Under eating

Starvation mode = myth

Without being able to see your diary to see what exactly you're eating it's hard to give anything more than general advice.

A glass of milk, a piece of toast with peanut butter, half an avocado, glass of fruit juice, piece of cheese.... how many calories do you need to make up, and what other macros are you low on?

Add olive oil and coconut oil to your meals, nuts and seeds have lots of calories.. full fat dairy. It adds up fast.

I understand your concern about sometimes not being able to carry on eating just for the sake of it. When this happens to me I usually have some almonds, walnuts or brazil nuts. It is easy to munch on a few of these even if you are not very hungry. You could try some Peanut butter on crackers. I rarely buy any low fat items as I know I can use the calories. Cheese, another easy nibble item. Breakfast type cereal bars, protein bars are often quite small but it is usually worth checking out the nutritional values as they can vary loads.

Christmas festivities have opened up my diary to lots of 'indulgences' which I would not have there otherwise, but my diary is open if it helps to peak.
Hope this helps a little.

Starvation mode = myth

Not a myth, just understood. Basically if someone is overweight and on a diet, starvation mode isn't going to happen, but an adjustment downward to their basal metabolic rate will, there's your confusion.

Mayonaise? lots of calories! You can buy really good quality ones that are all natural.

i cant stand full fat milk. this may sound silly to some, but i swear i can taste the fat in it, it is too creamy and it makes me wanna be sick. i live in a shared house and nuts are banned as one of my house mates will pretty much drop dead if she comes into contact with them so we er on the side of caution.

think i will get back on the natural/greek yogs at those proportions. sounds just like what i need.

even if starvation mode is a myth i am still coming in at well under what is healthy at around 950 cals when i eat what i am comfortable eating. and thats before i do any exercise...

Thanks for the advice guys. and happy new year

Then your yo yo dieting style will continue, you have to eat and not liking something doesn't qualify as sound logic. Try other full fat options if you don't like milk.....cheese for example, full fat yogurt, use more olive oil on salads that kind of thing.

1) i do not yo-yo diet. it is simply that the past few years have been particularly difficult meaning that looking after my health and fitness havent been paramount and the weight has crept up.

2) i do have milk on food i simply much prefer the non fat/skimmed option because i prefer the taste, unfortunately it lacks the fat and thus the calories. I love full fat cheese but i cant afford to eat it every day. i am on a ridiculously tiny income and one block of cheese would take up almost 1/3 of my weekly food budget!

so to clarify:

I cant have nuts
I cant afford cheese
I dont like full fat milk but i dont mind skimmed!

Ok, just eat more foods of the foods you eat. Eat nuts at work or away from the house......eating is not complicated.

Rice and pasta is very cheap and I know I can only usually have a small serve if watching calories so eat up on those perhaps.

I am sorry but you didn't get to be 93 lbs by undereating. I never understand how people complain about not being able to eat enough food. I can eat 1200 calories in an hour lol and I looooove veggies too lol. Just enjoy not being hungry and losing weight. If you are being honest with yourself then you are good to go. You have to answer your own questions ultimately. This is your journey after all.

Right, i have been filling out my food diary in the morning so i know what i can and cant eat throughout the day and dont go over my allowances and to encourage me to plan my meals.

but i am struggling to eat enough calories. i keep getting the note at the bottom saying my body will go into starvation mode (which of course is counter productive). i have my 5 fruit and veg a day, some dairy, some protien, fat and carbs. I struggle with big portion sizes as i have a hiatus hernia...

has any one got any reccomendations for increasing calories without going over other things... i am not a big meat eater and am trying to decrease the levels of fat and carbs in my diet.. i just love veggies... kind of stuck...

HELP!!!!

Your diary is locked so we are flying blind. See an NHS dietician, eat small meals more frequently, add in avocado, olives, block creamed coconut, seeds (watermelon, hemp, pumpkin, flaxseeds, not related to tree nuts AFAIK), cocoa powder, very oily fish like mackerel and sardines. Fat is not the enemy, healthy fats do not make you fat unless you massively overeat them - in fact some (long chain omega-3s, lauric acid in coconut) may contribute to reduced bodyfat! Less healthy fats are saturated animal fats (easy to convert this to bodyfat) and most omega-6s.

BTW the UK recommendations are for AT LEAST five fruit and veg a day not simply five, the research actually supports the equivalent of around nine servings, five was selected to be manageable for a population on closer to two. Most western countries advocate seven to nine and a couple even advise ten servings. How much is 'some' dairy - three servings? How much is 'some' protein? Do you have oily fish several times a week? Low glycaemic index wholegrains or beans/ lentils at every meal and snack?

If you want to decrease fat and carbs you will need to compensate with increased protein, but this is the most expensive macronutrient and the easiest source is meat which you don't eat much of so you are making a rod for your own back. The only way to do that on a tight budget is going to be to eat certain fish and organ meats daily.

Canned oily fish like mackerel and pilchards in tomato sauce (£2.20 a kilo for a large can) is actually cheaper than many meats and jam packed with protein, vitamins, essential fatty acids and minerals if you eat the crumbly bones. Also consider dried beans and lentils, canned tomatoes, many frozen vegetables, fresh root veggies, certain dried fruits, plain cottage cheese, Value eggs, porridge oats, organ meats (pork liver £1 a kilo, packed with vitamins and minerals) are all reasonably priced in the UK. The cheapest cheddar I can see on Asda is £4.25 a kilo, a serving is 30g which is about 13p so cheaper than cottage cheese which is absolutely useless on the calcium front so has a large serving size.

It's not difficult to eat well on a tight budget but you need to be willing to be open minded with new foods and recipes. Fresh fruit, many meats and processed foods are expensive here but there is no real need to eat much of these within a healthy diet. Head over to Moneysavingexpert forums, seek out Weezl74's many threads.