Weight-Loss Having trouble reaching my calorie goals

[squeak]

I've been doing the calorie counting thing for almost a week and am having some trouble meeting my goals. I'd be grateful for any tips folks can offer. Here's a breakdown:

My goals: Cals = 1619, Carbs = 890, Prot = 242, Fat = 485

(Based on my weight/height with a goal of 2lbs per week loss.)

Today, for example, I've put my eaten and projected meals into FitDay (including a snack mid-morning and mid-afternoon) and this is what I have:

Cals = 1143, Carbs = 596, Prot = 272, Fat = 212

So as you can see I'm already over my Protein goal (which isn't a big deal, it's not by much) and I'm way short on Carbs/Fat. My meals for today are:

Breakfast: Cottage cheese & pineapple chunks. 1 slice whole wheat toast, lightly buttered (margarine).
Snack: 1 large banana
Lunch: 6' roast beef sub on wheat w/ lettuce, tomato, onion, black pepper & oil/vinegar.
Snack: 1 large orange
Dinner: Grilled salmon, steamed whole-grain white rice, steamed zucchini.

This isn't what I eat every day, obviously, I do vary it up. This is just an example.

So... yeah. I'm not sure if I should try to eat more for breakfast/lunch/snacks or start adding an after-dinner snack to get closer. The problem is that I just don't feel hungry, I have to make myself eat my snacks about midway between meals even though I don't really feel like I need them.

 

[allyphoe]

My goals: Cals = 1619, Carbs = 890, Prot = 242, Fat = 485

Is there some medical reason you're keeping your protein so low?

Cals = 1143, Carbs = 596, Prot = 272, Fat = 212

Even if that were your goal, I'd still call it too short on protein, even as a percentage of calories.

I'm way short on Carbs/Fat.

Ah, but that's a *really* easy one to fix. "I need 40 more grams of protein and 30 more grams of carbs, but am already over on fat" is the one I hate. Carbs + Fat and Protein + Fat are both easy. For one, you have something carby (fruit, starchy vegetable, pasta, rice) with something fatty (whipped cream, sour cream, butter, oil, salad dressing), and for the other you have a piece of meat.

whole-grain white rice

White rice is by definition not "whole grain." If it's whole grain rice, it's brown rice.

The problem is that I just don't feel hungry, I have to make myself eat my snacks about midway between meals even though I don't really feel like I need them.

Unless you're weighing all of your food, I suspect you're actually eating more than you think. (Particularly with your oil & vinegar sub. See Wall Street Journal article here: )

IMHO (and I suspect at least someone will disagree with me), your current weight is high enough that a couple days of eating "too little" isn't going to do you any harm. Eat if you're hungry, don't eat if you're not hungry, see how things play out.

 

[squeak]

Is there some medical reason you're keeping your protein so low?

Even if that were your goal, I'd still call it too short on protein, even as a percentage of calories.

I used Liz's to get the numbers I did.

Ah, but that's a *really* easy one to fix. "I need 40 more grams of protein and 30 more grams of carbs, but am already over on fat" is the one I hate. Carbs + Fat and Protein + Fat are both easy. For one, you have something carby (fruit, starchy vegetable, pasta, rice) with something fatty (whipped cream, sour cream, butter, oil, salad dressing), and for the other you have a piece of meat.

Thanks, I'm still trying to reacquaint myself with what equals what, and sometimes it has surprised me. I do have a leftover baked potato I could nuke tonight, that with a dollop of butter should help.

White rice is by definition not "whole grain." If it's whole grain rice, it's brown rice.

Pardon me, I meant "long grain".

Unless you're weighing all of your food, I suspect you're actually eating more than you think. (Particularly with your oil & vinegar sub. See Wall Street Journal article here: )

Well, the sub shop that I went to is a local one and they have nutritional information for all their subs on their web site. So I just plugged the numbers into FitDay and added the veggies plus oil/vinegar manually (because their nutritional numbers include no veggies or condiments unless it's specifically a veggie sub). I'm not weighing my food, but I have been measuring it pretty carefully. I was planning to make myself a grilled chicken wrap this morning but my hubby put bbq sauce on the extra chicken breast last night so that foiled my plan somewhat. Tomorrow is tuna salad day! I have that all made up.

IMHO (and I suspect at least someone will disagree with me), your current weight is high enough that a couple days of eating "too little" isn't going to do you any harm. Eat if you're hungry, don't eat if you're not hungry, see how things play out.

Good advice. I think my concern here is that since I'm just starting out if I don't learn how to pack these extra calories into my meals I'm not going to be short for a few days I'm going to be short every day. :/

 

[allyphoe]

I just plugged the numbers into FitDay and added the veggies plus oil/vinegar manually

It's knowing how much oil they put on that is the hard part. I'd have guessed a tablespoon or more, myself.

I think my concern here is that since I'm just starting out if I don't learn how to pack these extra calories into my meals I'm not going to be short for a few days I'm going to be short every day. :/

I think you probably won't be, but that's based on my personal experience, and YMMV. If it worries you, eat some more, or switch out for calorie-dense foods. So a pear instead of an orange, or higher-fat cottage cheese, or peas instead of zucchini.

 

[squeak]

Yeah, I watched the 'sandwich expert' squirt the vinegar/oil mixture on and figured it was about a tablespoon so that's what I used on Fitday. I just figured that vinegar/oil was probably more healthful than mayo. I know mustard isn't bad but I've never been a big mustard fan and the rest of my day is low enough in fat that I figured the oil would be OK as long as I was sure to count it.

Can you recommend a listing of more calorie-dense veggies/fruits? I haven't seen a listing side by side so I didn't realize a pear was worth more than an orange. Pears are good! Can't say the same for peas, I never have been able to eat them as a side dish. I like snow peas, though... I wonder how those fare. Better do some poking around.

Thanks again!

 

[busy91]

Can you recommend a listing of more calorie-dense veggies/fruits?

Banana 105 cals (whole - med)

Mangos 107 cals (1 cup sliced)

Kiwi 108 cals (1 cup)

Avocados 384 cals (1 cup pureed)

Yams 158 cals (1 cup)

If I think of any more I'll post them for you.

 

[reissue]

If I end up short on daily calories I have a whey protein shake or a few glasses of milk. I've actually been shorting myself a bit lately because I've been on this cabbage kick, not because it's low cal but because I really like cabbage. Anyway to counter that I've been eating more fruit and drinking milk or protein at night. Another quick way to get easy calories is peanut butter, some toast with peanut butter gets you there without stuffing yourself.