Quick question about the daily calories...
JaydedMiss
Posts: 4,286 Member
So i know people may hate me for this because i keep seeing so many people failing and saying they cant seem to hit 1200 calories a day like its so few...
I havent been able to hit that much yet
Its only been a few weeks and im eating often, And dont feel overly hungry, And when i do i eat.
Am i like...doing something wrong? Every day the food tracker tells me im eating to little. I track everything to exact measurements, And then i even put i ate 1.1 portions of food instead of just 1, Incase my chicken is a bit larger or i add a little extra sauce or something. So really that means i cant hit 1200 a day...even when saying i eat more than i am O_O I am scared my body is starving or something but honestly i am eating alot its just fresh clean food without much additives.
I havent been able to hit that much yet
Its only been a few weeks and im eating often, And dont feel overly hungry, And when i do i eat.Am i like...doing something wrong? Every day the food tracker tells me im eating to little. I track everything to exact measurements, And then i even put i ate 1.1 portions of food instead of just 1, Incase my chicken is a bit larger or i add a little extra sauce or something. So really that means i cant hit 1200 a day...even when saying i eat more than i am O_O I am scared my body is starving or something but honestly i am eating alot its just fresh clean food without much additives.
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Replies
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Are you weighing your food ?0
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No...Explain?0
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I have just been eating alot of veggies and lean meats(1 meal a day), and eggs are great for snacking and breakfast....Havent been using any unnecesary sauces or anything that pack on calories...I only have ever drank water0
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Maybe its because i eat small things often like boiled eggs...and before my one big meal a day i eat a big old salad and normally am not hungry for the rest...but even then i mark down what i planned to eat even if i dont finish it...Not much calories in salad even with carrots tomatoes mushrooms cucumber celery and balsamic vinegar but lots to fill me up....should i stop doing that as much??0
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JaydedMiss wrote: »No...Explain?
If you aren't weighing your food, it's likely that you're eating more than 1200 calories. A food scale is a great tool to have while you're losing so you can ensure your portions are what they should be.1 -
@JaydedMiss Ditto what @malibu927 said. I love my food scale, I feel so confident that my intake and tracking are in sync. For example, the other day I wanted some bread and butter pickles in my chicken salad. Label said "approximately 3 slices" was 28g, I think. Well, I weighed the 3 pickle slices, and they were 35g. So I tracked 1.25 helpings in this case. I also use the usda values when I eat generic and whole foods whenever possible (I am sure other countries have similar databases). You can get usda values by entering usda after your entry. For example, enter "chicken breast usda" unless you got Boston Market or KFC or something. Does this help at all?0
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im definatly low calories thats not my wonder, I am losing weight im down 7 pounds and losing more daily. I just wonder why im not struggling. Everything i have is pretty basic to mark down. I dont want to be to low calories if it will mean i wont lose weight
reading those links now^0 -
It won't mean that you won't lose weight, but you won't lose just fat - if all you care about is the number on the scale, carry on. If you want to preserve muscle and keep all your hair and stay healthy, you might want to slow down and get proper nutrition.2
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i thought i was getting proper nutrition >< @autumnblade75
my basic day is like this:
start with a 2 egg omlette with onion tomato and mushrooms
ill have a snack like a home made pb banana muffin made with whole wheat flour greek yogurt and protein powder
for dinner ill have a small chicken breast with a tbsp of hp bbq sauce and a large salad with cucumber mushrooms peppers celery carrots and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar or some homemade turkey chili full of veggies and beans
ill have another snack of a hard boiled egg or a little cottage cheese and some olives (i drink a ton of water my doctor told me to get more salt so i love olives and pickles) and if im still hungry i throw in another salad
like thats lots of food...isnt it O_O and not much that is to hard to log, i just cant seem to hit the 1200 calories0 -
JaydedMiss wrote: »I have just been eating alot of veggies and lean meats(1 meal a day), and eggs are great for snacking and breakfast....Havent been using any unnecesary sauces or anything that pack on calories...I only have ever drank water
Lifestyle changes for me.
What I mean is I don't cut out anything completely. I will eat dietary fats (necessary for many bodily functions) while I am losing weight because I will also be eating them when I get to goal. I need to learn portion control for ALL foods...not just "diet" ones.
