Am I eating enough?

MinyMinnie

You can lose weight without exercise - but exercise will improve your cardiovascular health and make you feel better And if you do weight training, it will make you look better as well.

Cereal is actually not a very good option at all - for any meal.

Lean protein, vegies, wholegrain etc.

But the cereal I eat is whole grain.

Thank you for your insight.

barb1241

Almost all cereal is made from super overprocessed grain, even the ones that are "whole grain" They are as carby as pasta or white rice-or lots of other carby things. Try some boneless skinless chicxken breast and salad for lunch. Low fat dressing. If you must have carbs, eat a couple of multigrain crackers or better eve, add a portion of grain such as brown rice, quinoa, black, rice, millert, barley, etc. to your salad. I switch between the salad thingy and eggbeaters most days for "breakfast"-the eggbeateres are super processed too, but lots of protein for very few calories.

If you want cereal for breakfast, try old fashioned oatmeal, or steel cut oats. Takes a little longer to cook, but works in the microwave-my hubs does oatmeal with yogurt stirred in and a piece of fruit almost every morning. The oatmeal is the carbs and the yogurt is the protein. NOT full fat, full sugar yogurt. And the fruit is good for ya in moderation. Blueberries or strawberries, raspberries, blackberries. All the berry things with bright colors are excellent.

Eat plenty of healthy good food ( a good bit more than you are eating now), keep up your exercise and give your body enough fuel to work with and you will gain muscle at the same time you are losing fat. Being toned in the muscles helps to burn calories better. And you need more variety to get proper nutrients.

I think I got that correct there.

XDiet_SlayerX

Hello. The information everyone is giving you from what I have read sounds right on track. Keep your calorie intake in check because under eating can shut down your metabolism which will make you move backwards in the long run mainly because this will increase your cortisol levels which makes your body start storing fat.
So what is cortisol?
The adrenal glands produce another hormone that can promote weight gain though. This hormone is called cortisol, and it tends to cause the storage of fat in the lower abdomen. Unlike adrenaline which is produced for only short periods of time, the adrenal glands can produce cortisol long-term. This means that any fat-burning effects from adrenaline will be overcome in the long-run by the fat-storing effects of cortisol. From a survival standpoint, cortisol serves the purpose of providing emergency storage of fat for energy when the body is under stress for a long period of time. For human cultures in which the primary source of stress is physical stress, this fat storage can help keep people alive during extended periods of living under harsh conditions. The problem is, mental/emotional stress will elevate cortisol levels too, and for individuals who lead particularly stressful lives, the continued high cortisol levels will likely stimulate lower belly fat deposition. Anything stressful to your body obviously like under-eating will cause these levels to rise and you will not get the results you want.
Cortisol not only stores fat in the lower abdomen, it also stimulates the breakdown of muscle and other tissue to use for immediate energy needs. So the more determined a person is to exercise away the fat, the more cortisol is produced, and as I said a moment ago, if you burn more calories than you take in, you will lose weight, only in this case the weight being lost is muscle and not fat!

The result is a downward spiral of fatigue, loss of muscle mass and strength, and sometimes the development of joint problems as the body eats it's own tissues for energy.

Other ways that increase cortisol:
Drinking too much caffeine (three cups a day or more)
Being sleep deprived (not enough sleep)
Stressed out/Depressed
Over-training (working out)

Ways to prevent this:
Eat a balanced nutritional diet (that contains plenty of fruits and vegetables. Low-glycemic index foods like eggs help lower cortisol levels in the blood while whole grain products help proteins control the production of cortisol in the body. Stay away from processed sugars and flours. Vitamin B5 and folic acid help lower cortisol levels. They can be found in foods like beans, fish, whole grains, peas, beans, sunflower seeds and fruits such melons and oranges. Also garlic or garlic pills help.)

Exercise on a daily basis to help with weight loss and weight management. Exercise also produces 'feel good' endorphins that are released in the brain and combat stress and anxiety, a natural way to decrease the production of excess cortisol.

Relax by yourself for at least 20 minutes a day. Meditate, read, listen to music, spend time playing with a pet, weeding the garden or praying. Adequate relaxation and downtime is necessary to alleviate and reduce stress, which also serves to regulate hormone production in the body.

Take herbs such as Golden Root or Holy Basil to help lower cortisol levels. Dong Quai and astralgus are also effective and can be found in your local natural health food or drug store.

Take vitamin and mineral supplements, especially Vitamin C and Garlic like I mentioned before, which naturally lowers cortisol levels. Folic acid controls the actions and functions of the adrenal glands, which produce cortisol.

