Do You Force Yourself to Eat if Under Calories

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  • bageroh
    bageroh Posts: 4
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    I'm not offering you a solution, just a suggestion on something that may decrease how often u are under/over your daily goal. At the end of the day, after I've entered in my final daily food, I actually start filling in the food for the next day.

    If I know I'm going to eat yogurt for breakfast tomorrow, I enter it in. I enter in shakes and small snacks that I have prepared in containers for the next day. If you know you're going to exercise tomorrow, enter it in. It's not a rule, just tomorrow's eating plan. You can visually see your remaining calorie needs - this helps!!

    It's not a rigid plan. Just adjust the information if things don't go as planned :wink:

    PS: A spoon of peanut butter is a good suggestion. How about adding honey to your green tea?
  • barbaramitchell101
    barbaramitchell101 Posts: 360 Member
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    Thanks for posting this topic, I am having a similar issue. Except, it's not that I don't get to my MFP goal calories, it's that I'm well below the 1,200 mark. I seem to be struggling to get to 900 most days, I'm just not hungry. I don't drink a lot of caffeine (one cup of coffee in the morning), so I'm not sure what could be causing it.

    I have been doing a fair bit of strength training lately, and I have increased the amount of protein I eat slightly, I'm not sure if that is why I'm feeling full?

    What about drinking the calories? Does anyone have suggestions for healthy, high calorie beverages? Juice maybe?

    I found that when I added more proetin I was better able to keep from being so hungry...when I have cals left, usually I grab a V-8 Original...because I don't really get enough veggies in...I have stomache issues and can't eat raw veggies..also seems I have gluten issues lately...and have had the malabsorption problems as well as gastritis and neurological issues with it....I eat as DENSE in NUTRIETS as I can, which doesn't necessarily mean high cals...and I do eat out a couple times a week, which actually I feel much better when I do...better able to get my nutrients, and no guten...I usually have a lot of soups...which will energize me....
    I did have a time where I did not have an appitite and it turned out that I had overactive galbladder....gastritis, and my stomache emptyed slowly because of this...
  • micls
    micls Posts: 234
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    Many people say you should eat your calorie but I really think if your not hungry don't eat, I don't think women need to be hitting 2000 calories. After going to Thailand and seeing how they eat I'm going to follow thier diet

    Are you serious? Thai food is ridiculously high calorie. Everything has sugar and coconut milk in it. And Thai people eat almost constantly. They never stop snacking.

    They're simply built differently metabolism wise, but they're certainly not on healthy diets by any means.
  • SmileyFaceGuy
    SmileyFaceGuy Posts: 201
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    The "listen to your body" stuff makes little sense. Satiety is mostly determined by the volume of food, which has little, if any, significance in influencing weight loss. If you can't reach your goals, then eat more calorie-dense foods. Along the lines of what somebody else suggested, if you eat nothing but carrots all day, you'll be satiated at the end of the day, but you'll only end up with, like, 300 calories. Don't use your stomach to guide your eating habits.
  • queenhiphop
    queenhiphop Posts: 286 Member
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    just listen to your body; if you're not hungry don't eat / if you're hungry eat

    if you find you're ill a lot or feeling very tired but not hungry, go to a doctor

    simpleeeeeeeeeees :)

    We listened to our hunger signals and that's why we got fat in the first place. They aren't reliable.

