Eating 5 - 6 times / day... but can barely hit anywhere near 1200 calories.

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spydergirl47
spydergirl47 Posts: 36 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I'm 5'4" and 10 years post-op (gastric bypass). I work a desk job, but walk about 3 - 4 miles just about every day. I have my calorie goal set to 1,400 and I'm eating 5 - 6 times per day and about 80oz of water.... but I struggle some days to even hit 1,000 calories. I'm eating constantly it seems and I'm never hungry. Is this normal??
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  • spydergirl47
    spydergirl47 Posts: 36 Member
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    My diary is public if you're interested.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
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    @spydergirl47 You said you eat 5 to 6 times per day. I see three meal times listed, and then your snacks. When do you have your snacks? Some of your meals actually look like just snacks.

    Why are you tracking Drinks and Supplements? They all seem to be recorded as zeros, so perhaps you could remove those two categories.

    Are you actually losing weight okay with your present arrangement? Please tell us your current weight, and your goal weight.
  • spydergirl47
    spydergirl47 Posts: 36 Member
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    I actually weigh everything religiously, most of the time in grams... even the tortillas and pepperoni (some foods don't allow for entries in grams - but I am weighing them). And I track every little thing I put in my mouth including drinks and all supplements.
  • spydergirl47
    spydergirl47 Posts: 36 Member
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    And I eat breakfast, then lunch, and afternoon snack, dinner, then an evening snack. I may even have a morning snack on some days. I did have gastric bypass, so canxt eat big meals and have to eat smaller portions, which is why some of my meals may look like snacks.
  • spydergirl47
    spydergirl47 Posts: 36 Member
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    I'm currently 185 with a goal currently at 160. I'm a retired semi-pro athlete (full-contact contact football)
  • spydergirl47
    spydergirl47 Posts: 36 Member
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    And yes, I've lost 5lbs in my first 4 weeks.
  • spydergirl47
    spydergirl47 Posts: 36 Member
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    I'm losing weight, just wondering if I should be adding yet another snack to my day.... I am regularly eating between 1,000 and 1,100 pretty much everyday with a few exceptions.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    spydergirl47 wrote: »
    I actually weigh everything religiously, most of the time in grams... even the tortillas and pepperoni (some foods don't allow for entries in grams - but I am weighing them). And I track every little thing I put in my mouth including drinks and all supplements.

    the foods that dont allow entries for grams you can either edit them or make new entries,some will have a drop down menu that shows grams(of course some do not). if you are weighing them you should be using the right entries as its harder for someone like me to gauge by looking at your diary.. maybe stop drinking the energy drinks? as caffeine can kill your appetite.I would try to balance your food out better,if you like fruits and veggies get more of those things in(you dont have to but it will help get micros and nutrients in which are important)

    your carbs being lower could also be suppressing your appetite as well.since you say you are weighing everything and having issues hitting your calorie goal then you need to change some things in your diet,eat more calorie dense foods or add more fruits and veggies(unless you are doing keto?). what is the go thin supplement? if its a diet pill or fat burner or anything like that it will suppress appetite but it wont do anything else.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    spydergirl47 wrote: »
    I'm losing weight, just wondering if I should be adding yet another snack to my day.... I am regularly eating between 1,000 and 1,100 pretty much everyday with a few exceptions.

    I definitely would. read above post as well. those things could be part of the cause
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Yes. You can add a cheese, avocado, full fat yogurt, . . . .
  • SueSueDio
    SueSueDio Posts: 4,796 Member
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    Check out this list and try adding in some of these foods to increase your calories:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    spydergirl47 wrote: »
    And yes, I've lost 5lbs in my first 4 weeks.

    If you've lost 5lbs in 4 weeks you're doing fine. You are probably eating more than you think, but it doesn't matter. I wouldn't worry if you keep losing at a reasonable rate like this and only would worry if you start losing too fast or stop losing altogether. As it stands, you're fine.
  • kristikitter
    kristikitter Posts: 602 Member
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    But your 'lunch' is a brownie, rather than something like salad with protein, fibre etc.

    See also the list of calorie dense foods for ways of packing more in.
  • spydergirl47
    spydergirl47 Posts: 36 Member
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    Kristikitter, it's not a brownie.... it's a protein bar.
  • spydergirl47
    spydergirl47 Posts: 36 Member
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    CharlieBeansmomTracey, thanks for the insight. I will be more diligent on how I enter my foods. I actually like to weigh everything, so I doubt I am actually eating more than I think. I do think, however, I am going to go without the energy drinks, but I can't give up caffeine completely.

    And there aren't a lot of veggies I like and the fruits that I do like are limited. I am going to get sick of eating cauliflower and green beans all the time.

    And I need to keep my carbs and sugar down as I have reactive hypoglycemia... which is also why I eat frequently. I'm not on a keto diet, although it almost seems like I am some days. LOL

  • DanyellMcGinnis
    DanyellMcGinnis Posts: 315 Member
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    Unless your doctor has said otherwise (I am not familiar with post gastric bypass fluid intake instructions), you probably don't need to drink 80 ounces of water a day. You can get fluid from other beverages (in fact, I never drink plain water and I am not dehydrated). So you could try replacing some of the water with a beverage that has some calories. (I'm not suggesting a bunch of added-sugar-laden stuff. Trying to suggest healthier, nutritious alternatives.)

    If you like green smoothies, that would be a good way to get in some vegetables in addition to some calories (if you're eating a lot of protein bars, you may want some whole foods like that, and it would solve the boredom problem to some degree). If you don't like green smoothies, but do like other types, you could still add in some celery or carrots or spinach or kale or even green "superfood" powder. The idea is to get the nutrition but not taste them! You can even buy like butternut squash puree (or canned pumpkin) and stuff like that and mix it in. I find a little coconut oil can add extra calories to a smoothie (and it tastes good). I like to use unsweetened almond milk as a base.

    If you like hot coffee or tea, add some milk or cream. Do that a couple of times a day and you can really add to your total but not really feel it. (Or try Crio-Bru or Teeccino, which are non-coffee hot beverages that taste pretty good with milk added.)
  • spydergirl47
    spydergirl47 Posts: 36 Member
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    DanyellMcGinnis, since I am 10 years post-op, the fluid intake restrictions are pretty much nil for me. I drink about 3 cups of water during each walk I take, and I usually walk two to three times per day.

    I will try some of the powders you suggested since I really am not a veggie person (I'm a meat-a-tarian). And I already use half and half in my coffee which I usually have 4 to 5 days a week.

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