Just not hungry

Scotch2cubes

Ive been reading alot about making sure you eat enough when exercising and all.
Ive been doing pretty well with weight loss and what my goals are but after reading several other threads Imfeel like Im not eating enough.... trouble is Im just not hungry.
I have myself set for 1200 calories 40/30/30 I am fairly active at work 7,000/11,000 steps a day and I do a few minutes almost everynight on elliptical, and stretches
There are lots of days MFP is giving me the stern YOURE NOT EATING ENOUGH message so I grab some nuts or eat something just to build my score up till it stops complaining at me.
I know in general with meals its, eat slowly and stop when you feel 80% full, then what youve eaten will catch up.
So do I eat more just to eat more ir do I go with what "feels" right.

IsaackGMOON

Why on earth would a man of your size eat 1200 calories... the minimum RDA net calories for a male is 1500, and even that isn't enough for most people.

You may not be hungry, but it doesn't matter. Your body isn't going to get the nutrients and energy it needs on 1200 calories. Force yourself to eat.

tiptoethruthetulips

1200calories is nowhere near enough for a male. There is a fine line between a calorie deficit for weight loss and substantially under-eating.

Your food diary isn't open so can't comment specifically but generally focus on calorie dense foods to get your intake up. Don't forget good fats - olive oil can be used for cooking or used in salad dressings, avocados, nuts and seeds. Boiled eggs are a good snack, don't eat fruit by itself have with yoghurt or cottage cheese. Don't have diet, low or no fat products use standard products. Have some protein with each main meal eg include an egg with breakfast. Up portion sizes.

jaga13

If you are here to lose weight then somehow you were able to eat much more and for a long time.

If you are here to gain weight then you should talk to your dr / therapist

Annr

I am not an authority on this, but I would just keep listening to what your body is telling you. My simple method is eat meals that stop the hunger, but not until Im full. To never wait until Im starving, and have a headache. I also eat my most caloric meal at lunchtime, but that is just me. I would personally listen to my instincts, and trust in that.

IsaackGMOON

jaga13 wrote: »

If you are here to lose weight then somehow you were able to eat much more and for a long time.

If you are here to gain weight then you should talk to your dr / therapist

+1

You ate enough to get to the point where you thought "I need to lose weight".

I don't see why you can't eat more than what you're eating now....

Scotch2cubes

why are there always trolls in forums?
Let me spell it out for you since you felt compelled to make your critical commentaries based on assumptions and not in anyway related to the question.
I previously cooked and ate VERY rich meals, lots of fat, cheeses, butters, creams and the like. I gave zero concern to anything resembling counting calories.
My OP is in regards what I am eating NOW, Due to mainly cholesterol concerns, and yes the 20 lbs I gained.
THIS food satisfies me even though the calorie count is much lower than I "should" be eating.
Perhaps this unnecessary detailing will allow you both provide something useful to say and not ramble on with your unasked for opinions.

IsaackGMOON wrote: »

jaga13 wrote: »

If you are here to lose weight then somehow you were able to eat much more and for a long time.

If you are here to gain weight then you should talk to your dr / therapist

+1

You ate enough to get to the point where you thought "I need to lose weight".

I don't see why you can't eat more than what you're eating now....

OneHundredToLose

I actually started on here because a few weeks ago I had a 2 day period where I just wasn't hungry at all. I didn't eat anything for 2 days, then on the 3rd day I started here to make sure I was eating at least a little. That feeling of not being hungry at all passed eventually, but I was left being okay with a reduced calorie intake.

I don't think small fasting sessions do much to hurt you as long as you're not going crazy with physical activity, but it might be a good idea to eat a few high-calorie items just to make sure you have energy.

IsaackGMOON

Scotch2cubes wrote: »

why are there always trolls in forums?
Let me spell it out for you since you felt compelled to make your critical commentaries based on assumptions and not in anyway related to the question.
I previously cooked and ate VERY rich meals, lots of fat, cheeses, butters, creams and the like. I gave zero concern to anything resembling counting calories.
My OP is in regards what I am eating NOW, Due to mainly cholesterol concerns, and yes the 20 lbs I gained.
THIS food satisfies me even though the calorie count is much lower than I "should" be eating.
Perhaps this unnecessary detailing will allow you both provide something useful to say and not ramble on with your unasked for opinions.

IsaackGMOON wrote: »

jaga13 wrote: »

If you are here to lose weight then somehow you were able to eat much more and for a long time.

If you are here to gain weight then you should talk to your dr / therapist

+1

You ate enough to get to the point where you thought "I need to lose weight".

I don't see why you can't eat more than what you're eating now....

Well I gave you my answer in my first post.

