I cannot eat all my calories....could this be causing my wei

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  • MichelleF81
    MichelleF81 Posts: 98 Member
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    I very rarely eat between meals and actually find it difficult to do so, but I do often have a snack in the evening as I eat dinner pretty early. I try to space out my calories and use about 250 for breakfast, 400 for lunch and 550 for dinner. That's just the split that works best for me and of course there are days when it doesn't quite work out that way or I go to the gym so I have to try and eat more and that's where the evening snack comes in. Generally just a slice of peanut butter and toast or a milky drink or some cereal. If you're finding it difficult to make more meals higher in calories then try adding a small amount of cheese or an extra serving of protein.
  • COMomto3
    COMomto3 Posts: 18 Member
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    Maybe put some milk on your cereal. That will add some calories and vitamins.

    I second (or third) eating nuts.

    I like 1 cup cottage cheese with 1/2 cup berries as a snack. It is just over 200 cals and super yummy.

    Eating is hard for me. As someone who is a "feast or famine" type of eater, I totally understand the struggle
  • 16mixingbowls
    16mixingbowls Posts: 205 Member
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    I have just started trying to eat my goal calories because eating way less wasn't working for me. It's been just a few weeks and I've not weighed myself yet, but I FEEL slimmer and my watch band is tighter and my "new" jeans are fitting loosely! It is totally crazy and weird for me, and seems opposite to what I thought I knew, but what I knew wasn't working, so doing it over and over was insanity by definition.

    I looked at your diary, here are a few suggestions:


    sprinkle in 8 walnuts to your cereal/yogurt/pudding/sauteed veggies (100 calories)
    sprinkle in come Crasins to your cereal/pudding/veggies (90 calories) (dried fruit is densely caloric compared to fresh)
    slice up a peach/mango/something and add it to your cereal. (90 calories)
    have a slice of cheese on your Subway sandwich (100 calories)
    sautee your veggies in extra virgin olive oil (1 tablespoon 120 calories)
    add a few ounces of protein to what you already eat
    add a scoop of protein powder to your pudding snack (varies 90-160 calories)
    use real cream cheese instead of Laughing Cow (120 calories)

    I bet that if you just make slightly different choices you can up your calories easily but still not eat a whole lot more (volume) of food.
  • dinosgurl20
    dinosgurl20 Posts: 3
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    Love the small non-edible rewards you allow yourself. Inspiring
  • Run4UrHealth
    Run4UrHealth Posts: 348 Member
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    I looked at your diary, here are a few suggestions:

    slice up a banana and add it to your cereal. (90 calories)
    sprinkle in 8 almonds to your cereal/yogurt/pudding/sauteed veggies (100 calories)
    add a few ounces of protein to what you already eat
    add a scoop of cottage cheese to your yogurt and mix it! (1/2 cup 90 calories)
    have a slice of cheese on your Subway sandwich (100 calories)
    sautee your veggies in extra virgin olive oil (1 tablespoon 120 calories)

    The only thing is I do not drink milk (it makes me nauseated), I do not like yogurt (tried it and about puked), I love almonds but I am allergic to them. I do not like cottage cheese (yucko), I could add some chesse to my subs (great suggestion)!.

    Thanks for all of your suggestions.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    What do you eat your cereal with if you dont take milk? Would soy milk or yoghurt be an alternative?

    Is it just almonds, or all nuts that you don't eat?

    There's a lot of processed ready-meals in there - could you try to introduce more home made meals at all?
  • Run4UrHealth
    Run4UrHealth Posts: 348 Member
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    Maybe put some milk on your cereal. That will add some calories and vitamins.

    I second (or third) eating nuts.

    I like 1 cup cottage cheese with 1/2 cup berries as a snack. It is just over 200 cals and super yummy.

