I Don't Eat Enough

isaacsflower

My biggest problem with losing weight is I am never hungry; I can go all day without feeling the teeniest hunger pain and I know this is bad because when you don't eat, you're body goes in to starvation mode and saves everything you eat for energy...however, it's a lot harder to remind yourself to eat (I think) than it is to say no to eating too much...I'm not a foodie, so I there's no real joy or fun in eating for me. It's boring, and it's time consuming to make something and then sit down and eat it.

Am I the only person with this problem? Anyone have advice on how to remember to eat; or at the very least things that are easy to make and healthy to boot because there's no point in my exercising if my body doesn't have anything to metabolize.

melissa5604

No you are not the only one. I am a foodie, and can cook almost anything, but when I am trying to lose weight, I tend to stick to basic foods that do not hold alot of appeal...and I end up skipping meals. Meal replacement shakes help me alot...cause if I am just not inspired to make me a seperate meal from my familys meal, then I just drink the shake.

CassiusKnox

I constantly have trouble eating all of the calories I am supposed to eat especially when I am exercising a lot.

When I find my self in that situation I try to eat healthy food with more calories like milk, raw almonds, bananas.... anything healthy that gives me a good calorie boost.

jamifaith

my advice would be to make a bunch of smoothies/shakes and just keep them in the fridge for on the go. Even if it only knocks out one meal a day, that's one less meal (and potentially a good amount of calories depending on what you put into it) that you don't have to worry about.
When i make my smoothie I quadruple the recipe and poor it into plastic water bottles, which gets me through 4-5 days. You could probably make more at once and keep some in the freezer too. Just throw everything in the blender, blend it up, seperate it into your servings and you're done. Then on your way out the door each day you just grab a water bottle and you have a smoothie thats jam packed with nutrients/protein/fruit/whatever it is kind of smoothie that you like. Or you can down it at night before you go to bed.
I really encourage making a "green smoothie" or a protein smoothie (or a green protein smoothie") so that when you do forget to eat at least you've started out your day with a lot of nutrients.
I find most of my recipes on pinterest. I tried my first green smoothie last week and I thought I was going to hate it but its so good and you can't taste the vegetables at all! A full serving is about 300 calories which is like a meal replacement, but if you put some different stuff it in you could probably make ones that are 500 calories to knock more of your calories out at once.
Other than that, I would keep some healthy snacks on the passenger seat of the car (like your favorite granola bar). that way when you climb in the car you can't really avoid seeing them and you can grab one and eat while you drive (am i the only one who does this? >.>)
and my last tip is to find where you spend most of your time while at home. Personally, whenever I am at home I am in the living room, but when I lived with roommates I was always in my bedroom. Find the place that you tend to plant yourself while home, and put a bowl of snacks somewhere convenient that you could grab something while you sit and look through MFP forums, or whatever it is that you do at home Put a bowl of fruit, maybe some snack packs, crackers, those awesome little peanut butter snack size things to eat with an apple, easy stuff that doesn't require any preparation. Heck, you're sitting somewhere reading this right now (I hope) so grab a snack and munch while you read.
Get into the habit of eating more and your body will expect it and then it won't seem like a burden to fit it into your schedule.

littlepinkhearts

You may have to force feed yourself for a while till your body learns what food is again and then starts to remind you when it's time to eat. Been there...it worked for me

opuntia

I love to eat, but it's easy for me to forget when I have other things to focus on.

What I find helpful to kickstart my body into eating for the day is to have a high protein breakfast. And to make a big batch of breakfast, to last several days, so it's all there in the fridge. Then I don't have to think about making breakfast when I wake up in the morning - I just take it out of the fridge. For a sweet breakfast, I prepare of a mix of oats, yogurt, fruit, seeds and nuts. For a non-sweet breakfast, I prepare hardboiled eggs mixed with avocado and pulses.

opuntia

It's boring, and it's time consuming to make something and then sit down and eat it.

