How do I fit in 2300 cals/day of healthy food?!

Peanut butter, almond butter, almonds, cashews, avocados, brown rice, whole wheat pasta to name a few things you could eat. Add coconut or olive oil to food when you cook.

It's really not that hard. I'm at 2,000 a day (and sometimes eat more). My diary is open if you want to look. I don't intentionally eat low carb, but I notice that's the route I usually end up going. I crave the meat. I lift heavy, too, so I'm ok with a higher protein consumption. They key is calorie-dense foods like nuts, avocado, cheese, etc.

Mind your macros! They are there for a reason. Just adding fat is not eating clean - good fats yes but it still needs to be controlled within the recommendations.

Hi there!!!! I will say the best thing you can do is pre plan. I try and log my food (as much as I know) in advance usually the night

before or during my morning coffee. You can lay out all your meals then add in some snacks to bring up your calories. I think you

can add quite a few calories with peanut butter, cheese, a glass of milk/chocolate milk/protein shake.. Obviously use common sense

as to the source of the calories but I think you'll find it's doable. I also think right now you are just starting the habit of logging so

focus on that. Your diet will be constantly tweaked along the way so if you can get into the habit of logging you've won half the

battle. good luck and friend me if you'd like :flowerforyou:

Ang

Get rid of the idea that you only need to eat "healthy" food. What does that even mean? Food is just food, and food is good for you. Some foods give you more nutritional "bang for your buck" than others, but unless you're eating lard by the ice cream scoop and topping it with cupfuls of sugar, you can eat whatever you want.

Using MFP, all you have to do is eat less of whatever you were eating before. Instead of radically changing everything about how you eat, which is not sustainable and will make you insane, just eat smaller portions of what you used to eat. Stick to your 2300 calorie goal, which is absolutely reasonable given your current weight, and you WILL lose weight. (Barring any other medical issues that would change the game for you). You can make little adjustments later, like swapping chips for a vegetable sometimes. But you don't have to worry about that now. Eat 2300 calories of whatever you were eating before, every day, for a month. That will get your weight loss started. Simple as that!

You could just add nuts, oils and flaxseed meal to your salads, take your dairy full fat and enjoy the cheeeeeeese!! Cheese tastes amazing in almost any dish and hard cheeses have quite a bit of protein. If you're struggling with quantities, you most likely eat mostly low fat and fiber carbs like veggies. Don't stop! veggies are amazing! you just have to tweak them up a bit with more calorie dense things. Also, if it does not trigger loss of control, feel free to eat some of the things you used to eat, even if they're labeled "unhealthy".. anything other than arsenic is healthy in moderation, as long as it's wrapped up in an overall nutrient dense diet.

That sounds so fun.

I would cut it down to to 2000/1800. I'm a big girl too and I think if you feel full enough on 2000, try that. Still full, try 1800. Then know, if some days you do go a little over, oh well, you are still within what MFP says you should be. Otherwise, you can do what everyone else says, use full fat Ranch, eat nuts, bacon, peanut butter... Cheese, all that adds up really quick and is very yummy.

You don't have to aim for 100% 'healthy' food. You want to eat plenty of protein, fruits & veggies, whole grains, healthy fats. Since you have a higher calorie goal you don't necessarily need to use a lot of low fat/fat free alternatives. Eat nuts, regular cheese/dairy, cook with olive oil, etc.

Ps-Have you consulted w/ a doctor? I've always read its safe to aim for 2 pounds or 1% of your body weight per week. You may be able to safely aim a little higher, since you have so much to lose.

Two well slathered peanut butter and jelly sandwiches will set you back anywhere from 800 to 100 calories alone. Love meh sum PBJ's!

One day I'm gonna be able to exercise enough to eat 2,300 calories without gaining... that's the dream. I'd be all about the bacon, eggs and veggie breakfast tortillas, with a yogurt and fruit. And OJ. Coffee. And for lunch I'd pile up a salad so big with veggies, croutons and dressing, and dive right in. Suppertime would be easy. Baked chicken with crispy skin, creamy mashed potatoes and steamed veggies covered in gravy...

One day... *eyes mist over*

I struggle to eat anything less than 2500 cals. And I fast until lunch. IDK how you are having this issue?

You don't have to aim for 100% 'healthy' food. You want to eat plenty of protein, fruits & veggies, whole grains, healthy fats. Since you have a higher calorie goal you don't necessarily need to use a lot of low fat/fat free alternatives. Eat nuts, regular cheese/dairy, cook with olive oil, etc.

Ps-Have you consulted w/ a doctor? I've always read its safe to aim for 2 pounds or 1% of your body weight per week. You may be able to safely aim a little higher, since you have so much to lose.

That actually is true. When I first started at 300 lb my doctor told me to start by losing 3 lb per week and then about 1% each week until I lose at least half of my extra weight. It was important to get out of class III obesity as soon as possible because health waits for no one, especially in my case - I was almost diabetic. He said once I'm classified class I (30-35 BMI) or at least class II (35-40 BMI), I can slow down and take my time with it. He still encourages me to lose about 1% of my weight every week for a couple of months more before switching to 0.5% weekly if I want to.

You could safely go down to 2000 or 1800 if need to like another poster suggested, especially if your health is critical. Otherwise, you could just take the advice of adding more varieties of higher calorie food. The advice people here give about taking it more slowly is sound, but the problem is... being severely overweight is not the same as needing to lose those last 20, 30 or even 40 pounds because in most cases there is no direct danger you are attempting to evade. I suggest you talk it out with your doctor to see if you need to lose more quickly or of 2 pounds a week is enough.

Expand your definition of 'healthy' food. Have a look at some people's food diaries who are doing something similar to you. You don't have to live off lettuce to lose weight. I'm all for healthy eating but healthy eating can incorporate a huge variety of foods, some of which are pretty calorie dense.