can't reach calorie goal

the foods i eat are very low in calories. i eat a lot of veggies and fruits, and i've stopped eating white rice (i'm asian) for a couple of months now, instead i get most of my carbs from squash, potatoes/sweet potatoes, and bread.

i tend to overestimate my calorie intake to help me be on track, but even so, i still find myself, at the end of the day, taking in just around 1200. but i'm a teen, so i have to eat around 1350-1600 for weight loss, since i exercise almost everyday (30 mins).

the thing is, the food i eat are very filling. for lunch, example, i eat a cup of mashed squash (84 cals) and veggie omelette (1 egg - 63 cals, lettuce - 15, beans - 45 = 123 cals), so that's just 207 cals, add some butter (60 cals) = 267 cals. a very satiating lunch for me already.

so what do i do? should i eat more just to meet my calorie need? even if i'm not hungry?

Get some dried fruit, nuts, nut butter, bananas, avocado, a higher calorie whole-grain bread, granola. Potatoes and beans are pretty good on calories, too. If you're not eating white rice, then try brown rice and whole-wheat pastas. Add a yogurt to your lunch, not nonfat. That would probably have around 170 calories and probably not more than 2.5 grams of fat. I don't remember all the low-bulk, high calorie foods (easier on you), but if you go to the weight-gain forum, there's a sticky for a thread about them. If you don't want to do that, then you still need to add more calories if your deficit is too high, so yes, you would have to eat even if you weren't hungry.

Are you a vegetarian?  Try getting some more protein in your diet.  Lean meats such as chicken and beef are an easy way to boost cals.  Also try adding beans too.   Since you are a growing teen there is no real reason to cut out rice completely from your diet.  Try adding some back in for some easy cals.  Maybe try have brown rice instead?  I love brown rice and it does pack some calories.  Nuts are also calorie packed but good for you.  2 tbls of peanut butter have 180 calories! I would definately keep you calories closer to 1600 or even more. I eat around 2000 calories a day to lose weight and I am 27!!!  If I eat less than that I get very tired and icky feeling.

It would also help if you gave more stats.  How tall are you and who much to you weight and all that.

And what about breakfast?  Are you eating breakfast?  if not, do!  It does not have to be a big deal.  An egg, toast and fruit. 

But here is the real kicker - if you are exercising, you may need more than 1500 calories, especially as a teen.  I suspect you are in conservation mode and your body is hanging on to your energy stores.  I used to do this!

The main thing is to up your calories EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT HUNGRY!  It will seem like you are needlessly stuffing yourself and first.  But once you are taking in more calories your body will start to release it's energy stores and you will regain your natural appetite. 

i'm 18. 5'0".. 95 lbs. wants to go down to 92 lbs. coz i'm really short, small frame, so if i gain weight, i will look stout.

i'm not vegetarian, i eat poultry and seafood. but i don't eat red meat, on occasion i eat canned corned beef though. hehe.

i always eat breakfast, and between meal snacks, it's just that my snacks are low in cal too. most of the time, fruits and tea (0 cals) or bread and butter. there are days when i eat a lot though, around 1700-2000 cals. tbh, i feel bad when i eat that much. i'm so afraid to gain back my weight. i don't have an ED, never had. but our family is really "fatty", i think i'm the smallest/thinnest among my relatives that's why. 

I guess you have a small frame size and lower poundage is right for you.

BUT 3 lbs is NOT going to make a big difference.  I can say this with confidence because I am 5 feet tall also.  And even though your physique is different from my European, white butt, 95 lbs is already VERY thin! 

I question why you think 3 lbs will make a difference to how you see yourself.  What do you think you will see in the mirror?

How is your math?  Figure out your actual body area and then figure out how thick a  3 lb block of butter will lay over that area.  My guess is it is about 1/16 to 1/8 an inch thick.  How will that difference change your beliefs about yourself and your appearance? 

i say i'll feel better looking at the scale? hehe. that's an eye opener. thanks madamq! i guess my real goal is to shape up. tone my abs and arms to look better. any advices?

I too have trouble eating enough. I think I have blown my metabolism by not eating enough for so many years.  I currently take in about 900-1000 calories and weigh 240 at 5ft 5 inches tall.  I am frustrated cuz I feel like I need to eat less but am reading that I should eat more... perhaps in the 1300-1500 calorie per day range.  I walk on the treadmill 30 minutes per day and will increase that as I can.. just started my program.  But am not sure how to get more protein and less carbs.  I don't really like meat.. can do chicken, turkey and white fish and also love tofu.  Any ideas or help would be great... Thanks!!!

There is no way that on so few calories you are fuelling your body with what it needs. The minimum intake for a sedentary female over 21 is 1200 calories per day. For a sedentary female under 21 or a man over 21 it is 1500 per day, and a sedentary male under 21 1800 per day. And believe it or not, that’s only the sedentary minimum. Unless you are very, very short and small, and/or if you are working out it is very likely you will need even more calories than those minimum guidelines.

If you are 21 or older use CC's tools to work out your BMR so you have a number to work from for your diet: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-bur ned.php. If you are under 21, CC's tools are inaccurate and you should use this calculator instead: http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/bodycomp/bmiz2.html as you are still growing. Yes, even in the later years - there's more going on inside of you that you simply can't see.

Eating too low a calorie intake, or having a deficit from your BMR greater than 1000 results in something called "survival mode", where your body holds every last thing it can get in expectance of a famine. Water, food, calories. Explained:

• Dieting & Metabolism - This article explains starvation mode and why undereating is counter productive.
• The Body Neglected - This is what happens when you undereat for an extended period of time. 
• "Obesity on 700 Calories" - A tale of starvation mode's devistating effects, and proof you don't have to be underweight to be starving.
• From Ask Mary, the segment provided by our CC nutritionist Mary Hartley: On the dangers of undereating and what it does to your body.

The physical dangers that come with undereating are numerous. You put yourself at risk of osteoporosis, of loss of fertility if you lose your period, hair loss, electrolyte problems, a weakening of the immune system, low blood pressure, blood disorders such as anemia, heart problems, and even death. The mental woes that come alongside can be just as devestating. Depression is common in undereaters, as well as distorted perceptions and problems like Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

Crash dieting will do nothing to help you lose weight as the weight will likely come straight back on, and undereating can easily do more damage than good. Think about it - your health or your vanity? Weight is easily lost if you do it in a healthy and sustainable manner which is what CC is all about. 

I think you ought to read the following link: An Unofficial Calorie Count Guide to a Fad-Free 2009. It covers the basics of calorie counting, largely in how to do so safely and sensibly without resorting to drastic methods. And please remember:

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