I ate 600 calories today and I was full. Help.

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Hi, I've only just started losing weight again this time round. I'm 21, I weighed 90 kilo's, I weigh closer to 88 now, and I'm about 175cm tall.

Over the last week I've been measuring everything I've eaten. And since I've been doing that I've found that I'm struggling to get to 1200 calories a day.

For example today I had cheerio's and lowfat milk for breakfast, a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch, and veggies with a bit of butter for dinner. It amounted to 600 calories and I was full. Knowing that eating such a small amount of calories is dangerous I forced myself to eat another 600, via McDonalds fries and some chocolate.

I don't want to be eating junk, but everything healthy I could think to eat that would be able to double my calories was going to be far too filling.

However I also worked out today on the rowing machine and had a lifeguard shift, so I did a lot of walking. So I should be eating more than just 1200 a day.

I'm not going out of my way to eat such a low amount either, cereal, a sandwich and a convenient work dinner. But I was nicely full and not wanting any food.

How do I do this safely?
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Replies

  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    Eat more nutrient dense foods. Peanut butter, avocado, full fat dairy. Don't think of foods in terms of good and bad, it's all just food.
  • neenfitby40
    neenfitby40 Posts: 21 Member
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    Every night when I log my dinner and then save the days diary it tells me I have not consumed enough calories for the day
    I'm not hungry so I don't eat any more
    I hope you get some more replies because I'm interested as well
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,950 Member
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    Most sandwiches I put together are close to 1000 calories alone, so I really don't have any advice except add more stuff to yours, for starters. Oh, and some veggies is not a dinner, it's a snack, at best. I always wonder why people can't eat enough when they're trying to lose weight.
  • bryant28408
    bryant28408 Posts: 52 Member
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    Laurend224 wrote: »
    Eat more nutrient dense foods. Peanut butter, avocado, full fat dairy. Don't think of foods in terms of good and bad, it's all just food.

    ^^Good advice here. When you say you ate 600 calories are you first deducting your exercise calories? 600 actual calories consumed is a tiny amount. It is essential that you get an adequate intake every day. At a point, your body will respond negatively to your low calories.

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited January 2015
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    1) if you have not hungry days followed by hungry days it doesn't matter so much as you can work your defecit over the week

    2) you didn't get overweight by not knowing how to eat more

    3) if you are netting 600 a day that's ridiculous - if you're netting over 1200 don't worry too much

    4) you need a wide nutrient rich diet

    5) MFP exercise database overestimates - eat back 50 - 75% so your net calories is over 1200

    6) it's a control thing - bring back all the foods you love to your diet and work out how to eat them to correct portion sizes within your weekly defecit - then you won't crash and burn - if I removed all my loved food and just ate vegetables for supper I would want to hurt someone - don't do it

    7) when you say measuring I hope you mean weighing on a digital scale - otherwise nope - you have no idea how many calories you're consuming
  • lilxmissxhavic
    lilxmissxhavic Posts: 21 Member
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    Laurend224 wrote: »
    Eat more nutrient dense foods. Peanut butter, avocado, full fat dairy. Don't think of foods in terms of good and bad, it's all just food.
    Yeah I'll go back to full fat milk and cheese, thats a good idea. I'll try and eat some more dense stuff.

    Oh, and some veggies is not a dinner, it's a snack, at best.

    I still live at home with my parents while I'm finishing my uni degree, I have to work with whats in the fridge/freezer. The only meal that I would have been able to take to work with me without wasting food was going to be a large tupperware container full of veggies. I suppose I could have done another sandwich instead, but I would have still been up to 700 calories.
    I feel like I'm putting a lot of meat on my sandwiches, perhaps mfp is calculating the ham I'm using wrong.
    Laurend224 wrote: »
    Eat more nutrient dense foods. Peanut butter, avocado, full fat dairy. Don't think of foods in terms of good and bad, it's all just food.

    ^^Good advice here. When you say you ate 600 calories are you first deducting your exercise calories? 600 actual calories consumed is a tiny amount. It is essential that you get an adequate intake every day. At a point, your body will respond negatively to your low calories.

    600ish flat. I know it's too small that's why I'm asking for help. Especially since I did about 15,000 steps today and spent half an hour on the rowing machine. And tomorrow I have the 5am shift at the pool which will mean I'll walk about 20,000 steps before 10am. I feel like thats not nearly enough :(
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    For example today I had cheerio's and lowfat milk for breakfast, a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch, and veggies with a bit of butter for dinner. It amounted to 600 calories and I was full. Knowing that eating such a small amount of calories is dangerous I forced myself to eat another 600, via McDonalds fries and some chocolate.

    just a quick one
    40g cheerios looks like nothing - with low fat milk that would be 200 calories - if you weighed and measured - if you used a cup or guessed by the bowl then you're eating more - if you took more than 125ml milk you're eating more
    what kind of cheese and ham sandwich has less than 500 calories on it's own
    chocolate is fine
  • raspberrysolstice
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    Try adding a small salad with your sandwich or an avocado. Or adding hemp hearts to your cereal would help give you some protein as well as adding a bit more calories. If you are feeling full from just that all I can think is your body and stomach have been used to eating such small low calorie and low protein meals. Try having an egg with fruit in the morning too. A drink of whatever milky prefer- I like almond milk. Ive started to drink a protein powder drink or a protein bar to help. Good luck!
  • lilxmissxhavic
    lilxmissxhavic Posts: 21 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    1) if you have not hungry days followed by hungry days it doesn't matter so much as you can work your defecit over the week

