[canadacatman]

When I started eating healthy I swore I would not count calories but I might start.

I found a website that you put in your food and it does the calories for you.
I did today's 2011 calories(had a huge piece of cake with supper or this would be 1000 or so)
I did yesterday's 980 calories

Today I did have a huge piece of cake with frosting.
Yesterday I see is way too low and today's I think without the cake would also be way too low.

I am a 37 yr old male and weight 346 down from 371.2.
So I know I need more calories the question is how do I get them.
If you take the cake away from today both days would be under 1000 calories.

Yesterday I did not feel hungry and today I did until supper and the cake now I feel like CRAP.

How do I get my calories up. I eat 3 meals and one snack or 4 meals. I drink 4-5 liters of water and work out 5 days a week.

I would love some help on how to get my calories up in a good way.

Would love to see a few of your daily meals you eat maybe I can get some ideas on how to raise my calories.

[kelly315]

When you're eating under 1200 calories for more than a day or so, your body starts to break itself down and basically destroy itself. It's called "starvation mode," take a look on google. So it's great that you realize that you have to get your calories up- and keep this in mind if you think about just letting it stay at 1000.

At your weight, you need to be eating way, way more than 1200 calories. The first few weeks of most weight loss regimes, people tend to feel a false "fullness"- it's a survival mechanism that prevents you from feeling some of the discomforts of hunger. However, it doesn't mean your body isn't suffering. During those days when you're not feeling hungry, you simply have to force yourself to eat enough.

Personally, my key to succeeding in calorie counting is to eat what I love while finding ways to make it healthy and portions that are appropriate for me. I'll eat sandwiches, burgers, tacos, soup, cereal, pizza, yada yada. Anything you like normally can be transformed into a yummy, healthy meal. The key is to replace some of the ingredients, like choosing whole grain carbs, choosing healthy flavors (especially spices) instead of the fatty sauces, choosing lower-fat and lower-calorie versions of meats and cheeses. I also had to let go of the American perception of "portion"- which is really meant to feed atleast two people- and find a way to tone it down a bit. Do I need extra thick crust on my pizza? No, I can use flatbread. Do I need a dozen pepporonis on that slice? No, maybe I"ll try it with chicken, or turkey pepperoni.

[PreciousMissy]

Slowly start upping your calories, would be my suggestion. Track what you usually plan for your meals and start to add in more fruits and veggies, even when you're not hungry...have an extra apple or some cucumber slices.

Doing this may help you to avoid that hungry feeling at dinner and avoid that big piece of cake .

Good luck, and good job so far!!!!

[Munchy]

An easy way would be to calculate how much you need to eat to lose, but I'd say it's probably over 2,000 calories a day, likely more. Take that and divide it by your four meals = 500 calories per meal.

Now, when you plan your meals for the day, you know to plan 500 calorie meals. 500 Calorie Meals is a link to some great meal ideas.

Just a little forethought can go a LONG way - good luck!!

[canadacatman]

Thanks everyone for the advice.
Greatly Appreciated.

[seagirl]

Maybe make an appointment with a nutritionist who can help you put together a meal plan.

[TL0812]

I agree, determine how many calories you want to eat and divide that number by your four meals and aim to get that many per meal. It is best to space out your intake evenly but it doesn't have to be exact. I generally eat more of my calories at supper time the during the day because that is when I am generally hungry.

I love computer programs to track calories. There are several of them out there and most do the job. There are also several apps if you have a smart phone that do the same. They are awesome because they go everywhere with you.

[kaplods]

Personally, I love counting calories indirectly, by way of an exchange plan.

I use a high-protein (lower-carb) exchange plan I originially found on the hillbillyhousewife website.

But that site no longer has the information, but I found the same information in a pdf on the frugalabundance.com website (link to pdf below).

http://frugalabundance.com/exchange-plan-diet.pdf


I like exchange plans because they're so intuitive, and it's far easier to memorize exchange counts than specific calorie counts.

