Having Trouble Eating Enough Calories
bewissa
Posts: 2
Hey everyone,
I'm new to calorie counting and am having trouble actually eating all the calories I'm suppose to. I have been trying to eat lots of fruits and veggies, but that doesn't add up to much. Can you suggest some "good" foods that may be higher in calories that I should be filling my day with? Thanks so much for the advice!
I'm new to calorie counting and am having trouble actually eating all the calories I'm suppose to. I have been trying to eat lots of fruits and veggies, but that doesn't add up to much. Can you suggest some "good" foods that may be higher in calories that I should be filling my day with? Thanks so much for the advice!
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Replies
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Don't have any advice I'm afraid but having the same problem! Feel like I'm eating substantial but healthy and balanced meals as well.
Will keep an eye on this thread!0 -
I love to make anything with boneless skinless chicken, Tilapia is good, I also make taco salads out of ground turkey I just add taco seasoning. Ribeyes are good make them on a george foreman grill, bar b qued chicken is another good one0
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eat some nuts, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, peanut butter with cracker0
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MFP is just a guide and I would say if you feel like you are eating enough, feel good, and meeting your goals you should be just fine doing what you're doing. Having all those fruits n veggies sounds like you're going for quality and headed to good places. Keep it up!0
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Here's a lot of what I snack on that definitely helps reach the calories:
Babybel mini cheese
Veggies/Hummus
Almonds or Walnuts
A few squares of dark, dark chocolate
Hard boiled eggs
Feel free to check out my diary as well
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Wow, thanks for letting me see your diary. That really helps! I love to see real food can be eaten and still succeed! I come from a weight watchers background and their new program you really can't eat things like nuts, breads, pastas (even whole grain). Trying to make the transition to "real" eating has been hard. WW works but for me it's not a sustainable solution. I'm hoping this is it! Thanks again!0
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I am sort of on the same boat but after I workout. I will get close to my daily calorie goal then in the evening I go to the gym to do my cardio (mornings I do weights bc in the evening the guys hog the weight machines LOL & at night I do cardio) so when I enter the amount of calories I "lost/burned" doing cardio, it will say I have gained X amount of calories & my calorie count goes real low! So then I am ahhhhhhhhhhhh my calories are too too low :grumble:
For example last night after doing cardio kickboxing & a few minutes on the treadmill, MFP says I "gained/earned" 769 extra calories & that dropped my calories to 224. When I got home from the gym I had a protein shake with greek yogurt & unsweetened almond milk but that was only 203 calories and there was no way I was going to eat the other 566 calories at 10:30 at night, when I go to bed around 11:30ish.
So I don't know what to do.....:huh: <--- that's me so confused! LOL0 -
I highly agree. If you feel good physically and mentally about what you're doing, there's no reason to feel like you have to increase. Especially since you're clearly getting in the healthy foods you need.MFP is just a guide and I would say if you feel like you are eating enough, feel good, and meeting your goals you should be just fine doing what you're doing. Having all those fruits n veggies sounds like you're going for quality and headed to good places. Keep it up!0 -
When i first had trouble eating enough calories i readjusted my eating times and now eat 6 times a day (3 main meals and 3 small snacks). Not sure if you do that now but it helps, I eat them as close to the same time every day. breakfast at 7, snack at 10am, lunch at noon, snack at 2, supper at 5 and snack around 6:30 pm. It helps tremendously!!
high protein snacks are usually my go-to. feel free to add me too, to have a look at my food diary. it's open to my friends.
cottage cheese, nuts, greek yogurt, peanut butter, obviously fruits & veggies, protein bars, egg whites...all good snack foods to eat. best of luck to you! 0 -
i might be having the same issue.
im 6'1" and currently at 225lbs. MFP has me on a 1600cal/day regimen, but i feel like im eating really well, not going hungry, and still not reaching my calorie suggestion. and on the days i go to the gym...even moreso!
im really trying to lose weight at a good pace, but not so fast its unhealthy. i've noticed that its already a bit harder to shed some of these pounds, so im wondering if my body is changing to adjust to my intake (which i imagine is what its doing).
ive already seen some good advice in this thread...i think i need to snack more...but healthy.
nuts, seeds, cheese...
my diary is an open book, so if you have time, feel free to check it out and see if what im doing is bad.
i usually have a fruit and kale smoothie every morning, but havent this week, so that's why my breakfast is at a minimal.
i'll be back to this thread to see more good advice!
you guys all rock.0 -
Instead of eating low calorie stuff eat regular items like whole milk, regular yogurt, regular cheese, etc. Eat peanut butter and nuts too!0
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i might be having the same issue.
