Trouble reaching calorie goal

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ahutsel
ahutsel Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
This is my second week and I've discovered it is very hard for me to achieve my calorie goal of 1200. I exercise twice a day so my calorie goal goes up depending on how much I am burning each time. I don't want to give up my exercise so I need to eat more. Any suggestions on healthy foods that will fill me up and get the calories up?

Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Eggs, oils, full fat dairy, nuts, avocado. Don't be afraid to eat, there are no bad foods just eating too much.
  • LT12344
    LT12344 Posts: 14
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    i have this exact feeling, but i found drinking alot of tea/coffee and add spenda instead of real sugar its got a lot less calories, its also feels me up more than water i think its because its hot? and if that doesnt help i use riveta or ricecakes they have barely any calories and will help u get through to your next meal:)
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    one of my favorite ways lately is an oatmeal cookie and a fudge stick...

    I know I know some people are going to say "that's not healthy" but it is in moderation.

    But if you want different items try cottage cheese or some greek yogurt, fruit is always good.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    How is it that you need to lose weight if you have trouble eating 1200 cals? :tongue: Always baffles me when this question comes up - I just don't get it.

    Your diary is locked, so hard to offer advice based on what you're currently eating....but as Mokey suggested, foods that are calorie dense like nuts, avocados, nut butters, eggs, coconut & olive oils, cheese, etc pack some good calories in small portions, getting you closer to goal without huge quantities of food.

    But if your exercise burns are so big that they keep you from getting your cals in, then you might need to cut back. Over training and under eating over time can come back to bite ya.
  • doctorsookie
    doctorsookie Posts: 1,084 Member
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    How is it that you need to lose weight if you have trouble eating 1200 cals? :tongue: Always baffles me when this question comes up - I just don't get it.

    Your diary is locked, so hard to offer advice based on what you're currently eating....but as Mokey suggested, foods that are calorie dense like nuts, avocados, nut butters, eggs, coconut & olive oils, cheese, etc pack some good calories in small portions, getting you closer to goal without huge quantities of food.

    But if your exercise burns are so big that they keep you from getting your cals in, then you might need to cut back. Over training and under eating over time can come back to bite ya.

    I think what she means is she eats but then when she exercises it deducts the calories and she feels she needs to keep eating to get a net of 1200. At least I hope so. I had that same problem but decided as long as I get my base 1200 I am not gonna eat just for the sake of netting 1200. If I eat 1200 calories and then burn 250, and I don't feel hungry I don't ear them back but if I am hungry I'll eat. But you are right, any time someone asks for advice they should open their diary so we have something to work with.
  • lesteidel
    lesteidel Posts: 229 Member
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    How is it that you need to lose weight if you have trouble eating 1200 cals? :tongue: Always baffles me when this question comes up - I just don't get it.

    Your diary is locked, so hard to offer advice based on what you're currently eating....but as Mokey suggested, foods that are calorie dense like nuts, avocados, nut butters, eggs, coconut & olive oils, cheese, etc pack some good calories in small portions, getting you closer to goal without huge quantities of food.

    But if your exercise burns are so big that they keep you from getting your cals in, then you might need to cut back. Over training and under eating over time can come back to bite ya.


    Could be as simple as cutting something that had the most calories in it out.


    I have trouble getting what MFP says I need, and it confused me half to death until I realized I wasn't eating out anymore, and I started looking at the nutrition facts for what I had been eating in restaurants. I was easily eating a days worth of calories in one meal. I was eating out almost every day for lunch. It added up. I also had an injury that kept me from running for a loong time and had been used to being able to eat pretty much whatever I wanted as long as I had my five mile run. When I cut that out, and didn't adjust my calories by cutting out the eating out, it added up. A lot quicker than I realized.

    I lost a hundred pounds and had maintained it for a long time without counting calories, simply from the running. During the time it took me to heal, I ended up gaining twenty because I wasn't paying attention to calories. Now that I am not eating a days worth of calories in one meal, yeah, I find it pretty difficult to eat up to what MFP says I need. I don't bother. My body will tell me when I need more food. It's called hunger.


