hahaha, I'm always too high on protein and too low on fat. I have to pretty much eat coconut oil by the spoonful to hit my macro ratios.

    Yeah your fat macro is way way higher than mine though! I'm 40/30/30.

    Dietary fat does not make you fat so I set my fat goal at 35%, carbs at 35% and protein at 30%. I really only care about hitting the protein target, but I love beef so I tend to make the fat goal too. :)
  • cmeade20
    cmeade20 Posts: 1,238 Member
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    A lot of people develop this mental road block after eating 1200 cals for awhile. At least you have the common sense to know you need to over come it! For me it just took time. Eventually I got used to eating more again. Instead of having a 150 calorie bowl of oatmeal for breakfast I had a 400 calorie breakfast with eggs and whatnot. Instead of having a dinky 3 oz piece of chicken I upped it to 5 or 6. When the inches started coming off the mental roadblock disappeared.
  • skjsbp
    skjsbp Posts: 8
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    Replying just so I can find this again. Very interesting stuff, and I'm liking the sound of upping my cals after awhile as well! ^_^

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