    Eating is hard for me. As someone who is a "feast or famine" type of eater, I totally understand the struggle

    I do not drink milk (makes me nauseated) and I do not eat cottage cheese (gross). I am a picky eater when it comes to dairy foods. I am allergic to almonds ( though I love them).
  • COMomto3
    COMomto3 Posts: 18 Member
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    What about soy or rice milk? It is actually pretty tasty!
  • LMorrison1009
    LMorrison1009 Posts: 114 Member
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    It looks like you're eating great foods and most days 100-200 calories is all you need to add. One tablespoon of peanut butter on a slice of whole wheat bread? One Greek yogurt? String cheese? 1/2 cup of granola? You might be able to add something to your smallest meal without feeling stuffed, or add it in as an extra snack.
  • COMomto3
    COMomto3 Posts: 18 Member
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    Non Dairy Snacks

    Celery sticks with Peanut Butter
    Graham Crackers with Peanut Butter
    Apple with Peanut Butter
    Slice of Turkey (or any lunch meat) rolled in lettuce
    Hummus with Veggies
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
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    If you don't eat nuts (you said you're allergic to almonds, so I'm not sure about other nuts) or dairy, then avocados and olive oil are great ways to add extra healthy calories and fats to your diet. Hummus is also great - 2 tablespoons is 50 calories. You can dip some veggies in that as a snack or even add it to a salad at dinner.

    I know people on here swear by eating at least 1200 calories per day. I'm very short, so I eat that or less, but I rarely ever eat the same amount of calories each day. Some people zigzag their calories. I do that, but not on purpose - some days I eat less and some days I eat more. It just depends on my schedule, but so far it seems to be working. You seem to be off by about 100 calories or so. I wouldn't worry too much if some days you don't net your calorie goal.
  • Run4UrHealth
    Run4UrHealth Posts: 348 Member
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    Non Dairy Snacks

    Celery sticks with Peanut Butter
    Graham Crackers with Peanut Butter
    Apple with Peanut Butter
    Slice of Turkey (or any lunch meat) rolled in lettuce
    Hummus with Veggies

    I really like these suggestions...they are all foods I like...Thanks!
  • Run4UrHealth
    Run4UrHealth Posts: 348 Member
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    What do you eat your cereal with if you dont take milk? Would soy milk or yoghurt be an alternative?

    Is it just almonds, or all nuts that you don't eat?

    There's a lot of processed ready-meals in there - could you try to introduce more home made meals at all?

    I eat dry cereal...I actually like it that way. :)
  • ashlielinn
    ashlielinn Posts: 920
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    I have the same problem! I feel like I've been programmed to eat as few calories as possible. Last night, I even had wings, a few cheese fries, and a light beer and was still 200 calories under my goal without exercising at all! (It was my day off from the gym.) People always tell me to eat more, but I'm just not hungry. It's tough!
  • ljmgam
    ljmgam Posts: 1
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    Not eating 1,200 calories per day could be causing weight gain because your body metabolism may sense that you are in a starvation mode and not utilizing the food you are eating for energy, but rather slowing down to ward off lack of food in the future. So eating an unusual big meal (such as your anniversary meal) would make you feel uncomfortable and could not be metabolized properly causin a temporary weight gain. The other problem with eating less than 1200 cal per day is lack of the proper nutrients your body needs for metabolizing your food. I like the suggests to eating small healthy snacks such as fiber rich protein bars, or fresh fruit in between meals AND make sure you ARE starting out the day with a good breakfast to get the metabolism going right away.
  • stephyy4632
    stephyy4632 Posts: 947 Member
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    I have the same problem most days

    some things I have done to up my cals are

    cooking in Extra virgin olive oil
    snacking on celary with peanutbutter and rasins or dried cranberries
    5 hint of salt ritz crackers and a laughing cow garlic and herb wedge (so good one of my favorite snacks)
  • Run4UrHealth
    Run4UrHealth Posts: 348 Member
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    I have the same problem most days

    some things I have done to up my cals are

    cooking in Extra virgin olive oil
    snacking on celary with peanutbutter and rasins or dried cranberries
    5 hint of salt ritz crackers and a laughing cow garlic and herb wedge (so good one of my favorite snacks)

    I do love the laughing cow garlic and herb wedge cheese....I need to start cooking in virgin olive oil.
  • fitacct
    fitacct Posts: 241 Member
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    I'm having the same problem. When I complete my meal chart for the day, I'm almost always in "starvation mode" and have to eat more to hit that 1200 mark. I started incorporating more snacks into my day but then I worry I'll go over 1200. I gained back two of the four pounds I've lost and I wonder if it's the whole starvation mode kicking in (my body storing fat). I'm still exercising almost every day so that's not the problem. I've read a lot of good advice in this thread...hopefully, some of it will work for you and me, too!
    : )

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