Am I not eating enough?

hendrixfan95
hendrixfan95 Posts: 5
edited January 16 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm a pretty avid runner. I usually work out 4-5, sometimes 6 days a week. I admit, I don't strength train as much as I should. My average net calorie intake is between 1400-1600 daily. Am I eating enough? Should I eat more? I lost around 50 lbs this summer (40 before joining myfitnesspal) I'm 18 and around 155 lbs with a body fat percentage of 15. I can't seem to lose some fat in my lower stomach and I wonder if my body is simply retaining because I'm not eating enough? If someone could help, it would be much appreciated.

Replies

  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
    How tall are you?
  • hendrixfan95
    hendrixfan95 Posts: 5
    5' 10".
  • foleyshirley
    foleyshirley Posts: 1,043 Member
    According to fat2fit radio, using your %BF, your BMR is 1666 calories. Your TDEE is below, depending on activity level.

    Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 2158
    Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 2472
    Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2787
    Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 3102
    Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 3416

    You are definitely not eating enough. You should be eating at TDEE (or a tiny bit below), and adding strength training. You eat the same, or less, than I do. And I am a 48 year old female.
  • hendrixfan95
    hendrixfan95 Posts: 5
    Ok, thank you. The real trouble I have is actually eating more. I feel like in gorging myself if I eat more than 500-600 calories in a meal. My breakfasts are larger at around 450-500 calories but it goes down to around 350 at lunch and as little as 250 at dinner. I eat snacks in between but I feel as if I'm eating too much, especially since its winter and attend school during the day, and I'm not able to exercise like I usually do.
  • babydiego87
    babydiego87 Posts: 905 Member
    Ok, thank you. The real trouble I have is actually eating more. I feel like in gorging myself if I eat more than 500-600 calories in a meal. My breakfasts are larger at around 450-500 calories but it goes down to around 350 at lunch and as little as 250 at dinner. I eat snacks in between but I feel as if I'm eating too much, especially since its winter and attend school during the day, and I'm not able to exercise like I usually do.
    I get where you're coming from, so eat smaller snacks that are more calories. For example, a medium apple with a tablespoon of peanut butter is about 150-200 calories. That will fill you, trust me.
  • katy84o
    katy84o Posts: 744 Member
    If your body fat is actually 15% that's below average. I'm not an expert and I certainly don't lift as often as I'd like to. But maybe you should start lifting weights instead of just running so that you can tone your stomach area.

    Also nuts and nut butters. Both of those will provide you with a good amount of calories for a smaller amount.
  • bananapancakebella
    bananapancakebella Posts: 178
    Ok, thank you. The real trouble I have is actually eating more. I feel like in gorging myself if I eat more than 500-600 calories in a meal. My breakfasts are larger at around 450-500 calories but it goes down to around 350 at lunch and as little as 250 at dinner. I eat snacks in between but I feel as if I'm eating too much, especially since its winter and attend school during the day, and I'm not able to exercise like I usually do.

    Try adding calorie dense foods-- avocado, nuts, peanut butter is a great suggestion, animal fat. These will help you consume more calories without having to eat a much larger amount of food.
  • laurarpa
    laurarpa Posts: 244 Member
    I get where you're coming from, so eat smaller snacks that are more calories. For example, a medium apple with a tablespoon of peanut butter is about 150-200 calories. That will fill you, trust me.

    That's just want he doesn't want. The problem is he feels too full. He needs 2-3 TBS of PB with his snack. He needs to add more calorie-dense food to his meals/snacks so that he gets the calories but not the feeling of overeating. Dried fruits and nuts would be a great addition. chocolate milk/protein shakes/smoothies might help. It would be easier to make suggestions if the diary was open.
  • hendrixfan95
    hendrixfan95 Posts: 5
    I'll open my diary so you guys can see. I really appreciate everyone's help.
  • hendrixfan95
    hendrixfan95 Posts: 5
    Tried to eat more. Didn't quite work out for me today, but its just one day.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories