Not eating all my calories...but I'm not hungry.

kaylamartin90
kaylamartin90 Posts: 3 Member
edited November 30 in Food and Nutrition
So I've not been eating all my calories but I've not been hungry either. I feel bad for eating when I'm not hungry.
I feel like my body will make up for the lack of hunger eventually but I don't want to cause harm to myself or to successfully losing weight.
Comments?

Replies

  • MinmoInk
    MinmoInk Posts: 345 Member
    What's your stats? How many calories are you eating? Maybe you're eating enough sating foods!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    How long have you been doing this? How far under are you?
  • Latitude11Courtney
    Latitude11Courtney Posts: 55 Member
    Sometimes I'll have a teaspoon of peanut butter or almond butter to up my calories and nutrients but not fill me, since I'm not hungry.
  • DaisyHamilton
    DaisyHamilton Posts: 575 Member
    My best friend has this same problem. If this is an on-going problem, like more than a few days a week, try eating more calorie dense foods, like nuts/nut butters, avocado, etc.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    Possible causes:

    1) The types of food you are eating a very filling . . . protein and high fiber food can make you feel full while you still have nutritional and energy needs that are not being met.

    2) You are eating more than you think you are . . . Often people starting out are estimating serving sizes or using volume measures (cups, ml) for solids that should be measured in grams. This video shows how easy it is to eat far more than you think you are even when it looks much the same.
    https://youtu.be/vjKPIcI51lU

    3) Your sense of hunger is not functioning properly . . . As someone who has weight to lose, many of us, myself included, have a messed up sense of hunger. To retrain that eating appropriate amounts regardless of perceived hunger is sort of necessary. I personally struggle with this, but I know others who do not.
  • kaylamartin90
    kaylamartin90 Posts: 3 Member
    I've felt like this for about 5 days.
    I measure and weigh everything I eat.
    I usually drink a cup of coffee with 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp cream for breakfast and that holds me until about 4pm when I'm getting ready to cook dinner.
    I like the nuts/peanut butter idea. I didn't think about that!
    Today went better then the last few days. I only had 400 calories left over this time.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    Fitting more calorie dense foods in can really help. Often people try to avoid fat completely not realizing our bodies need fat. Nut butters, avocado, and the like can really help.
  • jbgibso3
    jbgibso3 Posts: 40 Member
    So you're only having one cup of coffee between breakfast and an early dinner? You should definitely make a plan for each meal and stick to it. My mom has the same issue of not being hungry, but once she made a plan of what she was going to eat, it was easier for her to lose weight. That may seem odd, but because she wasn't eating enough her metabolism was shot. Like others have said, eat more protein enriched and calorie dense foods, and you'll be better off.
  • nimc2
    nimc2 Posts: 16 Member
    rileysowner wrote: »
    Possible causes:
    2) You are eating more than you think you are . . . Often people starting out are estimating serving sizes or using volume measures (cups, ml) for solids that should be measured in grams. This video shows how easy it is to eat far more than you think you are even when it looks much the same.
    https://youtu.be/vjKPIcI51lU

    Thank you this helped me
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
    You know your body tells you when it's hungry.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    nimc2 wrote: »
    rileysowner wrote: »
    Possible causes:
    2) You are eating more than you think you are . . . Often people starting out are estimating serving sizes or using volume measures (cups, ml) for solids that should be measured in grams. This video shows how easy it is to eat far more than you think you are even when it looks much the same.
    https://youtu.be/vjKPIcI51lU

    Thank you this helped me

    You are welcome.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    LazSommer wrote: »
    You know your body tells you when it's hungry.

    I suspect for many people who are overweight, their hunger signals are all kinds of messed up.

    OP, if you are measuring everything accurately, and selecting the correct database entries, then adding some calorie dense foods might be the way to go. You might be surprised how much you can eat and still successfully lose weight. Losing too quickly can come with a host of problems, including fatigue and health issues from not eating enough. If I have a lot of cals left over at the end of the day, some ice cream or a beer helps me feel like I'm not suffering on a diet. I'm not saying these should be staples, but there is no reason to deprive yourself.
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
    This makes sense to me. I was about 400 under tonight as well and just not really that hungry. Ate some peanut butter on an English muffin. Problem solved...for today.

    "3) Your sense of hunger is not functioning properly . . . As someone who has weight to lose, many of us, myself included, have a messed up sense of hunger. To retrain that eating appropriate amounts regardless of perceived hunger is sort of necessary. I personally struggle with this, but I know others who do not."
  • dachsiehaven
    dachsiehaven Posts: 8 Member
    My former eating habits sounds a lot like you. Get up with a large cup of coffee with sugar and cream and not think about food until dinner. I was never hungry. Then I got chewed out royally by a nutritionist so I did it her way and learned that I had trained my body to think hungry was normal and not to feel hungry. My metabolism was in idle not burn. I also hate eating breakfast but I learned that something as simple as an English muffin with some peanut butter or a hard boiled egg or half a bagel with cream cheese though full of calories was what my body needed to function properly. Now if I skip that meal my body feels hungry and tells me to eat.
  • kaylamartin90
    kaylamartin90 Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks everyone for the advice. It's very much appreciated!
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