Whether you choose to act upon my advice is your choice.

I'm out.

Good luck OP.

jaga13

Ramble on? I wrote 2 sentences. Who exactly is rambling here??

My point is this: regardless of how you eat now, you can always add in a small amount of what you used to eat. A small amount of olive oil could be all it takes.

Scotch2cubes

Im not sure how I would have ever extrapolated that advice from the original post, but thank you both for making the comments pertinent and useful, and yes Isaac thank you for the original advice.
My question really remains though as to the "why" of it. I understand the USDA recommends more, Im looking for more insight as to what is really happening. Is my system in a starvation mode and I just dont feel it? Do I need "extra" calories to convince my body to burn more of what I have stored?

queenliz99

Do you weigh your food with a scale?

Scotch2cubes

yes i use a scale, I always try to use the barcodes on the products as well, if it doesnt have one I try to use an average of the items in the database to go by when weighing

queenliz99

How long have been counting calories? Sometimes when we eat nutrient dense foods we get fuller faster. But that may change. You will probably hungrier down the line.

BurnWithBarn2015

IsaackGMOON isnt that wrong OP

But indeed like other say..a spoon of peanutbutter
Some olive oil....do you use "skinny" products...like skim milk? Use full milk
etc etc

And it is pretty easy..eat now how you want to eat in maintenance ( when you reach goal weight) only less. This way you will avoid the yo yo effect better ( not saying it is not possible or happening, but it helps)

So in a way you can eat everything you want ( so also how you ate before) only less. That is all
Pre-plan your meals and eat enough nutrition to feed your body so you keep the good work up.

Good luck OP

Tamlyngo

This happened to me shortly after I started MFP. I was eating at a calorie deficit as well as low carb high protein. I feel like I quickly got use to the low calories and was getting really full on protein. I got many warnings for going under 1000 and had to grab a cheese stick or something. Eventually I self regulated. Imo it just takes some time and work to adjust to your new diet. Good luck

kimny72

If you are sure you are logging everything, and you are sure you are using correct database entries, and this has been going on for more than a week or two, you might want to see a doctor to make sure there are no medical conditions causing this. Are you taking any prescriptions or supplements that might be affecting your appetite?

How much weight are you losing per week? If you are losing 2 or more lbs per week, then you need to eat more. If you are losing at a reasonable or slow rate, then either you aren't logging correctly or there is an underlying medical issue.

I am a 5'4" 130 lb woman, lightly active, and I eat more than you do every day, and I'm not stuffing myself - I could definitely eat more if I wasn't mindful. Even days where I do a good job of staying on plan - lots of veggies, lean protein, no calorie beverages, I easily eat 1500 cals.

BurnWithBarn2015

OP is not weighing all his food either. I see a lot of cup entry's so maybe also eat more than he things/knows.

But yes maybe it will get better after a while

queenliz99

BurnWithBarn2015 wrote: »

OP is not weighing all his food either. See a lot of cup entry's so maybe also eat more than he things/knows.

But yes maybe it will get better after a while

That is what I thought, too, but I had to ask him and hear his answer. I don't think he is weighing all his food. He is eating more than he thinks.

Scotch2cubes

BurnWithBarn2015 wrote: »

OP is not weighing all his food either. I see a lot of cup entry's so maybe also eat more than he things/knows.

But yes maybe it will get better after a while

Is there a way to force MFP to give you weight options? Yes sometimes I have to estimate, like if I have a plated meal served, but several foods Ive logged dont have options for weights only cups or a measurement I cant measure it in, like the fennel... its cups or fluid ounces. Or is that what you mean kimmy by the right db entry, that there might be another one that is in grams/ounces? I can def get better with some things though, like blueberries and a few others I do just use a measuring cup and scoop out a half a cup, but if thats not accurate enough I can start weighing that too, if you think its a big enough discrepancy on my intakes.
Weight loss has been what i would consider decent, Ive lost roughly 10 lbs in about 6 weeks. Thats what kind of raised the question in my mind since I have sort of levelled off right here and havent seen any real losses for the last week or so. 174.5 and holding.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

There are days where you are 1000 calories over and very few days were your really under calories. Net calories wise over a month your more than fine.

Scotch2cubes

BurnWithBarn2015 wrote: »

IsaackGMOON isnt that wrong OP

But indeed like other say..a spoon of peanutbutter
Some olive oil....do you use "skinny" products...like skim milk? Use full milk
etc etc

Good luck OP

I hadnt in the past although I did switch to a lowfat milk and bought a lowfat dressing last week.
Im still in my learning curve, and after my physical, cholesterol was about 10 points high so Dr told me to work on that.
"some fats are good for you, and dietary cholesterol doesnt add cholesterol"
hadn't really sunk in yet, but I am eating more eggs now after some more reading. I have just always been so bad about rich foods Im really trying to avoid them; milk based sauces, lots of cheeses, and that sort of thing. Some bleu cheese in my salad has been my only real concession on a regular basis.

