Not eating enough to lose weight?

Monny287

Hi, I'm new here and new to trying to lose weight. I’m not overweight—actually, I’ve spent a good portion of my life trying to achieve a healthy weight for my height, and once I did, I was fine. But recently, I’ve gained some weight and I’m out of my ideal weight zone and I’ve also noticed I’m not as toned as I’d like to be—thanks, senior year of college. I work out 5 times a week for usually 45 minutes to an hour, and I’ve recently pulled out the old bike from the garage to run errands with. I also cut out the junk food from my diet (I’m a recovering junk food junkie) and lowered my caloric intake. But now I’m concerned. I think I’m exercising enough to lose weight, but I was doing some research and found that you can actually gain weight by not eating enough. Usually, I wouldn’t be worried. But I recently cut my caloric intake and now I’m down to below 1,000 calories a day (with a BMR of around 1,400)…and I’m not hungry for more. I’m sure part of that is because it’s 90 degrees and humid here and nobody wants to cook or eat anything. But still… Is this true? If so, what can I do to eat more? Obviously not go back to the junk food since that has zero nutrition in it. Should I be forcing myself to eat when I’m not hungry? Maybe eating more frequently? Nutrition shakes?

Marilyn0924

If you want to keep your calories up, a spoon or two of peanut butter will do the trick or a protein smoothie. (No cooking involved with either!)
Try to keep your calories netting at 1200 at least. You might not feel hungry, but you could start losing muscle mass. Good luck!

Monny287

If you want to keep your calories up, a spoon or two of peanut butter will do the trick or a protein smoothie. (No cooking involved with either!)
Try to keep your calories netting at 1200 at least. You might not feel hungry, but you could start losing muscle mass. Good luck!

Thanks! I'd been steering clear of peanut butter because of the high caloric content (that and it's not my go-to toast topping), but I think I'll bring it back. I never thought I'd have to use the calorie counter to make sure I was eating ENOUGH calories, rather than too much!

Broxsonator

You are definitely not eating enough with that amount of exercising going on... eat nutrient dense food at a MIN of 1200 kcals a day before subtracting your 'working out" calories....

vklebanova

Try healthy fats - olive oil, nuts and seeds, and avocados are a great addition to any diet - especially if you're looking to bring up the calorie count. Plus they're nutritious.

MissLuana

Avocados and nuts are another "good" source of calories.

mandypizzle

You definitely need to be eating more, especially if you are exercising. Your metabolism will slow if you aren't getting enough. I second peanut butter! It's a great way to get in the extra calories and they are good calories! Also you can cook with extra virgin olive oil or eat a hand full of almonds.

camelgirlmn

So as long as you eat 1200 calories, you dont have to eat back the exercise calories??? Sorry I got a bit confused ive been trying to figure this out myself!

jenluvsushi

You need to net over 1200 per day...eat calorie dense foods like nuts if you aren't hungry.

SomeoneSomeplace

Yes if you're not eating enough you will absolutely hit a plateau

Starvation mode! Your body will hold on to calories and store it as fat and you'll be bloated a lot.

To tone you need to give your body the fuel it needs! I have a hard time too, I have a smaller appetite so I drink protein shakes! You can buy the powder if you have a blender then add all sorts of yummy stuff like peanut butter and bananas. Personally I'm lazy so I just drink Muscle Milk!

toriaenator

avocado, almonds, full-fat dairy its all about the calorie-dense foods but you definately should be fueling your body

also if you feel not toned then you should up your protein. not eating enough will cause you to lose more muscle if you are only doing cardio. all the energy from the food will go to your bodies basic needs and not to muscle growth.

mercymarque

You can also do protein shakes after exercising. The shakes are 170 calories some more depending on what brand you get. You should have protein with every meal. If your exercising you should have up to 6 small meals a day including fruits and vegetables. You should never go below 1200 calories. You have to exercise 1 hour to maintain your current weight which should include weight training every other day. Do not work out the same muscles. From my understanding you can do cardio everyday. Choose snacks that are healthy and filling. Fiber One has 90 calorie brownies that are packed with fiber. Ahything that keeps you voiding like water, certain vegetables or puts you on the toilet like fiber is good for you. I hope this is helpful in your journey.

