We are pleased to announce that on March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor will be introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the upcoming changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

Finding it difficult to reach my 1200 calorie goal - advice?

rhiannon5188
rhiannon5188 Posts: 1 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
This is a stereotypical day of what I've been eating while on my diet:

Breakfast: a coffee with two sugars (I can't bring myself to drink it without sugar and I can't function without one)
Two weetabix with semi skimmed milk (sometimes with fruit, sometimes without)

Snack: an apple or a banana

Lunch: a salad of some sort - tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, some noodles or an egg, some ham or tuna.

Snack: Two rice cakes or something of that equivalent, maybe a piece of toast.

Dinner: salmon or chicken with vegetables

Sometimes if I'm hungry later I'll have some low fat Greek yoghurt with a spoon of honey in it.

I drink water throughout the day everyday and on Saturdays I just eat what I want as long as I'm not binge eating like I used to. Usually its my day I can eat lots of pasta and chocolate and treats (I've discovered a love for Krave cereal lol)

I FEEL as though I'm eating enough, I'm not hungry generally after meals or feeling uncomfortably full after like I was pre-diet and yet I can't seem to get over the recommended 1200 calories.

Am I okay eating these things or would anyone recommend introducing something else to my diet to up my calorie count?

Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Peanut butter or chocolate or both :)
  • Trish1c
    Trish1c Posts: 550 Member
    Can you eat a more substantial breakfast?
  • RoseTheWarrior
    RoseTheWarrior Posts: 2,035 Member
    A lot more protein would be good. Breakfast = carbs, snack = carbs, lunch = mostly carbs, snack = carbs.

    More proteins and fats would get your calories up. Cheese, eggs, peanut butter, protein shake, etc. One protein shake with unsweetened almond milk = 200 calories and is not super filling.
  • ItsyBitsy246
    ItsyBitsy246 Posts: 307 Member
    Full fat dairy, ditch anything low fat. Add peanut butter (or some other nut butter) or cheese to the rice cakes. Eat bigger portions.
  • fitgoals23
    fitgoals23 Posts: 43 Member
    I recommend having some nuts once in a while (as a snack, sprinkled on your lunch salad, toasted and mixed with your dinner veggies, crusting your dinner chicken or fish, etc.) Also maybe try spreading a little peanut butter on your rice cakes or apple slices.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    Before you add things. Are you weighing your solids and measuring your liquids? Are you logging your Saturday free for all?
  • TLMiller49
    TLMiller49 Posts: 1 Member
    Why are you skipping the fats? Olive oil, coconut oil, etc? Dump the rice cakes, noodles, and toast and go full fat milk and yogurt (not the fruit-filled stuff) unless you have an allergy. The nut butters and nuts ideas are great too.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Full fat milk and yogurt, meats, avocado, nuts, nut butters, cheese, salad dressing, butter, potatoes, beans, peas
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    Yep, more higher calorie options will help, but as @VintageFeline mentioned, weigh all your solid and semi solid foods on a food scale first to see exactly how many calories you're actually consuming...and use only measuring cups/spoons for pure liquids.
  • smileymaxine
    smileymaxine Posts: 275 Member
    I'm sorry but how accurate is your measuring ? Because what you said should easily be 1200 cals ... Weigh your food might find you are already there
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
    smileymaxine wrote: »
    I'm sorry but how accurate is your measuring ? Because what you said should easily be 1200 cals ... Weigh your food might find you are already there

    This. 1200 calories is an alarmingly small amount of food. I have a really hard time staying at 12-1300 without going over.
  • Zipp237
    Zipp237 Posts: 255 Member
    Nuts and breakfast cereals are easy ways to load up on calories without eating things that are devoid of any benefit. Cheerios aren't very filling and are enriched with vitamins/minerals, plus some fiber.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories