I dont feel like i'm starving myself...

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rero
rero Posts: 24
in Health and Weight Loss
...but my fitness pal says otherwise

heres what i've eaten today TOTAL CALORIES 1083

1 Egg, 2 slices of Bread, 1 slice of cheese, 2 strips of bacon, 1 large cup of tea
total 334 28 16 20 27 0

snack - orange

snack- (after workout) 1/4 cup triple berry smoothie

Lunch
Fiber One - Honey Clusters Cereal + half cup milk
total 221 48 4 9 24 0

snack - granola bar

Dinner
Mixed Vegetables - Steamed, Boiled Green Banana, cooked Jamaican Callaloo (like spinach), 1/2 Corn on the cob ,1 Turkey Sausage Link
total 198 19 5 9 61 0

snack (HAVEN'T EATEN THIS YET) - the Republic of Teas - Red Tea - African Rooibos, 1 teapot + almonds


i also burned off around 600 calories.in my workout. I feel comfortably full (just ate dinner). Is this bad?

Replies

  • water4life
    water4life Posts: 42 Member
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    Well with all the snacks, even extremely low calorie, you just think you are full because u have eaten every few hours. If I were you, I would just go by the guideline that say no less than 1,200 cal for women and 1,500 for men. I would at least eat to that amount.
  • weaklink109
    weaklink109 Posts: 2,831 Member
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    That isn't much, especially the protein consumed, when combined with 600 calories of exercise. There is a reason MFP is saying you aren't eating enough---very simply, you aren't!!:flowerforyou:
  • junebug523
    junebug523 Posts: 196
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    According to these numbers, you are netting only around 483 calories for the day (1083 calories consumed, 600 burned). Think of food as fuel--your body needs a certain amount of fuel to keep all of your organs working properly. If this is the plan you continue to follow, you will not be giving your body even the most basic nutrients it needs. It's not sustainable. You may be able to lose weight by eating such small amounts for a little while, but I can't imagine how your body will be able to continue functioning well--I'm guessing you'll plateau pretty quickly if you stick with this, not to mention the potential health risks. Please eat more.
  • sharonsylvester
    sharonsylvester Posts: 52 Member
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    I have the same problem, what I have decided to do is eat the amount I would normally it, snack on nuts or fruits and drink lots of water. I really don't feel like I am starving myself, maybe it is because I don't tend to eat a lot anyways. As long as I am no hungry I am good.
  • rero
    rero Posts: 24
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    Oh just wanted to say that my first goal isnt to lose weight as fast as possible but to eat as well as possible

    well usually my protein intake is much higher but it is spinach night so its treated like a protein.

    but in all honesty im not used to eating so often, or even eating alot (lived in a third world country most of my life and was perfectly healthy) until i came here so im just wondering how it can be possible that im not getting enough nutrients since this is an almost normal day. But ill try eating more or at least more calorie dense food

    and dont worry i'm actually really into nutrition so ill monitor myself to see if anything weird happens

    thanks everyone
  • melville88
    melville88 Posts: 137
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    Others may disagree but I think what you ate today sounds like a nice balance of food (proteins, fibre, veggies) and sometimes numbers are just numbers really- as long as you're not eating a piece of lettuce and feeling full, I reckon it's fine! If you're eating every few hours as well then that's great too! Maybe think about pre-internet days: if you were on a diet, is that how much you would have eaten and been satisfied with without counting the calories? if so, good for you! don't let it go down too far though, that's a slippery slope! xxx
  • rero
    rero Posts: 24
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    but wouldn't nutrient dense foods (tuna, nuts, veggies, fruit) fill you up quickly and for a longer time while being low in calories. would it still be bad since you're getting all your nutrients anyway?

    I ask because i tend to eat ALOT of veggies, fish, etc
  • smae1980
    smae1980 Posts: 794 Member
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    but wouldn't nutrient dense foods (tuna, nuts, veggies, fruit) fill you up quickly and for a longer time while being low in calories. would it still be bad since you're getting all your nutrients anyway?

