What the H3LL am I supposed to eat to meet 2500 cals?

At 301lbs my nutritionist put me at 1500 cals and to only eat some of my exercise calories back if i am hungry. Ive lost 59lbs doing that and they are happy for me to continue at that. I burn of an average of 700 - 1000 cals per day on exercise and im told to only eat back what im hungry for in healthy foods. Id say what your eating is fine. Ive reversed my high blood pressure, high heart rate and type 2 diabetes doing this. They said i may need to eat more when close to goal, but not for a long while yet! 3 dietitians in total have given me the same advice. Keep on going! Sounds like your doing great! X

Erica,
I had a problem getting enough calories when I had gestational diabetes and had to cut carbs (including a lot of fruits & veggies, unfortunately -- they made my blood sugar numbers spike too high). I focused on fat -- the good and the bad in my case, but the same concept applies. Like another poster suggested, avocado & nuts are high in calories and great for you. I ate a lot of eggs, cheese and meat, too (I'm normally not a big meat-eater, but I think I put away a brat a day during the last couple months of my pregnancy to keep the calories up). Also look at your "fillers" -- whole-grain or alternatives like quinoa are often higher-calorie than "regular" pasta or rice, and they're more nutritious.
I'm not qualified to judge if you should be getting 2500, 2000, or the 1700 you're already struggling to reach -- but if you do want to increase calories healthfully, those are some ideas. Personally, I don't worry TOO much about sugar as long as it's coming from nutritionally sound choices. For example, adding a mango to my AM protein shake already puts me over my limit, even if I eat zero sugar for the rest of the day. I'm okay with that. :-)
Congrats on all the pounds you've lost so far!
-Brandy

I eat 2600 a day, feel free to add me. My diary is open.

I went with 1lb a week as a base, but like i said I never meet the calories they say I should - I have lost 16 lbs in a month and 2 weeks by eating 1700-1800/wk.

16 pounds in 6 weeks is 2.7 pounds a week. That's a little fast for someone near their goal, but if you've got a ways to go it sounds like you've already found a healthy, sustainable calorie level. Make sure your fats, carbs, and proteins are in reasonable balance and take advantage of the ride you're on while you're on it.

As you get closer to your goal, you'll have to make adjustments, but it sounds like what you are doing is working fine - keep doing it and don't mess with success!

I would say, if you aren't hungry don't eat.. but I did see someone said whole dairy, that is a good one
Load up your salads! Use bacon bits, and full flavor dressings and stuff too.

You are welcome to look at my food diary, back when I started I was at that level and on exercise days I've often eaten that much or more. But frankly I don't really care about any of the macro nutrients, all I really care about is avoiding white foods (most of the time) eating fruits and vegies and making sure I get a healthy amount of fiber. I generally try and keep the fat levels down, but on a food choice basis... So in the end all I really do is count calories...

Good-luck, Mike

People ask this question when they think that they shouldn't be eating fat. Fats are a cleaner fuel source for your body than carbs and help you to absorb essential vitamins. Also, when you combine fat with carbs it will lower the GI of the meal.

The low fat fad really has done a lot of damage but one good thing that came from it is that you can take your average low fat diet and simply add healthy fats to it... bargain.

You are doing fantastic. If I were you, I would just keep on doing exactly what you have been doing. It seems like you have found the right balance that works for you, and you feel good....I'm not seeing a problem. So many people here get all stressed out because they ate an apple and their sugar was high. Well, I guarantee it wasn't that apple that got us into this mess. The one thing I have learned here is that we all do it a little different. The goal is to find a healthy, sustainable program that we can stick to long term. So, my long winded point is that you are doing great so don't worry!