MinyMinnie

Almost all cereal is made from super overprocessed grain, even the ones that are "whole grain" They are as carby as pasta or white rice-or lots of other carby things. Try some boneless skinless chicxken breast and salad for lunch. Low fat dressing. If you must have carbs, eat a couple of multigrain crackers or better eve, add a portion of grain such as brown rice, quinoa, black, rice, millert, barley, etc. to your salad. I switch between the salad thingy and eggbeaters most days for "breakfast"-the eggbeateres are super processed too, but lots of protein for very few calories.

If you want cereal for breakfast, try old fashioned oatmeal, or steel cut oats. Takes a little longer to cook, but works in the microwave-my hubs does oatmeal with yogurt stirred in and a piece of fruit almost every morning. The oatmeal is the carbs and the yogurt is the protein. NOT full fat, full sugar yogurt. And the fruit is good for ya in moderation. Blueberries or strawberries, raspberries, blackberries. All the berry things with bright colors are excellent.

Eat plenty of healthy good food ( a good bit more than you are eating now), keep up your exercise and give your body enough fuel to work with and you will gain muscle at the same time you are losing fat. Being toned in the muscles helps to burn calories better. And you need more variety to get proper nutrients.

I think I got that correct there.

I got a lot out of that! Thank you.

So should I do what I'm doing by eating healthy but eat a lot more calories? Like for example, with a light salad I add lean protein such as chicken? Or when I eat oatmeal eat a banana? Should I give up on omelets all together? In the cafeteria, the omelet bar allows us to get all sorts of vegetables. I get my daily vegetables this way without forcing myself to include spinach and other vegetables in everything I eat the rest of the day. What about eating soup? I heard soup was good for you as well or perhaps a sandwich with tomatoes, cheese, and turkey?

If I ate about 1500 calories per day with an 1 hour exercise that burns 600 calories? Is that still too little?

Again, thank you everyone for your help. I'm truly grateful.

MinyMinnie

Hello. The information everyone is giving you from what I have read sounds right on track. Keep your calorie intake in check because under eating can shut down your metabolism which will make you move backwards in the long run mainly because this will increase your cortisol levels which makes your body start storing fat.
So what is cortisol?
The adrenal glands produce another hormone that can promote weight gain though. This hormone is called cortisol, and it tends to cause the storage of fat in the lower abdomen. Unlike adrenaline which is produced for only short periods of time, the adrenal glands can produce cortisol long-term. This means that any fat-burning effects from adrenaline will be overcome in the long-run by the fat-storing effects of cortisol. From a survival standpoint, cortisol serves the purpose of providing emergency storage of fat for energy when the body is under stress for a long period of time. For human cultures in which the primary source of stress is physical stress, this fat storage can help keep people alive during extended periods of living under harsh conditions. The problem is, mental/emotional stress will elevate cortisol levels too, and for individuals who lead particularly stressful lives, the continued high cortisol levels will likely stimulate lower belly fat deposition. Anything stressful to your body obviously like under-eating will cause these levels to rise and you will not get the results you want.
Cortisol not only stores fat in the lower abdomen, it also stimulates the breakdown of muscle and other tissue to use for immediate energy needs. So the more determined a person is to exercise away the fat, the more cortisol is produced, and as I said a moment ago, if you burn more calories than you take in, you will lose weight, only in this case the weight being lost is muscle and not fat!

The result is a downward spiral of fatigue, loss of muscle mass and strength, and sometimes the development of joint problems as the body eats it's own tissues for energy.

Other ways that increase cortisol:
Drinking too much caffeine (three cups a day or more)
Being sleep deprived (not enough sleep)
Stressed out/Depressed
Over-training (working out)

Ways to prevent this:
Eat a balanced nutritional diet (that contains plenty of fruits and vegetables. Low-glycemic index foods like eggs help lower cortisol levels in the blood while whole grain products help proteins control the production of cortisol in the body. Stay away from processed sugars and flours. Vitamin B5 and folic acid help lower cortisol levels. They can be found in foods like beans, fish, whole grains, peas, beans, sunflower seeds and fruits such melons and oranges. Also garlic or garlic pills help.)

Exercise on a daily basis to help with weight loss and weight management. Exercise also produces 'feel good' endorphins that are released in the brain and combat stress and anxiety, a natural way to decrease the production of excess cortisol.

Relax by yourself for at least 20 minutes a day. Meditate, read, listen to music, spend time playing with a pet, weeding the garden or praying. Adequate relaxation and downtime is necessary to alleviate and reduce stress, which also serves to regulate hormone production in the body.

