Holy heck, am I undereating by that much?!?!

fiveohmike
fiveohmike Posts: 1,297 Member
Hey Guys,

So I just signed up for Fitbit and MFP. Well anyways it says I am supposed to eat 1880 calories a day before exercise.(and thats after setting that I want to lose 2lbs per week).

After my hours of Insanity not it says I gained an extra 600 calories today (today was pure cardio and cardio abs).

So at the end of the day I have 1313 calories left over to hit my target..... how in the heck can I eat 2500 calories in one day without some form of junkfood...I dont have that much time to devote to eating!

Yesterday I had 720 calories, today ~1200.

Just for an FYI this is what I ate today:

Breakfast = Wheat English muffin + a morning star veggie patty
Lunch = 6" Double Turkey + chesse on wheat sandwich from Subway + a bag of Jalapeno chips
Dinner = 1 chicken breast, 1 cup steamed white rice and 2 cups of steamed broccoli

Snack = 3.5 cups Air popped popcorn

Any suggestions?

thats a ton of food to eat in one day if its health food. Id have to eat 80 cups of broccoli to get there lol
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Replies

  • s1lence
    s1lence Posts: 493
    Fruits are great healthy foods that add up on the calories, stuff like bananas are high in calories. Yogurts and peanut butter also good things to try.
  • alikat42
    alikat42 Posts: 213 Member
    If you don't want to eat more often, then you just need to eat more at each meal. You could have added a slice of cheese and some yogurt to breakfast, avocado and/or mayo on the sandwich, 2 chicken breasts instead of one, cooked in olive oil, and some nuts or chocolate with your popcorn.
  • sar04tamu
    sar04tamu Posts: 27
    Add in healthy fats: avocado on the sandwich, saute the veggies in olive oil instead of steaming, some nuts for a snack or pb on your muffin.
  • ALH1981
    ALH1981 Posts: 538 Member
    avocado, nuts, coconut oil/butter, full fat dairy
  • Never drop under the 1200 mark! Even that is probably much too low for you.
    There are plenty of nutritious options that are good for you, with a higher calorie content.
    Try hummus, raw nuts, avocado, whole-wheat pasta, dried fruit, fruit juices, dates etc

    Good Luck!
  • sondra216379
    sondra216379 Posts: 174 Member
    yes, I agree, adding cheese and peanut butter to some of your meals would add up calories quickly
  • fiveohmike
    fiveohmike Posts: 1,297 Member
    Ya i think for lunch (i go to subway everday), Ill start getting a foot long. That will double my lunch calories to 700 (if I get cheese) and just split the meal up. Eat one half, then an hour later eat the other half.

    Ill have to eat maybe some cheese and fruits in the morning. Ill have to start adding in potatoes or something with dinner.

    That just seems like an absurd ammount of calories to have to eat....Im just plain no that hungry :(
  • Try and eat more often - I eat about every hour throughout the day.
  • aggiesrar05
    aggiesrar05 Posts: 335 Member
    Totally agree with the yogurt and peanut butter! For all my snacks I try to eat some kind of carb (typically fruit) with some kind of protein (typically yogurt or cheese). These snacks come in between breakfast and lunch and then again between lunch and dinner.

    Another fun thing that increases calories but has A LOT of good protein, carbs and nutrients is quinoa. I recently got my boyfriend to start mixing some in with the brown rice and chicken he eats for lunch. Be careful though, quinoa is a lot more dense than rice, so a cup of quinoa is actually a lot of food!

    Also make sure you replenishing after Insanity. A good and simple recovery drink that has both carbs and protein is a lowfat chocolate milk. LOVE THAT!! I drink it after CrossFit, running, biking, etc.

    Good luck!
  • willis84
    willis84 Posts: 86 Member
    I'm having that same problem. I'm allotted 1500/day and I've only consumed 800 and then I just did Zumba so now I have about 1300 left to eat. And it's 7pm already. Greek yogurt is a good filler and so are nuts and peanut butter
  • fiveohmike
    fiveohmike Posts: 1,297 Member
    damn i just finished dinner....off to go forage for some more food.
  • juicemoogan
    juicemoogan Posts: 994 Member
    Greek Yogurt! :)

    more frequent nutritious snacks.
  • alikat42
    alikat42 Posts: 213 Member
    Ya i think for lunch (i go to subway everday), Ill start getting a foot long. That will double my lunch calories to 700 (if I get cheese) and just split the meal up. Eat one half, then an hour later eat the other half.

    Ill have to eat maybe some cheese and fruits in the morning. Ill have to start adding in potatoes or something with dinner.

    That just seems like an absurd ammount of calories to have to eat....Im just plain no that hungry :(

    To put it in perspective, I'm 5'5" and female. I ate just under 1800 calories today. You look to be at least 5'10" and are obviously male, eating 720.
  • fiveohmike
    fiveohmike Posts: 1,297 Member
    Oh great idea, forgot about the replenishing drinks. I am gonna get some protein mix. Throw in a protein shake between meals. That will pop another 300 calories. per drink.

