Struggling to eat less than 1800 calories a day...

KeshNZ
KeshNZ Posts: 73 Member
edited November 21 in Food and Nutrition
Hi all

I’ve just started up on here again after a break. My weight has been sitting at ~70kg for the last year and I’ve decided I’d like to drop to ~65kg so that I’m in the healthy weight range for my height (162cm). I’ve logged my food intake for the last few days but haven’t been counting calories at all for the last year. I’ve found that I really struggle to eat less that 1800 calories, particularly on days that I work. Due to fatigue/pain issues I struggle to do intense exercise so I stick to low impact workouts such as walking, cycling, yoga and compound exercises. Of course these don’t burn many calories so I think I need to adjust my diet drastically to make any real changes. I’m after some tips on areas that I can improve with my diet. Here’s my typical day:

Breakfast – 2 pieces of wholegrain toast with avocado (sometimes with vegemite or an egg) or peanut butter, 1 serving of fruit, green tea. Or 1/3 cup oats with blueberries, chia seeds, crushed nuts and a half a teaspoon of maple syrup.
AM snack – pottle of yoghurt or 1 serve of fruit. 1 cup of black coffee with a splash of milk (like a teaspoon).
Lunch – leftover dinner. Or a mushroom vegetable flatbread with yoghurt and salad. Or a focaccia roll with tempeh, kimchi and chilli sauce.
PM snack – carrot sticks with almond butter or cottage cheese. Or a handful of nuts.
Dinner – usually something like a vegetable based curry, sometimes with chicken (I don’t eat much meat these days) and around 1/3 cup of brown rice. Or a spinach and mushroom frittata with leafy greens. Or chilli beans/beef with avocado. Or sometimes a tortilla base pizza with tomato paste, olives, sometimes salami, feta cheese and basil leaves.

I sometimes have a beer with dinner and do allow myself a little treat once a day (either with lunch or dinner), this is usually a few squares of dark chocolate or some shortbread. I drink around 2-3 cups of herbal tea a day (not caffeinated) and aim to drink two 800ml bottles of water each day. I think I probably have to work on cutting down carbs and increasing protein but I’m not really sure. Are my food choices too high in calories. Can anyone suggest alternatives?

Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    You have to decide how fast you need your weight off. A slower rate will give you more calories to eat. 1800 calories will make you lose slowly. But if the alternative is to not lose (lose, feel starving, desperate, regain), I would suggest sticking to 1800.

    What you can do to improve your diet has also got to be your decision, but I would suggest to always have protein+fat+vegetables for all meals (and snacks; possibly cut out snacks). Your meals look balanced and delicous. Make sure there is variety from day to day.

    I would reduce beer to one glass per week, and chocolate to one square per day.

    Depending on approach and personality, working on cutting down carbs and increasing protein, can bring the same result as just aiming to eat a more well-rounded diet, or make you obsessed, worried and apathetic. Take care to pick a strategy that is good for you. You know yourself best. And all this, changing habits and challenging assumptions, will teach you even more about yourself.
  • KeshNZ
    KeshNZ Posts: 73 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    You have to decide how fast you need your weight off. A slower rate will give you more calories to eat. 1800 calories will make you lose slowly. But if the alternative is to not lose (lose, feel starving, desperate, regain), I would suggest sticking to 1800.

    Thanks. I would be happy to loose 1/2 a kilo a week, but if it stretched out to 2 weeks that's fine too. I don't really think I am losing anything at 1800 calories (although I haven't been tracking this accurately. Maybe I should aim for 1700 calories a day?

    The snacks help me prevent any hypoglycemic symptoms so I don't really want to cut those out.

  • ironhajee
    ironhajee Posts: 384 Member
    Seems like you are already on the right track - I would suggest to increase physical activity and frequency. You would be surprised how many calories you can burn just with a good 60 minute hike/walk in the outdoors!!! Get some good music playlists and go for a nice long walk and dont think about it as (having to walk to lose weight) think of it like, getting in touch with mother Earth and nature. This will make walking so much more enjoyable and re connect your self with Earth.

    Find a nice trail style walking path that is somewhat "away" from the hustle and bustle of the city - and walk at a moderate to fast pace you should be sweating by the time an hour is up go 30 minutes out and 30 minutes back in!

    And whatever the guy above said, your diet already looks dialed in just be patient and add some more physical activity while the summer is still beautiful!


    You can also research up on Intermittent Fasting - with this aggressive fat loss method and strategic black coffee in the morning to suppress appetite I have been able to melt off 24 pounds in just 2.5 months! However it can be a bit more challenging with a working lifestyle. Plenty of resources online for Intermittent Fasting.
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    Op-took a peak at your diary and few things jumped out at me-

    -you have pieces/cups/servings etc. You should be weighing everything on a food scale to nail down accuracy.
    -for me personally-soup isn't filling at all and is a calorie vacuum. You might want to try subbing out the soup for something you have to chew :)
    -you use a lot of calories on chocolate. Nothing wrong with including this, but it's not filling so maybe cut your portion size in half and use the calories elsewhere for something with more substance.
    -find a lower calorie bread option, there's a lot of them out there (including whole grains, sprouted etc). An easy way to save some calories
    -find a lower calorie yogurt option
    -lots of calories being spent of drinks, again not a filling way to use calories

