Struggling with calories
Tklion
Posts: 15 Member
So I usually meal prep and when I don’t still have my meals planned out. I’m struggling to consume over 1100 calories per day. I’m always satisfied after eating just concerned about not eating enough having adverse health reactions. I eat twice a day and practice inttermentant fasting. I’m hitting or getting close to hitting my macros most days just want to make sure I’m healthy while doing so. I’m 5 10’, 186lbs and workout 3 times a week with some cardio. Currently at 21% body fat.
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Replies
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You’re 21% body fat eating 1100 calories....sorry, sounds a bit off. Your post is kinda confusing and doesn’t make sense...7
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1100 a day is not enough for an adult male. Why do you feel like you need to do intermittent fasting? If you don't have enough appetite to eat enough during the rest of the day, I would not recommend that. What does your average food intake during a day look like?2
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1100 a day is not enough for an adult male. Why do you feel like you need to do intermittent fasting? If you don't have enough appetite to eat enough during the rest of the day, I would not recommend that. What does your average food intake during a day look like?
It’s just been easier for me to maintain with my busy work schedule. On average I would say I eat 7-12 egg whites, 8 ounces or ground turkey, maybe a gluten free wrap, broccoli or asparagus, some sweet potatoes. Two meals a day each with veggies, some carbs and eggs or turkey along with 3 scoops of Protien powder per day.5 -
Some days I’m able to hit close to 13004
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If you aren't able to eat enough calories while doing IF, and your doctor has not told you to follow IF, then IF is not a good choice for you.19
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You’re not eating enough calories to sustain a toddler, let alone a grown man. Especially a grown man who is also increasing their calorie expenditure by working out.
You could easily up your intake to a reasonable level (minimum 1500 calories net for a male adult) by including some more calorie dense foods into your diet.
Continuing to eat at that level of intake will eventually catch up with you, and it won’t be pleasant.15 -
You’re not eating enough calories to sustain a toddler, let alone a grown man. Especially a grown man who is also increasing their calorie expenditure by working out.
You could easily up your intake to a reasonable level (minimum 1500 calories net for a male adult) by including some more calorie dense foods into your diet.
Continuing to eat at that level of intake will eventually catch up with you, and it won’t be pleasant.
Thanks for the help, I’ve been struggling with this and just afraid to add to many bad calories and not continue to loose fat. I am going to work on this a lot better than I already have.3 -
Swap out the egg whites for whole eggs and put some butter or olive oil on those veggies. Doesn't sound like you're getting an adequate amount of fat.16
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »Swap out the egg whites for whole eggs and put some butter or olive oil on those veggies. Doesn't sound like you're getting an adequate amount of fat.
Thanks, I did consider whole eggs but was concerned about too much cholesterol.1 -
You’re not eating enough calories to sustain a toddler, let alone a grown man. Especially a grown man who is also increasing their calorie expenditure by working out.
You could easily up your intake to a reasonable level (minimum 1500 calories net for a male adult) by including some more calorie dense foods into your diet.
Continuing to eat at that level of intake will eventually catch up with you, and it won’t be pleasant.
Thanks for the help, I’ve been struggling with this and just afraid to add to many bad calories and not continue to loose fat. I am going to work on this a lot better than I already have.
Aggressive weight loss may help you lose weight faster, but at the cost of existing lean muscle mass. If you want a lower body fat %, slow things down. Calorie dense foods: olive oil, avocado, full fat dairy. "Healthy" foods vary by individual (so much misinformation out there).5 -
You’re not eating enough calories to sustain a toddler, let alone a grown man. Especially a grown man who is also increasing their calorie expenditure by working out.
You could easily up your intake to a reasonable level (minimum 1500 calories net for a male adult) by including some more calorie dense foods into your diet.
Continuing to eat at that level of intake will eventually catch up with you, and it won’t be pleasant.
Thanks for the help, I’ve been struggling with this and just afraid to add to many bad calories and not continue to loose fat. I am going to work on this a lot better than I already have.
Chronic undereating (that is, eating at a level that creates too aggressive a calorie deficit) is worse than any "bad" source of calories that is not a food specifically counterindicated for you (because you have an allergy, intolerance, or medical condition).lynn_glenmont wrote: »Swap out the egg whites for whole eggs and put some butter or olive oil on those veggies. Doesn't sound like you're getting an adequate amount of fat.
Thanks, I did consider whole eggs but was concerned about too much cholesterol.
Current research indicates little effect on blood cholesterol from dietary cholesterol.
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1100 a day is not enough for an adult male. Why do you feel like you need to do intermittent fasting? If you don't have enough appetite to eat enough during the rest of the day, I would not recommend that. What does your average food intake during a day look like?
It’s just been easier for me to maintain with my busy work schedule. On average I would say I eat 7-12 egg whites, 8 ounces or ground turkey, maybe a gluten free wrap, broccoli or asparagus, some sweet potatoes. Two meals a day each with veggies, some carbs and eggs or turkey along with 3 scoops of Protien powder per day.
