I'm not eating enough calories, don't know what to add

simonnatyu
simonnatyu Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I try to eat at least 1200 calories but I haven't been able to get to there. I feel full at around 1000, and when I add more food, MFP tells me I'm eating too many carbs or too much protein, fiber, etc.

My carbs are from vegetables, fruit and sweet potato so I don't really see what I could substitute any of that with (since I always go a bit over my protein too and I don't want to add more protein).

I need 150/200 more calories but I don't know what to add. I would add avocado but that adds a lot to my fiber and monounsaturated fats, bringing me over the maximum goal. Am I obsessing too much over the nutrition?

Replies

  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    You are obsessing too much. With protein, the base number mfp gives you is pretty low. The general recommendation is .6-.8g of protein per lb of body weight and .4g of fat per lb of body weight.

    How old are you and what are you goals, current weight, and height? I'd argue that 1200 is too low
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Peanut butter
  • 64heyjude
    64heyjude Posts: 38 Member
    I have the same problem. I can't add carbs so I use protein to get the cal. up. I puts me a little over on the protein, but I consider it a good trade. Even with that I'm still usually 100-200 short. I need ideas too.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    The macros are minimum goals really but there's no need to obsess over them to the degree you are, or even at all it could be argued as long as your diet is generally varied. I don't know how you're hitting all your goals though if you're eating so very little?

    As above, what are your stats?
  • simonnatyu
    simonnatyu Posts: 13 Member
    VintageFeline wrote: »

    As above, what are your stats?

    I'm 5'4, 153 pounds, 19. I'm not sure how much I'm trying to lose, maybe 15/20 pounds.
  • GsKiki
    GsKiki Posts: 392 Member
    If you're not hungry I would suggest adding some food like nuts in your diet. They are not big in quantity so your stomach will not feel overly full, but they will give you the calories you need, and healthy ones as well.
    Another thing would be to add just a little bit more of food when you're eating breakfast/lunch/dinner. If you add just 50 calories more to each of those meals you will already have 150 more for the day, and you will not feel stuffed.
    Feel free to add me or message me if you need more tips or support :)
  • howeclectic
    howeclectic Posts: 121 Member
    Monounsaturated fat is good for you. Fat is not bad for you... In fact... You need fat to efficiently absorb some nutrients. Don't sweat fat if you are getting it from quality sources like avacados, fish, olive oil.

    http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEating/Monounsaturated-Fats_UCM_301460_Article.jsp#mainContent
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    Fry your veggies in oil if you don't want to eat more or swap lower calorie fruit for banana etc. Add in an avocado in place of a lower calorie food.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    Rice, Quinoa, beans, oats.... These are more calorie dense carbs. Why stick to fruit and vegies if you're struggling?
  • javabean161
    javabean161 Posts: 10 Member
    edited January 2016
    Try adding a snack of:

    1 slice of Pepperidge Farm 15 Whole Grain (Toasted)
    2 Tbsp Organic Almond Butter (or Peanut Butter)
    2 Tbsp Organic Fruit based Jelly

    This will add approximately 350 calories to your diet
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    You are way over thinking this. And, most likely, eating more than you THINK you are. no one got to be overweight by not eating enough and being full ;)

    and are you 19 or 21 or something different because I see two different ages which makes me question more....

    just an observation.
  • MsLindaC2015
    MsLindaC2015 Posts: 51 Member
    I have the same problem. My calories are usually under my 1200 but my carbs and sugar were extremely high. Mostly due to being addicted to Pepsi. Unfortunately because the app kept telling me I wasn't eating enough I think I subconsciously started forcing myself to consume more and then ended up with intestinal problems.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited January 2016
    simonnatyu wrote: »
    I try to eat at least 1200 calories but I haven't been able to get to there. I feel full at around 1000, and when I add more food, MFP tells me I'm eating too many carbs or too much protein, fiber, etc.

    My carbs are from vegetables, fruit and sweet potato so I don't really see what I could substitute any of that with (since I always go a bit over my protein too and I don't want to add more protein).

    I need 150/200 more calories but I don't know what to add. I would add avocado but that adds a lot to my fiber and monounsaturated fats, bringing me over the maximum goal. Am I obsessing too much over the nutrition?

    It's not telling you you are eating too much of whatever. It's telling you you are over a particular target or goal, which is often a good thing or simply not important. Sometimes (as with sat fat) the target is supposed to be a maximum, but often it's a minimum (like fiber), or simply a goal to aim for to ensure balance (like the macros -- fat, protein, carbs). With the macros, they are general guidelines and can be set according to your preference, and protein in particular is basically a minimum.

    Monounsaturated fats don't have any set limit at all. They should say N/A, but may show up as 0 -- that just means there is no RDA or limit to worry about, NOT that eating more than 0 is a problem, of course.

    So yeah, it sounds like you are misreading what MFP's numbers are showing, and definitely overthinking this stuff. Focus on getting in the 1200 first.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    The calorie goal is more important than the macro balance. Monosaturated fats are the good ones and you can go over on them.

    Based on your macro splits you would benefit from a little fat at the end of the day if you have trouble hitting your target. That might be that avocado, nuts, or cheese.
  • booksandchocolate12
    booksandchocolate12 Posts: 1,741 Member
    I am making this statement not to be mean, but to get you think about what you're saying: if you are 15-20 lbs overweight, you didn't get there by eating less than 1200 calories a day. You are likely eating more than you think you are.

