struggling to reach my 1200 calories

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floreo22
floreo22 Posts: 49 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
i have been eating healthily and don't feel hungry, but i'm not quite reaching my 1200 calories. i normally wind up eating about 1000 - 1100. i know this isn't productive for weight loss as my body might go into starvation and end up retaining weight, so i wondered if anyone had any advice. here are, i think, the main problems i encounter:

- i am trying to avoid snacking, as this has always been how my weight has climbed before, so i'm trying to break the habit altogether, rather than just switching to other snacks as i think this might just be a slippery slope
- i really struggle with eating breakfast, always have. i never like to eat before about 10/11am, and if i eat a big breakfast then (which would help push the calories up) i think i might put my meal times out for the whole day
- i am a vegetarian, so i don't get the high calories of meat etc and the other big calorie intake for me comes from carbs, but i don't want to be eating a ton of carbs every day either.

please help. i know this sounds ridiculous, coming from a chub-monster, but i feel like i can't get the calories and stay on track! madness.
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Replies

  • rudegyal_b
    rudegyal_b Posts: 593 Member
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    its not hard to add calories, a couple tablespoons of hemp seeds have like 160cals and are good for you, add some oil to your stirfrys, etc
  • nickscutie
    nickscutie Posts: 303 Member
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    these posts make me angry. Just eat something extra or add 50 calories to every meal. you already know the answer.
  • Bonny272
    Bonny272 Posts: 154 Member
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    I've heard a lot of great things about coconut oil. You could have a little natural peanut butter or almond butter with an apple or banana to get you up where you need to be.
  • Dclem1206
    Dclem1206 Posts: 42
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    Snacking on fruit like apples and bananas thought the say is a great way to add calories without adding sodium or cholesterol.
  • queenpushycat
    queenpushycat Posts: 761 Member
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    I have the same problem.. Except I don't have problems with breakfast... I usually eat more in the day than at night... :P
  • loved11
    loved11 Posts: 92 Member
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    make sure you are eating!!!! make good choices. I had to add a protein drink or protein bar. breakfast is hard for me cause i work out in the am. I have a protein drink for breakfast now. check some of the nutrition message boards, theres good stuff on them.

    hang in there
  • dedarlin
    dedarlin Posts: 41 Member
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    cutting out snacking all together is a bad idea for your metabolism's sake...ideally you should be eating every 3 hours and splitting your daily calories pretty evenly between 5 to 6 meals. you really should make sure to eat within an hour of waking (or an hour after working out if you work out in the morning) and if you are going to have a larger meal, it should be breakfast. this is a hard habbit to create for some, but will really boost your metabolism. protein shakes (low sugar and fat) are a good way to fill a couple of your 'meals' esp. breakfast if that is a hard one for you. good luck!
  • floreo22
    floreo22 Posts: 49 Member
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    thanks guys. i think i'm going to set a fruit alarm on my phone and give snacking a try. if i control it like that, maybe it wont slip? or maybe i'll make a fresh fruit smoothie and use that as a snack, without it feeling like i'm eating and then i can avoid my slipper snacking slope?
  • saraann752003
    saraann752003 Posts: 65
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    try looking into some protien powders that you can mix into your food? shakes are a good thing to look into too.. I have days where I forget to eat because I am so busy, so I can understand that some people just don't realize they need to eat. Break your food into smaller meals if you can. celery with PB and rasins can add a hundred calories or so depending on how many you eat... try plannin in advance and see if you can eat at least six 200 calorie mini-meals... if your body is not telling you to eat, than set up a schedule where you have an outside reminder that says... eat another 200 calories now..
  • JeSuisPrest
    JeSuisPrest Posts: 2,005 Member
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    these posts make me angry. Just eat something extra or add 50 calories to every meal. you already know the answer.


    I was just telling my husband the same thing. I so wish this was my problem!!! LOL
  • writtenINthestars
    writtenINthestars Posts: 1,933 Member
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    Have a handful of nuts like almonds to up your calories and get some healthy fats.

    If I'm trying to just reach my calorie goal, this is what I do..especially if I'm not feeling hungry...but I know my body needs the calories.
  • michelledruss
    michelledruss Posts: 40 Member
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    Nuts and peanut butter, healthy fat like olive oil on your veggies. I like to increase my protein when I don't get to my maintenance level but if you are a vegetartian you can easily get there with some healthy fats. Fats do not cause the body to store fat, carbohydrates do, so I wouldn't add carbs to get your number up if you are trying to get your calories up. I like edamame with olive oil and Parmesan cheese tossed with some pine nuts. The only time I have trouble with :flowerforyou: meeting my calories is when I do huge calorie torching workouts and my calories go from 1200 to 1900 and then I am like oh my what am I going to eat to get up there and still stay healthy.
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    cutting out snacking all together is a bad idea for your metabolism's sake...ideally you should be eating every 3 hours and splitting your daily calories pretty evenly between 5 to 6 meals. you really should make sure to eat within an hour of waking (or an hour after working out if you work out in the morning) and if you are going to have a larger meal, it should be breakfast. this is a hard habbit to create for some, but will really boost your metabolism. protein shakes (low sugar and fat) are a good way to fill a couple of your 'meals' esp. breakfast if that is a hard one for you. good luck!

    None of this is true (besides the protein shakes part)

    Eating every 6 hours does NOT boost your metabolism. Eating breakfast also does NOT boost your metabolism. Breakfast does NOT have to be your largest meal.

    Smh

    Edit: But i do encourage others to do what works for them. If you love breakfast eat it! If you hate it then dont xD Love eating small meals? do it! Hehe :]
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
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    Cheese. Peanut butter. Avocado. Dark Chocolate.
  • Beezil
    Beezil Posts: 1,677 Member
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    I think one good reason to eat smaller meals more frequently is that it helps (me at least) keep your appetite under control. Other than that... no real reason you should have to eat breakfast. I enjoy it personally, but it definitely took some getting used to. I used to only eat one huge meal a day when I was big, and then snack almost all night.
  • chicnsweet83
    chicnsweet83 Posts: 97
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    I don't eat breakfast much either. But when I do, especially before working out. I'll just cook up two over easy eggs or have some oatmeal, which is full of fiber and makes you fuller longer. Maybe try a protein/energy bar between meals. I also have a hard time reaching the 1200 calories, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, then sometimes I over eat. But on busy days where I'm working all day, I don't get time to snack or actually eat. So I end up binging late at night and get all those calories at once. haha...I know that's not good but I don't have any other option :(

    I wish there was something really helpful I could add :/ but good luck!
  • daydream58
    daydream58 Posts: 572 Member
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    I think this problem is very common when you're just starting out and learning the ropes. In a few weeks you'll already have a good handle on it. Don't worry too much. I know at first you are nervous and don't want to screw it up, but you will be fine. Keep reading, check out other diaries for ideas and post whenever you want. I would never be mad because a newbie felt uncertain about doing everything right! Hang in there!
  • darlilama
    darlilama Posts: 794 Member
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    If you don't like "eating" breakfast, have you tried meal replacement shakes or something like that? They are easy to sip on, take with you, etc. I'm not sure if there are any that meet your protein source requirements, but many of them use whey if you're not opposed to that.
  • _Ben
    _Ben Posts: 1,608 Member
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    Add in some more fruit. Apples, bananas, strawberries, are great sources of natural sugars, and very healthy and tasty
  • DesertSunsetRain
    DesertSunsetRain Posts: 194
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    Add peanut butter with an apple or banana. Super quick and easy way to get an extra 180-200 calories.

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