How to get in enough Calories?

christinar2008
christinar2008 Posts: 51 Member
edited September 25 in Food and Nutrition
Hey,
I am doing 1260 calories a day and most days I am at least 200 calories under. How do you manage to get in all those calories and still eat healthy? Any ideas on what I need to do? When I have to up the calories I have no idea what to eat because I can barely eat enough now. Also, most days I go over on Protein by a lot. Is there a way to change this?

Replies

  • ShellyKay67
    ShellyKay67 Posts: 489 Member
    A serving of almonds (1/4 C) is around 160-170 calories....
    Yogurt can be anywhere from 80-180 calories...depending if you get the lite or regular
    Fruit....
    Good luck!
  • beatlemom
    beatlemom Posts: 250 Member
    MFP sets protein goals low. Alot of people shoot for 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. I like EAS shakes, they help me get in 110 extra calories without eating a whole meal.
  • Nelski
    Nelski Posts: 1,607 Member
    I don't think you need to worry about being over on protein unless you have an existing kidney condition. To up your calories just eat bigger portions of something you are already eating. Nuts and seeds are an easy way to get in another 200ish calories.
  • morganadk2_deleted
    morganadk2_deleted Posts: 1,696 Member
    olive oil on veg or salad, nuts , peanut butter, avocado
  • dalzinho
    dalzinho Posts: 52
    Eating about 1/4 of a big mac meal would more or less get you up.
  • Naomi91
    Naomi91 Posts: 892 Member
    Going over in protein is not bad at all! I get about 130g a day :D

    and just because you are eating healthy doesnt mean everything has to be low calorie.... try some of these

    Greek yogurt
    avocados
    almonds/walnuts/etc
    flax seed

    try eating a bigger breakfast :D that helped me get in my calories
  • ambie35
    ambie35 Posts: 853 Member
    theres nothing wrong with going over in protein- a lot of people argue the protein reccomandations on mfp are too low anyways.
    Try having a glass of milk,a piece of cheese or a handful of almonds,these are healthy ways ti boost your calorie intake.
  • michaelduke31
    michaelduke31 Posts: 15 Member
    try some nuts, like almonds. maybe cook your vegetables in some olive oil.. best way would be to up the carbs a little bit and up the fat content a little bit... but of course GOOD fat and GOOD carbs
  • wewon
    wewon Posts: 838 Member
    I am finding that this is a very common question/concern as we get healthy. The more aware we are of bad foods and try to avoid them, the harder it is to get calories from good food.

    When I am at a calorie deficit that I need to close, I eat nuts. They're healthy and they tend to be a good way to round out a 200-300 calorie gap.
  • janna674
    janna674 Posts: 410 Member
    a banana or some other type of fruit is usually 80 cals or more....mix it with some local yogurt ...and you have a delicious yogurt parfait..also whole grains are good, bagels, english muffins etc...or even some cereals...i always try to get 2 dairy servings and 5 fruits and veggie servings a day...this helps me keep on track
  • lucindamichelle7
    lucindamichelle7 Posts: 1
    I have only been doing this a week but have found the same as you. i go over on protein but dont get enenough calories. one thing i have found to fill up my calories is kettle corn popcorn. It works good because i can make a bag and eat a little throughout the day it stops me from eating an extra meal.
  • bmontgomery87
    bmontgomery87 Posts: 1,260 Member
    nuts and oils are an easy way to get the extra 100-200 cals a day. I add natural peanut butter to lots of things.
  • mideon_696
    mideon_696 Posts: 770 Member
    All the above ideas are good. Apart from obviously the big mac, but also the yoghurt...

    Add nuts. almonds are good.
    Make portion sizes bigger. Especially at brekky.

    Its quite easy really. Just makes your meals bigger on a whole. say and extra 50 cal's and Bang! you have your goal.
    Remember 1260 is an approximate figure. Goin over by 100 is NO big deal, at all. And will make very little difference in long or short terms. Will just give your metabolism more work to do, which will further increase its efficiency.

    No idea on your current eating patterns, have not been over your diary. But you should be(and probably are) splitting your meals evenly accross your day. so if 1260 is your goal, then 1260/5 is 252 cals/ meal. Work them out this way eah day and you should hit your target easy as.
  • MrsTWard
    MrsTWard Posts: 62 Member
    Thanks everyone for their input on this top because I too thought having too much protien is something that is holding me back from reaching my weight lost goals. I guess not. So now I'll have to see what it is because I want to reach my second mini goal of 5-10lbs May 2011.
  • mysteryfoxes
    mysteryfoxes Posts: 101
    Eating about 1/4 of a big mac meal would more or less get you up.

    Uhhh...probably not the best thing for dieters. ;)


    I usually eat a little over mine, but I eat back my exercise calories. Just eat filling meals, or have yogurt, eggs, some healthy cereal, or fruit. :")
  • FlashBang
    FlashBang Posts: 136
    A good starch that is calorie dense is sweet potatoes, I nuke em, drizzle with olive oil or butter (IMO butter is a good fat in moderation, way better than trans fat!) and spice it up. Cottage cheese is great too, lots of protein that will not hurt you, the full fat kind will add a few more calories. All the recommendations for nuts and yogurt are spot on. Fat has 3 times the calories of either carbs or protein, 3, 3, 9 per gram. If you added a little fat you may do yourself a favor. Avocados are amazing.
  • christinar2008
    christinar2008 Posts: 51 Member
    Thanks for all the tips guys. It really helps. I love almonds and avocados so maybe I will add more of that in. What about daily sugar intake?
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