My calorie goal hard to reach, any suggestions?

How is it a joke?

Total daily calorie intake is what determines weight loss. Unless you're diabetic, there's nothing wrong with a blood sugar spike resulting in increased insulin release UNLESS you eat such a high amount of carbohydrates on a daily basis for a long time and you develop resistance to insulin. Insulin response is a good thing, especially if you're working out. It replenishes glycogen stores. Any instantaneous fat storage as a response to insulin doesn't matter if you're running a calorie deficit at the end of the day. An energy deficit will always be filled by stored fat...

Im sorry man but calories are not equal. Theres much better ways to get his calories than sugar processed junk. Get your micros from real food.

The entire point of this post is that the OP wasn't getting enough calories in because they are too full. Protein and dietary fat are both very filling so it's only natural that a good way to get calories in for their situation would be the carbohydrate route...

Haha do not eat ice cream. It will just lead to increased blood sugar levels and insulin in bloodstream and halt progress a lot. Try eating stir fry with bunch of meat and vegetables easy way to get your greens and protein .

What? .... *Spoon of ice cream in mouth* You mean me losing 53 lbs while eating ice cream was a lie?

Your putting words into my sentence, there is much better options than ice cream that's all I'm saying. Why did you need to lose 53 lbs in the first place? Abuse of Sugar.

LOL wrong. Me needing to lose 53 lbs was from over eating. Food. All the food.

I haven't had this much ice cream in years now that I'm in shape and it's because I've learned moderation and portion control. No need to demonize sugar. What did it ever do to you?

Sugar is the cause of the pandemic going on in the world, obesity. Do not encourage people to eat more of it than they need to.

... overeating is the cause of the obesity epidemic. Do you honestly believe it's sugar? How sad for you...

Haha do not eat ice cream. It will just lead to increased blood sugar levels and insulin in bloodstream and halt progress a lot. Try eating stir fry with bunch of meat and vegetables easy way to get your greens and protein .

What? .... *Spoon of ice cream in mouth* You mean me losing 53 lbs while eating ice cream was a lie?

Your putting words into my sentence, there is much better options than ice cream that's all I'm saying. Why did you need to lose 53 lbs in the first place? Abuse of Sugar.

LOL wrong. Me needing to lose 53 lbs was from over eating. Food. All the food.

I haven't had this much ice cream in years now that I'm in shape and it's because I've learned moderation and portion control. No need to demonize sugar. What did it ever do to you?

Sugar is the cause of the pandemic going on in the world, obesity. Do not encourage people to eat more of it than they need to.

Wow, you're as bad as doctor Oz.. People are becoming obese because total calorie intake per person has gone up over the past decades, and total calorie burn through activity has gone down. This combination has caused massive weight gain. Stop demonizing one subset of one macronutrient.

Haha do not eat ice cream. It will just lead to increased blood sugar levels and insulin in bloodstream and halt progress a lot. Try eating stir fry with bunch of meat and vegetables easy way to get your greens and protein .

What? .... *Spoon of ice cream in mouth* You mean me losing 53 lbs while eating ice cream was a lie?

Your putting words into my sentence, there is much better options than ice cream that's all I'm saying. Why did you need to lose 53 lbs in the first place? Abuse of Sugar.

LOL wrong. Me needing to lose 53 lbs was from over eating. Food. All the food.

I haven't had this much ice cream in years now that I'm in shape and it's because I've learned moderation and portion control. No need to demonize sugar. What did it ever do to you?

Sugar is the cause of the pandemic going on in the world, obesity. Do not encourage people to eat more of it than they need to.

Just as eating fat was the problem last decade. There always has to be a scapegoat. It's never about just eating too much.

1. Starvation mode is a myth...at least in terms of how people on this site seem to view it. It's a non-factor in weight loss.

2. You don't have trouble eating that many calories. If you did, you wouldn't be where you are today. If you are feeling satisfied after 1200 calories, great. That's perfectly fine. As long as you're getting enough nutrients, there's nothing wrong with a 1200 calorie diet.

3. I didn't bother reading other comments, but I imagine some of them said that you need to eat more. Eat more if you can't sustain your diet, but don't mistakenly believe that eating more will promote more weight loss. If you're not malnourished, you're fine.


