Not Getting Enough Calories!!! WHAT THE DEUCE!?!?

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angiemb87
angiemb87 Posts: 35 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, so i've been on this weight loss journey for a few months now and on September 1st I started eating MUCH healthier. None (at all) of the bad carbs, but I'm not even doing any whole grain either, mostly lean meats like chicken, fish, seafood, turkey, sometimes red meat, but that's usualy once a week. LOTS of veggies, but no fruit (fruit makes me pack on pounds like NONE other) ecept lemon and lime. I eat ALL DAY, here's a sample of my days

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs in a bit of olive oil, two slice of turkey bacon, a cup of spinach (scrambled in) a huge glass of water (about 16 oz)
Snack #1: 20 snap peas with 2 tbsp guacamole
Lunch: Greek Spiced Chicken Skewers (about 4 oz of meat), roasted squash and zucchini, about 1 cup, 2 cups of salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil (so good, if you haven't tried that as an alternative to ranch, which was my love, then do , it's awesome!!!)
Snack #2: a Green bell Pepper and about an ounce of cheddar cheese, or dipping the bell pepper into a 1/4 of non-fat plain greek yogurt.
Dinner: Greek Salad with Feta cheese, garbanzo beans, 4 (exactly 4) kalamata olives, and the balsamic olive oil, tilapia ceviche with onion, serrano peppers, cucumber,
Snack #3: 1/2, or sometimes 2/3 cup of chocolate ricotta creme pudding (LOVE IT) with 2 to 3 tbsp of cool whip free on top, and a cup of tea with 2 pks splenda.

Okay, by the end of the day, I am as stuffed as a bloated tick, but sometimes the food diary tells me, after I log everything in religiously, that I've only eaten 897 calories! What the heck? I'm trying and trying, I eat like a horse but I don't want to keep stuffing myself for the sake of logging in more calories! Then again, I dont' want to go into starvation mode and stop losing weight....PLus, I don't want to add in grains or anything, as my doctor diagnosed me with a mild gluten allergy which manifests in inflammation. My goodness I can tell the difference in my knees and joints and stomach bloating now that's I've vut out wheat, so that's not an option to add either. Ugh...anyone else having this problem? There's only so many calories in a damn snap pea!!!

Replies

  • barbacasec
    barbacasec Posts: 106
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    you could add some almond butter or peanut butter....
  • h3h8m3
    h3h8m3 Posts: 455 Member
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    Eat almonds. Healthy and lots of calories. Add some to your snacks and you'll have no trouble hitting your calorie goal. Another good option is peanut butter.
  • EMNorris
    EMNorris Posts: 11
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    check the health food section of your grocery store. You can add in some other grains -they have a whole lot of gluten free products now that might work for you.
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
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    I wish I could give you some of my calories. Seriously, I can't seem to live on less than 2300.
  • LivLovLrn
    LivLovLrn Posts: 580 Member
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    With eating healthy I don't think you will go into starvation mode....your body will recognize you are getting the nutrients it needs. So as far as getting more calories is concerned, I agree with nuts, also brown rice (short grain, my doc tells me, is better for you than long grain), you could also try cottage cheese.
  • smrtcar
    smrtcar Posts: 104 Member
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    Try wild rice or quinoa to add some cals.
  • mea9
    mea9 Posts: 561 Member
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    Just keep doing what you're doing and you will get hungry. I had the same problem and, one day, I just got hungry. Try adding in a handful of nuts and seeds to those salads, up your protein. Look at what's already in there and up the high calorie item - When you get hungry. And you will.
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member
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    Add in some nuts or healthy grains like brown rice or sweet potatoes: good for you and good for a quick 200 calories. But if you are eating right and feel fine, I honestly wouldn't worry too much about it. For various reasons, too many to go into here, you are probably eating more than you realize anyway, especially if you are not using a scale to measure everything.
  • kapeluza
    kapeluza Posts: 3,434 Member
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    1.- Kitchen

    2.- Grab spoon

    3.- Open pantry

    4.- Grab peanut butter

    5.- Put spoon in peanut butter

    6.- Grab scoop of peanut butter

    7.- Put peanut butter in mouth

    8.- Swallow

    9.- KAPOW +200 calories.
  • jgic2009
    jgic2009 Posts: 531 Member
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    Looks like you are using a few kinds of reduced fat or fat-free foods. Switch to the full-fat varities to increase your calories without eating more food.
  • angiemb87
    angiemb87 Posts: 35 Member
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    Seriously, bless all of y'all, I've been super worried and stressed about it, but you make me feel better. I'm going to add a tbsp of peanut butter to the afternoon snack..I love peanut butter but always thought it was a no-no...I have the low-sodium natural peanut butter and I LOVE it, and I'm sure the extra protein will help with strength training I've started adding in. Woot, your'e awesome guys!!

    kapeluza: hilarious
    formicaman: Please do, if it's peanut butter..
    you all ahve no idea how excited I am now..peanut butter and I...reunited and it feels so good.....lol.
  • jellerose
    jellerose Posts: 74 Member
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    I don't know how tall you are but I'm only 5' 3" and I figure the minimum calories are set for people of all heights which means it's a one size fits all to CYA so they don't get sued when someone who should be eating more gets annoyed.

    I keep track of calories so I can see my fat/protein/carb breakdown and I, too, eat very low carb (I try, ha). As long as I'm full and know I had good protein and good fats during the day and take my supplements I stopped stressing over trying to eat all the calories when I wasn't hungry for them having gotten high quality food in. I'd say consider adding some coconut oil to your olive oil but otherwise your food looks good to me from a "Primal"/low carb viewpoint. If you're losing consistently and aren't hungry (like most of us low carb people, we don't have that grain cycle of constant hunger ; ) then just enjoy your approach and don't try to stuff yourself just to meet that calorie target.

    Before adding so called gluten free grains do a search on Mark's Daily Apple on grains. And if you go the nut butter route I'd go almond before peanut butter as the latter is a legume.
  • lorika1977
    lorika1977 Posts: 144 Member
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    Quinoa, bulgur, buckwheat, millet, amarath - all healthy grains which will not interphere with your gluten allergy. These will also add calories to your diet if you are afraid of going into starvation mode. Good luck and much health!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Are you sure the calories entered are correct? That seems like it should be more than 897 calories. More olive oil and some nuts will bring your calorie count up quickly in a healthy way without adding a lot of bulk to your meals. Try adding nuts to some of your salads. Or have dessert of a handful of cocoa or cinnamon roasted almonds.
  • LisaKyle11
    LisaKyle11 Posts: 662 Member
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    nut butters, plain yogurts (greek are yummier), avocado, olive oil, dried fruits (within reason)...
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
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    Try getting some more protein and fats in your diet, that'll increase your calories.

    Low fat products tend to have lots of added sugar and processed junk in them. I firmly believe that if you can afford the calories for it, full fat versions of the products you use are MUCH better than their 'lite' counterparts.

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