Struggling to eat enough

[Hedgehog17]

Hello,

I've been lurking for ages and reading lots. I made a resolution at Easter to lose some weight and have been using the calorie guidelines from the BMI calculator on the NHS website. I am not yet really exercising more but the eating thing is working. I have lost about 1 stone steadily going down with only one week going up (and I completely expected that week - was a very rough week at work and I just didn't eat properly). I track my calories on a spreadsheet I made myself and it really works for me as I love to cook and I love variety and am not restricting myself at all.

I have a problem though - I am doing a weekly menu plan which includes breakfast, lunch, tea and snacks but some days I am struggling to eat enough calories to reach the minimum level suggested. This means I am filling up on things like a biscuit, crackers, piece of cheese. This has its upside in that I don't end up craving those things but at the same time I'm not sure it's necessarily healthy in terms of sugar, fat etc. although the calorie count is ok.

For example tomorrow:

B: bagel with butter, boiled egg, orange juice, cup of tea

L: sardines on toast, apple, cup of tea

T: mustard and herb chicken, potatoes, courgette and broccoli, cup of tea

S: satsuma, handful of almonds, fruit teas

I think that's a reasonable day, it will certainly fill me up but it is about 200 calories under the recommended minimum. It's obviously even trickier on days when I have fish or a vegetarian main course.

Any ideas for healthy things I can add to build it up or am I worrying too much? (I'm also thinking ahead to that time when I will be aiming for a typical calorie count to maintain my weight)

Apologies for the long post - hope it all makes sense!

[Rignold 3kg]

larger portion sizes? Have a second boiled egg. Have a bowl of Greek Yogurt before bed.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

The easiest and healthiest thing to do, Hedgehog, is to add healthy fats, eg, avocado (250cals), olive oil (1tblsp 120cals), butter (1tblsp 102 cals), double cream (1tblsp 69cals). These are all much better for you, than biscuits and crackers, although cheese is fine.

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Take a look at the NHS 12 week plan, as a lot of people have been successful with it, making sure to enter your details into the NHS BMI calculator, to get a calorie allowance tailored to your personal requirements. Don't forget to take your starting measurements and a 'before' picture, as they can be very motivating on days that the scales refuse to co-operate.

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It's only left for me to wish you well on your journey

[Hedgehog17]

Thanks for those replies, particularly like the idea of yogurt. I do tend to use proper butter, olive oil etc already as I just prefer the thought of it!

I think there is a bit of me that is wary of overeating! My portion sizes for most things are actually bigger than they were before and I am eating way more veg. I am a big baker which has been a big part of the reason I have put on weight - I bake to relax more than because I particularly want to eat it. I often take the results in to work but still ended up eating lots myself. I've solved this problem by baking something then cutting the whole lot into portions so I know exactly how many calories each one is worth then I freeze the portions and only eat one now and then and build it into the calorie count for the day. It's working well - a cake is lasting for ages and I don't feel deprived of either the pleasure of baking or eating it.

[IndigoBlue61 in reply to Hedgehog17]

That is a great solution for the cakes Hedgehog17 😊

[Cymrawes]

Glass of wine........but I'm a really bad example! Congrats on your losses!

[Hedgehog17 in reply to Cymrawes]

Thank you - and to you. I am determined not to be 'the fat one' at the family Christmas this year! There are many times when a glass of wine is really tempting but actually I don't drink at all - frustrating on some occasions but has its benefits when it comes to weight loss!

[Ceals]

Could try a few mis of double cream with your mustard and herb chicken, I am making an assumption that the mustard/herb bit is, or could be a sauce. Double cream is a good healthy fat

Some full fat Greek yogurt with your apple at lunchtime, another really good healthy fat.

On a veggie day try adding avocado - to almost anything, really good for you and everyone on here knows I love avocado. It would go really well with the crustless quick you just asked about.

DD is a great place to pick up all kinds of hints, tips and fab meal ideas. You get to see how others use their calories too.

Well done for your weight loss so far, very impressive.

[Hedgehog17 in reply to Ceals]

I love avocado too! Had a Mexican friend years ago who taught me how to make authentic guacamole (at least according to her family) and it is delicious!

I find it really hard to think of double cream as a good fat and probably wouldn't use it too often as it would go off before I could eat it all. It does mean I can get out some old recipes that I haven't cooked for years though without feeling guilty - chicken paprika with grapes may be on the menu next week!

Thanks for the compliment about the weight loss - I am feeling pretty chuffed with it. Was so thrilled when a couple of people commented.

[RG07 Maintainer]

I have yoghurt or eat well nut & seed bars to help boost up my calories. Also if I have salad I add homemade potato salad which adds extra calories. I also allow myself a treat- such as packet of crisps or toasted tea cake, latte etc. Congratulations on the weight loss