im starving myself but it doesn't feel like I am

Hello, I am currently 5'8 and 240lbs. A couple weeks ago I decided I wanted to lose weight. I bought a bunch of chicken and mixed vegetables, made a ridiculous amount of meals and all I've been eating since Monday is chicken and vegetables. I have small green apples and raw spinach as snacks and ive been drinking diet Sierra mist as my drinks. After joining this site I realized I am eating well under 1000 calories and I am putting myself in danger, but the thing is I feel fine, in fact I feel better than I have in a while. Im never really that hungry. I did buy multivitamins and I also got a supplement called adipo-x by axis labs. I dont know how much I've lost because I just got a scale today but I look much better so I know ive atleast lost water weight. My question is, is it ok to be eating such little calories, even though I actually eat a lot, but what I eat has very little calories and im taking vitamins?

You are a guy with what sounds like quite a bit of weight to lose, plus you're young. You are correct that you need to eat more--MUCH MORE.

Go here and plug in the information: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

I don't know how much you exercise, but I plugged in the information I read from your post and profile and came up with this, with no exercise added in:

BMR (basal metabolic rate): 2361 <---- not supposed to eat below this.
TDEE (today daily energy expenditure): 2834 <

---

the amount of calories it takes to maintain your weight.
To lose 2 pounds a week: 2267 <---- eat this to lose 2 pounds a week.

These are just estimates, but you can see 1,000 is indeed way too low for you.

I'm 5.4 and 224lbs I'm also eating well under 1000cals a day plus doing exercise and like you I feel great. I know that loads of people will tell you that you need to eat sooooo much more however as I am in the same boat as you I just tell myself that it's my body and it will tell me when I need to eat more. I feel great and I'm eating 3 healthy meals a day and drinking lots of water. I refuse to eat loads and loads if I'm not hungry lol

When you have lots to lose, you CAN eat much more and lose weight. 1,000 calories really is not enough. Super-duper fast results are not the answer to a long term lifestyle change. I know because I've been there.

The OP posted because he's saying that he needs to eat more, not because he's trying to get people to tell him NOT to eat more.

OP there is no reason to eat so little if you don't have to. Ive been big and I know what its like to want to just get the weight off no matter what. I can understand not feeling hungry (the human body and brain are tricky.) But at the same time eating a little more isn't going to harm you and may help. Getting enough protein and fat via the proper amount of calories, as well as micronutrients, can only improve your health.

A balanced diet is much better than popping pills ans supplements, widen your range of food would be my advice - increase your intake of fruit, and add a mixture of other foods, e.g. fish and you'll soon find your intake going up and less need for the supplements. It's INCREDIBLY important that you get enough of the whole package, not just the vitamins, but the zinc, iron, healthy fats (there's a very long list) that will keep you healthy in the long term. Do your research and expand your horizons a bit and you'll avoid heartache further down the line (as well as the tendency to quit when it all gets boring).

As a 52 year old male, I average 1200 calories and still feel hungry from time to time, but my diet is very well balanced and I'm losing 1-2lb per week (currently at 152lb and two lb away from my overall target)

Most of all, keep going, and find a regime which will work for you for the rest of your life, not just for a month or two.

You may feel fine now, but in a little bit, you won't. There's a whole gamut of side effects that will begin to creep up on you as you keep going.

Listen to the previous posters and eat more.

So you guys are saying that I should force my self to eat more high calorie food even when im not hungry?

It's not necessarily the quantity that is your problem, it's the quality. In the future, pick foods that are more caloric dense... full fat cheeses, yogurt, nuts, peanut butter.... etc.

You can literally eat ANYTHING you want. Ice cream, pizza, hamburgers, whatever.... you just fit those items within your calorie goal. If you restrict your self with eating things like just chicken and veggies, it gets old, fast, and you may end up binging, which will set back. A moderate deficit, eating the foods you love will be more sustainable and will help you ALOT.

If you have ice cream in the house, think about eating some later in the evening. I don't have to "force" myself to eat ice cream, if you know what I mean.

If that is all you are eating it would suggest that you are substantially deficient in dietary fat...dietary fat is an essential nutrient. Eat some avocado, eat some nuts, sautee some veggies in olive oil, etc. You don't have to stuff yourself to get calories and you need dietary fat for proper nutrition.

So you guys are saying that I should force my self to eat more high calorie food even when im not hungry?

I would say eat more calorie dense foods in general. Cook with butters and oils, add cheese to your eggs(if you eat them). Eat a tablespoon or two of peanut butter.

Lemme give you my example:
It was Jan of 2013 and I decided that I wanted to lose weight. I did exactly what you are doing. I dropped from 184 to 158 in 2 months. Then I stopped losing. 4 months on a plateau I gave up. I stepped on the scale 2 months later and was a shocking 198. I even have lovely stretch marks from it.

Frankly, the way that I ate and the way you are eating is not sustainable. Sure, I felt pretty good: very active in fact. However, my body refused to lose weight. It may seem okay to eat at that level, but I wouldn't go past 2 weeks.

And another example:
I was eating around 1000 calories for about 7 days a couple of weeks ago (I was staying at someone elses home), my weight loss stopped. Literally. My calorie goal is 1500. When I got there I weighed 172. When I left I weighed 178. It's probably one of the strangest things on the planet. I got home and started eating between 1400-1500 again and within 3 days I was down to 172. Just to clarify: measuring weight every morning is not good. I only did it because someone else was fixing my meals (very rude to get your own food) and was below my calorie target anyways so I wanted to see what it would do.

The human body is VERY good at losing weight. Enjoy eating! Just don't eat everything in reach.
Just as SLLRunner posted: find your TDEE!

TLDR: I've personally gone through the same thing. I lost ~30 lbs and gained back 40 lbs. Your body needs calories to lose weight. By depriving your body of the right amount of calories it will stop losing weight.

It's not necessarily the quantity that is your problem, it's the quality. In the future, pick foods that are more caloric dense... full fat cheeses, yogurt, nuts, peanut butter.... etc.

You can literally eat ANYTHING you want. Ice cream, pizza, hamburgers, whatever.... you just fit those items within your calorie goal. If you restrict your self with eating things like just chicken and veggies, it gets old, fast, and you may end up binging, which will set back. A moderate deficit, eating the foods you love will be more sustainable and will help you ALOT.

If you have ice cream in the house, think about eating some later in the evening. I don't have to "force" myself to eat ice cream, if you know what I mean.

^-- This

After joining this site I realized I am eating well under 1000 calories...

Your diary isn't open. How do you know that?

So you guys are saying that I should force my self to eat more high calorie food even when im not hungry?

Fact: you didnt get to 240 eating sub 1000 calories. You can eat more

After joining this site I realized I am eating well under 1000 calories...

Your diary isn't open. How do you know that?

What does an open diary have to do with anything? Mine isnt open to the public, does that mean I don't eat 1800 calories a day?

OP isnt claiming to not be losing weight, so there is no reason to assume they're eating more than they claim

Ok, ill go to the store and buy a variety of healthy foods that have more calories. But I should say I remember 5 different times I followed a diet meal plan and didn't lose pretty much anything. Actually now that I think of it this is the only time ive ever dieted and actually felt like I lost weight

This isn't a temporary diet meal plan. This is a healthy way of eating for the rest of your life! :drinker:

You don't just have to buy "healthy" foods that have more calories. You make it sound like bad vs. good food. No food is inherently good or bad; some food just have more nutrients than others. You can eat things that some people consider "unhealthy", like ice cream, and still lose weight. If you're thinking about body composition, that's a slightly different story (google "IIFYM").