    If you don't have a food scale, get one. Weigh ALL of your food--even pre-packaged foods. I had a roll the other day. On the package it said, "Serving size: 1 roll (64g)". When I weighed the roll, it was 70g. Probably not a huge caloric difference if it were just the one roll, but think about how that would add up over time.

    Have you been weighing all of your food?
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    Focus on calories, and not on macros. Unless there are specific reasons you need e.g. to be low carb or low fat etc, this really does not matter. Just make sure you are getting a minimum of protein if monitoring macros.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    The stickied posts are a wealth of good information. Check them out at the top of each forum section. This one in particular might be useful for some: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Yes, you're over thinking it :)

    Just pay attention to the macros you need for satiety and any particular health issues you have. For example, I mostly just look at the protein macro, because when I eat enough protein I don't get the munchies. Doing that keeps the carbs in line. (When I have too many carbs, I tend to over eat.)

    Since December, due to a medical condition, I have been monitoring saturated fat as well. This caused me to change my breakfast, and my new breakfast gets me half way to my fiber goal. Getting enough fiber also helps me to not overeat.

    Both protein and fiber are targets for me, not limits that I should not exceed. I know it's confusing due to MFP putting these in red when you go over, visually indicating that this is a bad thing when it is not.
  • simonnatyu
    simonnatyu Posts: 13 Member
    booksandchocolate12 wrote: »
    I am making this statement not to be mean, but to get you think about what you're saying: if you are 15-20 lbs overweight, you didn't get there by eating less than 1200 calories a day. You are likely eating more than you think you are.

    If you don't have a food scale, get one. Weigh ALL of your food--even pre-packaged foods. I had a roll the other day. On the package it said, "Serving size: 1 roll (64g)". When I weighed the roll, it was 70g. Probably not a huge caloric difference if it were just the one roll, but think about how that would add up over time.

    Have you been weighing all of your food?

    I do weigh all my food, and I know I'm considered overweight but I don't look overweight, just some extra pounds. I just started a few days ago, since I know if I don't go down a little ill end up being visibly overweight but yeah I do weigh my food.

  • simonnatyu
    simonnatyu Posts: 13 Member
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    You are way over thinking this. And, most likely, eating more than you THINK you are. no one got to be overweight by not eating enough and being full ;)

    and are you 19 or 21 or something different because I see two different ages which makes me question more....

    just an observation.

    I don't think I'm eating more than I think I am because I weigh all of my food and I'm 19, I put a random year when I signed up for MFP.

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited January 2016
    simonnatyu wrote: »
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    You are way over thinking this. And, most likely, eating more than you THINK you are. no one got to be overweight by not eating enough and being full ;)

    and are you 19 or 21 or something different because I see two different ages which makes me question more....

    just an observation.

    I don't think I'm eating more than I think I am because I weigh all of my food and I'm 19, I put a random year when I signed up for MFP.

    If you're confident that you're choosing correct database entries and properly weighing your food, then things like nuts, nut butter, oils, and avocado are great ways to add more calories to meals. Since the calories in fat tend to add up fast, it doesn't take much to help you fill in extra calories for a day. Fiber and fat goals are minimums. You don't have to worry if you go over them as long as you stay within your calorie goals.
  • ChrisM8971
    ChrisM8971 Posts: 1,067 Member
    Weighing is only part of this, you need to ensure that the entries that you are selecting from the MFP database are correct, because many member entries are not.

    Under eating is often an issue with people just starting because they often cut out so many things from their diet.

    If you are struggling to increase calories due to food volume try using olive oil in dressings, eat a few nuts and seeds, a nice piece of cheese or maybe reward yourself with a latte at lunchtime.

    Not sure what weight loss goal you entered, although I would guess 2 lbs per week? but for what you have to lose 0.5- 1.0 lbs per week would be more reasonable
  • Ibeachlover
    Ibeachlover Posts: 66 Member
    Do you exercise? If so, what do you do? If you exercise, more protein than the calculator suggests is fine...as it tends to be lower than what I've read for "per pound". Do you snack at all? If not, finding something that doesn't add sugar, to snack on, might do it.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    You're overthinking it. MFP has a low protein % so don't worry about going over it.
  • cookielover_96
    cookielover_96 Posts: 177 Member
    Eat calorie dense foods (whole grains, nut butter, etc.)
  • crodriguez0223
    crodriguez0223 Posts: 6 Member
    simonnatyu wrote: »
    I try to eat at least 1200 calories but I haven't been able to get to there. I feel full at around 1000, and when I add more food, MFP tells me I'm eating too many carbs or too much protein, fiber, etc.

    My carbs are from vegetables, fruit and sweet potato so I don't really see what I could substitute any of that with (since I always go a bit over my protein too and I don't want to add more protein).

    I need 150/200 more calories but I don't know what to add. I would add avocado but that adds a lot to my fiber and monounsaturated fats, bringing me over the maximum goal. Am I obsessing too much over the nutrition?

    Fiber One bars. Almonds. Add avocado to your food. It good fats that you can add.
  • Asianbutterflies
    Asianbutterflies Posts: 62 Member
    Peanut butter is good. Even some mixed nuts unsalted or w sea salt.
  • steuartcj
    steuartcj Posts: 132 Member
    Perhaps a Quest bar. They have 170 - 190 calories per serving with 20 grams of protein.
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
    Umm...add pretty much anything you want. You are WAY overthinking all the things you track. For an easy bump, eat a couple tbsp. of peanut butter.

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