EATING WAY TOO FEW CALORIES- WHAT TO DO?

bcattoes

Hey,
SO for the last couple of months I have been dieting and not eating that much so my appetite has naturally shrunk. Now I eat 5 meals a day but I am only eating 500 calories a day.... which i know is way to little. I feel so full though. For breakfast I usually have like a half a cup of oatmeal with some sort of fruit on the side. For lunch I usually have something like a fourth a cup of tuna, a yogurt and a vegi. For dinner its always different but usually like a serving of meat and two servings of vegis. Does anyone have any suggestions of how to eat more calories but stay healthy?

Add a little healthy fat (olive, canola, peanut, sunflower, etc. oils) to your meals. Just a spoonful will add over 100 calories and fat is necessary for proper body function. You only list 3 meals in your example.

wildcata77

That's awful. Just eat more. Seriously. That's all there is to it. You should be getting three times what you are now.

Wow, it's so easy to spot the snarky ones here.

Meh, someone's gotta be the realist in a sea of sugar-coaters. :drinker:



EDITED TO ADD: I actually take back the snark in this instance. Turns out OP is brand spankin' new. I thought she'd been here since January and was purposely under eating despite knowing better. Sent her an apology for being a butthead via PM. I know when I'm wrong and this is one of those times. Welcome again, OP. Glad you're getting healthier.

It's ok...I like snark. Sometimes I even have it in me. Glad you are an apologizer.

kellykaye_xo

Bump

Thanks for the great info, Ladyhawk!!!

Chronic lack of appetite can be a signal of severely decreased metabolism. A couple of threads that may help:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/175241-a-personal-view-on-exercise-cals-and-underfeeding

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

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/230930-starvation-mode-how-it-works

As for how to increase cals in a healthy way:

Planning is key. Focus on balanced macros (protein/fat/carbs) in each meal/snack. Start with making sure to eat at least 3 meals a day. Breakfast is important when you're trying to overcome a habit of irregular eating or underfeeding. Once you've adjusted to that, add in snacks. Then, gradually increase the amount of cals in each meal/snack. Just 50 cals more for each meal/snack adds up. If you know you'll be working out, increase cals throughout the day.

If you're not feeling hungry, a good way to increase cals without much volume is healthy fats from natural oils (olive/canola), nuts and nut butters (almonds, pistachios, walnuts), and avocados. Also, I would stay away from "low cal" or "low fat" options. Partly because you want to increase cals, and partly because those foods are usually processed and not nutrient dense, and the cals or fat they take out is replaced by sugar (real or substitute) and sodium - not a good trade off. 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. Eating more will truly help your metabolism, and your appetite will increase with it.

ladyhawk00

Bump

Thanks for the great info, Ladyhawk!!!

Chronic lack of appetite can be a signal of severely decreased metabolism. A couple of threads that may help:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/175241-a-personal-view-on-exercise-cals-and-underfeeding

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

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/230930-starvation-mode-how-it-works

As for how to increase cals in a healthy way:

Planning is key. Focus on balanced macros (protein/fat/carbs) in each meal/snack. Start with making sure to eat at least 3 meals a day. Breakfast is important when you're trying to overcome a habit of irregular eating or underfeeding. Once you've adjusted to that, add in snacks. Then, gradually increase the amount of cals in each meal/snack. Just 50 cals more for each meal/snack adds up. If you know you'll be working out, increase cals throughout the day.

If you're not feeling hungry, a good way to increase cals without much volume is healthy fats from natural oils (olive/canola), nuts and nut butters (almonds, pistachios, walnuts), and avocados. Also, I would stay away from "low cal" or "low fat" options. Partly because you want to increase cals, and partly because those foods are usually processed and not nutrient dense, and the cals or fat they take out is replaced by sugar (real or substitute) and sodium - not a good trade off. 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. Eating more will truly help your metabolism, and your appetite will increase with it.

Quite welcome, glad it helped :flowerforyou: