Is less more?

hail87666

Eating too much isn't my problem, apparently eating too little is.... Ignoring the days when I'm at work and eat little more than a handful of chocolates and a slice of toast, I just don't have an appetite! I eat breakfast and then all of a sudden it's 6pm and I think 'hmmm, maybe I should consider cooking some tea' which is invariably well balanced. On the odd occasion that I do snack, it's usually fruit. As my weight has crept up I've stuggled to see how I might possibly cut down my calorie intake any further. Is my body in "starvation mode?!" Am I making myself fat by not eating often enough?

azlady7

i would say yes. start adding in small snacks every couple of hours through the day. just like I have to be diligent to not over eat in order to be healthy, you need to be diligent to feed your body what it needs to be healthy. imho anyways

hail87666

Thanks I'm really going to have to make a conscious effort to eat more ....I just forget. I'm not at all bothered by food. Maybe I need to get some good recipes and spark an interest. Also, I wonder if it has anything to do with having an underactive thyroid (which I think is poorly managed 'cause I don't feel any better on Thyroxine) and my body is taking so long to metabolise what I do eat...

azlady7

Its definitely a thought. You should talk to your doctor about it. Sometimes you have to be consistent with the doctors to make them really participate actively in your being healthier. Write down everything you eat and show your doctor. It would be helpful I am sure to get you where you want to be. Good luck!

hail87666

She doesn't listen to me because my Thyroid Stimulating Hormone level is within "normal limits" - pffffft. It's only normal for someone not on thyroxine. It's a constant battle lol.
Anywho, I made time for some lunch today and shall continue to do so. Hopefully I'll see a result in the upcoming weeks.

CroakerNorge

Starvation mode is a myth for purposes of a western diet. It would take months of malnutrition to imbalance your body.
Meal planning goes a long way, definitely try to eat whole, filling, healthy foods, your body will thank you.
If you do, you should have no problem meeting your healthy caloric intake:

Examples (the obvious)
Whole Grains
Dairy
Fruits/Veg
Lean Proteins
Nuts/Nut Butter
Oil (Olive, Canola, Grapeseeed) & healthy fats such as avocado
Beans

MzBug

It is more like conservation mode rather than starvation mode. Between the lack of steady food intake and the thyroid issue your metabolism has slowed down. When I started MFP 3 months ago I was in a situation similar to yours. I actually had to set a timer for a while reminding me to eat something (my body never told me it was hungry). You don't have to eat full meals, you can eat 6 largish snacks thru the day if you prefer. I have found 3 meals of 300-400 cals and a snack of about 150 in the evening works best for me. I eat every 4 hours to keep my metabolism going.

The hardest thing is actually eatting that much. If you currently are eatting 800-900 per day bump it up a couple hundred and stay there for 2-3 weeks until you get used to it. Then bump it up again until you get to at least the 1200 a day. If you plan to stay at 1200 you will need to eat back most of your exercise calories too. After that you will need to tweek it to suit your needs. I do the best weight loss between 1300 and 1400 with light to moderate exercise.

Good Luck!

Saxophone96

It might be. Have you ever had those days where one day you exercise a lot and eat a little yet can't lose weight, but the next day you eat a ton but you lose weight? Try to eat 3-4 meals/snacks a day.