Eat even if you're not hungry?

swordnsandal

I'm trying to lose weight slowly. According to the MFP calculator, to lose 1/2 a pound a week, I should eat 1550 calories a day. But lately I find I'm simply not hungry enough to eat even nearly that much. I'm frequently 300 to 700 calories short of the 1550 mark.

Should I make myself eat even though I'm not hungry, in order to keep up my metabolism and energy? Or should I just trust my body to know whether or not it needs more food?

AmyRhubarb

Not sure what sort of foods your eating because your diary is closed - but rather than eating more food if you're not hungry, you can eat more calorie dense foods - nuts, nut butters, avocados, use olive and coconut oils, full fat dairy. These things can give you a healthy dose of calories in small portions.

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

Honestly, I'd say *kitten* it. If I'm not hungry and I've only eaten 300 calories that day, I'm not going to force myself to eat more if my body isn't telling me to eat more. That's actually my one and only new years resolution, no more forced eating. I'd rather listen to my body.

deksgrl

Yes, eat more.

AussieTrainer

Yes, eat more, because sometimes not being hungry is a sign that you are adapting to the lowered cals... not a good thing.

CloverCreeper

That happens to me sometimes, so I use those calories for something fatty and yummy like peanut butter
or almonds. Takes only a few seconds to eat.

DawnEH612

I suspect you're recovering from or struggling with an ED as a caloric intake of 500-800 a days is deficient for an adult. In time your body will get used to the increase in a healthy amount of calories. Perhaps start off slowly like adding an extra 100 calories a day for a week or two, then add another 100 calories a day the following week or two and so on until you're at 1500/day. Just a tablespoon of peanut butter or a handful of nuts will do the trick! Good luck..

jha1223

I suspect you're recovering from or struggling with an ED as a caloric intake of 500-800 a days is deficient for an adult. In time your body will get used to the increase in a healthy amount of calories. Perhaps start off slowly like adding an extra 100 calories a day for a week or two, then add another 100 calories a day the following week or two and so on until you're at 1500/day. Just a tablespoon of peanut butter or a handful of nuts will do the trick! Good luck..

TB of peanut butter ... so darn yummy! Great advice. Thats about 90-100 calories, right? Little bit of fat and a bit of fiber as well. Easy to eat and a nice bump in calories.

R0asted

Yes, force yourself to eat more. Eating too little can be even worse than eating too much.

I've been forcing myself to eat more for years now and it has paid off though my problem has always been putting ON weight, and not loosing (which is criminally easy for me).

Sister_Someone

Different things work for different people, but personally, I don't. If I'm hungry, I eat, and if I'm not, then I don't, no matter how many calories I have left. Worked like a charm this far.