How the hell are you all eating so little?!

kjoy_

how tall are you? i am short, petite and have a desk job and i sustain on 1300 calories just fine, rarely am i hungry after my goal, but if i am i eat a snack. it doesn't have to be so black and white and you do not have to be hungry while losing weight.

Veil5577

Water. That's what keeps me eating at 1200 and under.

Oh, being broke helps too. :embarassed:

trishfit2014

You are nursing which means you need to eat. 1800 calories seems low to me. I nursed both my babies and at the 6 month mark I dropped a lot of weight. I did for each of the growth spurts (which are like every 3 months). Eat more, make sure you are getting enough sleep and water. This time is so short try to not worry too much about the weight...you are not overweight but I understand the desire to get back to your normal weight.

dlionsmane

I am currently 5 7" and weigh between 145-153, depending.

when I went to calculate this for you I got this notice:
Please Note!

Women who are underweight, or did not gain sufficient weight during pregnancy should NOT be using such a calculator.

at 5'7" and 145-153 you are w/in your healthy body weight. Maybe you shouldn't be in a deficit right now at all?

Hornsby

I eat 1200
















for breakfast.

Rose6300

I am currently 5 7" and weigh between 145-153, depending. Its frustrating...I am fluctuating between 1800-2400 cals. Which explains that bouncing. I may be more active than I realize. I am chasing after a toddler a lot, lol...I don't know-I am beginning weights but my workouts are super sporadic-like 1x or maybe 2x a week lately-and they only last 30 minutes tops...and I have done ONE HIIT workout since I started these goals, at a mere 30 min., so really, any activity must be just usual daily living.

I am 5'7'' as well and 150 is my target weight. I don't know what else you want to loose. You just have the right weight. Regarding your hunger in relation to nursing. You may don't eat enough solid food as other have stated. Most of your intake is in liquid form and may doesn't last as long as more solids. Also, maybe upper it for 100-200 calories.

Adding just more protein may cause your child discomfort. My son was sensitive to the milk protein I produced and when ever I uppered my protein intake he had digestive problems. As you know, everything you eat reflect in your milk supply as well.

The beauty of freedom of choice is choosing what weight you want to be. That's great you're happy at 150, but maybe you're more muscular than OP, or maybe you're happy carrying a few extra pounds of fat. Your chiming in telling her what she should weigh isn't helpful.

hellicia

I just joined about a week ago. I thought it was going to be really hard to eat so few calories. I hate feeling hungry! However, there are a lot of low calorie foods that actually fill you up.

Flatbread with flax and oat bran is pretty filling. I would definitely recommended trying this. I eat a piece of flatbread with some turkey and tomatos and lowfat shredded cheese. Yummy and filling!

You are welcome to add me if you would like, and you can look at my food journal and see how much I eat in a day while still under my calorie limit.

I would also suggest, make your goal within reach, once you can achieve it on a regular basis, you can adjust your goal to lose more weight. I am starting with just 1/2 lb per week and I plan to change it to 1lb per week in a few days!

cwolfman13

What's wrong with that? Your losing weight, that's the goal yes? Success. Not everyone eats only 1,200.

To boot, many who are shouldn't be either...

OtekahSunshield

I'm also a nursing mom. I have myself set to lose half a pound a week which puts my calorie intake up to almost 1800. I add in breastfeeding for the day at ~500 calories as an exersice and I eat back those calories. Doing this has helped me a lot.



Edited for a derp moment.

patrickfish7

I clock 1800; I couldn't do 1200 really. I'm always active and my body needs the food. I tend to break my day down into three parts with 6am to midday being the largest @ 1000 calorie limit. 800 calories left with 400-500 from exercise gives me a bit to play with without feeling like it was worthless. The fact I run three times a week and also lift three times a week also means I can afford to me a little less strict.

AliceDark

I get super hungry about an hour after lunch and crave carbs and have to fight hard not to eat a slice of bread.

Getting really hungry very soon after eating is a sign that your macro balance during that meal was off. Carbs aren't bad for you! Everyone has a different macro balance that suits their body the best -- some people just need more carbs than others, and that's totally fine. Try eating a slice of bread with lunch and see if that fixes it.