    I ask because i tend to eat ALOT of veggies, fish, etc

    The problem with not getting enough calories is not necessarily that you are not getting enough variety, but that you aren't getting enough of each nutrient, vitamin and mineral overall. Just because you get a little of everything doesn't mean you are getting all you need to be healthy
  • sabrinafaith
    sabrinafaith Posts: 607 Member
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    I have to say that I'm torn. I find it hard to get enough net calories without adding in treats like skinny cow and stuff like that every day. Try adding in a piece of fruit after every meal and you should have enough calories. Other than that, if you aren't hungry, then you shouldn't eat. I really believe that the quality of your calories is as important as the amount. So if you are eating a balanced diet, you really should be fine. Just make sure every meal contains 15-20 grams of protein.
  • Precious_Nissa
    Precious_Nissa Posts: 416
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    You are definitely not eating enough...you feel full because of mid snacking; however your body is not consuming enough calories and the lunch should be of more substance....
  • funkyspunky871
    funkyspunky871 Posts: 1,675 Member
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    I understand exactly what you are saying. I average about 1100 a day, and I'm not hungry at all. If I were, I would eat all the way to my goal of 1490, but I'm just not! So, to make sure I'm at least getting 1200 a day, I add little things to my meals for extra calories. I actually put light mayo or avocado or even cheese on my sandwiches. I add a slice of bread to casserole-like meals. I don't do this, but maybe you could start eating dessert! :) I think I might. (I've found reduced fat oreos and they taste exactly the same as regular. 150 calories for 3 cookies, not that much food, but it'll get your calories up.) Sometimes you just have to eat a few bad things. I'll be honest, it's really hard for me to eat lots of fruits and veggies because I don't have the appetite anymore. Why eat tons and tons of fruit just to equal 200 calories when I could have something small and "processed."

    I'm also about to try drinking some of my calories through protein shakes. That might help.

    Good luck on your weight loss!
  • sheri3762
    sheri3762 Posts: 159
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    If your full today on tha amount of calories, thenmabye tomorrow you could up them a bit? I did this same thing in the beginning, and I hit a plateau. I eventually tried lots of things, but what ended up working for me is zig-zagging. I don't necessarily count or schedule each meal enymore. It really depends on my schedule. but, what I do do is pay attention at night when I log my calories. If I have a high day, then the next day I keep it reasonably low. I try real hard to get in all my calories over a 7 day period. YOur body isn't going to go into starvation mode after only one day. It takes a bit of time, but , like I said, if you continue with this low amount, you'll probably hit a plateau and may even get sick at some point if your body isn't getting everything it needs. good luck!
  • smae1980
    smae1980 Posts: 794 Member
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    I understand exactly what you are saying. I average about 1100 a day, and I'm not hungry at all. If I were, I would eat all the way to my goal of 1490, but I'm just not! So, to make sure I'm at least getting 1200 a day, I add little things to my meals for extra calories. I actually put light mayo or avocado or even cheese on my sandwiches. I add a slice of bread to casserole-like meals. I don't do this, but maybe you could start eating dessert! :) I think I might. (I've found reduced fat oreos and they taste exactly the same as regular. 150 calories for 3 cookies, not that much food, but it'll get your calories up.) Sometimes you just have to eat a few bad things. I'll be honest, it's really hard for me to eat lots of fruits and veggies because I don't have the appetite anymore. Why eat tons and tons of fruit just to equal 200 calories when I could have something small and "processed."

    I'm also about to try drinking some of my calories through protein shakes. That might help.

    Good luck on your weight loss!


    That is just irresponsible nutririon advice!!!! If you are going to add something processed just to get your calories, you might as well not eat anything at all. You would rather add all that saturated fat and preservatives that you (and the rest of us) probably can't even pronounce than to eat a little les calories of a piece of fruit or vegetable? I have no problem with having a treat, but to advise someone to eat reduced fat oreos to get to their calorie goal is ridiculous! Try nuts, seeds granola, avocado, things with calories AND actual nutritional value.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    OK, I'm not going to rant, even though I feel like I want to. I'll explain the hunger response as moderately as possible.

