Under Eating Problems

MinkyMoo13

Hi i'm relatively new to MFP i did have an account a while back but started a fresh and created this one.

I always have had problems with under eating and want to lose a few pounds. I've started going to the gym every week day and do approx 35 minute work outs burning approx 300 calories a session. My problem is i'm only eating between 500 and 700 calories a day. I don't get hungry even after working out i have a very low appetitie. People keep telling me i need to eat more to lose more but i can't get my head around the whole eatig when not hungry situation and i don't want to eat more i think i eat enoug. I have tried to give myself 1000 calories a day with three healthy meals and a coupld of snacks but then i end up going over my calorie limit. I'm confused!

After 5 weeks of gym i have lost 2lbs. I have started this week going to the gym in the morning as opposed to evenings as it works better for me.

Any advice would be greatly received.

rcramer7

Eat more but, if you can't try ADDING a shake. They make all different types that are fortified with just about whatever you want. You can get low cal up to 3kcal per shake. It's only like 8oz (I use whey and 6oz watr for instance). Maybe after a while you'll get used to the feeling and your body will want the food.


Right now you are treating your brain, muscles and bones horrible. They won't last.

Lukazetta

To boost your metabolism: you may want to eat smaller portions throughout the day...maybe switch to 4 meals a day. The way our body reacts when we start going into a starvation mode (lack of calories) is by storing more fat because it panics.

If your body isn't starving/your diet is consistent thourghout the day, you actually shed more weight because it realizes it doesn't need it. I also think it's beneficial to eat as many slow digestive carbs as possible so you don't feel hungry random parts of the day.

Good luck!

Lukazetta

I also suggest you look up your BMR and your TDEE.

For example:
If your TDEE is around 2500, calories under that will lose more body fat.
If your BMR is around 1800, calories under that will lose more lean muscle.

You just have to find that perfect balance by finding your sweet spot between your TDEE and BMR where you don't lose too much lean muscle but still lose weight.

bfbooty

maybe try getting some vitamin supplements when you are lacking certain vitamins and nutrients it can affect your appetite maybe try getting a blood test done to show exactly where you are lacking so you know what to be taking, or speak to the pharmacy and ask what tonic/supplements are good at increasing appetite.

MinkyMoo13

Eat more but, if you can't try ADDING a shake. They make all different types that are fortified with just about whatever you want. You can get low cal up to 3kcal per shake. It's only like 8oz (I use whey and 6oz watr for instance). Maybe after a while you'll get used to the feeling and your body will want the food.


Right now you are treating your brain, muscles and bones horrible. They won't last.

Thats good advice actually.. i have some slimming shakes left over so will try them they are like 200 cals a shake but i suppose that's ok right? I could have one for breakfast, one for lunch and heatly/normal tea and healthy snacks..

bfbooty

Eat more but, if you can't try ADDING a shake. They make all different types that are fortified with just about whatever you want. You can get low cal up to 3kcal per shake. It's only like 8oz (I use whey and 6oz watr for instance). Maybe after a while you'll get used to the feeling and your body will want the food.


Right now you are treating your brain, muscles and bones horrible. They won't last.

Thats good advice actually.. i have some slimming shakes left over so will try them they are like 200 cals a shake but i suppose that's ok right? I could have one for breakfast, one for lunch and heatly/normal tea and healthy snacks..

personally (and i mean no offence) but slimming shakes are not good for you they just processed crap in my honest opinion, if you want to go down the road of shakes maybe make your own up some milk a banana and some other fruit added in, blend it up and hey presto you have your 200 plus cals and it's considerably more healthy but i'm not expert and that's just my opinion.
it really sounds to me like your lacking in nutrients/vitamins i'd def also try some supplements if your not already to see if it helps with your overall appetite

wish you luck either way x

lizard053

Is it that you don't like to eat or is it more that you're not hungry? It makes a huge difference in what to do! If you're just not hungry, try eating foods that are more calorie dense like nuts, avocado, olives, etc. Fats are not bad for you! Just need moderation. And the unsaturated fats are good for you, so make sure you get fats from plant sources. If you don't like to eat, then the shakes might be a better choice for you. Sometimes it's easier to drink your meals versus eating them. 200 cals a meal isn't usually sufficient for most people. Try adding a small salad or some fruit to each shake to get a little extra fiber and nutrient push. Have a shake IN ADDITION to what you are already doing. Try a protein powder if the ones you have are too much. That way you can control the size of your shake.

MinkyMoo13

personally (and i mean no offence) but slimming shakes are not good for you they just processed crap in my honest opinion, if you want to go down the road of shakes maybe make your own up some milk a banana and some other fruit added in, blend it up and hey presto you have your 200 plus cals and it's considerably more healthy but i'm not expert and that's just my opinion.
it really sounds to me like your lacking in nutrients/vitamins i'd def also try some supplements if your not already to see if it helps with your overall appetite

wish you luck either way x

No offence taken I do appreciate everyone's opinion on this and you're sounds like a real good idea could make my own smoothies will have a look at some recipies. I could have them for breakfast and lunch or make a soup for lunch.

