Having Trouble Meeting 1200 Calorie Limit

bbell1985 wrote: »

Hanatastic wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Hanatastic wrote: »

I replaced all of my foods with whole foods, and now I feel like I have to force myself to eat just to reach 1200 calories, while still maintaining my macros! Whole foods are too darn healthy dang it! >:^0 Does anybody have any methods they use to reach their limits without exceeding 40g of fat daily??

I got fat eating mostly whole foods (and lost the weight, NOT eating below 1200, also doing so), so it's not that hard to eat more than 1200 with whole foods, or mostly whole foods. I wouldn't worry about the fat limit, there's nothing magical about MFP's default macros and it's fine to adjust yours if it would work better for you (I tend to eat more fat, fewer carbs than the default, just because that's how I prefer to eat). When adjusting I would keep in mind that the default 1200 macros are already kind of low in protein (lower than I'd recommend for most).

Are you doing something beyond focusing on whole foods? Or is your definition really restrictive or this, perhaps, such a big change that you are having trouble knowing what to eat?

Give us a sense of what you are eating and what you are thinking you need to avoid.

I just unlocked my diary, feel free to check:) in all honesty, yes, I am very new to cooking for myself. My dad was the cook in the family, and he passed away a year ago. After I moved into my moms I gained a massive amount of weight, partially because of depression, and partially because the only word they apparently know is McDonald’s. This is definitely a learning process!

Sending you love. You're going through a lot and still managing to stick with this. You will have much support here if you need it.

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Hanatastic wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Hanatastic wrote: »

I replaced all of my foods with whole foods, and now I feel like I have to force myself to eat just to reach 1200 calories, while still maintaining my macros! Whole foods are too darn healthy dang it! >:^0 Does anybody have any methods they use to reach their limits without exceeding 40g of fat daily??

I got fat eating mostly whole foods (and lost the weight, NOT eating below 1200, also doing so), so it's not that hard to eat more than 1200 with whole foods, or mostly whole foods. I wouldn't worry about the fat limit, there's nothing magical about MFP's default macros and it's fine to adjust yours if it would work better for you (I tend to eat more fat, fewer carbs than the default, just because that's how I prefer to eat). When adjusting I would keep in mind that the default 1200 macros are already kind of low in protein (lower than I'd recommend for most).

Are you doing something beyond focusing on whole foods? Or is your definition really restrictive or this, perhaps, such a big change that you are having trouble knowing what to eat?

Give us a sense of what you are eating and what you are thinking you need to avoid.

I just unlocked my diary, feel free to check:) in all honesty, yes, I am very new to cooking for myself. My dad was the cook in the family, and he passed away a year ago. After I moved into my moms I gained a massive amount of weight, partially because of depression, and partially because the only word they apparently know is McDonald’s. This is definitely a learning process!

Yeah, that plus your comment above about anxiety makes it make a lot more sense.

I do think you could be underestimating some of the more calorie-dense ingredients (cheese, avocado, pork chop), but I see the issue. If you are losing faster than expected I'd try (in the short term) adding in some fat (nuts or nut butter or hemp or flax seed or avocado or full fat yogurt) into your protein shake, or just eat some nuts with it.

One easy way to think about cooking/structuring meals is to build them around a source of protein and vegetables plus a source of starchy carbs (beans can be protein or carbs, other starchy carbs would be bread, potato, rice, oats or any grain, sweet potato, corn, peas, so on), and then use fat in your cooking or for added taste (some avocado or cheese, dressing with olive oil on salad, cook with olive oil). Plenty of meats will add fat too, and I'd not avoid those that do (i.e., salmon is great for you, despite being a fattier fish than cod or tuna; dark meat poultry is a good alternative to only breast, and the skin doesn't kill you). ;-)

I'd also substitute fruit sometimes for either the veg or starchy carb or just use it as a snack.

I think once you get in the habit it will feel easier, and you'll find yourself making meals that fill out your calories while still having a basically nutrient dense diet.

And it sounds like you've had a tough year or so, take it a bit easy on yourself and don't feel like you need to be perfect.