runbyme

Give this a read. You'll be able to see if you're close to the amount of calories you need to be consuming! Good luck to you!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Monny287

Wow, thanks for all the good info! I am so new to this and don't really know what I'm doing outside of eating healthy and exercising more. I did skip my workout yesterday (other than walking around town doing errands) since I was afraid I hadn't eaten enough to support it. My workouts burn somewhere between 300-500 calories (I use workout videos that have a calorie counter), and I do both cardio and strength training. Should I be adding this to my daily intake? So, eating around 1700 calories instead of 1200?


Also, I've heard it's important to have protein after you work out. I usually eat a 6 oz. cup of Greek yogurt (about 10g of protein) after I exercise. Is that enough, or should I be eating more?

JayneCW

You need to hit a certain number of calories a day in order for your body to function. That means that if you are already below this, which you are, and you exercise even more and burn what's left your body has nothing left to use as energy. Your BMR is a number that shows what your body needs and you should eat around this, meaning eating back what you burn to a certain point. If you over-eat and then exercise it off, leave it alone. But you need to take care of yourself. Don't be so afraid of calories or fat. As others have pointed out, fats can be good for your in moderation like avocados and olive oil. Take care of yourself, which means eating enough AFTER exercising too.

Monny287

Okay, tried to eat more (yet still healthy) today. I cannot believe how hard it was to eat 1200 calories. I ate three very filling meals and one nutritional shake and I was just barely above 1200 calories. I couldn't believe it! I am definitely going to have to look into that smoothie idea.

Robin_Bin

Hot weather does add an extra challenge, but try a smoothie with extra ice. Or if you have the calories to spare and don't mind dairy... how about ice cream.
If you've been eating too little, your appetite may be messed up... in fact that's one of the symptoms. So, while I don't recommend forcing yourself to eat more (why create more issues with food?), try to eat those things that fit into your nutritional plan but which are a bit more calorie-dense, and if you need to, increase slowly. But I agree with the other posters who say it sounds like you're eating too little.

sleepytexan

yes, it's true that you can gain weight by eating too little . . . . sort of. It's actually by eating too little overall with occasional binges.

From one of my old posts from a similar topic:

OK. I'm gonna give this a shot. I am an avid lifelong athlete. I have never been overweight, however, I used to eat too few calories (without knowing it), and a couple years ago, I actually GAINED weight bc of having slowed my metabolism to the point that every little extra treat I ate caused a weight gain, even though overall my calories were too low. THIS DOES HAPPEN.

It is also the reason so many fat people stay fat. They restrict their calories so low, slow their metabolisms, binge (even a little), gain weight, restrict more . . . . and so on and so on. But they are still fat.

It is also the reason most people can't lose that last 10-20 lbs. For real.

1. MFP has a deficit built in. Let's say you're trying to lose 1 lb/ week. That is a 500/day deficit from your BMR (the amount of calories your body needs to complete basic functions.

2. You exercise and burn 500 calories. Now you are at a 1000 deficit. If you eat back those 500 exercise calories, you refuel your body and you still have a 500 deficit for that 1 lb loss. If you DON'T eat back those calories, you have too little fuel. This is bad. This is too much of a deficit for basic functions. If you do this for a long time, you will STOP LOSING WEIGHT. Why? bc your metabolism will slow down -- it's like a brownout--not quite enough electricity to make the whole city (your body) run, so it has to slow down some things. You will probably start being tired a lot, your skin and hair might start to look worse, and you might even gain weight. But you might NOT be hungry -- your body is getting used to fewer calories. That's bad.


That's when you start to gain weight. Let's say you're running along, eating 1200 calories a day, and exercising 400 calories a day, so net is 800. You're losing, you think this is great. You keep doing it, but after a while you stop losing. hmmmmm. One weekend you go out to a special event and have a slice of pizza and a beer. 1 slice of pizza and 1 beer. So you ate maybe 2000 calories that day and exercised off 400, so net 1600. BOOM! You gain 3 lbs! What?!

