I can't eat enough calories!

becominglexi
becominglexi Posts: 11 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I basically cut bread and a lot of starchy food out of my diet a couple weeks ago because I had a real hard time with moderation. Most of my food intake comes from dairy, meat, some nuts, and vegetables (I just don't like most fruit). I'm not like super-stringent about other things, like I have chocolate most days of the week... But I don't think I've ever come close to the calorie counts that MFP says I should be at since I started using this thing. Most days I barely even get to 800 calories! I get plenty of healthy fats and protein, my sodium and my carbs are a little low but with the way my body works this doesn't bother me.

I am really worried about the calorie thing though because I'm afraid I'll hit a plateau and won't have anywhere to go with that.

I would eat some junk food or something but I always hit my fat limits from eggs, yogurt and cheese!

Does anyone else have this problem? A solution? Please don't just yell at me for not eating enough. I promise I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks a day.
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Replies

  • madhatter2013
    madhatter2013 Posts: 1,547 Member
    Can you open your diary? You say you eat plenty of proteins and fats, like nuts. You says you eat 3 meals and 2 snacks but you find it hard to eat over 800 calories a day. I don't think your logging accurately. If you found it hard to eat at least 1000 a day, how did you get fat to begin with? I don't think you're giving us all the information, or you think you are but aren't actually, I don't know. Without seeing your diary, there's not much we can help with.
  • angel7472
    angel7472 Posts: 317 Member
    How do you know you are barely eating 800 calories? Are you weighing your food? Even if you cut out starches and eat 3 meals and 2 snacks you would easily be over 800 calories. Especially if you are eating chocolate and such. If you actually opened your diary we might be able to help you out more :smile:

    Someone beat me to all this already.
  • becominglexi
    becominglexi Posts: 11 Member
    sorry, it should be open now. A lot of the vegetables I don't bother logging because I eat them raw.
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    sorry, it should be open now. A lot of the vegetables I don't bother logging because I eat them raw.

    Vegetables still have calories.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    sorry, it should be open now. A lot of the vegetables I don't bother logging because I eat them raw.
    Raw veggies still have calories - you should log everything you eat.

    If your diary is accurate, you definitely need to up your intake - 800 cals isn't enough. Eat more nuts, nut butters, add some avocado to your meals.

    Do you really not like fruit? :huh: Strawberries, peaches, melons - so much good summer fruit coming in right now!

    Also use olive oil, coconut oil and butter in your cooking - easy way to add cals in small portions.
  • Swiftdogs
    Swiftdogs Posts: 328 Member
    Your fat and protein targets are MINIMUMS. Go over any time you can and still be within calories. Done.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    So uhhh how'd you get overweight?
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    sorry, it should be open now. A lot of the vegetables I don't bother logging because I eat them raw.

    Not sure what raw has to do with anything, but they still have calories so you should be counting them. This isn't Weight Watchers.

    And yea, how did you get overweight if you can't eat over 800 calories. Throw some of the food you were eating into the mix and voila, you'll be over 800.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Eat more food...instead of eating 3 oz of chicken sausage (which would basically be a couple of bites) eat 6 oz for example. Also, make sure you're actually accurately logging what you eat...like are you using a food scale to weigh out those 3 oz of such and such?

    Just eat more food...obviously you had to have been to get to the point of needing to lose weight...eating food is not difficult.
  • angel7472
    angel7472 Posts: 317 Member
    You say you eat chocolate but I see no entries for this. Also your sodium counts are way off. I searched for your sausage and it contains 620 mg of sodium but you have an entry that states 0mg. You state you are eating 2 snacks but they also are not logged. I think a lot of this is just inaccurate logging. If it goes in your mouth log it. Make sure that you get a food scale. I was going by just measuring cups and spoons and found that I was over eating by hundreds of calories.
  • TX_Rhon
    TX_Rhon Posts: 1,549 Member
    sorry, it should be open now. A lot of the vegetables I don't bother logging because I eat them raw.

    Then you are eating more than you think. And do you plan on cutting out bread and starchy things permanently?
  • jeffpettis
    jeffpettis Posts: 865 Member
    So uhhh how'd you get overweight?

    ^^^^ This ^^^^

    Or are you trying to gain weight?
  • bombshellcertification
    bombshellcertification Posts: 126 Member
    I felt the same way when I started, I started to get low blood sugar from working out hard and not fueling enough--even though I thought I was and I didn't feel hungry. Once I started to eat back some or all of my exercise calories I started to not only feel better, have better work outs but I started to see results!!! My body really started to change...I didn't lose lbs so much as tone up and define---its only been two months for me--lots of trial and error....but I really, important to fuel your body for work outs, muscles and overall health/strength/brain etc. Im feeling sooo so much better since eating more and drinking more water--eating something to recover right after hour or more of cardio--
  • amandzor
    amandzor Posts: 386 Member
    So uhhh how'd you get overweight?

    She said she cut out breads and starch a few weeks ago....u can read gud.

    I suggest avocados, chicken and beans/legumes.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    So uhhh how'd you get overweight?

    She said she cut out breads and starch a few weeks ago....u can read gud.

    I suggest avocados, chicken and beans/legumes.

    Got it. To which I say: "eat that stuff again, this time with moderation."

    There. Fixed it.
  • amandzor
    amandzor Posts: 386 Member
    So uhhh how'd you get overweight?

    She said she cut out breads and starch a few weeks ago....u can read gud.

    I suggest avocados, chicken and beans/legumes.

    Got it. To which I say: "eat that stuff again, this time with moderation."

    There. Fixed it.

