I don't understand what my calorie intake should look like..

stwalsh226
stwalsh226 Posts: 38
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I am having trouble understanding exactly how many calories I should be taking in every day. My daily calorie goal at the beginning of everyday (set by MFP) is 1820. And everything I read on here says that I absolutely have to make sure my net calorie intake is no less than 1200 at the end of the day. The problem I am having is that when I add in my exercise calories (typically around 700 daily) I have a really hard time meeting this goal. I have never met the 1820 goal with exercise included and most days I have trouble even meeting 1200 calories. I find myself having to force myself to eat. I end up feeling overly full and feel like I am over eating. What am I doing wrong?? I struggled with anorexia in high school and am afraid to do "what feels right" because, for me, that's never been healthy, but I can't help but feel like I'm being counter-productive and over-eating. How much should I be eating? Am I eating the wrong kinds of foods? I want to make sure I do this in a healthy manner, which is why I joined MFP in the first place, but I don't know how to do that. My natural instinct is just to not eat. HELP!!!

Replies

  • missfluffyuk
    missfluffyuk Posts: 245
    If you make your food & exercise diary public, then we can see what you're eating and offer advice.
  • BeetleChe13
    BeetleChe13 Posts: 498 Member
    I can't say if you're eating incorrectly because I can't see your diary, but I would definitely eat how many calories this site suggests. It takes your exercise and goal weight loss into account. If you eat how much it says to, you'll lose weight safely. My only other advice is to eat calorie healthy foods, like whole grain breads, peanut butter... Nuts are wonderful for adding calories without filling you up.
  • stwalsh226
    stwalsh226 Posts: 38
    My diary is public now. Sorry.

    When you look at my diary, I always fall somewhere between 1200 and 1820, but like I said, I'm usually forcing myself to eat more calories just so I make it into the range calorie-wise and always end up feeling past the point of just full. A lot of times, I end up feeling sick because I ate too much. I don't understand why I'm having so much trouble finding a balance.
  • SoulNeedsBeauty
    SoulNeedsBeauty Posts: 154 Member
    In my opinion there is too much sugar in your diet. All that sugar raises your insulin levels, blocking production of glucagon. Glucagon is another hormone secreted by the pancreas, it performs the exact opposite function of insulin ( in a nutshell it melts fat). In the presence of glucose, your pancreas releases insulin. But in the absence of sugar (if your blood sugar is very low and you haven’t eaten for aabout 4 hours), glucagon is secreted. Why? Because your tissues need sugar and energy. So glucagon pulls sugars out of storage -first from the liver, and then from fatty tissues to raise your blood glucose level.
    I would suggest to substitute your sweet yogurts with plain, full fat yogurts. get your carbs and sugars from fruits and veggies, not from waffles or breads. Also, make sure you are not underestimating how much you eat.
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    add in some nuts (i really like almonds and pistachios!), avocado on your salads or in sandwiches, use olive oil in cooking and/or salad dressings.
    (i always get crap for this - but) bacon, or full fat dairy, salad dressings, and mayo (if you use it) help a lot too (in moderation of course). most times the "lite" stuff has so much added to it (sugar, sodium) that the full fat doesnt and it usually doesnt save many calories. that might give you a bit of a boost without adding a lot of food.
  • issyfit
    issyfit Posts: 1,077 Member
    In my opinion there is too much sugar in your diet. All that sugar raises your insulin levels, blocking production of glucagon. Glucagon is another hormone secreted by the pancreas, it performs the exact opposite function of insulin ( in a nutshell it melts fat). In the presence of glucose, your pancreas releases insulin. But in the absence of sugar (if your blood sugar is very low and you haven’t eaten for aabout 4 hours), glucagon is secreted. Why? Because your tissues need sugar and energy. So glucagon pulls sugars out of storage -first from the liver, and then from fatty tissues to raise your blood glucose level.
    I would suggest to substitute your sweet yogurts with plain, full fat yogurts. get your carbs and sugars from fruits and veggies, not from waffles or breads. Also, make sure you are not underestimating how much you eat.

    Yes! Finally someone else who focuses on this.
  • PatrickP90X
    PatrickP90X Posts: 15
    I am not an expert in caloric intake but I always say that everyone's needs are different and in your case some days you might find yourself eating more and some days less. The advice I would give to you is to ask what are your goals healthwise? To lose weight? Maintain weight? Gain weight? Everyone has different needs,goals and desires when it comes to fitness. Because of your past issues with food and always having to do or wanting to do what is in your words the wrong thing, maybe you could go to a registered dietician and tell them about your past, and about your new healthy goals and how to achieve them in a healthy,realistic manner. I would suggest though if you are eating throughout the day to eat, smaller more balanced meals that is what helps me meet all of my nutritional needs, my needs however may be different from your needs. I hope maybe some of this advice helps you. I wish you the best of luck in all of your healthy endeavors!
  • JBorg039
    JBorg039 Posts: 24
    hey, that depends on a lot of other things.This varies through every individual depending on body type, height,age,weight,activity & alot more Don't worry if you don't know what this means, you can always use online calorie calculators such as http://www.fatcuda.com. I wish you a big gl ;)
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