Do I really have to eat this much?

packer43064 · June 2014

I believe I have set my diary to public so hopefully you all can understand what I'm talking about.

I have just started keeping track of my foods in the past week or so. I'm set to lose 1lb a week. That puts me at just over 2000 calories a day. I find it hard at times to hit this. Which in theory just means I will lose more than 1 pound a week correct? I've heard that if your far below your goal your body will think it is starving and try to keep that fat. I don't have a clue though.

What makes it worse is that I work in a warehouse and walk anywhere from 3.5 miles on a slow day to upwards of over 7 miles in a 10.5 hour shift. I have a fitbit flex and it will supply the numbers to MFP that I went over that MFP predicted. So now I will have 1200 "exercise calories" which brings me up to 3200 calories a day! I don't have a clue how I can hit this besides eating junk food or 3 avocados a day. I'm hardly rich so I can't afford to eat some 3200 calories a day unless it is crisco or something absurd.

Another thing is I'm out for 12 hours a day for my 4 day work week. I work 2nd shift so there is no breakfast for me. I'm just not up that early. So now I have to pack more into a lunch and dinner scenario. The weekends are better because I'm off 3 days so I can get closer to that 2000 calories. I know that 400-500 calories breakfast missing is killing me, but that is just the reality of where I'm at right now.

Yet another thing is I like eating real foods. I'm hardly perfect everyday, but I try. I would rather bake a spaghetti squash than have a frozen dinner. Or have a 10z baked potato than 1.25 oz of doritos. The thing is I don't eat in any real fashion. I don't have a main course then 2 sides or something. I just eat whatever I feel like unless the GF already made dinner. So last night my dinner was a baked potato and a PB&J sandwich with a glass of milk. Weird I know, but that is what I wanted and it was better than some crap frozen dinner with who knows what's in it. If I eat spaghetti squash with pasta sauce and I even eat several cups of squash I might break 250 cals. So now my 1200 cal day turns into a 1450 cal day and somehow I have to eat 600 more calories just to hit my 2000 cal goal. Assuming I didn't work and have to hit a 3200 cal goal.

By what I have recorded I'm surprised I even weigh what I do. I usually eat out once or possibly twice on the weekends and I don't record that, but I can't possibly be gaining or maintaining my weight on a once a week restaurant meal. You will notice I just stop recording on friday, Saturday, Sunday if I go out to eat.

Eat more? Wait it out a few weeks and see what weight I lose?

terbusha · June 2014

You should at least be hitting 1800 calories/day, but more is probably better since you are so active in your job. If you're having troubles getting your calories up, work in more rice, potatoes, and beans. Also, be sure that you're getting in enough protein.

Allan

nomad1000 · June 2014

I would start tracking the weekend eating and see what your daily average ends up being for the week. So if you are under a couple of days and over a couple days, you end up at or near your daily goal. Three days out of seven is a lot to not track, especially since you are struggling with meeting your goal those four days.

And you would be surprised at how may cals are in restaurant meals. I know that my daily goal is about 1800-2000 when adding back exercise cals and when I eat out, I have to either 1) really watch what I eat until I go out or 2) exercise like mad so I can eat all my meals.

For example, I went out for seafood a couple weeks ago and was lucky to have food cals available via the restaurant website so I could pre-plan my meal. I had a side salad with lite dressing, a wood fire grilled salmon fillet, a roll, green beans, yellow squash (double serving) and a potato with butter and it was over 1000 cals before I even added in any wine (so I skipped it and had water instead). If I had added dessert, any sauce on my fillet or a couple of drinks, that could easily have been a 2000 cal meal.

crazytrain66 · June 2014

did u put your settings to very active? i am at 2360 to lose .5 pounds a week and i workout 5-6 times a week. i work in retail and walk almost 12 miles a night. that is my regular activity. i eat back my workout calories which brings me to approx 2800. good luck i hope my info is helpful

SezxyStef · June 2014

Yes you do...with your job you should.

barring the breakfast issue (I get that as my husband works shift work) you could do the following:

Pack a breakfast meal for yourself..I often take cereal, toast (to be toasted at work) or make up a egg and bacon sandwich to wrap up and take with me.

