I need to eat MORE calories?!

steephx0x

I'm 5'10. I'm 145 pounds and my goal is 135. My highest weight was 165. As you can see in my diary, I eat 600-700 calories a day. Now before you attack me telling me to eat more, I KNOW. I'm just not hungry. And I'm picky. I get full really easily.

I used http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ to find out that I should be eating 1900 calories a day. How?! I don't think I can. I'm also a little scared, I don't understand how eating more makes me weigh less. I also have no idea what to eat. I don't eat red meat and I don't like fish or rice (unless in sushi).

Can you give me suggestions on what to eat and when! I'm so confused

I exercise every day, I do a mix of light strength and cardio and tend to burn about 400 calories.

SugaryLynx

Well, prepare for the broken record eat more! It's not really about losing weight, as it is about losing fat, right? Well, ideally that has to come from fueling yourself. 700 calories will not do at all. You're risking long term damage to your vital organs by sustaining low calorie amounts like that. Avacado, nuts, do you eat cheeses, yogurt, etc? Add oil to your cooking, drink some of your calories if you have to.

healthygreek

You need professional help before you do serious physical damage to yourself!
Your diary made me so sad and frightened for you.
I read back to the beginning of May and only one day had over 1000 calories.
A lot of days had around 600-700.
No veggies, little fruit, little protein.
You are destroying every vital organ in your body including your heart, bones, muscles etc.!
Please see a doctor.
No one can help you here if you are not willing to nourish yourself.
Please confide in someone you trust and go to a doctor.

Graelwyn75

If anyone 'attacks' you, it is because they are concerned to see a fellow human being destroying their health.
You might not think you are hungry, but I can assure you, your body most definitely is hungry.
Why aim for a goal weight, if your goal is not also health and fitness? It is about much more than a scale number.
I am 5'10 also, 133Ibs, and eat over 2000 calories a day with my workouts, sometimes closer to 3000.
Going the way you are going, you are going to basically erase all your muscle, leaving a saggy mess of loose skin and fat because you are not doing things the right way.

I suggest you increase your calories by 100 a week, which should be perfectly manageable, incorporating things like Greek yoghurt, sweet potatoes, peanut butter, nuts, seeds, oatmeal, vegetables, avocado, eggs, cheese and if necessary, drink some of those calories in the form of smoothies or shakes.

If you find you cannot do this by yourself, then I would echo what others have said and seek professional help.

WLG1974

Avacado has a lot of calories. Nut's and seeds do as well.

Maybe you can try to incorporate those types of things to raise your caloric intake a little bit more.

I know from experience that eating too little has a lot of negative effects on my body. My hair falls out, my nails get brittle, I can't sleep at night, I get cold easily, I'm pale looking. There's just a ton of issues when not eating enough. I don't know if you experience those things or not but if you do be sure to try to eat more.

Be Well!

steephx0x

Okay. I usually wake up at 10, and then tan by the pool/swim for two hours. After I go to the gym and will either run 2 miles or do a video from T25 or Jillian micheals 30 day shred or random free weight workouts. Some days I have work so the schedule changes a little. Can anyone write out a day of what times and what meals I should be eating? I know you all aren't nutritionists but I'm completely lost about this.

liftingandlipstick

What everyone else said, x10000. As for WHAT to eat: ditch the Quest bar (I know, I love them, too) for 2 slices of toast with peanut butter. You'll get about 100 more calories, and probably actually be LESS full. I know that sounds weird, but, for me, Quest bars will fill me up for hours. I can go an entire work day on a Quest bar and a string cheese.
Stop using "fat free" products. The full fat ones are way tastier, and will up your calorie count.
Try adding a banana to your cereal.
Add bacon or turkey to your morning bagel. 2 slices of bacon will set you 100 cals and you won't even feel the difference in fullness.
Butter the heck out of your muffins.
Have a fudgesicle for dessert. Again, you won't feel fuller, but it's creamy, dreamy and delicious!
A few of these changes each day will easily bump you up a few hundred cals. You tend to eat the same things often, so add one or two and eat it for a few days until you get used to it. Then add another. And repeat.

