I eat clean but am always low in calories...what can I add?

Options
sheepingly
sheepingly Posts: 237 Member
edited July 2017 in Health and Weight Loss
So I'm trying to eat clean and lose weight (i'm 60+lbs overweight) but even when I add in 3 meals and a snack and try mostly to have unprocessed foods. I'm way below my cal level of 1200 +.

Today for instance:

Breakfast - Low Carb Protein Shake and Oatmeal

Lunch - 3 oz chicken stuffed with asparagus and cheese, 1/2 cup of rice

Dinner - 3 oz chicken stuffed with asparagus and cheese, 1/2 cup of rice, 2 cups of broccoli

Snack - 1 cup of popcorn

I added it all up on MFP and its only 900 calories. What else can I add -- I'm trying to also be low sodium and low fat.
«13

Replies

  • ashliedelgado
    ashliedelgado Posts: 814 Member
    edited July 2017
    Options
    If you're weighing and you know for sure that you're below 1200, there are plenty of calorie dense "clean" foods to have.

    A serving of nuts goes a long way. Cook your chicken in olive oil - is that "clean"? It means different things to so many different people, but if you're putting cheese in your chicken, I imagine olive oil should be okay.

    ETA: Also, this list from the gaining boards:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read/p1
  • sheepingly
    sheepingly Posts: 237 Member
    Options
    Great suggestions thank you. It seems like when i try to eat better i.e. lean meats, veggies, and some decent fats...i always end up around 800-900 calories so I'll try adding in some things.
  • sheepingly
    sheepingly Posts: 237 Member
    edited July 2017
    Options
    Ashlie,

    I do use a scale. I am meticulous with my measurements.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    Options
    I would quickly go nuts on the sample menu you posted. Eat a variety of foods you enjoy and hit your calorie allowance. As you go along, you will likely find healthy swaps that keep you satisfied and make it easier to hit your numbers. Trying to overhaul your entire diet overnight is a lot of unnecessary stress when you are already trying to adjust to eating less.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited July 2017
    Options
    If you're overweight, eating more shouldn't be too difficult.

    Eat well. Eating too little or poorly (including boring food) will make you eat too much later, to compensate.

    Log correctly and consistently. It's possible that you - over time - are eating more than you think. One day here and there will not make a difference, it's intake over time that matters.

    Don't get caught up in details or scaremongering. Just focus on eating less. Clean eating, processed food, aiding weightloss is all nonsense. A sustained calorie deficit is what drives weightloss.

    You can eat anything you want. Eating a balanced diet made up of a variety of foods is actually very important, if you want to get in proper nutrition. You'll need proper nutrition in order to sustain a calorie deficit.
  • born_of_fire74
    born_of_fire74 Posts: 776 Member
    Options
    Cutting both fat and carbs makes it very difficult for your body to fuel itself. It needs one or the other to turn into energy so you'll most likely find yourself hungry, listless and cranky before too long. Fat can be very satiating for some, carbs moreso for others. You need to figure out what types of food keep you feeling full and satisfied within your calorie allotment and adjust your macros accordingly (carbs up/fats down or fats up/carbs down while maintaining a minimum protein intake) for long term success.

    Furthermore, without underlying health issuses--hypertension, diabetes etc,--there's no pressing reason to cut sugar or sodium from your diet. The more you restrict yourself and/or quickly alter the foods you eat, the more likely you are to struggle IMHO.
  • sheepingly
    sheepingly Posts: 237 Member
    Options
    born_of_fire74 wrote: »
    Cutting both fat and carbs makes it very difficult for your body to fuel itself. It needs one or the other to turn into energy so you'll most likely find yourself hungry, listless and cranky before too long. Fat can be very satiating for some, carbs moreso for others. You need to figure out what types of food keep you feeling full and satisfied within your calorie allotment and adjust your macros accordingly (carbs up/fats down or fats up/carbs down while maintaining a minimum protein intake) for long term success.

    Furthermore, without underlying health issuses--hypertension, diabetes etc,--there's no pressing reason to cut sugar or sodium from your diet. The more you restrict yourself and/or quickly alter the foods you eat, the more likely you are to struggle IMHO.

    The doc said a few months ago that I'm starting to get High Blood Pressure so that kinda scared me.
  • MJ2victory
    MJ2victory Posts: 97 Member
    Options
    You're going to burn out with a diet that boring tbh. Consider some healthier fats, even things like drizzling olive oil over your popcorn, etc. You're going to get more bang for your buck with plant based fats (nuts, avocados for example) than cheese.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    edited July 2017
    Options
    sheepingly wrote: »
    born_of_fire74 wrote: »
    Cutting both fat and carbs makes it very difficult for your body to fuel itself. It needs one or the other to turn into energy so you'll most likely find yourself hungry, listless and cranky before too long. Fat can be very satiating for some, carbs moreso for others. You need to figure out what types of food keep you feeling full and satisfied within your calorie allotment and adjust your macros accordingly (carbs up/fats down or fats up/carbs down while maintaining a minimum protein intake) for long term success.

