Apparently I need to consume more calories!??!!??
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MattySparky
Posts: 771
Does anyone have any tips for me? Im eating about every two hours starting when I wake up and I dont eat past 6 o'clock at night. I ONLY drink water (with the occasional glass of milk but very rarely). My Carb, fat and protein intake are right where I need them to be and the meals I eat are well balanced small meals. I try to keep my carbs and sugars to a minimum from the afternoon to the end of the day. I HATE nutrition bars cause they taste disgusting and I dont really want to have to supliment my diet unless I absolutely have to (ie vitamins, pills, powdery concoctions etc...). Can anyone suggest a way for me to increase my caloric intake without adding any serious amount of protein, fats and carbs?
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Does anyone have any tips for me? Im eating about every two hours starting when I wake up and I dont eat past 6 o'clock at night. I ONLY drink water (with the occasional glass of milk but very rarely). My Carb, fat and protein intake are right where I need them to be and the meals I eat are well balanced small meals. I try to keep my carbs and sugars to a minimum from the afternoon to the end of the day. I HATE nutrition bars cause they taste disgusting and I dont really want to have to supliment my diet unless I absolutely have to (ie vitamins, pills, powdery concoctions etc...). Can anyone suggest a way for me to increase my caloric intake without adding any serious amount of protein, fats and carbs?0
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I also work out every night which consists of at least 1/2 hour of steady jogging (averaging 6 mph) and then push ups and ab crunches OR low weight hi rep weight lifting.0
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Well, you need to eat more protein, carbs, and fat to eat more calories. That's where the calories come from.
Eat later into the evening. Drink milk. Eat more of the same stuff you're already eating.0 -
It seems odd that your protein/fat/carbs are all where they need to be but your calories are off. How are the amounts for the specifics set--preset by grams or calculated as a percentage of calories? If they aren't set as a percentage of calories I'd change that, otherwise I don't know how you can increase calories without increasing at least one of the variables (protein, fat, carbs)0
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I dont think Im going to eat later into the evening because for me that's just silly, Im not active in the evening and I dont want food sitting inside of me while Im sleeping. Thats one of the reasons I got overweight in the first place. I do agree with your suggestion about the meals though, maybe I need to increase my portion sizes. I guess Im just worried that Ill take in too much and ruin what Im trying to achieve. Thank you very much for your suggestions I really appreciate it!!0
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I dont think Im going to eat later into the evening because for me that's just silly, Im not active in the evening and I dont want food sitting inside of me while Im sleeping. Thats one of the reasons I got overweight in the first place. I do agree with your suggestion about the meals though, maybe I need to increase my portion sizes. I guess Im just worried that Ill take in too much and ruin what Im trying to achieve. Thank you very much for your suggestions I really appreciate it!!
No, it's not silly, I promise. I've spent 4 years learning how the body works, and it does not store fat after a certain time in the evening, and unfortunately for you, food will 'sit inside of you' for about 13 hours after it's been chewed and swallowed. So unless you're fasting for 13 hours before you hit the sack, there's food in there.
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maybe I need to change that setting then... this topic is solely based on what the report is telling me. I dont feel like Im starving my body, but apparently I am. My calculated BMR is around 2200 calories and Im only consuming roughly 1200 calories per day not including what Im burning during my work out. I dont know... Im not going to get discouraged though, it's all a learning process and that's why Im here. Thanks a bunch!0
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I wouldn't worry too much about going over your carbs, fats, and proteins. These are just standard recommendations and are not the exact number for anyone. there is a range that you want to stay in, but it's okay to go over a little. You can get the rest of your calories from juices or treat yourself with something sweet. Carbs, fats, and proteins give you your energy, but are not the only source of calories. If you don't feel comfortable adding more sugar to your diet, then I agree with songbyrdsweet that you should just eat more of what you are already eating.0
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No, it's not silly, I promise. I've spent 4 years learning how the body works, and it does not store fat after a certain time in the evening, and unfortunately for you, food will 'sit inside of you' for about 13 hours after it's been chewed and swallowed. So unless you're fasting for 13 hours before you hit the sack, there's food in there.
hehe that's news to me! you're the first person who has ever told me to eat later into the evening. I know the food will be "in me" I just dont see the need to eat until say 9 o'clock or so when I usually get to bed around 10:30 or 11. Convince me though.0 -
:flowerforyou:
I think that sometimes we are so frightened by the fact that we are going to fail, that we try to be perfect. I think that increasing your portions of the foods that are healthy will increase your calorie intake some.
