Not Getting Enough Calories

mollyschooley
mollyschooley Posts: 9 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hello Everyone!
I need your help. I am on a 2280 calorie a day diet and due to my schedule I'm not hitting anywhere near that! MAYBE 1,000 a day sometimes. Any advice? I work from 11am-4pm so I don't eat lunch before and can't eat during work so it's difficult to get the calories all in. I also get way to nauseous if I eat over a certain number of calories a day. jzt7wihjmkp2.png

Replies

  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    Why can’t you eat lunch before?

    Depending on what time you get up - 5/600 cal breakfast; snack before work (yogurt/cheese/protein); dinner after; bedtime snack
  • mollyschooley
    mollyschooley Posts: 9 Member
    I eat breakfast around 8:00-8:30am (not near 5-600 calories) and then take my daughter to my moms around 9:30am and then head to work as I work an hour away
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    No break between 11am-4pm?
    No chance to stuff a sandwich or snack down?
    You can't drink some calories in that time?


    BTW - opening your food diary might help with targeted advice.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    If you want to gain weight, you need to make the effort to get the calories in.

    In what way do you "get sick" from consuming a certain number of calories? I'm not sure your body works like that

    Make a bigger breakfast, take a smoothie (or other liquid calories) and some snacks for on the way to work (granola bars, nuts, dried fruit, trail mix etc), drink more calories at work, pack a snack for on the way home after work, then have dinner and dessert.

    Pre planning your day will help you I think!
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    You get nausea if you eat over a certain calorie amount a day? How many calories is that?

    Is this 2280 calorie intake based on your own calculations or given to you by someone else like a doctor, etc.

    What is your height, current weight, age?
  • fb47
    fb47 Posts: 1,058 Member
    edited January 2018
    Try eating twice a day, one meal for breakfast and one meal for supper. 1000 each calories...if you want to gain weight, you're going to have to find a way to get your calories in and since eating small meals seems impossible from what I read, your other option would be to eat at breakfast and supper or maybe have a small snack 1-2 hours before supper if eating 1000 calories in one meal is too much. Not sure how we can help you if you have nausea over a certain amount of calories which is the first time I hear of this. Something tells me that it's more mental, if it really persists, I can only suggest you to have it check with a doctor.

    Here is a meal example I can give you if it helps:
    For breakfast:
    2 cups of cereals of your choice + 1 cup of milk mixed with 2 scoops of protein powder, a banana will give you roughly 1K calories depending on the fat content of your milk. If that makes you sick, then you should seriously see a doctor, because it's not a common thing, you either have something physical that needs to be treated by a doctor or it's all mental.

    For supper:
    3 tortillas with 3 extra large eggs, 3 turkey bacon, 28g shredded mozzarella along with a cup of 100% orange juice (or chocolate milk if you prefer)

    These are just samples, you can adjust the food to your liking. I mean I don't even know if you're following a ketogenic diet or vegan or if you have any allergies. This is just a sample of what I eat on a bulk and it might inspire you to come up with something else. It's not hard.
  • mollyschooley
    mollyschooley Posts: 9 Member
    The 2280 was given to me by my nutritionist doctor. I am 5'1, 18 years old, and 85lbs. @RoxieDawn and It's not really the calorie amount that makes me sick it's the amount of food I eat. I drink a protein shake for breakfast and am completely full until pretty much dinner. If I push myself to eat lunch or even lunch and a snack I get so nauseous I don't want to move. @livingleanlivingclean
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    Why are you 85 lb?
  • ADeCapua
    ADeCapua Posts: 35 Member
    Have your doctor order a gastric emptying study to see how long it takes your stomach to empty after eating a small meal. Getting full very quickly is a symptom of gastroparesis (stomach paralysis, can be partially working, don't panic). I have this condition and it is treated starting with medication.
  • mollyschooley
    mollyschooley Posts: 9 Member
    @JeromeBarry1 I've always been small
    @ADeCapua I've had all testing done; blood work, thyroid testing, etc... everything is perfectly normal I'm just not consuming enough calories to maintain my weight.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    mollyschooley wrote: »
    The 2280 was given to me by my nutritionist doctor. I am 5'1, 18 years old, and 85lbs. @RoxieDawn and It's not really the calorie amount that makes me sick it's the amount of food I eat. I drink a protein shake for breakfast and am completely full until pretty much dinner. If I push myself to eat lunch or even lunch and a snack I get so nauseous I don't want to move. @livingleanlivingclean

    I assume this is some sort of weight gainer shake? Can you drink half or less as in break it up into smaller portions? You can eat calorie dense foods that are high calorie that are not so filling or voluminous.

    Take a look at the 'higher calorie foods' from the link. Ignore the bulking information.


    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read/p1
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    Why is a doctor involved? Why is a doctor conflating their credential with that of a nutritionist?

    Is the Nutritionist really a Doctor as "Doctor" is used in the U.S.?
  • MarkusDarwath
    MarkusDarwath Posts: 393 Member
    For sheer calorie density it's hard to get higher than peanut butter, nuts, and trail mix. Those foods can really pack in the calories without having to eat large quantities.
  • mollyschooley
    mollyschooley Posts: 9 Member
    @JeromeBarry1 I guess I'm not understanding your question? I went to a doctor first for testing to make sure nothing was abnormal. When everything came back normal she wanted me to see a nutritionist because I was concerned about my own weight. The nutritionist told me the reason my weight fluctuates so much is because I'm only eating about 800 Calories a day and to gain weight I need to be eating 2280 to be at a healthy weight for me. I was just looking for higher calorie foods to eat or just tips on how to eat more food without getting sick.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    Cook with butter and oil. A tablespoon of oil is 120 calories. Eat nut butters, nuts in general, add in a higher fat dessert/treat.
  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,143 Member
    Take a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with you to eat on the way. Not that filling, but can be about 5-600 calories.

    To the 14 year old, you have to be 18 to be on this website.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    mollyschooley wrote: »
    The 2280 was given to me by my nutritionist doctor. I am 5'1, 18 years old, and 85lbs. @RoxieDawn and It's not really the calorie amount that makes me sick it's the amount of food I eat. I drink a protein shake for breakfast and am completely full until pretty much dinner. If I push myself to eat lunch or even lunch and a snack I get so nauseous I don't want to move. @livingleanlivingclean

    I assume this is some sort of weight gainer shake? Can you drink half or less as in break it up into smaller portions? You can eat calorie dense foods that are high calorie that are not so filling or voluminous.

    Take a look at the 'higher calorie foods' from the link. Ignore the bulking information.


    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read/p1

    OP, look at this link. It will provide you some good insights into high calorie foods and drinks. If you have to start off by drinking some calories. Id recommend fairlife chocolate.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    How about eat breakfast at 8. Bring nuts to nibble on at work. Eat a little something as soon as you get home. Eat dinner. Eat a snack before bed. Eat more often on the weekend. Focus on calorie dense, low volume foods in the link above.

    See if you can get a referral to a gastroenterologist, there is no reason a healthy woman should be physically unable to eat more than 800 cals. The only other option is that the issue is psychological, and if that's the case you should be able to get a referral to a therapist.

    Best of luck

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