Afraid of eating to little....

I want to lose 1-1/2 lbs a week, my intake limit is 1820 but I really try to stay 200 to 300 below it (if I do not exercise). If I exercise, I run 600 to 700 less.

NEVER force yourself to eat when your not hungry, trust me from experience. Your body tell you what it needs when it needs it.

this isnt true. the hormones that effect hunger really can't be relied on either way. just because you arent hungry doesnt mean that your body doesn't need to eat. just as an example, anorexics eventually lose their appetites yet they definitely are undereating

It's all fine and dandy if that's what you want to do, but I beg that you not give that to others as 'advice' because it is really bad advice. Just as I wouldn't expect a smoker to offer advice saying they lost weight when they started smoking, you should not offer advice about losing weight by depriving the body of nutrients. Both may result in weight loss, but both also involve slowly killing yourself.

Congratulations for getting up and walking! It's also great that you recognize a problem before it becomes worse. A woman needs to NET 1200 calories a day to maintain everything in good functional order. Pick more calorie-dense foods if you don't feel like eating more volume.

When I started, I set my activity at sedentary and wasn't doing extra exercise. I believed some of the posters you'll find here who say exercise doesn't "count" if it's part of your daily routine. I'd dropped a chunk of weight the first couple of weeks, but then stopped cold. It was only when I started wearing a Fitbit that I realized that my normal day is far from sedentary, and I was undereating. Once I started trusting my exercise adjustment, my loss has been steady.

I started out March 1, 2012. I was 255lbs. I started out eating 1610 cals plus more on the days I exercised. When I lost weight I was prompted to lower my cals. I was down to 1420 cals by May. I had lost over 30lbs and was working out 3-5 days a week. Then my hair started falling out, a LOT. I had blood work done and everything came back normal. My energy was dropping. I wasn't hungry. I thought that I was eating "healthy". But, as I began to research more I found out that a big part of being healthy is eating enough calories to support health. It doesn't really matter how many people who come on here and say that they eat below 1200 calories all the time and they feel great. Science says that is not healthy for your body (or IMO mind). If you eat below your BMR consistently you are robbing your body of nutrients and calories that is required for your body to function. It will catch up to you. You will hurt your health by doing it. That is not an opinion, it is fact.

Thank you for sharing that. It's unfortunate that you went through this, but hopefully you'll be able to prevent someone else from doing the same thing.

If you feel up to it, I think this story should have a thread of it's own so more people can read about it.

I'll try it. I'm not on the message boards very much anymore because they just make me sad or mad, lol. So much misinformation.

This morning I walked for 90 minutes for 4 miles and before dinner I walked another 2 miles in about 44 minutes. It was about 800 calories burned but body media gives me credit for moderate activity that I may be during the day OTHER than walking.....hence the 1222

The extra cals the body media is giving you for your daily activity is already included in your calorie allotment. You should NOT eat back those cals. Even HRM and such can overestimate calorie burns. General consensus is to allow 100 calories per mile walked. So count only 600 cals for exercise for today, NOT 1222. And even then, since you have quite a bit of extra weight to lose, it is not vital to eat back those calories if you are not hungry.

Make sure that you are accurately measuring everything you eat and logging it all correctly. You may be underestimating calories eaten. Make sure that you are getting enough protein and healthy fats into your day. That is more important than reaching a set number of calories.

Many people do ok on lower calorie amounts when they first start out, and have a lot to lose. As you lose weight, you might find yourself getting hungrier and having to up your calories a bit. This is normal. Just listen to your body and how you feel. Energy levels, brain fog, etc are signs you may be eating too little.

After you lose the first third or so of the pounds you need to lose, your weight loss will most likely slow down. This is normal as well, so be prepared and don't panic. Just be patient.

I started out March 1, 2012. I was 255lbs. I started out eating 1610 cals plus more on the days I exercised. When I lost weight I was prompted to lower my cals. I was down to 1420 cals by May. I had lost over 30lbs and was working out 3-5 days a week. Then my hair started falling out, a LOT. I had blood work done and everything came back normal. My energy was dropping. I wasn't hungry. I thought that I was eating "healthy". But, as I began to research more I found out that a big part of being healthy is eating enough calories to support health. It doesn't really matter how many people who come on here and say that they eat below 1200 calories all the time and they feel great. Science says that is not healthy for your body (or IMO mind). If you eat below your BMR consistently you are robbing your body of nutrients and calories that is required for your body to function. It will catch up to you. You will hurt your health by doing it. That is not an opinion, it is fact.