    2) you didn't get overweight by not knowing how to eat more

    3) if you are netting 600 a day that's ridiculous - if you're netting over 1200 don't worry too much

    4) you need a wide nutrient rich diet

    5) MFP exercise database overestimates - eat back 50 - 75% so your net calories is over 1200

    6) it's a control thing - bring back all the foods you love to your diet and work out how to eat them to correct portion sizes within your weekly defecit - then you won't crash and burn - if I removed all my loved food and just ate vegetables for supper I would want to hurt someone - don't do it

    7) when you say measuring I hope you mean weighing on a digital scale - otherwise nope - you have no idea how many calories you're consuming

    1: I havn't been hungry for about a week now, this is why I'm worried. I've been having to eat cookies/chocolate/coke to get to the 1200calorie mark :S

    2: This is true, but I'm trying not to eat junk, I was full and happy with what I'd eaten today.

    3: I am struggling to get to 1200, today has been the only day I've done 600.

    4: I'm working on that, gotta try and make do with what I have at home.

    5: I'm trying, but I'm not hungry and I feel bad eating back the calories with junk.

    6: I'm not removing all my loved foods, I've had the 25g serving of milk chocolate every day this week so far and tomorrow I'm eating out. When the mood strikes me I'm drinking coke, but I'm loving my green tea at the moment.

    7: digital scale for solids and measuring jug for liquids.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    I'm sorry but your profile says you need to lose 44 pounds?
  • CamilleNoemi
    CamilleNoemi Posts: 28 Member
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    Instead of just eating veggies for dinner, maybe add some protein (meat, fish, tofu, beans etc) and some rice or pasta.
    Eat some nuts as snack, don't use low fat milk.
  • lilxmissxhavic
    lilxmissxhavic Posts: 21 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    just a quick one
    40g cheerios looks like nothing - with low fat milk that would be 200 calories - if you weighed and measured - if you used a cup or guessed by the bowl then you're eating more - if you took more than 125ml milk you're eating more
    what kind of cheese and ham sandwich has less than 500 calories on it's own
    chocolate is fine

    Like I said, I'm measuring everything. Digital scale.
    Sandwich break down
    Coles - Light Tasty Cheese Slices-1slice/21g=72cal
    Woolies Ham - Champagne Leg Ham, 80g=54cal
    Coles Bakery - Multigrain Sandwich Bread, 59.1 g (2 slices)=152cal
    Total= 278calories

    thats from my food diary today.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    I ate 600 cals for breakfast and I'm still hungry LOL, thats what a lot of cardio does for me :-D

    What you ate will have been more than 600 calories as others have already said.

    If you really did feel full, why not have something small yet calorie dense? Nuts are great for adding extra calories, also peanut butter :)
  • Madame_Goldbricker
    Madame_Goldbricker Posts: 1,625 Member
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    100 calorie ham sandwich? One slice of bread is approx 75-80cals 10g butter approx 70cals 1 slice ham approx 30ish (wafer thin). Not seeing how you get 100 cals?
  • Ellaskat
    Ellaskat Posts: 386 Member
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    Have you looked into the 5 2 diet program? I haven't done it, but was reading about it inascience journal last week. You eat 'normally' for 5 days, and 2 days a week you do mini fasts- not eating for 15-18 hours (early dinner, nothing else,and then a late breakfast) on the mini fast days you only eat 500 to 600 cal. The study noted that people who ate on this diet were less hungry and felt full after the small amount of calories. Maybe that is what you are experiencing.
  • AdorkableMe2015
    AdorkableMe2015 Posts: 16 Member
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    It isn't my intention to be mean here, but what I am gonna say will come across as such.

    You don't need a better eating plan, you need a therapist to help you find out why you are purposefully not eating the right amount and types of food. It sounds like you have food issues in general.
  • Madame_Goldbricker
    Madame_Goldbricker Posts: 1,625 Member
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    So add another slice of cheese + butter to your sandwiches? There's another 140 cals right there.
  • lilxmissxhavic
    lilxmissxhavic Posts: 21 Member
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    Madame, theres a sandwich breakdown a few comments above yours. I never said it was 100calories.

    Ruthee, thanks a few people have suggested nuts now :) will give it a go.

    Ellaskat, I havn't looked into it no, I'd be worried that I'd get in to bad habits to easily again. But I might have to give it a go.
  • lisaabenjamin
    lisaabenjamin Posts: 665 Member
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    No butter or spread on your sandwich? That will add a few more calories. If you could open your diary we might be able to give better advice/suggestions.
  • Madame_Goldbricker
    Madame_Goldbricker Posts: 1,625 Member
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    One handful of peanuts would give you a good amount of cals too. If you want to eat fries thats totally fine! Same for the chocolate