Pack more snacks like fruit, greek yogurts, peanut butter with crackers (stuff that is easy to eat on the go that can be put in your pocket)

If you prefer to eat "real" food...cook that when you get home and make enough for lunch the next day. preplan your week if you have to...

I currently am eating 1900 calories a day (which includes breakfast) but that can easily be translated over to another meal if you need ideas.

things like BBQ chicken wrap with avocado and cheese is yummy,

Add in calorie dense foods like peanut butter, ice cream, pizza etc.

jstout365 · June 2014

I eat between 2000-2300 calories a day (dependent on gym activity) and when I am up to the 2300 range things like butter, peanut butter, extra oil in cooking, and potatoes get added in to provide calorie rich options at lower costs per calorie.

RacerX_14 · June 2014

I'm quite active as well. I wouldn't advise going below 1800 per day. I've been around that mark losing anywhere from .5 - 1 lb per week for months now along with strength training and seeing some great results. Good luck! you can do it!!

mamasmaltz3 · June 2014

You are wanting to lose weight so apparently at some point you have not had a problem eating more calories than you burn. The easiest way to add calories would be to add more fat to what you are eating. Have a bowl of ice cream in the evening. A few handfuls of nuts would add up quickly. The problem comes from people thinking they have to limit themselves to lean meat and vegetables. Carbohydrates and fats are great sources of energy. Calories are a unit of energy. They are awesome.

Linnaea27 · June 2014

One good way to add more calories to your dinner would be to eat actual pasta instead of spaghetti squash-- squash is one of the lowest-calorie foods out there, even when it doesn't seem like it!

How did you eat before when you gained the weight you are now wanting to lose? Did you drink a lot of your calories? If now that you're trying to lose weight/eat better and are no longer drinking sodas, creamy coffees, etc. (for example) you might find protein/fruit/veggie smoothies helpful; they'd also be easy to consume while you're working or for "breakfast" on your way to work if you put them in a thermos.

Try to figure out a way you want to eat for the forseeable future-- then do it that way now while staying close to your calorie goal each day. Also, protein smoothies would probably be a really good idea for you as it sounds like your daily diet right now doesn't include much protein (a potato and a PB&J sandwich have very little), and you need to make sure you hit your protein goal for the day to help preserve your muscles as you lose weight. With such an active job, I imagine you have some pretty good muscles hiding under the fat you're trying to lose, so preserving them for strength now and looks later may be a priority you want to have!

I agree, it can be hard (and expensive) to eat enough when you spend 6+ hours a day doing hard work! I've started making things like low-sugar cookies to munch on throughout the day when I'm, for example, gardening all day.

Linnaea27 · June 2014

By what I have recorded I'm surprised I even weigh what I do. I usually eat out once or possibly twice on the weekends and I don't record that, but I can't possibly be gaining or maintaining my weight on a once a week restaurant meal. You will notice I just stop recording on friday, Saturday, Sunday if I go out to eat.

Eat more? Wait it out a few weeks and see what weight I lose?

I didn't notice this info when I read your post the first time--oops. Try logging those restaurant meals as honestly as you can (chain restaurants will sometimes have calorie info on their websites, and even if you can't get that info, search for things in the database and use the entries you find). It won't be super accurate but it will really help. Quite possibly, you are blowing your large calorie deficit from the week if you are going out to eat on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!

Log consistently and as accurately as possible. You'll find this much easier if you do because then you have correct data to work with and learn from!

Francl27 · June 2014

If your fitbit is sync'ed, make sure to put your activity level as sedentary.

And yes, log everything, I'm sure it will make more sense then. One restaurant meal can easily mess up a whole week (you can easily eat 6000 calories if you have appetizer, entree, dessert and drinks).

wilsoje74 · June 2014

How did you gain weight??

fushigi1988 · June 2014

If your fitbit is sync'ed, make sure to put your activity level as sedentary.

This

packer43064 · June 2014

Thanks for the help. We moved, so have been busy for a while now.