You are doing what you need to do. Just relax a tad bit.
Good Luck!0 -
I dont think Im going to eat later into the evening because for me that's just silly, Im not active in the evening and I dont want food sitting inside of me while Im sleeping. Thats one of the reasons I got overweight in the first place. I do agree with your suggestion about the meals though, maybe I need to increase my portion sizes. I guess Im just worried that Ill take in too much and ruin what Im trying to achieve. Thank you very much for your suggestions I really appreciate it!!
Eating at night is not silly at all. You have to remember that your body is using a lot of energy (A.K.A burning calories) while you sleep. Everything your body does (breathing, circulating blood and oxygen, and thinking) burns your calories.0 -
:flowerforyou:
I think that sometimes we are so frightened by the fact that we are going to fail, that we try to be perfect. I think that increasing your portions of the foods that are healthy will increase your calorie intake some.
You are doing what you need to do. Just relax a tad bit.
Good Luck!
good call! Im totally relaxed and I feel very comfortable with what Im doing. I've actually lost 18 lbs already but I started this after I began to work on my weight/ health. This is a great support system though for sure! I just got a bit jaunted when this site told me that I might be putting myself into "starvation mode" and I know what that means. Thanks!0 -
No, it's not silly, I promise. I've spent 4 years learning how the body works, and it does not store fat after a certain time in the evening, and unfortunately for you, food will 'sit inside of you' for about 13 hours after it's been chewed and swallowed. So unless you're fasting for 13 hours before you hit the sack, there's food in there.
hehe that's news to me! you're the first person who has ever told me to eat later into the evening. I know the food will be "in me" I just dont see the need to eat until say 9 o'clock or so when I usually get to bed around 10:30 or 11. Convince me though.
Well, a lot of people give anecdotal advice based on what they've heard from others, not from any actual research. I see a TON of people advocating the no dinner after 6pm, the eating only 10% calories from fat, never going above 1200 calories, etc...just because it's popular information doesn't mean it's correct.
It takes a long time to digest food. You chew, swallow, send it down to the stomach. There it'll remain for a few hours, being broken down in a liquid called chyme. Then the chyme has to move through dozens and dozens of feet of intestine, being mixed and pushed over and over. That takes several more hours. Nutrients are absorbed in the intestines, not in the stomach, and it takes a long time to mix everything thoroughly enough to come in contact with all surfaces of the chyme bolus. We're looking at about 6-9 hours. By the time it reaches the colon, it's hard because most of the water has been drawn out, and then out of the body it goes. So the food you eat at, say, 3PM, sits in your stomach until about 7PM, and travels through your intestines until about 3AM, and waits in your colon until you wake up and eliminate it. From 7PM-3AM, you're absorbing nutrients.
If you were to eat something at 9PM, it'd sit in there until about 12AM, and it would be ready for excretion around 9AM. So there's actually very little difference.
We gain fat from a caloric excess, and that's it. Fat doesn't make us fat, carbohydrates don't make us fat, and eating late doesn't make us fat. Only overeating makes us gain body fat, and it doesn't matter whether it occurs before or after 6PM.0 -
first...listen to songbird she knows what she is talking about
you want more calories
PEANUT BUTTER......almond butter
cottage cheese
eat some
ezekial bread...toast it slab on some peanut butter
get natural peanut butter...skip the skippy they add sugar0 -
Well, a lot of people give anecdotal advice based on what they've heard from others, not from any actual research. I see a TON of people advocating the no dinner after 6pm, the eating only 10% calories from fat, never going above 1200 calories, etc...just because it's popular information doesn't mean it's correct.
