1200 Calories seems impossible for me..Help!

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ashlinmarie
ashlinmarie Posts: 1,263 Member
in Food and Nutrition
No matter what I do, I can't seem to net anywhere NEAR 1200 calories in a day. I never thought I'd have the problem of exercising TOO much, but most days I run 500-800 calories shy of my goal due to exercise. I work two jobs and am usually gone from 5:30 AM-10:30 PM. I bike about 20 minutes each way as I don't have a car and then sometimes do additional workouts like light calisthenics. I try to eat foods that will give me good amounts of nutrients and energy like oatmeal and grilled skinless chicken breast, but I have problems eating in the morning and don't have time to eat more than 3 or 4 meals a day. Can anyone recommend me some cheap, quick and easy snacks or meals that I can sneak in during my work day or to just give me more calories so I don't feel like my body is running on E all the time?
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Replies

  • mandysjourney
    mandysjourney Posts: 260 Member
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    nuts. they are high in calories
    dried fruit
    crackers and cheese
    carrot sticks and dips
    fruit
    peanut butter on crackers
  • FairyMiss
    FairyMiss Posts: 1,812 Member
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    I am learning to. and can finally do it. with the help of a sort of "coach" i have on here, get some friend to kinda push ya and give you ideas. not naming names don't want to invade privacy. but she should know who i mean if she sees this <grin>
  • ashlinmarie
    ashlinmarie Posts: 1,263 Member
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    I was thinking of getting a jar of peanuts the other day, but they seem so high in sodium. I guess I could give almonds a try though? Dried fruit is one I wouldn't have thought of so will try that as well. Thanks!
  • mericksmom
    mericksmom Posts: 222 Member
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    Add avocado to burritos, sandwiches or salads. It is high cal and high nutrients, a small one is just about 200 or so cals.



    I have also seen people say drink a protien shake, drink milk, and eat nuts
  • savbentley
    savbentley Posts: 103
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    Nuts, natural peanut/almond butter, smoothies (easy for mornings, healthy, and depending on what you put in them- high calorie), whole grain pasta with olive oil, whole grain bagels/breads, eggs, sweet potatoes, accompany meals with greek yogurt, avocados, and I HIGHLY suggest you try Larabars. 200 + calories typically only 5 ingredients. There are a lot of calorie-dense healthy foods, you just have to do a little prep to fit them in. :)
  • alexbowser
    alexbowser Posts: 322
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    nuts. they are high in calories
    dried fruit
    crackers and cheese
    carrot sticks and dips
    fruit
    peanut butter on crackers

    Agreed, I always keep dried fruit in my purse for the times when I don't get a chance to eat. Kashi granola bars rock, but can get pricey.
  • Heatherbelle_87
    Heatherbelle_87 Posts: 1,078 Member
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    Protein shakes are great alternative, especially when on the run, you canfind anywhere from 110-300 cals per shake, and some great tasting ones. Peanut butter is a good nutrient dense easy snack, on apples, crackers, toast, or a half sandwhich but it higher in fats. Smoothies are also great, I blend rozen berries, orange juice and protein powder for mine. The smoothies are great in addition to a smaller meal too, my smoothies makes around 16ozs and packs on average 350 cals. Add a few ounces of yogurt for extra tang and a few extra cals
  • ri102900
    ri102900 Posts: 1
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    1200 calories isn't impossible. All you have to do is control your eating habbits and before eating something, search it up and look at the nutritional facts and see if you can eat it.
  • bluebird321
    bluebird321 Posts: 733 Member
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    Walnuts, avocado or boiled eggs to eat on the go.
    Get a blender, put some water in it and blend up some spinach, squash etc. I don't like it, but it gets my "green" requirement out of the way quickly.
  • FairyMiss
    FairyMiss Posts: 1,812 Member
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    I was thinking of getting a jar of peanuts the other day, but they seem so high in sodium. I guess I could give almonds a try though? Dried fruit is one I wouldn't have thought of so will try that as well. Thanks!

    look around there are a lot of low salt options now on nuts. Planters has about every health option under the sound (including south beach approved LOL)
  • ashlinmarie
    ashlinmarie Posts: 1,263 Member
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    Thanks! I feel dumb not thinking about a lot of this stuff I know about. When I get into diet mode, my only thought is low cal (due to how I was raised to think about dieting) and I forget about a lot of the foods I love that can also help me out if portioned correctly.
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
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    Almonds are super good! I make a trail mix with almonds, wheat cereal, raisins/craisins, and some other kinds of nuts - basically whatever it's my cupboard. I would just add things to your meals too like make it a grilled chicken breast sandwich using a whole wheat bun, and put a slice of onion and a slice of cheese on it. It's the same meal but you're getting more calories! Oh and like people have said above, avocado is great! I eat half a one on occasion with pretzels, using it like a dip.
  • Mustangsally1000
    Mustangsally1000 Posts: 860 Member
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    Zone bars, or Luna bars. They taste really good, high in protien. Luna bars are lower in calories..completely different kind of bar. But easy to carry around. Good luck!
  • FairyMiss
    FairyMiss Posts: 1,812 Member
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    Thanks! I feel dumb not thinking about a lot of this stuff I know about. When I get into diet mode, my only thought is low cal (due to how I was raised to think about dieting) and I forget about a lot of the foods I love that can also help me out if portioned correctly.

    Hey thats the great thing about this site , even if its something you havent thought of someone will .
  • ErrataCorrige
    ErrataCorrige Posts: 649 Member
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    I always fill in the gaps with almonds. So good for you, loads of calories but good fats, plus they are tastly without roasting or salting. And they keep for a long time. I have little baggies of almonds in my car, my desk, my purse, lol. And you can get them cheaper in stores that sell bulk foods.
  • cmallen1010
    cmallen1010 Posts: 23
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    I recently discovered that Emerald makes a 100 calorie pack of Natural Almonds and Walnuts... Since it sounds like you could probably stand to eat more than the 100 calorie packs, I would check to see if they have them in a jar. If not I would check some of your local health food stores. Normally, they would have unsalted naturally roasted nuts, as well as dried fruit w/out added sugar.
  • bghall67
    bghall67 Posts: 4 Member
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    if you get the salt free nuts there no sodium
    Brenda
  • ashlinmarie
    ashlinmarie Posts: 1,263 Member
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    I've heard about luna bars, but couldn't find them at kroger. Are they something I'd have to find at a nutrition or health food store?

    I literally have no time to do prep work (sadly) but if I ever get down to 1 job, I'd definitely like to try stuff with avocado, which I've never had before.

    I do a lot of smoothies now, but usually as a low cal dinner if I don't have time to cook something up. No protein powder but do 1 cup yogurt and 1 cup soy milk with whatever fruit I have around (usually bananas or strawberries or both). Its about 364 calories total.
  • whateverdamnit
    whateverdamnit Posts: 130
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    I wouldn't go for dried fruit because of the really high sugar content.

    Try natural, unsalted almonds, or a protein bar. I eat a protein bar every day, it's low in calories/carbs/sugar and tastes really good.
  • mrb2217
    mrb2217 Posts: 7
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    I work 10 - 15 hours a day so sometimes eating can be a problem for me as well. I always have a jar of almonds in my desk drawer along with a couple of Pure Protein bars. I also throw a couple of Chobani or Fage yougurt cups in my lunch cooler to eat with the almonds if I have a little more time. I always drink a Casein Protein shake before bed to keep me burning fat through the night.

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