I end up eating back most of my exercise calories. I can easily go through 2500-2800 calories a day when I'm working. Still losing weight. So I guess I really do need to eat all of these calories.

brower47 · June 2014

Yes you should. The more aggressive the deficit, the greater the percentage of muscle you will lose to fat. With a modest deficit, you can help maintain the muscle you currently have. Eating enough protein and progressive resistance training will also help maintain your muscle.

packer43064 · June 2014

Yes you should. The more aggressive the deficit, the greater the percentage of muscle you will lose to fat. With a modest deficit, you can help maintain the muscle you currently have. Eating enough protein and progressive resistance training will also help maintain your muscle.

How do you eat enough protein while trying to eat real whole foods?

Carbs...easy. Fats...easy. Protein...ugh.

I don't want to eat/drink some shake just to hit my protein goal. I want real foods, but unless I'm downing 1 pound of chicken or turkey or some kind of meat I don't see how I can do this. Or eating rice and beans every meal.

mymodernbabylon · June 2014

I eat a lot of yogurt, cottage cheese. I like protein shakes to which I add yogurt, milk & fruit (a fabulous and easy breakfast). Try out quinoa as a 'grain' as it has a decent amount of protein. Pork products, chicken, steak, fish...lots of options.

packer43064 · June 2014

I eat a lot of yogurt, cottage cheese. I like protein shakes to which I add yogurt, milk & fruit (a fabulous and easy breakfast). Try out quinoa as a 'grain' as it has a decent amount of protein. Pork products, chicken, steak, fish...lots of options.

I know of the options. It just seems hard to eat pork, chicken, or yogurt, or tuna every meal 3x a day. That's my crux.

magerum · June 2014

Your tacking sounds suspect. If you have a hard time eating at a deficit level how did you come to a point where you need to lose weight?

I find it easy to eat 3,000 - 4,000 a day. Which is my cutting - bulking range.

brower47 · June 2014

Yes you should. The more aggressive the deficit, the greater the percentage of muscle you will lose to fat. With a modest deficit, you can help maintain the muscle you currently have. Eating enough protein and progressive resistance training will also help maintain your muscle.

How do you eat enough protein while trying to eat real whole foods?

Carbs...easy. Fats...easy. Protein...ugh.

I don't want to eat/drink some shake just to hit my protein goal. I want real foods, but unless I'm downing 1 pound of chicken or turkey or some kind of meat I don't see how I can do this. Or eating rice and beans every meal.

Foods that contain high concentrations of protein:

Meat: Chicken, pork, beef, tuna and all other seafood
Eggs: They are pure awesome in a hard shell.
Milk: Baby cows and I agree that it's awesome.
Supplements when you just don't feel like the above.

I consider anything that goes into your mouth that provides nutrition as real. I don't worry about 'whole' because the moment I start chewing, all foods become less whole.

ETA: Your crux is something you're going to have to get over if you want to get enough protein. I eat eggs every morning and protein shakes on days I lift (and sometimes on days I don't lift). I have chicken or tuna for lunch, usually in sandwich form and dinner is any combination of meat I feel like having that day. If you want to preserve muscle, you have to provide those building materials (amino acids) to your body that it needs for a plethora of vital functions. If you don't feed it those, your body will still complete those functions but with the muscle you already have.

Eat it or lose it.

sjaplo · June 2014

[quote\]

How do you eat enough protein while trying to eat real whole foods?

Carbs...easy. Fats...easy. Protein...ugh.

I don't want to eat/drink some shake just to hit my protein goal. I want real foods, but unless I'm downing 1 pound of chicken or turkey or some kind of meat I don't see how I can do this. Or eating rice and beans every meal.
[/quote]

Actually I've found it easier to hit my goal of 25 - 30% protein since I started have a scoop of Kaizen chocolate whey isolate and water every morning around 10:30am. It's only 100 calories and provides about 25g of protein. I still have meat, greek yogurt, cottage cheese and tuna as well. It keeps me going until lunch most days - I work in a warehouse also - and apparently it also aids in combatting hypertension - who knew?

Do I really have to eat this much?

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