Adding 400-600 cals per day

shelbygeorge29
shelbygeorge29 Posts: 263 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I'm going to try and follow MFPs suggested calories. I have been satiated with my current diet. I am eating "clean," so while a Big Mac would fill that void, (maybe I should rethink that, lol!) I'm not sure how best to add them.

I know it seems silly, but I guess it seems so counterintuitive to add calories to meals that are satisfying. Maybe 2 more protein shakes throughout the day?

I can't be the first to deal with this!

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    If you're full on what you're currently eating, a potential good way to add calories is through fat because it is calorie-dense without adding much volume to your meals. If you're currently using any lower fat/"diet" products, you can swap those out for the regular versions too (I see the yogurt you regularly eat, for example, is fat free).
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    i'd say simple things - i took a look at your diary

    instead of 6oz chicken - have 8oz
    instead of 48g oats have 100g

    have some popcorn or a bowl of cereal in the evening (depending on cereal that could eadd 2-300cal including milk)
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    I like to add in high calorie items like nuts or nut butters as a snack.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    shelbygeorge29 wrote: »
    So I'm going to try and follow MFPs suggested calories. I have been satiated with my current diet. I am eating "clean," so while a Big Mac would fill that void, (maybe I should rethink that, lol!) I'm not sure how best to add them.

    I know it seems silly, but I guess it seems so counterintuitive to add calories to meals that are satisfying. Maybe 2 more protein shakes throughout the day?

    I can't be the first to deal with this!

    Can I ask how your weight loss has been going so far? Are you losing faster than expectations?
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    shelbygeorge29 wrote: »
    So I'm going to try and follow MFPs suggested calories. I have been satiated with my current diet. I am eating "clean," so while a Big Mac would fill that void, (maybe I should rethink that, lol!) I'm not sure how best to add them.

    I know it seems silly, but I guess it seems so counterintuitive to add calories to meals that are satisfying. Maybe 2 more protein shakes throughout the day?

    I can't be the first to deal with this!

    Can I ask how your weight loss has been going so far? Are you losing faster than expectations?

    i'm pretty sure she had a post yesterday about not losing weight at all - so i'm kind of confused
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    shelbygeorge29 wrote: »
    So I'm going to try and follow MFPs suggested calories. I have been satiated with my current diet. I am eating "clean," so while a Big Mac would fill that void, (maybe I should rethink that, lol!) I'm not sure how best to add them.

    I know it seems silly, but I guess it seems so counterintuitive to add calories to meals that are satisfying. Maybe 2 more protein shakes throughout the day?

    I can't be the first to deal with this!

    Can I ask how your weight loss has been going so far? Are you losing faster than expectations?

    This. If your weight is behaving as expected, then you’re likely eating more than you think you are. If you are losing faster than expected, then you may want to add calories.
  • shelbygeorge29
    shelbygeorge29 Posts: 263 Member
    edited November 2018
    The issue I'm dealing with is that I am weighing, measuring and tracking everything and my loss is very, very slow. Yesterday I was given lots of advice to up my calories, info provided suggested to up my calories using a TDEE calculator.

    I'm more confused now!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    shelbygeorge29 wrote: »
    The issue I'm dealing with is that I am weighing, measuring and tracking everything and my loss is very, very slow. Yesterday I was given lots of advice to up my calories, info provided suggested to up my calories using a TDEE calculator.

    I'm more confused now!

    Where did you get the advice to eat more? Here?

    If you are losing very slowly, that's a sign that your calorie deficit is actually very small. Eating more will either make it even smaller or even completely take you out of a deficit. You'll be getting opposite results of what you want.
  • shelbygeorge29
    shelbygeorge29 Posts: 263 Member
    Yup, here.
  • shelbygeorge29
    shelbygeorge29 Posts: 263 Member
    Based of my weight of 304, at 1600 calories a day I should be dropping weight pretty easily. I'm also doing 4x weekly 60 min HIIT bootcamps.

    I was directed to many posts and articles in which cutting too low was ill advised.

    You recommend increasing my deficit?
  • shelbygeorge29
    shelbygeorge29 Posts: 263 Member
    edited November 2018
    Did just go over food journals with trainer (not an RD) she wants me to eat 1600 cals, high protein and low fat/carb.

    She also told me to get my thyroid and hormones checked, as she thinks I should have lost a lot more based off what I've been doing.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    shelbygeorge29 wrote: »
    Yup, here.

    That's odd because most people here do generally understand the connection between a calorie deficit and weight loss and won't advise people to eat more if they aren't losing what they expect.

