Food diary- eating too little?

Lisamariewood90
Lisamariewood90 Posts: 27 Member
in Food and Nutrition
According to my food diary, it looks like I'm not eating enough food, however going through my day, it doesn't feel like i'm limiting myself! I'm not sure whether I should be eating more for health purposes, but I'm actually at a healthy weight at the minute and feel like if I start upping my calories considerably every day, I may put alot of weight on.
I like to stay slim, but I also want to do it healthily and not cause my body any damage.
Also, my diary yesterday was less than it would usually be because I had an essay deadline!
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Replies

  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,722 Member
    Can't give you any advice because your diary is closed.
  • Lisamariewood90
    Lisamariewood90 Posts: 27 Member
    Oh whoops, ill change that!
  • KaraAlste
    KaraAlste Posts: 168 Member
    So, :drinker: Whats the question?
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
    I do my very best to meet my BMR of 1800 calories/day but I can NEVER get that high. Some days I just eat a spoon of coconut oil to at least get to 1600. I am absolutely not limiting myself either. I would love to see how this post goes too :)
  • Lisamariewood90
    Lisamariewood90 Posts: 27 Member
    So, :drinker: Whats the question?

    Sorry, it was worded in a very round-about way!
    My question is, if I am at a healthy weight but eating under my recommended calories, does this mean i'm ok to continue in this way? I don't feel hungry all the time, and if I do feel hungry, I eat!
  • misssiri
    misssiri Posts: 335 Member
    How much are you eating?
  • SoozeE512
    SoozeE512 Posts: 439 Member
    What's your current height and weight?
  • Lisamariewood90
    Lisamariewood90 Posts: 27 Member
    My food diary today was around 910 calories?
  • Lisamariewood90
    Lisamariewood90 Posts: 27 Member
    What's your current height and weight?

    Current height and weight are 5'9 and 126ibs
  • misssiri
    misssiri Posts: 335 Member
    No one is going to tell you that is ok and they shouldn't. That is absolutely too low for anyone. Period. I see why you don't want to open your diary.
  • SoozeE512
    SoozeE512 Posts: 439 Member
    What's your current height and weight?

    Current height and weight are 5'9 and 126ibs

    Then you should be eating 1400 calories at the very least.
  • SoozeE512
    SoozeE512 Posts: 439 Member
    What's your current height and weight?

    Current height and weight are 5'9 and 126ibs

    Then you should be eating 1400 calories at the very least.

    That is without any exercise calories added in. If you exercise, eat those calories back.
  • Lisamariewood90
    Lisamariewood90 Posts: 27 Member
    No one is going to tell you that is ok and they shouldn't. That is absolutely too low for anyone. Period. I see why you don't want to open your diary.

    I changed the setting so that it was visible...is it not?
  • botello89
    botello89 Posts: 38 Member
    No one is going to tell you that is ok and they shouldn't. That is absolutely too low for anyone. Period. I see why you don't want to open your diary.

    I changed the setting so that it was visible...is it not?

    no it's not you have to change your diary settings to public. maybe you changed it to just friends only?
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    You need more calories in you. If you don't want to eat more bulk, eat more calorie dense foods. Adding peanut butter, olive oil, or avocado to your day allows the calories to add up fast.
  • misssiri
    misssiri Posts: 335 Member
    It's not. You are 22 and you have a long life ahead of you (assuming you start eating a healthy amount of food). Why do you want to cause yourself problems by wreaking havoc with your metabolism?

    At the very least eat the 1400 the other poster suggested. If you need to know how to fill in calories, here's some ideas:

    Lose anything that says low-fat on it
    eat some peanut butter
    full fat dairy
    almond butter
    avocado
    good fats like olive oil
    cheese
    bread


    You can't live on 900 calories every day. It is not healthy for anyone. If you were in the hospital in a coma, the doctors would feed you more than that.
  • holothuroidea
    holothuroidea Posts: 772 Member
    Yes, you need to eat more calories to sustain your health!

    I'm sorry I can't see your diary to give you more precise advice but try some calorie and nutrient dense foods like nuts and seeds, avocados, high-cal fruits and veggies (banana, stone fruits, potatoes, winter squash) and whole grains and cook with lots of good fats (coconut, olive, walnut).

    I also think you may benefit from contacting a nutritionist, to give yourself a better idea of exactly what your very fabulous body needs. :)
  • Thena81
    Thena81 Posts: 1,265 Member
    it happens to me more than i d like. im not pro ana or anything like that, i likes me food!! lol i just work a lot and dont get to eat much during the day and i dont eat after 7, 8 at the very latest but that late for me
  • Iamworthinvestingin
    Iamworthinvestingin Posts: 51 Member
    I can only share with you what my nutritionist said to me- I need to at least eat the daily caloric and carb requirements- however, if I exercise, and I feel good, I do not need to eat the extra intake - If you do exercise and need the extra food, your body will tell you so, listen to it- If you do not eat the recommeded calroie intake - or close to it- you run the risk of setting your body into starvation mode. I am diabetic and I am learning that I need to eat as many fruits and vegetable servings I can - get enough fiber - and I found that there is away to adjust the selections of what you show on your food report- for instance, maybe keeping track of your fiber intake is more important han the sugar intake - as you can gage that by your carb intake to a degree - it doesn't allow for natural sugars etc-