    Great tips guys.


    But my question....does that seem high? It all seems so counter intuitive to losing weight.
  • fiveohmike
    fiveohmike Posts: 1,297 Member
    Ya i think for lunch (i go to subway everday), Ill start getting a foot long. That will double my lunch calories to 700 (if I get cheese) and just split the meal up. Eat one half, then an hour later eat the other half.

    Ill have to eat maybe some cheese and fruits in the morning. Ill have to start adding in potatoes or something with dinner.

    That just seems like an absurd ammount of calories to have to eat....Im just plain no that hungry :(

    To put it in perspective, I'm 5'5" and female. I ate just under 1800 calories today. You look to be at least 5'10" and are obviously male, eating 720.

    Yep I am 5' 9" and 292.5 lbs at the moment. Doing Insanity 6 days a week.
  • NWdreaming
    NWdreaming Posts: 95 Member
    Healthy fats and smoothies help me get to the calories I need! A friend recommended a banana and peanut butter smoothie. I make mine with almond milk, chobani yogurt, banana, pb and protein powder and it gets me almost 500 calories! It's tasty and good for me! :drinker:

    11490831.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
  • fiveohmike
    fiveohmike Posts: 1,297 Member
    That sounds good too! I am about to head to Safeway then GNC lol

    Also, without exercise my target goal is set at 1830. With exercise is spikes over 2k.

    I will try all of this for a couple of weeks and see how it goes.

    Much appreciated!
  • PEANUT BUTTER!!! ALMONDS!!! AVACADO!!!

    I wish my problem was not eating enough! Sheesh!
  • laursey
    laursey Posts: 307
    I agree, Peanut butter, avocado, banana, Greek Yogurt, and get lots of protein. Protein bars are really good to.
    Great job with the Insanity it's a b*tch!
  • mcchy1
    mcchy1 Posts: 2 Member
    I'm undereating also. I was told by trainers and internet searchs that the best way to get to calorie goals is to eat 'healthy' items every 2 to 3 hours. Fruits, raw veggies, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (natural peanut butter and low sugar jelly), nuts, etc. Hope that helps. I'm still trying to get there.
  • HelloSweetie4
    HelloSweetie4 Posts: 1,214 Member
    I had the same problem with not eating enough and I was shocked because I really didn't change my diet much when I started MFP. I had been trying to loose weight for months and now I understand that it's because I haven't been eating enough.

    I started throwing in extra little snacks throughout the day. I have a desk job so its easier for me.

    I will eat breakfast about 8:30, have a snack at 11, lunch 12:30, snack 2pm, dinner 5:30-6 and then a small snack around 8pm (if I still need more calories). I feel like I'm eating all day long, but it seems to be working for me.
  • Add some snacks that are healthy but high in calories! Like any kind of nuts or lean meat :)
  • haleyrutter
    haleyrutter Posts: 9 Member
    More fruit and veggies. I would add some grains to it as well, quinioa, brown rice, things with more fiber.
  • Ianultrarunner
    Ianultrarunner Posts: 184 Member
    You need to eat Calorie Dense foods such as Peanut Butter, Cheeses and mix those with Bananas and other fruits for balance.
    Try an Avocado and don't just eat Chicken for meat but others too.
    You'll find you can have more Calories without feeling too full.
    Just try some experimentation.
  • debgcook
    debgcook Posts: 64
    You do not have to eat the calories or extra calories that you burned. Maybe on cheat days. But you shud be eating what you calorie says only.
  • ImNotThatBob
    ImNotThatBob Posts: 371 Member
    Lots of great advice here. You're on the right track. Keep going and you'll get there.

    Just out of curiosity... NOT counting other beverages, how much water are you drinking daily on average?
  • Elleinnz
    Elleinnz Posts: 1,661 Member
    avocado, nuts, coconut oil/butter, full fat dairy

    ^^^^ This - also eggs, salmon, olives, nuts, nut butters.....

    My diary is open for people to look at - I eat over 2000 calories most days - and the additional calories come from these foods - so I dont have to eat more "bulk" - just some smart foods!!
  • ImNotThatBob
    ImNotThatBob Posts: 371 Member
    You do not have to eat the calories or extra calories that you burned. Maybe on cheat days. But you shud be eating what you calorie says only.

    When you exercise, it adds to your daily calories though, right?
  • kr3851
    kr3851 Posts: 994 Member
    You want to eat all your calories if you are planning on losing more fat than muscle - your body will 'eat' anything to sustain itself on a defecit, so you'll lose muscle as well as fat if you undereat. That's good news for the scale, but bad news for your strength (and being able to sustain your weight if you reach goal). So lift some weights, and eat all the good fats.
  • fiveohmike
    fiveohmike Posts: 1,297 Member
    Lots of great advice here. You're on the right track. Keep going and you'll get there.

    Just out of curiosity... NOT counting other beverages, how much water are you drinking daily on average?

    All I drink is water and tea.

    I think I went through 3 liters of water today, not counting the 4 cups of black tea :)