Take herbs such as Golden Root or Holy Basil to help lower cortisol levels. Dong Quai and astralgus are also effective and can be found in your local natural health food or drug store.

Take vitamin and mineral supplements, especially Vitamin C and Garlic like I mentioned before, which naturally lowers cortisol levels. Folic acid controls the actions and functions of the adrenal glands, which produce cortisol.

Thank you! I will defiantly keep this in mind.

blanhe2

You need to eat those exercise calories or at lest half of them. And try and increase your protein intake, especially with lots of exercise.

Jess21684

sounds like your not eating enough especially if your only eating 1100 calories and NOT eating any or all your exercise calories back. The way this site is set up is for you to eat your exercise cals back so you net 1260 or whatever your number was and you will still lose that amount of weight your set to lose. I know not everybody eats back their cals and its different for everyone, I honestly usually dont eat mine back unless I get a crazy burn over 600 calories then maybe ill eat half of them back. I am set at 1560 I believe and at one lb loss a wk so i eat 1500 but dont really eat my extra cals burned thru exercise back but im netting 1100-1200 generally still. you wanna try to net at least 1200 so if you cant seem to make a habit of "eating back your calories burned" I would at least up your calorie intake goal then to like 1500 so your still eating a little more. Back when I first started, I was set at 1200 but I was eating back half of my exercise calories and I was dropping weight really well even with eating back half the calories so I would either up your set calories or try to eat back at least half of what you burn!

psuLemon

Almost all cereal is made from super overprocessed grain, even the ones that are "whole grain" They are as carby as pasta or white rice-or lots of other carby things. Try some boneless skinless chicxken breast and salad for lunch. Low fat dressing. If you must have carbs, eat a couple of multigrain crackers or better eve, add a portion of grain such as brown rice, quinoa, black, rice, millert, barley, etc. to your salad. I switch between the salad thingy and eggbeaters most days for "breakfast"-the eggbeateres are super processed too, but lots of protein for very few calories.

If you want cereal for breakfast, try old fashioned oatmeal, or steel cut oats. Takes a little longer to cook, but works in the microwave-my hubs does oatmeal with yogurt stirred in and a piece of fruit almost every morning. The oatmeal is the carbs and the yogurt is the protein. NOT full fat, full sugar yogurt. And the fruit is good for ya in moderation. Blueberries or strawberries, raspberries, blackberries. All the berry things with bright colors are excellent.

Eat plenty of healthy good food ( a good bit more than you are eating now), keep up your exercise and give your body enough fuel to work with and you will gain muscle at the same time you are losing fat. Being toned in the muscles helps to burn calories better. And you need more variety to get proper nutrients.

I think I got that correct there.

I got a lot out of that! Thank you.

So should I do what I'm doing by eating healthy but eat a lot more calories? Like for example, with a light salad I add lean protein such as chicken? Or when I eat oatmeal eat a banana? Should I give up on omelets all together? In the cafeteria, the omelet bar allows us to get all sorts of vegetables. I get my daily vegetables this way without forcing myself to include spinach and other vegetables in everything I eat the rest of the day. What about eating soup? I heard soup was good for you as well or perhaps a sandwich with tomatoes, cheese, and turkey?

If I ate about 1500 calories per day with an 1 hour exercise that burns 600 calories? Is that still too little?

Again, thank you everyone for your help. I'm truly grateful.

yes, you should be closer to 1900 calories. Calories are fuel, when you provide more fuel to your body, it has the ability to push harder during your workouts. Also what exercise are you doing?

wahmx3

Almost all cereal is made from super overprocessed grain, even the ones that are "whole grain" They are as carby as pasta or white rice-or lots of other carby things. Try some boneless skinless chicxken breast and salad for lunch. Low fat dressing. If you must have carbs, eat a couple of multigrain crackers or better eve, add a portion of grain such as brown rice, quinoa, black, rice, millert, barley, etc. to your salad. I switch between the salad thingy and eggbeaters most days for "breakfast"-the eggbeateres are super processed too, but lots of protein for very few calories.

If you want cereal for breakfast, try old fashioned oatmeal, or steel cut oats. Takes a little longer to cook, but works in the microwave-my hubs does oatmeal with yogurt stirred in and a piece of fruit almost every morning. The oatmeal is the carbs and the yogurt is the protein. NOT full fat, full sugar yogurt. And the fruit is good for ya in moderation. Blueberries or strawberries, raspberries, blackberries. All the berry things with bright colors are excellent.

