Trouble hitting daily calorie goal

Freckles_87
Freckles_87 Posts: 19 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello everyone! I've been on MFP for a while now, however have not been active on the site in quite sometime. I recently made the decision to really lose weight this time get back into logging my food/exercise and MFP set my daily calorie goal to 1200/day. I'm having trouble hitting that goal however.. This is how I have my day set up currently:

8:00am - Get up. Drink 16 ounces of warm water with 4 teaspoons lemon juice. Take all vitamins.
8:30am - BREAKFAST + 8 ounces green tea
9:30am - WORKOUT #1 - Cardio
11:30am - SNACK TIME + 16 ounces of water
1:30pm - LUNCH + 8 ounces green tea
2:30pm - WORKOUT #2 - Follow Fit Girls Workout
3:00pm - SNACK + 8 ounces water
4:30pm - WORKOUT #3 - 8 minutes HIIT training
5:00pm - DINNER - Whey Protein Shake
6:00pm - 8 ounces green tea

I've drastically changed my diet. I've gone from heavily processed foods and a lot of junk food, to raw veggies, lean protein, healthy carbs... Since I've made the switch I feel full all day long, which is a lot better than how I used to feel. However, I'm finding it hard to reach that 1200 goal without over stuffing myself.. I feel if I eat anymore I'm going to explode! I know its not recommended to go under 1200 calories/day, and I definitely don't want to end up putting my body into starvation mode and gaining weight. Would any of you wonderful people be able to take a look at my food diary and maybe give me a few suggestions on what I could do differently in order to get the extra calories without making myself feel like exploding!? I'd really appreciate any advice! :smile:

Thank you!
Ashley

Replies

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Try eating...food.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    Try eating...food.

    This. Especially if you're working out three times a day. You're going to need a lot more than 1200 calories.
  • Freckles_87
    Freckles_87 Posts: 19 Member
    edited February 2016
    I would like to say that I am in fact eating food. I eat all sorts of raw veggies, tons of protein, whole grain brown rice, chickpeas, greek yogurt, fruit etc every day. That's not my problem. My problem is that I have trouble finishing each of my meals without feeling overly full, which has led me to not be able to hit my calorie goal. I've been trying to add in extra foods throughout the day, but the more I add, the more sluggish and full I feel, which in turn makes me not want to move basically.

    And in terms of exercise, yes I do exercise 3 times per day, but I'm not talking about 3 intense workouts at the gym.. I do a 40 min walk in the morning, 10-15 min in the afternoon with weights, and then a 20-30 min walk in the evening. So it's not rigorous by any means.

    Anyways, thanks for the help. Or complete lack there of I should say. I thought this was supposed to be a supportive community of individuals. A place one could go to for advice. I'm trying to do the best I can to get healthy again, and I in no way want to go about that in an unhealthy way. I just wanted a bit of advice, that's all.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited February 2016
    You have a slightly odd diet built no doubt by your need to eat "healthily" and your understanding of what that means

    Where are your fats? Do you know fat is a minimum macro to hit like protein?

    Increase the calorie density of your meals ..use oils, cream, cheese, nuts, avocado, ice cream, chips, chocolate

    What's your weight and height ...1200 is most probably too low a goal

    There is an eating disorder revolving around pickiness of food for "health reasons" ... Just pointing that out because it's becoming more recognised as a condition, and is not a healthy state ...I am categorically not diagnosing but you may be interested https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/orthorexia-nervosa
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Freckles_87 wrote: »
    I would like to say that I am in fact eating food. I eat all sorts of raw veggies, tons of protein, whole grain brown rice, chickpeas, greek yogurt, fruit etc every day. That's not my problem. My problem is that I have trouble finishing each of my meals without feeling overly full, which has led me to not be able to hit my calorie goal. I've been trying to add in extra foods throughout the day, but the more I add, the more sluggish and full I feel, which in turn makes me not want to move basically.

    And in terms of exercise, yes I do exercise 3 times per day, but I'm not talking about 3 intense workouts at the gym.. I do a 40 min walk in the morning, 10-15 min in the afternoon with weights, and then a 20-30 min walk in the evening. So it's not rigorous by any means.

    Anyways, thanks for the help. Or complete lack there of I should say. I thought this was supposed to be a supportive community of individuals. A place one could go to for advice. I'm trying to do the best I can to get healthy again, and I in no way want to go about that in an unhealthy way. I just wanted a bit of advice, that's all.

