Struggling to hit calories

Posts: 16 Member
edited November 23 in Getting Started
Is anyone else struggling to hit their calorie intake? Mine is set at 1790 for a day to lose weight. I'm a 6ft 2 guy weight about 213lbs. After I've done my cardio for the day (4x a week) I really struggle to hit the daily recommended amount of 1790 calories. Does anyone else find it hard and does anyone have any tips etc to help me hit my goals?

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  • Posts: 14,517 Member
    Calorie dense foods........nuts, nut butters, avocado, olive oil.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1
  • Posts: 35,719 Member
    Peanut butter
  • Posts: 3,966 Member
    Eat more calorie dense food with a focus on protein. It sounds like a pain in the *kitten* but you could also eat more frequently. For your current bodyweight, you could be around 2300-2500kcal/day and still be in a deficit if you're active.

    You're pretty tall and without knowing your bf%, it seems you may be naturally lean with just some body fat to lose, though I could be wrong. Cardio seems to blunt hunger in a lot of people and strength training seems to increase appetite.

    Besides fat loss, do you have any other goals; i.e. get stronger, build muscle, perform better at a sport, etc.?
  • Posts: 13,342 Member
    Nope, I would happily eat 2500 if I could except I wouldn't be slim anymore lol

    Silly question maybe but how did you get overweight (not that you're actually much overweight given your height) to begin with if you can't eat 1790 cals now? 1790 is a low day for me on maintenance and I'm only 5ft 2.

    As above says choose calorie dense foods, nuts and peanut butter are my go to except I usually don't have the calories to spare...
  • Posts: 16 Member
    Thanks for the replies everyone. I understand that I have obviously eaten more than 1790 calories to have gained weight in the first place. All my meals were very bad and since I've started eating better quality foods and higher levels of protein I feel a lot more full all of the time. I guess I will just eat more even if I don't feel too hungry.
  • Posts: 16 Member
    anubis609 wrote: »
    Eat more calorie dense food with a focus on protein. It sounds like a pain in the *kitten* but you could also eat more frequently. For your current bodyweight, you could be around 2300-2500kcal/day and still be in a deficit if you're active.

    You're pretty tall and without knowing your bf%, it seems you may be naturally lean with just some body fat to lose, though I could be wrong. Cardio seems to blunt hunger in a lot of people and strength training seems to increase appetite.

    Besides fat loss, do you have any other goals; i.e. get stronger, build muscle, perform better at a sport, etc.?

    I would say I'm fairly lean yes. About 99% of my excess weight is stomach and chest area. I've ran a few marathons so I suppose my main goal is to keep beating my best times.
  • Posts: 17,890 Member
    Or you could prevent "falling off the wagon" by eating all the foods you like in moderation. Demonizing foods (calling them "bad) intensifes our desire for them. No foods or meals are in themselves bad, it's about amounts and frequency, balance and context. Forcing yourself to eat "healthy" food will have the opposite of the desired effect. And keep in mind that hunger can need some time to catch up on you, but it will; you're in the honeymoon phase and no phase lasts forever.
  • Posts: 2,991 Member
    Thanks for the replies everyone. I understand that I have obviously eaten more than 1790 calories to have gained weight in the first place. All my meals were very bad and since I've started eating better quality foods and higher levels of protein I feel a lot more full all of the time. I guess I will just eat more even if I don't feel too hungry.

    Just make sure you are logging correctly. Invest in a food scale if you aren't currently using one before eating just to make a calorie goal.
  • Posts: 14,517 Member
    Or you could prevent "falling off the wagon" by eating all the foods you like in moderation. Demonizing foods (calling them "bad) intensifes our desire for them. No foods or meals are in themselves bad, it's about amounts and frequency, balance and context. Forcing yourself to eat "healthy" food will have the opposite of the desired effect. And keep in mind that hunger can need some time to catch up on you, but it will; you're in the honeymoon phase and no phase lasts forever.

    QFT
  • Posts: 16 Member
    cathipa wrote: »

    Just make sure you are logging correctly. Invest in a food scale if you aren't currently using one before eating just to make a calorie goal.

    I am defiantly logging correctly. I do have a food scale. I guess I am fairly new to the calorie counting side of a diet/ lifestyle change. I do appreciate all the input everyone has given me
  • Posts: 16 Member

    Stop thinking food is good or bad, that'll help...

    Would you not consider takeaways and pre made foods etc as bad? Or is that still approaching things from the wrong direction?
  • Posts: 1,406 Member

    Would you not consider takeaways and pre made foods etc as bad? Or is that still approaching things from the wrong direction?

