Struggling to eat all my calories!
VHassink
Posts: 7 Member
I have been learning about BMR TDEE and calories and realize I am probably eating way too few! I am experimenting eating more but honestly it’s hard! I am so full, I feel worse and sure the scale will be going up!!
5ft 1
56
168
Just realized I am actually Active not Sedentary (dog walker avg 5 miles a day)
I am comfortable around 1000 calories a day but now I am thinking that’s why the scale won’t move. My answer before was eat less…now I am trying to eat more but yuck, I feel so full! What am I doing wrong?
5ft 1
56
168
Just realized I am actually Active not Sedentary (dog walker avg 5 miles a day)
I am comfortable around 1000 calories a day but now I am thinking that’s why the scale won’t move. My answer before was eat less…now I am trying to eat more but yuck, I feel so full! What am I doing wrong?
1
Replies
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I guess the question I would ask myself is how did I put on weight in the first place? It must have been by eating far far move than 1000 calories a day. More than 2000 calories probably.
So what has changed that now you find eating any more than that tiny amount of food is too much for you?4 -
You've over-corrected. That's what you're doing wrong. Lots of us do this. We go too far in a 'healthy' direction, make too many substitutes.
We wouldn't have gotten fat if we didn't know how to eat (more than) enough calories. But you start changing things, go all in, sub out all the higher calorie items and then are full as heck on the lower cal stuff. Nice. Unfortunately still dangerous to your body.
Except we're usually low on fat ad high on fiber and that can create issues as can too rapid weight loss.
Eat a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter somewhere.
Problem solved.1 -
(That said unless the scale has not moved for more than 6 weeks, probably your logging isn't accurate. If less than 6 weeks, you've stressed yourself into water retention or it's related to a hormonal cycle, constipation, or sodium intake or a dozen other things. The scale is not going to move every day, or even every week. That's not how it works).3
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I guess the question I would ask myself is how did I put on weight in the first place? It must have been by eating far far move than 1000 calories a day. More than 2000 calories probably.
So what has changed that now you find eating any more than that tiny amount of food is too much for you?
I definitely have been heavy my whole life. I began Noom 3 months ago but prefer MFP. However I did learn a lot about my eating habits from Noom and realized I “graze” while I make meals so I stopped. I list 12 lbs then started going back and forth with a pound or so.
After learning more and tracking macros I realized I definitely don’t eat enough protein and I mainly drank coffee. So changed to water. I don’t drink soda, very little take out, I don’t fry anything, stopped mindless snacking and I weigh and measure.
Honestly experimenting with more calories seems like the best option right now.1 -
wunderkindking wrote: »You've over-corrected. That's what you're doing wrong. Lots of us do this. We go too far in a 'healthy' direction, make too many substitutes.
We wouldn't have gotten fat if we didn't know how to eat (more than) enough calories. But you start changing things, go all in, sub out all the higher calorie items and then are full as heck on the lower cal stuff. Nice. Unfortunately still dangerous to your body.
Except we're usually low on fat ad high on fiber and that can create issues as can too rapid weight loss.
Eat a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter somewhere.
Problem solved.
I had peanut butter this morning.2 -
wunderkindking wrote: »You've over-corrected. That's what you're doing wrong. Lots of us do this. We go too far in a 'healthy' direction, make too many substitutes.
We wouldn't have gotten fat if we didn't know how to eat (more than) enough calories. But you start changing things, go all in, sub out all the higher calorie items and then are full as heck on the lower cal stuff. Nice. Unfortunately still dangerous to your body.
Except we're usually low on fat ad high on fiber and that can create issues as can too rapid weight loss.
Eat a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter somewhere.
Problem solved.
I had peanut butter this morning.
If you're sub 1200 calories (or at that) and walking 5 miles a day - go have some more. Undereating is bad for you.1 -
I have recently learned I’m an under-eater.
Sure, I ate too many cookies occasionally. And my thyroid has hated me for years. And some other challenges that made gaining weight easy.
