I can not eat that much!!

The people who say this always perplex me. Please do not take this as snark, but if you cannot eat that much, how did you gain weight to begin with?


What is your diet like?

I drink Dark Chocolate Almond Milk. It is super yummy and helps me replinish the calories I burned off during workout. I also spread peanut butter on an apple or banana sometimes. Yummmmmmmmmmy

You don't have to eat "junk" food. Nut butters, regular butter, full-fat dairy ... those are "clean" foods that are both calorie- and nutrient-dense.

I'm in the same situation. I am doing 30DS and walking/ jogging. I was actually just whining about all the calories I have left

No, don't force yourself to eat something if you are already full and satisfied. That's a sure sign that your body doesn't need them.

If you are at a deficit you will naturally start to crave and think about food.

Eating enough calories should come easily.

Any sign of weakness - decreased ability to work out, fatigue, hunger, weakness, crazy cravings - you may want to eat more, or hold the line if you are trying to lose weight. If you are fully satisfied, make sure your calorie counts are accurate and cut them if you find yourself not losing anymore.

I'm in the same situation. I am doing 30DS and walking/ jogging. I was actually just whining about all the calories I have left

How many calories could you (and the OP) possibly have from doing 30DS and walking? Even so, how did either of you get "fat" in the first place if you have so much trouble consuming enough calories?

Not buying it, sorry.

Anyway, eat more calorie dense foods if you're having trouble meeting your calorie goals. You don't have to eat more meals/food, just eat foods with higher cal counts.

The people who say this always perplex me. Please do not take this as snark, but if you cannot eat that much, how did you gain weight to begin with?


What is your diet like?

Oh I got your back on this one. In that I think I can shed some light on the enigma or what ever you want to call it. Some people start eating more nutrient dense foods before they sign up here and stuff is a changing as far as hunger responses and such. I used to eat anywhere from 3000,4000 calories a day. But, it was very high calorie, not very nutrient dense food. Except the cheese which I ate a lot of but that is still high calorie. When I cut out meat and most dairy from my diet it was like whoa everything I eat is so filling. So, now I can literally be in tears on some days struggling to get to at least 1700 calories.

ETA: I accidentally also started intermittent fasting most days the 15/9 method and it's really hard to get that much food in, in that little time.

I think the perception of diet needs to be addressed here. When we monitor calories, especially people who are new to it - we tend to go for the "healthier" options - it's natural. The thought of eating the type of food we did before either fills us with dread or makes us envious of those who can without consequences (that we can see, anyway). We buy a bunch of low-fat, low-cal, low-carb, LOWWHATEVER food because we want to tackle this head on.

Here is the myth busted - you don't actually need to fork out a crap load for those diet products and in fact, all you need to do is just moderate what you eat. You don't HAVE to eat all your calories back if you exercise, but it's recommended that you at least eat SOME of them, because MFP works at a deficit anyway. So, you can stop torturing yourself over not being able to have ice cream, a burger, some fries etc. Because you CAN, and you should - if you like those things, and you have no allergies or medical reason not to eat them.

We buy these diet products because we are convinced they are the right choice - they rarely are, and also to get to the calorie intake we need, we have to eat more = buying more = more money for the company. Obviously there ARE exceptions to the rule, as with everything. I would suggest ditching whatever products you've replaced in order to lose weight/get fit and focus on healthy but calorie dense foods - nuts, avocado, cheese, eggs - a good mix of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Please also be aware that MFP establishes the macro's (sugar, carb, protein) as per a basic measurement and you can alter them, so unless you know specifically what you need or want to eat in macronutrients, don't worry too much - providing you are not going way over on one and way under on another.

I feel im kind of in the same boat as you. I eat really good food, that sometimes don't have enough calories in them (never thought that would be a problem) Sometimes I just eat a couple spoonfulls of sunbutter, or drink some chocolate milk. I feel really full, but I'd rather give my body what it needs.