Scotch2cubes

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »

There are days where you are 1000 calories over and very few days were your really under calories. Net calories wise over a month your more than fine.

Thanks, yes I guess when you look at it on a week/month timeline its not so bad. I just feel wrong when I eat just to add calories on the days when Im not really hungry.
I usually do get snackish before bed and could eat something then but that just doesnt seem like its good.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

Your not under eating, your not logging properly. By not weighing your foods out you consume a lot more calories than you think you are.
You are losing at a rate of 1.66lbs a week, that is a calorie deficit of 5834 over the week. Which means your eating 833 calories under your burn rate each day. You'd be losing much more if you were under eating but it would also be lean muscle mass lost not fat.
Buy a scale and weigh out every little thing you have. Use entries that have gram options. You are doing very well losing at the rate you are. You just need to tighten up your logging to get a true picture

queenliz99

Scotch, have you read these? Lots of good info

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

Scotch2cubes

Thanks Queen, read through them. I guess I'll just have to keep searching DB for entries that will allow gram/ounce weights rather than assume the measured portion will accurately log. I am trying to be diligent, I've even been logging cough drops I eat for this sinus/cough issue the last few days. The info for adding your own foods was excellent, add it once and its always there.

ms_smartypants

Scotch when you put food in the data base type grams after it ....then you weigh your food and use the 1g in the list and you are able to type how many grams you ate ...I hope that helps

BurnWithBarn2015

Scotch2cubes wrote: »

BurnWithBarn2015 wrote: »

OP is not weighing all his food either. I see a lot of cup entry's so maybe also eat more than he things/knows.

But yes maybe it will get better after a while

Is there a way to force MFP to give you weight options? Yes sometimes I have to estimate, like if I have a plated meal served, but several foods Ive logged dont have options for weights only cups or a measurement I cant measure it in, like the fennel... its cups or fluid ounces. Or is that what you mean kimmy by the right db entry, that there might be another one that is in grams/ounces? I can def get better with some things though, like blueberries and a few others I do just use a measuring cup and scoop out a half a cup, but if thats not accurate enough I can start weighing that too, if you think its a big enough discrepancy on my intakes.
Weight loss has been what i would consider decent, Ive lost roughly 10 lbs in about 6 weeks. Thats what kind of raised the question in my mind since I have sort of levelled off right here and havent seen any real losses for the last week or so. 174.5 and holding.

You can make your own entry's. That would be an option

By skinny i mean the products you used that are not "full" So full milk but skimmed milk and light dressings etc. We call them skinny products.
When you switch those back to normal full versions your calorie amount will be higher.

And there are no good or bad foods as long as you have no medical conditions with one of them ( think of diabetic or allergic etc)

The problem you do create by eating that low is that when you lose weight you have to adjust your calories for every 10 pound.....lower!
To keep losing weight, because your body gets smaller and uses less calories.

Also mal nutrition...you get burned out at one point. Fatigue/tired cant keep up exercise or get gravings/bings for certain foods etc
This are the "mild" issues you can have when you under eat. The bigger issues are losing muscle mass. Remember the more muscle the more calories your body burns...so the higher your calorie intake can be when you are at a healthy weight.
Your heart is a muscle....so when your calorie intake is low for a longer time and too low even...your body will take calories away from the muscles......
hair loss... brittle nails
your organs suffer etc etc

Now that said you eat probably more than you know, what is no point at all you lose weight But in the longer term there is..it will get harder on your mind and body.
How low will you go when you have to adjust your calories?

and the point also is that eating now the way you want or will eat when you are at your healthy weight, is the best option. You just eat less now, so smaller portions.
When you are at your goal weight, you eat a bit more.

But good luck OP
You are doing good Just keep these things in mind.

Scotch2cubes

ms_smartypants wrote: »

Scotch when you put food in the data base type grams after it ....then you weigh your food and use the 1g in the list and you are able to type how many grams you ate ...I hope that helps

Wow... that really helps, sat and played around with items I got tired of searching for and just puts grams at the end of each one... voilá

Scotch2cubes

I just re-read my OP and need to correct it, I had myself set for 1300 not 1200, but I have upped it even more now so we'll see how that works out.

BurnWithBarn2015

You can do it
You have made a huge step and lost weight....you are on your way

We all learn all the way and you find your way to do this as time passes by.

Just keep plugging along and enjoy the ride