Seconding the idea that this doesn't sound like enough fat intake to be optimum for health. You need fats for various purposes in your body (cell membranes, hormones, digestive throughput, more), as well as to best absorb the fat-soluble vitamins in your veggies. If you're not getting at least 50g of fats daily (more would be fine, maybe preferable, health-wise), eat more. If you're not allergic to nuts (tree nuts or peanuts), those are wonderfully healthy sources, as are avocados, olive oil, and more. And that would add some calories you need, in an easy way.
It wouldn't hurt you to eat the yolks in at least a couple of the eggs - good nutrients in there.
And definitely eat more calories. Eating 1200 + exercise, at about your weight, was VeryVery bad for me . . . when I was a 59 year old sedentary woman.
MFP Granny wants you to stay strong and healthy: More calories, enough fats, plenty protein. Please?
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »Swap out the egg whites for whole eggs and put some butter or olive oil on those veggies. Doesn't sound like you're getting an adequate amount of fat.
Thanks, I did consider whole eggs but was concerned about too much cholesterol.
Based off your comments, you are highly misinformed/ uneducated regarding nutrition. There’s nothing unhealthy or healthy about food. Food labeling is a myth. You also want to gain weight, yet you’re eating lean proteins and you’re scared of cholesterol...?? Please tell me your valid reasoning for this? I’d go read up on some articles or general nutrition, maybe go to iifym.com and get some info there, I say all this in the nicest of ways just cause I can sense your lack on knowledge/ info in nutrition and how you’re derailing yourself from your primary goal...
Do your due diligence and read up. I’m here to help people but not gonna give someone an encyclopedia of info when they don’t understand the general idea of nutrition12 -
pinggolfer96 wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »Swap out the egg whites for whole eggs and put some butter or olive oil on those veggies. Doesn't sound like you're getting an adequate amount of fat.
Thanks, I did consider whole eggs but was concerned about too much cholesterol.
Based off your comments, you are highly misinformed/ uneducated regarding nutrition. There’s nothing unhealthy or healthy about food. Food labeling is a myth. You also want to gain weight, yet you’re eating lean proteins and you’re scared of cholesterol...?? Please tell me your valid reasoning for this? I’d go read up on some articles or general nutrition, maybe go to iifym.com and get some info there, I say all this in the nicest of ways just cause I can sense your lack on knowledge/ info in nutrition and how you’re derailing yourself from your primary goal...
Do your due diligence and read up. I’m here to help people but not gonna give someone an encyclopedia of info when they don’t understand the general idea of nutrition
I can appreciate your input and thank you and everyone for their help. I do have a lack of knowledge which is why I’m here asking. I plan on getting with one of my trainer friends this week as well for some guidance. Since the beginning of this year I’ve lost 60lbs and am now getting to the point where I’m not trying to diet but rather eat what’s needed in order to see better gains and continue to loose fat. I’m coming off a very unhealthy lifestyle of bad eating habits, smoking, high blood pressure etc.. so I believe my concerns about cholesterol and whatnot are valid. I am going to do plenty more research but wanted to post here to gain a little knowledge which I did.9 -
Egg yolks got a bit of a bad reputation several years back. But there is more knowledge now. If cholesterol is s concern, the American Heart Association has some nutrition guidelines in their website. I believe they are recommending DASH diet for hypertension and for cholesterol. I found it useful to take the calorie breakdown myfitnesspal gave me and look at the recommended number of food group servings from DASH that lines up with my calorie goal.6
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emmamcgarity wrote: »Egg yolks got a bit of a bad reputation several years back. But there is more knowledge now. If cholesterol is s concern, the American Heart Association has some nutrition guidelines in their website. I believe they are recommending DASH diet for hypertension and for cholesterol. I found it useful to take the calorie breakdown myfitnesspal gave me and look at the recommended number of food group servings from DASH that lines up with my calorie goal.
Thanks Emma,
As far as my hypertension goes my doctor said it was “self cured” by quitting smoking and the unhealthy eating. I went from 145/100 on average to an average of 118/65. However, I do still keep an eye on my sodium intake.
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Add some more meats like beef/steak, pork, salmon... lean turkey is great but I’d add those to more variety. Also add avocado to salads or wraps to give you more calories and fat. Consider adding more fruits and nuts.2
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As others have said, you really need to be eating more, especially fat. I'd also like to add that maybe you need to sharpen up the accuracy of your logging as you could potentially be eating more than you think you are without realising it (for the sake of your health I truly hope so anyway).
Put your stats into MFP with a weight loss of 1 pound a week. With a set of kitchen scales weigh all of your food, including food which is already prepackaged as these foods can weigh more than indicated on the label. Reserve measuring cup and spoons for liquids only. When choosing the entry to log verify its accuracy against places like the USDA database of the nutritional label on the food packaging.
Make sure you are eating the number of calories given to you. Being under or over is ok if you keep an eye out on your weekly average instead.3 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »Swap out the egg whites for whole eggs and put some butter or olive oil on those veggies. Doesn't sound like you're getting an adequate amount of fat.