Next, you freak out and restrict yourself down to 1000 calories a day and work out extra hard, burning 500 calories. Great, netting 500 now. You don't lose any weight, but you sure feel tired. Better get some red bull.

Are you getting the picture?

EDIT: When you work out, you need fuel. Food is fuel. If you don't eat back those exercise calories, you will not only have a big calorie deficit, you will have an ENERGY deficit. Remember, the calorie deficit for weight loss is built in when you use MFP. Exercising basically earns you more calories because you must refuel.
--

There are many people who will tell you not to eat exercise calories. Before you take their advice, you might want to see whether they are at goal, have EVER been at goal, or have ever been able to maintain at goal. If anyone says to you 'THE LAST TIME I LOST WEIGHT", just stop listening right there.

Ask some athletes whether or not they replenish their bodies with food equal to the calories they burn. Ask people who are fit and have achieved and maintained a healthy weight for some years. Don't ask people who count walking across a parking lot as exercise.

Here's an interesting case study about how to stay fat while consuming only 700 calories a day. Take a moment, you'll be glad you did:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

blessings.

Huiminlovesfood

Okay, tried to eat more (yet still healthy) today. I cannot believe how hard it was to eat 1200 calories. I ate three very filling meals and one nutritional shake and I was just barely above 1200 calories. I couldn't believe it! I am definitely going to have to look into that smoothie idea.

I am like you, with a very small appetite. But its kinda easy to hit my daily 1200 calories with calorie dense food like nuts. Usually for breakfast I will have 1 slice of wheat bread, 1 scrambled egg with half slice of cheese, 200ml of milk mixed with some nestum, and some walnuts. I also had 2 medium sized prawns. This add up to around 500 calories and I am super full. However, I aim to eat at every 3 hours and I have packed 1 kiwi fruit and 1/3 orange as snack. Eat even when you are not hungry! I usually save my vegetables for lunch and dinner. If I dont hit my calories requirement, I will Have some milk and a handful of nuts. Just keep doing it! It will be tough for the first few days, but when your body get used to it, it will ask for more! Good luck

mcarter99

but I was doing some research and found that you can actually gain weight by not eating enough.

Where did you see that? I've never seen that in any research (articles or books). I've seen that you can lower your BMR but never by as much as the deficit itself, so you will always be losing weight, just slower than predicted.

Monny287

but I was doing some research and found that you can actually gain weight by not eating enough.

Where did you see that? I've never seen that in any research (articles or books). I've seen that you can lower your BMR but never by as much as the deficit itself, so you will always be losing weight, just slower than predicted.

In various places. I ran across it while looking up other nutritional stuff. There was something about lowering your metabolism too much by not eating enough calories for your body to peform basic functions. Your body goes into starvation mode and burns muscle instead of fat. Which is kind of the opposite of what I want to do, lol.

And wouldn't lowering your BMR involve decreasing your exercise? Wouldn't your BMR be higher if you exercise a lot, since more calories are needed to replace the ones you lost? Or am I totally off base?

Today was easier. I only have 500 more calories to go to hit my BMR, meaning I'm only 300 away from 1200. Which with a normal sized dinner should be perfectly manageable. I've noticed I'm not nearly as tired as I usually am and my muscles aren't as sore from my workout yesterday.

1. MFP has a deficit built in. Let's say you're trying to lose 1 lb/ week. That is a 500/day deficit from your BMR (the amount of calories your body needs to complete basic functions.

MFP already has a defecit? Could you explain that a little more?

You will probably start being tired a lot, your skin and hair might start to look worse, and you might even gain weight. But you might NOT be hungry -- your body is getting used to fewer calories. That's bad.

How funny. I was just noticing the other day that I was breaking out more than usual, even though I'd cut out the junk food.


Thanks for the help, everyone! I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with a small appetite trying to get fit!