I've only had 800 cals but I'm so FULL :(

So far I've only had 800 or so calories for the day and my belly is so full. I had fajita chicken and bell peppers with brown rice and Sriracha at 2 pm and I've stayed full since. Now dinner is coming and I'm not even hungry. There's a box of cookies here in front of me and I don't even want them. I feel totally satisfied, and I'm not TRYING to limit myself, I just don't feel like I can pack any more food into me before 7 pm. And no I haven't exercised today. Do I have to eat to meet 1200 even if I'm not hungry?? Ahhh! Please give me some advice!

Advice? Eat more and don't melodramatically drama-queen the forums for attention.

Drama-queen the forums for attention? I simply asked a question. You have some people telling you to stop eating if you're full , and others telling you to find a way to pack the extra calories in, or else. I am getting so much mixed information from different users, and still no answers. FYI: I am eating A LOT of food like eggs, vegetables, beans, wheat bread, and fruit. I'm not going around saying "I've eaten 3 celery stalks today and I'm SOOOO FULLLL!!"
My issue is how frustrating it is that I'm eating so much and still falling short on calories.
Sorry if my sincere question was "dramatic." to you

Its overly dramatic because its a non-problem. You didn't eat very much today. Okay. I mean I'm not sure why you or other people would consider this a huge deal. If you had said you can't eat more than 800 calories EVER then yeah you have problems but if it was just this one day then it doesn't matter and you are making a mountain out of a mole hill.

If it IS a regular problem for you then eat a hamburger or a couple spoonfulls of peanut butter, calorie deficit solved. This is not a real problem. Sorry for the blunt reality check but "I cannot eat enough help me" is an invented problem caused by some psychological block in your own head, all you have to do is reach out and grab something caloric like peanut butter and ice cream and your problem will evaporate. Why you aren't doing that I couldn't tell you.

Here are some ideas:

If you like to eat vegetables, slather some butter on em first.
Eat some nuts.
Eat some fatty meat.
Eat some peanut butter
Eat a brownie
...
I'm sure you can think of more.

If you are so full all the time on 800 calories its because you eat lots of vegetables and lean things and avoid fat like the plague. Just eat something fatty now and again and it won't be a problem anymore. There is nothing wrong with fat, in fact fat is an important part of your diet and if you are honestly "full" on 800 calories you are clearly avoiding fat and doing yourself a disservice.

The standard person requires about 0.4g of fat per pound of bodyweight in their diet. Are you getting that?

Maybe if you ate the 800 calories in one meal, like I just did, you'd be full. I just had a cup of rice, two cups of Thai green curry chicken and a glass of wine. I'm pretty stuffed.

But I also ate a boiled egg, a latte, a celery and carrot stick with hummus and Greek yogurt spinach dip as well as a banana and an ounce of cheese today between 9AM and 3PM.

If I were you, I'd try to spread your calories throughout the day so you're not wondering WTF to do when you've only eaten 800 calories and you're stuffed at the end of the day.

For tonight though, if you're not hungry, don't eat. Like others have said, aim to eat your calories over the course of a week, and don't worry about fluctuations on a daily basis as much.

As for why you are getting the eye-roll posts here is why:

You entered a forum designed to provide a support community to a group who is attempting, often struggling, to lose weight. You then post something about how HARD it is to eat more than 800 calories.

If you don't see the issue here or why this would spur some of the reactions you got let me use an analogy. Lets say you went to a forum dedicated to sufferers of severe acne and excema and proceeded to complain bitterly about how hard it is to rub all this lotion into your glisteningly perfect porcelain flesh. Not only is it a first-world problem it is a first-world problem that is pretty much in exact contradiction to the problem most of the people on said forum are struggling with. So yeah, you are going to get some flak for that and its not surprising because to some it is going to seem like an intentional trolling or a bid for attention.

Also the fact that her problem stems from her taking phentermine, so she could stop taking it or call her doctors office if she really does have as much of a problem as she says she does. Which I'm not clear on because many of her posts suggest that she does not, in fact, have a problem.

You may not recall but this is the breakfast girl from yesterday. Given the amount of confusion the internet seems to be causing, I would strongly suggest she use the professional resources available to her.

You may not recall but this is the breakfast girl from yesterday. Given the amount of confusion the internet seems to be causing, I would strongly suggest she use the professional resources available to her.

