Do calories really matter, if you get proper nutrition??

kgb6112
kgb6112 Posts: 14 Member
in Food and Nutrition
A lot of the foods I eat are fat free/low fat, and lean meats, all that better choice things.. And I noticed my calories never add up to a WHOLE lot, I was just figuring out what I wanted to eat tomorrow for my three meals (working on three good filling meals instead of snacking so damn much)and this is what I got

Breakfast: cup of egg whites with a cup of broccoli, peppers, tomatos and a slice of fat free cheese
Lunch: 4.2 oz of 99% fat free chicken, half a can of corn and half a bag of uncle bens brown rice
Dinner: a smoothie (unsweetened almond milk for liquid), salad (lettuce cucumbers and tomatos) and an apple

I get 71 grams of protein with that, which I used many calculators which had my average around there, I clearly get plenty fruits and vegetables.. But the calories are about 985.. Under 1,000 clearly

The problem is, I have a very small appetite, I'm honestly never hungry when I eat, even if my meals are 4 hours ish apart (9am,1pm and 5pm) I still won't be hungry for the next meal.. So eating all of that will be so filling and it still doesn't add up to much BUT I do get enough protein (important bc I workout) and lots of vegetables too..

So i guess my question would be, are calories as important as getting the nutrients you need daily???
-no sarcastic or rude replies please ????

Replies

  • MikeEnRegalia
    MikeEnRegalia Posts: 110 Member
    What's your goal? From your post I can tell that you desperately avoid fat, which IMO is a problem as far as proper nutrition is concerned, but it would help if you told us whether you're trying to lose weight, gain weight, or whatever it is. :smile:
  • kgb6112
    kgb6112 Posts: 14 Member
    What's your goal? From your post I can tell that you desperately avoid fat, which IMO is a problem as far as proper nutrition is concerned, but it would help if you told us whether you're trying to lose weight, gain weight, or whatever it is. :smile:

    Oh Jesus I kind of left out the important factor: weight loss! Haha I don't really desperate avoid fat, I just absolutely love fruits and vegetables. And for meat: I've always had lean meat growing up so It kinda just stayed with me
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    Yes, they do.

    And you're not getting in proper nutrition. Possibly not enough protein, not enough carbohydrates for energy, and not nearly enough fat that your body needs.

    900-1000 calories should be at least 2/3rds of your day, not its entirety.

    You're undereating, start eating more to help minimize any further damage to your body.

    ETA: I just used your menu and bulked it up to ~1500 calories, which is likely still too low unless you are already very slim to begin with. But with no other info to go on, this is at least a way to help you see how you can add in more calories

    I weigh all my food, so I will give this in grams/oz, but also try to make it equivalent to cup measurements.

    Breakfast
    - Cup of veggies (~40g broccoli, 50g peppers, 100g tomatoes)
    - 1/2 cup egg whites (or ~4 egg whites) + 1 whole large egg (~53g on the label depending on where you live)
    - 2 slices of part skim mozza cheese (I eat part-skim as I like the lighter flavour), or ~20g
    - 2ml of olive oil (about half a tsp?) to fry your eggs, or to make an omelet, or scramble them, w/e.
    - Half a large banana (50-55g)
    - a bit more than a 1/4 cup dry oats made into oatmeal (30g - label will say this is 1/3 cup's worth... but it's not)
    - A tbsp of peanut butter (15 grams)
    Caloric total: ~507
    Protein: 37g
    Fat: 20g
    Carbs: 46g

    Lunch
    - same thing you posted already, since those canned things are higher calorie
    - a tsp of unsalted butter to put on top of your corn
    Calories: ~516
    Protein: 44g
    Fat: 13g
    Carbs: 58g

    Dinner
    since you didn't specify quantities of fruit fro your smoothie..
    - Granny smith apple (larger one ~160-170g depending on how much of the core you eat)
    - 100g of spinach
    - 1/2 cup almond milk
    - 1oz pecans for the salad
    - 2% cottage cheese, 1/4 cup (or ~63g) OR you could look for a higher fat cottage cheese (which I didn't see in the database)
    - 80g cooked chicken breast, or about half a large chicken breast.
    Calories: ~522
    Protein: 39
    fat: 25g
    Carbs: 39g

    Total =
    ~1545 cals, 120g protein, 58g fat, 143g carbs (switch out some of the fat or protein for more veggies if you need more carbs)
    Also gets you a higher fiber intake (26g instead of ~15)
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    Unfortunately, you have your profile, and your diary, set to private, and you have given few details of your current stats and goals. This makes it difficult to answer you.

    If your goal on this site is weight loss, and you find it difficult to eat enough calories, then one would have to wonder how you became overweight in the first place?

    Meeting your calorie goals is important in that eating too few calories has a negative effect on your body. When you don't consume enough calories to fuel your body's basic functions, then it begins to break down not only fat, but also muscle, in order to supply the missing energy. You know what's a muscle? Your heart. You can severely and permanently damage your heart by not eating enough calories.

