food on the brain

emilyhultin
emilyhultin Posts: 38 Member
edited November 27 in Food and Nutrition
quick question for everyone. i find myself thinking about food a LOT during the day, and sometimes it distracts me from other things. thinking about it just makes me more hungry, so i need tips on how to stop thinking about food constantly!

little insight into my diet:
1200 calories or less per day
don’t eat dairy or gluten
try to avoid added sugar
run every day (sometimes twice) and lift weights 3x a week

Replies

  • DragonHasTheSapphire
    DragonHasTheSapphire Posts: 184 Member
    Yes, the advice above is my advice also. If you're exercising, especially daily, you will need to eat some of those calories back, and make sure you get a decent amont of protein to retain some muscle.
  • emilyhultin
    emilyhultin Posts: 38 Member
    pinuplove wrote: »
    You appear to be eating far too little. Do you eat back any of your activity calories? Are your food restrictions necessary due to health issues or just by choice? My guess would be you have food on the brain because your body is trying to tell you it's hungry. My tip would be to eat.

    i don’t eat the calories back, usually i have 500-600 calories remaining on an average day. i do try to fit a good amount of protein in my diet though. this is my choice; i really just need to lose some weight before cross country starts so i can run faster.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    What are your stats? When MFP gives you a goal you're expected to eat your exercise calories back to fuel your body. 1200 calories is already an awfully small amount, and even more so when you're running.
  • Cbean08
    Cbean08 Posts: 1,092 Member
    If you are going to choose to eat that way, then you are choosing to accept the side effects. With that much activity and that little fuel, your body is going to be hungry, and it is going to regularly send you signals to feed it. You can expect irritability, headaches, fatigue, urge to binge/overeat, and a preoccupation with food.

    You'll definitely lose weight, but this isn't the only option. How much weight do you have to lose? What's the deadline? And, what happens if you don't lose that amount of weight?
  • KeepRunningFatboy
    KeepRunningFatboy Posts: 3,055 Member
    With respect to Emily, there might be a few caution flags here, and that’s just because I’ve been there many times. Obsession with food, a low calorie diet, counting calories, and weight loss for cross country. Could I encourage you to possibly talk to a coach, or nurse or trusted adult just to make sure you stay healthy physically and mentally?

    Here’s the thing, obsessing about food might be your subconscious minds way of protecting you from over dieting. It might be your own selfs way of saying you need more nutrition and or fuel.
  • emilyhultin
    emilyhultin Posts: 38 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    What are your stats? When MFP gives you a goal you're expected to eat your exercise calories back to fuel your body. 1200 calories is already an awfully small amount, and even more so when you're running.

    mfp has me at 1490 calories per day, not counting exercise.
  • emilyhultin
    emilyhultin Posts: 38 Member
    Cbean08 wrote: »
    If you are going to choose to eat that way, then you are choosing to accept the side effects. With that much activity and that little fuel, your body is going to be hungry, and it is going to regularly send you signals to feed it. You can expect irritability, headaches, fatigue, urge to binge/overeat, and a preoccupation with food.

    You'll definitely lose weight, but this isn't the only option. How much weight do you have to lose? What's the deadline? And, what happens if you don't lose that amount of weight?

    i need to lose like 10 more pounds before fall. then i run faster.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    emilyhultin wrote: »
    malibu927 wrote: »
    What are your stats? When MFP gives you a goal you're expected to eat your exercise calories back to fuel your body. 1200 calories is already an awfully small amount, and even more so when you're running.

    mfp has me at 1490 calories per day, not counting exercise.

    Age, height, weight?

    If 1490 is your goal, that is what you should be eating after exercise.
  • emilyhultin
    emilyhultin Posts: 38 Member
    19, currently 130, 5’7
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    Why are you aiming for such a low weight, is that going to be sustainable for you? For your stats 1200 is way too little especially if you aren't eating back any exercise cals.. no surprise you are hungry. I am the same height, 10lbs heavier and typically lose around 2400 (including exercise). Not saying you need to go that high but your current intake sounds like a recipe for disaster.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    eating too little and not being able to fuel your workouts can cause you to become weak,possibly pass out and injuries can happen. not a good idea. with only 10 lbs to lose its going to be slow going and its not safe to eat so little with so little to lose. you arent going to run faster if you dont have the fuel or the lean mass to do so,eating too little causes lean mass/muscle loss. if you arent eating enough then how are you getting enough protein in?

    1200 calories is for someone who is very short,sedentary,elderly or a combo of the 3. you are probably none of those. so your goal is 1490.you are eating 1200 or less which is lets say 290 calories less you are not eating,add in the 500-600 you have left you have an 790-890 calorie deficit on top of the deficit you already have that MFP gave you.so are you saying you are netting like less than 500 calories? if so you are basically starving your body. not a good thing to do at all. keep things up at that pace and by fall you may land yourself a trip to the hospital
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Has your coach approved of your plan? Is there a nutritionist/dietitian in the athletic department that can help you out?
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    If I ate as little as you do with that many dietary restrictions, I'd be constantly thinking about food, too.
  • Cbean08
    Cbean08 Posts: 1,092 Member
    emilyhultin wrote: »
    Cbean08 wrote: »
    If you are going to choose to eat that way, then you are choosing to accept the side effects. With that much activity and that little fuel, your body is going to be hungry, and it is going to regularly send you signals to feed it. You can expect irritability, headaches, fatigue, urge to binge/overeat, and a preoccupation with food.

    You'll definitely lose weight, but this isn't the only option. How much weight do you have to lose? What's the deadline? And, what happens if you don't lose that amount of weight?

    i need to lose like 10 more pounds before fall. then i run faster.

    Okay. I get it. I'm a runner, and yes, I run faster when I'm leaner. But, I run even faster when I'm properly fueled. The point is to win, right? You'd be better off eating more so you have more energy to train harder. Or, you can spend all summer dieting on very few calories so that you workouts suffer and you lose muscle and stamina.

    Work hard at your sport. Your body will follow suit if you train right and eat to support your needs.
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