Given me a few ideas to think of thanks

MinkyMoo13

Is it that you don't like to eat or is it more that you're not hungry? It makes a huge difference in what to do! If you're just not hungry, try eating foods that are more calorie dense like nuts, avocado, olives, etc. Fats are not bad for you! Just need moderation. And the unsaturated fats are good for you, so make sure you get fats from plant sources. If you don't like to eat, then the shakes might be a better choice for you. Sometimes it's easier to drink your meals versus eating them. 200 cals a meal isn't usually sufficient for most people. Try adding a small salad or some fruit to each shake to get a little extra fiber and nutrient push. Have a shake IN ADDITION to what you are already doing. Try a protein powder if the ones you have are too much. That way you can control the size of your shake.

Honestly I don't like eating its a chore. I think u and bfbooty are along the right track might look at making my own smoothies that way I can have lots of fruit in it too.. I do like yoghurts and cuppa soups mostly for lunch

bfbooty

Is it that you don't like to eat or is it more that you're not hungry? It makes a huge difference in what to do! If you're just not hungry, try eating foods that are more calorie dense like nuts, avocado, olives, etc. Fats are not bad for you! Just need moderation. And the unsaturated fats are good for you, so make sure you get fats from plant sources. If you don't like to eat, then the shakes might be a better choice for you. Sometimes it's easier to drink your meals versus eating them. 200 cals a meal isn't usually sufficient for most people. Try adding a small salad or some fruit to each shake to get a little extra fiber and nutrient push. Have a shake IN ADDITION to what you are already doing. Try a protein powder if the ones you have are too much. That way you can control the size of your shake.

Honestly I don't like eating its a chore. I think u and bfbooty are along the right track might look at making my own smoothies that way I can have lots of fruit in it too.. I do like yoghurts and cuppa soups mostly for lunch

ok so you don't like eating ok why is that do you think? are you afraid of putting on too much weight? are you lazy to prepare your food? do you not know what to eat?

I think you need to get excited about food experiment with different recipes maybe take a cooking class do something that will get think excitedly 'oh what can I make today' you said you like cuppa soups so yes def try making your own soup home made soup is so much better for you, you can load it with veggies and flavour it well and you can freeze it in portions so all you have to to is take a portion out defrost it and reheat it - so easy, you could try making some home made brown bread to go with it, and you might find you get excited about what you have achieved and decide heck I'm going to try making something different today

am I making sense??

pdworkman

If you stop feeding a baby, eventually the baby stops crying for food and just lies quietly conserving vital energy. That's what you have done to your hunger. Your hunger baby will not start crying again until you start feeding it regularly, then it will wake up and let you know when you need to eat. For now, you need to eat some calorie-dense foods at regular intervals, hungry or not, and start increasing your calorie intake. Bananas with peanut butter, smoothies/shakes, nuts, nut butters, coconut, trail mix, potatoes, eggs, etc. are all good places to start.

rileysowner

I just want to be clear here, you are eating those what 500-700 calories and your are overweight? Or is it that you ate more, but only eat that now? I'm confused here.

As to the smoothies, they will help, but you will need to add more than fruit to them. Fruit is not that calorie dense. Calorie dense foods are things like nuts and nut butters. Maybe make a smoothie with a tablespoon or so of natural almond butter, or natural peanut butter and some protein powder.

rcramer7

No offence to anyone,

When I say shake I mean whey protien w/water. You can add oats, fruit etc to fortify it to your needs. Just making a milk smoothie is a whole different game and is fat/low protien, higher lactose, etc.. Since you don't want bulky food, you can add 50/50 casien protien also.

The slim fast and other brands are, 99% of the time as, bad as junk food.

Again, no offence to anyone but, if it was just a matter of telling her to eat more food that would be easy. She needs to want and/or feel like her body needs more food (and it does).

MinkyMoo13

Thanks guys for your advice seriously I don't take Offence to any comments or opinions and appreciate all your feed back. Without going into to much detail I used to be overweight and lost a large amount of weight due to stress. Since this time I have a low appetite and do not enjoy eating. Its more of a chore and prefer to have a cuppa soup or diet coke Since September I have had a lot of social events and have drunk a lot more alcohol then I usually do. I also have been eating badly and although I don't eat much the stuff I have been eating has been rubbish so I have put nearly 2 stone on! Some days i was probably eating closer to 1000 cals during this but didnt exercise at all i only just started exercising. Its only since logging my food i see i'm averaging 500-700 calories a day. Everything I eat is low fat or low cal.. So anyway I want to lose this and get back into my size 8s.

I got some bits today to make a smoothie for after the gym tomorrow.