Calorie dense foods?

BeautyFromPain
BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
edited November 9 in Food and Nutrition
I have been on here awhile but am only really getting completely serious about eating completely clean in the last week or so.
The only problem I have is with my food I am struggling to even reach 1200 calories, especially with all the exercise I do most days.

For example :
brekkie : oatmeal with peanut butter, lunch is chicken with either cooked veggies (days i'm at work with a microwave) or chicken with salad (days i'm at school), arvo tea is fruit salad and yogurt and dinner is usually either steak or chicken or turkey with homemade chips and either salad or veggies.
I feel rather full after eating this but it is only about 1000 or so calories, and I know I need WAAAY more calories than that.

I used to never eat exercise calories but slowed my metabolism to a halt and now I eat them I lose consistently, I'm scared if I don't eat enough I'm gonna stop losing again. Plus I need FUEL!

Replies

  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
    It is best to eat clean, but eat to goal daily no matter what.
    A McD cheeseburger should do the trick even though is not clean eating.
    Seriously, eating a few "bad" foods and reaching goals beats clean foods that fall short of your daily calorie goal. Your progress is stifled by not eating to goal.
    That's just more self-sabotage.
    Eat to goal no matter what; your body does not know or care the reasons why.
    It's just registering the too large deficit, and while you may lose weight for a season, what will be the quality of the weight loss, and does it lead to optimal health?
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    It is best to eat clean, but eat to goal daily no matter what.
    A McD cheeseburger should do the trick even though is not clean eating.
    Seriously, eating a few "bad" foods and reaching goals beats clean foods that fall short of your calories goals.
    That's just more self-sabotage.
    Eat to goal no matter what; your body does not know or care the reasons why.
    It's just registering the deficit, and while you may lose weight, what will be the quality of the weight loss, and does it lead to optimal health?

    Yucky, I ain't eating no cheezeburger! Fast food makes me feel sick now.
    Is there any calorie dense foods that are healthier?
  • hope516
    hope516 Posts: 1,133 Member
    avacados, pistacios, peanut butter, any kind of nut really. :happy:
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
    It is best to eat clean, but eat to goal daily no matter what.
    A McD cheeseburger should do the trick even though is not clean eating.
    Seriously, eating a few "bad" foods and reaching goals beats clean foods that fall short of your calories goals.
    That's just more self-sabotage.
    Eat to goal no matter what; your body does not know or care the reasons why.
    It's just registering the deficit, and while you may lose weight, what will be the quality of the weight loss, and does it lead to optimal health?

    Yucky, I ain't eating no cheezeburger! Fast food makes me feel sick now.
    Is there any calorie dense foods that are healthier?
    Some snack on nuts or whole grain breads.
    Some eat bacon, a snickers candy bar or whatever else you consider a treat.
    Use this not as a licelse to eat bad, but to reward yourself with something you enjoy.

    Life is to be lived.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    It is best to eat clean, but eat to goal daily no matter what.
    A McD cheeseburger should do the trick even though is not clean eating.
    Seriously, eating a few "bad" foods and reaching goals beats clean foods that fall short of your calories goals.
    That's just more self-sabotage.
    Eat to goal no matter what; your body does not know or care the reasons why.
    It's just registering the deficit, and while you may lose weight, what will be the quality of the weight loss, and does it lead to optimal health?

    Yucky, I ain't eating no cheezeburger! Fast food makes me feel sick now.
    Is there any calorie dense foods that are healthier?
    Some snack on nuts or whole grain breads.
    Some eat bacon, a snickers candy bar or whatever else you consider a treat.
    Use this not as a licelse to eat bad, but to reward yourself with something you enjoy.

    Life is to be lived.

    yum, bacon!
    I know life is to be lived, just most junk food literally makes me throw up now I swear I've like made myself intolerant to some of it :P
  • jennilovesryan
    jennilovesryan Posts: 124
    drink a smoothie or two or some almond milk during the day. i have this same issue as i love to cook and love veggies so i tend to be under. just one cup of vanilla almond milk has 90 calories but it's still good for you.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    drink a smoothie or two or some almond milk during the day. i have this same issue as i love to cook and love veggies so i tend to be under. just one cup of vanilla almond milk has 90 calories but it's still good for you.

    what would you recommend for smoothies? (:
  • dport7
    dport7 Posts: 123 Member
    I feel the same way. I think its a good thing. i'm eating 100% clean and struggling to get 1200 cal. Thats ok, I'm working out, drinking plenty of water, getting good rest and loosing weight.

    So if you eating right, felling good, and full after meals, keep doing what your doing. that is what works best for you.

    Enjoy!
  • Dauntlessness
    Dauntlessness Posts: 1,489 Member
    Beef always has a ton of calories. Nuts or peanut butter, EVOO, some cereal like shredded wheat, protein bars, protein shakes, cheeses, some deli meats, pasta, potatoes.

    I agree...dont go eating a ton of chocolate or fast food. McDonald's, really???. Have you seen food inc? Just ick! But I think if you want a little dessert, and I mean a small portion, that's okay I suppose.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    I feel the same way. I think its a good thing. i'm eating 100% clean and struggling to get 1200 cal. Thats ok, I'm working out, drinking plenty of water, getting good rest and loosing weight.

    So if you eating right, felling good, and full after meals, keep doing what your doing. that is what works best for you.

    Enjoy!

    uhh really? because you need 1200 calories for your liver and other organs to function correctly, so as to keep any muscle.... and if you are a guy you should add an extra 300 calories on top of that...
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    Beef always has a ton of calories. Nuts or peanut butter, EVOO, some cereal like shredded wheat, protein bars, protein shakes, cheeses, some deli meats, pasta, potatoes.