im 6'1" and currently at 225lbs. MFP has me on a 1600cal/day regimen, but i feel like im eating really well, not going hungry, and still not reaching my calorie suggestion. and on the days i go to the gym...even moreso!
im really trying to lose weight at a good pace, but not so fast its unhealthy. i've noticed that its already a bit harder to shed some of these pounds, so im wondering if my body is changing to adjust to my intake (which i imagine is what its doing).
ive already seen some good advice in this thread...i think i need to snack more...but healthy.
nuts, seeds, cheese...
my diary is an open book, so if you have time, feel free to check it out and see if what im doing is bad.
i usually have a fruit and kale smoothie every morning, but havent this week, so that's why my breakfast is at a minimal.
i'll be back to this thread to see more good advice!
you guys all rock.
6'1" should be netting appx 2200+ daily for fat loss.
Gang!
Ditch the low calorie mentality and think along this line....
Whole foods!
At least 2 cups fresh veg a day and 2 whole fruit.
Protein from multiple sources but mostly animal sources.
Ignore the words "low fat" unless its in something processed in which you want to try to avoid.
Fill the macros and the calories will follow.
Fruits
Veg
Nuts
Oils
Meat
Dairy
If you havent met your needs by the end of the night then drink a glass of whole milk and call it a day.
Sometimes when ppl arent hungry its due to changing to a new routine or...it could be hormonal.0 -
i might be having the same issue.
im 6'1" and currently at 225lbs. MFP has me on a 1600cal/day regimen, but i feel like im eating really well, not going hungry, and still not reaching my calorie suggestion. and on the days i go to the gym...even moreso!
im really trying to lose weight at a good pace, but not so fast its unhealthy. i've noticed that its already a bit harder to shed some of these pounds, so im wondering if my body is changing to adjust to my intake (which i imagine is what its doing).
ive already seen some good advice in this thread...i think i need to snack more...but healthy.
nuts, seeds, cheese...
my diary is an open book, so if you have time, feel free to check it out and see if what im doing is bad.
i usually have a fruit and kale smoothie every morning, but havent this week, so that's why my breakfast is at a minimal.
i'll be back to this thread to see more good advice!
you guys all rock.
6'1" should be netting appx 2200+ daily for fat loss.
Gang!
Ditch the low calorie mentality and think along this line....
Whole foods!
At least 2 cups fresh veg a day and 2 whole fruit.
Protein from multiple sources but mostly animal sources.
Ignore the words "low fat" unless its in something processed in which you want to try to avoid.
Fill the macros and the calories will follow.
Fruits
Veg
Nuts
Oils
Meat
Dairy
If you havent met your needs by the end of the night then drink a glass of whole milk and call it a day.
Sometimes when ppl arent hungry its due to changing to a new routine or...it could be hormonal.
thanks man!
i was only rolling with 1600cals because based on my weight and goal loss, MFP told me to keep it at 1600. i think ive been doing it long enough now where my body is used to it and maybe even going into mild starvation mode?
i will do my best to up my intake with healthy proteins and fruits/veggies.
good advice!0 -
i might be having the same issue.
im 6'1" and currently at 225lbs. MFP has me on a 1600cal/day regimen, but i feel like im eating really well, not going hungry, and still not reaching my calorie suggestion. and on the days i go to the gym...even moreso!
im really trying to lose weight at a good pace, but not so fast its unhealthy. i've noticed that its already a bit harder to shed some of these pounds, so im wondering if my body is changing to adjust to my intake (which i imagine is what its doing).
ive already seen some good advice in this thread...i think i need to snack more...but healthy.
nuts, seeds, cheese...
my diary is an open book, so if you have time, feel free to check it out and see if what im doing is bad.
i usually have a fruit and kale smoothie every morning, but havent this week, so that's why my breakfast is at a minimal.
i'll be back to this thread to see more good advice!
you guys all rock.
6'1" should be netting appx 2200+ daily for fat loss.
Gang!
Ditch the low calorie mentality and think along this line....
Whole foods!
At least 2 cups fresh veg a day and 2 whole fruit.
Protein from multiple sources but mostly animal sources.
Ignore the words "low fat" unless its in something processed in which you want to try to avoid.
Fill the macros and the calories will follow.
Fruits
Veg
Nuts
Oils
Meat
Dairy
If you havent met your needs by the end of the night then drink a glass of whole milk and call it a day.
Sometimes when ppl arent hungry its due to changing to a new routine or...it could be hormonal.
thanks man!
i was only rolling with 1600cals because based on my weight and goal loss, MFP told me to keep it at 1600. i think ive been doing it long enough now where my body is used to it and maybe even going into mild starvation mode?
i will do my best to up my intake with healthy proteins and fruits/veggies.
good advice!
