I can't seem to eat all my calories

olivu
olivu Posts: 6
edited November 12 in Introduce Yourself
I am having a hard time eating all my calories by the end of the day. Sometimes I'm over on my protein and/or fat and still have 300 calories and carbs to eat. Last night I made a banana pudding pie (sugar free,fat free) and found myself eating an extra piece just to raise my calorie count (and still was under) Any suggestions on how to balance this out or is there anything out there that just has calories?

Replies

  • sandown12
    sandown12 Posts: 648 Member
    You can eat them all mentally yoir probally choosing not to in fear you wont lose weight,I know many people that get trapped into this thinking,if you are trying to lose weight then you know you can eat more calories,so therefore need to find healthier options I know you had sugar free b pie but it will still be sweet,next time have just a banana and a glass of milk for your extra portion.

    x
  • chaniray
    chaniray Posts: 83 Member
    i have the same issue some days. i find the "cleaner" i eat the harder it is to reach the 1200. i eat a majority vegetarian diet and try to limit processed foods.

    when i buy prepackaged foods and eat pastas and order small fries and eat krimpets it's not hard to reach my goal at all.

    you can try adding beans to your diet. not sure if you do this already or not but they have a pretty good amount of calories.
  • If you're going over on protein and fat, but not hitting your calorie mark, you need to evalute WHAT you are eating. If you'd like to make your diary public, we can give you some concrete advice.
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    eat some fruit
  • dpwellman
    dpwellman Posts: 3,271 Member
    Missing out on grains? Like oatmeal, pasta, rice, ect? They can pack pack a fairly decent wallup. Simple serving of frosted mini-wheats with 1/2 c. skim milk get to around 270 or so.
  • zsaoosh
    zsaoosh Posts: 402 Member
    Eat trail mix as a snack. Nuts have a lot of calories.
  • mSquared77
    mSquared77 Posts: 47 Member
    There are endless previous threads on this topic if you just use the "search" function. You'll likely find helpful info. there.
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    Ditch the sugar free, fat free inredients for a start. Fat is not bad.
  • ladylaine
    ladylaine Posts: 26 Member
    WHEN I AM LOW ON MY CALORIE I JUST DRINK A PROTEIN SHAKE THAT HELPS ALOT
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    Also, being over on protein is absolutely fine. MFP sets the bar very low on Protein as it's based on general advice, which itself is based on the general, medium weight, no-muscles, sedentary member of society.
  • fimary
    fimary Posts: 274 Member
    I am having a day like that, feel i have done nothing but eat, even my mum has said are you eating again.

    b/fast
    2 x ryvita
    1x tin sardines in tomato sauce

    lunch
    homemade soup- big plate
    1 50/50 pocket with 3 turkey rashers and cucumber
    fat free yogurt with blueberries and strawberry's

    dinner
    quorn cottage pie
    mashed cauliflower
    brocoli
    mushrooms
    gravy (lots)
    jelly

    1000 ish calories???
    too full for any snacks??????
  • olivu
    olivu Posts: 6
    no it's not that at all. I've been eating this way my whole life, I can eat very little or have one big meal a day. When I was younger there were days I'd forget to eat. So I'm not afraid to eat to many calories.
  • olivu
    olivu Posts: 6
    I usually don't eat sugar free fat free anything, I wanted a treat. So chose that as an alternative. trying to figure out how to make the numbers balance out.
  • olivu
    olivu Posts: 6
    thanks Chaniry that's it I do eat very clean, I have a gluten and casein intolerance so I rarely eat processed food
    Thanks for the advise on the grains, maybe some oatmeal will do and fruit! good deal.
    Thanks for all the advise ya'll
  • ihateroses
    ihateroses Posts: 893 Member
    Walnuts :)
  • sarahgilmore
    sarahgilmore Posts: 572 Member
    Hi

    Some good ideas here.
    I also suggest you read up abou *what* calories are. your request for foods that "only have calories" leads me to think you don't have a full grasp on the nutrition basics.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    no it's not that at all. I've been eating this way my whole life, I can eat very little or have one big meal a day. When I was younger there were days I'd forget to eat. So I'm not afraid to eat to many calories.

    I would suggest that if that style of eating has gotten you to the point that you need to lose 50 lbs, then it obviously didn't work out well for you.

    You are going to receive some advice that it's fine to be under goal, don't eat if not hungry, if you feel full that is fine.
    Sounds like what you've been doing already that has gotten you here.

    Hopefully you'll receive some advice too on eating more, nutrients is just part of the story, your body needs energy too for repair and upkeep, and you may even be eating too little.

    But try to increase 100 cal a day for a week, by means of a snack bar, or trail mix as mentioned, or almonds, or peanut butter, ect.
    Something dense. Squeeze it in. Stretch the stomach a bit.
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    I am having a day like that, feel i have done nothing but eat, even my mum has said are you eating again.

    b/fast
    2 x ryvita
    1x tin sardines in tomato sauce

    lunch
    homemade soup- big plate
    1 50/50 pocket with 3 turkey rashers and cucumber
    fat free yogurt with blueberries and strawberry's

    dinner
    quorn cottage pie
    mashed cauliflower
    brocoli
    mushrooms
    gravy (lots)
    jelly

    1000 ish calories???
    too full for any snacks??????
    How about too few of protein, too few of fats.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    Plan ahead - then you can make sure that you don't get to the end of the day and have lots of cals left over.
    If you see that your overall cals are going to be too low, then add something small but calorie dense to each meal - avocado, peanut butter, nuts, cheese, full fat yoghurt or olive oil dressing spring to ming.

