Calorie Needs

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Ja_ja_jakeya
Ja_ja_jakeya Posts: 88 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Are the caloric needs calculated by MFP accurate? I find it extremely hard to reach 1870 unless I'm eating junk all day. When I eat foods that are good for me, I'm full all the time and can never meet my goal. Any advice?
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Replies

  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    Eat more calorie dense foods.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Hmmm.

    Are you losing weight?

    How far under are you going? If it's just a bit under, I personally wouldn't worry. I have my days when I don't totally reach it to the top either. Other days, I might go 50 or so cals over. It balances out. :)

    How do you feel? Do you have energy?

    What do you have your activity level set at and what types of activity do you do?
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
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    Peanut butter, avocados, and red meat are all pretty calorie dense options.
    No need to survive on salads and low calorie items to lose weight.
    Don't be afraid to fit some treats into your day as well, like ice cream or cookies.
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Ja_ja_jakeya wrote: »
    Are the caloric needs calculated by MFP accurate? I find it extremely hard to reach 1870 unless I'm eating junk all day. When I eat foods that are good for me, I'm full all the time and can never meet my goal. Any advice?

    I had a similar issue and then I realized my fats were really low every day. I'm working on fixing it with peanut butter. It's a pretty pleasant problem to have, as far as these things go.
  • mymodernbabylon
    mymodernbabylon Posts: 1,038 Member
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    Feel free to look at my diary - I have no problems reaching well over your calorie limit. And yes, I do eat treats almost daily, but stick to my protein macros and try to get up to my fats macro (fat is not evil).
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    How did you come to need to lose weight if eating enough calories were a problem?
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
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    Are you not meeting your calorie goal and losing too fast? Or are you not meeting your calorie goal and still losing really slowly?

    If the former is true, add more calorie-dense foods to your diet: lean meats, avocado, nuts and nut butters. If the latter is true then you are probably not tracking accurately--weigh and measure your portions and you may find that you aren't as far under your goal as you think you are.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,402 MFP Moderator
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    At some point, you will need to learn what to eat because if you lose at 1870 calories, you will maintain at over 2200. But as others said, avocado, nuts, cook in olive oil, red meats (rib eye, bison, strip, 80/20 ground beef), add cheese to a lot, sauces (especially oil based ones), peanut butter, protein bars or high calorie protein shakes with milk added, or ice cream!
  • clarebear230786
    clarebear230786 Posts: 30 Member
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    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    How did you come to need to lose weight if eating enough calories were a problem?

    exactly this
  • Susieq_1994
    Susieq_1994 Posts: 5,361 Member
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    If you're demonizing calorie-dense foods and eating low-fat everything... Then yes, I'm sure it would be hard to reach your goals. But consider that your body does need fat to function, and many calorie-dense foods are also nutrient-dense. Incorporate nut butters, full-fat dairy, chicken thighs rather than breast, whole eggs rather than egg whites, etc. :)

    Also, treats once in a while are wonderful! If I have a whole five hundred calories to spare and I'm full... I'm totally splurging on a HUGE brownie. ;)
  • flatlndr
    flatlndr Posts: 713 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Ja_ja_jakeya wrote: »
    Are the caloric needs calculated by MFP accurate? I find it extremely hard to reach 1870 unless I'm eating junk all day. When I eat foods that are good for me, I'm full all the time and can never meet my goal. Any advice?

    Your diary is closed, so it's tough to assess without seeing what you are actually eating.

    There are plenty of other calorie need estimators on the web. This one is popular amongst MFP users: scoobysworkshop.com



  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    what is junk food???
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    what is junk food???

    Food kept in the "junk" drawer perhaps?
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    How did you come to need to lose weight if eating enough calories were a problem?
    I think it's very common. When we eat high calorie food mindlessly, it's easy to overeat. When you eat high fiber/protein/water foods and pay attention (and logging forces you to), you get full much faster.
  • Ja_ja_jakeya
    Ja_ja_jakeya Posts: 88 Member
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    LAWoman72 wrote: »
    Hmmm.

    Are you losing weight?

    How far under are you going? If it's just a bit under, I personally wouldn't worry. I have my days when I don't totally reach it to the top either. Other days, I might go 50 or so cals over. It balances out. :)

    How do you feel? Do you have energy?

    What do you have your activity level set at and what types of activity do you do?

    I've lost 1.4lbs in 12 days (at my last weigh in) and it's usually a good bit under my goal. In usually hitting around 1200-1400 while my goal is 1870. I have plenty of energy when I'm eating the right foods and I feel great! I most do dance based workouts.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    WalkingAlong wrote: »
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    How did you come to need to lose weight if eating enough calories were a problem?
    I think it's very common. When we eat high calorie food mindlessly, it's easy to overeat. When you eat high fiber/protein/water foods and pay attention (and logging forces you to), you get full much faster.

    what are water foods???
  • Ja_ja_jakeya
    Ja_ja_jakeya Posts: 88 Member
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    missiontofitness wrote: »
    Peanut butter, avocados, and red meat are all pretty calorie dense options.
    No need to survive on salads and low calorie items to lose weight.
    Don't be afraid to fit some treats into your day as well, like ice cream or cookies.
    Is red meat the only option as far as meats go? I haven't eaten red meat since I was about 7! Lol
  • Ja_ja_jakeya
    Ja_ja_jakeya Posts: 88 Member
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    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    How did you come to need to lose weight if eating enough calories were a problem?
    There was never a problem meeting my calorie goal until I started eating healthy! When I eat junk all day there is no problem!
  • Ja_ja_jakeya
    Ja_ja_jakeya Posts: 88 Member
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    Thanks for your advice everyone! I don't eat "low fat" or "diet" anything I just try to add lots of greens and fruits to every meal. It makes me full and I have trouble reaching 1870cal. I can definitely add more oils, avacado, nut butters, and treats
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    WalkingAlong wrote: »
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    How did you come to need to lose weight if eating enough calories were a problem?
    I think it's very common. When we eat high calorie food mindlessly, it's easy to overeat. When you eat high fiber/protein/water foods and pay attention (and logging forces you to), you get full much faster.

    what are water foods???
    Foods high in water, protein and fiber fill you up faster. Read any of the studies by Barbara Rolls, PhD, for further info.
    http://nutrition.psu.edu/foodlab/publications

    There might be some tough punctuation in those, too. Let us know if you need help. ;)

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