It takes a long time to digest food. You chew, swallow, send it down to the stomach. There it'll remain for a few hours, being broken down in a liquid called chyme. Then the chyme has to move through dozens and dozens of feet of intestine, being mixed and pushed over and over. That takes several more hours. Nutrients are absorbed in the intestines, not in the stomach, and it takes a long time to mix everything thoroughly enough to come in contact with all surfaces of the chyme bolus. We're looking at about 6-9 hours. By the time it reaches the colon, it's hard because most of the water has been drawn out, and then out of the body it goes. So the food you eat at, say, 3PM, sits in your stomach until about 7PM, and travels through your intestines until about 3AM, and waits in your colon until you wake up and eliminate it. From 7PM-3AM, you're absorbing nutrients.
If you were to eat something at 9PM, it'd sit in there until about 12AM, and it would be ready for excretion around 9AM. So there's actually very little difference.
We gain fat from a caloric excess, and that's it. Fat doesn't make us fat, carbohydrates don't make us fat, and eating late doesn't make us fat. Only overeating makes us gain body fat, and it doesn't matter whether it occurs before or after 6PM.
thanks for the input! would you say I would be further ahead to eat in the evening or simply increase my food intake during the day? I like not feeling full at night time, is there anything wrong with keeping up with my eating pattern the way it is (ie, not eating after six) and then just adding some other calories during the day?0 -
Well, a lot of people give anecdotal advice based on what they've heard from others, not from any actual research. I see a TON of people advocating the no dinner after 6pm, the eating only 10% calories from fat, never going above 1200 calories, etc...just because it's popular information doesn't mean it's correct.
It takes a long time to digest food. You chew, swallow, send it down to the stomach. There it'll remain for a few hours, being broken down in a liquid called chyme. Then the chyme has to move through dozens and dozens of feet of intestine, being mixed and pushed over and over. That takes several more hours. Nutrients are absorbed in the intestines, not in the stomach, and it takes a long time to mix everything thoroughly enough to come in contact with all surfaces of the chyme bolus. We're looking at about 6-9 hours. By the time it reaches the colon, it's hard because most of the water has been drawn out, and then out of the body it goes. So the food you eat at, say, 3PM, sits in your stomach until about 7PM, and travels through your intestines until about 3AM, and waits in your colon until you wake up and eliminate it. From 7PM-3AM, you're absorbing nutrients.
If you were to eat something at 9PM, it'd sit in there until about 12AM, and it would be ready for excretion around 9AM. So there's actually very little difference.
We gain fat from a caloric excess, and that's it. Fat doesn't make us fat, carbohydrates don't make us fat, and eating late doesn't make us fat. Only overeating makes us gain body fat, and it doesn't matter whether it occurs before or after 6PM.
thanks for the input! would you say I would be further ahead to eat in the evening or simply increase my food intake during the day? I like not feeling full at night time, is there anything wrong with keeping up with my eating pattern the way it is (ie, not eating after six) and then just adding some other calories during the day?
You can increase calories however you like. I can understand not wanting to feel full, but there's no reason to eat to that extent. You could have a couple light snacks in the evening, like veggies with hummus or cottage cheese or a little sandwich. But if you find you can reach your goal fitting in everything before 6 PM, that's fine too.0 -
first...listen to songbird she knows what she is talking about
you want more calories
PEANUT BUTTER......almond butter
cottage cheese
eat some
ezekial bread...toast it slab on some peanut butter
get natural peanut butter...skip the skippy they add sugar
what is ezekial bread?? I think I've heard of that before but I have no idea where to get it (Im guessing at a bakery lol) And why this type of bread? Thanks though... I love PB and I've always wanted to make my own cause it's so damn easy but I've stopped taking it in because it can be high in cals.0 -
great! I really do appreciate your help with this. I've got all the willpower in the world I just need the knowledge to be able to make my own educated decisions rather than just listening to what the popular myths are. You've already been a great help and Im sure you're thinking "I haven't even said anything" but trust me a little goes a long way when it comes to learning about health.0
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I just had a smoothie I made with a cup of no fat plain yogurt, ice, a cup of V8 Fusion Lite with a bit of sweetner and 2 tbsp ground flax. Yummeee. Only 270 cal and very healthy. It's light, rewards my sweet tooth, and the blueberry Pom V8 has fruit and vegetable servings. Calcium is very important also. 0
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Nuts are great for you. Especially almonds. Higher in fat but it's good fat. Someone had a huge write up on nuts. Tons of nutrition in them.0
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