I'm eating way less but still feel energetic. Is it healthy?

clariemoo
clariemoo Posts: 34 Member
in Food and Nutrition
hi everyone!

Background: My current bmi is of about 21 (5'3" for about 118lbs) after starting at a bmi of almost 29 over half a year ago. Calorie counting (1200-1400 daily) and exercising helped achieving this.

However, i'm noticing that since I'm under a bmi of 21.5, my apetite has diminished and so I'm eating between 900-1100 calories a day now...

I'm happy to have reached my current bmi through will power and effort but now i'm afraid of messing up my metabolism because i may not be eating enough calories...

Also, in the past weeks i've been really busy with school and so haven't had time to hit the gym. so right now im very sedentary. Also i'm wondering if the stress is also affecting my apetite.

The weird thing is that I don't feel like i'm starving myself and feel really energetic. However, due to eating less: in the past week I lost 2 pounds, and I don't think thats normal...

Replies

  • _jkr
    _jkr Posts: 24
    That's the same for me, actually.
    I'm on a pretty low carb diet so I've been eating a lot of protein and feeling full. There was a day that I consumed less than 600 Calories and panicked so I ate an egg and drank milk just to bring it up a bit.

    I'm around 5' so I don't really believe the 1200 Calorie requirement for me but when I go under 1000 I really panic.
  • sashastackhouse
    sashastackhouse Posts: 51 Member
    I know how you feel. Some days I just forget to eat or are too busy but then it is usually counter balanced by days where my appetite is completely insatiable. I personally think it is unhealthy to be under about 1500 calories IF you are trying to maintain (but again it varies by person) and eating like that for too long might have bad side effects. If you think it might be stress, usually the best thing to do is exercise, meditate, take a bath or (my favorite) write down everything you have to do, take a nap for 20 minutes, then get to it!

    As for the eating part, try adding more calorie dense foods to your diet. Avocado, nuts, nut butters, and healthy oils will help add calories to your daily intake without making you feel too stuffed. Personally, I love all of those foods so it is easy for me to sneak in an extra tablespoon or two of peanut butter! Just know that by consuming enough healthy calories, you will feel more energetic for longer and your body will thank you for it!
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    I have always operated under the principle that, while I want to reduce my body fat, I want to maintain my muscle mass. I didn't want to end up a smaller version of my same fat self. I wanted to change my body composition, not my body weight, and BMI was never really a concern. That being said, I did go through a tough time a few years back where I lost my healthy body image and began to undereat and overtrain. My kidneys stopped working and I gave myself a heart murmur. Now I am back to eating a healthy, sustainable diet and I have a good body composition. Your goals and results may vary.

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