Nutritionist suggested 1300 cal leaves me feeling starved

GnosisGnosis

I have learned a lot about me on this journey of weight loss and I can tell you what works for me might not necessarily work for you or your lifestyle. I went to a nutritionist and her #1 goal was to find a diet that worked for ME. I have a gluten allergy, was borderline diabetic and high blood pressure. She took all my likes, dislikes, lifestyle, and medical issues into consideration and WE came up with a healthy eating plan with an aggressive, but safe weight loss rate. I stuck with a 1200-1300 cal diet by choice. I could have used 1500 calories with a slower rate of loss. Yes I did fell a bit hungry and still do. To maintain I eat 1400-1500 cals and when I go over and put on a few pounds I go right back to 1200 cals and get it off. For me I also discovered that even when I ate sugary foods I still wanted more and was still "hungry" even if I ate 3000 calories of bad foods. I discovered that eating the right foods and counting calories keeps me knowing that I am not starving. I have an aggressive workout program now, but I didn't start out that way .I started a 15 mins walking on the treadmill. I now run 5-7 miles plus swim for an hour everyday and lift weights 3 days a week. The more weight I lost, the better I felt and wanted to exercise more. I also garden, do household chores, and maintain an active life.

Look at this gnarly woman @ 56 years old. You are an inspiration. I hope OP reads this post and takes note.

thinklivebefree

EAT ORGANIC AND YOU WILL BE FULLER FOR LONGER!!!! AND STAY AWAY FROM THAT MC DONALDS!!!!!!!!

gr8xpectationz

My bariatrician has me on 1300 calories a day, too...and it was very hard at first. (I also have to get fewer than 100 grams of carbs and 80-100 grams of protein.

What really helped me was ensuring that I got a little extra fat. So, I add a teaspoon of coconut oil to lots of things, snack on nuts or olives.

Also protein and fiber. And for bulk, you can't beat veggies. I squeeze half a lemon over my salad greens or spinach instead of salad dressing, and have this as a side to every meal. It's a great way to increase the quantity you consume without burning through your calorie allotment too fast.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

pandsmomCheryl

Yes, sorry - not wanting to be rude here, but your food diary is open and the quality of your food choices is not going to do you any favors. No need to starve - I don't believe in deprivation. My own personal motto is to eat the maximum amount of calories possible yet still lose weight or maintain, depending on where I'm at. But I'm always trying to improve my diet and my fitness for my health's sake. If you can get on board with that kind of thinking you'll start seeing and feeling positive changes. Good luck!

TriShamelessly

Did you bring up your concerns to the nutritionist and did s/he give you a meal plan or say for how long to stick to 1300? I have had success with the settings on this site and really like it. But if you fully explained your situation to the nutritionist (whom I am assuming is a registered dietician) then I would personally try it out for a little while.

Yes, I did let her know that I don't just sit at home eating potato chips, and that at given moments I am required to lift, push, and pull 100+ lbs, and that I work a few days in a nursing home so not only am I walking, and lifting, and bending...I'm also standing the majority of the time. She gave me a meal plan, that was high fiber almost 35 grams daily, but I let her know that due to my gastric issues my GI suggested a 10-20 gram fiber diet. She didn't have one that caters to different health problems. The other issue with the menu is that it doesn't give me a way to substitute foods that I don't tolerate well, or even like. So, I have been looking for something online where I can exclude the dairy, because of lactose intolerance and sub it for something, and just sub the cereal and bread because I just don't like the texture or taste and have not eaten that stuff since I was very young. I'm working on it though, and thanks for your support.

Sounds like you need a new nutritionist who can deal with you personally and not just give you some textbook to follow. Also see http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12 on this site for one approach to using MFP. You can also set your fiber macros to a custom setting if the preset has it too high. Best of luck!

hararayne

Ditch your dietician and get a different one. Her JOB is to take all the puzzle pieces that are you and make a diet that works for you, for the long haul.

I'd also recommend getting a fitbit to see what your true activity expenditure is. I work a similar job and some days I can easily hit 15,000 steps. Other days, when client need is less or I'm stuck doing desk work, it's hard to get to 3,000 steps. I underestimated how active I CAN be on the job, but I overestimated how many days I am extremely active on the job.

I personally have not wanted or planned to see a dietician. I don't have any allergies or foods that I don't like. I just need to make better choices on a day to day basis and keep working on being active. I read a lot and try to figure out what foods fill me up, satiate me, or that I need to not feel deprived and have a binge freak out. And I really need to be harder on myself during workouts. This is a fact.

ice1200s

I have to concur with those that are advising you to upgrade your food choices. Try drinking about 16 oz. of water about 20 - 30 minutes before you eat. I find that it helps fill me up. Good luck!