I can dig it. Back when I was doing boxing I was burning 2,000+ calories and it was very rough to eat them back. The best solution to eat LITTLE bit of fast food or other dense calories. Like nut butter or full fat dairy etc. The calories fill up pretty fast when you're not tryign to only eat "clean". Eat clean too but don't just try to live off of salads either. Mix a bit of junk food to keep your belly and your mind happy and you will likely stay on the path much longer (like me) if you kept your mind and body happy with LITTLE bit of junk food daily

For very high burns like that I can see it becoming an issue. But with 30 day Shred she should only be burning a few hundred or so extra per day. That is a fairly light snack.

I suspect (please correct me OP if I'm wrong but I didn't checked your diary) that she might be eating VERY "clean" which makes it hard to eat decent amount of calories. Just eating some fruits very little baked chicken and veggies etc all day makes it extremely rough to even finish 1400

Her diary is closed, so it is hard to say for sure. Hopefully she weighs in soon.

I think the perception of diet needs to be addressed here. When we monitor calories, especially people who are new to it - we tend to go for the "healthier" options - it's natural. The thought of eating the type of food we did before either fills us with dread or makes us envious of those who can without consequences (that we can see, anyway). We buy a bunch of low-fat, low-cal, low-carb, LOWWHATEVER food because we want to tackle this head on.

Here is the myth busted - you don't actually need to fork out a crap load for those diet products and in fact, all you need to do is just moderate what you eat. You don't HAVE to eat all your calories back if you exercise, but it's recommended that you at least eat SOME of them, because MFP works at a deficit anyway. So, you can stop torturing yourself over not being able to have ice cream, a burger, some fries etc. Because you CAN, and you should - if you like those things, and you have no allergies or medical reason not to eat them.

We buy these diet products because we are convinced they are the right choice - they rarely are, and also to get to the calorie intake we need, we have to eat more = buying more = more money for the company. Obviously there ARE exceptions to the rule, as with everything. I would suggest ditching whatever products you've replaced in order to lose weight/get fit and focus on healthy but calorie dense foods - nuts, avocado, cheese, eggs - a good mix of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Please also be aware that MFP establishes the macro's (sugar, carb, protein) as per a basic measurement and you can alter them, so unless you know specifically what you need or want to eat in macronutrients, don't worry too much - providing you are not going way over on one and way under on another.

Excellent post.

I can dig it. Back when I was doing boxing I was burning 2,000+ calories and it was very rough to eat them back. The best solution to eat LITTLE bit of fast food or other dense calories. Like nut butter or full fat dairy etc. The calories fill up pretty fast when you're not tryign to only eat "clean". Eat clean too but don't just try to live off of salads either. Mix a bit of junk food to keep your belly and your mind happy and you will likely stay on the path much longer (like me) if you kept your mind and body happy with LITTLE bit of junk food daily

For very high burns like that I can see it becoming an issue. But with 30 day Shred she should only be burning a few hundred or so extra per day. That is a fairly light snack.

That would probably be true if she were just doing the 30DS, but she says she is also walking/jogging. I know I burn 400+ on my lunch hour walking. I don't know what my burn would be if I were doing the 30DS, but it could add up quickly. I, however, have no problem eating enough calories, though.

FERKEN CHEESE - it's probably the only craving I have. GET IN MY BELLY. :happy: :huh:

I can dig it. Back when I was doing boxing I was burning 2,000+ calories and it was very rough to eat them back. The best solution to eat LITTLE bit of fast food or other dense calories. Like nut butter or full fat dairy etc. The calories fill up pretty fast when you're not tryign to only eat "clean". Eat clean too but don't just try to live off of salads either. Mix a bit of junk food to keep your belly and your mind happy and you will likely stay on the path much longer (like me) if you kept your mind and body happy with LITTLE bit of junk food daily

For very high burns like that I can see it becoming an issue. But with 30 day Shred she should only be burning a few hundred or so extra per day. That is a fairly light snack.

That would probably be true if she were just doing the 30DS, but she says she is also walking/jogging. I know I burn 400+ on my lunch hour walking. I don't know what my burn would be if I were doing the 30DS, but it could add up quickly. I, however, have no problem eating enough calories, though.

How fast are you walking? I burn roughly 350cal during an houra walk and I am over 300lbs.

How fast are you walking? I burn roughly 350cal during an houra walk and I am over 300lbs.

I think people VASTLY overestimate their calorie burn much of the time.

A good reliable HRM will help with that. So will some common sense.