    The human body is an amazing machine. Full of all kinds of complex chemical interactions. One of the things it's really good at is judging when to send signals to your conscious mind telling you when you need to do stuff. For example, when you gotta pee, your bladder sends a message to your brain saying "Hey, I'm full down here!"
    That said, your body isn't stupid, it realizes that if you are starving yourself, eventually it's not going to waste the energy sending chemical responses for something that isn't going to be addressed (this isn't the technical reason why you stop feeling hunger, but for our purposes, it works). So the body comes to "expect" certain food levels to avoid hunger. When you lower the amount of food you consume over the long term, the body adjusts the chemical responses to those food levels accordingly, certain hormones that tell you that you are hungry are produced in lesser amounts, giving you the impression that you don't need to eat as much. this is NOT an indicator of less NEED for food, just less response to that need.

    In other words, for people that aren't healthy and eating right, you can't trust the feeling of hunger as a barometer for when to eat! In essence you must re-train your body to know when to be hungry by eating healthy, and eating the CORRECT amount of food. In some cases that just means making sure your deficit isn't to large, but in other cases you actually have to eat at maintenance for a month or so, take the hit of not losing weight (and in some cases where your metabolic rate has adjusted even gain a few lbs) and start again in 4 to 6 weeks.

    This does 2 things, 1st it allows your body to "rite the ship" and second, it shows you that YES you can eat more and not become huge, sure you may put on a few lbs at the beginning while your body is still adjusting, but once it does, you'll see, you won't gain. Which will actually make it easier to lose when you do create a deficit, and will allow you to lose with a higher calorie level.

    see where I'm going with this?

    So for everyone that says "I eat when I'm hungry", I say, "That's fine" if you're healthy, but not if you're obese or starving.

    regards,

    Banks
  • blondageh
    blondageh Posts: 923 Member
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    I don't understand how people can eat 1/2 a cup of stuff. (Unless you are a weightloss surgery patient). I cannot eat just 1/2 a cup of a smoothie. I would rather just not have it. :laugh:

    Sounds pretty balance but yeah, I would bump it up to at least a full cup of a smoothie and maybe a couple hundred more.
  • junebug523
    junebug523 Posts: 196
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    Banks, you rock! :flowerforyou:
    That's what I was trying to get at, but I just didn't have the words!

    I know what you said is true, because my experience has been proof of it. For over a year, I was eating between 1000-1300 calories most days, never eating my exercise calories, and rarely feeling hungry...and not losing weight. When I joined MFP, I was of course assigned to a net calorie goal of about 1250 per day. Four weeks later, I hadn't lost an ounce. My body was already used to lower calories, so I literally didn't have anywhere else to go but up! For three weeks I ate an average of 300 more calories per day, and always eating at least half of my exercise calories, and I finally started losing weight. My body really did need more food.

    Thank you for your wonderful, wise words!
  • rero
    rero Posts: 24
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    well the half a cup smoothie is what i drink right after my workout but before lunch. i might feel hungry right after workout but i cant eat much so a smoothie is a good alternative (i don't have protein drinks)

    and in all honesty i've eaten like this most of my life i think and kept a healthy weight until i came to America:ohwell:
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    well the half a cup smoothie is what i drink right after my workout but before lunch. i might feel hungry right after workout but i cant eat much so a smoothie is a good alternative (i don't have protein drinks)

    and in all honesty i've eaten like this most of my life i think and kept a healthy weight until i came to America:ohwell:

    the problem is, a healthy weight, and being healthy are two different things that don't necessarily coincide. You may indeed be healthy inside and out, but just because your weight is ok, doesn't mean you are healthy.

    Case in point (I know this is anecdotal, but still...) my brother is 6'3" and 2 years ago he weighed about 190 lbs (just about perfect), looked in great shape, was a carpenter so was always in decent shape. For the first time in 4 years he went for a medical checkup where he found out he was hypertensive, had extremely high cholesterol, and was super high in triglycerides. A perfect candidate for a heart attack or stroke, he was only 39. He didn't feel bad, and he looked great, but he was in deep trouble, all because he was eating like crap and doing no other exercise besides working (which was all low intensity, essentially light weight training, carrying wood, climbing ladders, hammering nails, sawing wood...etc). He's since straightened out (somewhat), but the facts are clear. You don't need to be obese to have nutrition related issues.
  • rockinright
    rockinright Posts: 241
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    ...but my fitness pal says otherwise

