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

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rhiannon5188
rhiannon5188 Posts: 1 Member
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
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    Peanut butter or chocolate or both :)
  • Trish1c
    Trish1c Posts: 549 Member
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    Can you eat a more substantial breakfast?
  • RoseTheWarrior
    RoseTheWarrior Posts: 2,035 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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: 8,426 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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.

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