I'm struggling with eating enough... wt-heck?

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tanlon76
tanlon76 Posts: 19
in Introduce Yourself
I'm watching my numbers here on MFP and it seems I'm struggling with getting enough everything...

Totals 664 65 45 42 1,181 42
Your Daily Goal 1,689 211 57 84 2,300 63
Remaining 1,025 146 12 42 1,119 21
Calories Carbs Fat Protein Sodium Sugar

I still have over 1,000 calories remaining for the day! Not to mention over 40 in protein. I'm not hungry and I'm eating breakfast, snacks, and dinner. Isn't it important to get your calories, etc.? And when I exercise, which I do almost daily, I earn even more back. Argh... suggestions?
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  • Vanilla_Lattes
    Vanilla_Lattes Posts: 251 Member
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    eat more peanut butter?
  • Mycophilia
    Mycophilia Posts: 1,225 Member
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    And cheese.
  • tanlon76
    tanlon76 Posts: 19
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    brwelch1 wrote: »
    eat more peanut butter?

    I eat peanut butter almost daily...

  • tanlon76
    tanlon76 Posts: 19
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    Sorry, I put this in the wrong discussion board...
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
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    You're eating 3 meals for 664 calories? How long have you been eating like this? Are you only eating "diet" food?

    How about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Or a 3 egg omelette with 2 ounces of cheese? Or a few handfuls of cashews?
  • tanlon76
    tanlon76 Posts: 19
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    No, I'm not eating diet food. Today, my diet consists of salad (with cheese and real dressing), scrambled eggs, bacon, whole milk, a banana, coffee (with creamer), etc. Yesterday, I had chicken, beans, carrots, cabbage with tomatoes, salad, apple, peanut butter, etc.... I've also had chicken soft tacos... I do not eat DIET food. I've been logging food now for about 3 days so I'm new to this. I've cut out white (rice, pasta, bread) and I'm watching my sugar but something has to give. I still have to eat dinner tonight but I have over 1,000 calories left to eat - am I to eat a dinner filled with that many calories? I think not.
  • jnv7594
    jnv7594 Posts: 983 Member
    edited February 2015
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    You need to find some more calorie dense foods. And the thing is, you didn't get overweight by only eating just over 600 calories a day. You had to have eaten substantially more than that unless you have a medical condition we are not aware of, so it would make sense that you should be able to eat more now. Sometimes I think, as this used to be the case with me, that someone who says they are full on so little simply doesn't like the food their eating. Find calorie dense foods that you enjoy that will get you closer to your calorie goal, and yes it is important. A daily intake of 600-700 is not not healthy for you. Less is not better, not that much less anyway. Good luck.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    How did you become overweight in the first place if you are having trouble reaching 1600 calories?

    Whatever the answer is, add some of that back in to your diet.
  • LadyTalulah
    LadyTalulah Posts: 174 Member
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    So you're saying you've gone the whole day on just over 600 calories? There's something wrong there, I can wolf that down in one shake, easy. 1'600 isn't even a very high goal.
    If you want to go the healthy root (which you should IMO) you need more nuts, protein powder, dried fruit etc…
    One of the best ways is just to substitute all low-cal options for higher cal ones. Almond milk / rice milk / quinoa milk are higher in calories than cows milk (they are also less inflammatory and easier to digest). Coconut flour and almond flour are also higher calories than normal flour.
    Make loads of paleo desserts if you're really stuggling. Paleo is quite high cal, and since it has zero processed sugar and all natural easy-to-digest ingredients, it's pretty damn healthy!

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    I posted this in your other thread, but I'll add it here in case any lurkers find this one instead.

    Calorie dense foods are your friends when you're struggling to get enough calories. This is a generic list and doesn't account for your personal definition of healthy, but anything here can be included in a balanced diet (as long as there are no allergies, medical conditions, obviously):
    avocado
    cheese
    full fat dairy
    Greek yogurt
    ice cream
    peanut butter (or other nut butters)
    dark chocolate
    less lean cuts of meat (including beef, pork, sausage, etc.)
    seeds (chia, flax, sunflower, etc.)
    nuts
    olive oil
    coconut oil
    butter
    beans and lentils
    protein shakes, bars, and smoothies
    hummus
    beef jerky
    cornbread
    tuna
    full calorie condiments
    full calorie sauces & dressings
    sour cream
    guacamole
    whole grain pasta
    rice
    bacon
    whole eggs
    quinoa
    fruit and fruit juices
    pretzels
    bananas
    scones
    muffins (bran, blueberry, banana nut, etc.)
    potatoes (sweet, red, gold, purple, white, etc.)
    dried fruit (raisins, apricots, plums, dates, etc.)
    granola
    coconut
    salmon
    edamame
    honey
    molasses
  • Katerina9408
    Katerina9408 Posts: 276 Member
    edited February 2015
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    Eat more carbs.Carbs give you more energy and burn faster then fat(if you look the chemistry formula of a carbohydrate and a fat you will see that I am right).Carbs are good for pre-work out meal like oat flakes with a banana or a banana smoothie with dates.Maybe you eat too heavy foods like meat ? If you eat more easily absorebed foods like fruits,veggies and grains you will have lots of energy and not feel constipated or don't have apetite. Your body runs on glucose so feed it don't be afraid.
  • DirrtyH
    DirrtyH Posts: 664 Member
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    Based on what you say you're eating, you might not be logging correctly. Have you been weighing everything or eyeballing it?
  • ClaireTonito
    ClaireTonito Posts: 31 Member
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    It helps if you open up your diary as more experienced people on this can have a look and give their input. Some of the food items on the database may not have accurate readings. I check the nutrional info of a few of the same named items as some people only add in the calories or the calories and carbs and no other info which can be frustrating.

    Might be good idea to weigh each bit of your food until you get used to what each portion size is. Everybody has a habit of underestimating how much they are eating. I had no idea that 100g of certain things really isn't that much at all, so what I thought was 100g turned out to be more like 250-300g!
  • tanlon76
    tanlon76 Posts: 19
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    Hornsby wrote: »
    How did you become overweight in the first place if you are having trouble reaching 1600 calories?

    Whatever the answer is, add some of that back in to your diet.

    I became overweight from a lack of exercise due to compression fractures in my spine (which have now healed). I used to be very active - then, bam, not so much. I eat well... I truly do... lots of meat, veggies, cheese, etc.

  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    If you aren't hitting your calorie goal, you aren't eating "well" and you aren't and you aren't eating "lots" of anything.
  • jnv7594
    jnv7594 Posts: 983 Member
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    Yes but even without exercise you wouldn't gain weight on 600 or 700 calories a day. It would take much more than that. Not trying to be rude. Just making a point. At any rate, dianne listed a lot of good options for you. I would start there.
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
    edited February 2015
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    this is a common thing to happen to people who start dieting. It's probably because you are limiting carbs too much and are eating more nutritionally dense foods with less calories which is more filling.

    Start eating bread again.
  • tanlon76
    tanlon76 Posts: 19
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    jnv7594 wrote: »
    Yes but even without exercise you wouldn't gain weight on 600 or 700 calories a day. It would take much more than that. Not trying to be rude. Just making a point. At any rate, dianne listed a lot of good options for you. I would start there.

    Oh no, I'm taking you as rude... I've removed things such as pasta, white rice, bread, etc. from my diet now. Before, I just ate what I wanted... although I do not eat fried foods at all. Yuck.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    edited February 2015
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    tanlon76 wrote: »
    jnv7594 wrote: »
    Yes but even without exercise you wouldn't gain weight on 600 or 700 calories a day. It would take much more than that. Not trying to be rude. Just making a point. At any rate, dianne listed a lot of good options for you. I would start there.

    Oh no, I'm taking you as rude... I've removed things such as pasta, white rice, bread, etc. from my diet now. Before, I just ate what I wanted... although I do not eat fried foods at all. Yuck.


    There is nothing wrong with the foods you listed. Add some of that back in to get to your goals (except the fried foods obviously).
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    With your diary open now, I do have questions about the accuracy of your logging. Are the recipes and homemade entries your personal additions to the food database? Or are they a "best guess" of what you ate out? Things like 1/2 cup of scrambled eggs just aren't the best way to measure these things.

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