being stuffed but eating only 800 calories

SpiritBunny

Has anyone had a long term eating disorder (if just eating 800-1100 calories qualifies) and want to eat more but your body just feels full when you eat more?

I'm trying to eat more and did for a few days eating 1400 a day and I feel bloated when I eat. I can't use the 'I'm full' as a gauge because I'm finding it really hard to eat 1400 nevermind the 1800-2000 I should be eating. Do you eat fat just to get the calories you need?

I have pcos and fibro so the advice may be different for me in terms of metabolism.

WillLift4Tats

It's super easy to bump up your calories with not too much bulk. For a few examples, saute your veggies in olive oil, add some peanut butter to your yogurt, protein shake, or toast, handful of nuts, sprinkle cheese on something. These are things I cut back on when I don't have the calories for it, trust me, they add up fast with very little bulk. Even drinking a juice, or adding a glass of wine to dinner can help :drinker:

lavendah

Well,I've never been in your situation but : the body takes time in adapting to any such change,and you should let it..Increase your intake slowly,don't force yourself to change your eating habits on an immediate basis..
And ofcourse,foods with more calorific density will help.Doesn't mean that you should stuff yourself with unhealthy fats though.
I think drinking 2-3 glasses of whole milk can really help in increasing calories in healthy manner and it won't make you that full either.You can add sugars and whatever flavours you like!

AliceDark

Lack of appetite can be a side effect of restricting your intake -- the fact that you're eating that few calories can be causing you to not feel hungry. The good news is that if you can stick with a higher intake consistently for a relatively short period of time, your appetite should respond appropriately and you'll likely start feeling hungry again. Try eating 1400, every day, for a week or two and see how you respond.

You're right to think that you shouldn't trust your hunger cues. People with histories of abnormal eating patterns, especially if you restrict, have a lot of practice ignoring hunger cues and very little practice correctly interpreting them. You're not getting adequate nutrition at 800-1100, no matter how hungry/not hungry you feel. You need a balanced 1400 calories -- if you eat 800 calories of food and another 600 of butter (or whatever other fat source), that's not helpful.

(Note: this is just general advice -- I don't know how PCOS or Fibro affect your metabolism. Those specific questions should be directed toward your doctor).

freddi11e

avocado.

ruthejp13

I feel that eating and dieting can be a catch 22. I love not being hungry and having energy at 800 calories. When I'm eating 1250 calories I feel like I get much hungrier and have to refrain from eating 2000 calories. When I do eat 2000 calories, I gain weight and feel tired all the time.

I think what is important is getting all of your vitamins and mineral naturally. I don't feel guilty eating too few calories as long as I am getting 100% of my calcium, iron, B vitamins and other nutrients that MFP doesn't track.

Your problem could be drinking too much water. Instead, try replacing your water quantity with soup. It will keep you hydrated without feeling bloated.

WanderingPomme

I feel that eating and dieting can be a catch 22. I love not being hungry and having energy at 800 calories. When I'm eating 1250 calories I feel like I get much hungrier and have to refrain from eating 2000 calories. When I do eat 2000 calories, I gain weight and feel tired all the time.

You know what, I feel the same!!! I feel better at 800 calories sometimes than when I feel the *need* to eat 1,200. It's like I'm forcing myself to and when I do, I end up waaaay over 1,200. Sometimes twice or three times as much. Horrible, I know.

hlm711

Its hard (recovered from Anorexia myself, only to relapse over winter and getting weight up currently) but I've been progressively increasing over last couple of months. Its very important to keep increasing both the bulk AND calories. Calories are initially the priority so your body can start recovering and healing, but at some point you've got to become comfortable eating larger volumes of food again,
YES it can be uncomfortable, I've experienced bloating/gas/ bowel problems which have lasted for days,but its only when you 'push' through this that it gets easier. Trust me it does get easier to eat more-just trust yourself and your body!

SuperstarDJ

Yes! I've been in recovery many times, and initially, any increases leave me feeling so full and bloated. Even increasing my fluid intake can do this.

I was told it was partly psychological and partly physical. Our digestive systems slow right down and, in the early stages of physical recovery, it can take food up to four times longer to pass through our digestive tract than a 'normal' person. If you're consistent with your nutrition, that will improve though. You just need to push through it though - there's no quick fix. We often produce less digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid too, which makes food digestion harder, therefore increasing the feelings of fullness. Constipation - which is very common in EDs - doesn't help either.

However, it might be worth checking it out with your doc as it can be a sign of other underlying problems.

Snow3y

If I eat 800 calories in 1 sitting then sure

SezxyStef

Hunger is not a good indicator of what the body needs....if you are eating below 1k calories you are missing massive amounts of macro and micro nutrients...

There are lots of ways to up calories...

Full fat dairy
Oils
Avocadoes
treats like chocolate, ice cream, pie etc
Peanut butter..I mean 15g is 90 calories...15g is not a lot
Nuts like almonds etc

Heck if I ate 800 calories and needed to get in another 700...hello large ice cream...

girlie100

If you have been eating 800cals for a long time then switched to 1400-1600 then you will get bloated, same as someone that eats 2000cals regularly and then doubles their cal intake bloating is gonna happen.

Up your calories slowly to allow your body to allow your body to adjust to the increased volume and also ensure you have adequate fats for hormone support

Zekela

I don't get it... one does not put on weight by eating 800 cals... How did you gain the weight you are intending to lose on your 800 cal diet? I'm not trying to be a **** but I really don't understand!

Anonycatgirl

I don't get it... one does not put on weight by eating 800 cals... How did you gain the weight you are intending to lose on your 800 cal diet? I'm not trying to be a **** but I really don't understand!

