Struggling to meet daily calorie intake

lesumm3r
lesumm3r Posts: 18 Member
in Food and Nutrition
At the moment I'm struggling with not having a big appetite at all which is making meeting my calorie intake of 1200+ difficult because I'm finding it difficult to eat much at all. Add to that the fact that I seem to have trained my body to only enjoy fairly healthy food is making finding those extra calories almost impossible.
For example, I normally do around 30 minutes exercise a day which gives me around 300 extra calories a day, but the last few days even without minusing the calories earned, I've barely been making 1100 calories as my body simply won't accept it. I know this isn't normal and it's leaving me sluggish and feeling a bit run down so I know my body isn't enjoying it at all!
Currently for me it's not even about weight loss, I simply want to feel healthier and more confident. I started at 130 and am now down to around 120 (haven't weighed in a week) and i'm worried about the effects of 'starvation mode'.
Any advice would be greatly received as this is a worry for me!
Thank you in advance!
- Laura

Replies

  • MissTomGettingThin
    MissTomGettingThin Posts: 776 Member
    Recent advice given to me was to add things to food such as adding fruit or peanut butter to porridge. You don't notice it in terms of volume but it adds healthy calories.

    I understand how eating more healthily then makes calorie consumption harder when you're trying to reach a goal as opposed to trying to stop under it.
    This is, of course, the point. To meet the goal, not to be under it.

    I hope you get some good advice here.

    Good Luck.
  • twonkieone
    twonkieone Posts: 132
    add in some oils, handful of nuts, avocado, nut butters .... healthy items that are slightly higher in fats/calories. i was having the same basic problem because i really don't care to eat anything but veggies, beans and fruits. one day i was 800 calories below due to a heavy exercise day! i've lost 4 pounds in one week by simply only changing what i eat!
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
    Open your diary for our review.
  • cvitez1
    cvitez1 Posts: 39
    Im not sure how often you are eating, but try to eat every two hours. Snacking is good if its healthy snacking. Just to give you an idea, my usual diet is:

    Breakfast- egg white omelette (120), toast with mashed avocado (150), greek yogurt (130)
    Snack- strawberries & blueberries (70), Laughing cow cheese (50)
    Lunch- Chicken (150), salad (80)
    Snacks- almonds (150), apple w/ 1 tbsp peanut butter (200)
    Dinner- around 300 calories w/ lean meat, veggies, and a starch.

    That gives me around 1400 calories. Its all healthy. And its spread out throughout the day so my body never goes into starvation mode. Hope this helped
  • lesumm3r
    lesumm3r Posts: 18 Member
    Thank you for all the advice so far. I'm eating at a friend's later so that should help!
    I've now figured out how to open up my diary so you can see what I'm actually eating which isn't always all that healthy but I naturally only eat small amounts of 'bad foods'.
    Also I generally eat every 4 hours and usually snack on fruit with some peanut butter or something if I'm particularly hungry!
    Thank you again!
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Hormonal response is probably to blame.
    You arent dieting correctly.

    Add protein shakes to each meal with whole or 2% milk for nutrient uptake.
    Thats an additional 220cals per meal there.

    If you are afraid of food and think its going to make you fat then do 1 or 2 things that will help you.
    1) learn how food works with the body so you can understand that you can eat anything to lose weight.
    2) Therapy to help you understand that food isnt the enemy and you can eat a lot of it before gaining weight.

    If you are seeking dietary advice send a PM and i'll try to help you as best I can but anyone who eats 1100-1200 daily and isnt hungry is having hormonal issues centered around ghrelin, neuropeptide-Y and galanin.
    After eating at a nutritious amount, 1600-2k a day for about 2 weeks, youll have these hormones under control and youll eat better and as a result youll start getting proper nutrients.

    Good luck!

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