I work, like all the time

MarKayDee

And have a toddler and a husband and a very needy cat.

I normally, when I'm not dieting eat one meal a day, maybe a snack, if that, and always at night.

Now that I'm trying to lose the "toddler tummy" I'm trying to eat throughout the day, but even including my daily "treat" of a non water drink I am still not eating over 1200 calories.

I don't want to increase how much I eat too much, because apparently I've been in the 600cals a day range for a long time (at least the past year) and I don't want to gain weight I want to lose it. Will 1100 to 1300 calories be a good range to aim for at least initially?

Psychgrrl

I'm no expert in extreme dieting, which is what I'd call your previous 600 calorie a day plan, but I think your body is going to go through some major adjustments as you (healthily) double your intake to 1200-1300 calories a day. Your body's probably been in starvation mode for as long as you've only been taking in 600 calories a day. My understanding is, you're going to have to reset your metabolism. I'd really recommend you see a doctor, or at a minimum a nutritionist.

I think it's really important to be selective with where your calories come from. Lean protein, healthy fats and complex carbs/veggies. little fruit.

Best of luck--great that you're on your way to being healthy!

MarKayDee

That wasn't me consciously trying to lose weight, that was me being dumb putting everyone as thing before myself. At the end of the day on multiple occasions I would choose to just go to sleep instead of eating at all. At work I would catch myself saying "I'd rather spend ten minutes smoking than eating", and I would put off takin the time to make myself food until I was shaky or in pain because whatever was going on with my son or project or whatever took precedence.

My mom died unexpectedly a couple months ago and it really got me thinking about how I need to take better care of myself. My coworker/bestie and I are encouraging one another to make healthier food choices, and I'm trying to eat when I start feeling hungry. Mostly veggies and fruits (a lot of broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, bananas, and avocados), and chicken (thighs, because I like the bit of extra fat) and I'm trying to limit my pasta/potato intake to a reasonable serving of around a cup.
I joined up here because I thought I may be eating too many calories still to lose any weight, but now I'm mostly just shocked I didn't kill myself not paying attention to how I was (or wasn't really) eating since my son stopped breast feeding.

Vex3521

1200 is for sedentary... as in you sit all day and do Nothing. I know some here liken it to "coma" maintenance.

Having a toddler...... I remember next to never sitting. So activity level wise the calories don't exactly line up where they "should".

I would say you're under-eating, but I would also have to ask how are you getting your numbers. Do you weigh your foods out on a scale, or are you measuring, or just using the eyeball method? If you're not weighing you could be under-estimating what you're eating.

I'm not a doc or a nutritionist, I think Psychgrrl hit it on the nose with checking in with one of those folks

alexveksler

I would strongly reconsider your eating habits. I am not sure how long you've been on 500 cal per day diet, but I can tell you now this is not sustainable. You basically starving your body by not eating enough. I should tell you with this type of nutrition you not only losing fat, but you losing muscle tissue (not to mention lack of micronutrients your body needs (amino acids, etc...)

I beg you to take few hours and read some good posts on this site. Search for TDEE, BMI, etc... Here is a good place to start:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/848374-large-collection-of-info-for-beginners-2013-edition

Good luck with your goals. Best to you.

elyelyse

And have a toddler and a husband and a very needy cat.

I normally, when I'm not dieting eat one meal a day, maybe a snack, if that, and always at night.

Now that I'm trying to lose the "toddler tummy" I'm trying to eat throughout the day, but even including my daily "treat" of a non water drink I am still not eating over 1200 calories.

I don't want to increase how much I eat too much, because apparently I've been in the 600cals a day range for a long time (at least the past year) and I don't want to gain weight I want to lose it. Will 1100 to 1300 calories be a good range to aim for at least initially?

I can't tell by your photo but...if you were really eating only 600 calories a day for the past year, you would be very very skinny and you would be too fatigued to run around after a toddler.

BrainyBurro

And have a toddler and a husband and a very needy cat.

I normally, when I'm not dieting eat one meal a day, maybe a snack, if that, and always at night.

Now that I'm trying to lose the "toddler tummy" I'm trying to eat throughout the day, but even including my daily "treat" of a non water drink I am still not eating over 1200 calories.

I don't want to increase how much I eat too much, because apparently I've been in the 600cals a day range for a long time (at least the past year) and I don't want to gain weight I want to lose it. Will 1100 to 1300 calories be a good range to aim for at least initially?

I can't tell by your photo but...if you were really eating only 600 calories a day for the past year, you would be very very skinny and you would be too fatigued to run around after a toddler.

^ this. most people who don't log or don't weigh their food or only log half-heartedly tend to underestimate their calorie intake by a lot!

step #1: start logging everything accurately and honestly. everything! and weigh your foods if you have to.

you can't plan step #2 until you have the information that comes from step #1.

Psychgrrl

I realize it wasn't intentional, no judgement here, but I think your body won't know the difference of intent. It's been starved and even though you didn't mean to, it will still need to recover.

I'm really glad you've recognized this and want to take better care of yourself!

DjinnMarie

Mom of three here. And like you, more often than not I wouldn't eat until dinner time, and even then not that much. I did this for over two years, and could not figure out why my weight was creeping up. Then my non eating habit got worse when my husband deployed.

I started working out, and eating MORE. You have destroyed your metabolism. The only way to repair it is to eat. I know this is debatable, but once I started eating more, and more often (every 3 hours, even if I wasn't hungry) I started dropping the weight. Even I would roll my eyes when people would say you need to eat to lose weight. Anorexics don't eat and lose weight, right? But for me, anecdotally speaking, eating every 3 hours, even if its an apple or cup of yogurt, helped me lose the weight and gave me back much needed energy. (not to mention my mood is elevated now. I didn't realize how down in the dumps I was)

Grab quick, no prepare snacks. Yogurt, apples, grapes, pre-hard boil some eggs. Nutrigrain bars, Low fat cheese sticks. Whatever you can grab and go. Keep an apple in your purse at all times.