Edit: Sugar is not the devil, but some people have more success when they reduce their intake. Everyone here is both right and wrong. Everyone has preferences and things that work for them. If eating clean works for you, great. If eating an average american diet with smaller portions works for you, great. Do what you're comfortable doing and if it isn't working for you or you're miserable then change it. Everyone can find something that they can do without feeling deprived or giving up. Find out what that is for you. Whatever helps you stay on track is what you should do.

1. Starvation mode is a myth...at least in terms of how people on this site seem to view it. It's a non-factor in weight loss.

2. You don't have trouble eating that many calories. If you did, you wouldn't be where you are today. If you are feeling satisfied after 1200 calories, great. That's perfectly fine. As long as you're getting enough nutrients, there's nothing wrong with a 1200 calorie diet.

3. I didn't bother reading other comments, but I imagine some of them said that you need to eat more. Eat more if you can't sustain your diet, but don't mistakenly believe that eating more will promote more weight loss. If you're not malnourished, you're fine.

There are definite negatives to having a large calorie deficit. The greater the calorie deficit, the greater the muscle loss during weight loss. Also, the greater your metabolism wants to bridge the energy gap between calorie intake and calorie burn and will slow down if you sustain a large calorie deficit for a long period of time. Studies also show that with a large calorie deficit and faster weight loss, you're much much more likely to regain the weight and actually overshoot your original weight on the way up, mainly due to hormones that make you hungry when the body senses rapid weight loss and keep making you hungry even when you gain weight again...

Here's my suggestion.



Moar calorie dense foods

now that looks freaking yummy!


And it's hard to hit because all the food I heat, like grilled chicken, baked fish, and all greens and some fruits is all I normally eat, and by the end of the day, I gotta eat a protein bar and extra protein shake to get to near 1300 (and that's before exercise) I find it hard to eat to reach that goal after I'm already full and pretty much have to make myself go to the kitchen to get a protein bar.

Then you gotta plan out your day a little better. Stuff the chicken with cheese and wrap it in bacon....mmmm bacon. Have some nuts with your fruit snacks. You gotta fuel your body, don't let it run on empty - no matter how 'clean' that is.

And it's hard to hit because all the food I heat, like grilled chicken, baked fish, and all greens and some fruits is all I normally eat, and by the end of the day, I gotta eat a protein bar and extra protein shake to get to near 1300 (and that's before exercise) I find it hard to eat to reach that goal after I'm already full and pretty much have to make myself go to the kitchen to get a protein bar.

Dude honestly, you know exactly what you need to do to get more calories in. Idk what kind of an answer you're looking for. Start eating calorie dense foods, they're not bad for you. I get that you think that "eating clean" is making you healthier, but it's not, as long as you get hit all your macro, micro, and fiber goals by the end of the day, then you're healthy, eat whatever will get the calories in...

Come on man, just eat a doughnut or something. Have a ribeye instead of the chicken breast. Sautee the greens in some delicious butter instead of boiling them. Your weight loss is calories in versus calories out, period. Your body neither knows nor cares if the calories came from broccoli or butterscotch ice cream. There is really no need to obsess over eating as clean as humanly possible provided the majority of your calories come from healthy foods, which they do. Have a coke and smile. You sound like the chick in another thread complaining she gets hit on too much...We should all have such problems...

Just trying to help this guy out, no reason to get upset.

No one's upset but it is frustrating when someone just starts making crap up that has no basis in reality. Only leads to confusion for someone who is just starting out trying to understand things.

What crap did I make up ? I simply stated a fact, there is better ways to get calories than ice cream, or any other sugar processed stuff.

You're not getting this...OP is having a hard time getting in all the calories he needs eating unprocessed and minimally processed foods. Why do you think that processed foods are the devil? Do a little bit of research on nutrition please...

http://www.simplyshredded.com/research-review-the-dirt-on-clean-eating-written-by-nutrition-expert-alan-aragon.html

http://www.nsca.com/uploadedFiles/NSCA/Inactive_Content/Program_Books/PTC_2013_Program_Book/Aragon.pdf

http://evidencemag.com/why-calories-count/

http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2010/01/29/the-bitter-truth-about-fructose-alarmism/

http://www.simplyshredded.com/the-science-of-nutrition-is-a-carb-a-carb.html

And it's hard to hit because all the food I heat, like grilled chicken, baked fish, and all greens and some fruits is all I normally eat, and by the end of the day, I gotta eat a protein bar and extra protein shake to get to near 1300 (and that's before exercise) I find it hard to eat to reach that goal after I'm already full and pretty much have to make myself go to the kitchen to get a protein bar.