    heres what i've eaten today TOTAL CALORIES 1083

    1 Egg, 2 slices of Bread, 1 slice of cheese, 2 strips of bacon, 1 large cup of tea
    total 334 28 16 20 27 0

    snack - orange

    snack- (after workout) 1/4 cup triple berry smoothie

    Lunch
    Fiber One - Honey Clusters Cereal + half cup milk
    total 221 48 4 9 24 0

    snack - granola bar

    Dinner
    Mixed Vegetables - Steamed, Boiled Green Banana, cooked Jamaican Callaloo (like spinach), 1/2 Corn on the cob ,1 Turkey Sausage Link
    total 198 19 5 9 61 0

    snack (HAVEN'T EATEN THIS YET) - the Republic of Teas - Red Tea - African Rooibos, 1 teapot + almonds


    i also burned off around 600 calories.in my workout. I feel comfortably full (just ate dinner). Is this bad?

    I couldn't imagine 1200... (or 1500 since I'm a guy and that's the min. recommended)...I am at 1980/day and feel like I'm starving myself!! It's working but my stomach grumbles a lot still.
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
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    I understand exactly what you are saying. I average about 1100 a day, and I'm not hungry at all. If I were, I would eat all the way to my goal of 1490, but I'm just not! So, to make sure I'm at least getting 1200 a day, I add little things to my meals for extra calories. I actually put light mayo or avocado or even cheese on my sandwiches. I add a slice of bread to casserole-like meals. I don't do this, but maybe you could start eating dessert! :) I think I might. (I've found reduced fat oreos and they taste exactly the same as regular. 150 calories for 3 cookies, not that much food, but it'll get your calories up.) Sometimes you just have to eat a few bad things. I'll be honest, it's really hard for me to eat lots of fruits and veggies because I don't have the appetite anymore. Why eat tons and tons of fruit just to equal 200 calories when I could have something small and "processed."

    I'm also about to try drinking some of my calories through protein shakes. That might help.

    Good luck on your weight loss!


    That is just irresponsible nutririon advice!!!! If you are going to add something processed just to get your calories, you might as well not eat anything at all. You would rather add all that saturated fat and preservatives that you (and the rest of us) probably can't even pronounce than to eat a little les calories of a piece of fruit or vegetable? I have no problem with having a treat, but to advise someone to eat reduced fat oreos to get to their calorie goal is ridiculous! Try nuts, seeds granola, avocado, things with calories AND actual nutritional value.
    Thank you!!!!:drinker:

    Advising someone on a fitness board, especially someone new to the boards to eat cookies vs. a piece of fruit is beyond irresponsible and plain ridiculous!

    "Why eat tons and tons of fruit just to equal 200 calories when I could have something small and "processed."

    Whaaaaaaaaaaa??? I have to say this just might be craziest advice I've heard on here and I've heard some crazy stuff!:huh:

    A sliced up apple with some PB would be a great healthy mini meal that provides healthy carbs/protein/fats that will be a HEALTHY food that adds nutrients to our body. To simply eat cookies because they contain high calories to get our calorie base up for the food diary, well, I don't even know what else to say to that silly comment.:ohwell:

    Lots of healthy foods can be combined and enjoyed so you'll never have to resort to desperation of stuffing your face with cookies simply to eat enough cals each day. :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :grumble: :ohwell:

    Please consider advice given on the boards as info read by many many various members, some advice is best left unsaid if you find you chose to do it yourself, that's between you and your body. But to suggest eating cookies (in the way that was suggested) is close to suggesting throwing up if you feel full, neither makes sense to even suggest on an open board with vulnerable members learning how to eat healthy.

    Ppl we gotta think before we post, all of us, we're in this together.

    Thank goodness noone told me to eat cookies the day I joined I'd of wondered what type of site this was!! If losing extra weight is one of your goals and changing to a healthier lifestyle then getting in lots of good foods and cutting way back on junk food will get you there in a far healthier way!:flowerforyou:

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