Eat plenty of healthy good food ( a good bit more than you are eating now), keep up your exercise and give your body enough fuel to work with and you will gain muscle at the same time you are losing fat. Being toned in the muscles helps to burn calories better. And you need more variety to get proper nutrients.

I think I got that correct there.

I got a lot out of that! Thank you.

So should I do what I'm doing by eating healthy but eat a lot more calories? Like for example, with a light salad I add lean protein such as chicken? Or when I eat oatmeal eat a banana? Should I give up on omelets all together? In the cafeteria, the omelet bar allows us to get all sorts of vegetables. I get my daily vegetables this way without forcing myself to include spinach and other vegetables in everything I eat the rest of the day. What about eating soup? I heard soup was good for you as well or perhaps a sandwich with tomatoes, cheese, and turkey?

If I ate about 1500 calories per day with an 1 hour exercise that burns 600 calories? Is that still too little?

Again, thank you everyone for your help. I'm truly grateful.

Great advice from everyone so far and glad you are taking it all in and learning from the responses (I am not sure many people listen and learn). Nothing wrong with cereal once in awhile, oatmeal is definitely much better (steel cut oats even better). I have oatmeal 2-3 times a week, done in the microwave, sprinkle cinammon and add some fruit, very filling (yogurt would be good too except I haven't found a way to like any yogurt yet). Salads are great, add chicken, turkey, tuna cheese etc for protein, be careful of dressings though, too much fat, sugar and sodium in many of them. Omlettes are great, don't give them up but if having them for lunch, add a piece of toast (whole grain), fruit or something else as they are low in calories. Soup is great too, just not canned.... make it yourself so you know the sodium content, cream soups can be quite high in fat (unless you make it yourself and are careful of ingredients). Sandwiches are always good choices.... if you use whole grain bread and quality protein choices (not salami and pepperoni or cheese slices). 1500 calories is still too little, never eat below your BMR (one or two days won't hurt) and eat back your exercise calories. Your BMR is the bare minimum you need to survive if you were in a coma.... food fuels your heart, lungs, brain, muscles and every other body organ and function you do.

MinyMinnie

Almost all cereal is made from super overprocessed grain, even the ones that are "whole grain" They are as carby as pasta or white rice-or lots of other carby things. Try some boneless skinless chicxken breast and salad for lunch. Low fat dressing. If you must have carbs, eat a couple of multigrain crackers or better eve, add a portion of grain such as brown rice, quinoa, black, rice, millert, barley, etc. to your salad. I switch between the salad thingy and eggbeaters most days for "breakfast"-the eggbeateres are super processed too, but lots of protein for very few calories.

If you want cereal for breakfast, try old fashioned oatmeal, or steel cut oats. Takes a little longer to cook, but works in the microwave-my hubs does oatmeal with yogurt stirred in and a piece of fruit almost every morning. The oatmeal is the carbs and the yogurt is the protein. NOT full fat, full sugar yogurt. And the fruit is good for ya in moderation. Blueberries or strawberries, raspberries, blackberries. All the berry things with bright colors are excellent.

Eat plenty of healthy good food ( a good bit more than you are eating now), keep up your exercise and give your body enough fuel to work with and you will gain muscle at the same time you are losing fat. Being toned in the muscles helps to burn calories better. And you need more variety to get proper nutrients.

I think I got that correct there.

I got a lot out of that! Thank you.

So should I do what I'm doing by eating healthy but eat a lot more calories? Like for example, with a light salad I add lean protein such as chicken? Or when I eat oatmeal eat a banana? Should I give up on omelets all together? In the cafeteria, the omelet bar allows us to get all sorts of vegetables. I get my daily vegetables this way without forcing myself to include spinach and other vegetables in everything I eat the rest of the day. What about eating soup? I heard soup was good for you as well or perhaps a sandwich with tomatoes, cheese, and turkey?

If I ate about 1500 calories per day with an 1 hour exercise that burns 600 calories? Is that still too little?

Again, thank you everyone for your help. I'm truly grateful.

yes, you should be closer to 1900 calories. Calories are fuel, when you provide more fuel to your body, it has the ability to push harder during your workouts. Also what exercise are you doing?

I see! I just do the elliptical for an hour on with the intensity at 10. Which helps because it helps me work harder and work off a sweat.

MinyMinnie

You need to eat those exercise calories or at lest half of them. And try and increase your protein intake, especially with lots of exercise.

That sounds like a great idea, but I'm unsure what I'll do because I exercise at night due to classes. Is eating at night okay?

MinyMinnie

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day so far.

