How am I going to eat that much food??

Jeweller76
Jeweller76 Posts: 12
in Food and Nutrition
Hi All, I'm new to MFP. I'm currently on day 11 of Insanity, which I chose to do to boost my metabolism, burn fat and for conditioning. I'm just over a stone overweight which happened as I've had a crazy schedule for the last three years and so stopped eating properly, i.e. not consuming enough calories. This has meant that my body has been in starvation mode for the last three years which in turn means I put on weight very easily due to a very sluggish metabolism.

I don't want to ruin my chances of weight loss with Insanity so I'm determined to get my body out of this mode - it's ridiculous that I should be overweight as I hardly eat - which I now know is very unhealthy. I've calculated (using the guide in the Insanity pack) that with the 6 day a week workouts in I need to eat 1,749 cals to lose weight.

As I'm so used to eating around 600-700 calories a day (sometimes a bit more sometimes less) I can't get my head around eating 1,750 calories a day! I haven't eaten that much in - well I'm not sure I ever have! I have really long and busy days at work and Insanity suggests eating 5 times a day - which I just can't see how I'm going to fit in.

So with the fear of piling on weight while I get out of starvation mode I'm also wondering how I'm going to get that amount of calories in and eating 5 times a day, which I'm used to generally having one a meal a day. I really need to get out of this cycle.

I'm 37 years of age, 5' 2.5" and 155lbs. Started Insanity 11 days ago at 159lbs so have dropped 4lbs to date.

Anyone have any tips? Thanks in advance :happy:
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Replies

  • ncmedic201
    ncmedic201 Posts: 540 Member
    I had a hard time when I started on MFP. I was not eating a lot and was drinking my calories (Mmmm Starbucks). My doctor made me decrease my coffee intake and that reduced my calories. I found that slowly bumping my calories up was the easiest way. Eat high calorie foods like nuts, avocados and other proteins. This isn't a race so take your time and adjust your eating so you can do this for life. I've spent the last 2 months working on it.
  • MrsPixelbark
    MrsPixelbark Posts: 175 Member
    Don't be afraid of calorie dense food: nuts, use oils in cooking, small amounts of cheese, dried fruit, full fat milk etc. 30g of almonds will net you close to 170 calories, so there's a solid start.

    Also.... There's nothing wrong with having the odd slice of cake as long as you can keep it all under moderation. :)
  • ekaustin7
    ekaustin7 Posts: 185 Member
    If you're not able to eat often during the day, make the times that you actually DO get to eat count. Fill those meals with calorie dense foods... peanut butter, almonds, olive oil, etc. With the crazy burn you're putting your body through doing insanity, you NEED to fuel your muscles with food to allow them the energy they need to rebuild and get stronger. If you don't eat, you will see zero results from Insanity, which would make me really mad having put in all that effort and seeing no results.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I eat about 1000 calories for dinner, so I have a hard time relating to this.

    I would recommend increasing your calories from 800 to 900 for a week and then 900 to 1000 ....This should really not be that hard..I mean one steak has 500to700 calories in it and that is one meal ...

    If you had a filet mignon and roasted potatoes for dinner that would be at least a 600 cal dinner..

    four eggs and some olive oil is like 400 cal breakfast...

    It sounds like you have an unhealthy relationship with food and might need some kind of help..
  • Jeweller76
    Jeweller76 Posts: 12
    Ah yes, high calorie foods sounds like a good idea. I guess i can buy packets of nuts which I can snack on at work. I really do want to stick, as closely as possible to the 5 times a day eating as Insanity suggests, rather than eating higher calorie meals 3 times a day. Thanks for the advice guys. Anymore would greatly appreciated :happy:
  • HacheraTsarine
    HacheraTsarine Posts: 278 Member
    If you're afraid you can't eat your daily amount of calories, drink them.
    People usually drink faster than they eat. So, you have time to consume more before your body sends you cues of fullness.
    This is why mostly a great weight loss tip is to not drink your calories and stick to water and tea.

    But, in your case, drinking shakes and smoothies might help you out.

