I've been using MyFitnessPal to track calories and it's painfully clear that I'm not eating enough. I'm trying to do 5 small meals a day (6:30, 9:30, 12:30, 3:30, 6:30) and I already feel like I'm force feeding myself.
I've cut out A LOT of foods - most sweets (I usually cheat on Friday evenings), all juices (except for green tea), and most carbs/starches (I have some form of pasta maybe once a week).
For whatever reason, it's not adding up. I could probably add more calories to my 9:30 meal but I'm usually not hungry and I don't know what else to eat.
Yesterday I ate the following:
6:30am - steelcut oatmeal with raspberries and a banana
9:30am - red delicious apple, cereal bar
12:30pm - chicken breast and rice with broccoli and cauliflower
3:30pm - spinach salad with shrimp, baby carrots and cucumbers, some balsamic vinaigrette dressing, hot green tea
6:30pm - spinach, chicken breast, cucumbers, baby carrots
I also ate an medium sized orange for dessert.
I see almost no fat and lots of carbs in your sample menu. (Just because you aren't eating grains doesn't mean you aren't eating carbs. Nearly every food on here is carb-dominated) Why don't you eat a lot more fat and some more protein? Since fat is more calorically dense than carbs you won't have to add as much volume so you can get more calories without feeling like you're stuffing yourself. You could cook your vegetables in oil and add cheese to some of your salads for starters.
I see almost no fat and lots of carbs in your sample menu. (Just because you aren't eating grains doesn't mean you aren't eating carbs. Nearly every food on here is carb-dominated) Why don't you eat a lot more fat and some more protein? Since fat is more calorically dense than carbs you won't have to add as much volume so you can get more calories without feeling like you're stuffing yourself. You could cook your vegetables in oil and add cheese to some of your salads for starters.
Oh wow..I guess I have a lot to learn What is the benefit to cooking vegetables in oil? I prefer to have them raw but that's a small change to make if it'll help me increase my calorie count. What type of foods would I add that have more fat?
Avocados are one of my fave's! They include a "healthy" fat, and it's good in a guac. Lately, I'm really addicted to guacamole. You can also add some nuts such as walnuts, or pecans for snacking throughout the day. Those are some of the things I do. And my daily caloric intake is anywhere from 1400-1600, which the guac helps get me there.
Yogurt (I like greek - with honey or fruit) or eggs (or egg whites) in the morning are a good way to add protein earlier in the day. I agree with the other posters that you are really carb heavy. You might want to start tracking not only calories but carbs/protein/fat ratio.
If you aren't eating enough protein you could put your muscle mass at risk. And a little (good) fat will help keep you feeling full.
Overall though it looks like you are doing a good job of staying away from sugar and processed foods and steering toward fruits and veggies and other nutrient dense foods!
And one other note - 5-6 small meals a day isn't for everyone. I prefer 3 big(ger) ones with very little "snacking". Play with it until you find the right mix for you.
Oh wow..I guess I have a lot to learn What is the benefit to cooking vegetables in oil? I prefer to have them raw but that's a small change to make if it'll help me increase my calorie count. What type of foods would I add that have more fat?
Cooking or serving veggies with some healthy fats increases the bioavailabiity of vitamins and minerals. So a tsp of olive oil (or other healthy fat) on steamd veggies means your body gets more from the veggies.
Try adding avocado and nuts and seeds (sunflower, sesame, flax, pumpkin etc) to your foods. Flaxseed is great in oatmeal so you could add it to your steel cut oats and fruit in the morning. Chunk up 1/2 an avocado on your salad and toss some sunflower seeds on it too. Try dipping veggies in hummus for a snack.
I'm in the minority in that I don't think your meal plan is too carb heavy (although I would ditch the white rice for brown and when choosing pasta look for whole grain or Barilla Plus type pasta) I think it just needs a tad more lean protein and some healthy fat to round it out.
Thanks for all of the advice everyone! I'm definitely going to try to diversify what I'm eating (because I'm getting a little bored and probably can't sustain this long term)- I think step one for me was cutting out as much processed food as possible and working on decreasing my portion size. A few weeks ago I wasn't eating breakfast, having pizza for lunch and McDonald's and cereal for dinner so this is definitely a work in progress as I try to figure out what I can afford and what I like.
If I do eat pasta, I make sure it's whole grain and I'm staying away from white rice as well.
Based on the meal plan I included, where exactly are most of my carbs coming from?
You definitely took steps in the right direction by cutting out your processed food and adding in all the raw vegetables. Many commendations to you for taking that step. Please don't get overwhelmed by the advice I and others give you here but just pick through it for what you want to slowly implement. You have added in a lot of wonderful foods so that is a great start and even if you stay at this point for a while you will make progress.
If you do want to add in calories (what is your current average?) there have already been many good suggestions. I recommend you do some research (try to stick to books and reputable websites) into macronutrient - carbohydrates, fat, and protein - ratios. There are many schools of thought on how the ratios should break down. I eat low-carb, many people on the CC forum eat low-fat, and there are groups on people on the site who focus on high-protein. Just decide what you want to start with (low-fat, for instance, is what you're already doing) and try it and then if you aren't satisfied try another approach.
As for which foods are providing most of your carbs, it's impossible to tell without serving sizes included. But I believe every food you listed aside from the chicken and shrimp has over 50% (if not like 80 or 90%) of the calories coming from carbs.
Please be encouraged that you are taking steps in the right direction! And good for you for seeking out more help on this forum - just take it slow and really think through the changes you decide to make.