Losing weight is step 1. Keeping it off is a lifetime of permanent changes.0 -
autumnblade75 wrote: »It won't mean that you won't lose weight, but you won't lose just fat - if all you care about is the number on the scale, carry on. If you want to preserve muscle and keep all your hair and stay healthy, you might want to slow down and get proper nutrition.
I think maybe you read my one sentance as i only eat one meal a day but i had meant i only eat meat one meal a day :O0 -
JaydedMiss wrote: »autumnblade75 wrote: »It won't mean that you won't lose weight, but you won't lose just fat - if all you care about is the number on the scale, carry on. If you want to preserve muscle and keep all your hair and stay healthy, you might want to slow down and get proper nutrition.
I think maybe you read my one sentance as i only eat one meal a day but i had meant i only eat meat one meal a day :O
Nope - I don't think so.
Number of meals per day (or any meal timing) is irrelevant. Number of calories is what's relevant.
Many people believe all weight loss = fat loss. This is simply not true. When you have a very large calorie deficit, your body is more likely to use existing lean muscle mass for fuel.
A moderate deficit helps you retain a larger percentage of lean muscle. Reaching protein goals helps you retain a larger percentage of lean muscle. Strength training helps you retain a larger percentage of lean muscle. You want all 3.
1200 (before exercise) is a DEFAULT minimum for women. Which means you chose an aggressive weekly weight loss goal, or you are very petite, or you are a senior lady.0 -
So I need to add in some more bad food then if it's so important to hit the calorie goals? Because I can't eat much more healthy foods I'm full0
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JaydedMiss wrote: »So I need to add in some more bad food then if it's so important to hit the calorie goals? Because I can't eat much more healthy foods I'm full
"Bad foods" is a pretty meaningless term. If you truly aren't eating 1,200, you do need to add calorie-dense foods to your diet. Foods with more calories aren't "bad."0 -
I'll research what's got more calories...I was wanting to try a chia seed pudding adding that might do it. I'm always around 900-10000
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There's no bad food, unless you have an allergy to it but there is excessive consumption of foods, that won't satiate you. Which you don't seem to be having a problem with. Possibly add a tablespoon of peanut butter to something you consume and/or a tablespoon of olive oil to your cooking. They're high in calories but not mass, so it won't overfill you; when you already feel full.0
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Well, if your body isn't telling you that it's hungry, I wouldn't worry about it. Sounds like you're worrying about something that hasn't even happened yet, or may not happen.1
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JaydedMiss wrote: »So I need to add in some more bad food then if it's so important to hit the calorie goals? Because I can't eat much more healthy foods I'm full
There's a list of calorie dense foods included in the Most Helpful Posts (must reads) stickied at the top of the Food & Nutrition board. Calorie dense foods are those that pack a lot of calories in a small amount, so you can add more calories without having to add a ton of food to your diet.
You should check out all of the stickies at the top of each forum section if you haven't already. There's a lot of useful info there.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods
Opening your diary might also help people give more specific suggestions.0 -
I think both of the last 2 ideas are winners. You could put a slice of cheese on your omelette, use a little more salad dressing or olive oil, or add the pudding. Any of these should work. Looks like you are making great food choices.0
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carmkizzle wrote: »Well, if your body isn't telling you that it's hungry, I wouldn't worry about it. Sounds like you're worrying about something that hasn't even happened yet, or may not happen.
It's a huge concern because the body will cannibalize muscle, including the heart; if 1 isn't consuming enough. Relying on my body's signals, is what caused me; to become overweight & it can have the opposite effect also.0 -
FridayApril01st2016 wrote: »carmkizzle wrote: »Well, if your body isn't telling you that it's hungry, I wouldn't worry about it. Sounds like you're worrying about something that hasn't even happened yet, or may not happen.
It's a huge concern because the body will cannibalize muscle, including the heart; if 1 isn't consuming enough. Relying on my body's signals, is what caused me; to become overweight & it can have the opposite effect also.