Think of it as putting fuel into your body to give you energy to get through the day. That's how I see my breakfast - when I'm half asleep in the morning, I have no particular desire to eat, but I know that it will give me energy at work. It takes time, but then so does all preparation for the day - it takes time to have a shower, get dressed, etc., but you still do it.

isaacsflower

Thanks everyone!! Those are some great tips; especially making things before hand so I don't have to think or whine about it later...any recipes would helpful that are simple and easy. The less fuss the better!

isaacsflower

my advice would be to make a bunch of smoothies/shakes and just keep them in the fridge for on the go. Even if it only knocks out one meal a day, that's one less meal (and potentially a good amount of calories depending on what you put into it) that you don't have to worry about.
When i make my smoothie I quadruple the recipe and poor it into plastic water bottles, which gets me through 4-5 days. You could probably make more at once and keep some in the freezer too. Just throw everything in the blender, blend it up, seperate it into your servings and you're done. Then on your way out the door each day you just grab a water bottle and you have a smoothie thats jam packed with nutrients/protein/fruit/whatever it is kind of smoothie that you like. Or you can down it at night before you go to bed.

I find most of my recipes on pinterest.

Other than that, I would keep some healthy snacks on the passenger seat of the car (like your favorite granola bar). that way when you climb in the car you can't really avoid seeing them and you can grab one and eat while you drive

Find the place that you tend to plant yourself while home, and put a bowl of snacks somewhere convenient that you could grab something while you sit and look through MFP forums, or whatever it is that you do at home Put a bowl of fruit, maybe some snack packs, crackers, those awesome little peanut butter snack size things to eat with an apple, easy stuff that doesn't require any preparation. Heck, you're sitting somewhere reading this right now (I hope) so grab a snack and munch while you read.
Get into the habit of eating more and your body will expect it and then it won't seem like a burden to fit it into your schedule.

Thanks JamiFaith! Those are awesome tips, especially keeping a bowl of snacks in my room and in my car because you're right, it's hard not to eat it when it's sitting right there, staring at you. ("Heck, you're sitting somewhere reading this right now (I hope) so grab a snack and munch while you read." actually made me laugh out loud, so thanks for that

Also, can you add a link for your Pinterest page so I could check out the smoothies you've got saved. If nothing else it'll give me a place to start. My roommate recently bought Bullet, so the protein shake this is actually a great idea, just something I've never gone through with for absolutely no good reason.

Thanks again for the tips!

geekyjock76

You're welcome

CeCe_oceansoul_420

Oh my goodness yes. It's one of my worst habits, and one that I've tried so hard to break the last few months.

One of the things I've done is started small. First I started eating breakfast every day in addition to dinner (which used to be my only meal). Then I added a snack. Even if I didn't feel hungry, I still ate a little bit. Then I added lunch and cut back on my dinner. After that, I added another snack. I now eat at least five times a day. I drink a lot of water. And I exercise.

As a result, so far I've lost more than 35 pounds (I don't know exactly what I weigh now as I don't have a scale, and I haven't weighed myself for a month).

Unlike you though, I like to cook, though I do like to take shortcuts. For breakfast, I usually have a fried egg, two slices of microwaved turkey bacon (Oscar Meyer is yummy!), and some fruit. For a mid-morning snack, I have a small handful of almonds and some craisins. For lunch, I have leftovers or a sandwich. For an afternoon snack, I have Ritz crackers and reduced fat cream cheese, or pretzels and hummus. Then I have dinner, which is usually something easy that doesn't require a lot of effort. And if I feel like it, I have dessert. On an average day, I spend maybe a half hour prepping meals, if that.

opuntia

I hardboil a few eggs at the beginning of the week - they last for about a week, and are a very quick and easy high-protein breakfast. You can eat them as they are, or mix them with whatever else you like for your breakfast. You could also cook sausages at the beginning of the week - they are nice cold, and go well with egg. Depends what food you like, really - egg is very versatile. This week I've had hardboiled egg mixed with celery, avocado, onion, lettuce and sprouted chick peas.

