How do I know if I'm eating enough calories?

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  • tjthegreatone
    tjthegreatone Posts: 324
    To the OP: you were likely eating a heck of a lot more than 1800-2000 to have put on that much weight - the little (unremembered and unaccounted for) things really add up quickly. I piled on 20lb in a year thinking I wasn't eating 'that much' until one day after I started dieting, I totalled everything up from a previous 'normal day' and realised I was easily hitting 3500+ kcal a day.

    Also if you are getting full and losing your appetite on just 1200kcal a day that is worrying - you should be starving/ravenous regardless of how many carrots you eat. If your appetite isn't there it suggests a number of possibilities
    1. You've switched to 'healthy' food which just isn't appetising.
    2. You're developing disordered eating
    3. If you've been doing this long enough - your body is trying to compensate for being starved and the hunger signals do begin to fade, and your stomach shrinks.

    I wouldn't force feed but try not to see food as the enemy. In my dieting phase I rigidly stuck to 1500kcal a day, was ravenous whilst claiming I wasn't hungry and developed all kinds of bizarre food phobias and fetishes.

    With your current status you have the advantage and you will drop weight very quickly initially but it will begin to tail off. If you've started with a too low calorie count that's when you'll run into trouble as you'll find yourself feeling obliged to cut lower and lower.
  • leadiax3
    leadiax3 Posts: 534 Member
    in order to keep your metabolism fired up, you must fuel it with food. 1800 seems like a good number of calories. just make sure that when you are counting your calories you are accurate with measurements and portions. Sometimes food amounts and visual perception can be misleading. You should eat at LEAST 1200 calories though... More if u workout. Be patient with urbody, cuz ya cant rush perfection.
  • JuliRamone
    JuliRamone Posts: 365 Member
    If you struggle with eating too few calories, how about you plan some awesome meals?
    Instead of an apple in the morning (I remember your post, where you wrote you didn't eat anything but an apple and it was 2pm)
    try some yogurt with fresh fruits, oatmeal, raisins, nuts and even some chocolate sprinkles. It's a delicious start in the morning, it gives you power for the day (and you get protein, vitamins, good fat...).
    If you're all in "healthy and clean" just spare the chocolate (although I think, a teespoon of sprinkles is fine).
    Drink a glass of juice or milk.
    Whatever calorie goal you set yourself ( I would also say TDEE - 20%, but it's your choice :)) start enjoing food. Search for healthy recipes and food ideas :)
    It's good for you :)
    My best wishes for your weight loss journey :) You can do it!
  • chani8
    chani8 Posts: 946 Member
    My girls and I are shorties, too, and had to eat around 1100, so you're fine! Stay at that and you'll drop it fast. Just know that if you drop it too fast, you risk gallstones (which is what happened to me), so don't be in too big of a hurry.

    If you were used to eating 2000 cals a day, now that you're cutting back, even at 1400 cals you'd likely lose a lot.

    I'm so glad to hear that you're working out. That's going to make you feel so good!!

    I hope you see some results soon, so that you stay motivated! :)
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Delete - necro'ed.
  • cranberryveins
    cranberryveins Posts: 2
    My calories have been around 500-800 lately, and I'm losing fast with little to no hunger. Eating more just for the sake of eating more is ridiculous and what sets you on the road to weight gain.
  • Phoenix_Warrior
    Phoenix_Warrior Posts: 1,633 Member
    My calories have been around 500-800 lately, and I'm losing fast with little to no hunger. Eating more just for the sake of eating more is ridiculous and what sets you on the road to weight gain.

    strong first post. I hope you are a troll. Otherwise, you need some serious help if you think 500-800 calories is enough for anyone. That's my breakfast and I'm 5'5" and lose .5-1lb a week.

    What I will say is the body is like a machine and needs a minimum amount of calories to function and maintain muscle. It upsets me when people come promoting this bull**** because it either leads to burn out and relapse to old habits or an eating disorder and I want neither to happen to anyone.

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