What makes you think it's the same girl?

If you could stay "full" on 800 calories, you would not be overweight...

No you're not.

I'm just worried about my body going into "starvation" mode, and gaining more weight. But is there a calorie limit that can make that happen? Or is 800-900 okay as long as it isn't habitual? I just don't want to screw up my metabolism by not eating enough

Oh please tell us how one gains weight while "starving"
[/quote

Yes, yes, do tell. I'm sure those in third world countries would LOVE to know.

for a minute I thought I saw this thread locked....was I hallucinating?

As for why you are getting the eye-roll posts here is why:

You entered a forum designed to provide a support community to a group who is attempting, often struggling, to lose weight. You then post something about how HARD it is to eat more than 800 calories.

If you don't see the issue here or why this would spur some of the reactions you got let me use an analogy. Lets say you went to a forum dedicated to sufferers of severe acne and excema and proceeded to complain bitterly about how hard it is to rub all this lotion into your glisteningly perfect porcelain flesh. Not only is it a first-world problem it is a first-world problem that is pretty much in exact contradiction to the problem most of the people on said forum are struggling with. So yeah, you are going to get some flak for that and its not surprising because to some it is going to seem like an intentional trolling or a bid for attention.

Now I feel like a huge a*shole.

I'm sorry for complaining about having trouble not getting enough calories. It's something I'm working on, and will keep to myself in the future.

Lol I was actually refering to the OP's post, didn't even notice yours...where did you say you struggle to eat 800 calories? So far every one of your posts I have read has been gold Virgodess so let me apologies to you if I made you feel bad.

So far I've only had 800 or so calories for the day and my belly is so full. I had fajita chicken and bell peppers with brown rice and Sriracha at 2 pm and I've stayed full since. Now dinner is coming and I'm not even hungry. There's a box of cookies here in front of me and I don't even want them. I feel totally satisfied, and I'm not TRYING to limit myself, I just don't feel like I can pack any more food into me before 7 pm. And no I haven't exercised today. Do I have to eat to meet 1200 even if I'm not hungry?? Ahhh! Please give me some advice!

You know your eating good quality food when your full after 800 calories!

To answer your question, ABSOLUTELY NOT.



Your body is a better indicator of hunger and satiety than a mathemtical equation that is basically a guestimate of how many calories your supposed to eat a day

Are you working out too? what kind of workout?

I've eaten pretty healthy and clean today, peanut butter, bananas, wheat toast, chicken, brown rice, and tons of veggies. I had some cheese too until I got full. But I have the feeling a lot of other posters think I'm possibly eating rice cakes and celery all day and that's why I'm at 800 cals, which is not the case. Of course you know brown chicken and rice is really filling, and with all my water intake my stomach stays full. I was surprised myself, because I ate A LOT and was at 800, but other times I've eaten a bunch of low-fat processed foods and been STARVING at the end of the day even at 1300 calories. I haven't worked out today which is why I was trying to make it to 800. And the reason I didn't want to eat past 7 was because I knew I wasn't going to exercise today, and also I'm just not very hungry today. I' m 5'2" and 170 pounds, and totally new to losing weight...I guess I kind of thought MFP was a place to ask real advice without getting bashed on from a lot of users but I guess that's just wishful thinking....lol

Unless you ate miniscule amounts of each foods you might be eating more than 800 calories.
You ate bananas ( you used the plural form, which means you has at least two ). With an average of about 100 ( and often more ) calories per banana that makes 200 calories, a spoonful of peanut butter is another 100 or more. Add to that 120-130 calories for half a cup of cooked brown rice, maybe 80-100 calories or more for the wheat toast you are already over 500 calories and the chicken and the tons of veggies ( which even though some people don't believe it do have calories ) and possible drinks are not yet included.
As I said, if you don't weigh and measure well, there is a good chance you are actually eating more calories than you think.
Also to comment on another poster's note. It has been shown that the body is not a good indicator of hunger. Many people confuse thirst with hunger and even more people often feel hungry, while in reality they are bored, stressed, fearful and then bored again. I know if I eat 1200 calories ( 1200 calories because I am under 5 feet tall and past 65 ) and do my normal exercise and activities, all the feelings of hunger I experience are in my head and not in my stomach, because that amount of food is enough for me. On days I do extra calorie burning activities I eat some( usually not more than half ) of my exercise calories. But I do know that if I have a 500 calories plus dinner at 7:30 pm there is no way usually that the feelings of hunger I might have at 10pm are real.