I'm going to take your menu and spiff it a bit to show you how you can cut some of the carbs -although they are mostly from healthy sources so I personally wouldn't worry about it so much, as ERHR said everyone has a different way of eating and as long as you are focused on whole foods you really can't go too wrong- and add some protein and healthy fat
6:30am - steelcut oatmeal with raspberries and a banana (ditch the banana in favor of flaxseed meal and some low or non fat milk OR a tbl of nut butter plus the milk)
9:30am - red delicious apple, cereal bar (ditch the cereal bar and stir the apple, diced up, into greek yogurt OR slice the apple and dip into nut butter)
12:30pm - chicken breast and rice with broccoli and cauliflower (add a tsp of olive oil and a couple tbls sliced almonds to the steamed veggies- ditch the rice if you've had oatmeal for breakfast and have a glass of milk or soy milk instead)
3:30pm - spinach salad with shrimp, baby carrots and cucumbers, some balsamic vinaigrette dressing, hot green tea (this looks good, just add some avocado to the salad)
6:30pm - spinach, chicken breast, cucumbers, baby carrots (lose the carrots and cukes-too repetetive and the carrots are high carb- and add some ricotta cheese to the spinach and chicken and pop it under the boiler for a bit until it gets bubbly)
I also ate an medium sized orange for dessert. (I am in favor of fruit as a snack, but if you're looking to cut carbs try a piece of reduced fat string cheese or a hard boiled egg and have half a serving of fruit with it. Bonus to that is you will feel fuller and that feeling will last longer)
How many calories are you supposed to eat per day? I tallied up your menu and came to around 1300 calories (assuming that (1) you ate only a serving of each and (2) each chicken breast meal was a half-breast, otherwise add 200 calories to that total), which is *ok* if you're petite on days that you don't work out. Add one whole egg (but no more than 1-2 per day) to breakfast, a serving of yogurt to your morning snack, some cottage cheese to a later meal and you should be good!
I take oil pills (fish & flax) to cover my oil needs for the day since I have the same problem as you (though I do cook exclusively in EVOO...I don't always cook every night). The only thing is that I've found taking the oil pills suppresses my appetite even more.
My suggestions are highlighted. You need a lot more protein and a bit more fat
Quote:
Originally Posted by acdub
Yesterday I ate the following:
6:30am - steelcut oatmeal with raspberries and a banana (boiled egg instead of the banana)
9:30am - red delicious apple, cereal bar(plum, boiled egg....lose the apple and cereal bar)
12:30pm - chicken breast and rice with broccoli and cauliflower
3:30pm - spinach salad with shrimp, baby carrots and cucumbers, some balsamic vinaigrette dressing, hot green tea (1 tablespoon olive oil to the salad)
6:30pm - spinach, chicken breast, cucumbers, baby carrots (add a half cup of beans)
I also ate an medium sized orange for dessert.(have some nuts instead)
I don't feel like I'm starving...Help?
Last edited by canadianwoman; 07-27-2011 at 02:48 PM.
I'm a little confused as to why you think you're not eating enough. Are you working out a lot? Are you not losing weight? You already said you're not hungry, are you tired or irritable or some other syptom of hunger or lack of nutrition? MFP is a great tool and I do feel you should eat back some of your exercise cals as MFP recommends, but certainly not all.
I'm also not against eating 5xs a day, but if you don't like it no one says you have to do it. I ate 5-6xs a day for a long time because I thought there was something special about it. It drove me crazy I hated it. I was hungry all the time and obsessed with food. I recently dropped to 3-4xs a day and LOVE it and I'm still losing weight just fine. I guess my point is, if you're happy, not hungry and losing weight don't stress out if MFP is telling you you should eat a little more. That said if you'd come in here with a crazy menu, that was sub 1000 cals and telling my you were working out 60 mins a day light headed, not losing weight and starving, I'd say eat!
I'm a little confused as to why you think you're not eating enough. Are you working out a lot? Are you not losing weight? You already said you're not hungry, are you tired or irritable or some other syptom of hunger or lack of nutrition? MFP is a great tool and I do feel you should eat back some of your exercise cals as MFP recommends, but certainly not all.
I'm also not against eating 5xs a day, but if you don't like it no one says you have to do it. I ate 5-6xs a day for a long time because I thought there was something special about it. It drove me crazy I hated it. I was hungry all the time and obsessed with food. I recently dropped to 3-4xs a day and LOVE it and I'm still losing weight just fine. I guess my point is, if you're happy, not hungry and losing weight don't stress out if MFP is telling you you should eat a little more. That said if you'd come in here with a crazy menu, that was sub 1000 cals and telling my you were working out 60 mins a day light headed, not losing weight and starving, I'd say eat!
I really appreciate your comment. I'm feeling great! Full of energy and not at all achy like I used to be. If I'm ever tired it's because I didn't get enough sleep. I'm spending at least an hour at the gym 5-6 days a week.
I absolutely get what you're saying. I'm down a total of 12 pounds so the scale is finally moving. I think I got freaked out because MFP is telling me that my body is going to go into starvation mode if I don't hit a higher calorie count. I'm averaging a little less than 1100 calories a day but MFP is telling me to shoot for more than that.
You are all so awesome! I'm going to sit down and make a grocery store list so I can make some of the changes suggested - sounds like there is consensus about ditching so many carrots, adding some avocado and olive oil to my salads and upping the ante on protein.
I've been eating the same few meals in rotation so I'm excited to throw some other healthy goodies in the mix. I'm not surprised that I have so much to learn - I honestly feel like I'm seeing the grocery store for the first time because my needs have changed. It's not going to happen overnight so I really do appreciate you all for helping! Hopefully I can keep you guys updated =)
Not Eating Enough?
I could probably add more calories to my 9:30 meal but I'm usually not hungry and I don't know what else to eat.
What is the benefit to cooking vegetables in oil? I prefer to have them raw but that's a small change to make if it'll help me increase my calorie count. What type of foods would I add that have more fat?
