Am I eating too little?

Flipomaniak

I don't eat a lot, I know technically it's too little but It seems healthy to me... This is what I ate today:

Breakfast (7 am): 2 egg whites (50 cal), 1/3 avocado (77 cal) on a piece of toast (45 cal) and half a cup of 2% milk (61 cal)

Snack (10 am): 1 medium banana (105 cal)

Lunch (1 pm): Protein shake (100 cal), 2 cups of kale (36 cal) with a cup of strawberries (53 cal)

Snack (5 pm): 2/3 cup of 2% cottage cheese (130 cal) and 5 almonds (29 cal)

Dinner (8 pm): 2 egg whites (50 cal), a multivitamin (0 cal) and an Emergen-C packet (20 cal)

This comes to a total of 756 calories...
70g of protein, 83g of carbs, and 19g of fat. People always tell me I eat healthy so I don't know who to listen to, any advice? Should I just eat some ice cream? hahaha I wish...

MB_Positif

Yes you are eating too little.

AnnJoyLee

I think that calorie-wise that is a bit too little. You may loose weight rapidly, but then eventually you will hit a weight loss plateau and begin gaining weight. Believe me, I learnt this the hard way.

Flipomaniak

ok... What do I do though? My meals seem normal to me, I'm eating every few hours and eating snacks, not skipping meals, etc...

IGbnat24

Now eat double of that and you'll be good to go.

ashleearoha

Now eat double of that and you'll be good to go.

This ^^

Omsy828

Why are your lunch and dinners smaller than your snacks!

AnnJoyLee

double that and you'd basically have a normal calorie load. Try to keep above 1200, calories.

Flipomaniak

I'm not usually hungry at night/morning so my snacks seem to be bigger...

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

If you doubled it then it would be healthy.

Healthy isn't just about food selection. It's about eating an appropriate number of calories. It's about getting enough protein and fat. It's about hitting your micronutrients. Without all those things all the kale and egg whites in the world still won't be healthy.

frood

Short answer: yes. How to improve? Maybe if you had 50 almonds. And a whole avocado. And a full cup (or two!) of milk. And maybe keep some of those egg yolks.

riness78

I have the exact problem. I do my best to eat more but never seem to be able to meet my calorie needs since I don't really have much of an appetite. I'm scared that it might backfire, since i'm trying to gain more muscle and tone up. I eat at least 1200 but my recommendation is 1800. Any tips on how I can increase my calorie intake? Or do you think I will be able to gain muscle with my 1200 calorie diet?

MB_Positif

If you doubled it then it would be healthy.

Healthy isn't just about food selection. It's about eating an appropriate number of calories. It's about getting enough protein and fat. It's about hitting your micronutrients. Without all those things all the kale and egg whites in the world still won't be healthy.

This is what I was thinking but could not articulate.

DebbieLyn63

Start by eating the whole eggs, not just the whites. Don't be scared of fats. You need them.

3dogsrunning

Why such a limited menu?
Can I ask what your plan is when you get to goal weight?
There is no need to eat nothing but egg whites to lose weight. Your "diet" is setting yourself up for failure in so many ways. Eating like that for any length of time is not going to be easy but even if you do manage to do it long enough to reach your goal, how will you transistion to maintainance. Do you plan to eat this way forever? How will you deal with holidays, family gatherings, etc?

I highly suggest reading this thread
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?


And for the love of God, please eat the yolk. Most of the nutrition of the egg is in there. With the calorie intake you are at, you can afford to.

Branstin

I have the exact problem. I do my best to eat more but never seem to be able to meet my calorie needs since I don't really have much of an appetite. I'm scared that it might backfire, since i'm trying to gain more muscle and tone up. I eat at least 1200 but my recommendation is 1800. Any tips on how I can increase my calorie intake? Or do you think I will be able to gain muscle with my 1200 calorie diet?

You will not gain muscle while eating at a calorie deficiency and certainly not on 1200 calories day. You either eat at a calorie deficiency with strength training to lose weight and preserve lean muscle tissue or eat at a calorie surplus, lift heavy weights, and gain muscle.

bevmcarthur

where are your veggies, good fats, grains,proteins other than egg whites. OMG eat the yolks they are good for you .

dgkt

If you can't fathom eating more volume, try eating more caloricly dense foods- olive oil, avocado, nuts, ect. But you should definitely up your calories. To lose weight/gain muscle, one must properly fuel their body. Look up your BMR to get an estimate of what you should eat based on your measurements. Good luck

dgkt

where are your veggies, good fats, grains,proteins other than egg whites. OMG eat the yolks they are good for you .

^THIS

ngressman

I don't eat a lot, I know technically it's too little but It seems healthy to me... This is what I ate today:

Breakfast (7 am): 2 egg whites (50 cal), 1/3 avocado (77 cal) on a piece of toast (45 cal) and half a cup of 2% milk (61 cal)

Snack (10 am): 1 medium banana (105 cal)

Lunch (1 pm): Protein shake (100 cal), 2 cups of kale (36 cal) with a cup of strawberries (53 cal)

Snack (5 pm): 2/3 cup of 2% cottage cheese (130 cal) and 5 almonds (29 cal)

Dinner (8 pm): 2 egg whites (50 cal), a multivitamin (0 cal) and an Emergen-C packet (20 cal)

This comes to a total of 756 calories...
70g of protein, 83g of carbs, and 19g of fat. People always tell me I eat healthy so I don't know who to listen to, any advice? Should I just eat some ice cream? hahaha I wish...

I think the minimum amount of calories is 1200. I would suggest adding a string cheese to your morning snack and even a handful of almonds. The two egg whites for dinner is probably another change. What about adding some fruit and toast, or a veggie? Do you feel hungry?

Chris_Pierce

Now eat double of that and you'll be good to go.

Winner winner chicken dinner

hearthwood

At 753 calories, eat your ice cream. You have to eat a minimum of 1200 calories to keep your body from going into starvation mode, which will only stall weight loss. And on the flip side of a starvation diet, your body will store new carbs as fat, making it even harder to shake the pounds and fat.

Now this doesn't mean that once you get your minimum 1200 calories in your digestive track, that you can't burn a few hundred thru exercise.

MrsTits

You haven't really eaten a proper "meal" with a diary like that...two egg whites and a multi vitamin isn't dinner. Do you not get hungry?

What are your stats...what does MFP give you as a calorie limit with it set to a 1 or 2lb loss? How much do you need to lose? What did you eat like before? How far under your daily goal are you falling? Some more info would be useful.

You seem to be missing out on an awful lot of food groups which are essential for good nutrition. Look at it this way, a child aged 1-3 should have around 1000-1200 kcals per day. You're eating less than what a toddler would/should eat.

riness78

Great advices!

Bittersweetbruises

Yes. Eating like this can also cause binges/cravings which you seriously do not want. I understand that it's just how you feel and you're happy with that but you really should try and eat more. Here if you want to talk