PS: I do not understand ( and this is a non-post specific remark ) why people always suggest peanut butter, chocolate, or even soft drinks to get extra calories. There are many vegetables for example that have lots of calories, just doubling half a cup of brown rice doubles the calories, putting a teaspoon of butter in half a cup of rice also gets quite some extra calories, or a full fat yogurt. I don't think that all and not even most people who eat natural food try to eat low carb, low fat and low sugar.....I know I don't, except on my two 5:2 days when each calorie counts. I have active Lupus and do have days when it is difficult to eat, but on good days ( which are thankfully in the majority ) I have still have to have a day when it is difficult to get to 1200 calories.

As for why you are getting the eye-roll posts here is why:

You entered a forum designed to provide a support community to a group who is attempting, often struggling, to lose weight. You then post something about how HARD it is to eat more than 800 calories.

If you don't see the issue here or why this would spur some of the reactions you got let me use an analogy. Lets say you went to a forum dedicated to sufferers of severe acne and excema and proceeded to complain bitterly about how hard it is to rub all this lotion into your glisteningly perfect porcelain flesh. Not only is it a first-world problem it is a first-world problem that is pretty much in exact contradiction to the problem most of the people on said forum are struggling with. So yeah, you are going to get some flak for that and its not surprising because to some it is going to seem like an intentional trolling or a bid for attention.

Now I feel like a huge a*shole.

I'm sorry for complaining about having trouble not getting enough calories. It's something I'm working on, and will keep to myself in the future.

Lol I was actually refering to the OP's post, didn't even notice yours...where did you say you struggle to eat 800 calories? So far every one of your posts I have read has been gold Virgodess so let me apologies to you if I made you feel bad.

No apology needed - you have a point. I don't have trouble with 800 - but I'm sure it's annoying when you're trying to cut back when someone whines about having trouble eating enough.

Yeah and I wanted to draw attention to that so people at least would recognize that. That said if its a problem you are having it is a problem you are having and it is rude of me to be dismissive. I had a bit of a knee-jerk response there.

The "i'm totally stuffed but I've only been able to eat X calories and my goal is Y" people I have seen have invariably taken an approach to dieting that involves doing things like eating a ton of vegetables because eating vegetables is healthy right? Yeah, actually eating balanced and getting enough calories is healthy. Vegetables can have good nutrients, the fiber can help with your digestive track, but you don't need to eat lots of vegetables you can eat a few and be good.

If you can't get yourself to eat enough calories eating things like 10 vegetables and 2 chicken breasts then instead eat 5 vegetables, 1 chicken breast, a piece of steak and some pasta. There is nothing wrong with that. Chances are you are still going to get all the nutrition AND you will get the macros your body needs as well. Don't need to go nuts on the vegetables.

As for why you are getting the eye-roll posts here is why:

You entered a forum designed to provide a support community to a group who is attempting, often struggling, to lose weight. You then post something about how HARD it is to eat more than 800 calories.

If you don't see the issue here or why this would spur some of the reactions you got let me use an analogy. Lets say you went to a forum dedicated to sufferers of severe acne and excema and proceeded to complain bitterly about how hard it is to rub all this lotion into your glisteningly perfect porcelain flesh. Not only is it a first-world problem it is a first-world problem that is pretty much in exact contradiction to the problem most of the people on said forum are struggling with. So yeah, you are going to get some flak for that and its not surprising because to some it is going to seem like an intentional trolling or a bid for attention.

Now I feel like a huge a*shole.

I'm sorry for complaining about having trouble not getting enough calories. It's something I'm working on, and will keep to myself in the future.

Oh okay VirGoddess I see the post you are referring to. Its not just saying it, its the approach to saying it (filled with drama and woe-is-me) that I was refering to more in the OP's post, hadn't even seen yours. Advice is similar though. If you find yourself struggling to eat enough then my first assumption is that you are trying to eat "clean" or "healthy" and what many people do when they do this is to try to avoid all fat and stick to things that are high fiber. They switch from pasta to brown rice, they eat lots of vegetables, they eat only very lean cuts of meat like chicken breast. All that is well and good but one of your requirements is calories themselves and if you find yourself full before you hit your calorie goal then it is up to you to recognize that as a problem and CHANGE your diet to address that problem. In this case it would be a matter of cutting out some of that fiberous low cal foods and subbing in some high calorie foods like peanut butter or nuts or <gasp> a Doctor Pepper.

