Apparently Starving

Cheechos

Before I started watching what I eat and logging my intake on this site, I am absolutely certain that I used to consume more than 2,000 calories per day. I've always been a grazer, and I never let myself feel hungry. The first time I actually felt hungry in a long time was strange to me.

However, now that I've been eating less and trying to base my eating times around when I'm hungry, I find it difficult to get to the 1,200 calorie a day minimum. For the past few days I've been logging under 1,200 calories and the site tells me that I could be starving myself. Is that true even if I DON'T feel hungry enough to eat that many? Even when I get hungry, only a small fraction of what I used to eat fills me up. It has my friends and family worried, but I don't know if they're worrying for nothing or if I need to find a way to eat more so that I'm above 1,200.

sarahtiano

I was the exact same way when I started off. Make SURE you get at least above the 1200. If you don't you'll plateau (where I am know... and it sucks!). I didn't because I saw immediate weight loss and dropped 15 lbs in under two months, but now body body is freaking out and retaining everything because it thinks it is in starvation mode. PLEASE make sure to eat more even though it seems counterproductive. It will pay off in the end, I promise.

amymeenieminymo

Yes because not feeling hungry could actually be a symptom of not getting enough to eat. Your metabolism essentially begin to shut down because it is trying to conserve energy to hang on to the food that it does have. In fact once your body is in or near starvation mode, you can actually stay the same or even gain weight because of how your metabolism is reacting.

That's why eating breakfast is such an important meal because it helps to jump start your metabolism for the day. Drinking can be a good way to get some calories in even if you're not feeling hungry....a glass of fat free skim milk has 80-90 calories in it....nuts and seeds are also high in calories and good fats but won't fill you up a lot. I am sure others can some up with some good low volume but high calorie foods that you should be eating when you need the calories, but don't feel hungry.

monibee

1200 calories is definitely the minimum you should be consuming, especially if you're working out. If you don't eat enough calories, your body will store as much as it possibly can which will absolutely ruin your metabolism. Plus, there is no way you can get enough vitamins and minerals in your diet with such few calories.

I eat every three to four hours even if I'm not hungry. I do that to keep my metabolism up and going and I don't ever give it a chance to slow down (except for when I'm sleeping of course). I often find that once I start eating, my hunger kicks in and I'm able to finish the meal. And I didn't even know I was hungry! I have found that as I'm getting used to eating more healthily, it is harder to reach my calorie goal. Lean meats, whole grains, fruits and vegetables have way less calories than junk food. It can be challenging but by planning my meals a day ahead or that morning, really helps ensure that I know what I'm eating and when I'm eating it.

Cheechos

Thanks for the help, guys. :] I'm not including work outs in my plan at this time, but I heard it's important to eat back some of the calories that you lose after exercising (another foreign concept to me--I always thought if it came off it's supposed to stay off). I'll definitely try to look into the different kinds of foods I can eat that are higher in calories but that won't make me feel so full. I don't want to make my body angry at me for not eating enough. Haha.