minusonali

Hi, I used to eat 400-600 cal in a day. It was sad, I thought i wasn't hungry but it was my head doing all of it. I have had an eating disoreder for two years. I ate nothing and i got super sick all the time, felt dizzy and weak. I hated it so much. About a year ago I stated slowly add more food in. I went from a 400 cal to 1,200 and now at 1,400 sometimes more. I eat pretty healthy and I let myself have a piece a cake or chocolate I just limit myself. Trying adding food in slowly! Maybe eating a bigger breakfast.

steephx0x

Does tomorrow look better? I know oatmeal isn't the best dinner option but I have work at 5 and won't get home until 11 probably. I also I know everyone said ditch the low fat cream cheese and quest bars but I don't wanna throw out any food. If anyone has suggestions for groceries I'll take them!

BuoyantSoul

I'm wondering why at your height and weight you are seeking to lose more and are eating at a dangerously low calorie intake. I am not a professional but this seems like disordered eating, possibly anorexia. Have you consulted with a doctor? Like someone else said, you need professional help if you find you can't feed yourself properly. The people on these message boards can't help you with the problem that you have. It's far more serious than that.

You don't need to lose weight - it seems like you may need help with your relationship with food and your body. This is self-destructive behavior and indicates that you aren't caring for your body properly.

It's no joke, you are slowly destroying your organs, and mostly your brain. Serious, permanent, debilitating brain damage occurs when you don't consume enough calories and fat for an extended period of time. A relative of mine suffers severe dementia and is in a nursing home in her 30s because of anorexia. She can no longer care for herself and has no memory of her loved ones. It's heartbreaking. The worst part is, up until she began to suffer severe symptoms she felt "fine" and even did some sports and seemed healthy. Most people didn't know she had an eating disorder as she didn't look like how people imagine anorexics look. But by then the damage had already happened, and since then she's been on a decline. Nobody knows how long she has left to live or how her quality of life will be.

I don't think people realize just how serious starving yourself can be. Even if you don't die, even if you feel "fine", you aren't. Your body is is breaking down. One of the first symptoms is a constant feeling of "fogginess" or inability to concentrate on a regular basis. My own doctor told me this is a symptom of your brain not getting enough nutrients. I myself have a heart arrhythmia as a result of an ED. Fortunately in my case no serious damage was done and if I care for myself from now on, I should be okay.

Please get the medical help you need. I repeat that we on here cannot help you in the way that you need. We care and want to see you succeed in being healthy. I think you need to be really honest with yourself about the real issue here.

ETA: In the meantime, my suggestion for adding more healthy, quick, easy calories and nutrients to your diet is to use nutritional shakes. They can really help. A lot of people use shakes in recovery because they're not as filling and they are nutrient- & calorie-dense. Plus they're easy and quick to make and you can drink them everywhere - like while driving or at work or whatever. Don't use the weight-loss ones as they are too carb-heavy. Try to get the ones like Ensure.

steephx0x

I know I am in the healthy weight range, but I'm just not happy with my appearance. 135 is still in the healthy weight range for my height. It's not that I hate my body, I just think I could improve it. And my stomach and thighs are flabby, I want a six pack.

healthygreek

I know I am in the healthy weight range, but I'm just not happy with my appearance. 135 is still in the healthy weight range for my height. It's not that I hate my body, I just think I could improve it. And my stomach and thighs are flabby, I want a six pack.

If you don't understand that you can lose weight eating the proper amount of DIFFERENT foods, there is nothing more to be done on this thread! You should be eating 1900 calories for your height and weight and you will still lose in an intelligent way.
If you need more attention go seek it elsewhere!
How many people have to tell you that what you are doing is dangerous????
I believe your brain is already affected from your lack of adequate nutrients.
Good luck.
ETA-you will never get a "6 pack" eating the way you are!
You need lots of protein, veggies and fruits of which there is virtually none in your present diet.

misschoppo

I'm 5'10. I'm 145 pounds and my goal is 135. My highest weight was 165.

