Not eating enough calories?

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ksparkby
ksparkby Posts: 28
in Food and Nutrition
My issue seems to be not eating enough calories. MFP App tells me its harder to lose weight if you're under-eating, is this true? I feel like I eat a lot! I eat two eggs in the AM, a bowl of steamed veggies for lunch, and then dinner varies. Do I need to start packing in snacks in my diet?
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Replies

  • martyqueen52
    martyqueen52 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    You can really **** up your metabolism by starving yourself, which in turn stops weight loss.

    Two eggs for breakfeast = 140 calories

    Veggies for lunch = 150-200 cal max .... or maybe a lot lower... depends on what your eating.

    Dinner (I'm assuming less than 500 based off your eating habits)

    so 840 calories total....

    That's low.

    EAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I'm dead serious... eat WHATEVER you want as long as it fits into your calories. Want that Kit-Kat you see checking out at Wal-Mart? GET IT! EAT IT!
  • theJTfitness
    theJTfitness Posts: 142 Member
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    How long have you been doing this? Are you losing weight? If so, at what pace?
  • sfbaumgarten
    sfbaumgarten Posts: 912 Member
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    If that's all you're eating, it's definitely not enough... Providing your stats and opening your diary would help us to get a better picture here.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    My issue seems to be not eating enough calories. MFP App tells me its harder to lose weight if you're under-eating, is this true? I feel like I eat a lot! I eat two eggs in the AM, a bowl of steamed veggies for lunch, and then dinner varies. Do I need to start packing in snacks in my diet?

    When you lose weight your body can shed water, fat, and muscle mass.

    Do you want fat loss....or just weight loss? If it's fat loss...........you need to eat enough to help maintain existing muscle mass while losing weight. A lunch of steamed veggies won't cut it.
  • Cladf
    Cladf Posts: 60 Member
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    This is the one thing I found REALLY hard to get my head around, as I'd unwittingly been eating way too low for a really long time. I've upped my calories and finding that I now lose weight steadily and I have much more energy. Definitely with all the above posters - eat more, log everything in your diary and you'll notice a difference :)
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
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    By how much are you under-eating and what is your goal? What's your height/weight?

    Regardless of your goals, you should not go below 1,200 calories per day as a female. MFP won't even allow you to go any lower than that which is why you are getting the warnings. Remember when you exercise you will need to eat a bit more too.

    If your overweight it took you time to get there, there's no need to rush. You will get the best results if you work towards fitness for life vs dropping weight to better fit into a bikini this summer. I'm going to be counting calories for the rest of my life and losing .5 to 1lb per week is super for me.
  • tonimarie28
    tonimarie28 Posts: 6
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    Same issue with me. Never hit my calorie mark, always under 1,000. But i drink water with 2 Tbls of orange juice to keep blood sugar levels from dropping so it doesn't make me as hungry. I only eat 1-2 times at most- a day.
  • martyqueen52
    martyqueen52 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    How did you end up in a position to need to lose weight if you are having trouble eating over 900 calories? Same question for the person above me


    LOL... I'm wondering the same. I'm amazed at the mentality of starving yourself to lose weight.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Same issue with me. Never hit my calorie mark, always under 1,000. But i drink water with 2 Tbls of orange juice to keep blood sugar levels from dropping so it doesn't make me as hungry. I only eat 1-2 times at most- a day.

    Hunger (or lack of) is over rated. Hunger can be triggered by hormones too. Lack of hunger is not the same thing as getting enough nourishment.

    Always under 1,000..... unless you are a petite senior citizen, or have medical conditions.....you aren't eating enough to support your existing lean muscle. But at least the scale will look good.
  • tonimarie28
    tonimarie28 Posts: 6
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    Not starving, just not getting to my 1200 calorie goals. having hypothyroidism doesn't help either. to be honest, I dont exercise like i should, and i sit at a desk 9 hours a day with 20 min to be able to get up and walk. So I was doing well and lost a bunch of weight, kept it off for two years and then stress of losing father, being laid off, and starting a new stressful job also didn't help me be motivated. I only eat when i am hungry now, and not exercising as much-i doubt my body needs more calories.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    How did you end up in a position to need to lose weight if you are having trouble eating over 900 calories? Same question for the person above me


    LOL... I'm wondering the same. I'm amazed at the mentality of starving yourself to lose weight.

    +1
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    How did you end up in a position to need to lose weight if you are having trouble eating over 900 calories? Same question for the person above me


    LOL... I'm wondering the same. I'm amazed at the mentality of starving yourself to lose weight.

    +1

    +2

    Amazes me also. :noway:
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    I totally understand where you are coming from OP.. I was that way initially. I did not have an eating disorder, nor any food isses. People who haven't had the problem will just never understand. People are mean and you will likely see more of that in response.

    I know when I started paying attention to portion sizes and switched from eating junk to eating healthy, my calorie count plummeted. I felt better, but could never eat enough. Unfortunately for me, it ended with me in the hospital before I recognized it was a problem. I really took the reins and took control. I had to pre log my food everyday. I had to incorporate (and force myself) to make shakes and drink them in the morning. I had to start eating every 2-3 hours, even something small. It took me almost a year to consistently eat around 1600. i still find days where I am eating something at 10p just to get to 1600, but they are not as often as they used to be.

    Don't settle for less then 1200, until 1200 is easy. Then work up to your real goal.
  • _Josee_
    _Josee_ Posts: 625 Member
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    How did you end up in a position to need to lose weight if you are having trouble eating over 900 calories? Same question for the person above me

    Yeah... I'm wondering this too. Nobody got fat eating 900 calories...
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    Not starving, just not getting to my 1200 calorie goals. having hypothyroidism doesn't help either. to be honest, I dont exercise like i should, and i sit at a desk 9 hours a day with 20 min to be able to get up and walk. So I was doing well and lost a bunch of weight, kept it off for two years and then stress of losing father, being laid off, and starting a new stressful job also didn't help me be motivated. I only eat when i am hungry now, and not exercising as much-i doubt my body needs more calories.

    you do need a bare minimum to just function and sit at your desk to survive- for most people it's over 1200. that's for an average size lean woman.

    EAT- if you are hungry or not. EAT.

    If you can drink milk- I highly suggest buying it and putting away at least 1/4 gallon a day. If not more.

    I add double stuff oreo's to my ice cream at the end of the day to round out my day so I'm at least netting 1200- my goal is 1500 net- so I have to often drink milk AND eat my ice cream.

    Go for high calorie less filling food- cookies- cakes- milk- candy bars- cadberry eggs-froo fro starbucks coffee's are a great option! whatever floats your boat- get your chicken and veggies in but you need something high calorie in your day to bump that number up

    Hunger is not an adequate way to figure out if you should be eating or not.
    I'm hungry constantly- I live in a state of hunger- even when I was bulking- I was hungry- even when I was full I was hungry. I LOVE eating.

    it's a practically useless method of regulating yourself.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    I feel like I eat a lot! I eat two eggs in the AM

    when did 2 eggs become 'a lot'?! really!?
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    I feel like I eat a lot! I eat two eggs in the AM

    when did 2 eggs become 'a lot'?! really!?

    For real. I'd call that about half of a snack.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    Hunger is not an adequate way to figure out if you should be eating or not.
    I've read that once you feel hungry you are too late in eating. You should be eating before you feel hungry. From what I've read if you feel true hunger then you are already heading towards starvation.
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
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    I with most of the posters here, you didn't get overweight in the first place by not eating enough. If this was always a problem for you then you'd be underweight and not very healthy. If you are really eating so healthy in a day that you are not hitting your calorie goal, try spoiling yourself a little. Yes, you're allowed to have chocolate and ice cream. I'm especially a fan of the Popsicle "Fire Cracker" ice cream pops because they are 40 calories each.

    Starvation diets don't work and will only end badly. You'll go back to your old habits and maybe worse than before.

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