Eating under calorie goal

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Now that I'm back at university, I can buy and eat all the food I like and avoid everything I'm not so keen on (as opposed to my mum buying everything at home).

As a result, I eat and eat but what I eat tends to be fairly low calories anyway. I don't feel like I eat "not enough", but calorie-wise some days I'm going under. Yesterday I was on 900 and looked around for something else I could eat even though I was full. I don't want to feel like I have to eat because I'm under but then I panic about "starvation mode" criticism.

But then I read the post about starvation mode being a myth and it essentially seemed to say that yes it will slow your metabolism but that's essentially about it.

So is it really that bad if I occasionally go under? Don't get me wrong, it seems like 2 days or so of the week I'll probably feel like something naughty like a pizza or chocolate and go way over my count. But most days like yesterday I'll be under.

To give you an idea, this could be a typical day:

2 poached eggs with cooked tomatoes and ham, maybe some Ryvita cracker breads to go with. (180-200)
Then if hungry again around 11.30 or so I'll have come crackers with soft cheese and ham. (150)
Then for lunch either salad (my salads with tuna and mayo come to around 250, up to 350 with extra veggies and sweetcorn) or soup with sometimes some bread or cracker breads (200 or 300)
Dinner normally chicken with green veggies and carrots and sometimes peppers. (350)
Might have an apple for a snack at some point if its a hungry day but not always (70) or strawberries with a little sweetener "sugar" after dinner (40)

So that's some days equating to 900ish, some days up to 1050. And then other days I'll have a "binge" (not really a binge though) and eat an extra couple slices of bread or potatoes with dinner or a big pizza or meal out or chocolate bar and my calories will come to 1500-1600. But apart from those days which come every 4-5 days, it's mostly around the 1000 mark.

I'm 19, 5 foot 3 and 124 lbs.

so in a nutshell, I really don't think I eat too little, but my calorie count is always under and I don't really want to eat more. I'm asking whether, for my age height and weight…is it really such a bad thing?

Also, I will probably start binge drinking once a week now that I'm back at my British university- it's just a way of uni life here when you go clubbing :) haha (meaning about 10 to 16 shots of vodka and mixer of tonic water or diet coke) so that adds extra calories (I never find I put on weight from alcohol much because I dance so much and don't hangover binge with food, I only put on weight if its more than once or twice per week, which it won't be).

Replies

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Add some nuts or peanut butter if you're concerned, but if you will be having pizza and booze on some days, it will all balance out.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    Your estimates look low so I'm sure you're fine. I'd be more concerned about a healthy weight teen that's calorie counting and definitely more worried about the binge drinking once a week. That's a LOT of vodka. At your size, 10-16 shots of vodka should leave you unconscious, I'd think.
  • ell_23
    ell_23 Posts: 103
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    Add some nuts or peanut butter if you're concerned, but if you will be having pizza and booze on some days, it will all balance out.

    Im not concerned and/or wanting to eat more. I was just asking if it was fine.
  • ell_23
    ell_23 Posts: 103
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    Your estimates look low so I'm sure you're fine. I'd be more concerned about a healthy weight teen that's calorie counting and definitely more worried about the binge drinking once a week. That's a LOT of vodka. At your size, 10-16 shots of vodka should leave you unconscious, I'd think.

    What I eat isn't estimates. It's done from the packaging of the foods I eat. 1 slice of the really thin ham I eat, for example, is 13 calories - taken from the packet. One cracker bread is 34 calories. I've done rough rounding on the number of calories in the entire meal in my OP, obviously because it was effort to count it to the last calorie, but around those numbers is the exact calories.

    And no, they are mixed with the mixer. I pre drink about 2-3 double vodka and mixers before I go out (6 shots) and I'll probably have between 3 and 5 double vodkas while I'm out. I'm never unconscious, you seem to imply I'm lying or something - either that or I'm always "unconscious". Compared to my friends I drink little. Standard British university drinking culture.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    College students are not well known for their healthy lifestyle. Pizza, burgers, drinking...it's all fairly typical. It's not HEALTHY, lol, but it's typical.

    I'm sure there is a nutritionist available to you, so make use of that service...if you're actually concerned.

    Don't drink too much. Try to work in as much healthy stuff as you can. Try to spend as much time studying as you do partying and thinking about sex.

    Good luck!
  • ell_23
    ell_23 Posts: 103
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    College students are not well known for their healthy lifestyle. Pizza, burgers, drinking...it's all fairly typical. It's not HEALTHY, lol, but it's typical.

    I'm sure there is a nutritionist available to you, so make use of that service...if you're actually concerned.

    Don't drink too much. Try to work in as much healthy stuff as you can. Try to spend as much time studying as you do partying and thinking about sex.

    Good luck!

    Think my diet is more healthy than the average human being these days let alone a university student? It's mainly chicken, tuna, ham (perhaps the least healthy but still not that bad), fruits, veggies and eggs.

    I'm not concerned about the healthiness of my food. Forgive me, but I don't think you read/understood properly.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Add some nuts or peanut butter if you're concerned, but if you will be having pizza and booze on some days, it will all balance out.

    Im not concerned and/or wanting to eat more. I was just asking if it was fine.
    If you're asking if eating 900 calories on a regular basis is fine, then NO, it isn't. BUT since you plan on bingeing and having 10-12 shots or whatever regularly, and that isn't a concern....
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    College students are not well known for their healthy lifestyle. Pizza, burgers, drinking...it's all fairly typical. It's not HEALTHY, lol, but it's typical.

    I'm sure there is a nutritionist available to you, so make use of that service...if you're actually concerned.

    Don't drink too much. Try to work in as much healthy stuff as you can. Try to spend as much time studying as you do partying and thinking about sex.

    Good luck!

    Think my diet is more healthy than the average human being these days let alone a university student? It's mainly chicken, tuna, ham (perhaps the least healthy but still not that bad), fruits, veggies and eggs.

    I'm not concerned about the healthiness of my food. Forgive me, but I don't think you read/understood properly.
    You're the one who said that twice a week you went "way over" your count twice a week, eating pizza or whatever and that you plan on drinking a lot.

    If you think you're eating too little, eat more.

    If you don't think so, don't.

    It's entirely up to you.

    It really sounds very typical of a college girl to me.
  • Amanda4change
    Amanda4change Posts: 620 Member
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    Yes 900 calories is to low for a consistent amount. However you said it fluctuates. I recommend looking at your weekly totals and making sure that you aren't in a too large deficit there. Depending on your goals (maintaining you should have no deficit, if you want to lose 1 pound a week the weekly deficit should be 3,500). If your weekly numbers balance out, then I wouldn't worry about it on a daily basis (though continue to log).
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,112 Member
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    You say you are not losing weight from drinking , If you count your total calorie intake are you losing weight ?


    If not then you may want to take a vitamin supplement since you are getting so many of your calories from alcohol or you could end up alcholoic malnourished.

    Anyhow, Sounds like binge drinking is more of a problem then undereating.
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
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    Women are not supposed to eat less than 1200 calories a day. It isn't healthy. If you're under 8400 calories/week, you are not balancing out with your "binge" days (which seem normal calorie-wise). Make sure you're getting enough protein and healthy fats. I always make sure that my meals and snacks are balanced. For example, have some peanut butter with your apple and serve your strawberries over yogurt with granola.