    And if you're consistently coming in under your cals, then look at the food you're eating.
    "Sugar-free, fat-free pudding" can hardly be called food - it can't have many calories and isn't likely to be giving you much nutititon - so you would be much better eating an actual banana or real pudding made with milk and fruit and getting both calories and nutrition.

    Don't stress if all your macros don't balance out every day, that is pretty hard to do. If you are over fat today and under tomorrow it will be OK.
    And to answer your question - no, you can't just eat "calories". Calories are a measure of energy and they come from the food we eat. That means they have to be made of fat or protein or carbs or a combination of all of those.
    Back to my initial point - planning makes a huge difference. You can look ahead at your day and see where you are over or under and make changes BEFORE you eat, rather than worrying about it at the end of the day.

    And... just a reminder. Calories aren't the work of the devil, they aren't evil, they aren't something to avoid.
    Calories are energy and energy keeps us alive. The trick it just to work out how many are right for you (not too many, not too few).
  • LabRat529
    LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
    Mail them to me. I will eat them for you.
  • olivu
    olivu Posts: 6
    ok new problem! At times I have a hard time eating the 1200 calories, now that I'm logging my exercise it's giving me more calories to eat. Do I have to eat these? It's WAY to much for me.
  • olivu
    olivu Posts: 6
    Labrat, LOL I wish I could! I have even more now!
  • thegoya
    thegoya Posts: 100 Member
    I have the exact same problem; I reach my protein and fat %'s long before I reach the calories. If I add more carbs the other two categories go up too.. I do eat clean and am glad to do so for health reasons. I don't come close to the 1,200 calories let alone the added calories I'm allowed so on days I exercise. When you figure it out, please let me know. p.s, I eat a lot.
  • I have this same problem and am stuggling everyday to attempt 1200 calories...and then I burn about 1000 calories from my workouts, I should be consuming like 2000 calories, I just can't seem to do it. I am a caloric failure.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    @ olivu, thegoya, mommypiepie

    Suppressed metabolism can make it difficult to eat enough.

    You can indeed continue your weight loss journey with suppressed metabolism - it will just be painfully slow, and you have more chance of breaking down muscle for glucose needs.

    If you are exercising more than walking, you will be making the effect worse, if your are not eating back your exercise calories, really worse.

    You will lose a lot of "weight" - muscle, easily.

    When you reach goal weight, you will be skinny fat, and your metabolism will likely be a wreck as you have less muscle.
    When you try to eat at maintenance level, you'll gain weight, real fat weight, as the body tries to prepare for future underfeeding.

    Remember, there is a big difference between you feeling full, and your body being fully fed.

    You can take in enough nutrients and feel satisfied at 1200, but your body is not getting full energy needs met.

    Just the thought of eating 1200, and exercising taking 1000 of that first, leaving 200 for the body to work with - should scare the hair off your head, which will eventually happen, because the metabolism can't slow down that much safely.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Actually, I'll add, if you do exercise a bit, like 500 cal burn per day on avg, you will stall likely.

    Because now with a metabolism slowed down to work with the 700 cal it has left to work with, your new BMR is really 700.

    700 x Very Active level (including exercise in there) of 1.55 = 1085 daily calorie burn for all activity. But you eat at 1200 still.

    Now, with ALL daily activity no longer burning the calories you think, that is no longer 500 cal worth of burn on workouts. So the balance will go up a bit, but not that much.

    So you no longer have deficit eating. Any weight loss is strictly muscle mass for blood sugar maintenance.
  • sobriquet84
    sobriquet84 Posts: 607 Member
    lose the sugar free/fat free processed crap. eat real food, you'll hit your calorie goals way easier, and your body will respond much better.
  • sobriquet84
    sobriquet84 Posts: 607 Member
    also, what is your fat limit set to? many times I see someone saying that its hard to reach their calorie goal, but they're eating all low fat/fat free stuff. Eat half an avocado, a handful of almonds, a tablespoon of olive oil on your salad.

    I usually have about 60 - 80 grams of fat a day. On a 1,400 calorie diet.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    also, what is your fat limit set to? many times I see someone saying that its hard to reach their calorie goal, but they're eating all low fat/fat free stuff. Eat half an avocado, a handful of almonds, a tablespoon of olive oil on your salad.

    I usually have about 60 - 80 grams of fat a day. On a 1,400 calorie diet.

    So true - tablespoon of peanut butter and 1/2 cup milk will get you 200 easy.

    And don't eat the low fat versions of anything, yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, cheese.

    Besides which, they usually add sugar to make them taste better with fat missing, so fat version is less sugar for that reason.
  • Ok see, this HAS to be my problem. I do buy fat free yogurt, I keep at 2% milk, I buy full fat cheese (reduced is just gross). I need someone to map out some meals for me. I just made my food diary public, please help. Spell it out for me, I'll do it! My body is stronger from my exercise, I feel it...but it is certainly holding on to the fat. I have been at this for over 5 weeks now and I have lost 3 pounds at best. Please help.
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