    Well, this sure makes me want to help /sarcasm

    You didn't give a lot of this information in your OP and it might have helped. You have a few options to try:

    1. Stop eating so often. 6 small meals works well for some people, but it makes others feel sluggish and overstuffed. You might try cutting back to see if that helps your appetite.
    2. Calorie dense foods. These are foods that pack a bigger calorie punch without putting as much volume in your stomach. You'll find a quick list in the stickies on the Food & Nutrition board or a google search
    3. Eat some of the foods you ate before you were trying to lose but in smaller quantities.
    4. Look for foods higher in fat and lower in things like fiber.
    5. Watch for patterns. There may be foods that don't agree with you or that you have an allergy/intolerance to that needs to be addressed.
    6. See a doctor. If you really can't eat enough calories without feeling sick, something may be wrong that requires professional help.
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods

    Incorporate higher calorie foods, add in full fat dairy if you're using low fat. A bowl of ice cream is a nice way to end the day. :)
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Freckles_87 wrote: »
    I would like to say that I am in fact eating food. I eat all sorts of raw veggies, tons of protein, whole grain brown rice, chickpeas, greek yogurt, fruit etc every day. That's not my problem. My problem is that I have trouble finishing each of my meals without feeling overly full, which has led me to not be able to hit my calorie goal. I've been trying to add in extra foods throughout the day, but the more I add, the more sluggish and full I feel, which in turn makes me not want to move basically.

    And in terms of exercise, yes I do exercise 3 times per day, but I'm not talking about 3 intense workouts at the gym.. I do a 40 min walk in the morning, 10-15 min in the afternoon with weights, and then a 20-30 min walk in the evening. So it's not rigorous by any means.

    Anyways, thanks for the help. Or complete lack there of I should say. I thought this was supposed to be a supportive community of individuals. A place one could go to for advice. I'm trying to do the best I can to get healthy again, and I in no way want to go about that in an unhealthy way. I just wanted a bit of advice, that's all.

    I don't see any dietary fats listed. Calorie dense foods give you lots of nutrients with small portions. Nuts, nut butters, avocado, olive oil, eggs, full fat dairy.....

    Drastic changes........generally good for the short term. Unfortunately most people don't incorporate these drastic changes into everyday life after weight loss.

    Losing weight is just the first step. You have a whole lifetime to figure out how to maintain the weight you lost. Instead of drastic changes........you might look for moderate long term changes
  • browneyes1520
    browneyes1520 Posts: 94 Member
    I think what people meant when they said eat food is you have not given us much information about what you eat. You just say breakfast plus tea, snack plus water etc.. that tells us nothing so we can't help without knowing what you eat and also maybe try real food for supper instead of just a protein shake. In terms of more calorie dense food to fill out your calories, try nuts, nut butters, cheese, avocado, stuff like that. Those things are all healthy by high in calories for small portions so you can't over stuff yourself on them without adding hundreds of calories. I don't believe anyone was trying to be hurtful on purpose but if you want meaningful answers you need to provide meaningful info. Best of luck!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited February 2016
    Her diary is open

    It looks like the diary of someone trying really hard but getting it wrong due to a lack of understanding

    I think OP just needs to relax a little
  • Freckles_87
    Freckles_87 Posts: 19 Member
    Hi rabbitjb, thank you very much for your response. I suppose I should have given my stats to give everyone a better idea. I'm 5'8, and currently about 192lbs. Looking to get down to anywhere between 145-160lbs. When I put my info into MFP it set my calorie goal to 1200 (to loose about 2lbs/week). I choose the "lightly active" category, as I felt that best described me. I'm also in no way picky with my food, and the only things I've cut out of my diet completely are:

    Added sugar
    Deserts
    Processed foods, takeout etc

    I'm trying to stick to a "clean eating" diet. As much fresh food as possible! This is all very new to me, so I really had no idea how to set up my day. The reason it's scheduled the way it is is because it's much easier for me to follow and stick to long term. I set alarms on my phone that remind me when to eat, drink, and exercise. It helps keep me accountable.
  • CassidyScaglione
    CassidyScaglione Posts: 673 Member
    I agree with everyone else. If you really feel you cannot eat "more" then find some calorie-dense foods that will fill out your goals better (nuts, seeds, switching your skim-milk products for products with some fat left in them)
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited February 2016
    Freckles_87 wrote: »
    Hi rabbitjb, thank you very much for your response. I suppose I should have given my stats to give everyone a better idea. I'm 5'8, and currently about 192lbs. Looking to get down to anywhere between 145-160lbs. When I put my info into MFP it set my calorie goal to 1200 (to loose about 2lbs/week). I choose the "lightly active" category, as I felt that best described me. I'm also in no way picky with my food, and the only things I've cut out of my diet completely are:

    Added sugar
    Deserts
    Processed foods, takeout etc

    I'm trying to stick to a "clean eating" diet. As much fresh food as possible! This is all very new to me, so I really had no idea how to set up my day. The reason it's scheduled the way it is is because it's much easier for me to follow and stick to long term. I set alarms on my phone that remind me when to eat, drink, and exercise. It helps keep me accountable.

    Ok I'm 5'8 too and started at 212..I've been at goal (160) for about a year

    Chose 1200 for a few weeks but learned better and lost most of my weight eating 1500 calories then 1800 calories

    1200 plus 3-400 for your daily exercise should be what you aim for IMO ..you need to fuel your activity

    Eat foods you love ...it's about calories and no food or food group needs to be eliminated

    Protein at 0.64g per lb bodyweight minimum, fat at 0.35g per lb bodyweight minimum...carbs as preference

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