She's posted this in the "gaining weight" section. The lady's trying to figure out how to eat again after skirting an ED. I've had the same thought when someone who's trying to *lose* is having trouble eating a reasonable amount, but in this case, someone's dealing with a real issue, not "I've filled up on celery and naked popcorn because I thought I should and now I have no room for actual food."

SpiritBunny

Thanks for everyone's input. It's good to hear other peoples viewpoints

One thing I should clarify is that I'm a vegan so many of those options are dairy that definitely more calories but they aren't vegan.I don't want to go that route unless I must, Nuts/avacado's are expensive on a limited budget. I also would like to be mindful of the cheap oils that are high in omega 6 that hurts the omega 6/ 3 balance.

@Zeklea

I want to long term loose weight but my 'ultra low caloric intake' 800 calories when it should be 2200 calories has turned my body into a slug and I ended up plateauing at 191lbs @ 33%bf. I've been told to eat more at least a 1000 calories more and as will try and slowly work up to it. Getting fatter (literally) isn't helping anything but I guess I have to come to terms with 'teaching' my body that I'm not actually trying to starve it.. let go of the fat stores already!

Dragonwolf

Thanks for everyone's input. It's good to hear other peoples viewpoints

One thing I should clarify is that I'm a vegan so many of those options are dairy that definitely more calories but they aren't vegan.I don't want to go that route unless I must, Nuts/avacado's are expensive on a limited budget. I also would like to be mindful of the cheap oils that are high in omega 6 that hurts the omega 6/ 3 balance.

Whether you answer this here or not doesn't really matter, but at least consider this question -- what are your reasons for being vegan? More precisely, are you vegan because of your eating disorder and/or a possible symptom of it?

What I mean here is that eating disorders have psychological roots, and sometimes it has to do with control. Typically, it's with amount ("Look how much control I have, I can eat only 500 calories and be fine"), but sometimes it's also with what you choose to eat ("Look how much control I have, I can live off only this list of foods"). It may be hard to admit if it is because of your ED, but dig deep and think hard about the real reason why you're vegan.

If it is because it feeds your ED tendencies, or even if it's just because you were told that being vegan is healthier, then I highly recommend rethinking it, especially since you're not eating enough and you're reluctant to spend the necessary money to eat calorie-dense vegan food. It sounds to me like you're at high risk for nutrient deficiencies on several different fronts, which isn't helping your cause. So, either you need to find a way to get the money to buy the calorie-dense vegan foods, or start eating meat again. (Regarding the idea that vegan is healthier, nutritionally - it's healthier than the standard American/western diet, yes, but that's not a high bar. Minimally processed meat, such as standard butcher cuts, are not inherently unhealthy. Being vegan takes effort and investment to get the proper nutrients to be on par with other whole foods based diets.) Regardless of your reasons, you need to eat more calorie-dense foods, one way or another.

birkona

For me, it really depends on what I am eating. If I eat bread all day (which never happens,) than I get extremely full and feel bloated all day. I usually keep my carbs in the morning only, and 100% whole wheat, usually toasted.

It might depends on what you are eating.

lilawolf

Up slowly. Like 100 cals a day each week. Dried fruit, trail mix, nuts (habanero bbq almonds are my current favorite but I love pistachios and cashews as well), whole milk (chocolate or white), chocolate, full fat ice cream or gelato, avocados, cheesecake, cheese, wine/beer/beverage, olive or coconut oil......

GBrady43068

Thanks for everyone's input. It's good to hear other peoples viewpoints

One thing I should clarify is that I'm a vegan so many of those options are dairy that definitely more calories but they aren't vegan.I don't want to go that route unless I must, Nuts/avacado's are expensive on a limited budget. I also would like to be mindful of the cheap oils that are high in omega 6 that hurts the omega 6/ 3 balance.

Whether you answer this here or not doesn't really matter, but at least consider this question -- what are your reasons for being vegan? More precisely, are you vegan because of your eating disorder and/or a possible symptom of it?

What I mean here is that eating disorders have psychological roots, and sometimes it has to do with control. Typically, it's with amount ("Look how much control I have, I can eat only 500 calories and be fine"), but sometimes it's also with what you choose to eat ("Look how much control I have, I can live off only this list of foods"). It may be hard to admit if it is because of your ED, but dig deep and think hard about the real reason why you're vegan.

If it is because it feeds your ED tendencies, or even if it's just because you were told that being vegan is healthier, then I highly recommend rethinking it, especially since you're not eating enough and you're reluctant to spend the necessary money to eat calorie-dense vegan food. It sounds to me like you're at high risk for nutrient deficiencies on several different fronts, which isn't helping your cause. So, either you need to find a way to get the money to buy the calorie-dense vegan foods, or start eating meat again. (Regarding the idea that vegan is healthier, nutritionally - it's healthier than the standard American/western diet, yes, but that's not a high bar. Minimally processed meat, such as standard butcher cuts, are not inherently unhealthy. Being vegan takes effort and investment to get the proper nutrients to be on par with other whole foods based diets.) Regardless of your reasons, you need to eat more calorie-dense foods, one way or another.

^ This

jenmom2myboys

Avocados are not expensive. You can get them for a dollar or less and one can last a few days if you are adding it to salad, etc. We get a bag of almonds which lasts more than a week for 7 dollars but pb is cheaper and you can add that to fruit or just eat a spoonful.

DavePFJ

Peanuts are cheap. Buy a 10 pound bag and eat the whole thing. You gotta eat big to get big!