    Because when I say "Drink your calories", I don't mean drink soda. I mean drink smoothies, so at least those calories will have some nutritious values. My favorite recipe gives me 2 portions of fruits, 2 portions of veggies, a bit over a portion of dairy and some extra protein :

    1 cup of raspberries
    1 cup of baby leaves spinach
    1 cup of plain yogurt 2%
    1 scoop of vanilla or chocolate flavored whey protein
    Blend to desired consistency

    Hope it helps!
  • jfauci
    jfauci Posts: 531 Member
    I nibble throughout the day too. I agree with the others that snacks that are calorie rich, but healthy is the way to go. Also, don't try to eat 1,700 in the first day. That's a set-up for failure. Increase your calorie intake by 200 for a few days and then again until you get to your desired intake. Good luck.
  • Jeweller76
    Jeweller76 Posts: 12
    @ndj1979

    Hahaha! Thanks! I go to uni, work part-time (in a stressful job) and I'm a single parent so it's not that I have an unhealthy relationship with food but rather I'm just too busy to stop and eat. And when I do try to stop I don't have much of an appetite. I tend to survive on coffee and cigarettes during the day which is really unhealthy but I'm trying to change that.

    My stomach is way to small to eat a steak AND roast potatoes, and probably veg too. And I love eggs but 4 of them in one go, in morning! Barf!! :sick:
  • micqs
    micqs Posts: 186 Member
    Dense foods!! Nuts (not peanuts) and other filling foods. I went from 1200 to 1750. I can't imagine eating only 1200 now!! I have a smoothie for breakfast which comes to about 300-500 calories and keeps me full till lunch. Then I just eat nice and hearty foods for dinner. And what I can at lunch :)
  • Jeweller76
    Jeweller76 Posts: 12
    @ HacheraTsarine

    Thanks, I like the idea of drinking them instead but I don't like milky things. Smoothies, protein shakes etc... My palette and gag reflexes won't allow it!
  • ncmedic201
    ncmedic201 Posts: 540 Member
    @ndj1979

    Hahaha! Thanks! I go to uni, work part-time (in a stressful job) and I'm a single parent so it's not that I have an unhealthy relationship with food but rather I'm just too busy to stop and eat. And when I do try to stop I don't have much of an appetite. I tend to survive on coffee and cigarettes during the day which is really unhealthy but I'm trying to change that.

    My stomach is way to small to eat a steak AND roast potatoes, and probably veg too. And I love eggs but 4 of them in one go, in morning! Barf!! :sick:

    Haha you sound like me! Single mom working full time and overtime shifts living on coffee and cigarettes. I've cut the coffee back A LOT! Now for the cigarettes :/
  • Jeweller76
    Jeweller76 Posts: 12
    @ndj1979

    Hahaha! Thanks! I go to uni, work part-time (in a stressful job) and I'm a single parent so it's not that I have an unhealthy relationship with food but rather I'm just too busy to stop and eat. And when I do try to stop I don't have much of an appetite. I tend to survive on coffee and cigarettes during the day which is really unhealthy but I'm trying to change that.

    My stomach is way to small to eat a steak AND roast potatoes, and probably veg too. And I love eggs but 4 of them in one go, in morning! Barf!! :sick:

    Haha you sound like me! Single mom working full time and overtime shifts living on coffee and cigarettes. I've cut the coffee back A LOT! Now for the cigarettes :/

    Coffee and *kitten* make for an excellent appetite suppressant but it's bad!! :wink:
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    1) how long have you been eating 600-700 calories? If less than a month or so, then your body isn't "used to" it. That is starvation. It isn't healthy at all.

    2) If you've been eating 600-700 calories, you'd be dropping weight too rapidly and a lot of that would be muscle. Not healthy at all.

    3) If you're not weighing your food and carefully measuring liquids, you're eating more than you think. Possibly by a lot. Your diary isn't open at all for us to see on what you're subsisting. Buy a food scale.

    4) What were you eating to gain the excess weight? You didn't gain the weight eating only 1700 calories a day.

    5) lean meats, whole grains, veggies, fruits, healthy fats like avocados and nut butters and olive oil are what you should make the majority of your diet. If you can't hit your calories eating straight healthy stuff, then add in a treat. One small square of Lindt chocolate has 60 calories in it.

    I'm going to disagree with everyone who says to move slowly back up to 1700 calories. Up them and get as close as possible to that figure. If you gain a couple pounds in the beginning, so be it. It'll be glycogen mostly while your body repairs any damage and your hormones regulate. You'll regulate and start losing soon enough. Follow a reasonable diet and get enough protein in you. If you're only eating 600-700 calories, you aren't getting nearly enough. Or enough fiber. Or enough vitamins...
  • TyTy76
    TyTy76 Posts: 1,761 Member
    www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1046449-tyler-s-tator-tot-casserole
  • beckyinma
    beckyinma Posts: 1,433 Member
    avocado sliced on top of EVERYTHING! :)
  • SlimsLiftingMoreThanLipstick
    SlimsLiftingMoreThanLipstick Posts: 122 Member
    Start slow. I can't imagine eating that low, I almost died at 1200 and didn't stick with that for long! Like the others suggested try to snack on nuts (pistachios, YUM),string cheese or even beef jerky. Have you ever tried protein bars? If you don't plan to give up coffee ( I didn't) and you don't like the consistency of smoothies or shakes you could add protein powder to your coffee in place of sugar or cream.
  • Jeweller76
    Jeweller76 Posts: 12
    1) how long have you been eating 600-700 calories? If less than a month or so, then your body isn't "used to" it. That is starvation. It isn't healthy at all.

    2) If you've been eating 600-700 calories, you'd be dropping weight too rapidly and a lot of that would be muscle. Not healthy at all.

    3) If you're not weighing your food and carefully measuring liquids, you're eating more than you think. Possibly by a lot. Your diary isn't open at all for us to see on what you're subsisting. Buy a food scale.

    4) What were you eating to gain the excess weight? You didn't gain the weight eating only 1700 calories a day.

    5) lean meats, whole grains, veggies, fruits, healthy fats like avocados and nut butters and olive oil are what you should make the majority of your diet. If you can't hit your calories eating straight healthy stuff, then add in a treat. One small square of Lindt chocolate has 60 calories in it.

    I'm going to disagree with everyone who says to move slowly back up to 1700 calories. Up them and get as close as possible to that figure. If you gain a couple pounds in the beginning, so be it. It'll be glycogen mostly while your body repairs any damage and your hormones regulate. You'll regulate and start losing soon enough. Follow a reasonable diet and get enough protein in you. If you're only eating 600-700 calories, you aren't getting nearly enough. Or enough fiber. Or enough vitamins...

    I've been eating this way for about three years - since I started my university course. I know it isn't healthy which is why I'm trying to change it. There are days when I have less than that - depending on what I'm doing. I tended to have naughty days at the weekends after which I'll gain like 2-3 lbs or something. This is falls off when I go back to my very low calorie way of eating in the week. But even within this week I can gain really quickly if I decide to go over the 600-700 cals or if I decide to eat much more carbs than normal. I also like beer, which is an additional problem...

    I do have a food scale but I don't fancy getting into weighing foods etc. i don't really eat dairy. Believe me it is possible to gain weight on less than 1000 calories a day! I do agree with you that I want to just up my calories in one hit and just swallow (see what I did there) the weight gain.
  • Jeweller76
    Jeweller76 Posts: 12
    avocado sliced on top of EVERYTHING! :)

    :sick: I'm not a fan of avocado.
  • Jeweller76
    Jeweller76 Posts: 12
    Start slow. I can't imagine eating that low, I almost died at 1200 and didn't stick with that for long! Like the others suggested try to snack on nuts (pistachios, YUM),string cheese or even beef jerky. Have you ever tried protein bars? If you don't plan to give up coffee ( I didn't) and you don't like the consistency of smoothies or shakes you could add protein powder to your coffee in place of sugar or cream.

    Ah I LOVE pistachios! I'll be picking those up on the way to work today! I don't like milky things so my coffee is only ever black :smile:
  • palmerar
    palmerar Posts: 489 Member
    You don't want to increase your intake by 1000 immediately, but you do want to increase. Try increasing by 100 cals, stabilizing for a week or so and then add 100 more until you get to your goal.

    Also, a couple tips:
    1) get a food scale and measuring cups to make sure you have been calculating everything correctly

    2) If you have some more time on the weekends try to prepack meals as much as you can, cut up some peppers, make individual serving sizes of nuts and other snacks

    3) Look into healthy meal replacement options, I was going to school with at least an hour commute and working three part time jobs last year, sometimes you can't have an entire meal packed but if you have a meal replacement bar you know you are getting at least proper nutrients.

    Good Luck!
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    1) how long have you been eating 600-700 calories? If less than a month or so, then your body isn't "used to" it. That is starvation. It isn't healthy at all.

    2) If you've been eating 600-700 calories, you'd be dropping weight too rapidly and a lot of that would be muscle. Not healthy at all.

    3) If you're not weighing your food and carefully measuring liquids, you're eating more than you think. Possibly by a lot. Your diary isn't open at all for us to see on what you're subsisting. Buy a food scale.

    4) What were you eating to gain the excess weight? You didn't gain the weight eating only 1700 calories a day.

    5) lean meats, whole grains, veggies, fruits, healthy fats like avocados and nut butters and olive oil are what you should make the majority of your diet. If you can't hit your calories eating straight healthy stuff, then add in a treat. One small square of Lindt chocolate has 60 calories in it.

    I'm going to disagree with everyone who says to move slowly back up to 1700 calories. Up them and get as close as possible to that figure. If you gain a couple pounds in the beginning, so be it. It'll be glycogen mostly while your body repairs any damage and your hormones regulate. You'll regulate and start losing soon enough. Follow a reasonable diet and get enough protein in you. If you're only eating 600-700 calories, you aren't getting nearly enough. Or enough fiber. Or enough vitamins...

    I've been eating this way for about three years - since I started my university course. I know it isn't healthy which is why I'm trying to change it. There are days when I have less than that - depending on what I'm doing. I tended to have naughty days at the weekends after which I'll gain like 2-3 lbs or something. This is falls off when I go back to my very low calorie way of eating in the week. But even within this week I can gain really quickly if I decide to go over the 600-700 cals or if I decide to eat much more carbs than normal. I also like beer, which is an additional problem...

    I do have a food scale but I don't fancy getting into weighing foods etc. i don't really eat dairy. Believe me it is possible to gain weight on less than 1000 calories a day! I do agree with you that I want to just up my calories in one hit and just swallow (see what I did there) the weight gain.

    If you had really only been eating 600-700 calories a day for 3 years, you would be emaciated. I'm sorry, I really think you're underestimating your calorie intake. A pint of beer has about 200 calories in it. I have no clue how many you drink on a weekend, but even then, you'd have to consume several thousand calories in a night to undo the damage caused by a 5 day a week 600-700 calorie diet. While it isn't possible to gain on 600 calories, it is possible to not lose anything on a weekly total of more than 14,000 calories. Maintenance for your weight is over 2000 a day. Even with metabolic damage and extreme hormone imbalance, you're not gaining on 700 calories a day.

    Eat how you want, OP. Your follow-up posts make it very clear that you're not actually looking for sound advice on food and nutrition. You seem to be just bragging about how little you eat.
  • tmattoneill
    tmattoneill Posts: 4 Member
    I eat between 2000-2500 a day to maintain. You should do an online calculator to determine your BMR (basal metabolic rate) - http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ . If you're trying to gain mass/weight i.e. get bigger you'll need to consume more than that amount. If you're trying to lose weight, you'll need to eat less.

    I keep my carbs and protein roughly fixed at 20-50g/day & 160-180g/day (80-200cal & 320-720). That means at most I'm getting 920 calories a day from just carb + protein. So I need to eat around 1,100 - 1,600 calories a day of fat to get my dietary requirements. I do this by using heavy cream, eating cheese, bacon, salami, full fat everything. Basically between 140-150g of fat a day.

    That's it!
  • Jeweller76
    Jeweller76 Posts: 12
    1) how long have you been eating 600-700 calories? If less than a month or so, then your body isn't "used to" it. That is starvation. It isn't healthy at all.

    2) If you've been eating 600-700 calories, you'd be dropping weight too rapidly and a lot of that would be muscle. Not healthy at all.