As an example, for most non-starchy veggies, 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked
comes to 1 veggie exchange. I don't have to memorize or look up most veggies, because most follow this pattern. There are a few exceptions, but so few that it's easy to memorize the exceptions.

For each exchange, all the foods within each exchange have about the same amount of calories, carbs, protein, and fat.

Most exchanges run very close to the average, but there is about a 10 to 20 calorie "spread" for each exchange (meaning, for example that fruit exchanges average about 70 calories, but any given exchange may contain 60 - 80 calories).

As a result, exchange plans are "estimation calorie counting," but I find it much easier and more intuitive to "check off boxes" rather than calorie count.

I make my own checklist, and then just check off each exchange as I use it. There are checklist food logs available online (such as at tops.org under the tools section), with space to write what you eat and boxes to check off for each exchange.

Tops.org also has deal-a-meal style cards that can be printed out. I've used those before too. Each card has the exchange printed on one size (each exchange a different color) and on the back of each card, a list of all the foods/serving sizes that = 1 of that exchange. I used an old checkbook. In the morning I'd put all the cards I would need in the left hand pocket, and as I ate throughout the day, I'd move the appropriate cards to the right side of the wallet.

When I count calories down to the individual calorie, I tend to get ridiculously obsessive. On a 1500 calorie plan, I'll feel great if I come in under budget, say 1490, but I'll feel like a horrible failure if my total for the day is 1510.

I also tend to go on food jags, ignoring some food groups (especially dairy) and overindulging in others (breads and fruits, especially).

[tdiprincess]

Kaplods: Thank you for posting the info! I was starting to look into exchange plans, but was never really sure exactly how it all works. I think I may start doing this, along with counting calories for now until I get the hang of it.
I think when I do maintenance I may do the exchange program.

[lin43]

Originally Posted by tdiprincess

Kaplods: Thank you for posting the info! I was starting to look into exchange plans, but was never really sure exactly how it all works. I think I may start doing this, along with counting calories for now until I get the hang of it.
I think when I do maintenance I may do the exchange program.

A big benefit I see to exchange plans is that you're ensuring a good balance of foods. I do straight calorie counting, mainly for the ease of it (I just input what I eat into an app on my phone), but I can see doing an exchange plan for maintenance and/or if I ever get burned out of calorie counting.

[Esofia]

The "don't go below 1200 or your body will break down thing" is sort of a myth. Short answer: everyone has a point which they can't go below or else they get ill, but it's not universally 1200 calories and will vary enormously depending on the person. I have safely and healthily stayed below 1200 my entire weight loss journey, as I'm 4'11 and highly inactive due to disability. Very few people can eat this way. You, on the other hand, are a man and one who weighs more than twice what I do, so your minimum calorie level will be a lot more than 1200, possibly more than 2000.

Why don't you start by jotting down a food diary for a few days for us, and then we can look at it and work out where the problems lie, as well as seeing what sort of foods you like.

[Esofia]

So how are you doing, Canadacatman?

[Ilene]

Esofia I love your MedHelp tracker, I even signed up ...

I've been a calorie counter for a very long time now with www.fitday.com maybe for 10 years or so.... There are other sites out there but I am so used to this one that I don't bother with the others...


One thing that is very important, IMHO, when calorie counting not all calories are created equal... A 1000 piece of cake will make you feel like crap and will not keep you full and satiated for a long time....BUT a 1000 calorie balanced meal (which is a VERY large meal BTW) of protein, veggies and healthy unprocessed carbs will keep you full and satiated for a much longer time and you will not feel awful after eating it...

How ARE you doing Canadacatman?

[tdiprincess]

lin43: I was thinking of the same thing about getting burned out with calorie counting! I've been really thinking about how I'm going to handle maintenance once I get there. I think it will end up being a mixture of counting and exhange plan depending on the day. Either way, I've been eating too many calories the last week or so. I've been maintaining, just not losing LOL!

I wonder how the OP is doing?

[Esofia]

Ilene - glad to see I corrupted someone else! What's your user name there? They're nifty trackers, aren't they.