Afraid to eat?

Hazel0096

I have been tracking religiously since June 13 and I have only lost 6 pounds. 6 pounds is a great loss for 30 days, don't get me wrong, but I started at 248lbs and would assume that the weight would come off much faster. Only 1 day I've gone over my calories and I am finding now that each time I look at meal/food I am seeing numbers instead of nourishment or enjoyment.

I still have over 900 calories for supper and I am afraid to eat dinner even though I am hungry. 900 calories! That is 53% of my entire day! No reason I can't eat dinner. No reason at all. Except I am sitting here thinking how maybe I should just skip dinner tonight and worry about breakfast.

Does anyone else have feelings like this? And how do you deal with it?

Renae_Nae

I just glanced at a few days and it seems like you are really under eating. Its one thing to leave 50-100 calories, it's another to leave 400-500 calories left to eat. I know it seems crazy but eat what you are suppose to. Also, give you're body time to adjust. It took me a week to lose 2 pounds and I haven't lost anything for the last 2 weeks...but I've lost another inch in my stomach and I can do more in my workouts than I could before. So remember to look for those little changes too to keep you going. A 6 pounds is a healthy rate of loss! It's taken some people a year to lose 78 pounds (I'm sure he'll show up later) because it's about doing it the healthy way can creating more lean muscle in the process.

Hazel0096

Thanks for taking a look at my journal, anyone is welcome to look, it is open.

I do find that I am leaving too many calories each day. I am really trying to get at least 1200 in each day though - but like I said - all I see when I look at food are numbers.

runner115

You definitely need to eat more!!!! I joined a week ago and realized I was eating WAY too few calories. I am forcing myself to get at least 1200 daily now and I can tell my body appreciates it.

It also looks to me like you need more protein... I only looked at two days but I am guessing you are not a meat eater...the reason I say this is because your meals look a lot like mine...or the way mine used to!

If you really want to see more movement on the scale I would suggest rather than limiting your intake - try to burn more calories by increasing your activity level...

tlblood

Sounds like you're not eating enough, which will actually slow your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight. Make sure you are getting as close to your goal as you can. If you are too far under, you'll get the red print warning at the bottom of your diary about not eating enough. It sounds counterintuitive, but you may need to eat more to lose weight.

amuchison

Eat more def its not all about cals but the Nutrition benind them if you eat 1200 cal you are probably not getting all the protein,carbs,healthy fats,etc that you need i would try 6 meals a day B,L,D 300-400 cals lean protein,veggies and a whole grain starch and then 3 snacks 100-200 cals maybe fruit,veggies,nuts etc It may also be a good thing for you to google TDEE and find out what yours is everyone is diff:) this way max you are getting 1700 cals and then you need to workout 5-6 days a week some eat back exercise cals some dont but I would say if you are only taking in 1200 cals maybe its a good idea to eat back your cals and get in some protein after your workouts

Helloitsdan

You have an unhealthy relationship with food because you dont understand how it works FOR you body.
Research it!
Understand how fat is gained.
Understand what carbs are and how different carbs can make you gain water weight and how other carbs help refill glycogen in the muscles!
Learn that fat is okay to eat!
Learn that protein is one of the most important macronutrients for fat loss.

I can help you!
First....
Whats your BMR and TDEE?

CharityEaton

Eat! don't worry about it! Balance your calories and eat what you are supposed to eat. Make good choices. Stressing over food will also wreck all your hard work!
Trust me, you are not alone on being lot abot what/when to eat. I have had my fair share of nights standing in the kitchen crying my eyes out because I was afraid to eat OR I really wanted to eat something I knew was not a good choice...in the end I made it to my goaleven after making bad food choices...but most importantly I ate!

quill16

Always eat 1200 minimum! Looks also to me that you could up the protein. If you don't eat meat, then have eggs, nuts, beans, and cheese. My nutritionist advised me never to eat more than double or triple at most carb grams vs protein grams at each meal. For example if you eat 5grams of protein, don't go over 10 or 15 g of carbs. It has worked for me.

lotsohbeauty1

:happy: After looking at your food diary I noticed that there are a lot of days that you skip breakfast. Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. (Im saying this and I sometimes skip it too). It is the morning jump start on you metabolism, it will get you blood pumping. I also saw that you like to walk and do the stationary bike, the best time to do this is after breakfast this also helps jumpstart the metabolism. It is also best that you exersise at least everyother day for 30 minutes to get results from it. You calorie count is very low and that will slow your weight loss down quite a bit. You need and I mean need to eat you proper number of calories in order to keep your metabolism at the proper rate. Weight loss is a slow process, so keep working at it. Find foods you enjoy eatting a worry less about the calories, and plan a day or even a weeks worth of meals in advace so you dont have to worry about the calories you are eatting because it is already done.

:flowerforyou:

Helloitsdan

Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. (Im saying this and I sometimes skip it too). It is the morning jump start on you metabolism, it will get you blood pumping. I also saw that you like to walk and do the stationary bike, the best time to do this is after breakfast this also helps jumpstart the metabolism. It is also best that you exersise at least everyother day for 30 minutes to get results from it. You calorie count is very low and that will slow your weight loss down quite a bit. You need and I mean need to eat you proper number of calories in order to keep your metabolism at the proper rate. Weight loss is a slow process, so keep working at it. Find foods you enjoy eatting a worry less about the calories, and plan a day or even a weeks worth of meals in advace so you dont have to worry about the calories you are eatting because it is already done.

