Having Issues Meeting the daily calorie requirement!

ednabnana
ednabnana Posts: 304
in Health and Weight Loss
Before I get in trouble, I want to say that I cold turkey wine, starbucks drinks, smoothies from places like jamba juice/robecks, sweet (cupcakes especially)......

Now on to my problem that I hope someone can help me with.

I used to eat 50% healthy & 50% empty calories. As I mentioned above. Now that I quit those bad habits, I can't meet my daily calorie requirement.

I've changed my "goal" setting 3x.

If I want to lose 1 lb/week, MFP gave me 1250.
If I want to lose 0.5 lb/week, MFP gave me 1470.
If I want to maintain my weight, MFP gave me 1750.

Yet, here I am, having trouble meeting 1200 calories.

I cardio exercise everyday. I really want to meet my goal. I want to have muscles in my stomach. I know that the reason that I haven't meet my goal is because of this eating few calories (or maybe I am wrong).

Anyone with a suggestion?

p.s. I ate 1220 calories today.
Banana
2 cups broccoli
1/2 sweet potato
4 oz chicken breast
sauteed bell peppers
1.4 ounces pork chop
1/2 cup brown rice

2 snacks
4 oz greek yogurt
1 pear
1tbsp honey

AND I am still below the limit & FULL!

Replies

  • rachaelliversidge
    rachaelliversidge Posts: 16 Member
    Add in some more calorie dense foods that contain good fats. Good additions would be advocado, nuts, olive oil or nut butters. Theyare high calorie but not bulky so won't fill you up to much.
  • caroline_g
    caroline_g Posts: 201 Member
    Add in high calorie foods that are still healthy such as nuts, cheese, fruit juice, peanut butter etc. That's what I usually do and it helps. It brings your fat levels up but it's good fats and as long as it's not like 1000 calories of nuts a day, it's still a decent fat amount for the day.

    Oops just seen the post above that was posted as I was typing so yeah, basically what they said!
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
    Lots of good information and ideas here for you:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/410771-i-can-t-reach-my-calorie-goal-it-s-too-much-food
  • gtunlimited
    gtunlimited Posts: 60 Member
    Try some calorie dense foods like peanut or almond butter or add a couple glasses of milk and protein powder
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
    Well it would be best to open up your diary so people can see what you're eating. But suggestions

    Eat more fruit. Eat more vegies. Eat more protein. Double your servings sizes.

    Eating too low won't help you achieve your goal. Lifting weights will do that. From reading your profile it appears numbers aren't your goal but a look. Go read some of the topic on eating more as those women often have banging bodies and eat a ton more than you are. Ask them for advice. They're the ones who can best help you.

    You also need to realise that your hunger signal is broken. Under eating will do that. Aim to increase your calories by 100 a week/.two weeks to 'reset it'. If you start lifting heavy weights you won't have any issues with hunger. I started NRoLFW and C25K and I was RAVENOUS.
  • ednabnana
    ednabnana Posts: 304
    Thanks for the tip.

    That link seems to have been invaded by trolls posting things like blue cheese as a recommendation to fill up on calories.

    I have almond butter, almond milk, shredded almond (see a pattern here?) haha.

    I'll throw in some avocados on my salads tomorrow.

    Thx AGAIN!!!
  • ednabnana
    ednabnana Posts: 304
    Lozze. I lift. I exhaust my muscle group per week - i work out all muscles, one group per day - (aside from doing cardio everyday).

    Edit: I changed my diary setting to public.
  • Ash_76
    Ash_76 Posts: 186 Member
    a banana for breakfast isnt really sustainable, try having it with weetabix shredded wheat or porridge.
    rest of the day is fine, you hit 1200 yesterday and you didnt eat your exercise cals which is good.
    i would also look at adding a whey protein into your day, prefferbly after exercise
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
    But blue cheese is AWESOME. What's wrong with it? (and I doubt trolls have accounts with over 4000 posts)

    Glad you're lifting. Don't know how you can do it every day. I'm exhausted doing it three times a week! ;-p

    You also seem to eat little fruit. Maybe add two/three pieces a day?
  • ednabnana
    ednabnana Posts: 304
    Blue cheese is not for all. It is good but it is awful in healthy calories ;p

    Well maybe the everyday "lifting" is an exaggeration (but sometimes I manage to separate my muscles into 7 groups for a M-Sun session), but it sounds like you lift too so you understand what I mean when I say, back is monday, shoulders is tuesday, legs - quads- on weds, legs- hams/back side- on thursday, chest on fridays....so on. I listen to my body. Everyone does it differently.