Thank you for sharing that. It's unfortunate that you went through this, but hopefully you'll be able to prevent someone else from doing the same thing.

If you feel up to it, I think this story should have a thread of it's own so more people can read about it.

I'll try it. I'm not on the message boards very much anymore because they just make me sad or mad, lol. So much misinformation.

Exactly how I feel about posts like yours... maddening misinformation. The below is totally unsupported opinion, not fact. Show me ONE authoritative source that discusses dangers of eating below your BMR. You won't be able to. I've been asking for years, no one has. Your body burns calories in stored fat just fine. What is UNhealthy is the overeating everyone justifies as 'fueling their precious body functions', while they got obese and remained obese and then while they lose weight at a snail's pace, feeling all smug and self-satisfied the whole time, like they're doing something extra healthy for themselves by dragging out their obesity an extra year. 1400+ calories and your hair was falling out? Really? Why don't you sue MFP for their 1200 recommendation that hurt you so grievously? Oh yeah, you don't have a case because no one disputes that 1200 is universally considered a conservative deficit.

"I found out that a big part of being healthy is eating enough calories to support health. It doesn't really matter how many people who come on here and say that they eat below 1200 calories all the time and they feel great. Science says that is not healthy for your body (or IMO mind). If you eat below your BMR consistently you are robbing your body of nutrients and calories that is required for your body to function. It will catch up to you. You will hurt your health by doing it. That is not an opinion, it is fact."

I started out March 1, 2012. I was 255lbs. I started out eating 1610 cals plus more on the days I exercised. When I lost weight I was prompted to lower my cals. I was down to 1420 cals by May. I had lost over 30lbs and was working out 3-5 days a week. Then my hair started falling out, a LOT. I had blood work done and everything came back normal. My energy was dropping. I wasn't hungry. I thought that I was eating "healthy". But, as I began to research more I found out that a big part of being healthy is eating enough calories to support health. It doesn't really matter how many people who come on here and say that they eat below 1200 calories all the time and they feel great. Science says that is not healthy for your body (or IMO mind). If you eat below your BMR consistently you are robbing your body of nutrients and calories that is required for your body to function. It will catch up to you. You will hurt your health by doing it. That is not an opinion, it is fact.

Thank you for sharing that. It's unfortunate that you went through this, but hopefully you'll be able to prevent someone else from doing the same thing.

If you feel up to it, I think this story should have a thread of it's own so more people can read about it.

I'll try it. I'm not on the message boards very much anymore because they just make me sad or mad, lol. So much misinformation.

Exactly how I feel about posts like yours... maddening misinformation. The below is totally unsupported opinion, not fact. Show me ONE authoritative source that discusses dangers of eating below your BMR. You won't be able to. I've been asking for years, no one has. Your body burns calories in stored fat just fine. What is UNhealthy is the overeating everyone justifies as 'fueling their precious body functions', while they got obese and remained obese and then while they lose weight at a snail's pace, feeling all smug and self-satisfied the whole time, like they're doing something extra healthy for themselves by dragging out their obesity an extra year. 1400+ calories and your hair was falling out? Really? Why don't you sue MFP for their 1200 recommendation that hurt you so grievously? Oh yeah, you don't have a case because no one disputes that 1200 is universally considered a conservative deficit.

"I found out that a big part of being healthy is eating enough calories to support health. It doesn't really matter how many people who come on here and say that they eat below 1200 calories all the time and they feel great. Science says that is not healthy for your body (or IMO mind). If you eat below your BMR consistently you are robbing your body of nutrients and calories that is required for your body to function. It will catch up to you. You will hurt your health by doing it. That is not an opinion, it is fact."

Not really sure why you are so hostile to a balanced and moderate approach, but here is some evidence.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/metabolism/ART-20046508?pg=1

Quote from Mayo clinic article "It may be tempting to blame your metabolism for weight gain. But because metabolism is a natural process, your body generally balances it to meet your individual needs. That's why if you try so-called starvation diets, your body compensates by slowing down these bodily processes and conserving calories for survival."

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/245588.php

http://m.ajpregu.physiology.org/content/301/3/R581

http://m.ajpregu.physiology.org/content/290/6/R1577

Yes, you should eat when you aren't hungry. Plan your meals out for the day, meet (or exceed) your protein and fat goals, then fill the rest with carbs. Set meal times, and stick to them - you will start to get natural hunger cues after a while. These may not be growling tummy or cravings, but lack of energy, or a mid afternoon slump. Please try and add some vegetables to your day - you need the nutrients, especially if you're being more active. They'll help with recovery...