    Furthermore, without underlying health issuses--hypertension, diabetes etc,--there's no pressing reason to cut sugar or sodium from your diet. The more you restrict yourself and/or quickly alter the foods you eat, the more likely you are to struggle IMHO.

    The doc said a few months ago that I'm starting to get High Blood Pressure so that kinda scared me.

    Losing weight has far more impact on most health issues than diet. I vastly improved all of my health markers losing weight on a mostly healthy, varied diet that still included some "junk" & sweets. I just had to get a little pickier about what I felt was worth the calories when trying to meet my calorie goal.
  • sfbeal
    sfbeal Posts: 3 Member
    Options
    You are eating well--just add more of almost everything in there! And the nuts--that is a really good add to the snack category. You don't have to add a lot to get there. Baby steps. At one point in my weight loss journey, I was eating "too little" and I thought "I will get to goal faster!" and I can tell you that is NOT true. It is counterintuitive--it seems impossible!--I'm eating LESS, how can i not be losing weight?!--but it what happened to me and I had to eat right and really up my exercise (especially intensity) to get my metabolism back to believing it was safe to lose weight again. I joined a challenge and hit goal today! I have to maintain it for two weeks to be able to call the goal "accomplished" but I'm very happy about where I am.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited July 2017
    Options
    sheepingly wrote: »
    So I'm trying to eat clean and lose weight (i'm 60+lbs overweight) but even when I add in 3 meals and a snack and try mostly to have unprocessed foods. I'm way below my cal level of 1200 +.

    Today for instance:

    Breakfast - Low Carb Protein Shake and Oatmeal

    Lunch - 3 oz chicken stuffed with asparagus and cheese, 1/2 cup of rice

    Dinner - 3 oz chicken stuffed with asparagus and cheese, 1/2 cup of rice, 2 cups of broccoli

    Snack - 1 cup of popcorn

    I added it all up on MFP and its only 900 calories. What else can I add -- I'm trying to also be low sodium and low fat.

    More food.

    Assuming your logging is accurate (I haven't checked):

    Add some fruit to the breakfast. For me oats and berries is about 200 calories, and a protein shake would be 150 if I added a little dairy or some cashew milk, at minimum. Add a banana instead of berries and it's 250, so this is 350 to 400 cal easy.

    Lunch: 3 oz (if you weighed this after cooking it is 140 cal) isn't that large, have 4 oz or 5. Cheese will usually net another 100, and then 50 for asparagus, say. Is anything cooked in olive oil or some other oil or butter? Add those calories. Anyway, I'm getting around 350+ already if we have a little oil, plus 100 more for the rice IF you are measuring cooked. If raw, it's at least twice as much. Add any butter or oil, more calories. But let's say 450. Want to add more calories, increase portions or have some nuts.

    Dinner, same.

    I'm getting more than 1200 already, or with tiny changes, and that's even before the popcorn.

    Cheese and popcorn and a protein shake and arguably even oats and boneless skinless chicken breast are all processed, btw. Nothing wrong with that, I think it's a perfectly reasonable day (I'd go nuts with that menu every day, but for one day I think it's fine, and you can switch around the lunches and dinners with other vegetables and proteins and starches). However, I point it out because it shows the possible issue with obsessing about "clean" if you are finding that is placing foods off limits.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Options
    If you are trying to go low fat you have to fill up with more carbs.

    What is your feeling about natural grains? There's quinoa, corn, rye, buckwheat, kamut among others.

    if you won't eat grains, there's starchy vegetables like potato, sweet potato, yams, and plantain.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Options
    ashliedelgado wrote: »
    If you're weighing and you know for sure that you're below 1200, there are plenty of calorie dense "clean" foods to have.

    A serving of nuts goes a long way. Cook your chicken in olive oil - is that "clean"? It means different things to so many different people, but if you're putting cheese in your chicken, I imagine olive oil should be okay.

    ETA: Also, this list from the gaining boards:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read/p1

    There's also this list from the Food and Nutrition stickies, though granted I've mostly been using it to post pictures of Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson posing with delicious foods lately: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    jgnatca wrote: »
    If you are trying to go low fat you have to fill up with more carbs.

    What is your feeling about natural grains? There's quinoa, corn, rye, buckwheat, kamut among others.

    if you won't eat grains, there's starchy vegetables like potato, sweet potato, yams, and plantain.

    She's got oats for breakfast, rice for lunch and dinner, and popcorn. Don't think she's avoiding grains. I'm wondering how much she's eating, though -- OP, how many calories are you getting and are you measuring before or after cooking?
  • sheepingly
    sheepingly Posts: 237 Member
    Options
    @lemur I haven't "avoided" grains yet becuase I haven't figured out the whole plan yet. I just started literally today and chose to make dinner instead of the usual frozen stuff which was the usual diet before or more processed stuff.

    @jem. It wasn't plain oatmeal, it was one of those instant ones in the little packets.

    Its not completely clean i know but cleaner than my old diet of frozen stuff or fast food so i've just been trying to clean it up and cooking as much as possible until i figure out what the heck i'm doing.

Categories