Not getting enough calories?

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Im trying to lose about 20 pounds and so ive been going to the gym 5 time a week and eating 1200-1350 calories, but i'm finding it hard to even eat that much. Before I wouldnt eat a lot but what I would eat would be bad food. Now I eat three meals of good food and clearly it is not enough. What do I do?? I heard about starvation mode and from what I understand it takes a long time for your body to get there, but is true that you can actually gain weight because of this?

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  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
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    Boost healthy fats.

    Use more olive oil when cooking.

    Add avocado to soup, salads, sandwiches, wraps.

    Eat more nuts and nut butters.

    Get rid of low fat dairy and replace it with full fat.

    Add cheese to a meal or an extra slice of bread/grain. 1 cup of most grains are close to 200 calories, so even just 1/2 a cup would add calories to a meal without being very filling.

    You can also drink calories, milk, juice ect.

    Starvation mode is highly exaggerated around here.

    What is most likely to happen is that not feeding your body enough energy over time can cause a lot of problems including adrenal fatigue (which is pretty rare, but serious). Other side effects can be hair loss, getting brittle nails, hormonal problems, ect. While it can take awhile to get there, I don't think anyone wants to temp it.