I eat 600-700 calories a day. I'm just not hungry. And I'm picky. I get full really easily.

I also have no idea what to eat.

How did you get to your highest weight of 165 if you are naturally picky/get full easily and rarely feel hungry?

More likely you are severely restricting your intake and have maybe been doing so over a long enough time that you are at a point where your appetite is much decreased.

If you weighed 20lbs more than you do now previously, you must have been eating more at that time? So what did you eat then & why don't you reintroduce some of the foods you might have cut out? If you were eating things you don't want to reintroduce, then try adding vegetables/fruit/nuts/seeds/nut butters/avocados etc and just increase the variety of stuff you are eating, the more colourful and varied the better. At least if you are still not eating a huge number of calories, you can try to increase the variety.

If you genuinely feel at a loss as to how and what to eat and you acknowledge you are consuming far to few calories but don't know how to change your eating habits, I really would seek advice from a medical professional or dietician.

misschoppo

How did you get to your highest weight of 165 if you are naturally picky/get full easily and rarely feel hungry?

Just to add before any one takes it the wrong way, 165 was not overweight for your height in the first place. I'm basically just saying if you were able to be / maintain that weight previously before deciding to lose, you must have been eating more than you are now at that time.

GillianMcK

I know I am in the healthy weight range, but I'm just not happy with my appearance. 135 is still in the healthy weight range for my height. It's not that I hate my body, I just think I could improve it. And my stomach and thighs are flabby, I want a six pack.

You really won't want to hear this, but you probably need to gain weight in the form of muscle to help with you're stomach and thighs, go to the Gaining Weight forum and check out what the guy's and girl's there that have 6-packs eat, they sometimes do struggle to hit their calories because they're eating in excess of 4000 calories.

Take nuts with you to work to snack on, you want to try and find calorie dense food, so nuts, avocado, full fat greek yogurt (stick with it, I hated it at first but love it now), are you vegetarian or can you add meat to your meals (I eat chicken constantly).

As I said above though, if you go to the gym to start lifting weights to tone up, you will gain muscle that will increase your weight, but it's muscle so you will look better (weight is just a number, there are lots of other factors involved in being healthy).

JoRocka

eat more.

Whatever it takes- 600 calories is NOT ENOUGH.

oreos'
ice cream
chicken
veggies
smoothies
beer
pizza
cheese burgers
snickers bars
milk
bacon eggs
cheese
nuts
avacado


if you feel like you are eating 600 and making you full- eat higher calorie foods that are less filling.

when you are trying to fill your calorie goal- and struggling- what you eat is less important than how much you get in to your system.

165 for 5'10" would be a great weight.

I also might suggest breaking up with your body scale for a few weeks and concentrate on tangible goals like getting a better lift- or making a faster run time. Fueling your body for success will help you mentally get past the idea of eating to little.

And seeing someone professionally would really go a long way as well. I think everyone should see a therapist- it was one of the best decisions I made- and I regret not going regularly now.

lalee93

It sounds to me like one of two things. 1) You have an eating disorder of some sort (although, I am in no way qualified to diagnose such a thing). 2) You have the completely wrong idea of what you need to be doing to achieve your goal.

If you have an eating disorder, please seek professional help. There is nothing those of us on MFP can do to help (other than support you), if that is the case.

If you want a six pack, at your weight, I doubt eating less is the answer. I have seen many ladies post that their greatest successes have come from heavy lifting to build muscle, which requires much more fuel than you are putting in your body at the moment. It seems to me that ultimately you are wanting to build muscle, which will give you a six pack and help firm your thighs, and that simply can't be done with 700 calories a day.

