How to get enough calories on Lower Carb

xxzenabxx
xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey guys! So I’m cutting my carbs and excess sugars down to 120g-150g a day to manage my PCOS better. The only issue is I feel so full I’m struggling to hit my calories. This is why I can’t eat intuitively while doing this. For example I need to eat 2200-2300 on a particular day and I only end up eating 1600/1700 calories which is a HUGE deficit considering my TDEE is 2600. And I only have 20-30 lbs to lose. Any tips on hitting my calories without dousing my food in oil because I don’t like the feeling of too much greasy food! I’m already eating full fat meats etc.

Replies

  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,094 Member
    Full fat dairy and nuts and seeds are quick ways to add calories. Nut butters as well, for example peanut butter. Or fatty fish is another idea.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    fat
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, and especially cheese all can add up pretty quickly.
  • westrich20940
    westrich20940 Posts: 871 Member
    If you are looking for sources other than carbs/sugar...then you will have to include more fat - sorry. You don't necessarily have to douse everything in more oil or fry it --- but higher fat snacks will help get the calories in.

    Nut butter, nuts/seeds, full fat versions of what you're already eating (milk, yogurt, etc.). Avocado.

    Also - are you working with a doctor for your diet changes/PCOS? I'm just asking bc there's some evidence that resistance starches can help with blood sugar spikes and I wonder if it would also be beneficial for PCOS (that's simply a hypothesis and I have no idea actually). Like, pasta or potatoes cooked, but then cooled to concert some of their carbs to resistant carbs. You can heat the stuff up again to eat it.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,883 Member
    Well, since you've cut one macro (carbs) and need more calories, they have to come from the other two macros (fat and protein.)

    Previous posters gave lots of ways to add fat, which is generally easier to get down when someone is having trouble getting enough calories, but eating more or bigger portions of protein might also be an option. What is your current protein goal and how well do you achieve it?
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Well, since you've cut one macro (carbs) and need more calories, they have to come from the other two macros (fat and protein.)

    Previous posters gave lots of ways to add fat, which is generally easier to get down when someone is having trouble getting enough calories, but eating more or bigger portions of protein might also be an option. What is your current protein goal and how well do you achieve it?

    My current protein goal is 100g per day. Most days I’m between 90-110g per day.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,387 Member
    So that's about 400 calories on protein. If you cut carbs then there's really only more protein and fats. What's wrong with eating more meat, avocado, nuts, using more cooking oil, etc. It's so easy to go high on fats.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,935 Member
    edited May 2022
    It's easy enough to add 300 calories with just a couple tablespoons of peanut butter or some cream cheese on celery or with an apple.

    I lost most of my weight on 100-150g of carbs daily. About the same amount of protein as you're eating. 45-50% of my daily calories were from fat...olive oil, coconut oil, butter, cheese, nuts, full fat dairy, eggs, pork.

    Keep working on it.
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    It's easy enough to add 300 calories with just a couple tablespoons of peanut butter or some cream cheese on celery or with an apple.

    I lost most of my weight on 100-150g of carbs daily. About the same amount of protein as you're eating. 45-50% of my daily calories were from fat...olive oil, coconut oil, butter, cheese, nuts, full fat dairy, eggs, pork.

    Keep working on it.

    Oh wow we have the same macro ratios for protein, carbs and fats!

    I’ve realised my mistake is that I’ve been massively delayed my first meal because I’m just not hungry in the morning. Then the rest of the day I’m playing catch up with my calories, and I just don’t like oil… so I should stop this silly unintentional intermittent fasting that I’ve been doing!

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