Nutritionist suggested 1300 cal leaves me feeling starved
Replies
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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.0
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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.0 -
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!0 -
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.0
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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.0 -
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.0 -
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.0 -
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 hungry0 -
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...0
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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!0 -
Not too sure if this has been said, as I didn't look through all the replys but if you keep eating at 1300 you will literally send your body into starvation. Your body needs AT LEAST that (probably at least 1500/1600) to just function and if you eat at a deficit of that much for a sustained period of time, you will shut down. Not to mention feel like absolute *kitten*. I also used to think eating at that amount was healthy and right and what I needed to lose weight but it just stresses your body. If you're starving - eat. Just make sure it's healthy choices and watch portion control. Your body has hunger signals for a reason.0
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May I suggest that you buy a pedometer to see how many steps you are actually getting in without that extra 30 minute walk? You may be getting less than you think. 10,000 steps a day is the standard guideline which is very difficult for most people to accomplish without a dedicated 30 minutes of exercise. I myself take at least one 30 minute walk a day and many times two. It's also very meditative and you may enjoy it more than you think. You may find it replaces your need to relax with a glass of wine, which will also save you calories. If you have company with you, enjoy the time to catch up with them. If you are alone, take some headphones with you and listen to music or a book on tape. Start slowly and work your way up. Take that glass of wine with you on the first few walks if it encourages you.
Also, I can't say I disagree with people's comments about fast food. Back when I used to eat it, it would never fill me up as much as fruits, vegies and whole grains I eat now. If the mornings are rushed for you, start out with small changes that are easy. There are some healthy granola bars out. A batch of steel cut oats cooked on the weekend will last all week. Fruit is easy to eat on the run. My standard breakfast is plain greek or bulgarian yogurt with fruit and about 6 walnuts or almonds.
I think the main thing your nutritionist missed (or you are glossing over :-/) is what you are eating, not the amnt of 1300 calories.0 -
I have a healthcare background, so I know that being a CNA is a very physical job and working in a nursing home is not easy. You probably are not consuming enough calories on the days you are working. Can you try increasing it some and plan/cook your meals in advance? If you are working long shifts, planning your meals and workouts in advance would probably help.0
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Lowering your daily calorie intake makes you think about food. A lot. Thinking about food a lot makes you hungry. And since your body just loves all that fat you’ve been feeding it all those years it now wants to hold onto it, and it is going to resist against your plans. If you fight it, you’re going to lose.
You can’t blame your body though, it doesn’t know you are just trying to shed a few pounds. It might actually believe you’re starving and so tries to protect you from your ignorant self (or in your case: your ignorant dietician). Your mind knows better, but that one just plays along with your body. It’s a pact. So blame your mind? Maybe, but then again, the poor little thing is just victim to all kinds of bodily processes that are a result of your deficiency: cortisol exhaustion, adrenal fatigue, metabolic imbalance. You name it.
So if you’re not going to win by fighting, what to do? Join it? No. Then what? The answer is simple...
Trick it!
Yup, you heard right. You must trick your body into believing nothing weird is going on. It will make you feel a hell of a lot better too, and the absence of food stress will even boost your results!
Most dieters get it all wrong. They think: the less I’ll eat, the more I’ll lose. Ha! Just read the zillion posts about failure on this forum. “Eating 1200 calories and not losing.” “What am I doing wrong?” “I’m about to give up” “I don’t get it anymore” “How come I’m on this plateau?” And then you’ve got the poor souls who write comments like “Eat less” “Exercise more” “It’s water weight, don’t worry” and my favorite: “You’re probably gaining muscle”.
Your own dietician probably belongs to this last group. Start by throwing him and his method overboard and start tricking your body. It has helped me to perfectly keep my weight for a year now, so something must be right about it. I’m never hungry. I can go to McDonalds, Pizza hut, KFC. I eat ice cream, chocolate, snickers. I refuse to have my body or mind control me, but I control them. Yes, just be a devious trickster!0 -
I feel like I have a lot of muscle because I feel solid, but the body fat test say that I'm at 40% body fat, and I am not very large, just heavy. I have always been much heavier than I look though, so I am not sure of those tests.0
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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!
& check out Scooby! http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/0 -
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.
I would take advice from this woman and
yes, totally AWESOME!!!0 -
Register at caloriecount.com, and sign up for the newsletter. It's not as good a site as this one, so do your logging here, but I've gotten some great recipes and information from the newsletter.0
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It is no wonder you feel like you are starving and don't feel like you have the energy to walk....look at your food diary. You are eating complete crap food. You might as well load up all the change in your pockets and just eat out of a vending machine.
This is what your day looks like so far:
Mcdonald's - Sausage Mcgriddles
Mcdonalds - Medium Coffee, 1 Cream, 4 Sugar, 1 container (Coffee..that's fine but 4 sugars?)
Generic - Bottled Water x 3 (About the only good choice for the day so far)
Ritz Bits - Cheese Snack Package, 1 oz. (Would be great for a snack...but oh, wait, that's actually your lunch?)
Hershey's - Special Dark Miniatures, 1
Hershey's Miniatures - Assorted Bag - Mr. Goodbar, Krackel, Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate
Lifesavers - Hard Candy - Variety, 2 candies
You can't honestly look at that and even remotely think that this is ok and the problem must be with your nutritionist.
Fill your day up with quality calories instead of this crap and you will find you will have a ton more energy and not be hungry at all. Why the hell would you spend money on a nutritionist if you are still going to eat half your meals from McDonalds?0 -
Its always better to go to bed while hungry than being full.0
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Also keep in mind that what you eat is also an important factor. Try substituting a meal or snack that is high in fats with one that is more nutritionally balanced. It's never easy losing weight no matter you're situation, age, or how much you want to lose. That's why it's great we have a place like this so we can all help each other out not matter what. Hang in there, it'll get easier.
ditto. Add lots of fruits and veggies and drop off some of the high calorie foods that have little substance. Try choosing more unprocessed and unfried foods to your diet.0 -
what your nutritionist should have done is tell you to start eating healthy foods. why she instead suggested you go on a low-calorie diet is beyond me. you can easily eat more calories than that, you just have to eat better. more fruits and vegetables, less mcdonalds.0
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Also keep in mind that what you eat is also an important factor. Try substituting a meal or snack that is high in fats with one that is more nutritionally balanced. It's never easy losing weight no matter you're situation, age, or how much you want to lose. That's why it's great we have a place like this so we can all help each other out not matter what. Hang in there, it'll get easier.
Yes what one eats is important, but promoting lowering fat is BAD advice, unless you meant canola, soy, trans fats. Our bodies NEED fat (far more than 30%) and fat promotes satiety. And yes, losing weight can be easy, speaking from experience (I said "easy" not "fast"). If anything should be lowered it would likely be sugars and processed grains-assuming the OP is following a "balanced" Standard American Diet.
OP: You definitely need to eat more since you are very active, and even if you weren't. Unfortunately most nutritionists are following the status quo of "calories in, calories out" and have very little understanding of metabolism. The body is far more complex than that and under-eating is detrimental to health. Even if you lose weight in the short term it would likely not be sustainable. Yo yoing is more damaging than just staying a bit over-weight.
I know I'm replying to this late but I've been very busy lately. I know how important fat is to a diet and didn't mean it quite so literally. It was just very late when I wrote this and I poorly worded it. Sorry about the confusion.0
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