    ^^^ Bread is not your enemy.
  • estaticaa
    estaticaa Posts: 67 Member
    Hi! Vegetables, though they often don't have as many calories as other foods, should also be logged. I can easily get hundreds of calories in a day, just eating vegetables. The fact that you eat them raw doesn't make them calorie free.

    Log your foods as accurately as you can. There may be even a chance that you could be eating correctly and have all the carbs and calories you need, but you're simply not logging everything. If you need more calories, add a bit of olive oil to your vegetables. A tablespoon alone is around 120 calories.
  • becominglexi
    becominglexi Posts: 11 Member
    Thanks everyone. I'll try to measure and track more accurately. And I'll start eating starches again, but I'll put it back really slowly and figure out how much I can handle. Really appreciate all your help and advice!
  • essjay76
    essjay76 Posts: 465 Member
    So uhhh how'd you get overweight?

    She said she cut out breads and starch a few weeks ago....u can read gud.

    I suggest avocados, chicken and beans/legumes.

    Got it. To which I say: "eat that stuff again, this time with moderation."

    There. Fixed it.

    ^^^ Bread is not your enemy.

    +1 to sonic. And yes, bread is not your enemy. Eat that stuff again in moderation.


    I find it hard to believe that anyone who has weight to lose will suddenly find it hard to eat enough calories.

    Do yourself a favor and eat a little bit more. Your body will thank you in the long run.
  • marissanik
    marissanik Posts: 344 Member
    Some people really concern me on this site
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
    I may be grasping at straws here but I am pretty confident.....like maybe 100% confident you "can" eat enough calories!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    A cup of raw carrots has 52 calories. Eat 2 cups worth and you're over 100. How is that not worth counting?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    OP, you said you get plenty of protein??? I would argue that you should be aiming for 100+ grams/day, not the 40-50 you have been getting the last couple of days.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Try to eat more for lunch, ideally including some protein. Your protein looked pretty low to me too, especially since the MFP goal tends to be pretty low when the overall calorie goal is.

    It looks to me like you might be having trouble figuring out what to eat for some meals where you used to eat bread or starchy stuff, and also that there are places you could fit in some healthy fats--cook vegetables in olive oil, add some avocado to your vegetarian chili, that sort of thing. I cut down starchy carbs for a while and was surprised at how low my calories were as a result. I increasingly added them back in (in moderation), but I also started replacing them with bigger servings of protein (to meet my goal), fruit or dairy, extra cooked vegetables, that kind of thing.
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
    "I can't eat enough calories"

    So many things wrong with that statement. If you are really struggling to eat enough calories in your day to day that means you're not doing it right. If you are honestly full at 800 calories after accurately measuring and weighing your food, then it's time to break out the ice cream, there's always room for that. You must be eating a lot of veggies if you are getting super full on only 800 calories.

    What did you eat before you started here on MFP? What are foods you enjoy?
  • pinkshiningstar
    pinkshiningstar Posts: 141 Member
    Here's a question.

    Can you not physically eat enough food to reach more than 800 calories or are you afraid/anxious about eating more than 800 calories?

    I'm guessing the latter. And I *was* that person, too. I think most of us have been there at some point or another. I thought I had to stay low low low in calories to lose weight. I was tired, cranky, eventually the weight stopped falling off. Then I changed. I decided the "eat more to lose more" could work, and it has worked, and I'm seeing more loss now than I did in the past. I don't fear food. I fear bad health, which is exactly what you get by under (or over) eating.

    One thing to consider incorporating into your diet is whey protein. I have at least one shake a day (sometimes more, depending on workouts and such) but you can get a decent tasting shake for around 120-140 calories with 21-25 grams of protein. It's a great way to have a sweet treat and up your cals/protein a bit. If you're concerned about carbs, they're generally ultra low, too.

    Good luck!
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    You are most certain not getting plenty of protein. Your fat is iffy too.

    Look at MFP's fat and protein goals as minimums. They're really low and you're not hitting either of them most days. If you're active then you really need quite a bit more than MFP tells you.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,123 Member
    Most days I looked at you either didn't eat lunch at all or had an 80cal smoothie. I eat salads with chicken everyday for lunch and that gives me about 300 calories for lunch. I also kind of have a hard time believing those small portions of meat for dinner... are you using a scale? Also, the only snacks I saw were junk. Maybe add in a serving of string cheese, yogurt, nuts (all those things you claim you have all the time for snacks) even a smoothie for a snack (again, don't know what kind of smoothie you get for only 89 calories because even if you made your own it would be over that.)

    1)I think you're eating more than you think
    2) Stop skipping meals.
    3) Add healthy snacks.
  • SamanthaD1218
    SamanthaD1218 Posts: 303 Member
    These posts drive me nuts.
  • CookNLift
    CookNLift Posts: 3,660 Member
    as some have said, if you have a problem eating a certain amount of calories (under your goal) incorporate more protein into your diet, and ADD YOUR VEGETABLES to your diary.

    just as a note: I buy frozen vegetables to make it easy to prep my meals for the next day. 3 broccoli spears are 45 calories, which can add up if you eat a lot of vegetables. I highly recommend buying a cheap food scale that converts grams, ounces etc. so you can weigh your food to accurately show what you're putting in.

    Remember - a lot of the food on here is user generated and some may not reflect the right calories, so do some research online to find out how many calories in x food to make sure they seem about right. I remember when I started I saw an entry for chicken breast 4oz portion - 25 calories. I knew that didn't seem right so I looked at others and checked online to pick the one that fits the appropriate calories.

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