Too few calories

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Ithlilian86
Ithlilian86 Posts: 5 Member
in Food and Nutrition
The problem with eating healthy for me currently is that food doesn't have a lot of calories. I'm rummaging around in the fridge trying to find something to take to work since my lunch is celery, lettuce, and cucumbers. Settled on pb2 and blueberry on a piece of wheat bread and some of the bean salsa I made. Dinner is chicken breast, mushrooms, and zucchini. That's like 500 calories in the day and I do an hour of exercise. Guess that is what protein is supposed to be for but it's expensive. I've been going with ice cream and cereal at 9pm instead and that seems extremely counter productive.

I guess ideally I should be eating some high calorie protein 4 or 5 times a day but there's nothing cheap that I like. I am not a fan of nuts, soy beans are expensive, meat is expensive and takes time to prepare, protein shakes all have stevia or sucralose in them...I just feel like eating junk food at night can't be a good thing.

Replies

  • 365andstillalive
    365andstillalive Posts: 663 Member
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    Eggs, yogurt (greek if you're looking for the protein trade-off), lentils and other bulk buys, add in starches like rice/pasta/potatoes. It's pretty easy to get your cals up; just look for calorie dense foods.
  • JMC3Terp
    JMC3Terp Posts: 2,803 Member
    edited June 2015
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    Milk. I drink fat free milk. 13g of protein, 0g fat, 80 cals. 2 cups there gives you some much needed protein and 160 cals. That's pretty cheap. Eggs are good. 5 eggs give you around 25g of protein and 125 calories. Chicken Breast, 250 cals, 40-50g of protein. V8 juice. 1 cup is about 100 calories. Eggs are relatively cheap, so is milk, and frozen chicken is cheap and can be microwave in like 8 minutes. doesn't taste as good as if you cooked it in a pan, but it still works.

    Edit: I just read 365's post. Starches are a great idea. Maybe some bread too, unless your going low carb for some reason.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    edited June 2015
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    Healthy doesn't mean low calorie. Where is your fat?

    Fat is a) necessary for good health and b) calorie dense. It also makes stuff taste good.

    You need to eat more than low carb dense vegies. Protein and fat are both important. Whole eggs, tins of salmon, chicken thigh, fattier cuts of meat (generally cheaper, good for slow/bulk cooks), butter, oils - like coconut, extra Virgin olive oil. Full fat dairy.

    What is wrong with stevia? Or protein powder? If you can't eat more, adding protein (unflavoured/unsweetened is available) to a smoothie with fruit, greens and nut butter or avocado is a great way to get nutrients and calories
  • griffinca2
    griffinca2 Posts: 672 Member
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    Plain egg whites (cheap ones in the egg section); 1 egg & cheap oatmeal (Ralston) for breakfast. Lunch is low/non-sugar wheat bread w/Buddig meat (chicken, beef, turkey, etc.). Usually have a high pro snack between lunch & dinner. Dinner is low-fat beef, pork, chicken, etc. I was eating below 1100/1200 calories and am now up to 1390/1400; it took some work, but I have lost abt 9 lbs. I also started watching my sugar intake (trying to keep it below abt 50 gm). There are several eating plans out on the Internet (check out Bodybuilding.com) that will give you ideas on what to eat. Good luck!!
  • iLoveMyPitbull1225
    iLoveMyPitbull1225 Posts: 1,690 Member
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    What do you mean protein is too expensive? I think you need to reevaluate your food spending/planning. You bought ice cream and pb2, I paid like 7 bucks for my jar of pb2. In my opinion, you could be spending that more wisely. You can buy frozen tilapia at Aldi for like $3.99 a pound, also agree with the eggs and Greek yogurt idea.

    It sounds to me like you aren't eating nearly enough during the day (only 500 calories?) and then binging at night. You didn't mention breakfast; I would add a protein rich breakfast and maybe a few small snacks to your days and I honestly think that will help.
  • RonwynAngel
    RonwynAngel Posts: 15 Member
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    If you are only eating 500 calories a day you are starving yourself. A balanced diet of vegetables, fruit and protein is actually less expensive than processed food. Shop the walls of a supermarket as that is where the unprocessed food is. You only need small amounts. Good food + good health. Drink enough fluid during the day too as often we mistake lack of fluid for hunger. Drink that dreaded glass of water. Squeeze some lemon juice in if that helps.Protein powders are mainly made up of whey, just drink the milk its cheaper.
  • RonwynAngel
    RonwynAngel Posts: 15 Member
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    If you are only eating 500 calories a day you are starving yourself. A balanced diet of vegetables, fruit and protein is actually less expensive than processed food. Shop the walls of a supermarket as that is where the unprocessed food is. You only need small amounts. Good food + good health. Drink enough fluid during the day too as often we mistake lack of fluid for hunger. Drink that dreaded glass of water. Squeeze some lemon juice in if that helps.Protein powders are mainly made up of whey, just drink the milk its cheaper.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    iLoveMyPitbull1225 wrote: »
    What do you mean protein is too expensive? I think you need to reevaluate your food spending/planning. You bought ice cream and pb2, I paid like 7 bucks for my jar of pb2. In my opinion, you could be spending that more wisely. You can buy frozen tilapia at Aldi for like $3.99 a pound, also agree with the eggs and Greek yogurt idea.