    I agree...dont go eating a ton of chocolate or fast food. McDonald's, really???. Have you seen food inc? Just ick! But I think if you want a little dessert, and I mean a small portion, that's okay I suppose.

    what is EVOO? :S
  • xTenaciousJx
    xTenaciousJx Posts: 555
    EVOO= extra virgin olive oil =D
    Beef always has a ton of calories. Nuts or peanut butter, EVOO, some cereal like shredded wheat, protein bars, protein shakes, cheeses, some deli meats, pasta, potatoes.

    I agree...dont go eating a ton of chocolate or fast food. McDonald's, really???. Have you seen food inc? Just ick! But I think if you want a little dessert, and I mean a small portion, that's okay I suppose.

    what is EVOO? :S
  • marlene39
    marlene39 Posts: 2 Member
    I'm not so sure about eating all your calories..If I would have done that yesterday I would have eaten 2290. That's alot of calories! I'd have to believe I would gain weight.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    Beef always has a ton of calories. Nuts or peanut butter, EVOO, some cereal like shredded wheat, protein bars, protein shakes, cheeses, some deli meats, pasta, potatoes.

    I agree...dont go eating a ton of chocolate or fast food. McDonald's, really???. Have you seen food inc? Just ick! But I think if you want a little dessert, and I mean a small portion, that's okay I suppose.

    what is EVOO? :S

    EVOO = extra virgin olive oil :smile:
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    I'm not so sure about eating all your calories..If I would have done that yesterday I would have eaten 2290. That's alot of calories! I'd have to believe I would gain weight.

    :grumble: no, you wouldn't... MFP already has a deficit built in... try and NET at least 1200-1500
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    Beef always has a ton of calories. Nuts or peanut butter, EVOO, some cereal like shredded wheat, protein bars, protein shakes, cheeses, some deli meats, pasta, potatoes.

    I agree...dont go eating a ton of chocolate or fast food. McDonald's, really???. Have you seen food inc? Just ick! But I think if you want a little dessert, and I mean a small portion, that's okay I suppose.

    what is EVOO? :S

    EVOO = extra virgin olive oil :smile:

    Ta (: sorry, I'm a bit slow sometimes!
  • bradzahringer
    bradzahringer Posts: 11
    I drink a protein shake with milk. I try to do 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. That has always been my rule since I do alot of lifting. It is calorie dense with the milk and protein powder and still fairly clean compared to some foods.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    I drink a protein shake with milk. I try to do 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. That has always been my rule since I do alot of lifting. It is calorie dense with the milk and protein powder and still fairly clean compared to some foods.

    Yeah, I try for 100 grams a day.
    What would you recommend? I just ran out of my protein shake last night and let me just tell you now... that stuff tastes NASTY!
  • vilardip1
    vilardip1 Posts: 34
    look for some higher fat foods...because it has the greatest calorie per gram of any of your calorie sources, a tablespoon of peanut butter, some avocado, or veggies dipped in ranch dressing could do the trick
  • donna9089
    donna9089 Posts: 87
    I have the same issue. I have a VERY hard time meeting my calorie/carb/protein goals on the 5 days I work out. I am usually always 2-300 calories short. I had a BMR test done and the result was over 1700 calories. There is no way I can eat that amount let alone add in the exercise calories. I am using MFP's baseline of 1200 and still having problems. :cry:
  • 1a1a
    1a1a Posts: 761 Member
    Miiiiiiiiiiillllllllllllllllllllk :-D and olive oil. And cheese, avocado, nuts, eggs.
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,972 Member
    Two tablespoons of peanut butter added to your day will get you right around 1200. Mix the extra in your oatmeal, or just eat it off the spoon. Easy fix.
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
    *sigh*

    Don't listen to people who said you have to eat junk just to reach your calories. That's the dumbest advices ever.
    If they don't care about their health, whatever.

    You asked about healthy food:
    Nuts. If you get bored, you can vary the flavor (grilled almonds vs smoked almonds vs cocoa almonds). Those are good! They taste like chocolate!
    Almonds butter, Cashew butter, ect.
    Almond milk.
    Eat a tablespoon of coconut oil.
    Add olive oil in your salads.
    Add whey powder in your smoothies (look for a kind with low sugar and few ingredients.)
  • Sydney0710
    Sydney0710 Posts: 61 Member
    You've already received great advice for *healthy* foods to add. I would also suggest buying higher fat dairy products (full fat yogurt or cheese). Research indicates that people who consume full fat dairy generally are less fat than people who eat reduced fat dairy.
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
    More:

    Avocado
    Cottage cheese
    Any real cheese
    Flax seeds

    Did you say your protein shakes taste nasty?
    I use ON Any Whey protein (http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/100-any-whey-protein-p-199.html) because it was the least amount of weird ingredients in it.
    -1 scoop of whey
    - fruits (I used blueberries and pomegranate)
    - greek yogurt
    - almond milk
    - 1 tablespoon of 100% cacao powder
    Sooooo good! The cacao is only 10 cals and 3g carbs and make the shake tastes like chocolate!
  • peacemongernc
    peacemongernc Posts: 253 Member
    I didn't read all the replies, so please forgive me if this has already been said... I saw the thing about the EVOO, and I think that would be great for you. Good fats will keep you healthy. Also, I wondered about adding more fresh fruits (apples and berries etc) and more fiber. Of course fruit has some fiber in it. Fiber has health benefits all its own, especially where weight loss and KEEPING weight off are concerned. Fiber tends to keep a person from getting as hungry, so I don't know if that might have a negative effect on your calorie consumption, but if you can get some more in, your long term health may benefit.
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
    bump
  • Guitarjon
    Guitarjon Posts: 204 Member
    Are their any negative effects of using evoo except the fact it's calorie dense? I don't always make my calorie goals easily and I know evoo is a good fat. Any downsides to it?
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