    3) If you're not weighing your food and carefully measuring liquids, you're eating more than you think. Possibly by a lot. Your diary isn't open at all for us to see on what you're subsisting. Buy a food scale.

    4) What were you eating to gain the excess weight? You didn't gain the weight eating only 1700 calories a day.

    5) lean meats, whole grains, veggies, fruits, healthy fats like avocados and nut butters and olive oil are what you should make the majority of your diet. If you can't hit your calories eating straight healthy stuff, then add in a treat. One small square of Lindt chocolate has 60 calories in it.

    I'm going to disagree with everyone who says to move slowly back up to 1700 calories. Up them and get as close as possible to that figure. If you gain a couple pounds in the beginning, so be it. It'll be glycogen mostly while your body repairs any damage and your hormones regulate. You'll regulate and start losing soon enough. Follow a reasonable diet and get enough protein in you. If you're only eating 600-700 calories, you aren't getting nearly enough. Or enough fiber. Or enough vitamins...

    I've been eating this way for about three years - since I started my university course. I know it isn't healthy which is why I'm trying to change it. There are days when I have less than that - depending on what I'm doing. I tended to have naughty days at the weekends after which I'll gain like 2-3 lbs or something. This is falls off when I go back to my very low calorie way of eating in the week. But even within this week I can gain really quickly if I decide to go over the 600-700 cals or if I decide to eat much more carbs than normal. I also like beer, which is an additional problem...

    I do have a food scale but I don't fancy getting into weighing foods etc. i don't really eat dairy. Believe me it is possible to gain weight on less than 1000 calories a day! I do agree with you that I want to just up my calories in one hit and just swallow (see what I did there) the weight gain.

    If you had really only been eating 600-700 calories a day for 3 years, you would be emaciated. I'm sorry, I really think you're underestimating your calorie intake. A pint of beer has about 200 calories in it. I have no clue how many you drink on a weekend, but even then, you'd have to consume several thousand calories in a night to undo the damage caused by a 5 day a week 600-700 calorie diet. While it isn't possible to gain on 600 calories, it is possible to not lose anything on a weekly total of more than 14,000 calories. Maintenance for your weight is over 2000 a day. Even with metabolic damage and extreme hormone imbalance, you're not gaining on 700 calories a day.

    Eat how you want, OP. Your follow-up posts make it very clear that you're not actually looking for sound advice on food and nutrition. You seem to be just bragging about how little you eat.

    Bragging?? I have nothing to brag about, it's not exactly doing me any favours is it so I don't see that I'm bragging.
    Monday-Friday - at work or uni - nothing to eat during the day but coffee (1.5 teaspoons sugar for each cup) and *kitten*. In the evenings i have a low carb meal and a beer. There are no hidden calories. Like I said though I do eat high calorie foods at the weekends when I'm at home. Also maybe once a week I'll have a higher carb meal in the evening, which will also cause weight (or water) gain because my metabolism is slow and I did no exercise at all.

    I am appreciate of the advice given, like I said in my previous posts; as suggested I'm going to eat more nuts during the day and look at drinking calories instead. I'm a newbie coming here for advice, have said I will take some of it, and I get accused of bragging. :ohwell:
  • xmeganxtarax
    xmeganxtarax Posts: 79
    1) how long have you been eating 600-700 calories? If less than a month or so, then your body isn't "used to" it. That is starvation. It isn't healthy at all.

    2) If you've been eating 600-700 calories, you'd be dropping weight too rapidly and a lot of that would be muscle. Not healthy at all.

    3) If you're not weighing your food and carefully measuring liquids, you're eating more than you think. Possibly by a lot. Your diary isn't open at all for us to see on what you're subsisting. Buy a food scale.

    4) What were you eating to gain the excess weight? You didn't gain the weight eating only 1700 calories a day.

    5) lean meats, whole grains, veggies, fruits, healthy fats like avocados and nut butters and olive oil are what you should make the majority of your diet. If you can't hit your calories eating straight healthy stuff, then add in a treat. One small square of Lindt chocolate has 60 calories in it.

