Struggling to eat enough calories

spiceonfire69

I’m not a big eater and always have struggled to eat more than once a day. I’m now eating healthier food and more of it plus lots of cardio but I’m struggling to eat enough calories. Feeling frustrated as I want to lose 15-20 pounds but I can’t get enough calories into me

BarbaraHelen2013

There’s an undeniable irony that you have weight to lose but say you’ve never been a big eater, can’t eat more than once a day, struggle to eat enough calories?

If those statements were true you’d not be looking to lose weight. If you’ve put on weight it’s because you’ve been taking in more energy in food than your body has burned in daily life over a period of time.

What sorts of food were you eating before you decided to lose weight? What have you changed that to now? Somewhere in the answer to those two questions is probably the starting point to finding a solution.

PKM0515

What are your current height and weight?

NovusDies

If "healthier" food is causing you to eat much less it is not "healthier". Most of what you need from food is calories and energy. The answer is to mix some nutrient dense food in with some calorie dense food until you can modify your habits more.

kshama2001

spiceonfire69 wrote: »

I’m not a big eater and always have struggled to eat more than once a day. I’m now eating healthier food and more of it plus lots of cardio but I’m struggling to eat enough calories. Feeling frustrated as I want to lose 15-20 pounds but I can’t get enough calories into me

Well, for starters, while under-eating is unhealthy, it is not going to prevent weight loss. Are you mistaken about "starvation mode"? https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

Regarding your appetite, there could be several things going on here:

How long have you been trying to lose weight and what is your weekly weight loss goal? People new to MFP often make logging errors that cause them to be eating more than you think.

1. If, after 5 weeks of logging (throw out the first week) your average weekly loss is not what is anticipated, you too are eating more than you think.
2. People who radically change how they eat may have decreased appetite for a little while. If short term, not a big deal. If it persists, eat low volume, high calorie food like peanut butter, nuts, butter, cheese, etc.

CaitlinELaird

spiceonfire69 wrote: »

I’m not a big eater and always have struggled to eat more than once a day. I’m now eating healthier food and more of it plus lots of cardio but I’m struggling to eat enough calories. Feeling frustrated as I want to lose 15-20 pounds but I can’t get enough calories into me

I have been dealing with the same thing, so you are not alone. I’m not much of an eater, I just have a job where I sit on my butt all day and the food I do eat is crap. 🤣 I have been starting to make healthier choices and finding it difficult to meet the minimum calorie requirement without feeling too full and gross at the end of the day. I’ve kind of learned to eat something sweet at the end of the day. They add calories to my count and save me from binging on everything sweet in the fridge.

I don’t know if that will help or not, at least until you find a good balance. If you need anything, please feel free to message me.

missysippy930

How did you become overweight if you can’t eat enough calories? Seems to be a dichotomy here.

To Gain weight = eat more calories than your body burns

To lose weight = eat less calories than your body burns

To maintain weight = eat the same amount of calories your body burns

Simple facts.

Jackie9003

To respond to some of the comments, not being a big eater doesn't necessarily mean that you eat a little. One meal a day could be one that is high in calories and the rest of the day could consist of sugary drinks and /or snacks, throw a very sedentary lifestyle into the mix and it's easy to gain.
Suddenly swapping the one meal to something less calorific and cutting sugary drinks could result in a perception of eating the same amount of food but then not hitting the calories.

OP ensure you're logging accurately, weigh properly rather than guess or use the default cup measurement.
If you are in fact not to getting enough calories try adding in some denser foods as suggested. Or try to add in a few more nutritious snacks throughout the day if you can't eat a proper meal.
Losing weight is simple in concept but hard work in practice.

callsitlikeiseeit

if you are not losing weight, you are eating more calories than you think you are. no one gets in a position where they need to lose weight by not eating enough.

learn how to accurately and consistently log your food.

nighthawk584

very rare that you can gain 20 lbs by not eating ENOUGH calories? just sayin...

Orphia

Perhaps you are eating only leafy salads and/or things you don't actually like.

"Eating healthy" does not mean punishing yourself.

Eat things you like, and which don't make you feel bad.

If you like burritos, have them. If you like pasta, have some. If you like roast chicken and potatoes, have some. Eat lots of veggies too. Include treats in your diet so you don't feel deprived and want to quit everything.

Best wishes, and hope to see you feeling less worried soon.