Is it that bad...

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julianadelbosque
julianadelbosque Posts: 84
in Health and Weight Loss
To eat 1000-1300 calories a day if that's what it takes to keep me satisfied? My net goal is 1410 and I've noticed that a lot of days lately I've been eating in the 1100 range and I've felt fine. I do also make it up to 1400+, especially when I exercise more, but that's not an every day thing.

I'm not on here to lose a ton of weight, my main goal is to eat healthier and to tone up. As a college student I've been eating a ton of **** in the past year, eating when I'm not hungry, snacking at night, etc and I'm trying to change those habits. I've been doing a great job so far eating smaller meals with healthier foods and I feel better already. I will stop before I feel over full, and I don't even want fast food for the most part. I try to keep my meals between 300-500 calories and then have healthy snacks during the day (mainly fruit or a cheese stick). I can finally control what I eat and how much I eat, and I'm really excited about it. :)

So I'm not purposefully trying to restrict a lot, and I'm not feeling starving on the days where I eat less than my goal. If I see after dinner that I have a couple hundred left over and then eat something to push myself up to the net goal, I just feel too full and when I wake up the next morning, I feel like I overate the night before. Eating anything at night (besides one delicious piece of chocolate of course) and going to bed full makes me feel kind of gross. Today I ate 1024 calories, and while I'm a little hungry right now, it's almost 9:30 and I really don't want to be full before bed. I also didn't exercise because I saw how few calories I ate. But throughout the day, I felt satisfied and not hungry. I just don't want to be eating too few calories for weight loss and have it backfire on me because I don't force myself to eat to my net goal.

Replies

  • cerealrunner
    cerealrunner Posts: 14
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    It's not "that" bad, but it definitely isn't good either. Although you shouldn't ever force feed yourself, it's important to not only get enough calories, but also to get all of the vitamins, minerals, and proteins/carbs/fats your body needs to be healthy and function correctly. 1024 calories isn't going to provide all of the nutrients you need in your diet to be healthy.

    Maybe try to incorporate some nutrient and calorie dense items into your diet, such as nuts, nut butters, granola, or dried fruit, to keep your calories in a healthy zone.

    I personally think that having a higher calorie intake from whole and healthy foods, along with regular exercise, will yield the best and most lasting results. I know that feeling satisfied and having control come hand and hand, so just make sure your body is getting what it needs to perform its strongest. I used to, and am still trying to break the habit, of over-controlling my food. Having control is a good thing, but being obsessive is another. Just make sure to keep yourself healthy and happy, not just for now, but for later down the road. Think, "in 10 years, am I still going to want to eat/exercise like this?" "are these habits maintainable?", and if the answer is no, adjust them.

    So basically: up your calories with healthy things and exercise!
  • kazsjourney
    kazsjourney Posts: 263 Member
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    If your main goal is to "eat healthier" then I would aim for that 1400 mark everyday. I would at least hit 1200 calories as a bare minimum. More food you eat within your goals...the more nutrients your body has the potential to receive.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    The main goal is to eat as many calories as humanly possible that still allows you to still lose weight. The reason for this is to prevent metabolic slowdown, and to keep your metabolic capacity as high as possible. This allows you to lower calories later to break through plateaus. Lowering your calories further than you need to will cause your metabolism to adapt over time and your metabolism will slow
  • julianadelbosque
    julianadelbosque Posts: 84
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    I personally think that having a higher calorie intake from whole and healthy foods, along with regular exercise, will yield the best and most lasting results. I know that feeling satisfied and having control come hand and hand, so just make sure your body is getting what it needs to perform its strongest. I used to, and am still trying to break the habit, of over-controlling my food. Having control is a good thing, but being obsessive is another. Just make sure to keep yourself healthy and happy, not just for now, but for later down the road. Think, "in 10 years, am I still going to want to eat/exercise like this?" "are these habits maintainable?", and if the answer is no, adjust them.

    So basically: up your calories with healthy things and exercise!

    This is my overall goal, although I'm still trying to figure out the best things to eat. I just moved into my first house about a month ago and am on my own with a real kitchen for the first time. I also currently work ~9-4 and have class 6-8:30 3 days a week which leaves me very little time in general for things I need to do like homework and exercise, much less meal prep. Today, I had about 20 minutes to make and eat lunch, and I made a sandwich plus fruit to bring to class for dinner.

    I've been an obsessive calorie counter in the past and know how that feels, and I'm very happy to say that I'm doing a lot better about it this time around. I don't have a ton of anxiety or obsessive thoughts or anything like that that I used to experience. My boyfriend eats a bunch of junk, and when we go out to eat I always try to look up the healthiest option and then only eat until I am satisfied, but the idea of some huge calorie meal at a restaurant does freak me out a little. If he wants to eat fast food, I will generally go with him but eat ahead of time - I've never been a huge fan anyway, and now I have little to no desire for it.

    I would say that where I'm at right now is pretty sustainable in the long-term, although when the regular school year starts back up I'm sure it will be a lot more difficult with time constraints. I would love to figure out how to eat even better while still feeling like a normal person who's not obsessed with it if that makes sense. I want it to be a regular part of my life that's just there rather than something I have to scrutinize at every meal.
  • udefam
    udefam Posts: 6 Member
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    I love this topic! I've been waiting for one like this! I too, find that some days I'm full and satisfied at 1000 calories and never know if I should just "eat" to get to my calorie goal.
    When you work out you should make sure to get all the calories possible.
    BUT some days I go WAY over - I wish it would balance out...
  • julianadelbosque
    julianadelbosque Posts: 84
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    I preplanned my meals for tomorrow on the food tracker, and I'm right under 1400. :) I feel like it's a matter of taking the time and also having the right foods in the house. If I don't have time, I will make a sandwich or put some leftovers together and that's usually just rice and a protein and nothing else. It's not horrible, but it's not the best choice.

    I've been tending toward chicken sausage for protein because it's the quickest to cook, but it's higher in sodium. I want to start having shredded chicken in the fridge regularly, but what other kinds of things are good for quickly putting together a meal? I've never really ventured into cooking other meats besides chicken and ground beef (can you tell I'm in college?) so I'm a little scared to try some recipes I've seen.

    Or maybe I can use the time I have at night after class to prepare food and put it in the crock pot overnight...because let's be honest I'm not about to get home after being busy for 12 hours and actually study. That would be a great way to have bulk meals for lunch and dinner. Bingo.

    Sorry, that was kind of a stream of consciousness-type post...like I mentioned, I'm only about three weeks into trying to be healthy (and 4 weeks in to living on my own outside of a dorm for the first time) so it's a process! I really appreciate the advice so far. :)
  • SarahSmilesCA
    SarahSmilesCA Posts: 261 Member
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    The main goal is to eat as many calories as humanly possible that still allows you to still lose weight. The reason for this is to prevent metabolic slowdown, and to keep your metabolic capacity as high as possible. This allows you to lower calories later to break through plateaus. Lowering your calories further than you need to will cause your metabolism to adapt over time and your metabolism will slow

    This...read this again and considers what he says. Reducing your calories to an extreme calorie deficit messes up your metabolism...and makes you gain the weight back faster.
  • udefam
    udefam Posts: 6 Member
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    Ok, still confused by this...

    My BMR is 1595
    My TDEE is 2472

    TDEE - 20% would be 1978 - Serously!? I should be eating this many calories a day? It just doesn't seen right....

    :indifferent:

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