    I'm going to disagree with everyone who says to move slowly back up to 1700 calories. Up them and get as close as possible to that figure. If you gain a couple pounds in the beginning, so be it. It'll be glycogen mostly while your body repairs any damage and your hormones regulate. You'll regulate and start losing soon enough. Follow a reasonable diet and get enough protein in you. If you're only eating 600-700 calories, you aren't getting nearly enough. Or enough fiber. Or enough vitamins...

    I've been eating this way for about three years - since I started my university course. I know it isn't healthy which is why I'm trying to change it. There are days when I have less than that - depending on what I'm doing. I tended to have naughty days at the weekends after which I'll gain like 2-3 lbs or something. This is falls off when I go back to my very low calorie way of eating in the week. But even within this week I can gain really quickly if I decide to go over the 600-700 cals or if I decide to eat much more carbs than normal. I also like beer, which is an additional problem...

    I do have a food scale but I don't fancy getting into weighing foods etc. i don't really eat dairy. Believe me it is possible to gain weight on less than 1000 calories a day! I do agree with you that I want to just up my calories in one hit and just swallow (see what I did there) the weight gain.

    If you had really only been eating 600-700 calories a day for 3 years, you would be emaciated. I'm sorry, I really think you're underestimating your calorie intake. A pint of beer has about 200 calories in it. I have no clue how many you drink on a weekend, but even then, you'd have to consume several thousand calories in a night to undo the damage caused by a 5 day a week 600-700 calorie diet. While it isn't possible to gain on 600 calories, it is possible to not lose anything on a weekly total of more than 14,000 calories. Maintenance for your weight is over 2000 a day. Even with metabolic damage and extreme hormone imbalance, you're not gaining on 700 calories a day.

    Eat how you want, OP. Your follow-up posts make it very clear that you're not actually looking for sound advice on food and nutrition. You seem to be just bragging about how little you eat.

    This, there is an excuse for everything.
  • xmeganxtarax
    xmeganxtarax Posts: 79
    On your days off uni make meals at home for the week, freeze them. It's not hard. That way you can thaw them, heat up and go. This coming from someone working part time, full time mom and was just in school on top of that.
  • Jeweller76
    Jeweller76 Posts: 12
    You don't want to increase your intake by 1000 immediately, but you do want to increase. Try increasing by 100 cals, stabilizing for a week or so and then add 100 more until you get to your goal.

    Also, a couple tips:
    1) get a food scale and measuring cups to make sure you have been calculating everything correctly

    2) If you have some more time on the weekends try to prepack meals as much as you can, cut up some peppers, make individual serving sizes of nuts and other snacks

    3) Look into healthy meal replacement options, I was going to school with at least an hour commute and working three part time jobs last year, sometimes you can't have an entire meal packed but if you have a meal replacement bar you know you are getting at least proper nutrients.

    Good Luck!

    Thanks for that. I've been thinking that I might try meal replacement bars as I can eat those while at work without having to stop and eat a meal. Are cashews acceptable? as I love those as well
  • mayonie1
    mayonie1 Posts: 296 Member
    I was also struggling to get to 1200 calories...now I have learn to fill up with Nuts, Avocado and seafood...thanks to MFP.:smile:
  • Jeweller76
    Jeweller76 Posts: 12
    This, there is an excuse for everything.

    Hold on a moment, I'm saying I don't like milky things and I don't like avocados. Is there a suggestion here that I eat things I don't like? I don't think I'm making excuses. I don't like these things. I do, however, like nuts and I like the idea of drinking calories and meal replacement bars.
  • mayonie1
    mayonie1 Posts: 296 Member

    Thanks for that. I've been thinking that I might try meal replacement bars as I can eat those while at work without having to stop and eat a meal. Are cashews acceptable? as I love those as well
    [/quote]

    I eat cashews too, I hope they are acceptable.
  • sarahertzberger
    sarahertzberger Posts: 534 Member
    it really is hard at first, but my husband and I have been doing it for a while, what I do for him while he works and he's mostly out on the road is I bought a bunch of tupperware containers and I just pack him fruits and nuts for snacks and then for lunch I'll make sure to give him a protein and a good bit of vegetables it does take more work but it is worth it for sure

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