Anyone else struggling to get enough calories?

BoxingYashka

I know most have trouble with overeating. I have the opposite problem. I struggle to get enough calories, causing my body to go into starvation mode. Anyone else with similar problem?

shadowfax_c11

If you are overweight, I guarantee you that this is not your problem.

Open up your diary.

Faithful_Chosen

Starvation mode is a myth. If you are not eating enough calories, you are simply creating a larger deficit (that is potentially unhealthy, but really only in extremes). I never reach my daily calorie allotment so I know the feeling If you think you are not loosing weight because you don't get enough calories though... yeah... no... that is not how it works. If you are not loosing weight, you are eating at maintenance or above. Simple as that.

BoxingYashka

Thanks for your input shadowfax_c11. If I don't monitor myself, I average under 1,000 calories. Pretty sure that's not enough. I'm overweight, yes. When I wasn't - used to work out much more, I felt hungry more often, and this wasn't an issue.

arditarose

If you're not using a food scale you could be eating more than you think.

BoxingYashka

Thanks Faithful_Chosen. I'm more concerned with not getting enough nutrients than weight loss :-). Less than 1,000 calories (I average at 800 if I don't watch) per day can't be enough to maintain

Faithful_Chosen

BoxingYashka wrote: »

Thanks Faithful_Chosen. I'm more concerned with not getting enough nutrients than weight loss :-). Less than 1,000 calories (I average at 800 if I don't watch) per day can't be enough to maintain

If you are truly eating 800 calories (very possible) then no, you are not maintaining. So are you dropping weight? Are you completely sure you are eating as little as you are eating? Do you weigh everything in grams, not cups and teaspoons? If you are truly sure you eat as little as you think, try switching out any low-cal or low-fat foodstuffs for the full kind, add sauses and oils, plan heavty snacks where possible and have a scoop more of everything during your big meals. In general, shoot for 1200 calories a day

kyrannosaurus

I feel like everyone who posts "I can't eat enough calories" is in their first week or two here. I've never heard anyone say that after a few months of logging. How long have you been here?

Also "starvation mode" doesn't exist.

BoxingYashka

Amazing. I asked for support of people having the similar problem, and instead I received advice from people who don't believe my problem exist. We are all different, and just because you haven't experienced something doesn't mean others don't struggle with it. I didn't say I can't get enough calories, I said it's a struggle. And no, these are not my first weeks here. So much for finding support :-). Good luck to everyone on this journey.

LEichentuch

I can't say that I fully understand your problem, but a few months ago I had a problem with eating enough calories as well. Since I was battling being underweight, I'm not sure what I'm going to say is helpful.
The major change that helped me was eating roughly every three hours. It doesn't have to be much each time, sometimes an apple would suffice. Regularity is key. I feel that behaviour trained my body to realize when it's hungry.
Being an engineer though I have to admit that I also think that your problem is physically impossible. For years I have tried to gain weight and couldn't although I felt I did everything I could. I still don't know how exactly, but I managed to deceit myself that whole time. That might be your case as well. Weigh everything in grams that you ingest, even the sugar you put in coffee and the oil you put in your pan.
If that doesn't help, you should consider consulting a physician.
I hope I could help

Ninkyou

Eat foods that are calorie dense.

BoxingYashka wrote: »

Amazing. I asked for support of people having the similar problem, and instead I received advice from people who don't believe my problem exist. We are all different, and just because you haven't experienced something doesn't mean others don't struggle with it. I didn't say I can't get enough calories, I said it's a struggle. And no, these are not my first weeks here. So much for finding support :-). Good luck to everyone on this journey.

When people state they are struggling to reach their calorie goal it's usually a combination of things. They've gone from one extreme (eating too many calories/overeating) to another (eating too few calories/undereating). They begin to "fear" calories and that even going over a few calories from their goal is going to make them somehow fat again. They also eat foods that have very little calorie content (carrot sticks, celery, etc) or cut out foods they believe are "bad" (like carbs, ie pasta, bread, etc). None of which they need to do. You can eat all of your normal foods, in moderation, and within your calorie goal.

If you still feel like you are struggling and can't bring yourself to either add more foods or add calorie dense foods back into your diet, then seek some professional help.

Also, people ARE being supportive. Perhaps you just don't see it though.

Azexas

BoxingYashka wrote: »

I know most have trouble with overeating. I have the opposite problem. I struggle to get enough calories, causing my body to go into starvation mode. Anyone else with similar problem?

Starvation mode doesn't exist.

If you are struggeling to meet your calorie goal you need to eat more nutrient dense foods.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1

At 800 calories, I find it very difficult to be able to get the proper nutrition your body deserves.

davies121

BoxingYashka wrote: »

Amazing. I asked for support of people having the similar problem, and instead I received advice from people who don't believe my problem exist. We are all different, and just because you haven't experienced something doesn't mean others don't struggle with it. I didn't say I can't get enough calories, I said it's a struggle. And no, these are not my first weeks here. So much for finding support :-). Good luck to everyone on this journey.

davies121

I struggle to reach cals because my job burns to many of them! what helps me get closer to them is a handfull of nuts, about 25 of them as a snack high in good fats and cals. Good luck

DeguelloTex

Two things:

1. Protein powder on full fat ice cream makes it pretty easy to eat just about any number of extra calories you want.
2. Starvation mode, at least as you're using it, doesn't exist.

isulo_kura

BoxingYashka wrote: »

Amazing. I asked for support of people having the similar problem, and instead I received advice from people who don't believe my problem exist. We are all different, and just because you haven't experienced something doesn't mean others don't struggle with it. I didn't say I can't get enough calories, I said it's a struggle. And no, these are not my first weeks here. So much for finding support :-). Good luck to everyone on this journey.