Yep ^
There's a big health difference between just moving the number on the scale versus actually lowering body fat %.0 -
I completely agree with April. My body signals are screwed up and don't always tell me the truth.0
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JaydedMiss wrote: »autumnblade75 wrote: »It won't mean that you won't lose weight, but you won't lose just fat - if all you care about is the number on the scale, carry on. If you want to preserve muscle and keep all your hair and stay healthy, you might want to slow down and get proper nutrition.
I think maybe you read my one sentance as i only eat one meal a day but i had meant i only eat meat one meal a day :O
Nope - I don't think so.
Number of meals per day (or any meal timing) is irrelevant. Number of calories is what's relevant.
Many people believe all weight loss = fat loss. This is simply not true. When you have a very large calorie deficit, your body is more likely to use existing lean muscle mass for fuel.
A moderate deficit helps you retain a larger percentage of lean muscle. Reaching protein goals helps you retain a larger percentage of lean muscle. Strength training helps you retain a larger percentage of lean muscle. You want all 3.
1200 (before exercise) is a DEFAULT minimum for women. Which means you chose an aggressive weekly weight loss goal, or you are very petite, or you are a senior lady.
But it might not be all as dire as that, either. If you're not weighing, you might be consuming more than you think you are. If you are certain that you are under 1200, you should eat more. If you want to know for sure how many calories you're actually eating, you should use a food scale.0 -
FridayApril01st2016 wrote: »carmkizzle wrote: »Well, if your body isn't telling you that it's hungry, I wouldn't worry about it. Sounds like you're worrying about something that hasn't even happened yet, or may not happen.
It's a huge concern because the body will cannibalize muscle, including the heart; if 1 isn't consuming enough. Relying on my body's signals, is what caused me; to become overweight & it can have the opposite effect also.
Yep ^
There's a big health difference between just moving the number on the scale versus actually lowering body fat %.
Exactly in the beginning, it's mostly water weight; that's lost not fat.0 -
KetoneKaren wrote: »I completely agree with April. My body signals are screwed up and don't always tell me the truth.
1 culprit is mistaking thirst, for hunger.0 -
OP you may be eating more than you think that you are due to inaccurate logging and not using a food scale. One thing that you said that stood out to me was you said that you log 1 or 1.1 portions of things. Those items should be weighed and logged by their weight. You really don't have any idea what may be meant by "one portion" since that entry is too vague. The first link that diannethegeek gave you will help you with that.
If you still have problems adding more calories I would suggest bulking up your salad with more calorie dense items like avocado.1 -
I set my calories on MFP according to this video I think MFP sets it low
https://youtu.be/yw9hyNdw5nU 0 -
You are not struggling because you are doing it right. Veggies and protein rule!
The purpose of weighing food is to get the truth of what we are eating. It matters greatly with calorie dense foods and small daily calorie deficits. It's less critical that your plate full of vegetables (cooked without added oil or sugar) be weighed because a 50% inaccurate guess on 80 calories of veg isn't going to blow a 500 calorie daily deficit. Eggs are a discrete and well-understood portion size and an excellent source of high quality protein which you don't have to weigh. However, when you start adding oil, ladles of soup, slabs of meat, gobs of cottage cheese and such to your plate it becomes very important that you precisely weigh these things to the gram so that your log can accurately show your inputs so that you can understand the interrelations of food and your body. And if you're going to get a good scale and weigh the calorie dense foods, it's just easy and sensible to go ahead and weigh the vegetables.1 -
I set my calories on MFP according to this video I think MFP sets it lowhttps://youtu.be/yw9hyNdw5nU
I didn't watch the video. But MFP is pretty comparable to other websites when you consider 2 factors:
1. The calories assigned by MFP are NET. That means before exercise. You log exercise, MFP gives you additional calories.
2. Pounds per week. Your calories are as low as your pounds per week is high. Some sites will use a % (ie: 20% cut). This is not necessarily the same as 2 pounds per week, or whatever you chose.
Pound per week goals
75+ lbs set to lose 2 lb range
Between 40 - 75 lbs set to lose 1.5 lb range
Between 25-40 lbs set to lose 1 lb range
Between 15-25 lbs set to lose 1 -.50 lb range
Less than 15 lbs set to lose 0.5 lbs range
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