I can't eat enough calories. Need advice please

[xAFMFDSx]

Hi,

First of all ignore my stats they are wrong. I used an online calculator to determine my bf% and it's incorrect it's closer to 20%.

Anyway....

I can't seem to eat enough calories.

I eat 5/6 times a day and I'm getting about 130g of protein a day but
Only eating about 1000 calories a day maybe 1200 if I really try to get them in. Never hungry and my training hasn't suffered (well it probably is because of the lack of calories but I mean I don't feel like I can't get through my workouts).

Can anyone suggest ways I make sure I'm getting enough. Like what things to eat ect. Or am I ok to carry on as I am, I doubt it but....

Considering getting a trainer that knows what they're doing to help me with a diet plan.
Thanks

[lmnop07]

Today I blended my daily shake and thought to myself, I could literally have 10 of these a day.

5 ice cubes
1/2 cup oats
1.5 cup almond milk(or regular milk)
1 scoop protein
banana

peanut butter(optional)

[paleorainy]

If your protein is ok, what do you lack?
Is your fat intake ok? If not, add more fat to your veggies, that's a sure way to increase your fat intake quickly and rather painlessly.
Otherwise add a mea, especially if you're behind on carbs it's easy to add a meal of oatmeal and some protein powder and then you're done.

[megdaig]

What is your weight doing? If you were eating only 1000 calories you should be losing weight.

Break out the nuts, nutt butters, oils, and mass gainers to get your calories up.

[oregonchick76]

I am always baffled by people who "can't gain weight/can't eat enough calories". Why can't I have that problem!?

OP, are you losing at a pretty quick clip on your current intake? Like 1+ lbs per week? If not, you are not eating as little as you think.

Eating more will be a necessity once you get to your goal weight and want to start adding muscle.

Eating more is EASY and I don't care who you are. Only people with real medical conditions or people with excessive fear of fats/calories/food in general fail to gain weight. People get so caught up on eating 'clean' they are paralyzed by the thought of eating butter, whole milk, full fat yogurt, etc. Don't be that person.

[emmee6]

OP, are you losing at a pretty quick clip on your current intake? Like 1+ lbs per week? If not, you are not eating as little as you think.

Question about that....if you keep your calories that low for a long time, you will eventually stop losing completely won't you? And actually retain? I mean I've heard starvation mode is a myth and a fact. So which is it? I'm taking in around 1200-1300 but know I need to take in at least 1600 to even cut. I just have a hard time taking it all in and am in the process of correcting this. I just want to make sure I am doing the right thing. I'm not necessarily trying to cut, but to even get up to a normal caloric intake considering I am so active.

[oregonchick76]

Question about that....if you keep your calories that low for a long time, you will eventually stop losing completely won't you? And actually retain? I mean I've heard starvation mode is a myth and a fact. So which is it? I'm taking in around 1200-1300 but know I need to take in at least 1600 to even cut. I just have a hard time taking it all in and am in the process of correcting this. I just want to make sure I am doing the right thing. I'm not necessarily trying to cut, but to even get up to a normal caloric intake considering I am so active.

No, your weight will not stop dropping. Metabolism doesn't come to a screeching halt. Yes, it might slow a bit - maybe 10%. It's not going to slow significantly enough to actually halt weight loss.

At your weight you should not be cutting at all. Is that your goal? At 1200 are you dropping weight rapidly? If you aren't, there is probably something off in the way you are counting/tracking your intake.

[emmee6]

No, your weight will not stop dropping. Metabolism doesn't come to a screeching halt. Yes, it might slow a bit - maybe 10%. It's not going to slow significantly enough to actually halt weight loss.

At your weight you should not be cutting at all. Is that your goal? At 1200 are you dropping weight rapidly? If you aren't, there is probably something off in the way you are counting/tracking your intake.

No my plan isn't to cut right now, but when I was, I was consuming a macro ratio of 125p/100c/30f. My weight dropped quite low (114lbs at my lowest). I have always stuck to that guideline, so I vary around 1200-1300 calories a day. I have been struggling to raise it back up but I know for a fact I am not consuming even 1600 calories a day right now. Lately I have let go my constant tracking a bit to try and regain some sort of normallcy in my eating (sticking to clean foods but in an attempt to consume more). I don't eat sugar, stick to complex carbs, only have greek yogurt as my dairy, but one thing I have considered is my usage of coffee whitener (not cream but whitener). I drink a lot of coffee (along with my water).

