Not meeting calories

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Spellize
Spellize Posts: 6 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I started this keto/pcos diet and I eat everyday. I can't really afford to go heavy on the meats so i eat mostly vegetables. The problem I'm having is meeting the daily calorie limit. I'm averaging about 1,000 calories per day. I've never had this problem because I used to eat toast with my eggs and other things that bumped up the calories. And although I'm eating, I'm not feeling the fullness and satisfaction from eating. Is there any way i can solve this without breaking my carb restrictions?

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  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,256 Member
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    Cheese? That's generally inexpensive, and also tasty enough to provide a psychological feeling of satisfaction.
  • zeejane4
    zeejane4 Posts: 230 Member
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    OP, for not being able to afford a lot of meat-do you have an outlet stores/alternatives to regular grocery stores around you? I get most of my meat at an outlet 'scratch n' dent' store and it's so much cheaper! Bacon for $2lb, big hams for $5 etc. This week they had seasoned meat kits-4 servings worth for $3.99. I bought a bunch of them, re-wrapped them and they're now in my freezer :) They also had eggs for .79dozen this week so I bought 3 lol.

    If you have an Aldi nearby they also have good prices on meat and really good prices on frozen seafood.

  • Spellize
    Spellize Posts: 6 Member
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    I love the cheese idea, however part of the pcos diet is avoiding dairy.

    As a general rule of thumb I don't spend more than $1 per pound of meat. Which means I stick to chicken cause any other meat is just too expensive.

    I do buy eggs. I've noticed that I'm eating more of them than i used to.

    Should I just eat more then? It feels like I'd need to be eating all day just to get my calories in.
  • Scottgriesser
    Scottgriesser Posts: 172 Member
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    Absolutely need to eat more. For trying to combine a keto diet, avoiding dairy, and balling on a budget, eggs are going to be your best bet. There are probably some oils you could look into as well, but admittedly, I do not know the cost/calorie.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    Are you weighing all solid food with a food scale? If you aren’t using a food scale, then you’re eating more than you think you are.

    For most people, fiber, fat, and/or protein help them feel full. You’re likely getting plenty of protein on keto, but check your fat and fiber intake, and try eating more of those things.

    Finally, did your doctor prescribe this diet for you?
  • Spellize
    Spellize Posts: 6 Member
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    I will try adding more fat to at least help with the hunger issue.

    I don't have a kitchen scale but I do check measurements. So my count may be off but it shouldn't be that far off.

    I don't have a doctor. Again, money being an issue. Healthcare and insurance are not in the budget, but fresh produce is. So at the very least I can take care of my body by making sure what I put in it has the nutrients and hopefully calories that it needs to get and stay healthy.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited May 2019
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    How many grams of protein, fat, and carbs (and fiber) are you getting? I simply can't imagine that keto is doable on mostly veg, as veg have carbs, and to eat enough of them to get even 1000 cal would be way over keto levels (for example 1020 cal of broccoli has about 200 g carbs, although 78 g of fiber).

    The idea of keto is high fat, adequate protein, low carb, usually something like 65%-25%-10% (with variations and depending on total calories).

    There ARE cheaper cuts of meat, and often they are the higher fat ones. And as others have mentioned, eggs are a great option, as is peanut butter. Use dressings with fat (easy option is olive oil + balsamic), cook with butter (never mind, if no dairy then oil), and add nuts or cheese or olives to salads, etc. But many of those things are as expensive as inexpensive cuts of meat.

    If your main concern is health, there are options besides keto, obviously, especially if this has not been recommended by a doctor.
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    edited May 2019
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    Why did you chose to go on Keto?

    you can lose weight eating closer tow what you ate before but just watching calories. this may allow you to bring in more inexpensive foods into your diet making room for some lean proteins when they come on sale.
  • Spellize
    Spellize Posts: 6 Member
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    Panini911 wrote: »
    Why did you chose to go on Keto?

    you can lose weight eating closer tow what you ate before but just watching calories. this may allow you to bring in more inexpensive foods into your diet making room for some lean proteins when they come on sale.

    I chose keto because I need to cut sugar and carbs from my diet. As much as I love bread and potatoes, its just not doing me any favors. I stopped drinking sodas a few years ago. Then eventually I stopped buying so much processed foods and bought more produce. While I noticed a difference with how I enjoy fresh food more than packaged foods, I still gained weight. I ate less food than the people around me and still put on pounds. I know I have the hormonal issues from PCOS and I know that the best way to combat that is by changing my diet. The two biggest things to avoid is carbs and sugar. Same with keto. So I am working with what is suggested with both diets and trying to see what works best for me. I know that it's working because some time after starting this diet my menstruation cycle kicked in. They are normally 15-20 months apart and my last one had only been a few months prior. Thats a miracle in my book. So I'm doing something right, but according to the calorie count I'm doing something wrong. I just want to try to make sure im doing whats best for my body's needs. I'm going to look into getting a kitchen scale even though I'm going to feel ridiculous using it around my family.
  • gregc50
    gregc50 Posts: 47 Member
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    I'm not familiar with the diet. How about nuts, easy to rack up calories with walnuts, almonds, cashews.
  • sammidelvecchio
    sammidelvecchio Posts: 791 Member
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    eat an avocado with a lil sea salt, some nut butter. Cook your eggs in real butter. Pork rinds.
  • sarabushby
    sarabushby Posts: 784 Member
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    Good suggestion @sammidelvecchio

    Nut butter WEIGHED not eyeballed or spooned, will give you a significant boost in calories and fats too. It sounds like you’re not actually eating Keto, just avoiding certain carbohydrates for personal preference so peanut butter would be perfect for you.
    As well as eating it as a snack or with desserts, you could mix some with coconut milk and lime juice to marinade your chicken, make skewers of chicken satay and then reduce the leftover marinade to make a sauce (be sure to heat it through thoroughly as it will have had the raw chicken in!).
    Obviously add seasonings, soy sauce, spices, fish sauce etc as you see fit.

    There’s loads of recipes for Keto energy balls and bars you could make up for snacks. Just google.

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