Thanks, I did consider whole eggs but was concerned about too much cholesterol.
Eggs get a bad rap. too much cholesterol is a myth when it comes to eggs because in the past they forgot to recognize that traditionally eggs were eaten with high carb (pancakes, hash browns etc.) and fatty (bacon, ham, steak etc.) foods and that is where the bad cholesterol comes into play.
Eggs by themselves (free range or organic) are incredibly nutritious and most people are safe to eat 3 a day as long as they are not combined with the bad foods like saturated fat.
Healthy fats like in eggs, olive oil, nuts and seeds etc. are essential for overall good health too so cutting these types of fats in an already restricted diet can lead to health issues.
And finally I would scrap protein powders in favor of actual protein from foods. An example is pumpkin seeds...a 1/3 of a cup has a whopping 17 grams of protein...mixed with 3/4 of a cup low fat plain greek yogurt and you can have a lot of protein in one meal (upwards of 38 grams). Throw in some fruit (any type of berry) and you are golden.
I also agree that at your age and weight 1100 calories a day is insane...you need to up it or your body will start burning muscle for fuel....very bad indeed.4 -
There are no 'bad' foods. Just 'bad' understanding of how nutrition and weight management works in the context of a well-balanced diet.5
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Heaps of good advice here but I just wanted to add that maybe you need to think about your thought processes around food and lifestyle in general. Always hard to know based on internet posts but the language you use sounds like you have gone from one extreme to the other and are working on developing some kind of disordered relationship with food.
All the misinformation on the internet and amongst gym goers (and society in general) does not help with this. The eggs are a classic example, the research was in 20 years ago that eggs are not a problem for cholesterol and up-to-date medical professionals have long since stopped telling people not to eat them but the broader public still believe it to be so. (I worked in a critical care cardiac unit for a long time).
Perhaps it might be worth going to see a registered dietitian who could address your questions in an informed way and provide you with some dietary advice suited to your fitness and lifestyle goals.0 -
My cardiologist still recommends not overconsuming eggs. He wants me to limit to one a day. He's familiar with the new studies, but I guess is being cautious. I have heart disease, so I guess I'll just play it safe and stick with what he says. Love eggs, though!1
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patrickaa5 wrote: »My cardiologist still recommends not overconsuming eggs. He wants me to limit to one a day. He's familiar with the new studies, but I guess is being cautious. I have heart disease, so I guess I'll just play it safe and stick with what he says. Love eggs, though!
I disagree....I think he’s being biased/ inaccurate. Dietary cholesterol doesn’t affect body cholesterol levels. Most people with high cholesterol have it because of obesity related illness, not the the cholesterol itself. You can lose weight eating at a deficit with eggs all day and you can lower your cholesterol...
Doctors don’t know jack about nutrition8 -
Took the advice here and made some changes. My meals are exactly as logged today. May not be perfect but I hit my macros and feel good, I think with some help I’ll be on the right path.
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Took the advice here and made some changes. My meals are exactly as logged today. May not be perfect but I hit my macros and feel good, I think with some help I’ll be on the right path.
Not exactly necessary....but are you allowed to eat any vegetables that aren’t just low nutrition leafy greens...?1 -
Not exactly necessary....but are you allowed to eat any vegetables that aren’t just low nutrition leafy greens...?[/quote]
No this was just today, usually I eat plenty of veggies but mostly asparagus and broccoli to be honest.
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patrickaa5 wrote: »My cardiologist still recommends not overconsuming eggs. He wants me to limit to one a day. He's familiar with the new studies, but I guess is being cautious. I have heart disease, so I guess I'll just play it safe and stick with what he says. Love eggs, though!
Your cardiologist's recommendations for you are not intended for a different person (the OP) with a different medical history, who, most likely, is not a patient of your cardiologist.2 -
Took the advice here and made some changes. My meals are exactly as logged today. May not be perfect but I hit my macros and feel good, I think with some help I’ll be on the right path.
This is a very substantial improvement: Yay! Keep working on tweaks to best meet your goals: Sound nutrition, "just right" calorie level (not too low, not too high). Nice progress: Granny likes!
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »patrickaa5 wrote: »My cardiologist still recommends not overconsuming eggs. He wants me to limit to one a day. He's familiar with the new studies, but I guess is being cautious. I have heart disease, so I guess I'll just play it safe and stick with what he says. Love eggs, though!
Your cardiologist's recommendations for you are not intended for a different person (the OP) with a different medical history, who, most likely, is not a patient of your cardiologist.
Hmm, I don't recall mentioning the OP post in my reply. I agree that what my cardiologist says to me doesn't have anything to do with the OP. The OP and everyone else on this thread should feel free to eat all the eggs they want. Just trying to give a slightly different view point. Tough crowd.3 -
Try adding nuts. They are a better type of fat and definately add up the calories fast. Wish I had your problem, lol.0
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