Trouble meeting calorie goals

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TheVirgoddess
TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
in Getting Started
Yeah, saddest story in the word, I know.

I eat until I'm full and I've never hit my calorie goal - most days I get the warning that I'm not eating enough. The issue is that I just don't have the appetite - if I force myself, I feel sick to my belly. I try to make my calories count and I do work out in some way every day.

I'm NOT intentionally denying myself food by any means. I've lost 15 pounds in 20 days. I've recently had a physical and I'm generally in good health (aside from, you know, the weight).

So, long term - is this harmful? Should I be worried, or just keep doing the best I can?
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Replies

  • weird_me2
    weird_me2 Posts: 716 Member
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    You're early in the game and it's still easy to convince yourself that you're not hungry. Long term, under eating is not a good plan. It's just too hard to get the fat, protein and carbs you need with a low calorie diet like this. It's most likely psychological that you are feeling sick of you try to eat more. You convince yourself that you aren't hungry and then just feel so "stuffed " on 1000 calories.

    You know you can eat more than you are eating now. Find ways to add calories to your day...fats and proteins especially. Make your diet liveable so that you aren't tempted to quit later. Add some treats so you don't feel deprived and celebrate that you get to still enjoy food while losing weight.
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    I appreciate you replying.

    I do not, however, feel deprived in the least. I still have treats when I feel that I need them. I'm still eating three full meals a day, with at least one snack. I simply fill up a lot faster than I used to. I used to eat two breakfast tacos for breakfast - now 3/4 of one is enough to keep me full for hours. I do know what hungry feels like, and when I feel it, I eat. I do my best to eat good calories, lots of protein and good fats, along with fresh fruits and/or veggies with every meal.

    I don't view this as a diet - it's a new way of life for me. I'm not trying to lose as much as I can as fast as I can. I'm trying to be healthier and stronger - long term.
  • 1debbie123
    1debbie123 Posts: 19 Member
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    If you feel comfortable open your food and exercise diary and you will get a lot of different views, not all are what you might need but everyone for the most part means well, pick what works for you....you are the only one who know's what your body can handle..No matter what keep trying ...if your short on protein try the whey protein powder, if it's carbs try juicing veggies and fruits, fats nuts seeds oils and avocado's are great, and if it's calories you need try adding beans to clean eating fudge or mix the high cal in with other things you like. This is a clean eating website I use for some things, you might be interested in

    http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/

    like you said this is a way of life not a diet ...try different things til you find what is right for you
  • PurpleCupcakes01
    PurpleCupcakes01 Posts: 141
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    If you can't eat all your calories then how did you become 72lbs overweight to begin with? I'm not being funny, I just don't understand these "help, I can't eat my calories" posts.

    I wish I had a problem eating my calories. Then I wouldn't be in this situation.
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    Severe depression.

    I'm not trying to be a jerk with the "problem" of not having enough of an appetite. I'm trying to get help and to figure out how it's going to impact my long term goals.
  • unesemainedecruaute
    unesemainedecruaute Posts: 54 Member
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    It's, at least, risky to give a psychological profile based on a MFP post. I know that we want to help, but I think that is worth to change the "you are" for "I think that", "it happened to me that", and so on.

    So first, it's great that you are changing your habits and you found yourself full without hitting the goal.

    The best deficit is between the 10 to 25% range. Higher than that, you might harm your body (not giving him the necessary nutrients), so it's important that, as long as you want to keep you healthy, you look for ways to improve your eating (unless you're already in that range).

    The warning on MFP is based on the "starvation mode" which is a point where you're creating a deficit huge enough that your body tells itself that he should stop burning food calories, and it'd be better to take them from other (not so nice) places. There's a nice article here:
    https://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/28515.htm

    After that intro, here are some options for you:
    + Improving your appetite, for example by doing some exercise.
    + Improving the quantity of food, which you already stated you'd prefer not to (because you already feel full).
    + Improving the quality of your meals. You can eat the same amount and still hit a healthy deficit.

    I think the last might be the more suitable, and a combination of the last and the first, the best choice.
  • 120by30
    120by30 Posts: 217 Member
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    If you make your diary public, I bet you'll get some help. There are some very knowledgeable people around here.

    But I'll go ahead and throw this out there: a lot of people go into weight-loss thinking they have to eat "diet foods". Eat regular things. The same things you ate when you were gaining weight. Just eat less of it now.
  • 120by30
    120by30 Posts: 217 Member
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    Severe depression.

    I'm not trying to be a jerk with the "problem" of not having enough of an appetite. I'm trying to get help and to figure out how it's going to impact my long term goals.

