Struggling to eat enough calories. What to do?

clare2403
clare2403 Posts: 10 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I've finally started my long overdue diet/fitness regime/general health overhaul in the last two weeks and I need advice! Sorry for the long post, but I want meaningful suggestions :)

Background info:
I'm 26 years old, currently just shy of 5'3", 136lb, hoping to get to around 110. I have a small frame, but am relatively stocky and muscly in a way. I've put on weight over the years as I haven't been doing enough exercise (still quite fit though) andI've been eating heaps of junk food. Lots of fast food, take out, endless candy, crisps and chocolate.
Idon't have my heart set on 110 but it's a goal as I used to weigh that much a few years ago and want my old size 2 clothes to fit. I'm working on my fitness and want to get toned so if I'm "thin enough", but muscly and heavier than 110, I don't care. I really want to lose the vast majority of this weight by Christmas (in 14 weeks) for a family holiday on the beach. Hello bikini!

Current diet:
- Aiming for 1200 cals a day. I typically eat a small yoghurt on my way out the door, sandwich for lunch, little pre-gym snack, vegie stew for dinner, or soup if I've had a bigger lunch.

Current exercise:
- Lots of brisk morning walks, also a gym session in the evening (bodypump, bodyattack, rpm) 5 times a week. I'm on my feet a fair bit at work, but nothing strenuous at all.

My dilemma:
I NEVER thought I'd say this but, I'm really struggling to eat 1200 cals/day. In the past two weeks I've overhauled my diet but at the end of every day I add up my calories and realise I'm still missing usually around 200cals, sometimes more, even though I'm not particularly hungry. My typical daily food, while healthy, just isn't adding up to 1200 cals most days as so much of it is vegies. And yes, I've been very vigilant and weighed everything to educate myself on what calories look like so to speak. I usually end up having some chocolate/junk on purpose before bed just to make up the remaining calories which isn't great as it's not helping break my addiction to sugar.

Despite usually eating a lot and never having dieted before, I've adapted surprisingly quickly to smaller portions of healthy food. It seems wrong to add useless calories when I'm trying to lose weight but I also worry about ruining my great metabolism and not giving my body enough nutrients to thrive. If anything, considering my exercise levels, the internet suggests I eat maybe closer to 1300-1400 cals/day............... But, bikini at Christmas!

So I want your advice. Should I:
- Listen to my gut, literally, and just eat whatever healthy food I want when I want it, even if I know it's under 1200 cals/day? And perhaps allow myself more alcohol over the weekend to make up for the weekday deficits...
- Keep aiming for 1200?
- Aim even higher for 1300+ cals/day? Though, I wonder if this will make my weight loss goal unattainable by Christmas. Then again, I'm young and fit.....

Help!

Replies

  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member
    'I'm still missing usually around 200cals'

    equals a handful of nuts, a bit of peanut butter, an avocado.
    If your yoghurt is fat free, go for a normal full fat Version.
    A table spoon of oil over your veggies...another 120cals.

    Those are the heathier versions....I candy bar or a few cookies will get you more than 200 in no time.
  • louise294
    louise294 Posts: 27 Member
    You need to eat more whole foods that are nutrient dense (Not alcohol!!) If you eat CLEAN you don't need to restrict so much. For example, I eat around 1800 cals a day from whole food, including oats, rice potatoes, lots of salad and grilled vegetables, very low fat. It probably helps that I am vegan, but this week, for example, I have lost 3lbs. Its not necessarily only about calories, its where they come from! Make sure your ratios for carb/ fat protein are in favour of whole carbs (low GI) and the fat will melt away without being hungry. I foudn this website, although I am not diabetic, and it basically states how I eat: http://www.pcrm.org/good-medicine/2006/autumn/a-vegan-diet-how-to-guide-for-diabetes. Its more of a lifestyle than a diet, but because you can eat a higher quantity of food you don't crave the crap! I've been vegan for 7 months and never felt more energetic, positive and mentally balanced, and the weight loss is nice too.
  • clare2403
    clare2403 Posts: 10 Member
    Ha ha. The alcohol was being realistic. I do go out a bit on the weekends...

    What I'm eating (apart from the little junk snack before bed) is really healthy and definitely includes enough fats and oil. I eat yoghurt, put a little olive oil on my salad sandwich and olives etc, and chuck a bit of bacon in my veggie stews for flavour. I have the odd small steak with a ton of veg on the side. So I'm largely happy with the quality of food I'm eating. However, I'm allergic to gluten and dairy (so soy yoghurt, gf bread) so I can struggle to get grains.
  • clare2403
    clare2403 Posts: 10 Member
    I guess what I want to really get at is to keep on track for 1200 or actually increase slightly? I don't wantt to rob my body of it's vitality and ruin my metabolism by eating too little and exercising too much. I feel fine as things stand, but other info on the internet is warning me to increase.
  • louise294
    louise294 Posts: 27 Member
    In my experience (which is significant) there are 2 route you can take:

    1- Higher fat (which is what you are doing, and 1200 calories
    2- Almost no fat and 1600-1900 calories

    You will lose weight doing both, but in my experience on the higher fat (nuts, avocado, meat, fish, oils) you will feel hungry as there arn't many calories left for bulky food to make you full) and as your calories are more limited.

    If you opt for whole grains and lots of veg and higher calories you feel very satisfied, have more nutrients in your diet and will be able to sustain your healthy eating for much longer, avoiding those Friday night pizza binges due to insufficient calories, and also taking yourself out of the yo-yo diet boat, onto dry land where you wont be quickly losing and gaining weight for the rest of your life.

