Anyone else have trouble eating at least 1200?

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AmykinsCatfood
AmykinsCatfood Posts: 599 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have a big problem in the summer with forcing myself to eat at least 1200 calories, when my goal is 1520. Most days I don't make it to 1200.. usually end up around 1100 or a little less. Even when I exercise which is becoming much more frequent, I struggle to eat 1200 plus at least some of my exercise calories. I ate a little over 1300 today and it was almost like torture forcing myself to eat that much. And to be clear I don't have an eating disorder or anything like that (I love food way too much..) I just tend to eat less in the summer and don't get very hungry. I also have a feeling that not eating enough is what is causing my rollercoaster weight loss. Up a lb one week and down 4 the next. It's been this way for about 2 months now. It happens without fail. I've started only weighing every 2 weeks because I got tired of seeing that gain in between. Still losing approximately 2lbs a week, but it would be nice if it could be a little more steady and not fluctuate as much.

Is there anything I can do or eat to help me get up to my calorie goal without adding a lot of sodium, carbs, fat and sugars? Don't care about going over on fiber or protein, but I have a hard time with my sugars and fats. I know I could always eat a hamburger or something to bump me up to my goal, but I'm trying to get away from processed and fatty foods. Also, I know my food diary is set to friends only.. I'm not looking for people to comment on what I'm eating, just offer suggestions for getting to my calorie goal.
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Replies

  • AmykinsCatfood
    AmykinsCatfood Posts: 599 Member
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    Bump
  • silvergurl518
    silvergurl518 Posts: 4,123 Member
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    what are you eating that only takes up 1100 calories for your whole day?

    i just changed my goal to 1850 to account for exercise e. in other words, TDEE - 20%. i loooove food--sometimes it's hard to stay under my calorie limit. i'm just wondering how it could be so difficult to reach 1200...i ask sincerely, not sarcastically.
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,154 Member
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    Protein powder (I mix mine in soy milk) is one way to bump your calorie intake without feeling too full. I mostly use it after workouts since I don't want to feel too full while I'm coming off a burn (personal preference). Nuts are another calorie dense but good for you food. Yes, they're relatively high in fat, but it's a healthy fat and you need some to make sure that you are able to absorb all the necessary nutrients. As long as you have room in your macors, nuts are a great option. As for struggling to eat 1200...that's not a problem I have. I love to eat. On Insanity days, I'm usually eating about 2000 calories (and I still get peckish occasionally) and am still under my goals. If the issue is summer, it may be due to the fact that your schedule fluctuates a lot more so you don't have the social cues to eat. I had that problem to a lesser extent when I was in college. There were days when I would forget to eat entirely because I got busy doing things and lost track of time. You could try being a little more structured in your eating schedule. That might help you get hungry enough.
  • kganc001
    kganc001 Posts: 317
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    Bump. I have the same problem. I exercise a lot in the summer (more than winter), but I'm much less hungry!! The heat makes me REALLY not hungry. :/
  • earfquakes
    earfquakes Posts: 21
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    exact same problem here. Most days I follow a vegetarian diet with the exception of seafood, so I really struggle with hitting that mark some days. I had to force myself to eat extra today.
  • S0nsh1ne
    S0nsh1ne Posts: 218 Member
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    You're not getting the answers you seek because most of us don't understand the question and it's asked over and over again. I would suggest searching similar topic and reading the responses there. Most of us are not here because we have trouble getting to 1200 calories a day. Good luck.
  • proudmommy1003
    proudmommy1003 Posts: 329 Member
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    what are you eating that only takes up 1100 calories for your whole day?

    i just changed my goal to 1850 to account for exercise e. in other words, TDEE - 20%. i loooove food--sometimes it's hard to stay under my calorie limit. i'm just wondering how it could be so difficult to reach 1200...i ask sincerely, not sarcastically.

    I wonder the same thing ^^ what type of food do you eat? I struggle staying under my calories goal (1595 cals)
  • truckerbabe67
    truckerbabe67 Posts: 29
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    yeah ive tried that ...but man too rough for me...so i did mine little more cals for now... but i try to get below my level, when i can..
  • AndorZensko
    AndorZensko Posts: 47 Member
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    My trouble is sticking to 1200 calories, I can consume way more than that if I am not tracking.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    add in calorie dense items like avocadoes, nuts, eggs.

    plus it's summer time girl, take your *kitten* to some bbq's and eat some ribs, chicken, brisket, burgers :laugh:

    when all else fails there's also help by hopping into the ice-cream mobile :laugh:
    i currently have no appetite because of an illness and i've been using open faced ice cream sandwich on a cookie as an easy way to get 400 calories. i'm sure my white blood cells cant make use of those ice cream and cookie calories :laugh:
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,835 Member
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    no problems.

    1421cals 112P/138C/50F 36g fibre, 2040 potassium in 3min 21secs.

    peri peri fish & spinach soft tacos & smores pop tarts with pb crave cookie dough pb
    2012+-+1

    ScreenHunter_17+Jul.+19+21.16.jpg

    vid:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja9HjB1nETg
  • MinimalistShoeAddict
    MinimalistShoeAddict Posts: 1,946 Member
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    no problems.

    1421cals 112P/138C/50F 36g fibre, 2040 potassium in 3min 21secs.

    peri peri fish & spinach soft tacos & smores pop tarts with pb crave cookie dough pb
    2012+-+1

    ScreenHunter_17+Jul.+19+21.16.jpg

    vid:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja9HjB1nETg

    Awesome speed!
  • horsewhisper91
    horsewhisper91 Posts: 456 Member
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    I know the feeling of trying to stay under that. Though today was not one of the recent days....

    But what I have done is cut out eating more than one serving of something when out with friends. And I upped my intake of fruit and vegetables. I eat a bowl of melons and banana every day for lunch. And I split my meals into four time a day. Allowing snacks of course. But usually start small with breakfast and brunch. Then it varies day to day on the lunch and evenings since I work so much.

    I got back to regular exercise after a fall at work that took out my knee and wrist for over four weeks. But I have seen a lose of over 5 pounds in about two weeks from my diet change. I don't just eat something that says low fat or low cal. I really take into consideration what exactly I am eat. (most of the time) XD
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,835 Member
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    probably should have another crack at a PB sometime. The MEGA thick PB slowed me down a lot.
  • mleesel
    mleesel Posts: 2
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    WOW!!!! Im amazed!!! my problem is staying at 1200 cals!! I usually end up going over, how does anyone have problems with trying to get to 1200, i just dont understand it! no matter what the weather is, i wanna eat! and always hungry lol! i have lost 200 plus lbs.. so i just try to maintain but its freakin hard!
  • serunatebe
    serunatebe Posts: 1
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    I have the same problem with trying to reach 1200 calories! I eat a healthy amount of food but I just can't seem to get up to it! I think mines mainly to do with stress at the moment and how I can't stomach heavy foods so I just eat light things.
  • audreys03
    audreys03 Posts: 56 Member
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    I had the same problem for a while til I realized that you cant be low everything. and maintain a good calorie level. You will likely have to eat more fat to get your calorie level where it should be. I find its hard to get enough protein without getting more fat too.
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
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    Not eating enough sets you up for disaster.
  • HotMummyMission
    HotMummyMission Posts: 1,723 Member
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    I did when i first started i ddint understand food but if you cant make it 100ml of milk is 100 cals or some greek yoghurt and jam ect you need to experiment a but xx
  • tizmi
    tizmi Posts: 19 Member
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    I'm only 5' tall and have a sedentary job, so my calorie target was set at 1200. I go to Curves three times a week and that adds quite a few calories, though I heard that Curves overestimates how many calories you burn during one of their Smart-tab workouts so I don't want to get too close to my calorie goal...but I'm not exactly slacking when I go there, I'm sweating buckets every time.

    And now I have a FitBit so I go for walks every day to get past the 10,000 steps goal, and that adds more calories to my target, so I find myself at a loss at the end of the day when my FitBit syncs with my computer and I suddenly have a load of calories going spare. I haven't had it for long, but I should be able to work out on average what will be added and eat some of those for lunch, but I find myself quite full on what I'm already eating - it's only when I'm getting right up to dinner time that I find myself feeling really hungry.

    I know that having too large a calorie deficit is not a good idea, so I'm trying to fix this. Trial and error I suppose!

    Getting a drink of skimmed milk or something sounds like a good idea to pad things out - a BBC documentary I watched (the one that gave me the final kick into getting started with a diet back in March) showed tests that seemed to indicate that calcium binds with fat to make it into something your body is less capable of processing [http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/humanbody/truthaboutfood/slim/calcium.shtml], so I'll be giving that one a try!

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