To Many left over calories ?

natyts
natyts Posts: 89 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
:smile: Its only my second week on MFP , and i am loving it

However im on 1200 calories a day Its lunch time again and i am not hungry

im struggling to use a vast amount of them (unless its weekend and i have a few glasses of wine :wink: ) and especially if i earn extra through exercise ( which i VERY RARELY use )

My appetite seems to be vanishing Fast .

Just wondered if anyone else was the same and if really eating to little can hinder your weight loss ???

Replies

  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Plan your day ahead of time and eat whether you're feeling "hungry" or not. Your body needs fuel and nutrition. If our brains only sent hunger signals at the right times, none of us would have become overweight... or underweight.

    Please read this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/521480-1000-calories-or-less-a-day

    And this one: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/494091-i-just-don-t-care-anymore
  • cherylastone1
    cherylastone1 Posts: 37 Member
    :smile: Its only my second week on MFP , and i am loving it

    However im on 1200 calories a day Its lunch time again and i am not hungry

    im struggling to use a vast amount of them (unless its weekend and i have a few glasses of wine :wink: ) and especially if i earn extra through exercise ( which i VERY RARELY use )

    My appetite seems to be vanishing Fast .

    Just wondered if anyone else was the same and if really eating to little can hinder your weight loss ???

    I am sort of in the same boat - although I get 1900 calories. I am doing great - I think I am not as hungry anymore because when your calories are limited, you really make choices that make every single calorie count. So I am eating more protein and hardly any "junk" that gives me a quick burst of energy and then fizzles out. I end the day, after exercise, with calories left - sometimes 400-500. I am learning to try to eat some of those back to make sure my body gets what it needs. I want to lose slowly and healthfully - so 1# a week is what I am set at. Even if I exercise and eat those calories back, I'm still going to lose, as long as I don't exceed my allotted calories. AND ... it's nice knowing you can have a treat every day! And LorinaLynn is right, if we ate only when we were hungry, we wouldn't be overweight or underweight. Most of us who overeat do it because of every reason BESIDES being hungry!
  • sailorsiren13
    sailorsiren13 Posts: 460
    my big problem with eating my calories is when i'm working out alot and not bored or if i'm upset about something and my apetite is gone so i understand those day i will force myself to snack on something healthy a serving of nuts or an apple just to keep my metabolism going. I'm struggling with being plateaued for months so i know that may have something to do with it. and then there are days where i can't stop stuffing my face. I am trying to calorie cycle i think i'm just doing it wrong. You may just have to set an alarm and force yourself to eat something but we can do this.
  • natyts
    natyts Posts: 89 Member
    Yes just ate lunch regardless ,

    I Bring 2 bottles of water to work and drink that throughout the day so think that's filling me up ,

    I could use them up easy with not so healthy food but trying to be as healthy as possible and there is not much calories in salad :laugh:

    Thank You Ill check out the links
  • PunkRockDad
    PunkRockDad Posts: 76
    A spoonful of peanut butter is full of calories, good fats, and protein. A quick way to reach your calories, if needed.
  • RCM888
    RCM888 Posts: 10
    I think if you're way under every day then you risk damaging your metabolism, especially if it's way under the recommended 1200 AND you're doing exercise on top of that. If you have a big calorie number left over, snacking on some nuts and berries or avocado or some lean proteins are nice healthy ways of topping up. If MFP recommends 1200 a day then you should try and get as close to that as possible!!
  • puppycloud
    puppycloud Posts: 42
    I have the same issue. After I started counting calories and making choices, I barely reach 1200 calories a day. Even on days like today where I ate a big breakfast and lunch and have planned what to eat for dinner.
  • mes1119
    mes1119 Posts: 1,082 Member
    Try to eat some foods that are more dense in calories. Less foods that are low calorie, high volume.

    IMO, a dropping appetite is a sign of a dropping metabolism. :indifferent:
  • aimeemusic
    aimeemusic Posts: 73 Member
    I am the opposite...if I don''t get at least 1500 a day...I feel stressed..

    I did 1200 for a while and was always hungry and unhappy. I try really hard to not eat my exercise calories except to reach 1500 (I am set to 1490 right now).

    I feel like I don't get enough food with 1200. But with 1500 plus working out something I have an extra 400-900 calories a day I earn due to exercise which I don't eat back...except to get 1500 like I said before.

    I guess to all there own. If it works for you keep it up! :)
  • KatieJane83
    KatieJane83 Posts: 2,002 Member
    As others mentioned, try calorie dense foods with healthy fats like nuts and peanut butter. Also, try drinking some calories (no, I don't mean alcohol, lol). A glass of non skim milk, or try making protein shakes. It is definitely important to eat enough and fuel your body though!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    However im on 1200 calories a day Its lunch time again and i am not hungry

    im struggling to use a vast amount of them (unless its weekend and i have a few glasses of wine :wink: ) and especially if i earn extra through exercise ( which i VERY RARELY use )

    How do you think you gained weight then, has this always been the case?
  • KatieJane83
    KatieJane83 Posts: 2,002 Member
    However im on 1200 calories a day Its lunch time again and i am not hungry

    im struggling to use a vast amount of them (unless its weekend and i have a few glasses of wine :wink: ) and especially if i earn extra through exercise ( which i VERY RARELY use )

    How do you think you gained weight then, has this always been the case?

    If you were eating mostly junk it's pretty darn easy to be over your calories while eating not a huge quantity of not very filling food. And if you suddenly are switching to a very healthy or clean diet I think it can be very easy to get pretty full eating a lot of something like veggies, while not getting a ton of calories from them.
  • lmarshel
    lmarshel Posts: 674 Member
    Appetite is something that needs to be fed and maintained. If you regularly eat small quantities, your appetite will adjust to accomodate your new habits. And it only takes 10-14 days. That's a really good thing when you are overeating and decrease your cals to a healthier number, but if you decrease too much your body will still adjust. Salads are great, but they're not the only healthy food out there. Eat whether you're hungry or not and make sure you're getting adequate protein and fats. Your appetite will bounce back. :)
  • mercikaleb
    mercikaleb Posts: 14
    What matters most is what you do collectively and weekly.
    So if you eat 1100 cals one day and 1300 the next it'll even out if the amount stays the same for the week
  • jenniferg83
    jenniferg83 Posts: 278 Member
    A spoonful of peanut butter is full of calories, good fats, and protein. A quick way to reach your calories, if needed.

    it's the best snack ever!!! i love peanut butter as a quick easy snack
  • Sarahmeridith
    Sarahmeridith Posts: 298 Member
    feel the same way as you most days. But when you dont eat enough you stop losing so make sure you eat enough. I was at a complete stand still last week because I didnt eat enough!

    Sometimes I try and drink milk or have little high calorie piece of candy to fill in the gaps when Im not hungry, seems to work well for me.
  • paj315
    paj315 Posts: 335 Member
    A spoonful of peanut butter is full of calories, good fats, and protein. A quick way to reach your calories, if needed.

    I actually had to do that last night! I was way under my calories! Only I used Almond butter!!!
  • azwildcatfan94
    azwildcatfan94 Posts: 314 Member
    How about adding 1/4 avocado to your salad? More calorie dense, but healthy fat in them.
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
    It is not that hard to eat more calories, seriously. Stop eating salad all the time if you can't even accomplish reaching your calorie goal

    -avocado
    -peanut butter
    -higher fat dairy
    -olive, canola oil
    -more lean protein
    -dark chocolate or a treat of some sort

    Not that difficult.
  • cpotter4
    cpotter4 Posts: 116 Member
    Check out this site it shows you that if you are not hungry you may be lacking some essential vitamins and what you can eat to replace those vitamins. This in turn will return your appetite. The entire chart they show is quite helpful.

    http://healthwellness808.com/?p=1180
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    A spoonful of peanut butter is full of calories, good fats, and protein. A quick way to reach your calories, if needed.

    I actually had to do that last night! I was way under my calories! Only I used Almond butter!!!

    Ohhhh, what is that chocolate almond butter stuff? I notice smaller server size package in checkout line. I guess they know people stop buying the big container because you'd just eat it all up if you got it.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/410771-i-can-t-reach-my-calorie-goal-it-s-too-much-food
  • natyts
    natyts Posts: 89 Member
    A spoonful of peanut butter is full of calories, good fats, and protein. A quick way to reach your calories, if needed.

    One problem ...Cannot stand the stuff lol but thanks
  • natyts
    natyts Posts: 89 Member
    As others mentioned, try calorie dense foods with healthy fats like nuts and peanut butter. Also, try drinking some calories (no, I don't mean alcohol, lol). A glass of non skim milk, or try making protein shakes. It is definitely important to eat enough and fuel your body though!

    Lol i could you them up with alcohol easy esp at weekends

    Think ill try the dense food options

    Thanks everyone
  • natyts
    natyts Posts: 89 Member
    Thanks Everyone Love reading peoples advice :smile:

    Ill give everything a go ( apart from the peanut butter ) been trying to even my calories over 3 meals but can't see it doing any harm that if i am hungry at breakfast have a high calorie breakfast , lets say a couple of eggs etc then light lunch or visa versa ,
    Think that is where i am going wrong saving calories for times when i may not even end up hungry hence left over calories |!
  • sailorsiren13
    sailorsiren13 Posts: 460
    you could try the almond alternative i'm lactose so i drink almond milk you could try almond butter i want to but it's so expensive and i'm not working right now. i like my protein shakes in the morning that helps a lot to get calories in and feel full as well the avocados are a good idea. or adding edamame to your salad those are really high in protein and low in calories filling too. if i think of any more ideas i will let you know. i really have to watch fats right now working on getting my uber high cholesterol down.

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