Proper nutrition isn't about cutting out everything that one views as unhealthy, its about moderation and finding a balance you can live with. So therefore if you have issues eating enough, sub back in one of those "Bad" foods that you decided to avoid and that should help you attain your calorie goal.

Sorry if I cast a wider net than I intended to with my post, I was irritated by some aspects of the OPs post...not yours.

I don't eat clean or anything like that - I still eat bread and pasta and other deliciousness. In fact I haven't cut anything out except the excess Dr, Pepper and coffee - I allow myself half a serving of each a day. The only thing I changed about my diet was to try to incorporate more veggies (I'm bad with those). It's just I can't eat much at one time - I never used to eat lunch at all and my "meal" has usually been dinner. So I'm now trying to spread my food into snacks every hour or so. I pre-log so I can get a feel for what I need to eat to meet my goals. My diary is open (Wendy's two days in a row - don't judge me ), so you're welcome to take a peek. I do realize this isn't the best way to lose - and I'm making an effort to change it.

Thanks for your feedback

Here is my opinion on this. Note opinion, not fact...take it or leave it.

Vegetables are the filler that you use to make sure you are satiated by the time you hit your calorie goal.

Lets say my calorie goal is 2200 calories a day (mostly because it is). Lets say I get there by eating some pasta, a piece of steak, some buttered toast and a head of brocolli etc etc. At the end of my 2200 calories I am still starving. Well, I note than and say to myself...I need to cut down on a low fiber high calorie item and add more veg and a high fiber item. So I switch pasta for brown rice and add carrots and celery on top of the broccolli. I eat 2200 and at that point I'm full, problem solved.

Lets say instead at 2200 calories a day as a goal I get to 1800 and I'm just stuffed. I look at that pile of mashed potatoes and I just can't have it, way to full. Well I take that into account and I look at my diet. Say to myself well, lets stop eating that broccoli and switch some of these lentils for some white rice. Now I can make that 2200.


Long story short your calorie goal is your goal, it is what you should aim for. Eating less than your calorie goal isn't a victory, its missing your goal same as if you had gone over.

If you go over your goal regularly or are hungry, add more fiber more lean protein and more veg.
If you go under your goal regularly or are stuffed, subtract fiber and veg and add something fatty or at least calorie rich that is low fiber.

I get the feeling that people who don't eat enough at some level know this is true but on another level actually have some pride or hope in their exceedingly low calorie days that it will give them some sort of edge on weight loss. Honestly though it is just missing your goal and if you notice it happening a lot you should change things to fix the problem.

I feel like when I don't eat enough, I've failed. I went from netting about 900, and I'm up to 1,100 - so I'm making progress. Protein bars and shakes really help me.

I changed my goal from 2 pounds a week, to 1.5 pounds. It bothers me that I'm probably losing weight in a non-sustainable way, and I want to KEEP it off.

I'm going to try to work on my fat intake - I'm good on carbs, so fat seems like the right path. The typical fats suggested are things like avocado, peanut butter, cottage cheese, etc - all things I'm not a fan of. I'm going to keep trying new foods.

I appreciate you taking the time to chat with me about it.

Possibilities

1) you've been eating low cal for so long that your body is tampered with and needs repairing. search thermogenesis on these boards.

2) you worked out today and your appetite is squelched and tomorrow it will be voracious. look at your week as a whole rather than daily.

3) your measuring is innacurate. get a food scale and measuring spoons and cups.

As for why you are getting the eye-roll posts here is why:

You entered a forum designed to provide a support community to a group who is attempting, often struggling, to lose weight. You then post something about how HARD it is to eat more than 800 calories.

If you don't see the issue here or why this would spur some of the reactions you got let me use an analogy. Lets say you went to a forum dedicated to sufferers of severe acne and excema and proceeded to complain bitterly about how hard it is to rub all this lotion into your glisteningly perfect porcelain flesh. Not only is it a first-world problem it is a first-world problem that is pretty much in exact contradiction to the problem most of the people on said forum are struggling with. So yeah, you are going to get some flak for that and its not surprising because to some it is going to seem like an intentional trolling or a bid for attention.

Now I feel like a huge a*shole.

I'm sorry for complaining about having trouble not getting enough calories. It's something I'm working on, and will keep to myself in the future.

Oh okay VirGoddess I see the post you are referring to. Its not just saying it, its the approach to saying it (filled with drama and woe-is-me) that I was refering to more in the OP's post, hadn't even seen yours. Advice is similar though. If you find yourself struggling to eat enough then my first assumption is that you are trying to eat "clean" or "healthy" and what many people do when they do this is to try to avoid all fat and stick to things that are high fiber. They switch from pasta to brown rice, they eat lots of vegetables, they eat only very lean cuts of meat like chicken breast. All that is well and good but one of your requirements is calories themselves and if you find yourself full before you hit your calorie goal then it is up to you to recognize that as a problem and CHANGE your diet to address that problem. In this case it would be a matter of cutting out some of that fiberous low cal foods and subbing in some high calorie foods like peanut butter or nuts or <gasp> a Doctor Pepper.

Proper nutrition isn't about cutting out everything that one views as unhealthy, its about moderation and finding a balance you can live with. So therefore if you have issues eating enough, sub back in one of those "Bad" foods that you decided to avoid and that should help you attain your calorie goal.

Sorry if I cast a wider net than I intended to with my post, I was irritated by some aspects of the OPs post...not yours.

I don't eat clean or anything like that - I still eat bread and pasta and other deliciousness. In fact I haven't cut anything out except the excess Dr, Pepper and coffee - I allow myself half a serving of each a day. The only thing I changed about my diet was to try to incorporate more veggies (I'm bad with those). It's just I can't eat much at one time - I never used to eat lunch at all and my "meal" has usually been dinner. So I'm now trying to spread my food into snacks every hour or so. I pre-log so I can get a feel for what I need to eat to meet my goals. My diary is open (Wendy's two days in a row - don't judge me ), so you're welcome to take a peek. I do realize this isn't the best way to lose - and I'm making an effort to change it.

Thanks for your feedback

Here is my opinion on this. Note opinion, not fact...take it or leave it.

Vegetables are the filler that you use to make sure you are satiated by the time you hit your calorie goal.

Lets say my calorie goal is 2200 calories a day (mostly because it is). Lets say I get there by eating some pasta, a piece of steak, some buttered toast and a head of brocolli etc etc. At the end of my 2200 calories I am still starving. Well, I note than and say to myself...I need to cut down on a low fiber high calorie item and add more veg and a high fiber item. So I switch pasta for brown rice and add carrots and celery on top of the broccolli. I eat 2200 and at that point I'm full, problem solved.

Lets say instead at 2200 calories a day as a goal I get to 1800 and I'm just stuffed. I look at that pile of mashed potatoes and I just can't have it, way to full. Well I take that into account and I look at my diet. Say to myself well, lets stop eating that broccoli and switch some of these lentils for some white rice. Now I can make that 2200.


Long story short your calorie goal is your goal, it is what you should aim for. Eating less than your calorie goal isn't a victory, its missing your goal same as if you had gone over.

If you go over your goal regularly or are hungry, add more fiber more lean protein and more veg.
If you go under your goal regularly or are stuffed, subtract fiber and veg and add something fatty or at least calorie rich that is low fiber.

I get the feeling that people who don't eat enough at some level know this is true but on another level actually have some pride or hope in their exceedingly low calorie days that it will give them some sort of edge on weight loss. Honestly though it is just missing your goal and if you notice it happening a lot you should change things to fix the problem.

Thank you !

Best post I have read in a while......almost wish I had written it.

I often wonder why so many people are unaware of the fact that they are in control of their diet and that " wow-congratulations-you-ate-500-calories-under-daily-goal " ( or 200 or whatever ) is actually nothing to be proud of. I know it is difficult to eat the exact calories ( and in 440 days it has happened to me twice by sheer coincidence ), but being as close as possible is much better than staying under as much as we can get by with.

Again, great post !,

Agreed! This perfectly expresses something that has really bugged me about these threads. It almost seems that the "Help! My wee tummy is just so full!" people take some sort of masochistic pride in depriving themselves and letting others know about it, as if they expect a pat on the back instead of the stern talking-to they invariably get.