Just_Scott

Eat the dietician, just enter the calories consumed. A nice Chianti, and some beans ought to do the trick!

Seriously, at least get a second opinion.

katg73

I am gonna have to agree with knittermom and ang108... I took a look at your diary and I am seeing a lot of fast food and pre-prepared foods on there. If there's one thing I've learned on my journey, it's that we have to teach ourselves to eat in a different manner. And part of that is learning what foods will satiate us better. I find that eating more *whole* foods (vegetables, lean meats, good fats, fruit, whole grains) is what helps us to feel satisfied. This did take me a while to figure out because I was raised not being forced to ever eat breakfast and often being allowed to eat just one giant meal a day -- most often being unhealthy Filipino foods and fast food. Eventually, your body will figure this out if you give yourself as much clean eating as possible. I'm NOT saying that EVERYTHING has to be organic and that you have to cut out fast food all together, but it definitely needs to be considered greatly. Nowadays, if I eat less nutritionally dense foods, my stomach starts talking to me in pain! No kidding at all, my birthday was this past weekend and I ate significantly less than stellar, and my body just about started cursing me out and I felt much more sluggish even if I was walking a lot and staying active. Anyway, just some food for thought! I do hope you consider these words . Good luck on your journey!

MyaPapaya75

I would talk to your nutritionist before changing anything..Im sure there are things medically we don't know about you. She can advise you on certain foods and even a better meal plan.Show her what you have been eating by taking a print out.

gingabebe

Drop the fast food breakfast and find an easy to make breakfast that will get you off on the right start. Mine is two eggs with toast- this keeps me full until lunch or I have a small snack mid morning. You keep make egg, cheese, and sausage bakes in muffin tins and reheat in the morning. After you change one meal then you can start on the next.

Lleldiranne

So, is this a nutritionist with some certificate (which takes a few hours of studying and a test)? Or a registered dietician, which takes several years of college? It's probably the 1st, because a dietician would be able to help you come up with meal options that fit your needs, and probably wouldn't have your calories so low with as active as you are. I would try using the calories MFP gives you at lose .5 to lose 1 pound a week and moderately active, and eat back exercise calories (not your daily job - that's accounted for with the activity level - but any exercise beyond that). See how it works for you and adjust.

I do agree with those who said the quality of food counts. You'll feel a lot more satisfied, and have more energy for exercise and life's activities, if you eat healthful foods: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein (meats, beans, dairy, etc) and healthy fats. Save the fast food and convenience meals for a treat. That doesn't mean you have to eat 100% "clean" or have only "good" foods … I don't believe that either is real, let alone sustainable … but if you're regularly hitting the drive through, you're wasting calories.

gr8xpectationz

Yes, sorry - not wanting to be rude here, but your food diary is open and the quality of your food choices is not going to do you any favors. No need to starve - I don't believe in deprivation. My own personal motto is to eat the maximum amount of calories possible yet still lose weight or maintain, depending on where I'm at. But I'm always trying to improve my diet and my fitness for my health's sake. If you can get on board with that kind of thinking you'll start seeing and feeling positive changes. Good luck!

I totally appreciate the challenges of a busy schedule and lots of dietary constraints, but the poster above is right. Do NOT have 700 calorie days. They will doom your diet. A meat ball is not a breakfast. And one cup of collard greens is not a dinner. And there's lots of fast food mixed in there.

My suggestion is to find some time on a weekend or a day off to do some research, brainstorming, research, preparation, and shopping.

Try to come up with one or two or three good options for breakfast. And one or two or three good options for lunch. Same for dinner.... know their nutritional values. Have the ingredients on-hand for the next week or so. And do some mixing and matching every day to keep it interesting.

Good luck to you!

gr8xpectationz

The chemicals in processed foods are likely exacerbating your digestive issues too. My husband has very similar challenges, and cutting out fast food and processed foods has helped him a TON.

JesterMFP

Gbajon80: please take the diary judgements with a pinch of salt, but you will find that some foods fill you up more than others. Specifically foods high in protein and fibre (although obviously you don't want to go too high in fibre). Also, if the days where you have logged way under your goal are a true and accurate record of what you ate, then start by eating all the way up to your goal.

I agree that if you aren't seeing your nutritionist for a particular medical issue, you'd probably be better off just going with MFP. Here's what I'd do: set your activity level to at least "lightly active". Set it to lose 1 lb a week for now. Don't add your cleaning/work related activities as exercise (these being included in the activity setting). Log actual workouts as exercise, and eat back a good portion of those calories. Aim to hit your calorie goal, not come in below it. Perhaps fast foods and pre-prepared foods suit your lifestyle right now, but try to get a decent amount of protein in (more than MFP recommends) and that should help with the hunger. Bottom line is, you should really be eating more than 1300 calories based on your activity level.