    Anyway, generally 1,600 calories would be a deficit for someone with your stats and activity. But if you aren't losing, the first thing to eliminate is the possibility that you're accidentally eating more than you think you are. If you are already weighing all your solid food, avoiding generic/homemade database entries, and logging everything with calories, and your time expectations are reasonable, then a check-up might be a good idea.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    shelbygeorge29 wrote: »
    Did just go over food journals with trainer (not an RD) she wants me to eat 1600 cals, high protein and low fat/carb.

    She also told me to get my thyroid and hormones checked, as she thinks I should have lost a lot more based off what I've been doing.

    this is the same trainer who told you, you had gained 4lbs of muscle in like 2 weeks?
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    What do you characterize as a very, very slow pace of weight loss? How much have you lost and in what amount of time?

    Looking at your food diary, I see a lot of oil and butter measured in tablespoons, and protein powder measured in scoops. I also see yogurt frequently measured in cups. All of these things can be weighed for greater accuracy.

    I also see several days where you had a lot of calories left over. Did you eat things on those days that you didn't log?

    If you are not losing weight, then you're not in a deficit and the answer is not to eat more. The answer is usually to either make sure your food and exercise calorie logging is accurate, and/or to give it more time. Less often, there may be an untreated medical condition that's causing the problem.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    shelbygeorge29 wrote: »
    Yup, here.

    That's odd because most people here do generally understand the connection between a calorie deficit and weight loss and won't advise people to eat more if they aren't losing what they expect.

    Anyway, generally 1,600 calories would be a deficit for someone with your stats and activity. But if you aren't losing, the first thing to eliminate is the possibility that you're accidentally eating more than you think you are. If you are already weighing all your solid food, avoiding generic/homemade database entries, and logging everything with calories, and your time expectations are reasonable, then a check-up might be a good idea.

    @shelbygeorge29 I took a look at your diary and noticed two meat entries that don't specify raw or cooked. Did you verify the calories against the package? A system entry for meat that came from the USDA database, as opposed to a user-created entry, will have raw or cooked, and there is a great deal of difference between the two.

    Unfortunately, the "verified" green check marks are used for both user-created entries and system entries. To find system entries for whole foods, I get the syntax from the USDA database and plug that into MFP.

    For packaged foods, I verify the label against what I find in MFP.

    With your stats, you should have no problem dropping weight at 1600 calories. That you're not means you are either eating more than you think and/or retaining a lot of water from your new workouts. I myself gained 7 pounds when I started working out again, and it took a few weeks to come off.
  • shelbygeorge29
    shelbygeorge29 Posts: 263 Member
    I've started weighing and logging in grams, nutmegoreo explained where is db to find those entries. Since doing so, I saw I was actually shorting myself on yogurt and protein powder. I'm pretty exact on measuring oils and fats.

    I don't like the idea of low fat and low carb. Trainer's are a husband and wife team that own a gym. They and their staff are awesome trainers. But I don't think they are experts on the nutrition side, and the scale the use to determine bf %/LBM can't be accurate.

    I haven't made any changes to diet or routine yet. But I do want to tweek as something is amiss that my rate of loss is so slow.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    OP, I missed that your workouts are new and that it's been only three weeks. Instead of changing anything right now, I would just be patient.

    I agree with those above who said that low fat and low carbohydrate sounds like a bad idea. I would be very skeptical of any trainer who was recommending that to me.
  • shelbygeorge29
    shelbygeorge29 Posts: 263 Member
    So do you guys eat under MFPs recommended calories? I was sent some messages that I should follow MFPs recommended calories. I haven't been.

    I should be cutting calories?
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,341 Member
    shelbygeorge29 wrote: »
    So do you guys eat under MFPs recommended calories? I was sent some messages that I should follow MFPs recommended calories. I haven't been.

    I should be cutting calories?

    Unless I'm sick or something, I eat every single calorie I'm allotted! Your calorie deficit is included in the calories recommended by MFP, so no need to cut further.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    shelbygeorge29 wrote: »
    So do you guys eat under MFPs recommended calories? I was sent some messages that I should follow MFPs recommended calories. I haven't been.

    I should be cutting calories?

    If I wasn't losing weight (after more than three weeks), I would know that I wasn't in a deficit and I would have no concern eating under MFP's calorie goal. It's just an estimate of how many calories you use, a starting point. You should go by your real life results.

    If you've only been at it for three weeks and your workout routine is new, I wouldn't cut calories right now. You don't have enough data to conclude that things aren't working.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    Three weeks is not enough time to tell whether or not your plan is working, especially since you don't say how much weight you've lost in that time, if any. If you started or intensified an exercise plan within that three weeks, then you are likely retaining water, which can mask weight loss. Plus, if you have a menstrual cycle, those hormonal changes can also lead to water retention, which means you may not see the scale move at certain times of the month.

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