struggling to eat my recomended calories

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carpyclarky
carpyclarky Posts: 13
in Health and Weight Loss
having recently lost 60lb since 1st june and now weighing 208lb i am really struggling to eat my recomended calories a day of 1690 ....i am running 3-5 miles a day so this puts my intake required at even more to about 2500....there is no way i can eat that much in one day....also my sugars when im filling out my diary are always over when im not eating any junk food,im eating fruit/vegetables low fat yoghurt, breakfast cereal,
im really struggling to eat the amount requiered and also understand my diet to get it balanced without being well under/over in certain areas.
any help is really appreciated

andy
«1

Replies

  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
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    How did you get overweight then? Add on a high cal snack like pb, nuts, cheese, ice cream.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
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    Are you sure you are burning that much running 3-5 miles?
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Forget sugars, MFP lumps all sugars together so it's meaningless.

    It's not hard to hit calorie goals if you get out of the diet mindset. Eat food, real food, full fat dairy, lean meats, nuts, peanut butter, eggs, avocado, oil, you know, food. If you've got room, eat some junk food. No one got overweight not eating anything so just dig back in your memory and pull out some of those eating habits.
  • JDubIsShrinking
    JDubIsShrinking Posts: 207 Member
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    Forget sugars, MFP lumps all sugars together so it's meaningless.

    It's not hard to hit calorie goals if you get out of the diet mindset. Eat food, real food, full fat dairy, lean meats, nuts, peanut butter, eggs, avocado, oil, you know, food. If you've got room, eat some junk food. No one got overweight not eating anything so just dig back in your memory and pull out some of those eating habits.

    THIS!
    I am by no means an expert, but if I find myself not getting close to my calories, I eat nuts, peanut butter or dairy.
    Fat isn't necessarily your enemy.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Are you sure you are burning that much running 3-5 miles?

    The safe average is about 100 calories per mile, so 300-500 calories per run. He is a male so I don't think that calorie goal is unreasonable.

    As mokey said - forget the sugar, unless you have a medical problem that you need to monitor sugar. It is supposed to be the recommendation for added sugar but it counts all sugar.
    Stop eating "diet" food. Higher calories does not necessarily mean something is unhealthy. Often when people have this complaint you find all kinds of light and low fat foods in their diary like low fat yogurt, light salad dressings, skim milk. Switch those out and you'll find hitting your calorie goal easier.

    ETA - I missed the figures in the the OP - I agree, chances are you aren't burning that much running.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    Eat full fat, full sugar products. Don't eat any "light" foods. Don't be restrictive of what foods you eat, just be restrictive on how much of it you eat. Enjoy things like chips, ice cream, etc. And I agree with the other poster about how many calories you burn. I run 3 miles often, and I never get above 400 calories burned.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
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    I'm a bit surprised to see an 800 calorie burn off of 3-5 miles. Part of the problem may be overestimating exercise calories. Try aiming for 2000-2100 calories a day and see if that isn't as bad.

    Don't be afraid of fats. Avocado, nuts, olives, eggs, cheese, etc are all good foods with a lot of nutrition and some fat. Eating fat doesn't make you fat; in fact, our body NEEDS fats. Avoid the "diet," "reduced calorie," or "low fat" version of just about everything. They don't taste as good, have lots of less healthy stuff added in, and just aren't as satisfying. (I do drink skim milk … I just prefer it … but I get plenty of fats and calories from other sources).

    Also, measure everything. You may even want to invest in a food scale. It's possible that you really aren't as short on your calorie goal as you think. Eyeballing it doesn't work very well, even for someone who's been at this for a while.
  • carpyclarky
    carpyclarky Posts: 13
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    thx for the replies,..the calories burned on my run was from todays 5 1/2 mile run.....so you think i should up my intake with nuts/snacks along with non dietary meals/yoghurts etc???
  • _Rogue
    _Rogue Posts: 37 Member
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    This pretty much covers all I was going to say.

    Don't give up, you'll find a way....if you are eating fat free or low fat, switch to full fat..get those calories and adjust your macros as needed to fit the caloric needs.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    thx for the replies,..the calories burned on my run was from todays 5 1/2 mile run.....so you think i should up my intake with nuts/snacks along with non dietary meals/yoghurts etc???

    Yes, but I would also watch your calorie burn estimates. That's very high for that distance.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
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    Also, if you're having trouble eating back your calories then maybe stop running so much. Lift heavy weights instead.

    Not bad advice here. I see that you also previously asked about adding in a second run daily. Maybe just stick with your morning run, then in the afternoon do 30 minutes of lifting weights, instead. I have also found that lifting makes me hungrier than running (go figure… :laugh:) So it may solve both sides of the problem at once. Just make sure to eat plenty of protein! I think the recommendation is .85 to 1 g protein per pound body weight.

    edited for quote formatting … and typo :grumble:
  • stevepax
    stevepax Posts: 86 Member
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    800 calories is about right for a 210 pound male running 5.5 miles. That 100 calories per mile average is a very weak estimate. For someone his size, 150 calories per mile is much more likely. Various online running calculators would confirm that.

    OP, eat a nice big handful of nuts. And some chocolate chips. That will do it. And you'll enjoy losing weight a lot more. Congrats on your progress!
  • carpyclarky
    carpyclarky Posts: 13
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    how about if i reduce my running to twice a week and lifting weights three times a week???
  • blacksuburban
    blacksuburban Posts: 2 Member
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    I agree with the other posts....Have a small bowl of ice cream or make a grilled cheese sandwich. I am about your weight and netting out at 2500 calories a day has kept me at 205 lbs for 2 months now after loosing 35 lbs. I'm 50 years old and rather active. I focus on balancing the macro nutrients of carbs, protein and fat and don't pay too much attention to the individual nutrients, etc. Believe it or not, I eat across the spectrum and usually come out even and balanced day to day and over the weeks.
  • carpyclarky
    carpyclarky Posts: 13
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    i still want to lose another 28lb but at the same time i want to tone up my body with weights.i also enjoy my runing.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
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    Stop eating "diet" food.
  • samammay
    samammay Posts: 468
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    If I find myself low towards the end of the day, I just have desert. Or a beer. :)
  • LarryDUk
    LarryDUk Posts: 279 Member
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    Stop eating "diet" food.

    +1

    No one struggles to eat 2000 calories if they eat three meals a day. You are either not tracking properly or are not eating food.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
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    how about if i reduce my running to twice a week and lifting weights three times a week???
    i still want to lose another 28lb but at the same time i want to tone up my body with weights.i also enjoy my runing.

    It sounds like a good idea to do both. Running is fun. Lifting is good for you and will help "tone up"

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