    It sounds to me like you aren't eating nearly enough during the day (only 500 calories?) and then binging at night. You didn't mention breakfast; I would add a protein rich breakfast and maybe a few small snacks to your days and I honestly think that will help.

    Yeah, what they said in bold. Priorities, dude, priorities. Saying meat is too expensive and then saying you're buying ice cream and PB2 makes it clear that you're using money as an excuse for some reason.

    Meal timing and frequency is irrelevant. You don't need 4-5 meals a day in order to lose weight. If you're having a hard time eating more than 500 calories per day, how did you end up becoming overweight? And...your lunch is celery, lettuce, and cucumbers? Are you a rabbit? Eat something with substance!

    If you can fit ice cream and cereal into your day without going over your calorie goal, there's nothing counter productive about it. I eat ice cream with cereal on top every single night and the weight isn't packing on.
  • irishdancer214
    irishdancer214 Posts: 108 Member
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    I definitely agree with the above posts...you need wayyyy more than veggies! How are you not passing out? Try oatmeal and protein powder for breakfast, maybe a hearty cereal or eggs and toast? Maybe some greek yogurt and fruit or a sandwich for lunch?
    You can't survive on just lettuce!!!
  • geohunt
    geohunt Posts: 9 Member
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    I buy a lot of boneless skinless chicken breast, Walmart has it for $1.99 LB. I cook it up and freeze. I grind it so I use it in place of groundbeef (which is around $5.40 LB here) I add spices and make sausage with it. I sometimes grill the whole package and use in salads for the week. Add in veggies and fruit that is in season. While things like PB2 have a place in my diet I find that buying "real" food keeps me full longer and I feel better. If I don't meet my 1200 goal for the day then I don't. I do need to add in more dairy, that's my goal for the next month.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited June 2015
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    Ithlilian86 wrote: »
    Guess that is what protein is supposed to be for but it's expensive.

    For increasing calories, the main sources are usually fat (lots of calories per gram) and starch (cheap, the backbone of most traditional diets likely because it's a good way to fuel activity -- this is rice, grains, potatoes, beans).

    You should eat adequate protein too, of course, and it's great to eat veggies, but not to the exclusion of other foods.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    I'll just leave this here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    "Eating healthy" means taking care of yourself.
    Go buy a cheeseburger each day. They are cheap and easy and healthy because they give you protein and calories.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    Truenutrition sells unsweetened, unflavored protein powder. So does Isopure. You can add flavor/sugar/whatever you want. Just saying. You can get protein powder without stevia or sucralose -- you just have to look around.
  • Justthisgirl1994
    Justthisgirl1994 Posts: 226 Member
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    You could eat fruit. I always have to limit my fruit so I won't go over. An apple isn't the most nutrient dense, but it does have a lot of calories!

    This has already been mentioned, but grains for sure will boost up your calories. Quinoa, barely, oats etc have a decent amount of protein in them too.

    Whole fat milk will give you a lot of calories for a good amount of fat, protein and carbs.
  • pmm3437
    pmm3437 Posts: 529 Member
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    I typically pay < $2/lb. for all the protein sources I use on a weekly basis. Things like eggs, chicken thigh, pork chops, sausage and bacon. It only gets expensive if limit your options, or gravitate to the "vanity" sources/cuts.

    I'm 6' 1.5" and 284 lbs. atm. My weekly grocery bill is $45-50 on average, and I always hit or exceed my macro targets.

    I've seen budget grocery lists for bodybuilders that end up being under $50/week, and they have much higher protein and overall requirements.

    There's no need for supplements, or to eat 4+ meals a day.

    Your $4 box of cereal ( 14 oz ) along with the $3+ gallon of milk very easily translates into 3 lbs of assorted pork chops @ $1.87/lb. in a family pack at walmart ( for example ). That 3 lbs is 6+ meals, or < $1 serving ...

    _____________________________________________________________

    If you dont want to eat it ( or prefer to eat other things ), fine. But don't blame cost.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited June 2015
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    I see no mention of fats......olive oil (roasted veggies...yum). Nuts or nut butter. PB2 has taken the healthy fat out. If you have trouble meeting calories....ditch to PB2, or use it to bump up something else. I like it mixed in oatmeal, but wouldn't think to make a sandwich with it. Greek yogurt is generally more expensive than regular....but look for store brands, Aldi & Meijer do a decent job.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    I think there's plenty of room in your food budget for meat. Chicken thighs are cheaper than breast and taste better IMO. If you take the time to cook one big batch, you can eat it for a few days.

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