Meeting daily calorie goal a struggle

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jBaerson1
jBaerson1 Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I am a college student who went from going to school and work all day everyday to having summer vacation and being able to sleep in (I don’t work until the afternoons and work out at night). My issue is, almost every day I end up sleeping in past breakfast. When I wake up I eat, but I find that at the end of the day my daily calories never equal over 1000 (and my caloric goal is 1200). I’m not intentionally under eating, I just don’t want to make up for lost calories if I’m not hungry. I know eating under 1000 calories a day isn’t sufficient enough and I’m not sure what to do. Any suggestions?

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Tighten up yout logging. Unless you're underweight/losing weight rapidly, you're eating more than you think.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,181 Member
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    Any time is a good time for a breakfast taco. Get your couple hundred calories that way.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,991 Member
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    A quarter cup serving of mixed nuts (which is a very small amount) is about 160 cals.

    Carry a couple of pre-measured servings in a pocket, purse or knapsack and you've got a quick an easy extra 160-320 cals to eat during the day.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    What did you eat before that has you wanting to lose weight now?

    Are you eating low fat foods? Use the full fat versions.

    Have some cheese or nuts with fruit handy.

    I scoop PB straight out of the container (carefully, and weighing 90% of the time).
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,012 Member
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    jBaerson1 wrote: »
    So I am a college student who went from going to school and work all day everyday to having summer vacation and being able to sleep in (I don’t work until the afternoons and work out at night). My issue is, almost every day I end up sleeping in past breakfast. When I wake up I eat, but I find that at the end of the day my daily calories never equal over 1000 (and my caloric goal is 1200). I’m not intentionally under eating, I just don’t want to make up for lost calories if I’m not hungry. I know eating under 1000 calories a day isn’t sufficient enough and I’m not sure what to do. Any suggestions?

    How long have you been eating this way, and what has your weight been doing so far?
    You are correct that 1000 cals isn't sufficient. Eating that little every once and awhile isn't a big deal, but you don't want to do it regularly. There are a couple of possibilities:
    1. You aren't logging accurately and are actually eating more than that. 1000 cals is simply not a lot of food and if this has been going on for more than a couple of days, you should be hungry. And if it's been going on for a couple of weeks or more, you should be losing weight.
    2. If you really are eating that little, just eat more calorie dense foods when you do eat - avocado, nuts and nut butters, full fat dairy, add oil to your salad, a fruit smoothie, heck have a slice of pizza and a beer.

    When I was in college, I didn't seem to eat much, but what I was eating often involved bagels, pasta, and beer so the calories were still adding up :smiley:
  • jBaerson1
    jBaerson1 Posts: 2 Member
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    To provide a little more information, I have been dieting since March 14th and have lost 17 pounds since. I eat fairly clean (being in college brings along occasional temptations). I think peanut butter is a great idea!! I do love it but never eat it because of how many calories it has, but now I think this would be the perfect time to have it, paired with some apple slices. Thank you everyone for the insight!!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,012 Member
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    jBaerson1 wrote: »
    To provide a little more information, I have been dieting since March 14th and have lost 17 pounds since. I eat fairly clean (being in college brings along occasional temptations). I think peanut butter is a great idea!! I do love it but never eat it because of how many calories it has, but now I think this would be the perfect time to have it, paired with some apple slices. Thank you everyone for the insight!!

    Unless you are obese, that is a lot of weight to lose in a fairly short amount of time. Please do find ways to get more calories and settle in to a more reasonable rate of loss. Good luck!
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    OP, you mentioned working out, are you logging your exercise?

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