The problem is in your initial post you claim to be in starvation mode. So implying that you are not eating enough and losing weight because of under eating. This is just a myth. People have pointed this out to you and mentioned the fact that in all likelihood your logging is inaccurate and you are actually eating more than you think.

If you were truly eating what you say the weight would be dropping off you. Take a step back you asked for advice well the best advice is to weigh and measure all your food accurately and find out how much you are really eating

T1DCarnivoreRunner

I have the opposite problem in terms of eating enough calories. It has gotten better over time, but early on, I could easily eat 10,000 calories per day. For more than a year, I was always hungry. Now I'm still hungry quite often, but it is nothing near what it used to be.

Your experience is the same (but with a different direction) of my more recent experience. But your experience is similar to how I became fat in the first place. I was diagnosed with a medical condition that was treated, among other things, with a static diet plan. The person who calculated the diet plan apparently didn't consider how many calories I should be eating. I gained 20 lbs. in the first month and ultimately doubled my weight in the first year, then continued to gain weight steadily after for several years. At first, it was hard to eat that much, but it became easier and easier until I couldn't get enough food to satisfy me.

A couple things that I would like to mention:
1. MFP users will tell you that you must be eating at maintenance if you are not changing weight (that has already been brought up in this thread). This isn't true because the idea ignores plateaus, of course. I haven't always had plateaus while losing weight, but started Oct. 2014 with long plateaus and big whooshes at the end. I had a big whoosh in Mar. 2015. I'm still waiting for another big whoosh.
2. MFP users will tell you that starvation mode isn't real and doesn't exist. Based on most of the available scientific research, they are right. Nonetheless, I've experienced short-term "starvation mode" when eating below BMR. I had cut calories further, hoping to speed up weight loss (this was before plateaus, so I was losing steadily and wanted to lose faster). After further cutting calories, my weight went up fast. Over 3 weeks, I steadily gained nearly 10 lbs. Noticing the gain and being aware of the risk of adding weight when eating below BMR, I increased my calories again to a level that is above BMR and below TDEE and started losing again. About half of the weight I had gained over those 3 weeks came off in the few days after raising calorie intake again. That was probably water retention.

When MFP users can't understand and answer a situation, they sometimes just call you a liar. This is not helpful and can further upset someone who is reaching out for help... that's what is happening in this thread. There are even some who will see my experiences above and say I'm lying. I've seen it time and time again, and eventually the thread will turn nasty and will get deleted. Hopefully you read this before that happens: There are a few things (some have been suggested already) that you can do:
-Measure solid foods with a scale and liquids with a measuring cup. This will improve logging accuracy so your calorie intake is more accurate than if you estimate or if you use measuring cups for solids (more room for error with measuring cups).
-Eat at a healthy level (more than 800 calories), above BMR and below TDEE. This may be difficult at first, but there are dense foods to help with that.
-Take a multivitamin because you mention concern about getting micronutrients.
-Be consistent and patient. Maybe you won't lose right away. Maybe you won't lose after a month or more. That doesn't automatically mean you are doing something wrong.
-If you are logging as accurately as possible and you still are not losing after a few months, it might help to see a doctor and ensure there is not a medical reason your BMR is lower than you think (online calculators for BMR are based on gender, age, and current size... and most people will be pretty close, but not everyone because of medical reasons).

Edited to add italic portion for more clear explanation.

ndj1979

BoxingYashka wrote: »

Amazing. I asked for support of people having the similar problem, and instead I received advice from people who don't believe my problem exist. We are all different, and just because you haven't experienced something doesn't mean others don't struggle with it. I didn't say I can't get enough calories, I said it's a struggle. And no, these are not my first weeks here. So much for finding support :-). Good luck to everyone on this journey.

starvation mode, as you are expressing it, is a myth. You would have to eat nothing for a prolonged period to experience true starvation mode.

If a 35 year old told you they believed in Santa Claus would you nod your head and agree and say "yes, I believe in Santa too" or would you gently inform them that there is no such thing?

Also, as a lot of newbies frequent these boards it is important that myths are not allowed to persist as people then believe them to be fact.

If you need more calories just eat a serving of ice cream = about 160 calories to 200..

bubblegirl57

Hi, I also have the same problem with not eating enough, with sometimes only having 500 calories a day, but I'm trying to eat more, as I got so underweight, but still struggling to put the weight back on.

mrob811

Starvation mode does exist. It simply takes an extremely long time to develop, and occurs in extreme conditions where the body tries to preserve calories. The word extreme refers to damn near a week of not eating AND still exerting energy.

cbabnew

wish I had that problem

TheVirgoddess

If you can't eat your calories, drink them. Try to focus on calorie dense foods though - like peanut butter, avocados, nuts, etc. If you really want to up your intake, you'll find a way.

PescetarianPrincess

Wow, I wonder how many more people will point out that starvation mode isn't real! Are these people not reading the above posts? Does anyone want to place any bets on how many more people will say it?