I am not losing anymore, no (I almost thought my metabolism had come to a screaming halt!), but I am also not as lean as you would think I should be at all. I lift regularily, and have been increasing the amount I lift but maybe I have just hit a plateau. Or do too much cardio. I don't know. Right now I am working out twice a day to fit everything in. At lunch I run (generally running intervals to a distance of 5k) at the gym at my work, and after work I go do my weights at the real gym. Weekends I do a spin class, resulting in doign 6 days a week. I doubt I am consuming enough to maintain at that activity level but maybe I am doing something wrong?

[egoatdoor]

Hi,

First of all ignore my stats they are wrong. I used an online calculator to determine my bf% and it's incorrect it's closer to 20%.

Anyway....

I can't seem to eat enough calories.

I eat 5/6 times a day and I'm getting about 130g of protein a day but
Only eating about 1000 calories a day maybe 1200 if I really try to get them in. Never hungry and my training hasn't suffered (well it probably is because of the lack of calories but I mean I don't feel like I can't get through my workouts).

Can anyone suggest ways I make sure I'm getting enough. Like what things to eat ect. Or am I ok to carry on as I am, I doubt it but....

Considering getting a trainer that knows what they're doing to help me with a diet plan.
Thanks

First step is to add to your meal sizes. They are averaging 200 calories? Eat slightly larger portions or do something simple like added a hard boiled egg( 70 calories, 6 g protein, 4 g fat) to a couple of meals. You can also drink protein drink along with 1-2 solid food meals a day.

Other ideas:

Drink a protein shake before training ( 30 minutes or so before) and have a post workout shake too. That could be another 200-300 calories added to your daily intake.

A way to boost the appetite ( and this worked for me in my former days as an ectomorph) is to do some early morning cardio 20-30 minutes low intensity on a treadmill, if possible, walking, not running, before your first meal 2-3 days a week if possible. This should jack up your metabolism and your appetite and for me, I found that after that I wanted to literally eat all morning!

[nycag04]

I am always baffled by people who "can't gain weight/can't eat enough calories". Why can't I have that problem!?

Preach.

[IronCitGrl]

Try eating foods that aren't very filling and fibrous. Maybe milk, peanut butter, protein shakes etc.

[superja]

peanut butter(optional)

If you're trying to gain weight, peanut butter is never optional.

Provided you're not lactose intolerant, full fat dairy is a great way to bump up your calories with some protein in it. It's easy to get in a ton of calories with fruit juice too, liquid calories are your friend.

[oregonchick76]

Preach.

Preach what?

[kevtoy22]

It shouldn't be hard to eat more than 1000 calories a day, most people could do it in a meal. That being said are you sure you are calculating macros of your food correctly? If so adding heavy cream to protein shakes is tasty and will add plenty of calories

[kimm4]

I am always baffled by people who "can't gain weight/can't eat enough calories". Why can't I have that problem!?

In all honesty most people who claim this are not tracking calories properly and they're eating more than they think.

I could easily get 2000 calories in one sitting if I wanted to.

I think most of us can agree daily calories add up pretty quick...

[xAFMFDSx]

Adding some detail due to your answers, which btw thank you all

I may be calculating my calories wrong if that's what the majority of you think.
I'm sure you are more experienced than me so I wouldn't doubt that.

Tbh the only way I know how many calories I have is by using the my fitness pal app.

Using this app it tells me that's the amount of calories having when I put all my foods in.

I measure my foods so the measurements I'm putting into the app are right but I don't know of the
apps reliable.

I'm not really skinny and I have fat too lose as I said I'm around 20% bf.

I started weight training a while ago then I trained for a marathon which became my priority.
I'm now wanting to give this a ago properly. I would like to compete eventually.

I really am pretty clueless and I think I may benefit from a trainer who can help me.

Thanks so much for your answers.