Wasting calories?

Hi 

I was wondering if anyone else thinks like this - I try to eat 2500 calories a day and I don't feel bad doing this or anything but if I'm low on calories and should be trying to add in more to get up to 2500 I feel like I'm wasting them and could be eating something much nicer. eg - say it gets to dinner time and im only on 1500. instead of maybe doing something like adding 200cals worth of olive oil to my meal i wouldn't bother with this and would just accept that i'm gonna be 200cals short for that day.. because i would rather enjoy something else rather than olive oil for that amount of calories and it seems like such a waste.

lol, sorry if this doesn't really make sense :P

no i get this..... i dont do it but i really get it...... in nuts and oil and stuff i think like that alot!!!like 1 tbs oil could be 2-3 slice bread ect.

If I am low I grab a few scoops of PB before bed, or maybe nuts with yogurt. Last night this happened and I had cereal with almond breeze and pb...you really should get up to your intake! Just stay up later and enjoy your munch time!

That's happening to you because your day is 'ad hoc' rather than planned.  If you planned your day to include 2500 cals of foods you really enjoyed you wouldn't be scrabbling around for things to make up the shortfall that don't really appeal to you.

Takes a little effort to think things through ahead of time but, if you're serious about that weight-gain, that's the only way to do it. 

frozen waffels or pancakes with peanut butter and rasins i eat this before i sleep,  i have not slept well in almost 1 year cause i was always huingry now i am in recovery for ana and i eat this before i sleep even if i dont want it but it is sooo good, i usually do.

I know exactly what you mean. Like I was too low on fat today and needed calories but the only thing I had in the house was sunflower oil. I would have loved to have some guacamole or almonds or black olives or something but instead I had a tablespoon of the oil. (I put it in a blended shake) UGH!!!! I got my calories up but my fat was still low. Oh, well. I will not be adding more oil to try to get my fat up because I will gag. : P

Yeah I get this too. Its like, why waste calories now on something I don't really want, when tomorrow there could be this AMAZING thing that I really want...

Like, I'd rather save it for something I actually want. But I started to realise that I was doing this a lot and 9 times out of 10, the next day there wouldn't be this amazing wonderful thing that I would be able to indulge in, it would be just another normal day.

So I stopped saving for a potential special ocassion since it never seemed to be happening. I do feel bad being short at the end of the day and making up for it by just eating chocolate or ice cream or something.. but I just have to tell myself that I am serious about recovery. And if that means having a Magnum before bed every night, so be it.  I would have something enjoyable though, rather than a tablespoon of oil. Eww! Thats dedication!

wow, I can totally relate to "wasted calories". like if i need to increase my intake, my mom thinks the only solution is a mcdonald's milkshake daily. i like milkshakes, but i like other foods too. i kinda sit there and enjoy the taste but think of all the other 420 calorie options i could have eaten instead.

 

although it's harsh reality, this is still an eating disordered thought. it's good that you're enjoying food again (same for me!), but this obsession with it is not of the norm.

 

so its great that you are diligent about getting your calories in! and with time, you will care less and less as to whether or not you got 100 calories from a tablespoon of peanutbutter or a bowl of oatmeal. im sorry if im coming off mean or anything, but this really is part of recovery, learning to obsess less and less about food.

 

maybe try and combine some "easy calorie foods" with your favorites. like ill get a mcdonald's grilled chicken ceasar salad with an icecream cone to replace the shake some times. variety is the spice of life! enjoy, and good luck :)

Thanks for all the replies :D

I've started eating more for breakfast and I'm going to try and plan my day out a bit so I'm not left with way too many calories by dinner time.

Hopefully I'll stop caring so much where the calories come from but I'm definitely going to make sure I get in the amount I need each day!

I keep dark chocolate in a high cupboard for those days!  I can usually limit myself to a piece or two.  Oil is not my favorite way to add calories unless it's a dressing for a salad...peanut butter, cashews, almonds, cheese, an extra small meal are all better ways imo, but if you need it to keep your deficit to ~1000 calories or to get up to the minimum, go for whatever is at hand, those numbers truly are important.