You remember back in the 1980s when fat was the devil, and all you saw was "low-fat this" and "non-fat that"? We're going through that with carbs right now, and it's just as silly as the fear of fat was back then. If your body is telling you it wants carbs, try eating some carbs and see how you feel.

rachelrb85

Where did you get 1800 from? I heard to allow yourself an additional 500 calories for nursing, so that would net you at 1300 which is a bit low. Not sure what your weight loss goal is but maybe you set it too aggressively?

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

Also, drinking your calories through dinner might not be the best way to keep you full. Try some other food high in protein instead of 2 protein shakes... maybe eggs, cheese, chicken, beef, nuts, etc. You can also try increasing your activity so you can eat more. Take the baby for a walk in the stroller! Log the activity and eat back your calories.

yopeeps025

Fruits and veggies. Protein powder and chicken breast.

danaf694

I'm 5'7" as well and my target weight is around 147....I think anything lower than that would be extremely hard to maintain (for me at least). Also, those shakes are a waste of calories and money in my opinion...they never kept me feeling full for very long at all. I've been eating a lot of cereal or yogurt with fruit for breakfast, chef salads and grilled chicken salads for lunch and then a fairly decent sized dinner and I've been staying at or under my calorie goal.

menosmas

I have a very difficult time feeling satisfied with my allotted calories also. (I'm supposed to stay at 1200) A workout friend I made at school who is majoring in nutrition advised me to eat most of my carbs in the morning and only whole grain carbs. Her theory is that if you don't have easily accessed carbohydrates for your body during the day when you are active, your brain tells you that it is starving. I am not the best at dieting (emotional eater) but when I follow this advice, I do feel so much better through out the day.

Zekela

I'd die eating under 2000 cals. I could do it for a couple of days, but the third day I'd die. I'm 100% sure of this fact.

ShibaEars

I don't have kids, so I don't have experience with nursing or anything, but I could easily eat about 2000 calories a day. I have no idea how people stay at or below 1200. I struggle to keep mine between 1500-1600 - however I do like to snack at night, so that doesn't help my numbers lol. (I'm 5'2", about 130 pounds)

JoRocka

I eat 1200
















for breakfast.

I could sht 1200... I get very cranky with people who say they struggle to reach 1000. I can easily eat that in one meal- if not two if I'm being generous and spreading it out.

I'm very comfortable with being hungry -and I feel like I'm dying around when I am anywhere under 1500. Right now I"m aiming for 1600 with eat back- and I'm hungry CONSTANTLY.

One of the reasons I'm happy working out is because it means I get to come home and make a big vat- yes vat of eggs... large side of bacon. onnomnomnom

love me some food.

could I do less than 1200- yes- am I happy- hell no.

parkscs

I eat 1200
















for breakfast.

I could sht 1200... I get very cranky with people who say they struggle to reach 1000. I can easily eat that in one meal- if not two if I'm being generous and spreading it out.

I'm very comfortable with being hungry -and I feel like I'm dying around when I am anywhere under 1500. Right now I"m aiming for 1600 with eat back- and I'm hungry CONSTANTLY.

One of the reasons I'm happy working out is because it means I get to come home and make a big vat- yes vat of eggs... large side of bacon. onnomnomnom

love me some food.

could I do less than 1200- yes- am I happy- hell no.

Damn, only 1115 calories for my breakfast. I'm slacking.

I wouldn't say I'm comfortable being hungry - quite the opposite, in fact. That's why I go out of my way to cut in a way that leaves me satiated pretty much all the time, even if it means I restrict certain foods. I suspect I'd struggle a lot more with cutting weight if I was going hungry, but then again everyone's got their preferences.

I'm with you though on people who "struggle" to eat more than 1000 calories. Unless they're following a very restrictive diet, I'm skeptical that they're really struggling to eat that much food.

WalkingAlong

I think the people who struggle to hit their target are probably ones who spent a long time shutting out their bodies' fullness signals and now they're listening and it comes across too 'loud', until they learn to dial it in. It seems like the effect lasts a couple weeks then goes away.

I love when people crow about the size of their breakfast. I want to know how many people who take pride in their big calorie numbers also drive big trucks or play loud bass. :laugh: