Not Enough Calories!

Hi everyone!

I'm new to this place (I've found it very helpful so far!)

I'm having a problem getting my daily calories in - I'm eating relatively healthily but apparently I'm choosing foods that are too low in calories.  I didn't realise I was doing this before (and now that I've started tracking my calories I can see it).

I was wondering if this is causing my body to hold on to the fat it currently has - I'm 22, 5'5", 253 (eek!) and hitting the gym 3-4 days a week.

Any advice on higher-calorie, heart-healthy meals would be great, especially if it means I'll start losing weight!

what have you been eating so far?

chicken and veggies, fruit... I don't really eat bread so much anymore, and there are certain foods I can't eat due to allergies (i.e. anything with eggs or milk in it) so it cuts out a lot of options :(

Almonds and other types of nuts are really high in calories, but are very good for you! They can make a good snack to get the rest of your calories in

Hmm, list what you ate today and maybe we can help you round out some of your meals.

had a medium sized apple for breakfast

mid-morning snack was 1/2 cup roasted potatoes (home made with low-calorie everything, THANKS MOM!)

lunch was a cup of fried rice, 1 cup of veggies and about 3 oz of sweet n sour pork

afternoon snack was 1/2 cup of fried rice (from lunch) and about 1 oz of sweet n sour pork (also, from lunch)

and I had a low-sugar candy cane at some point today.  Haven't had dinner yet, but just got back from the gym.

hmm....eat more fish, chicken and vegetables...skip the rice and the sweet and sour anything!!...oh yep and the candy cane...empty calories...more fruit, especially berries if you like sweet...NO woman should eat less than a thousand calories a day.....( though sometimes i do...just not hungry)...if your eating and you feel satisfied...i would just not worry to much about it.....exercise can dull the desire to eat....just make healthy choices...and dont go over your calorie intake...everyone is different not everyone can eat 1500 cals a day....I KNOW i cant...i also cant eat snacks, or 6 small meals a day...i eat when i am hungry.

Beaukat,

You definitely need to eat more. Here are a few thoughts:

Breakfast - an apple isn't enough for breakfast. It's the start to your day and you need protein. I'm not a big breakfast fan so often I'll wake up and have a banana buy then after 30 minutes my stomach settles a bit and I'll have a bowl of fibre 1 or kashi (try it with soy milk, you can get Silk in Toronto and it's pretty good on cereal.

Snack - again you need some protein. Potatoes are a great source of carbs but can you add a little chicken or tuna in it?

Lunch - looks good, you have carbs, veggies and protein

Snack - looks good today, again carbs and protein are good

You seem pretty committed to the gym so you should be eating atleast 1500 calories on gym days.

You definitely need more fruits and veggies atleast 5-7 servings and beef up your breakfast it's a great way to start the day.  The veggies will also help with getting more fibre into you. You should have 25g a day and I think you're probably at less than 10g.

Nuts are a great snack before the gym, the protein will give you the energy to get through your workout. 

You can do it, just remember not to fear eating calories. As long as you are committed to the gym you will burn them off and much more.

 Good luck!

Beaukat, I'm in exactly the same dilemma. See my thread "I need to speed up my metabolism", I think it's on page 2 right now. I list what I'm doing, and what I'm eating to try to combat the problem.  I'm also VERY open to suggestions.

How many calories does the calculator give for 1 cup of fried rice & three oz of sweet and sour pork?  Were they from a Chinese restaurant?  If so, that was not a low cal lunch.  Also, try a lower-carb, healthy mid-morning snack, like fat free plain yogurt or fate free cottage cheese.

Wow.... Im eating 1600 cals a day and starving. Lulz - but Ive dropped 3.2lbs in 2 days.

I guess I was used to not counting what I eat and stopping when I felt full (which is too late - lol)

 

I used to like sunflower seeds until I read the package and salt content....What are the low cal foods your eating again?

 

((Oatmeal for breakfast Instant - 1 Package is about 135cals.))) 

I just wanted to thank everyone for their input in this thread - I went grocery shopping last night and stocked up on health snacks and yummy veggies!