    no. that's not true. people don't get fat because they're genuinely hungry (unless they have a disorder). they get fat because they THINK they're hungry. i've learnt to work out if i'm hungry physically, or hungry emotionally.
  • tomwatso
    tomwatso Posts: 1,304 Member
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    I am an under at the end of the night. Then, I don't generally eat. I am happy if I am under. My calorie goal is 2050. So, if I exercise, that gives me an extra 200-300 calories to play with.
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
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    Once again, relying on hunger signals or "listening to your body" is highly unreliable. You use your gas guage to determine if you need gas in your car - not the way your car "feels". You body needs fuel. Rely on how many calories you have eaten to know when to add fuel. Feed your body right and you should have no problems losing, gaining, or maintaining your weight.
  • GuybrushThreepw00d
    GuybrushThreepw00d Posts: 784 Member
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    If i'm really under, i'll sink a 270cal protein shake before bed.
    However, this situation is pretty rare as i plan most of my food.
  • kittens876
    kittens876 Posts: 12
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    I'v only just started but I tend to plan my food the day before so I know how much I can eat. I have been under my calories by a little the first day, then by 300 or so the second and third. I do a lot of exercise so that adds to my totals. However, I am making homemade pizza tonight with my little boy and his friend so I'll catch up then. I read an article which was very interesting. It said to average your calories over the week. If you one day eat say 1200 cals, then the next 1650 you jump start your metabolism and this helps you to lose weight, it also means your body never goes into starvation mode!
  • Jen800
    Jen800 Posts: 548 Member
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    I always eat what I portion for myself, because I get full much too quickly and would end up hungry in 10 mins if I didn't eat it. I also Force myself to eat when I'm not hungry if it's the end of my day and I'm short on calories by a fair amount.
  • TyFit08
    TyFit08 Posts: 799 Member
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    The "listen to your body" stuff makes little sense. Satiety is mostly determined by the volume of food, which has little, if any, significance in influencing weight loss. If you can't reach your goals, then eat more calorie-dense foods. Along the lines of what somebody else suggested, if you eat nothing but carrots all day, you'll be satiated at the end of the day, but you'll only end up with, like, 300 calories. Don't use your stomach to guide your eating habits.

    I disagree, satiety is not just about volume but also about how gratified you feel. When you eat food that tastes good, that you enjoy, it creates a feeling. Foods of equal calories don't necessarily create that feeling. That is the challenge of dieting and why people have such a hard time sticking to eating healthy. Even though healthier meals can be filling, do you feel as satiated as you did when you ate comfort foods, probably not. Unless you love carrots, I can't see anyone feeling satiety from eating only carrots.

    To ignore your stomach when determining eating habits is to set yourself up for problems. Ever felt full, but decided one more bite and then spent the night with Pepto Bismo. The same goes for continuing out with your day in spite of hunger pangs and then passing out or feeling lightheaded.
  • DorkothyParker
    DorkothyParker Posts: 618 Member
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    No. It evens out in the end.
  • QueenJaneRoughly
    QueenJaneRoughly Posts: 26
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    If I'm hungry, I eat. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat.
  • shelled
    shelled Posts: 31
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    Thanks for this thread (so I didn't have to start a new one). I've been under my recommended daily intake of 1390 for the past few days, but it's mostly so because I don't feel hungry at all. I did try to drink some calories to up it (whole milk Starbucks woohoo!) so I can get out of this vicious cycle of being in starvation mode. :(
  • JakeBrownVB
    JakeBrownVB Posts: 399 Member
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    Never force yourself to eat, its honestly a really ridiculous thing that has come into existance by the multitudes of people who hear about starvation mode, think they understand it, and then go spread their version of starvation mode across forums.

    Best of luck and dont let me catch you eating spoonfuls of peantut better just to make up calories :D
  • ipw133
    ipw133 Posts: 13 Member
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    Most days, I am under my daily goal. I will eat only as much as I need not to get the 'body in starvation mode' . the amount allocated is fine, and the amount of exercise I do counteracts the figures. I look at making my daily calories figure, without taking into account the exercise. therefore - I only eat 1650 calories a day, and the exercise helps me lose weight. :) works for me.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    No, never. I know I'll go over some other day.
  • marise1113
    marise1113 Posts: 82 Member
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    No. I found that some days I am just not hungry. I try to listen to what my body is telling me.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Depends. I'll make sure I'm at least over my BMR. And if I feel like having a treat, and I have the calories/macros for it, I'll have a 100 calories ice cream or chocolate bar or something to put me closer to goal. Plus it stops me from binging later.
  • HotrodsGirl0107
    HotrodsGirl0107 Posts: 243 Member
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    I eat what i am supposed to for my body to continue at the activity level I am at. I lift 3x a week, I do yoga on Friday and hike on the weekend. I also work two physical jobs 6 days a week. I also have done research into how calorie restriction affects hunger signals. If I were to listen to my body I could eat 500 calories and not feel hungry. I am not dumb enough to think 500 calories a day would support my activity level and fuel my body. I have realised that common sense is lacking in these forums. I mean I have seen people starve themselves on 600 calories a day because they are scared to eat anything unclean. Really? So starving yourself is healthier than eating something "bad". I just don't get some of you. If you want to be active at least give your body the fuel it needs to function properly.

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