Worried I'm not getting enough calories

chottyyoung1

Ok, so I am eating when I am hungry and eat enough to fill me up. I get a little through out the day. Some days I eat more than others. I am always below calorie count, but do not want to eat anything else, and feel like its kinda dumb to eat more to "fill up" the calories.
I could always drink beer to get there, but that seems kinda dumb to (not that I would mind at all).
Am I screwing myself by not having enough? :huh:

chottyyoung1

And my weight loss is steady and I feel great. I just read a lot of posts saying things like its bad for me...
I am so confused! :embarassed:

melsinct

I have no idea how little (or how much) you are eating daily. If you go to your account settings and make your food diary public, that would help. Eating well under your calorie allotment here and there won't hurt. However, consistently not eating enough day after day will mess with your metabolism. You may notice yourself suddenly not losing anymore and you'll stagnate (aka the plateau). This is just really general information though, as it is hard to say without knowing your stats (height, weight), activity level, or your daily calorie intake.

chottyyoung1

I just made it public

I am 5'6, about 245. I work out everyday except Sunday

busyPK

Based on your diary, you aren't even netting 1200 calories daily and you should at least NET that number imo. Try to add some calorie dense foods to your menu like almonds, cooking with extra virgin olive oil (120 calories in 1T!) and peanut butter. Or get some protein powder and make a protein shake. Don't eat food that is empty calories just to get to your daily calorie goal though - make the food you do eat nutricious!

cPT_Helice

You need to be at at least 1200 cals a day. Simply eat more. If you are actually full or can't figure out what to eat, have a protein bar or a shake or add in a little more in t he servings of what you are eating. I didn't look through weeks back but for the past week, I would say, up your carbs some. Breakfast would be a good place to start. Have some cereal or multigrain toast with what you are already eating. Toss on a tablespoon of nut butter and I agree to start using olive oil. Health oils are important every day.

melsinct

I agree with others, you definitely need to eat more. Take yesterday, where you only ate 800-odd calories. You could have added a protein to dinner (lean meat with your salad). Add dressings to your salad- some olive oil and vinegar would up the calories nicely. Add avocado to your salad. Eat some whole grains- put your vegetables in a whole grain wrap or have a slice of whole grain toast with a table spoon of peanut butter. A yogurt is a nice snack and will get some more protein in there. Or add an egg or two to breakfast.

The reason you need to eat more is there is no way your body is getting the fuel it needs on 800 calories a day. You need to learn how to fill it with good, calorie dense foods (healthy oils, nuts, nut butters, avocado, etc.). Your body will thank you!

AngelEyes127

1200 calories is the absolute minimum a person should have. If you go below that, your body will begin to go into a starvation mode and begin storing fat and not metabolizing it properly. The weight you end up losing will end up being muscle and you will begin to store fat. A lot depends on your height and weight. I'm 5'6" and weigh 153 and my calculated daily calories is 1260 (that's with being sedentary). Also, if you can start off by eating a breakfast that is high in protein in the morning, within 30 min. of waking, that should help control hunger. It could be that you're not getting enough protein. I was in the EXACT same situation you were in when I first started...I was afraid to go over the calories, but you can't be. You're body is telling you something when you feel hungry. If your stomach growls, try drinking water. Make sure you're getting your water in. Try to make it a goal to get in the full 8 8oz. Since I have increased my protein and water intake, I've been staying within my caloric intake and have lost weight and not felt that hunger. I feel satisfied all the time. Did you let MFP calculate your calories? You may want to try to adjust the amount of weight you are looking at losing per week to allow you a few more calories each day. I hope this helps. Feel free to friend me if you'd like.

chottyyoung1

Thanks so much for all of the positive suggestions! I am going to definitely use this info you all have given me and not be scared to eat. I know it took years for me to get this way, its going to take time to get it off to.
I just love this site, and thanks so much for the help!

psuLemon

In reality, you should not be eating any less than your BMR. That is your metabolic rate and eating less calories than that will increase the chances of slowing your metabolism. Also, that is the amount of calories your body needs to function properly. 1200 is an average of a large sample of people. My wife, who is 5'2" and 130 lbs only has a metabolic rate of 1280 calories while a person like myself who is 5'11 and 200 lbs has a metabolic rate of 2080 calories. This means, I need a lot more calories than my wife due to the amount of lean muscle mass.

Also, when it comes to long term success, it is critical that you reduce the amount of muscle loss that occurs. And eating too few calories (or creating large deficits), increase the amount of muscle you burn. So yes, 800 calories is too little. You need to fuel your body. I would recommend using the tool below (or the BMR calc in the tools tab) to figure out what your BMR is and eat around that number.


http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

psuLemon

ps- here are some useful threads. They both show people who eat more and lose more weight. And if you want to have a body like an athlete, that means eating and training like one.



http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/395881-people-who-lost-weight-eating-more

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/395948-caloric-intake-results?hl=caloric+intake+results&page=1#posts-5425208

wvbuckeye

I will tell you this much. I am newer to nutrition, but it seems that everyone says that you have to eat to lose. I eat small meals all the time! Every three hours all the time. Keep the meals small and healthy. You would be amazed how im never hungry. Would I love a pizza? SURE! I'd rather be with the family down the road more though! I know you got it in you to make it! I simply took the amount of calories that MFP gave me and designed around that. go with it and have fun. Dont look at this as a DIET. I dont know about you but DIETS SUCK! Im having fun being succesful! Good Luck!

morgthom75

Ya, you need to eat more. With your stats, and your activity level, you don't need to worry about eating too much. Try to get at least over 1200, and shoot for MFP's recommendation. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Slow weight loss is healthy weight loss. Also, I'd suggest starting to lift weights. Heavy weights. That combined with your amount of cardio and the pounds will just start melting off. But...... you gotta eat plenty to fuel and build those muscles. Just gotta be dedicated and committed for the long haul.