:flowerforyou:

Most of this is false unfortunately.
Breakfast doesnt jumpstart anything.

OP just needs to know that food is essential.
And if shes smart she will do the research and figure out what she needs to diet down.
I can tell you that copious amounts of cardio will get her nowhere.
Eating below BMR will work for a little while.
My clients lose weight by eating below TDEE and above BMR daily with frequent cheat days.
Simple!

As for breakfast....its healthier to skip it, sleep in or go for a fasted walk, and eat after 12pm.


This will clear up quite a bit of confusion.
>>>>>IMPORTANT!!! To get your numbers right please visit---> http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12 <---read the instructions. I lay everything out to help you have a true fat burning diet.<<<<<<<

dvisser1

You didn't get fat overnight, you aren't going to lose the weight in any healthy way overnight either. 6 lbs in 4 weeks is excellent progress! 1-2 lbs per week is very sustainable progress! Congrats to you!

As for you food, definitely relax and then eat a little more. Get close to that 1200 net calorie mark. If you go over by 50 or even 200 calories you're not going to gain weight. There is a pretty good calorie deficit built into that net calorie goal already.

Your body is a constantly adjusting and reacting to what's going on. If you eat more than you burn off, over time you gain weight. If you eat at a very large deficit and don't give your body the fuel and nutrients it needs, it slows down your metabolism. What you need to do is find the sweet spot of a moderate calorie deficit to where your body gets what it needs to run strong, but nothing more.

kaseysospacey

I know exactly what you mean. I've been undereating and I know its bad. I felt like I ate a bunch yesterday and still had a bunch of calories left over. I need to find more protein sources but it is difficult. And you can be so tempted by "If I skip this meal its 600 calories coming off..." but really you just sabotage yourself because you are more prone to temptation for bad things and also yo get tired.

lotsohbeauty1

As an LPN who has had multiple nutrition classes I know for a fact that the info is true, not just some kind of fad!

MFPBrandy

I agree -- I'm SUPPOSED to stick to 1200 calories a day, and I couldn't do it on what you're eating (although I, too, am a Lindt 70% chocolate bar frequent flier member).

I can only speak for what works for me, but if I restrict calories too much, I feel like crap, my body hangs on to fat like it's gong out of style, and I have no energy to exercise (or oomph for pretty much anything else, either). If I was eating your current diet, th first thing I would do is pump up the protein. A protein powder is a super-easy way to do that. Real food is always best, but that's just not realistic for me. So I get 32 g of protein every morning in my smoothie (well, M-F, sometimes I'll actually cook breakfast on the weekends), and that makes a HUGE difference in how I feel. I have more energy, and definitely a more positive outlook.

So here's my advice; take it for what it is -- I'm not a nutritionist or medical professional. The calorie goal MFP gives you is your plan for weight loss. Eat those calories. Don't strive to beat them. If the numbers are torturing you, make it a competition with yourself to get as close to your MFP goal as possible, so that the goal number becomes a success in itself. Get any "extra" calories through exercise; you don't have to eat them back if you don't want to (although I find I need to eat some back to stay feeling well).

You're already losing weight, and at a good rate, so good for you! Don't expect Biggest Loser-style numbers; those are rarely sustainable. I really think you're just not giving your body the fuel it needs to burn as effectively.

*edit* And what can you do about the stress? The only thing it's doing is making your life harder. How can you let go and relax?

Hazel0096

Thanks for the responses everyone.

I know I don't get a lot of protein, my problem is partially carbs are easier to grab in my already busy schedule, and partially cost. I am not a huge fan of eggs but I could definitely eat more beans and nuts.

I think my next plan is going to be adding eggs to my breakfast instead of just yogurt and granola.

According to a calculator I found on google, my TDEE is 2229

Helloitsdan

As an LPN who has had multiple nutrition classes I know for a fact that the info is true, not just some kind of fad!

Do you have proof?

Helloitsdan

Thanks for the responses everyone.

I know I don't get a lot of protein, my problem is partially carbs are easier to grab in my already busy schedule, and partially cost. I am not a huge fan of eggs but I could definitely eat more beans and nuts.

I think my next plan is going to be adding eggs to my breakfast instead of just yogurt and granola.

According to a calculator I found on google, my TDEE is 2229

Cut 20% from that and net that number daily to lose fat.
Simple right?
Check out the link I posted above.
It gives detail to how I set my clients up for fat loss.

Bobby_Clerici

No, I just eat, so go and do likewise.
Just eat.
Think of how fat you'll be when you gain all the weight back due to crash dieting.
Buon Appetito :drinker:

Helloitsdan

Dont eat after 7pm because it all turns to fat!
This is a myth BTW......
I'm really kidding.

WABeachWalker

I know what you mean! I try to plan ahead a couple of days in advance, but it's hard when everybody in the house seems to want different foods, more variety, more "fun", etc. I recall that when the kids were little, the doctor said that as long as they had a balanced diet over a week's time then we were doing O.K. I try to give myself a little more leeway in that sense. Maybe I didn't get all my vegetables or fruit in today or maybe it was more of a bread day. I try to keep that in mind and maybe balance out my diet more tomorrow.

The occasional "Healthy Choice" or boxed dinner is o.k., too, but I tend to get bored with processed foods. Have you tried the Baby Kales mix from Costco? I've been stir-frying them and putting them in soup. Yum! Makes me feel better about what I am eating.

Go for it! You can do this one day at a time.