Eating issues...Calorie intake

TheNewAdventuresofDanni

So basically 90% i literally cannot eat enough calories. I eat when I am hungry (about 3 to 6 times a day) . I eat mostly fruits and veggies (meat tends to give me stomach problems). I don't eat much at a time I stop when I am satisfied. But I know its not good to not get over 1000. Most days I can hit between 700 and 900.. I pretty much cut out carbs...once I start I do not stop. And I try not to eat dairy because i'm lactose intollerant, but i do have a light sprinkle of cheese here and there.
For breakfast I usually have an egg with soyrizo or special k cereal w/ soy milk
Lunch is usually a salad with light dressing, or a veggie burger in a lettuce wrap
Dinner depends on the day. Sometimes ill have a couple snacks an apple, sugar snap peas, carrots(something along those lines) or a salad or soup, Maybe rice and beans.
Any ideas?

JesterMFP

Eat more calorie dense foods. Vegetables are low in calories and will fill you up. Aim for things that are higher in fat, and it will be easier to consume more of them. "Listening to your body" and eating only when you're hungry doesn't work for everyone. It's not uncommon to stop feeling hungry when you aren't eating enough. You might have to consciously make the effort to eat more calories until your appetite improves.

Instead of having a "light" dressing, have a normal one. Why choices "light" options if you're struggling to get your calories in? Instead of having your burger in lettuce wrap, have it in a wheat one, or a burger bun. Is there any reason you have cut out carbs? If doing so is stopping you getting to your goals, then maybe that's worth rethinking. At the moment it sounds like you are aiming for low fat and low carb (as well as low meat and low dairy). Is that a fair assessment?

LeanneGoingThin

Potatoes, more rice, brinta, oatmeal....you could have bigger portion sizes of those. Nuts usually do the trick when you're low on calories. Especially nuts are pretty high in calories (and good for you too!) so I suggest you eat more of those.

TheNewAdventuresofDanni

Im not eating "light dressing" just not drowning my food in it

TheNewAdventuresofDanni

I would say that is a fair assessment though. My problem with carbs is i have little self control with bread or pasta. It gets tricky. My parents said they aren't worried unless I feel "deprived" but I really don't think about food unless I'm hungry. I thought about food all the time in the beginning. I kinda think that half my problem was I went from eating 2 times a day with really gross unhealthy food (fast food, super processed food) and had A LOT of it.

JesterMFP

I would say that is a fair assessment though. My problem with carbs is i have little self control with bread or pasta. It gets tricky. My parents said they aren't worried unless I feel "deprived" but I really don't think about food unless I'm hungry. I thought about food all the time in the beginning. I kinda think that half my problem was I went from eating 2 times a day with really gross unhealthy food (fast food, super processed food) and had A LOT of it.

Ok. I think that you should try to get more calories in. Regardless of whether your parents are worried or not, it's really not healthy to be eating 700-900 calories a day on a regular basis. I'm wondering if when you say that's "most days" that some days are even less than that?

When you want to lose weight, it can sometimes seem like the less you eat, the better. Unfortunately though, it doesn't work that way. Your body can only burn so much fat at once. People with larger fat stores can "get away with" larger calorie deficits (your ticker indicates you have a fair bit to lose) but you will still be limited as to how much fat you can burn. That means that your body will take the energy needed from elsewhere - from your lean mass. It is common to lose some lean mass as you lose weight, but having a large calorie deficit means you risk losing more muscle than you would otherwise. This can lower your metabolic rate and mean that you are less likely to be happy with what you look like when you reach your goal. You'll also struggle a lot more to keep the weight off because you'll be burning far fewer calories a day than you would if you hold onto your muscle mass.

Being on so few calories will also make your body slow down it's processes, especially the non-essential ones. You might find that you have hormonal problems, as well as problems with your skin, hair and nails.

I think what you're going to have to do is experiment to try to find more calorie dense foods that suit you. If you're lactose intolerant, and find that bread & pasta give you issues with self-control, then try to find out what you can eat. What about other carbs? It may be that wheat is an issue for you, but things like oatmeal, rice, quinoa, potatoes etc will be ok. Avocados are relatively calorie dense, and nuts and seeds are too. Perhaps load up on beans and pulses. I see what you mean about the dressing now. You don't have to "drown" your food in it, but an extra tsp here or there might help. Peanut butter is one that's easy to eat, and a good source of fat. You can get some that don't have added sugar or salt. Other nut butters are more widely available too (almond, cashew etc.)