Dude honestly, you know exactly what you need to do to get more calories in. Idk what kind of an answer you're looking for. Start eating calorie dense foods, they're not bad for you. I get that you think that "eating clean" is making you healthier, but it's not, as long as you get hit all your macro, micro, and fiber goals by the end of the day, then you're healthy, eat whatever will get the calories in...

I only started dieting last month, and lost 15 pounds with my diet, and I got my answer from psych, just mix up the way I make my food, and still eat the same times I do daily, just add a little more calories to the meal. I just can't eat a super clean meal, get full, then realize, oh %$#$, my calories are to low, I'm full, but oh well, lemme go make a whole wheat turkey sandwich... Eating when full makes me sick, but psych's idea of just adding stuff to the meals I'm already eating to increase calorie content is def the way I need to go.

Totally a great job !! Eat for energy, not for comfort or what taste good.

Here's my suggestion.



Moar calorie dense foods

now that looks freaking yummy!


And it's hard to hit because all the food I heat, like grilled chicken, baked fish, and all greens and some fruits is all I normally eat, and by the end of the day, I gotta eat a protein bar and extra protein shake to get to near 1300 (and that's before exercise) I find it hard to eat to reach that goal after I'm already full and pretty much have to make myself go to the kitchen to get a protein bar.

Then you gotta plan out your day a little better. Stuff the chicken with cheese and wrap it in bacon....mmmm bacon. Have some nuts with your fruit snacks. You gotta fuel your body, don't let it run on empty - no matter how 'clean' that is.

Perfect advice. Why not try to eat your healthy choices about 80% of the time and the remaining 20% can be things you like - in moderation?

That's what I have done for the last 2 years and I've knocked off about 100 pounds. More importantly, I've been happy because I know that I can do this for the rest of my life. Good luck.

Sounds good, so a white castle microwavable burger every day should be alright then ;p

Hey, meet your calories. Then work on meeting you macros. Then after you have those under your belt - work on micronutrients. With that said, if you can fit a White Castle burger in your macros/calories - go for it Personally, I don't care for them - but then again you probably don't like frozen peanut butter.

Just trying to help this guy out, no reason to get upset.

No one's upset but it is frustrating when someone just starts making crap up that has no basis in reality. Only leads to confusion for someone who is just starting out trying to understand things.

What crap did I make up ? I simply stated a fact, there is better ways to get calories than ice cream, or any other sugar processed stuff.

Because it's crap. You don't get extra credit for getting more nutrients than your body requires, simple. Eric Helms. So, talk all you want and try to make someone's path harder by insisting they cut things they don't need to. That's what's crap. Moderation. Looking at nutrient density and not labeling foods

You...I like you.

here's an update real quick, forgot to mention, when I walk 2 miles of the morning I burn an average of at least 345 calories walking carrying my 15 lb weight, and of the evenings after lunch or dinner, I walk for 3 miles, and burn about 460 calories, by doing this my calories remaining are going to be about 1200, and my goal is 1750. I eat good sized meals throughout the day as you can see, and use muscle milk and fiber one bars, but with my walking, seems like I'm not getting enough calories, yet I'm full throughout the day. I'm a little confused... Should I just not walk as much?

This calorie burn seems high to me for walking (even with a 15 lb weight). Assuming you're walking quickly, you're probably completing 2 miles in 35-40 minutes. My gym has a guide that says that at MAXIMUM exertion (like, you can't breathe/talk etc), you're burning 8-10 calories per minute. I don't think it's POSSIBLE to keep up that intensity for a full 35-40 minutes. You're likely burning somewhere around 120 calories per mile...

If you're going by what a HRM is telling you, don't forget to subtract out the calories that you'd be burning anyway, even if you were sleeping (probably about 70 per hour) because those are already accounted for in your base calorie intake of 1750.

I know that your post is about getting more calories (which I agree with calorie-rich nutrient-rich food suggestions that others have put out there, like avocado, olive oil, nuts, etc), but part of that is not overestimating your calorie burn, too.