Not hungry!

samvanz

I'm having a lot of trouble reaching my calorie goal. I've been reading a lot of here about how important it is to get as close to your calorie goal as possible, so I've been trying. But each day I peak out at around 1000 calories - I'm just not that hungry!

I'm eating healthy breakfasts, usually porridge and fruit with a coffee, lunches of soups or sandwhiches, and dinner varies, always around 350cals or under. I have two snacks during the day, most of the time - a piece of fruit or some rice crackers.

I'm not hungry - my meals and snacks fill me. What can I do to boost my calorie intake in a healthy way?

LuluGirl140

I have the same problem! I binged today because I kept reading about how important it is to eat back your exercise calories. Now I feel horrible. I'm always under my calorie goal by at least 200 calories, and I am eating every 2 hrs. I hope someone can help!

mericksmom

Put avocado slices in you sandwiches to add a healthy fat and cals into your meals. I also read on MFP that people say add peanut butter to a sweet sandwich or just eat a table spoon and possibly a protien shake or some milk could be other options.

I wish you the best, but I hope you get some great advice by others too.

Amyshirelle

I've been trying to fill my extra calories with Chobani Greek Yoguarts and the Planters snack packs. It's been working. You have to train your body to be hungry. I know it sounds crazy, but it took me about 3mths to get used to eating every two hours or 1.2 hrs and make myself hungry.

amandanzgirl

I'm the same sometimes, but when it's more of a 'treat' snack at the end of the day I seem to be able to manage it, lol. I like airpopped popcorn or a few bikkies (keeping under calorie goal) to finish the day off with.

lizzys

that sure is not me i"M allways hungry meat will put you over your cals fast i'''''''''''''''''''''''i stop weight watchers and started dr atkins because it helps curb my eating alot better not as hungry

Lleldiranne

I'm having the same problem right now. I'm pregnant, so supposed to be gaining, and I'm just not hungry. If we go out I get close to my calories, but that's not the best option for nutrition, really.

Do make sure to take a multivitamin. Eating that few of calories means you're probably missing nutrients in there somewhere. It's hard to get everything on so little.

ladyhawk00

Planning is key. Increase each meal/snack by just 25-50 cals - it adds up. And focus on nutrient dense foods - not just low cal. Try to get a balance of protein/fat/carbs in each meal/snack. If you're not feeling hungry, a good way to increase cals without much volume is healthy fats from natural oils (olive/canola), nuts (almonds, pistachios, walnuts), and avocados. A fruit smoothie, protein shake or chocolate milk are good cal boosters, because drinking cals can be easier than eating when you aren't feeling hungry.

Typically, it may be hard for a few days or a week, but your body will adjust to the increased intake and you'll find it isn't an issue for long.

Also, might help to read this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/231636-the-eating-when-you-re-not-hungry-dilemma

natskedat

I've been trying to fill my extra calories with Chobani Greek Yoguarts and the Planters snack packs. It's been working. You have to train your body to be hungry. I know it sounds crazy, but it took me about 3mths to get used to eating every two hours or 1.2 hrs and make myself hungry.

I love this!

wonnder1

You know, I got this way by not listening to my body when it was telling me to stop.

I know the reasoning behind the whole eat your calories thing. But I'm just going to listen to my own body. I was 400 under today. But I feel good, I feel full. I haven't hit a plateau yet, so I'm just going with what feels right to me right now.

pauljsolie

I have found myself consistently under my required calorie intake by 400 to 500 calories. I'm supposed to be getting 1850 but usually force myself over 1300 just so I don't get the red nasty message "you are eating too few calories..." I will drink a whey protein shake to make up some ground.

ladyhawk00

You know, I got this way by not listening to my body when it was telling me to stop.

I know the reasoning behind the whole eat your calories thing. But I'm just going to listen to my own body. I was 400 under today. But I feel good, I feel full. I haven't hit a plateau yet, so I'm just going with what feels right to me right now.

I understand what you're saying, and maybe it's working for now. You stil have a lot to lose, so you might be able to get away with it for a little while. This isn't really directed at you, because I hear this a lot. So just some general things for anyone in this position to think about:

Why is it easy to understand we shouldn't listen when it tells us to eat 5 donuts. But so hard to understand that we shouldn't listen when it tells us to undereat, as well?

It takes time to retrain our bodies and minds to eat the right amount of healthy food. Poor eating habits aren't just eating too much - eating too little, eating irregularly, skipping meals and eating the wrong ratio of macros are all habits that will contribute to an unhealthy weight and poor body composition (high BF%). And going from too large of an intake to too small of intake messes with us psychologically. It doesn't really teach better habits - it just trades one bad habit for another. And it makes it harder to go through the necessary transitions when losing weight.

It can take weeks or months to re-regulate the hormones that control appetite, especially in someone who is very overweight or has had particularly bad eating habits. Yes, we think of it coming from our heads, and some of it does. But overeating (or undereating) is essentially a hormonal imbalance. That imbalance may be initially started by mental processes (need for comfort, anxiety, etc) but once the imbalance is in place, you really can't trust any of the cues your body gives you for a while, because the system is simply broken. And it takes time to fix it.

dcmat

I have the same problem! I binged today because I kept reading about how important it is to eat back your exercise calories. Now I feel horrible. I'm always under my calorie goal by at least 200 calories, and I am eating every 2 hrs. I hope someone can help!

Don't worry about eating back your exercise cals - if I did I would need to eat 2500 extra each week day & 3800+ on a Saturday