But, ultimately, by inclination and habit, I am an under-eater.
Protein shakes have been a lifesaver for me. Literally, since I am diabetic now too.1 -
I ate more calories yesterday…up 1 lb this morning. I can’t win.1
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I know, I am trying. Thanks
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I ate more calories yesterday…up 1 lb this morning. I can’t win.
The food you ate plus the required water for your body to process it causes the "gain" you'll drop that within a couple of days.
Calorie dense foods are good if you're struggling with volume so please try and get to that magical 1200cals per day.0 -
I ate more calories yesterday…up 1 lb this morning. I can’t win.
No...no...no... don't do that!
Our weight is not just our body but also the food and water going through it as well as the urine and the poop being processed which is why it fluctuates on a daily basis.
Mine bounces up and and down across a couple of pounds, Yesterday I was 2 pounds down, today I am one pound up, in round numbers.
So if you are going to weigh yourself every day it is the trend that you are looking for, the direction of travel, not the daily number. After all, in one day it is not actually going to be possible to genuinely lose two pounds of fat nor the next day put one pound of that fat back on again while eating maintenance or below.
If you cannot cope with these natural daily fluctuations without then wanting to starve yourself further then the best advice is not to weigh yourself every day.0 -
I ate more calories yesterday…up 1 lb this morning. I can’t win.
May I suggest that you read this article, if you haven't already?
https://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations
It has some helpful perspective on scale-weight fluctuations. If you didn't eat 3500 calories over maintenance yesterday, or move that much less, the pound is for sure not fat. Bodies are weird; better to understand them than to stress over healthy, normal weight fluctuations. (Ironically, stress is one of the things that can increase water weight, even.)3 -
I find it important to weigh daily but just to take them as a data point instead of a Big Deal. I have something I write them down on in my computer, and I put the weight every seventh day into MFP for trend-tracking. But after a year of this, now I know, ah, yes, that two pound jump was me eating out. That amazing drop of four pounds was period coming plus dropping the water from eating out.... let's see how much of that is real....hey, four pounds this month! And so I'm good with it. Sometimes I get up and sort of make a game in my head to see how I "feel" and guess which way the scale will go. (I'm not a very good guesser!)
I do small portions and part of making that work is eating some calorie-dense things. I eat real butter in the morning on my toast. And it is tasty in the way that no margarine can manage, cause our brains are wired to light up and reward chemicals release when we eat fat. When I put cream in my chai, it's real cream. For the same reason; it makes a small portion more calorie-dense and so that cup of tea works as an afternoon snack and I don't need anything else to be sated.3 -
AlexandraFindsHerself1971 wrote: »Sometimes I get up and sort of make a game in my head to see how I "feel" and guess which way the scale will go. (I'm not a very good guesser!)
LOL, I do this exact thing! I went to bed last night, rubbed my belly pouch and said to myself, "I just know that scale will be up in the morning". I'm not a good guesser either, it went down!
It took me a while to stop stressing about the daily numbers on the scale. I too track daily to see trends and it is much less stressful now than it was just several months ago.0 -
I recently started switching out my cookies and chips midday snacks for a couple of fruit servings instead, at least more often than not. Since this dropped my calorie intake too low I decided to put away the Pam and, for example, last night for dinner I had tilapia fried in olive oil and mushrooms sauteed in butter, along with a green salad. Much tastier with the added fats. It's a juggling and balancing act, for sure. I'm aiming for long-term sustainability, so I'm not trying to cut out processed sweets completely, therefore I have no plans to mess with my reserving some calories each day for an evening anything-goes treat.4
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I sure would love to know which part exactly someone disagreed with here?
I am an under eater.
I have struggled with low thyroid (by which I mean doctors refusing to adjust my meds until I’ve gained a significant amount of weight) which has made gaining weight easier.
As well as a balance disorder which makes exercise a challenge.
But the vast majority of days I under eat, and it is a real problem which is helped by having protein shakes on hand.
What could anyone possibly disagree with here????1 -
I disagree with things all the time, because I scroll on a touch screen. I was not this person this time, but I had to check. Because I Follow few threads and don't notice I've disagreed for months.
Let it go. If they wanted or were willing to tell you why they disagreed - or they actually disagreed at all - they would have said so.6 -
wunderkindking wrote: »I disagree with things all the time, because I scroll on a touch screen. I was not this person this time, but I had to check. Because I Follow few threads and don't notice I've disagreed for months.
Let it go. If they wanted or were willing to tell you why they disagreed - or they actually disagreed at all - they would have said so.
This is a fair response. Thank you.
I am definitely still a bit tetchy about my weight, especially when I try to tell Drs and others that my diet is good and I don’t really eat that much, and I try to exercise as much as I can, and they nod and assume I’m lying.
Having discovered that I tend not to eat enough was a revelation.1 -
On days when I'm cooking my last meal for the day and it'll hit my macro targets but still leave me low on calories, I'll just put in more olive oil until it'll take me to my calorie target. That's for when any more bulk seems unappealing and there's no other treat food that I'm in the mood for.1
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I also weigh daily, but add them together & get the average to see the trend.1
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I always wonder when I hear that some CAN'T eat enough, yet they are overweight to begin with.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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primepurpose1111 wrote: »Try monitoring your Carb intake. If you are eating less than 1000 calories and you don't eat more than 40 carbs, your weight will come off. I've lost 31lbs so far...
Depending on your size and activity level - both of which matter, that routine will also help you lose that pesky muscle mass adding to scale weight.
That will allow an even harder challenge next year when it's being attempted again because the extreme diet failed.
And there's nothing dieters like more than making the effort more challenging, and repeating year after year.2 -
I agree it's weird. But I'm finding myself in this situation now.I always wonder when I hear that some CAN'T eat enough, yet they are overweight to begin with.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
During my last weight gain I indulged in feeling-sorry-for-myself and boredom eating, and constantly seeking that big turkey-dinner, over-stuffed feeling. A snack would be a whole bag of chips with a container of dip, multiple bowls of sugary cereal, a few slices of pie, etc. Also I was eating a lot of fast food. (One time I didn't go to Jack in the Box for a week and when I next showed up again the order taker mentioned how they hadn't seen me in a while.) My dinners were large portions of meat with starchy sides, or heavy casseroles. Lunches were typically a couple sandwiches and chips. I was eating very few fruits and veggies. My activity level was about as sedentary as it gets.
Now that I've increased my activity to a moderate level, am eating a more balanced diet, and have adjusted to smaller portion sizes, I'm rarely hungry any more. I started out in late April at 1200 calories and lost 5.6 lbs in May. I upped it to 1350 at the end of May and lost 7.2 lbs in June. I currently have about 35 lbs to go. I understand the recommendation for a 1lb/week loss, so I think I need to aim for more like 1500 calories at my current activity level.
The problem is, I'm actually finding it hard to eat more food when I'm getting full and staying satiated on my current meals. A recent change I've made to help up the calories is I've started switching back to whole fat foods and adding in healthy oils.2 -
I always wonder when I hear that some CAN'T eat enough, yet they are overweight to begin with.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
yes/no.
A lot of it's overcorrecting, or was for me. You look for low fat/low calorie replacements for a lot of the calorie dense foods you eat, or otherwise change your diet to avoid them. You increase your fiber/veg intake which is bulk and overhaul when and how often you eat (ie: cut out snacking so much, or if you do snack, again, it's on low calorie stuff.
So then you're full from the veg, your usual calorie bombs aren't there, and now you're full and have eaten 800 calories today (or more but also you're more active now). that makes sense to me.
what does NOT make sense to me is this 'help, i don't know what to do' thing. you know what made you fat/where the calorie dense stuff is, because you removed it. put some of it back!
(As with TX_Bluebonnet, my 'put it back' was going back to full fat dairy, mostly. Also going back to my standard crappy white bread instead of the extra crappy low calorie white bread)2
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