    Anyways.

    I realized that I am honestly asking for help or opinion here & the more I read your comment, the more it sounded like you are attacking me.
    I am a naturally small person. I was 98 lbs when I got pregnant & BALLOONED to a 137 lbs. I might not be about the "number" but I am working hard. I got to this number because I worked so hard to get here. I am NOT one of those ppl who are LUCKY & just shed their bellies.

    I joined this site two weeks ago because I feel like I have tried everything & the inches on my belly is NOT going anywhere. It has been 2.5 since I had my little girl. Yes. My ultimate goal is a better stomach.

    I've been having a bad two days. Sick family members that needs to get to a hospital, that kind of thing.

    I will try the whey protein. Thank you for not JUDGING.
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
    But blue cheese is AWESOME. What's wrong with it? (and I doubt trolls have accounts with over 4000 posts)

    Glad you're lifting. Don't know how you can do it every day. I'm exhausted doing it three times a week! ;-p

    You also seem to eat little fruit. Maybe add two/three pieces a day?
    Exactly...there's nothing wrong with eating blue cheese.
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
    I was going to respond but if you can't take well meaning advice without getting your hackles up I won't even bother.

    Good luck with your goals.
  • ednabnana
    ednabnana Posts: 304
    I can take good advice but I like honest advice, like the people who recommended nuts & whey protein. Your comment was a judgmental advice. I went to this general diet section because I thought this would be the perfect place to ask. I would have gone to the "hot/big women with bangin' bodies" section if I wanted to. You were so quick to judge me about my goals.

    Good night. Hope you sleep well.
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
    I wasn't judging and I was honestly trying to understand why you had picked your goals. I also gave you food that would be better to eat. I was giving the exact advice you asked for. I went back to read what I'd posted to see what exactly I was judging you on and there was NOTHING judgy there.

    Seriously don't think people are judging you for asking questions. I asked about the lifting because your diary was closed and the only exercises you had were your profile pic which was all body weight and cardio.

    I've learnt a TON from these boards and it's helped me get closer to my goals then I've ever been. I try and pay that back to others. NOT judge. I find it incredibly rude to state that I was.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    Oh dear. If you don't want the answer, don't ask the question.

    Seriously, there was nothing judgemental about the responses you had here. Unless by 'judgemental' you mean 'offering good advice that doesn't necessarily add up to exactly what I wanted to hear'....



    (And am I misreading you, or are you trying to suggest that cheese is bad for you... ? )
  • snookumss
    snookumss Posts: 1,451 Member
    If you didn't want any real answers like CHEESE, peanut butter, Id personally suggest more MEATS... Nobody was suggesting POPTARTS (which the big/hot peeps eat), ICE CREAM (wait, they eat that too), CHEESECAKE (oops, they eat that too!)... grrr.

    Why'd you ask?

    Also, how can you do a 7 day split? Really, how are you doing that without over working yourself? Are you never sore? Pushups (wait, can't be... thats arms, chest and more)? Pullups (oops, sorry arms, shoulders, back, core), I mean... ummm...

    I'd not suggest splitting them into 7 days. The last time I tried a five day split I kicked my own *kitten* by having biceps the day after I did pullups for back and I was too sore. Either you aren't doing any real strength work making yourself sore which doesn't do you much good, or you are WAY overdoing it! If you overwork your body parts they wont see very much improvement.

    Lozze was being helpful, even finding you sources online. Just because you were quick to judge doesn't mean she was.
  • nz_deevaa
    nz_deevaa Posts: 12,209 Member
    You don't have to quit all 'bad' foods cold turkey.

    I fit a Latte in my calories EVERY DAY.

    Have a small cupcake if you want. Fill the rest of your calories with all those foods you've decided are good foods, and then have your treat if it fits into what's left.

Categories