I looked at your diary. I believe there are some simple changes you could make to help yourself out. Instead of bagelthins, try whole bagels. Use some peanut butter on those bagels. Add more protein powder (I've never used protein powder, so I don't even know if that would be tasty, but it would add calories and nutrients). Actually cook some food (i.e. chicken, beef, pork). Use some oil to cook that food (easily adds plenty of calories). Have a splurge day and go crazy on whatever your favorite food is. Within just a few days of eating higher calories, your hunger signals will return.

At the beginning of my time on MFP, I completely misunderstood how to eat. I thought I could only eat grilled chicken breast and green veggies, as silly as that sounds. I was trying to stay away from fat and carbs and I kept wondering why I was always coming up so short on my goals. I understand, if you are having that same kind of confusion. After many days of eating around 1000 calories (and I was 270 lbs), I no longer felt hungry and felt like I was stuffing myself. For some reason (I think I went out with a friend and we had a cheeseburger), I got my calories up and began to realize I actually felt much better that way. Then, my normal hunger pangs returned and I was able to listen to my body. Maybe the same would happen for you.

I am in no way a professional, and I am still trying to figure this whole thing out for myself. I wish you luck on your endeavors and hope that you are able to find some different habits soon. I think you will look back and be much happier once you do.

steephx0x

How did you get to your highest weight of 165 if you are naturally picky/get full easily and rarely feel hungry?

Just to add before any one takes it the wrong way, 165 was not overweight for your height in the first place. I'm basically just saying if you were able to be / maintain that weight previously before deciding to lose, you must have been eating more than you are now at that time.

College! Drinking and pizza. And then id be lazy or busy going out and skip the gym.

steephx0x

I know I am in the healthy weight range, but I'm just not happy with my appearance. 135 is still in the healthy weight range for my height. It's not that I hate my body, I just think I could improve it. And my stomach and thighs are flabby, I want a six pack.

If you don't understand that you can lose weight eating the proper amount of DIFFERENT foods, there is nothing more to be done on this thread! You should be eating 1900 calories for your height and weight and you will still lose in an intelligent way.
If you need more attention go seek it elsewhere!
How many people have to tell you that what you are doing is dangerous????
I believe your brain is already affected from your lack of adequate nutrients.
Good luck.
ETA-you will never get a "6 pack" eating the way you are!
You need lots of protein, veggies and fruits of which there is virtually none in your present diet.

I didn't understand so I asked for help. I'm not exactly willing to pay however much it costs to go to a nutritionist, and I would much rather hear advice from people who have experienced this or something similar. I understand NOW it's dangerous but I just posted this thread yesterday. I go grocery shopping on the weekends, so I'll be shopping for better choices. I can't just throw out all the food I have now.

stealthq

Adding my recommendation for heading to the Gaining Weight forum and asking for advice.

If you want a six-pack and to be nice and firm, only adding muscle to your frame will do that for you (based on your description of yourself). You need to build some, which means you need to make progressive weight training your exercise priority, and eating a surplus of calories with a good macro breakdown your dietary priority.

Seriously, 600-700 cals? I'm surprised you haven't passed out with the exercise you do by now.

SoreTodayStrongTomorrow222

I'm 5'10" and I weigh around 170. A few years ago I was down to 137lbs - I looked deathly ill. Bones sticking out everywhere - my hips, my back - someone told me I had Flamingo legs - I couldnt even set my phone on my lap because it would fall on the ground I had a thigh gap THAT big. And I thought I could lose more... I think maybe you're in the same position? You're telling yourself you're not hungry because you've set a goal and have managed the willpower to control yourself. But just so you know and what I've learned is that it's not healthy.... get back to a normal weight - 155 would probably be perfect if you put some muscle on. I went a little too far in the other direction as I'd prefer to weight a bit less BUT I am way happier at 170 than I ever was at 137 and thats because I am happy with myself - love handles and all.

