I never thought I'd say this... but... I'm having issues eating all my calories.

Right now my target is 1,509. I eat 3 meals a day and aim for 400 cals each meal, but I always end up with less. I also plan to snack inbetween meals at 100 cals a piece.

I almost never snack in the AM. The past 2 days I've eaten breakfast, then hit the gym, ate lunch, snacked, ate dinner. Yesterday I only ate 1,179 cals and the day before I had to force myself to break a grand.

Before starting my "new lifestyle", I ate horrible. Grabbed a double quarter pounder religiously and gobbled it down. I hate 2 meals a day (lunch and dinner) and both were HUGE. Now that I'm forcing myself to take longer to eat and really enjoy my food, I find that I'm getting full easily.

I don't want to eat until I'm "stuffed" and I don't want to eat when I'm not hungry... but I DO want to get the right amount of calories in and keep my metabolism going and balanced. Any ideas and suggestions?

What kinds of things are you eating? Maybe if you list an example day!

I had a problem getting 1200 like the first month but I really wasnt getting enough of the essentials.

For breakfast I typically have 2 eggs (scrambled although I'm trying poached tomorrow) and a thomas's lite english muffin with 1/2 a tbs of smuckers low sugar jelly. Then I have something different, like 2 slices of low sodium bacon or an apple.

Lunch the past 2 days has been a 6" subway club and breyers lite yougurt. I'm also a fan of the Lean Cuisine meals (like lasagna and then having two slices of dry toast).

Dinner is always different. Tonight was peppered chicken, mashed potatoes, and sweet peas. The night before was hamburger helper and green beans. I don't fry anything (never have, mainly because I don't know "how"). I like to use the george forman or slow cooker.

My snacks range from a special k bar, breyers lite yougurt, 100cal snack pack, or some type of fruit.

When I look at my nutrition analysis I eat a crap ton of carbs. Perhaps that's where I'm going wrong?

Instead of eating lite or fat free or low fat, try to eat whole fat like cheese, milk etc. I have a hard time also eating all my calories but I love to graze and now instead of eating low fat I eat regular stuff. Some might not agree with what I said but you need a certain amount of calories to keep your metabolism going and for your body to burn fat and not muscle. Good Luck

Have you tried eating 5-6 smaller meals a day? OH....And I agree with Carly about regular stuff instead of fat free

Seems like you're getting your veggies, proteins, and carbs in...

I know when I started I had to focus on getting the right percentages...like its 30% fat, 20% protein, and then 50% carbs for a nutritionally balanced day. I always make sure my snacks are fruits or veggies and other really healthy snacks. Today I was at like 1100 and aim for 1200 at least so I ate some carrots and hummus for my night snack even though I wasnt really hungry. Your body needs a certain amount of cals everyday so if you're eating less your body will go into starvation mode and start eating away at your muscles which we absolutely dont want. So if you plan out your meals for a few days and aim to meet those percentages/calories allotment you'll be fine.

I know my aunts doctor put her on a diet and told her to eat 1000 cal a day...no more and no less and then told my uncle to stay at 1500. Im sure she didnt weight more than 200lbs so Im not sure if it would be okay to stay around 1000 since that seems to keep you staisfied...maybe you could talk to your doctor? You might even be able to find some good info googling!

I hope I helped a little! Im definitley no expert but its just what Ive tried to do on my journey! Good luck!

Thanks everyone. I'm not comfortable eating the "regulars" as opposed to "lite", "light", or "fat free". I'd be eating more cals, but I'd be eating more fat and sugars and that seems kind of pointless to me.

Veronica - I'll try throwing in some baby carrots or something and see if that helps any.

How 'bout adding in some GOOD fats? Like peanut butter on your English muffin instead of the chemically-sweetened jelly? And if you have a banana or apple for snack, throw a bit of PB on that, too. Real olive oil on a salad or on your sub at lunch, maybe a few slices of avocado with dinner...

I would just try to add a tad more food into each meal or snack. Im talking another 100 calories to each meal. That would bring you closer to 1500 than what you are now.

What do you get on your Subway sub? If you've only been eating veggies, start eating the turkey, roast beef, chicken. Or if you prefer vegetarian, some Subways have a good veggie patty alternative. If you're already eating a protein on your Subway sub, order "double meat." This gives you more protein as well as calories.

Lowfat string cheese is good with an apple or other fruit as a snack. So is 2% cottage cheese, and you can get it in individual serving sizes.

Light (lowfat) salad dressings on a green salad add flavor and some calories. For instance, Newman's Light Balsamic Vinaigrette has 45 cals. in 2 TBSP. Salad is a filling food as well.

Do you weigh and measure foods? If so, try eating just a little more. For example, instead of 3 ounces of chicken breast, have 4 ounces. Instead of 1/3 cup mashed potato, have 1/2 cup.

The natural fats in foods won't hurt you, if they are not overly processed. Of course, they have to be carefully measured.

Good luck!
Jay

If you are finding that you are having trouble getting your calories, are full, etc....have you tried upping your physical activity? usually your BMR will increase making your body require more calories just to function and this in turn speeds up your metabolism. 6 small meals a day of 200-250 calories each should solve your problem. everyone else's suggestions of meals are great...nutrients are essential. but weight loss also doesn't care if you got the right amount of veggies for the day but rather that there is an energy deficit of at least 500 calories so you are losing roughly a lb. per week.

I wouldn't worry about it. Trust me when I say that this is just an excitement phase...you are excited that your are following through with your commitment and it's all new and wonderful. You have a substantial amount of excess weight and a few days here and there where you don't hit your target calories won't matter a few months from now when you are counting and recounting to make sure you can't have 4 more grapes to get to your limit...LOL

My advice is to enjoy it while it lasts, because eventually if you are anything like me, and many others, in a few days you will be searching the cupboards for the last few calories you can have for the day.

I just went through a similar week - a lot of stress from a car crashing into my garage and causing a gas leak, although fortunately no explosion. Instead of stress eating, I ended up doing stress NON eating and had 4 days in a row where I was struggling to break 1000 calories. But hopefully getting back on track now and I'll second the recommendation about healthy fats. I have about 2 oz of avocado almost every day, and 1/2 to 1 oz of nuts. If I look at my percentages, I run high on fat, but I don't worry about it too much because most of that is coming from these healthy fats, and the rest of what I have is leaner.

I also agree with the recommendation to increase in small amounts - an extra oz of chicken or cheese here and there will get you back into the target range. I personally find that easier to do than remembering to eat an extra snack/minimeal.