    Another extremely common side effect is gallstones. They're extremely painful, just like kidney stones or child birth, and they are potentially life threatening if a stone blocks your bile duct. And the only cure is to have your gallbladder removed, and then you could be one of the 75% of gallbladderless people who have digestive issues for the rest of their life (having to poop immediately after eating, urgently). So that'll be fun.

    And the most ironic part is that people eat this way because of some misguided notion that it will make them look or feel better...but it will deplete skin elasticity causing premature wrinkles, and it will cause loss of luster in skin and hair, and brittle nails, not to mention the lack of energy. So you end up feeling worse and looking old.

    There's plenty of things you can eat to ensure that you're getting enough calories...nuts are a good choice, or peanut butter with your fruit. Add olive oil or oil-based dressings to your veggies. Add bits of fattier meat for flavoring your veggies or meat dishes, like bacon. Regardless, your calorie goal is just like your protein or fat goal...it's a goal to be reached, not a limit to stay waaaay under.
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,082 Member
    You are treading on the hot button topic of "starvation mode" and rather then offer an opinion on that I will just leave you a link that answered the question to my satisfaction.

    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

    without knowing what your stats are it's hard to give an opinion on your 1000 calorie question other then to say that it seems unlikely to be feasible long term if the deficit is so high it is causing unmanageable hunger or debilitating lack of energy. But if it works for you and you are getting your macro and micro nutrients then more power to ya.
  • MikeEnRegalia
    MikeEnRegalia Posts: 110 Member
    Oh Jesus I kind of left out the important factor: weight loss! Haha I don't really desperate avoid fat, I just absolutely love fruits and vegetables. And for meat: I've always had lean meat growing up so It kinda just stayed with me

    You can eat tons of vegetables on a ketogenic diet - and quite some fruit if you switch to low-sugar berries and citrus. So maybe that could be something for you to try. And you still can have lean meat - just eat some fat of your choice with it. Keto does not imply bacon and butter, it can also be lean chicken breast and olive oil.
  • YF92
    YF92 Posts: 2,893 Member
    Yes they are

    Calories represents energy, your intake suggests your body is not getting enough energy to function. Increase your calorie intake to avoid problems and avoid being stuck.

    Increasing calories is easier than you think. Give me a PM if you want to know more
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,984 Member
    Yes.

    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
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    Yes, they do.

    And you're not getting in proper nutrition. Possibly not enough protein, not enough carbohydrates for energy, and not nearly enough fat that your body needs.

    900-1000 calories should be at least 2/3rds of your day, not its entirety.

    You're undereating, start eating more to help minimize any further damage to your body.

    ETA: I just used your menu and bulked it up to ~1500 calories, which is likely still too low unless you are already very slim to begin with. But with no other info to go on, this is at least a way to help you see how you can add in more calories

    I weigh all my food, so I will give this in grams/oz, but also try to make it equivalent to cup measurements.

    Breakfast
    - Cup of veggies (~40g broccoli, 50g peppers, 100g tomatoes)
    - 1/2 cup egg whites (or ~4 egg whites) + 1 whole large egg (~53g on the label depending on where you live)
    - 2 slices of part skim mozza cheese (I eat part-skim as I like the lighter flavour), or ~20g
    - 2ml of olive oil (about half a tsp?) to fry your eggs, or to make an omelet, or scramble them, w/e.
    - Half a large banana (50-55g)
    - a bit more than a 1/4 cup dry oats made into oatmeal (30g - label will say this is 1/3 cup's worth... but it's not)
    - A tbsp of peanut butter (15 grams)
    Caloric total: ~507
    Protein: 37g
    Fat: 20g
    Carbs: 46g

    Lunch
    - same thing you posted already, since those canned things are higher calorie
    - a tsp of unsalted butter to put on top of your corn
    Calories: ~516
    Protein: 44g
    Fat: 13g
    Carbs: 58g

    Dinner
    since you didn't specify quantities of fruit fro your smoothie..
    - Granny smith apple (larger one ~160-170g depending on how much of the core you eat)
    - 100g of spinach
    - 1/2 cup almond milk
    - 1oz pecans for the salad
    - 2% cottage cheese, 1/4 cup (or ~63g) OR you could look for a higher fat cottage cheese (which I didn't see in the database)
    - 80g cooked chicken breast, or about half a large chicken breast.
    Calories: ~522
    Protein: 39
    fat: 25g
    Carbs: 39g

    Total =
    ~1545 cals, 120g protein, 58g fat, 143g carbs (switch out some of the fat or protein for more veggies if you need more carbs)
    Also gets you a higher fiber intake (26g instead of ~15)

    I agree with everyone saying "YES" to calories do really matter, and I like this above menu offered to you. If you are exercising, you can probably eat even more than this and still lose weight comfortably, but you didn't mention how much and what kind of exercise you do.

    But, yes, calories do matter, and if you were getting "proper nutrition" then your calorie total would be much higher than what it is.
  • soidade
    soidade Posts: 116 Member
    Fat free/low fat everything isn't healthy. Fat is necessary to live. Eat good fats.
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    For breakfast, change that to a whole egg fried in butter and real cheese instead of all the fat free stuff. And a slice of toast with peanut butter.

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