    No they are not "bad" foods. You're calling them bad foods and it makes your feel like you're doing something wrong.
  • Posts: 3,966 Member
    Or you could prevent "falling off the wagon" by eating all the foods you like in moderation. Demonizing foods (calling them "bad) intensifes our desire for them. No foods or meals are in themselves bad, it's about amounts and frequency, balance and context. Forcing yourself to eat "healthy" food will have the opposite of the desired effect. And keep in mind that hunger can need some time to catch up on you, but it will; you're in the honeymoon phase and no phase lasts forever.

    Exactly. Not all "health food" is healthy, nor is all "junk food" garbage.

    @nowmartin2001 since your goal is to perform better for marathons, but have some torso fat to lose, do some resistance training. It doesn't have to be traditional lifting (calisthenics can also be pretty intense), but pure focus on consistent cardio is catabolic to everything besides fat (think muscle, tendons, cartilage, etc.). Ideally, you want to retain as much muscle and lose fat. Resistance training and progressively overloading will retain/reduce the amount of lean mass lost while shedding fat. Proper protein will be synergistic with that. It also supports your running.
  • Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited December 2017
    Drink some calories, have more snacks, don't eat "diet foods" (avoid low fat/low sugar/"lite" labelled items,), load up on fruit, decent portion of starchy carbs with your main meals, nuts....

    For perspective I'm a 5'9 old fart maintaining on about 3000 cals.
  • Posts: 16 Member

    No. Takeaways are high in fat (generally) and so are more calorie dense, so I have to take more care to fit them in my week calorie and macro goal, but that doesn't make them bad, it makes them yummy.

    The majority of food is pre made these days unless you farm your own livestock etc. So of course it's not bad.

    When I said pre made I meant microwave meals and ready meals. I think instead of bad foods I should have used the term unhealthy. I feel like it was easier for me to eat say 800 kcal worth of unhealthy takeaway/McDonald's type food. Than to eat 800 kcal worth of healthy nutritional food. I'm very confident that I will get to my goals sooner rather than later
  • Posts: 25,763 Member
    tyrindor wrote: »
    Love the "how'd you get fat in the first place if you can't reach a calorie intake" people. I'm so tired of reading that line on here. Ever heard of eating healthy foods only? Eat processed foods for a week, then switch to eating fresh foods for the next week. Even if eat the same amount of calories, the difference in energy is incredible with high nutrient fresh foods. v

    OP: Just do what works, ignore the "always eat at least X amount of calories" stuff. If you aren't feeling constantly hungry, you aren't under eating enough to cause problems.

    "Healthy foods" have calories too. Some of them, in fact, are quite calorie dense. And there are plenty of processed foods that are pretty reasonable calorie-wise. This distinction makes no sense to me.
  • Posts: 14,517 Member

    Would you not consider takeaways and pre made foods etc as bad? Or is that still approaching things from the wrong direction?

    Look at it this way. Losing weight is step #1. After you are done losing weight you can't just go back to normal eating habits. Do you intend for all of your new eating habits to be permanent? If you can't meet calories now, how are you going to meet maintenance calories?

    Some things need to change permanently, but not all things. Less takeaway, less pre-made food, etc. Learning real portion sizes for those foods will help you keep your weight in check. I can't imagine giving up pizza for forever, but I do need to eat smaller portions.....forever.
  • Posts: 281 Member
    edited December 2017

    "Healthy foods" have calories too. Some of them, in fact, are quite calorie dense. And there are plenty of processed foods that are pretty reasonable calorie-wise. This distinction makes no sense to me.

    The problem is some people can't control proportions when it comes to non-filling high calorie snacks like Almonds. What works for you, may throw another person completely off their diet.

    My success has always been to remove ALL and ANY dense calorie meals from my life entirely. I can't control myself around it. This makes it hard to even eat 1500 calories a day because I am always full on fresh veggies, fruits, chicken, etc.
  • Posts: 25,763 Member
    tyrindor wrote: »

    The problem is some people can't control proportions when it comes to non-filling high calorie snacks like Almonds. What works for you, may throw another person completely off their diet.

    What does some people having difficulty practicing portion control with almonds have to do with your statement about eating healthy foods only? It actually undercuts your position -- almonds are, by almost any perspective, a "healthy food." Yet someone who includes almonds in their diet may find it very easy to meet or even exceed a calorie goal, especially if they aren't monitoring their portions.

    Yes, what works for me might throw someone else off their plan. That's a completely different thing than what you claimed earlier.

    (Also, almonds being "non-filling" isn't a universal thing. Some people find the combination of fat and protein in nuts to be quite satisfying).

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