Unable to hit the calorie goal

envyram
envyram Posts: 13 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi,

I lost some 16kgs in 6 months. However, based on the activity level current weight and goal etc., Myfitnesspal recomments close to 2300 calories in a day.

Howmuch ever I eat, I am always at a deficit .. significant deficit of some 500 - 600 calories!

Any guidance here? Is 2300 reasonable? and can it be achieved by eating clean?

Thanks in advance
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Replies

  • GertrudeHorse
    GertrudeHorse Posts: 646 Member
    How do you define clean? And yes it's definitely doable if you eat a big handful of nuts every day. Add oil to your cooking and eat other calorie dense foods that fit within your definition of clean.

    ETA: yes the goal is reasonable. That's my goal when I'm losing and never had trouble reaching it... In fact usually the problem is staying below!
  • paj315
    paj315 Posts: 335 Member
    A couple tablespoons of peanut butter and/or a tablespoon or two ofolive oil added to your food and you're there. Fat is the easist least filling way to bump up your calories qhwn you're low.
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  • mumof5
    mumof5 Posts: 328 Member
    easy as. for me 2300 is still a deficit and i can easy reach it. i love it when im bulking at 3000. I'm not sure what your version of clean eating is. avocados, nuts, coconut and olive oils are just a few way of getting vital good fats and calories in.
  • mcspiffy88
    mcspiffy88 Posts: 90 Member
    Also dont forget the good carbs like brown rice. I think its delicious, but I heard some people have problems with it.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    I'm sure you could eat more if you wanted. You didn't get into a position of having to lose 16kg by not eating.

    Eating clean is great but if you're struggling to get your calories in then maybe have something 'dirty' - as long as you're hitting your macros, what's the problem. There's no such thing as bad food just practice some moderation. If your determined to stick to the clean eating then things like nuts, pulses, oils, less lean cuts of meat could help.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Any food that is the basis of a cultural cuisine is calorie dense. Nuts, cheese, milk, figs, dates, rice, lentils with butter or oil . . . A large bagel is 500 calories. Add peanut butter and you're over your goal.
  • lizzyclatworthy
    lizzyclatworthy Posts: 296 Member
    Can't or are afraid to?
    I set my maintenance calories too high and put on some weight. It's not the end of the world. I simply readjusted.
    Iit takes some fiddling but you havevto trust that if you need to you can modify it!
  • envyram
    envyram Posts: 13 Member
    All, thanks for the valuable inputs. I guess the fat is the missing portion from what I infer from the replies. I am a vegetarian and may be that is why this struggle.

    I will try to add some good fats and try! Thanks again for all the inputs!
  • envyram
    envyram Posts: 13 Member
    I come from south india .. and rice is an everyday food!
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    All, thanks for the valuable inputs. I guess the fat is the missing portion from what I infer from the replies. I am a vegetarian and may be that is why this struggle.

    I will try to add some good fats and try! Thanks again for all the inputs!
    nuts. calorie dense. vegetarian. full of good fats.
    plus, if you're not actually weighing your food... and just using generic entries on from the database, there's no way of knowing what / how much you're actually eating in the first place.

    1 entry for dal is gonna be completely different than another... but if you put "100 grams of lentils", "50 g of tomato" into the recipe builder, you'll get a much more accurate idea.
  • envyram
    envyram Posts: 13 Member
    I did increase my intake. Before I lost weight, I was eating lot of deep fried food and desserts. I just cut them. Nothing more! I eat when I am hungry and to full

    I eat some almonds, egg yolks, milk for the 'good fat'; still not quite close to 2300. I am a vegetarian, so cannot eat meat. Let me try increasing the milk intake may be!

    Thanks for the reply/guidance
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    ice cream solves all problems….one serving is 220 calories….
  • envyram
    envyram Posts: 13 Member
    nuts. calorie dense. vegetarian. full of good fats.
    plus, if you're not actually weighing your food... and just using generic entries on from the database, there's no way of knowing what / how much you're actually eating in the first place.

    1 entry for dal is gonna be completely different than another... but if you put "100 grams of lentils", "50 g of tomato" into the recipe builder, you'll get a much more accurate idea.

    Yes, that was another problem I was pondering. I still try to create recipes and enter as much as I can. Even allowing a 20% variation I was not getting there. I also check if people have 'confirmed' the entries in significant number before I select the food for logging ..
  • GertrudeHorse
    GertrudeHorse Posts: 646 Member
    How do you define clean? And yes it's definitely doable if you eat a big handful of nuts every day. Add oil to your cooking and eat other calorie dense foods that fit within your definition of clean.

    ETA: yes the goal is reasonable. That's my goal when I'm losing and never had trouble reaching it... In fact usually the problem is staying below!

    Quoting myself to add that I'm also a vegetarian. Seriously, it shouldn't be hard to reach a 2300 calorie especially if you're from South India and love that sort of cuisine....*starts salivating*
  • envyram
    envyram Posts: 13 Member
    ice cream solves all problems….one serving is 220 calories….