    Talk to a dietician or doctor regarding your caloric daily intake- if you feel sated it could be that you are eating the right foods that satisfy - but always, seek medical advice ...
  • Lisamariewood90
    Lisamariewood90 Posts: 27 Member
    Hi, thanks everyone for your input. I'm happy at the weight I am, so was mainly worried that increasing my intake would lead me to gain weight. However I do generally stay around this weight most of the time, so hopefully with exercise I will stay the same. My aim in being here is to lose fat and gain muscle, so my goal is healthy, and I want to do it the healthy way!
  • freckletone
    freckletone Posts: 58
    hi
    a lot of people are going to tell you YOU'RE EATING TO LITTLE RAWWWRRRRR

    Of course, people tend to forget that whilst certain rules apply for a lot of people, they don't apply to all
    some people NEED to eat more, some are actually fine on less.

    So long as you are NOT leaving yourself hungry during the day, making sure you are eating whe you are hungry and stopping when you're full
    making sure it's all balanced then it's fine.
    910 calories sounds very low at your height but like i said, if the above applies, try not to stress

    of course loss of calories in exercise comes into play so if this calorie in take is before calorie burn from exercise, i'd suggest eating the calories back that you burn.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    Hi, thanks everyone for your input. I'm happy at the weight I am, so was mainly worried that increasing my intake would lead me to gain weight. However I do generally stay around this weight most of the time, so hopefully with exercise I will stay the same. My aim in being here is to lose fat and gain muscle, so my goal is healthy, and I want to do it the healthy way!

    If you want to gain muscle, you DEFINITELY need to eat more. Your body can't build muscle unless you give it the raw materials to actually build them!
  • LisaGirlfriend
    LisaGirlfriend Posts: 493 Member
    to gain muscle, EAT MORE and lift heavy weights. Heavy enough you reach 10 reps but can't do more than 12 reps... heavy!!! 3x a week, with rest days and limited cardio. You'll gain muscle and lose fat. and eat lots of protein.
  • dianeneufeld10
    dianeneufeld10 Posts: 11
    i never get to my goal calorie, but i dont loose weight, strange but true
  • catfive1
    catfive1 Posts: 529 Member
    Should at least eat 1200 calories a day.
  • cluthab
    cluthab Posts: 48 Member
    My diary says I should be 1200 min and 1800 max.

    I thought it is a function of how much you want to lose, in what time and your activity lifestyle.

    I entered 1lb/week.

    My wife entered 2lb/week and was given a max of 1200cals
  • denezy
    denezy Posts: 573 Member
    Your food diary only goes back 3 days so I'm not sure how long you have been sustaining this, but if you think 1.5 meals a day is sustainable, I think you have real food issues.

    That is not a healthy way to live and certainly does not match up with what you have said your goals are.
  • holothuroidea
    holothuroidea Posts: 772 Member
    I think lunch is probably the answer to your problem. Is there something you do at that time of day that prevents you from eating?

    If your diary reflects your normal eating habits, I'd say you aren't feeling hungry because your metabolism has gotten used to such little food and has slowed way down. This doesn't really bode well for your health, because eating so few calories puts you at great risk for nutrient deficiencies which might not give you any symptoms now but will catch up to you long-term. It's also not great for your body for your metabolism to be that slow, especially as you get older, because it will make it difficult for you to maintain bone and muscle mass.

    I think you should really work on getting your calories up, and making sure you're getting all the micronutrients you need.

    Setting strength training and fitness goals is a really good idea as you increase your calorie intake, because it will gear up your metabolism and ensure that your body is building lean tissue with the extra nutrients.

    I still think it would be good for you to see a nutritionist if you can!
  • Lisamariewood90
    Lisamariewood90 Posts: 27 Member
    Alot of the time I don't have lunch because I have to leave the house at 4 for work from 4-10pm, so I have to have my dinner early. I then have no breaks in work to eat, so that's usually kinda it for the day!

    The thing is, generally ill eat around this amount for most of the week, but at the weekend ill go out for dinner with friends and go out at night and probably make up all the calories that I've missed out!
  • dinithig
    dinithig Posts: 9
    Hi! Everyone will say that is too little. I am trying to lose weight, and have the same dilemma as you! Of not being able to eat what is recommended! Im about 200 calories off from my recommended.
    I too am afraid of increasing the calories for fear that I would gain weight and not lose weight. BUT i also know that this calorie intake level created havoc for me (after years of yoyo dieting), and my metabolism is screwed up, so I am adding nutrient dense food after getting some tips from other fitness pal members. My body will adapt to the healthy amount of nutrients eventually.
    Now Im training my body to make use of the calorie amount I need. . I make sure my body knows that I will give it the nutrients it needs at regular intervals! I exercise and feed my body to break the pattern so that my metabolism will adjust back to being healthy (inside and out)

    Do it gradually so that you wont feel uncomfortable!!

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