Difficulty Reaching Calorie min

etscher
etscher Posts: 41 Member
edited January 26 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm allotted 1200 calories per day, and I've had difficulty reaching that amount. I mean, I've obviously vastly exceeded 1200 calories per day in the past (otherwise I wouldn't have to lose weight haha) but I've changed my eating habits and I'm exercising everyday, and I find it very hard to eat all 1200.

I stick to a whole foods, plant-based diet and eat very little animal products, and sometimes I feel like I can't reach the minimum calorie amount without eating junk or alcohol (which I allot for every weekend, I'll admit0

Any suggestions? I do eat a lot of avocados, which helps.

Replies

  • salvyhead
    salvyhead Posts: 66 Member
    Nuts, beans, chocolate. Be creative. 1200 is probably not enough unless you're BMR is really low, especially with all the exercise. If you don't eat enough calories, you won't lose weight.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    Tossing some nuts or seeds on your salads will bump up the calories. It looks like you know the joys of avocados already. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to your vinegar and you'll have an extra hundred calories or so.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,395 Member
    What's your height and weight?
  • cherio256
    cherio256 Posts: 219
    I can always find something to eat with extra calories!
  • kazzsjourney
    kazzsjourney Posts: 674 Member
    nuts, seeds, cheese, avocado (which you already eat), olive oil, nut butters. Also nothing wrong with having some treats (this is for life after all!) I have some chocolate everyday :)
  • etscher
    etscher Posts: 41 Member
    5'6" 170 lbs
  • RaggedyPond
    RaggedyPond Posts: 1,487 Member
    Drink a glass of whole milk with some nesquick. 200 cals right there.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    Protein shake blended with yogurt or ice cream and a bit of milk into a milkshake will get you your calories. You need a good bit more than 1200. At your height, you can lose eating between 1500 and 1700. No need to make this process miserable in the long run.

    What is your reason for eating very little animal-based products? Moral or some belief that animal products are bad for you?

    Just curious. If it is because you think meat is bad for you, please reconsider this. Your body really needs protein.
  • booyainyoface
    booyainyoface Posts: 409 Member
    eat some protein!! i looked at your diary- your protein is WAY too low, the MFP default protein is way too low for anyone that is moderately active. also fat is good, it will help you feel more full for longer and your hair and skin won't dry out.

    also... 1200 is really low. im 5'5 150 lbs and just stick to eating 1900-2000 calories a day (i don't worry about exercise calories, i use my TDEE -10%) and am steadily losing inches and pounds.
  • etscher
    etscher Posts: 41 Member
    I don't believe it's morally right to eat animal products, and I don't think they are inherently bad...I just think that what we overestimate how much animal products we need to survive.

    I lost a lot of weight about a year ago (when I actually hit my goal weight) by cutting animal products, and I was the healthiest I'd ever been when I visited my doc. And then the first semester of my Master's program started and things went downhill, and I gained quite a bit of weight back. (Delivery is so convenient isn't it?) So now I'm getting back on track again this summer, since I have the time to focus on my health this summer.

    TLDR: It's worked for me in the past!
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    Protein doesn't have to come from animal sources. Try adding legumes, tofu/tempeh, protein powders.
  • etscher
    etscher Posts: 41 Member
    And I guess another big problem is...I just don't have an appetite lately. It's almost like I have to force myself to eat. This is just strange for me because I usually haven't been able to stop eating!
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    I'm allotted 1200 calories per day, and I've had difficulty reaching that amount. I mean, I've obviously vastly exceeded 1200 calories per day in the past (otherwise I wouldn't have to lose weight haha) but I've changed my eating habits and I'm exercising everyday, and I find it very hard to eat all 1200.

    I stick to a whole foods, plant-based diet and eat very little animal products, and sometimes I feel like I can't reach the minimum calorie amount without eating junk or alcohol (which I allot for every weekend, I'll admit0

    Any suggestions? I do eat a lot of avocados, which helps.
    Eat ice cream, or a double bacon cheese burger.

    Quoted for posterity.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    You might want to think about why you didn't succeed, gained weight back, and are now trying again. Yes, you can lose by cutting out a food group, but to cut one of the major building blocks is not going to result in long-term success. Just like people who completely cut carbs, when they go back on a sustainable diet, they gain weight. Or people who cut fat too low who end up with vitamin deficiencies because they can't absorb fat-soluble vitamins as well as they used to.

    Instead of thinking that protein is what made you gain, why not balance things out and eat what will help you maintain lean mass, keep your organs and heart functioning properly, and keep your hair and skin healthy? You need protein, fat and carbs. And when you're dieting, protein becomes all the more important.

    If you don't want to eat meat, find another source for it, like powder.
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
    I'm a vegetarian, but I definitely don't have a problem eating 1600+ calories a day, and I also managed 100+ grams of protein today. I eat lots of beans and tofu, and I usually add a serving of sunflower seeds to my salads (1/4 cup is 200 calories). I'm also a fan of protein powders (I use a vanilla soy protein powder that I blend with almond milk and PB2). I do eat cheese, which adds both calories and protein, and I also eat whole eggs, but if you're concerned about factory farmed eggs, you could look into buying some local, happy eggs (unless you prefer not to eat them at all). Greek yogurt generally has 14g of protein for less than 200 calories. There are lots of ways to get protein from non-meat sources.

    If you're having trouble eating enough volume, try adding more calorie-dense foods. You mentioned avocado. Olive oil is also a good addition to salads or general cooking, and nuts (or nut butters) and seeds will give you calories, protein, and healthy fats.
  • kelfran1
    kelfran1 Posts: 1,213 Member
    Try buying Ensure shakes and drink one as a snack after your workout. I think they are 250 cal per shake and give you protein and some vitamins.
  • poohpoohpeapod
    poohpoohpeapod Posts: 776 Member
    nuts, guacamole, whole fat yogurt almond butter raisins if sugar is not an issue. It is not that hard.
  • etscher
    etscher Posts: 41 Member
    Protein isn't what made me gain - it was the unhealthy eating habits that still didn't include meat. I would order delivery so many nights a week and not keep track of what I was eating, or I would eat on campus all of the time instead of packing myself something to eat, and I never chose anything healthy. And I would snack on junk food all day. I also didn't make a habit of exercising...ever.

    I visit a doctor regularly, and both of my parents are medical doctors, and they have approved my dietary choices, and my past results - both in weight as well as blood and blood pressure - have shown it to be a healthy lifestyle.

    I guess my main problem isn't necessary eating enough food to fulfill my calorie requirements, but more so that I haven't had much of an appetite lately, so I only finish half of what I make or I don't feel hunger pangs.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    Have you discussed your lack of appetite with them? I'd probably start there. 1200 calories, in my opinion, isn't a lot. I'm not saying it's too little for you, but if you can't manage even that perhaps there is an underlying issue.
  • KANSASGIRL69
    KANSASGIRL69 Posts: 28 Member
    EF! 1200 CALORIES! ck THIS OUT ---> http://www.thinandhealthyforever.com/CalorieRequirement.asp :noway:
  • leebesstoad
    leebesstoad Posts: 1,186 Member
    Believe it or not, McDonald's Ice Cream cones aren't bad. At about 170 calories, with 27 carbs, 5 protein, 4 fat, it can fill in a little hole you may have. I always used it as a treat if I needed a few calories when I was on a low (1300) calorie a day diet.

    Now that I'm stepping the calorie requirement up, I'm finding I need to increase that to a McDonald's Hot Fudge Sundae. But believe it or not, the same thing applies there. Who knew? 53 carbs, 8 protein, 9 fat.

    It beats the daylights out of Haagen Dazs.
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