    It does .. But damn sure it is going to sit straight as belly fat!
  • envyram
    envyram Posts: 13 Member
    Then I guess it is mostly about the accuracy of what is logged!
  • GertrudeHorse
    GertrudeHorse Posts: 646 Member
    Do you use a digital food scale?
  • GertrudeHorse
    GertrudeHorse Posts: 646 Member
    ice cream solves all problems….one serving is 220 calories….

    It does .. But damn sure it is going to sit straight as belly fat!

    Not if you are eating as a deficit. Ice cream featured highly on my weight loss menu!
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Yes, that was another problem I was pondering. I still try to create recipes and enter as much as I can. Even allowing a 20% variation I was not getting there. I also check if people have 'confirmed' the entries in significant number before I select the food for logging ..
    trusting what random other people confirm about an entry doesn't mean that the way you cook it is the same as them. regardless of how many people confirm it.

    I still think you're eating more than you think already... not that it's a problem, just a point.

    you're losing, only by cutting out fried foods and just eating when you're hungry.

    my opinion: Just keep doing what you're doing for now.
    ice cream solves all problems….one serving is 220 calories….

    It does .. But damn sure it is going to sit straight as belly fat!

    Not if you are eating as a deficit. Ice cream featured highly on my weight loss menu!
    no kidding. ice cream =/= belly fat.

    too much of anything = fat.
  • envyram
    envyram Posts: 13 Member
    Can't or are afraid to?
    I set my maintenance calories too high and put on some weight. It's not the end of the world. I simply readjusted.
    Iit takes some fiddling but you havevto trust that if you need to you can modify it!

    The answer certainly is "Can't". I even increased from eating 4 times a day to 5 times a day!
  • envyram
    envyram Posts: 13 Member
    Nope :( Just random guess on the quantity
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Can't or are afraid to?
    I set my maintenance calories too high and put on some weight. It's not the end of the world. I simply readjusted.
    Iit takes some fiddling but you havevto trust that if you need to you can modify it!

    The answer certainly is "Can't". I even increased from eating 4 times a day to 5 times a day!
    you don't know what you're eating now, so arguing about not being able to eat more is silly.
    I eat twice a day. That's it. I still hit goals, because I plan ahead and know what I'm eating.
    You're using generic entries in the food journal.

    you may be fighting against a problem that you don't actually have.

    you're guessing how much you're eating, not weighing foods, using random recipe entries in the database.

    ...so you don't really know how much you're eating.


    ....but that's okay, because you're losing after just changing two little things. Stop freaking out about a number that you think you aren't getting to, since you aren't accurately logging, there's no reason to stress out about it.

    You're losing.
  • GertrudeHorse
    GertrudeHorse Posts: 646 Member
    Trog is wise. Listen to him! He also has an epic beard :drinker:
  • envyram
    envyram Posts: 13 Member
    you may be fighting against a problem that you don't actually have.
    you're guessing how much you're eating, not weighing foods, using random recipe entries in the database.
    ...so you don't really know how much you're eating.

    ....but that's okay, because you're losing after just changing two little things. Stop freaking out about a number that you think you aren't getting to, since you aren't accurately logging, there's no reason to stress out about it.

    You're losing.

    OK. I am not fretting over this. Just trying to understand this whole calorie counting better! I started to take better note of once I started losing weight when I just want to maintain it. When I understand this calorie counting science, I guess I will stop doing it :)

    Though I do not weigh food, I still try to take some educated guess. I also allow a 20% error levels. Just learning (from this post) that it is still not enough!
  • envyram
    envyram Posts: 13 Member
    Trog is wise. Listen to him! He also has an epic beard :drinker:

    :smile:
  • beachgod
    beachgod Posts: 567 Member
    Nope :( Just random guess on the quantity

    If this is about using a food scale, then I highly suggest you get one (digital, trust me) and use it on everything except liquids. Use measuring cups for liquid. You will be amazed at what the actual serving sizes for some items are.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Though I do not weigh food, I still try to take some educated guess. I also allow a 20% error levels. Just learning (from this post) that it is still not enough!
    until you weigh your ingredients.
    create your own recipes and follow them exactly... all the time.
    weigh your servings, every time.. all the time..

    ...then the "science" behind calorie counting is pointless as your data is going to be incorrect.
  • Greywalk
    Greywalk Posts: 193 Member
    Any reason why you want to hit the calorie goal? I think of it more as a guideline based on general information and an exact mark to hit each day.
  • GertrudeHorse
    GertrudeHorse Posts: 646 Member
    Any reason why you want to hit the calorie goal? I think of it more as a guideline based on general information and an exact mark to hit each day.

    It's a goal to aim for not a guideline. If you are significantly under the goal regularly then you won't be eating enough for your body's needs. The OP will probably benefit most from weighing his food and seeing if the problem he thinks he has is the actual problem he has :smile:

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