If you ever need numbers run let me know.
Just drop me a PM.
Be sure while cutting to lift heavy 3x a week on a 5x5 or similar program and sleep like the dead when you can.
Otherwise you could lose a bit of LBM.0 -
My mind was so blown the first day I realized I hadn't eaten enough! Once your body adjusts to lots of fruits and vegetables and smaller portions, it's shockingly easy to undereat. Hunger is a surprisingly unreliable cue, as I learn whenever I come home from work feeling like I've been hit by a bus because I was too dumb to remember to feed myself. It's like my body is too passive-aggressive to tell me it needs more fuel. "No, it's fine, I can work with this, I'm fine, don't worry about me! ...just please don't ask me to do anything crazy like stand up."
My go-to strategies are making lots of recipes that include healthy fats (I buy three-liter jugs of olive oil, and I live alone), eating plenty of whole grains, and making sure there are always a couple things in the house that I can prepare in five minutes if I need to (sliced apple with peanut butter or cheddar cheese, whole-grain english muffins, frozen peas, microwave popcorn, bananas, beer). But most of all, I had to break out of the mentality that the best choice is always the lowest-calorie one! I don't automatically buy the low-cal tortilla wrap anymore without first thinking about what I'm planning to put in it.0 -
thanks again man...
i was under the impression that cardio was the best way to trim down, so ive been burning about 400-500cals on a machine twice a week...i add little bits of weights here and there...bicep curls, lat pulls, butterflies...nothing fancy.
am i on the right track, or do i really need to dedicate at least one workout a week to lifting?
im gonna add you if thats cool.0 -
thanks again man...
i was under the impression that cardio was the best way to trim down, so ive been burning about 400-500cals on a machine twice a week...i add little bits of weights here and there...bicep curls, lat pulls, butterflies...nothing fancy.
am i on the right track, or do i really need to dedicate at least one workout a week to lifting?
im gonna add you if thats cool.
Sure thing!
If for cardio you do nothing but HIIT intervals then cool!
HIIT sparks increased HGH for maintaining lean mass.
Steady state cardio beyond a certain point has diminishing returns in the form of increased stress on the central nervous system, This causes an increased uptake in cortisol resulting in LBM being used as a fuel.
When cortisol is present, testosterone isnt.
So if you arent in a hurry to drop weight and would rather maintain lean mass while melting fat, youll need to diet a little differently.0 -
hey dan...thanks again for the advice.
so HIIT would be sprint for a minute, walk for 2 minutes, repeat? or some variation of that?
what im trying to accomplish quickly is reaching my goal weight of 200-205lbs, and then maintaining from there.
so if i really wanna burn up the fat, is the HIIT what i should be doing?
we can take this to PM if i start to pirate the thread.
i really appreciate the time you're taking to help out a complete stranger.
you obviously have a good grasp on what needs to be done. 0 -
LOL at the beer! ;-)0
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Same. I have a 1200 cal goal and since I've started watching what I eat I can't seem to eat enough calories without going WAAAAAY over on carbs, which I'm trying to avoid.
Net calories today 418
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I have a jar of almonds in my dorm room. If i find at the end of the day I have not reached my goal then I eat however many i need. about 10 = 80 cals so it doesnt take that much, and they are so good for you0
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LOL at the beer! ;-)
me? lol...
yeah we went out for a farewell gathering for a friend who's leaving our office and i had a couple.
i was there for roughly 3 hours...holy CRAP did i have to nurse those beers! :laugh:
i wanted to leave it off, but thought...eh...be accountable! :drinker:0 -
i might be having the same issue.
im 6'1" and currently at 225lbs. MFP has me on a 1600cal/day regimen,
That sounds pretty low. I'm a foot shorter, over 100 lbs. lighter, and eat about that much.0 -
Same. I have a 1200 cal goal and since I've started watching what I eat I can't seem to eat enough calories without going WAAAAAY over on carbs, which I'm trying to avoid.
Net calories today 418
Carbs are fine. Net calories of 400, not so much, especially if you make a habit of it.0 -
You were able to eat them before. You can eat them now.
Weight loss doesn't mean buying "low fat" everything.0 -
I too come from a WW background and short term SW, both worked for me, and what I have learnt is how I am calorie counting now
I eat most of my calories for my main meal. I use them for what I personally term as 'proper' foods. I do eat nuts, share half a small bag with my son, so that means I can have a little treat, add raisins to them and it becomes a bigger treat:blushing:
My diary is open, I think I have a lot more calories than you do though :noway:0 -
oh I meant to say, just because something is high, doesn't mean its bad for you, like rice for instance, its filling and healthy and stays in the body longer to keep you fuller for longer0
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