[DuckyChick]

I'm using another site to track my food intake because I have to monitor certain nutritional levels daily. The thing I've noticed has happened quite a few times lately is that I've used all of my WW points for the day, but my calories are dangerously low for my size and activity level. How do you compensate for that? I know I can use my Weekly Flex points to get a few more calories in there, but I don't want to shovel down some high calorie food I'm not even hungry for!

Anybody else run into this problem? And if so, what do you do?

[LitChick]

Would you mind posting a sample daily food intake? Also, are you eating your activity points?

[DuckyChick]

I'll use yesterday as an example:

Breakfast:
2 Slices Pepperidge Farm Double Grain Bread
2 tsp. Smart Balance Omega
Carnation Instant Breakfast w/1 cup skim milk
1 4 oz. Activia Light

Lunch
2 slices bread again
2 slices Kraft Fat Free Cheese Slices
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Light Hellman's Mayo
1 Dill Pickle, sliced
Romaine Lettuce (about a leaf)
1 cup Low Sodium V8

Snack
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

Dinner
1 Serving (about 1 1/2 cup) Baked Barley with Mushrooms (recipe here: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recip...recipe=1017604 it's YUMMY)
1/2 cup brussels sprouts, steamed
1 cup skim milk

At that point I had used 26 of my 31 daily points, not including Flex points. My calorie tracker showed 1088 Calories (my range should be 1280-1630).

What I did last night was make a dip with salsa and reduced fat cheese, and have that with a serving of sun chips, which brought my calories up into the correct range, but left me over on points. I don't usually use my flex points every day because they're sort of my padding for my struggle with compulsive eating.

[zanheltangia]

Do you avoid meat? If not, some chicken breast or fish would be a good addition.
If you are avoiding meat, how about almonds or beans?

I was just thinking of the lean protein part of the healthy guidelines .

[LitChick]

What about eating more 0-1 point snacks/adding to meals, particularly more veggies since you seem a bit low on those. While WW doesn't count them, they do have caloric value. I'm guessing you're vegetarian? I'm not that familiar with non-meat sources of protein (besides milk) but I don't think I see any ...

Thanks for the recipe link - I love mushrooms and am always on the lookout for more good recipes.

If you're not already, I'd recommend using your activity points and/or your flex points to add to your daily intake. You may have to play around to see what works for you and how much you can eat and still lose, but they are there for you to eat if you can. Personally I don't generally eat my activity points, but I do use the weekly flex points.

Good luck!

[behndthezblueyez]

There are some food items like nuts, peanut butter, and oils that have higher points values which are not just high calorie foods but will also benefit you in the hair/skin/nails area so you wont just be eating anything...also you may want to consult your leader if you are really concerned with this lack of calories...good luck!!

[InkCreative]

Just a warning, I was doing the same thing and it can hurt you later.

I wasn't eating all of my points and I wasn't filling in with 0 calorie snacks.

We moved last week, and I was using energy every day. By the middle of the week I was feeling dizzy when I sat up or would lay down. It got worse so even if I was just standing there, I was dizzy. I didn't understand why.

I wasn't eating enough and the calorie count was super low, even on the point plan. I wasn't eating my flex points and I wasn't calculating my energy used properly.

If you're using more energy, use your points and activity points. It's very important! When I realized what was going on, I went to McD's for a quick fix high cal hamburger. (I didn't have to go there, but we were moving and I needed something fast.) I felt instantly better. After that, I just reminded myself to eat those calories.

Now I'm keeping a list of my favorite 0 calorie snacks to add into my diet throughout the day. It's a big help!

[seagirl]

You could switch to full fat dairy products to get more calories and fill you up. And add a couple of fruit servings to breakfast and lunch.