JNick77

Did you bring up your concerns to the nutritionist and did s/he give you a meal plan or say for how long to stick to 1300? I have had success with the settings on this site and really like it. But if you fully explained your situation to the nutritionist (whom I am assuming is a registered dietician) then I would personally try it out for a little while.

Yes, I did let her know that I don't just sit at home eating potato chips, and that at given moments I am required to lift, push, and pull 100+ lbs, and that I work a few days in a nursing home so not only am I walking, and lifting, and bending...I'm also standing the majority of the time. She gave me a meal plan, that was high fiber almost 35 grams daily, but I let her know that due to my gastric issues my GI suggested a 10-20 gram fiber diet. She didn't have one that caters to different health problems. The other issue with the menu is that it doesn't give me a way to substitute foods that I don't tolerate well, or even like. So, I have been looking for something online where I can exclude the dairy, because of lactose intolerance and sub it for something, and just sub the cereal and bread because I just don't like the texture or taste and have not eaten that stuff since I was very young. I'm working on it though, and thanks for your support.

Yeah, not a good nutritionist probably. If you can afford a couple $100 dollars, go to Mountain Dog Diet.Com and hire John Meadows to do your diet for you. This man knows his **** inside and out and will definitely get you where you need to be.

JanMarie2BHealthy

I have learned a lot about me on this journey of weight loss and I can tell you what works for me might not necessarily work for you or your lifestyle. I went to a nutritionist and her #1 goal was to find a diet that worked for ME. I have a gluten allergy, was borderline diabetic and high blood pressure. She took all my likes, dislikes, lifestyle, and medical issues into consideration and WE came up with a healthy eating plan with an aggressive, but safe weight loss rate. I stuck with a 1200-1300 cal diet by choice. I could have used 1500 calories with a slower rate of loss. Yes I did fell a bit hungry and still do. To maintain I eat 1400-1500 cals and when I go over and put on a few pounds I go right back to 1200 cals and get it off. For me I also discovered that even when I ate sugary foods I still wanted more and was still "hungry" even if I ate 3000 calories of bad foods. I discovered that eating the right foods and counting calories keeps me knowing that I am not starving. I have an aggressive workout program now, but I didn't start out that way .I started a 15 mins walking on the treadmill. I now run 5-7 miles plus swim for an hour everyday and lift weights 3 days a week. The more weight I lost, the better I felt and wanted to exercise more. I also garden, do household chores, and maintain an active life.

You are AWESOME !!! Thank you for sharing.

gmallan

I find you can stick to a fairly low calorie diet while still feeling full but you have to eat plenty of foods that have a high nutritional value with low calorie counts (salad/vegggies) so that you get plenty of bulk combined with some quality lean protein and healthy fats. In my experience this doesn't leave a lot of room for processed foods or treats. If you're very good you can fit in a little treat each day but this will mean eating basically "clean" (I don't really like that term) for the rest of the day. This doesn't mean eating boring foods but you have to be creative and you'll probably have to start cooking things from scratch. Herbs and spices are your best friend. Salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, paprika, corriander, basil, rosemary...

Give this a go for a couple weeks and see if you are still feeling hungry

mebepiglet123

I hope you are to paying that nutritionist !!!! You can plan your own calorie intake, just suit to make sure you are losing at least 1lb a week..review every week or 2 .....simple as that... You can also change fibre, sugar etc in settings to suit what ou think is best...

MrsFowler1069

I am gonna have to agree with knittermom and ang108... I took a look at your diary and I am seeing a lot of fast food and pre-prepared foods on there. If there's one thing I've learned on my journey, it's that we have to teach ourselves to eat in a different manner. And part of that is learning what foods will satiate us better. I find that eating more *whole* foods (vegetables, lean meats, good fats, fruit, whole grains) is what helps us to feel satisfied. This did take me a while to figure out because I was raised not being forced to ever eat breakfast and often being allowed to eat just one giant meal a day -- most often being unhealthy Filipino foods and fast food. Eventually, your body will figure this out if you give yourself as much clean eating as possible. I'm NOT saying that EVERYTHING has to be organic and that you have to cut out fast food all together, but it definitely needs to be considered greatly. Nowadays, if I eat less nutritionally dense foods, my stomach starts talking to me in pain! No kidding at all, my birthday was this past weekend and I ate significantly less than stellar, and my body just about started cursing me out and I felt much more sluggish even if I was walking a lot and staying active. Anyway, just some food for thought! I do hope you consider these words . Good luck on your journey!

I think this is a good point. You don't have to be perfect!! But you may be able to make some simple changes in the overall quality of your food that will help you to be more satisfied and, in the long run, more successful. Good for you for seeking information!