    Also, if you aren't used to exercising, and start exercising heavily, it can almost completely kill your appetite. You should ease into exercise,

    I'm not a big fan of adding calories just because a website says you need them. If you are full, and eating healthy, I don't think it's a very good idea to eat more than your body tells you you need because a website told you too. If we didn't have problems with overeating, we wouldn't be trying to lose weight. And trust me, when your body needs more food, you will know.
  • bceltic
    bceltic Posts: 135 Member
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    Organic peanut butter! Throw it on some whole grain toast, or toasted sprout bread. Even better 2 tablespoons with an apple. Almonds are also high in calories, but good for you.
  • laylaness
    laylaness Posts: 262 Member
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    Your diary is locked, so hard to offer advice based on what you're currently eating....but as Mokey suggested, foods that are calorie dense like nuts, avocados, nut butters, eggs, coconut & olive oils, cheese, etc pack some good calories in small portions, getting you closer to goal without huge quantities of food.

    All of these things. Plus, full-fat Greek yogurt is amazing. I love Trader Joe's Strawberry Vanilla full-fat Greek yogurt. Chocolate milk is also really good after working out. Don't be afraid to use whole milk.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    Could be as simple as cutting something that had the most calories in it out.
    True - and I didn't mean to come across as being snarky or anything, but it really does baffle me. I know we're all different, but when I first started with the 1200, I had such a hard time staying at that goal. And now I know that I need far more than that, and easily eat 1800+ cals a day (without junk food), so it's odd to me that people struggle to make 1200. :smile:
  • LT12344
    LT12344 Posts: 14
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    how do you fill hunger pangs?
  • lesteidel
    lesteidel Posts: 229 Member
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    Could be as simple as cutting something that had the most calories in it out.
    True - and I didn't mean to come across as being snarky or anything, but it really does baffle me. I know we're all different, but when I first started with the 1200, I had such a hard time staying at that goal. And now I know that I need far more than that, and easily eat 1800+ cals a day (without junk food), so it's odd to me that people struggle to make 1200. :smile:

    For me, it was a very short lived phenomenon haha.


    But I didn't over analyze it or try to eat more than my body said it needed either.



    It took a few days of cutting out 3000 calorie meals for my body to adjust and realize I wasn't feeding it as much. During that week, I wasn't the least bit hungry. Now? Well that's a different story :P

    If you didn't have one major thing that was adding the calories on, and suddenly cut that out, I could see how it would be baffling :)
  • MsEndomorph
    MsEndomorph Posts: 604 Member
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    Could be as simple as cutting something that had the most calories in it out.
    True - and I didn't mean to come across as being snarky or anything, but it really does baffle me. I know we're all different, but when I first started with the 1200, I had such a hard time staying at that goal. And now I know that I need far more than that, and easily eat 1800+ cals a day (without junk food), so it's odd to me that people struggle to make 1200. :smile:

    For me, it was a very short lived phenomenon haha.


    But I didn't over analyze it or try to eat more than my body said it needed either.



    It took a few days of cutting out 3000 calorie meals for my body to adjust and realize I wasn't feeding it as much. During that week, I wasn't the least bit hungry. Now? Well that's a different story :P

    If you didn't have one major thing that was adding the calories on, and suddenly cut that out, I could see how it would be baffling :)

    Me, too! I had trouble meeting my calories for maybe 2 weeks. Then I was over it.

    I've noticed the same thing when I jump off the wagon for a few days and ramp up my calories - when I come back to low-cal, I'm just not all that hungry. I guess my body knows it has more than enough to run on for a while!
  • Slinn1985
    Slinn1985 Posts: 58 Member
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    Nuts to snack, great way to bump up the calorie goal.
  • atb0821
    atb0821 Posts: 458 Member
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    Sigh.

    Anywho: peanut butter. Nuts. Avocado. Oils. Full fat cheese. Ice cream. Cheeseburgers.

    Etc.

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