    EDIT: As for Gluten free and dairy free, it would actually be ideal, get rid of the bread, but turn to rice, quinoa, oats, potato and sweet potato :) Obviously as a vegan, I don't eat dairy either. There is a lot of fat in meat, even a skinless chicken breast (200g) has 2.5g fat and 438 calories, but 200g cooked rice has 260cals and 0.56g fat, so you can eat twice as much rice as you could chicken and still only have 1.1g fat. It's the fat you eat that makes you fat, not necessarily the calories. Its not consistent with traditional thinking, but it works. If you are interested look up Dr McDougall, who states "The fat you eat is the fat you wear", if not, no worries, I tried ;)
  • LJRobin2017
    LJRobin2017 Posts: 2 Member
    I see this discussion is a couple of years old now, but I am having the same problem. I input my food for the day and myfitnesspal tells me off for not getting enough calories. I'm not even dieting, I'm just eating what I've always eaten all my life. (Similar to what Clare2403 says she eats in the question). I'm a vegetarian, I eat a lot of fresh fruit and veg. I eat egg, cheese and other diary to get protein. I also eat nuts, seeds and some form of obvious carb, just to make sure I get all the food groups covered every day.
    Anyway, it's a flawed system. The other day I ate jaffa cakes and biscuits because someone bought them into the office I also ate 100g bar of chocolate. Myfitnesspal then says that if every day were like [today] I'd lose 2lb in 2 weeks. (bear in mind I haven't lost so much as a lb in 3 months.) I really don't need to be encouraged to eat a dangerous amount of sugar everyday. ;-)
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    edited April 2017
    LJRobin2017 wrote: »
    I see this discussion is a couple of years old now, but I am having the same problem. I input my food for the day and myfitnesspal tells me off for not getting enough calories. I'm not even dieting, I'm just eating what I've always eaten all my life. (Similar to what Clare2403 says she eats in the question). I'm a vegetarian, I eat a lot of fresh fruit and veg. I eat egg, cheese and other diary to get protein. I also eat nuts, seeds and some form of obvious carb, just to make sure I get all the food groups covered every day.
    Anyway, it's a flawed system. The other day I ate jaffa cakes and biscuits because someone bought them into the office I also ate 100g bar of chocolate. Myfitnesspal then says that if every day were like [today] I'd lose 2lb in 2 weeks. (bear in mind I haven't lost so much as a lb in 3 months.) I really don't need to be encouraged to eat a dangerous amount of sugar everyday. ;-)

    Weight loss is not synonymous with healthy. Calories matter for weight loss, and mfp (or your body for that matter) don't care about the source of the calories when you're talking about weight loss.

    If you're eating an adequate amount of cheese, eggs and other dairy, to get sufficient protein, along with seeds/nuts for sufficient fat, im not sure how you'd struggle to get enough calories. If you're weighing and measuring and logging correctly, change your choices to more calorie dense foods. If you are trying to lose though, and haven't lost anything in 3 months, it's likely your logging is innacurate

    (I also wouldn't believe the bunk above about being able to eat more calories if you eat "clean" foods... Load of trollop)
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    edited April 2017
    LJRobin2017 wrote: »
    I see this discussion is a couple of years old now, but I am having the same problem. I input my food for the day and myfitnesspal tells me off for not getting enough calories. I'm not even dieting, I'm just eating what I've always eaten all my life. (Similar to what Clare2403 says she eats in the question). I'm a vegetarian, I eat a lot of fresh fruit and veg. I eat egg, cheese and other diary to get protein. I also eat nuts, seeds and some form of obvious carb, just to make sure I get all the food groups covered every day.
    Anyway, it's a flawed system. The other day I ate jaffa cakes and biscuits because someone bought them into the office I also ate 100g bar of chocolate. Myfitnesspal then says that if every day were like [today] I'd lose 2lb in 2 weeks. (bear in mind I haven't lost so much as a lb in 3 months.) I really don't need to be encouraged to eat a dangerous amount of sugar everyday. ;-)

    Eat more of the things you've been eating. Eating below 1000 calories (where MFP gives you the warning) is not good for your body at all. But also make sure you're logging everything with as close to 100% accuracy as possible.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    LJRobin2017 wrote: »
    I see this discussion is a couple of years old now, but I am having the same problem. I input my food for the day and myfitnesspal tells me off for not getting enough calories. I'm not even dieting, I'm just eating what I've always eaten all my life. (Similar to what Clare2403 says she eats in the question). I'm a vegetarian, I eat a lot of fresh fruit and veg. I eat egg, cheese and other diary to get protein. I also eat nuts, seeds and some form of obvious carb, just to make sure I get all the food groups covered every day.
    Anyway, it's a flawed system. The other day I ate jaffa cakes and biscuits because someone bought them into the office I also ate 100g bar of chocolate. Myfitnesspal then says that if every day were like [today] I'd lose 2lb in 2 weeks. (bear in mind I haven't lost so much as a lb in 3 months.) I really don't need to be encouraged to eat a dangerous amount of sugar everyday. ;-)

    The only "flaw" is that everything is an estimate. Your activity level is actually a range of activity, but MFP uses one number. Your calorie intake is an estimate. We all try to log accurately.....some of us aren't. Do you use a digital food scale for solids & semi-solids, and a measuring cup for all liquids? Double check your database selections, there's a lot of crap/personalized entries. Your deliberate activity (exercise) is also an estimate. Sure, there are tools to get closer for certain types of activities, but those are still estimates.

    Ignore the "if everything were like today" comments....that's merely a statement that you were 1,000 calories under your TDEE (maintenance).....which is yet another another estimate.

    Eating healthy is great, it's more filling too. But treats (here and there) are still just calories. Under your maintenance calories (whatever the source) you lose weight.

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