    I didn't see this before I posted above. Sorry you're going through this!
  • youngdreamer
    youngdreamer Posts: 65 Member
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    A spoonful of peanut butter can fix the problem.
  • aduhart
    aduhart Posts: 4 Member
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    I had a problem reaching my calorie count after I changed the type of food I eat (from whatever to heallthy, almost not processed food), and as you state I was always full but unable to meet the quota. I'm now eating 5 times a day, and even still i had trouble reaching my desired amount of proteins so I added proteing powder to my diet, so thats what I did to achieve the quota, hope it helps.
    Regards,
  • surfergirljane
    surfergirljane Posts: 9 Member
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    I posted a similar problem with another thread and the best advice I got was to up the nutrient dense food in my diet so I didn't have to physically eat a heap of food, just smaller portions of higher calorie/nutrient dense foods - avocado, peanut butter, tuna in oil instead of springwater etc. :) Hope this might help you as well.
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    Severe depression.

    I'm not trying to be a jerk with the "problem" of not having enough of an appetite. I'm trying to get help and to figure out how it's going to impact my long term goals.

    I didn't see this before I posted above. Sorry you're going through this!

    Thanks - I'm under medical treatment (after seven long years) and am feeling better than I have in a really long time!

    Thanks everyone for the input.

    I wish I liked peanut butter, but I really don't. I'll look for alternatives at the grocery.

    I think last night I figured out at least a part of it - I used to drink a *lot* of calories every day (5-6 sodas) and now I'm allowing myself half of one. That might be why the weight is (initially) coming off so fast.

    I'll make my diary public for some feedback as well.

    I appreciate everyone who took the time to answer.
  • apgabriel915
    apgabriel915 Posts: 53 Member
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    Check out Biscoff spread if you don't like peanut butter It's a cookie butter that's delicious. I'm not saying it's healthy, but if you want something sweet to fill some calories, it's a good add on
  • 5feline5
    5feline5 Posts: 5 Member
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    Some antidepressants do suppress your appetite. I agree with the above about seeking out nutrient rich foods. Also talk to your doctor about whether you might need vitamins to help make sure you get what you need even if you can't quite eat enough. It's not the whole answer but it might fill in the gaps.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,669 Member
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    The answer is to just eat more CALORIE DENSE foods. Avocado, nuts, and oils.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    If you make your diary public, I bet you'll get some help. There are some very knowledgeable people around here.

    But I'll go ahead and throw this out there: a lot of people go into weight-loss thinking they have to eat "diet foods". Eat regular things. The same things you ate when you were gaining weight. Just eat less of it now.

    This^

    So many people start a diet looking for high volume, low calorie foods and then eat a ton of those. Fiber is great, but it's nutritionally value is limited.

    Dietary fat is necessary. Olive oil, avocado, nut butters, nuts, and seeds are low volume calorie dense foods and they contain healthy fats. Roast veggies in olive oil. Use full fat salad dressing and add a handful of nuts to your salad.

    You could drink your calories.....smoothies can be calorie dense.
  • robynanya
    robynanya Posts: 1
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    I just want to add in regards to your fast weight loss:

    I lost 80 pounds before joining myfitnesspal and am using this to work on my last 20 pounds. Prior to being the size I am now, I figured I was consuming about 4,500+ calories a day...with absolutely no idet or excersise. I drank A LOT of pop, all the time and I see you mentioned that was a regular for you. In my first month after cutting out the pop and sticking to water I dropped about 25 pounds, with the addition of eating healthy.

    It's important to eat as many calories as listed for you, however, keep in mind that it's a computer that's calculating how many calories you need to eat everyday, not somebody who can see your body weight, monitor your daily physical activity and your fluctuations in appetite. If you aren't feeling hungry but need some extra calories, I would suggest putting some extra sweet fruits in between meals, or making yourself smoothies as you can drink it and take them on the go. If you use 2% milk, sweet fruit, a bit of honey and maybe even a scoop of frozen yogurt, you could probably fill up some of that gap where you're missing calories.
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
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    My question is what are you eating differently now than what you were eating before you started your diet? If you're 500 calories under your goal for the day why not enjoy an ice cream or a piece of chocolate? There's always room for those, and I dare you to try not to smile while eating some ice-cream. Sometimes on a really good day I'll treat myself to a can of regular coke, which is like candy for me now since I've cut it out almost completely.

    By eating under your calorie goals consistently you are doing a lot of hard work and watching what you are eating, maybe a little too strictly. Remember it's not what you eat, it's about how much calories it has.
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    I really haven't changed the way I eat for the most part. I mean, I am making a point to include veggies into meals (where before I didn't), but that's the only real change.

    I've made my diary public for the time being - and you can see that I still have Egg McMuffin's sometimes ;) I also did force myself to eat two protein bars after dinner last night to meet my calories - I felt like crap after - and I woke up feeling sluggish this morning.

    Like I said, I'm focusing on foods high in protein. I thought I was doing rather well meeting my other nutrition goals (fats, carbs, etc), but maybe I'm not.

    I did look up the side effects of my anti-depressant and it does list weight loss.
  • madhatter2013
    madhatter2013 Posts: 1,547 Member
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