I don't really have recipes as such - I just make stuff up as I go along. Boil rice, fry some minced beef and onions, and you can make chili con carne or anything really. Just mix meat and veg and rice. Get some nice sauces and spices to add - but then if you're just eating for fuel rather than because you enjoy eating, you probably don't even care about taste, so you can make very simple meals.

opuntia

If you want some ideas, here is my meal blog, where I just post pics of all my meals and state what is in them: http://mealpix.tumblr.com/ You can see I often have the same meal several days in a row, because I've made enough for several days.

KeriW626

My biggest problem with losing weight is I am never hungry; I can go all day without feeling the teeniest hunger pain and I know this is bad because when you don't eat, you're body goes in to starvation mode and saves everything you eat for energy...however, it's a lot harder to remind yourself to eat (I think) than it is to say no to eating too much...I'm not a foodie, so I there's no real joy or fun in eating for me. It's boring, and it's time consuming to make something and then sit down and eat it.

Am I the only person with this problem? Anyone have advice on how to remember to eat; or at the very least things that are easy to make and healthy to boot because there's no point in my exercising if my body doesn't have anything to metabolize.

No you are not alone. I use my phone alarm to remind me to eat. i have long ago forgotten the feeling of hanger pangs. Try setting your phone to your meal schedule. It actually helped me to eat more and i have actually felt a hunger pang or two. Good luck.

KeriW626

Sorry 1/2 tired. I also keep pre measured foods in the fridge. ie. my favorite of the season, zucchini, in 4 oz packs. last season was apricots. next seasons will be necterines and what ever veggie is available. I get some veggies free from neigbors, some I grow, ie cucumbers, tomoatoes and peppers. If I can, which I do often, I can using light syrup (some dont care for it, if they dont, then they do not need my home canned foods.)

I have found that trying the foods in season, raw, semi cooked and cooked. that I really appreciate the raw unsalted and un-dipped much better. . Good luck. Please try things you never like before. you may find you like them raw, semi cooked, or cooked, with seasonings. xxoo farmers markets.... lol

sweetpea1076

Hi, hope you don't mind but I've been looking at your pictorial blog of meals and I am curious as to how many calories you have to consume each day! Thanks!

bathsheba_c

Do you have anyone to eat with? I have several relatives who are just never hungry, and they "remember to eat because it's mealtime." Making plans to eat with others could help you enforce eating.

jamifaith

Also, can you add a link for your Pinterest page so I could check out the smoothies you've got saved. If nothing else it'll give me a place to start. My roommate recently bought Bullet, so the protein shake this is actually a great idea, just something I've never gone through with for absolutely no good reason.

Thanks again for the tips!

this is my pinterest "food" board http://pinterest.com/jamifaith13/food/

this http://pinterest.com/pin/438115869969625654/ is the current green smoothie that im drinking, but I think the site has like 4 or 5 different smoothie, and so far this http://pinterest.com/pin/438115869969628383/ is my favorite protein smoothie but there are a couple more than im dying to try. lol im being a slight pinterest addict :P
(ps you're reading my post again. grab a snack!)

KeriW626

I re-package food for 1 serving at a time. easy to grab and go. Hubby and I are in this together, which also helps. We both like many of the same foods. Although he is a salty while I am a sweet. I have changed to eating many veggies raw, unsalted and un sauced. Since the beginning of this journey I have tried many fruits and veggies, cooked to raw. I have found I prefer most raw. MFP has been a wonderful resource for me. Before I was eating between 450 and 700 calories a day. Now I find my self meeting my goals of 1200 to 1400 cals a day. Doing so I have been able to get out of the constant starvation mode and into the fuel mode. I have not only found, I am losing weight, but I'll be damned if I dont have shiny hair.. woohoo.

opuntia

Hi, hope you don't mind but I've been looking at your pictorial blog of meals and I am curious as to how many calories you have to consume each day! Thanks!

Me? To be honest, I don't really count calories - I log my food here and MFP counts them for me, but it's different each day. The daily goal MFP sets me is 1430. I sometimes eat less than this and sometimes more. I tend to go with how I feel. I had more this past week because it was my time of the month, and I seem to need to eat more then. I've also just started doing 5:2 fasting - just started yesterday - so I will have two days a week where I just eat 500 calories, and then I eat what I like the other days.