I think it's worth pushing past your lack of appetite, because honestly, most people find that a few days of eating more calories will bring back their appetite anyway. Don't forget you can drink your calories too, so a protein shake, or a smoothie made with non-dairy milk might help add the calories, and won't make you feel as full.

Is it possible that part of the problem is also psychological? A lot of people find that when they start "dieting" they try to cut out a lot of foods that don't seem to be traditionally associated with dieting. I noticed that you said your former diet was "gross and unhealthy". Perhaps you're looking at things in too much of a black/white way. Try not to label foods as "good" and "bad", or "healthy" and "unhealthy". Obviously, there are some that you have health issues with, that you should probably limit, but otherwise, food is just food. You don't have to eat "super processed food", but you don't have to be afraid of all processed foods either. Try to find a bit more of a balance.

I read on your profile that part of the reason you want to lose weight is to avoid health issues. So, keep your health in mind, and let that be a motivation to fuel and nourish your body a bit better.

Jchambers1130

It seems that at one time you knew how to eat over 900 calories. Do more of that just in moderation.

Georgia_Bulldogs

Your doing really good!!I would reccomend to eat some type of meat like chicken,baked or grilled chicken is healthy for you.If you want more calories then meat will give you those calories.To have a healthy diet starches are good for us,because we need something in our diets that stick to our bones!So having two veggies and one starch with your meat is a healthy meal.There is no shame in having one starch in a meal because our bodies need that.When your taking in to few calories then your body will respond to that to go into starvation mode,and you don't want that to happen because you'll end up gaining weight instead of loosing weight.Eat in moderation,and eat things that have high calories in them.Peanuts,cashews,etc.

jacksonpt

Your ticker says you want to lose a pretty significant amount of weight. How did you get over weight in the first place? At one point you had no problem eating more. Do whatever you did then, just keep it under control.

susannamarie

Try going to two eggs instead of one for breakfast.

Try putting some meat or something in your lunch salad, or have something else on the side. Cottage cheese? delicious and protein-rich, I love it.

NurseEmmyRN

Peanut butter. Just one serving will add 200 extra calories to your day. :-)

hlavers

Nuts, nut butters, avocado and other high calorie but good for your body foods can help add some healthy bulk to your calorie count. An added bonus is healthy fats make your skin glow and hair shine!

Poofy_Goodness

So basically 90% i literally cannot eat enough calories. I eat when I am hungry (about 3 to 6 times a day) . I eat mostly fruits and veggies (meat tends to give me stomach problems). I don't eat much at a time I stop when I am satisfied. But I know its not good to not get over 1000. Most days I can hit between 700 and 900.. I pretty much cut out carbs...once I start I do not stop. And I try not to eat dairy because i'm lactose intollerant, but i do have a light sprinkle of cheese here and there.
For breakfast I usually have an egg with soyrizo or special k cereal w/ soy milk
Lunch is usually a salad with light dressing, or a veggie burger in a lettuce wrap
Dinner depends on the day. Sometimes ill have a couple snacks an apple, sugar snap peas, carrots(something along those lines) or a salad or soup, Maybe rice and beans.
Any ideas?

2 eggs for breakfast, add a banana when you have cereal

Add an avocado to your salad

Make a savory greek yogurt dip for your veggies, switch out the light dressing for a full fat one

Small changes such as I've listed can add 300-600 calories to your day without adding much mass to your meals,

TheNewAdventuresofDanni

Your ticker says you want to lose a pretty significant amount of weight. How did you get over weight in the first place? At one point you had no problem eating more. Do whatever you did then, just keep it under control.

I gained the weight over years, pretty much eating my feelings in the form of eating anything greesey, fatty, sugary. I would pretty much eat grossness all day every day. Middle and High school were not easy times. Being name calling,shoved and pushed into lockers on a regular bases (even when I blew my knee out from soccer and was on crouches). I really had no outlet. I've started to let my emotions out through working out, Going back to what I was doing is an emotional nightmare.