HELP! I can't manage to eat over 1100 calories!

I sent a message to your account with more details! I can off you advice from there

Uh oh...

^^^^ THIS

Try adding a tablespoon of natural peanut butter or almond butter to your protein shakes... or use them as a dip with celery or other veggies.

Adding 100-200 calories of healthy foods should be pretty easy with very small changes/additions to the meals that your already eating.

Other MFPer's have said it and it's worth being said again - if you are not starving, you are not in starvation mode. It's very simple. The study that set off this whole "starvation mode nonsense" involved participants who were carefully monitored and consumed somewhere upward of a 60% calorie deficit, not to mention their body fat % was incredibly low so their body had no fat storage to snatch energy from. And even then, they were still losing weight; just not as quickly as, obviously, an overweight person would.

If you are full from 1100 calories, GREAT! Don't force yourself to eat more! Having said that, I'd predict that after a week of 1100 calories you will get a cantankerous craving for something calorie-rich. When that happens you will realize that since your weekly deficit is so great, you will be able to enjoy a sweet, high-calorie, fat-dense meal without regret. Peanut butter rice crispy treats, a big bowl of ice cream, a slice of chocolate cake, pizza from your favorite restaurant...you get the idea. Weekly deficits are more accurate ways to go about calorie counting than daily, in my opinion. This allows you to make healthy low-cal decisions on the daily, as you have been doing, and to also treat yourself once in a while without falling off the wagon.

Easiest way to cut calories is what you drink..also easiest way to add in.

If you like milk and you're drinking skim, switch to 2% or 2% to whole. That will probably give you your 300 calories right there if you have two glasses a day.

Unless you're eating "clean" treat yourself to a soda....or an extra glass of fruit juice if it needs to be clean.

Another way to cut/add calories is sauces/spreads. If you're eating your morning bagel/muffin/toast dry...add butter/cream cheese/Nutella/peanut butter, whatever you like.

Add a little sauce to the meat in your lunch/dinner (BBQ etc.)

Adding to your calories is not nearly as hard as finding ways to stay INSIDE your allotment. :laugh:

The eatingwell and cookinglight websites have some good recipes.

Easy Breakfast Ideas For 350 Calories Or Less
• 1 cup oatmeal topped with 1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt and 1/2 cup berries
• Egg and Cheese Sandwich (1 egg on a whole-wheat English muffin with 1 oz. slice of low-fat cheese) + 1/2 cup diced mango
• Breakfast Taco (1 scrambled egg, 1/4 cup salsa, 1/4 cup shredded low-fat Cheddar on a 6-inch corn tortilla)
• 1/2 whole-wheat bagel with 1 Tbsp. reduced-fat cream cheese and 1 oz. ham + 1 cup honeydew melon + 1 cup nonfat milk
• 1 1/2 cups whole-grain cereal with 1 cup nonfat milk + 1 medium banana
• Whole-wheat English muffin with 1 Tbsp. peanut butter + 6 oz. nonfat plain yogurt + 1/2 cup diced papaya

400-Calorie Lunch Ideas
• One slice whole-wheat bread, toasted with 1/2 oz. Cheddar and 2 slices tomatoes + 1 1/2 cups black bean soup
• Tuna Sandwich (2 slices multigrain bread, 1/2 cup tuna salad made with 2 tsp. low-fat mayonnaise; lettuce, tomato) + 1 peach
• Grilled Chicken Sandwich (whole-wheat roll + 3 oz. grilled chicken breast + 1oz. reduced-fat Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, 2 tsp. low-fat mayonnaise) + 1/2 cup diced watermelon
• Bean Burrito (8-inch whole-wheat tortilla, 1/4 cup nonfat refried beans, 1/4 cup salsa, 2 oz. low-fat Cheddar cheese) + small salad (1 cup lettuce, 1/2 cup veggies, 2 Tbsp. reduced-fat Ranch dressing)
• Grilled Salmon Caesar Wrap (8-inch whole-wheat tortilla + 3 oz. grilled salmon, 3/4 cup shredded romaine, 2 tsp. low-calorie Caesar dressing) + 1/2 cup grapes
• Greek Salad with chicken (2 cups greens + 1/3 cup each diced bell peppers, tomatoes and onions + 1/4 cup feta + 3 oz. cooked chicken breast, 4 kalamata olives + 2 Tbsp. low-calorie vinaigrette)

Snacks 250 calories or less
• 1 small apple, 12 almonds + ice water with lemon
• 1 cup baby carrots + 1/4 cup hummus
• 1 cup strawberries + 8 oz. low fat/fat free greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup nonfat cottage cheese + 1/2 cup fresh mandarin oranges
• Hard-boiled egg, sliced, on 1 slice whole-wheat toast with 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 small apple + 1 Tbsp. natural creamy peanut butter

Dinners 500 calories or less
• Chopped Greek Salad with Chicken served with pita bread
• Breaded pork chop with baked potato & steamed carrots
• Baked Chicken with wild rice & asparagus
• Black Bean & mango quesadillas with Spanish rice
• Chipotle Barbecue Chicken with sweet potato & peas

One of my favorite snacks is around 200-300 calories, depending on the size I make it:

Plain Greek Yogurt
Vanilla Extract
Peanut Butter
Protein Powder
Sugar Free Vanilla Jello Pudding Mix
Chocolate Chips
Pinch of Sea Salt
Walnuts

Has healthy fats, and a good amount of protein!

Weekly deficits are more accurate ways to go about calorie counting than daily, in my opinion. This allows you to make healthy low-cal decisions on the daily, as you have been doing, and to also treat yourself once in a while without falling off the wagon.

This is also true. If you're *MOSTLY* on-target a day or two under/over isn't a big deal. But if you're consistently ending up way under the goal, I agree with those saying you need to add some calorie dense foods in...unless you are using the TDEE method, MFP has ALREADY put a deficit into your calories of around 600 calories a day...more than that would be too much and you're depriving your body of what it needs.

Of course, being consistently way under is probably not a psychologically or physically healthy way to go about your dieting. If a healthy woman is eating 800 calories a day without supervision of a doctor I'd be concerned about an eating disorder or something of the sort. But there's no reason to panic about eating 1100 calories.

MFP's estimate of your recommended calorie intake is just that; an estimate. Depending on your metabolism, ethnic/cultural upbringing, bone density, overall body composition, one 5'7, 160 pound woman's necessary calorie intake will be very different from another 5'7 160 lb woman's necessary calorie intake. When did 1200 become the magic number for any given weight? If I only ate 1200 or even 1400 calories a day I'd feel starving. If someone else feels full after 1100, there's no reason to stress about eating more.

If there is such a huge concern about meeting a certain calorie goal I'm sure nobody will go kicking and screaming to their local pizzeria once a week.

1100 calories... you mean breakfast, right?

women should not be eating less than 1200 calories a day. Eating less WILL reduce your metabolism greatly as your body prepares for a ¨famine.¨ Calculate your BMR online. Your body requires a certain amount of calories to function (breath, regulate body temperature, etc.) and this will give you an idea of how many calories you should be eating (its only an estimation)
That being said, you can make small changes. Generally speaking, the less refined more wholesome foods have more calories. Switch from plain regular yogurt to greek yogurt; its better for you, has more calories and more protein! Switch to a whole grain great such as ezekiel which is less refined, has more nutrients, finer and protein and more calories. Try to incorporate natural fats such as avocados, coconut oil, coconut milk, etc.

Good luck!

Butter

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Chocolate


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