So here's what I'm looking at,
I am 19 years old, 5'4, and about 160lbs? I've changing my eating habits for a few months and I was wondering if I was on track. So, according to my fitnesspal my goal is to eat 1260 calories. I've been eating a vegetable filled omelet for breakfast(Usually if not, it's oatmeal) and a cereal with fruit for the other two meals.(Either that or a soup or salad) I easily eat about 1100 calories everyday but exercise on a elliptical for an hour and it comes and burn about 600 calories.

i usually have 700 calories left over I don't use. Is this a bad thing? Should I exercise less or eat more? Or should I keep doing what I have been doing?

Any help would be wonderful.

UPDATE**

I'm not sure if I lost weight in the course of these few months but I'm actually a 148 pounds!(I haven't weighed myself in months!) I will do as everyone says and eat more and exercise it off.

psuLemon

I might of missed it but if you didnt start weight training, you should. It will help with cutting fat and maintain your muscle mass.

MinyMinnie

I might of missed it but if you didnt start weight training, you should. It will help with cutting fat and maintain your muscle mass.

I have bad upper body strength but I will give it a go! I have been hearing that it helps. I guess I just needed to hear it again to get me motivated.

Thank you!

CassieReannan

So should I do what I'm doing by eating healthy but eat a lot more calories? Like for example, with a light salad I add lean protein such as chicken? Or when I eat oatmeal eat a banana? Should I give up on omelets all together? In the cafeteria, the omelet bar allows us to get all sorts of vegetables. I get my daily vegetables this way without forcing myself to include spinach and other vegetables in everything I eat the rest of the day. What about eating soup? I heard soup was good for you as well or perhaps a sandwich with tomatoes, cheese, and turkey?

If I ate about 1500 calories per day with an 1 hour exercise that burns 600 calories? Is that still too little?

Again, thank you everyone for your help. I'm truly grateful.

If your net goal was 1500 and you burned 600 calories, you need to eat those back otherwise your net will be 900 which is way too low! You should be eating AT LEAST your BMR which i told you was 1500. Please take our advice and eat more to fuel your body!! Exercise may be "pointless" but it's not, it helps you feel good and burn fat (especially if you weight train more). Plus you can have a flexible day and eat more! Reap the rewards!

MinyMinnie

So should I do what I'm doing by eating healthy but eat a lot more calories? Like for example, with a light salad I add lean protein such as chicken? Or when I eat oatmeal eat a banana? Should I give up on omelets all together? In the cafeteria, the omelet bar allows us to get all sorts of vegetables. I get my daily vegetables this way without forcing myself to include spinach and other vegetables in everything I eat the rest of the day. What about eating soup? I heard soup was good for you as well or perhaps a sandwich with tomatoes, cheese, and turkey?

If I ate about 1500 calories per day with an 1 hour exercise that burns 600 calories? Is that still too little?

Again, thank you everyone for your help. I'm truly grateful.

If your net goal was 1500 and you burned 600 calories, you need to eat those back otherwise your net will be 900 which is way too low! You should be eating AT LEAST your BMR which i told you was 1500. Please take our advice and eat more to fuel your body!! Exercise may be "pointless" but it's not, it helps you feel good and burn fat (especially if you weight train more). Plus you can have a flexible day and eat more! Reap the rewards!

Thank you so much! I appreciate the advice!

Firefox7275

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day so far.

So here's what I'm looking at,
I am 19 years old, 5'4, and about 160lbs? I've changing my eating habits for a few months and I was wondering if I was on track. So, according to my fitnesspal my goal is to eat 1260 calories. I've been eating a vegetable filled omelet for breakfast(Usually if not, it's oatmeal) and a cereal with fruit for the other two meals.(Either that or a soup or salad) I easily eat about 1100 calories everyday but exercise on a elliptical for an hour and it comes and burn about 600 calories.

i usually have 700 calories left over I don't use. Is this a bad thing? Should I exercise less or eat more? Or should I keep doing what I have been doing?

Any help would be wonderful.

Est a proper diet containing a balance of ALL the food groups and therefore ALL the nutrients your body needs for health. If you are a vegetarian eat more plants, if you are not eat more plants meat and fish. Most cereals contain added sugars so count towards your 10% of daily calories on processed/ refined/ sugary/ junk that means you can't eat them twice a day.

laddyboy

If you have to ask then you know you're not eating enough.

Thy this. Take the calories you eat then subtract the exercise calories you burn and it that doesn't equate to at least 1200 then you're not eating enough. You need to find you caloric level for maintenance and work from there.
Also, hit the complete this entry at the bottom of your food log and read the warning at the bottom.

april_mesk

Agreed. You should not be eating less than 1200 calories. Min. 1200 - don't go lower.