    And then the biggest observation is that you're just not eating a lot, for the amount of calories you're taking in. Focus on finding low calorie options that you can eat a lot of. I average 1,200-1,400 calories a day right now and I eat a LOT of food, mass wise. This keeps me feeling full for longer. Here's an example of a typical day for me-compare the quantity of what I'm eating vs what you are (and I'm coming in at less calories)

    -cup high quality black coffee with 1 pkt splenda (0 cal)

    -2 slices sprouted whole grains bread, toasted, with 2 triangles light cheese spread, bottle of water (120 cal for bread + 50 cal for cheese)

    -whole wheat flat bread with 1 serving black refried beans, with lettuce, onion, tomato, olives, hot sauce; serving of flavored popcorn or rice crisps, can of diet soda (around 375 calories, depending on how many veggies)

    -cup high quality black coffee with 1 pkt splenda (0 cal)

    -canning jar sized green smoothie with 1c skim milk, 1 large banana, 6 large strawberries, leafy greens, 1 pkt splenda, 1 c water (300 or less calories, depending on how much fruit)

    -skillet sized stirfry with 1 whole pkg of mushrooms, sauteed in 1tsp olive oil; 2 cups riced cauliflower, broccoli, green onions, few dashes of soy sauce, 1 egg, scrambled, water to drink (around 300 calories, depending on how many veggies)-this makes a very large bowl!

    -large serving of cherries or melon, may have a serving of cheese with it; cup of coffee with 1 pkt of splenda (150 cal or less)

    Total for day-around 1,300 calories and this is a LOT of food.

    Just experiment with different foods and work in low calorie options, especially veggies which have a lot of bulk and almost no calories :)
  • KeshNZ
    KeshNZ Posts: 73 Member
    edited August 2017
    As I've mentioned I'm not counting calories yet (I'm just logging to see roughly how much I'm eating) I know that logging by portion size isn't entirely accurate but its got to be better than guessing the weight right? I don't have any kitchen scales right now, my last 2 sets broke after a couple of months! I'm actually a little hesitant to start weighing everything individually in the past it became an unhealthy obsession. I go out for lunch a fair bit with work colleagues and I don't want to be that person that pulls out scales in a cafe...

    I know MFP is designed to use with weight over portion sizes but it's already been helpful to use it as just a food diary without counting... it's helped me keep the weight off anyway, now I just need to find a way to drop the weight without it becoming an obsession!
  • rmgnow
    rmgnow Posts: 375 Member
    Why don't you start?
    I'm on a similar calorie allowance at 1850.
    What's your height and weight?
  • KeshNZ
    KeshNZ Posts: 73 Member
    rmgnow wrote: »
    Why don't you start?
    I'm on a similar calorie allowance at 1850.
    What's your height and weight?

    I'm just scared I guess, scared of becoming obsessive and letting it take over my thoughts (this is very common in people with depression/anxiety, we can hone in on one thing and let it take over our lives)...

    I'm 162 cm (5' 3") and 71 kg (156 lb) with a waist measurement of 83 cm (33 inches).
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited August 2017
    I suggest you swap out Sodium or Sugar for Fiber and hit your fiber goal daily. Plus up your protein. That should help keeping you fuller on less calories.

    I can easily polish of 440 calories of chocolate if I chew it, but if I take chocolate chips one by one, letting each one dissolve in my mouth until it is gone, I find 37 calories worth is fine for after dinner.

    Try more protein and fiber, and less chocolate, and if after a month you are still struggling, let's revisit weighing, which I find makes me less anxious ;)

    Speaking of which, do you have a regular exercise routine? I was ready to have a meltdown today, went for a walk, feel much better.
  • whitpauly
    whitpauly Posts: 1,483 Member
    I've lost 10 lbs eating 1800 cals,MFP gives me 1560 as a base but I try to get at least 15,000 steps a day so i can eat a bit more,i get hypoglycemic if i dont snack,its been slower cuz I only need to lose 15 total but it's been ok
  • KeshNZ
    KeshNZ Posts: 73 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    I suggest you swap out Sodium or Sugar for Fiber and hit your fiber goal daily. Plus up your protein. That should help keeping you fuller on less calories.

    I can easily polish of 440 calories of chocolate if I chew it, but if I take chocolate chips one by one, letting each one dissolve in my mouth until it is gone, I find 37 calories worth is fine for after dinner.

    Try more protein and fiber, and less chocolate, and if after a month you are still struggling, let's revisit weighing, which I find makes me less anxious ;)

    Speaking of which, do you have a regular exercise routine? I was ready to have a meltdown today, went for a walk, feel much better.

    I currently walk daily (aim for 10000 steps), I also do a yoga class once a week and do compound exercises at the gym for around 40 minutes twice a week (with 10 minutes ligth cardio either side for warm up/cool down). I like to hike on different trails when I can, usually for at least an hour every couple of weeks. I'm also planning to start cycling to and from work (15km each way) once the weather here is a little warmer (and less windy).
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