Im struggling to reach my calorie goal

Cloudy2207
Cloudy2207 Posts: 18 Member
edited November 23 in Getting Started
I've only recently start MFP but I'm finding it really hard to reach my calorie goal of 1200. Today alone I still have 1000+ calories and my day is basically done

I could literally eat two Big Macs and just have gone over my calorie count.
Anyone else that used to struggle with this that could give me some pointers?

Replies

  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    At 18, you should most likely be eating more than 1200 per day.
    Are you weighing and measuring your food? How are you calculating your exercise burns?
    I am assuming that you exercise a lot if you have 1000+ calories left at the end of the day. If this is untrue and you are not exercising, this means that you've eaten less than 200 calories throughout the day: eat something.

    Make sure you do not eat below your BMR. 1200 calories are likely too low to keep your body healthy and functioning properly.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    Nut butters are great to pile on calories.
  • ashliedelgado
    ashliedelgado Posts: 814 Member
    Open your diary.
    Are you measuring/weighing accurately? I don't weigh at this time, but I am still getting results so I'm not worried about it. In my time here, I've learned that not meeting calorie goals and not losing weight is almost always the direct result of inaccurate logging. But no one can help if they can't see what you're eating.
  • lauries8888
    lauries8888 Posts: 70 Member
    I am confused. Are you saying that today, you have eaten less than 200 calories in total and that it is the end of the day (where you are) so you have no opportunity to eat more?
  • Cloudy2207
    Cloudy2207 Posts: 18 Member
    ashliefisch wrote: »
    Open your diary.
    Are you measuring/weighing accurately? I don't weigh at this time, but I am still getting results so I'm not worried about it. In my time here, I've learned that not meeting calorie goals and not losing weight is almost always the direct result of inaccurate logging. But no one can help if they can't see what you're eating.

    I actually have been logging as religiously as possible. I'm pretty stressed out so that could be why I'm not eating as much as I should? Also I do exercise quite a bit so that probably isn't helping my whole 'not getting close to my calorie goal' problem.

    Should I just eat food with a higher calorie count?
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    claudiatanyaspinola wrote: »
    ashliefisch wrote: »
    Open your diary.
    Are you measuring/weighing accurately? I don't weigh at this time, but I am still getting results so I'm not worried about it. In my time here, I've learned that not meeting calorie goals and not losing weight is almost always the direct result of inaccurate logging. But no one can help if they can't see what you're eating.

    I actually have been logging as religiously as possible. I'm pretty stressed out so that could be why I'm not eating as much as I should? Also I do exercise quite a bit so that probably isn't helping my whole 'not getting close to my calorie goal' problem.

    Should I just eat food with a higher calorie count?

    Yes - calorie dense foods have small serving sizes. Nuts, nut butters, avocado, olive oil, full fat dairy, eggs
  • Cloudy2207
    Cloudy2207 Posts: 18 Member
    lauries8888 wrote: »
    I am confused. Are you saying that today, you have eaten less than 200 calories in total and that it is the end of the day (where you are) so you have no opportunity to eat more?
    I have eaten more than 200 calories (i think i had about 500-600 calories today?)
    I just ended up working out most of it off and yeah it is the end of the day I've eaten all my meals, so I won't eat again todaye
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    claudiatanyaspinola wrote: »
    ashliefisch wrote: »
    Open your diary.
    Are you measuring/weighing accurately? I don't weigh at this time, but I am still getting results so I'm not worried about it. In my time here, I've learned that not meeting calorie goals and not losing weight is almost always the direct result of inaccurate logging. But no one can help if they can't see what you're eating.

    I actually have been logging as religiously as possible. I'm pretty stressed out so that could be why I'm not eating as much as I should? Also I do exercise quite a bit so that probably isn't helping my whole 'not getting close to my calorie goal' problem.

    Should I just eat food with a higher calorie count?

    that is one option, another is to exercise less.
    How are you measuring calories burned? If you are using MFP's estimates you are probably over estimating your burn?
    Do you weigh your solid foods and measure liquids? If not then you are probably eating more than you think you are as well.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    Here's a link with a list of calorie dense foods:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,756 Member
    You struggle to eat more than 500 cals? You stated you are stressed but 600 cal total for the day is very very low and definitely not healthy. You certainly didnt get 30lbs overweight eating 600 cals per day?
    Eat some calorie dense foods, start early in the morning and eat every few hours. even small portions.

    If you were eating 1300cals and exercising off a bunch that would be another story.

    something seems amiss

  • Cloudy2207
    Cloudy2207 Posts: 18 Member
    Thank you for all the advice! I'm still a newbie so I'm probably relying on MFP's estimates too much
  • Cloudy2207
    Cloudy2207 Posts: 18 Member
    Thank you for all the advice! I'm still a newbie so I'm probably relying on MFP's estimates too much
  • lauries8888
    lauries8888 Posts: 70 Member
    Still confused -- Are you on this site trying to lose weight (which is my assumption, since your caloric goal is 1200 calories)? This doesn't make a lot of sense to me because people who tend to net less than 200 calories a day (that is 500 or 600, minus exercise) rarely need to lose weight. I must be missing something.
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