Looking at your diary - you're not getting the nutrients or calories you need and your body is probably burning muscle for fuel - so even if you get down to 137 you're gonna be "skinny-fat" because there is no way you can build muscle on 700 calories a day. Anyway, hope you know you are fine the way you are - you DO NOT need to lose anymore weight

KeepGoingKylene

What everyone else said, x10000. As for WHAT to eat: ditch the Quest bar (I know, I love them, too) for 2 slices of toast with peanut butter. You'll get about 100 more calories, and probably actually be LESS full. I know that sounds weird, but, for me, Quest bars will fill me up for hours. I can go an entire work day on a Quest bar and a string cheese.
Stop using "fat free" products. The full fat ones are way tastier, and will up your calorie count.
Try adding a banana to your cereal.
Add bacon or turkey to your morning bagel. 2 slices of bacon will set you 100 cals and you won't even feel the difference in fullness.
Butter the heck out of your muffins.
Have a fudgesicle for dessert. Again, you won't feel fuller, but it's creamy, dreamy and delicious!
A few of these changes each day will easily bump you up a few hundred cals. You tend to eat the same things often, so add one or two and eat it for a few days until you get used to it. Then add another. And repeat.

^^this!!!

_HeartsOnFire_

I know I am in the healthy weight range, but I'm just not happy with my appearance. 135 is still in the healthy weight range for my height. It's not that I hate my body, I just think I could improve it. And my stomach and thighs are flabby, I want a six pack.

If you don't understand that you can lose weight eating the proper amount of DIFFERENT foods, there is nothing more to be done on this thread! You should be eating 1900 calories for your height and weight and you will still lose in an intelligent way.
If you need more attention go seek it elsewhere!
How many people have to tell you that what you are doing is dangerous????
I believe your brain is already affected from your lack of adequate nutrients.
Good luck.
ETA-you will never get a "6 pack" eating the way you are!
You need lots of protein, veggies and fruits of which there is virtually none in your present diet.

I didn't understand so I asked for help. I'm not exactly willing to pay however much it costs to go to a nutritionist, and I would much rather hear advice from people who have experienced this or something similar. I understand NOW it's dangerous but I just posted this thread yesterday. I go grocery shopping on the weekends, so I'll be shopping for better choices. I can't just throw out all the food I have now.

I don't think you have to throw out the food you have now. I think you have to just eat a lot more of it. You definitely are not fueling your body properly for your workouts.

You won't get the body you want by not eating food. You need to look into body recomposition.

psych101

You don't need to throw out any food. Just eat more of it!

Honestly, your period has stopped. You need to talk to a doctor and eat more.

brianpperkins

Based on your other posts .... GET PROFESSIONAL HELP!!!!

ForeverSunshine23

Drink juice, milk and protein shakes, liquid calories count.

uchube

You need professional help before you do serious physical damage to yourself!
Your diary made me so sad and frightened for you.
I read back to the beginning of May and only one day had over 1000 calories.
A lot of days had around 600-700.
No veggies, little fruit, little protein.
You are destroying every vital organ in your body including your heart, bones, muscles etc.!
Please see a doctor.
No one can help you here if you are not willing to nourish yourself.
Please confide in someone you trust and go to a doctor.

agree ^. really.

jennifer_417

It sounds like you have at least the beginnings of an eating disorder...you should consider getting some help.

SixteenthOfJuly

1900 is enough.
2000 is the maximum amount for an adult woman.

BuoyantSoul

1900 is enough.
2000 is the maximum amount for an adult woman.

This is patently untrue.

It depends on your size and activity level and what you are trying to achieve (weight loss, gain, maintenance, etc.) Extremely active people often need up to 3000 calories a day and more if they are doing athletic training. You have to calculate specifically for your own needs. There's no magic number that's good for everybody.

For me to maintain my weight it's 2100 calories a day, which is what I consume, and I'm an adult woman. If I maxed out at 2000 a day I'd be losing weight. At my most active I consumed up to 2800 per day and was extremely lean.

paperpudding

1900 is enough.
2000 is the maximum amount for an adult woman.

Rubbish - I am maintaining at 1710 and I don't do much exercise and I am not quite 5ft 4 in tall and I am 50 years old.

Many adult women are taller, younger, more active than me .

I find it very hard to believe no adult women need more than 300 calories more than me.