Do you force yourself to eat?

AmberBlamberMamber wrote: »

TeaBea wrote: »

What types of food are you choosing though? If you are eating non-fat dairy, start eating full fat or at least 2%. If you are eating light dressings, choose regular ones. Add calorie dense foods back in (if you are not eating them now).

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1

I used to diet "old school," all non-fat and lots of high volume veggies. These foods are filling for many people. However, often they don't do enough for meeting nutritional needs. It's not just staying full. Are you meeting protein & fat goals every day?

Lunch is usually something protein rich since I eat after my workout, so tuna salad, salmon patty, etc. Breakfast is carbs and protein, snacks are the same, dinner varies, sometimes carb heavy, sometimes not. I don't do a lot of fruits and veggies, Veggies more than fruit, but my fruit intake is usually in my afternoon snack, which has typically been a full fat yogurt with blueberries, or a cup or 2 of cut up melon.


I didn't realize this was such a controversial topic.

This doesn't answer the question though. Are you meeting daily protein goals? Are you meeting daily fat goals? If you are far enough under your calories, then likely not. Managing to stay full on the lowest possible number of calories isn't what healthy weight loss is all about. Eating once a day or eating 5 times a day isn't relevant.

Your body is using calories 24/7. When your body needs fuel it looks to fat stores (a good thing) AND existing lean muscle mass. A moderate deficit is one of the things that encourages more fat loss. Adequate protein and strength training are the other things to help you keep (more) existing lean muscle mass.

The topic isn't really controversial. Some people diet in extremes. Trying to eat "perfect diet foods" (whatever those are) and cutting out every thing else. A popular motto is "all things in moderation." I allow myself a treat every single day. Learning portion control for ice cream or chocolate is going to be important during maintenance.

If it's just one day, I wouldn't worry about it. Just don't let it turn into consecutive days. If you're worried that you're not getting enough nutrition, add those missing calories to the next day(s). I would make sure to have some kind of personal minimum that ensures you don't feel the effects the next day (i.e., if I eat <1300 calories one day and try to run the next day, it's a sh** run).

Sometimes I'll overeat one day and not be hungry the next. So I'll under eat after overeating. I think of it as natural intermittent fasting. I've also had periods of time where I'm not very hungry for a week or two. During those times I make sure to hit a minimum of 1300 calories if sedentary/lightly active (1500 if I'm being active) and that I'm hitting all my macro/micro goals. For reference, I typically maintain ~1750. If you need to bump up your calories, go for the calorie/nutrient dense stuff. I usually go for treats (chocolate, ice cream, etc.) because they're appealing even if you're not hungry.

However, if you find yourself having a decreased appetite consistently and dropping weight too fast, it's time to visit your doctor.

Before I started eating better I could literally sit and eat all damn day. Now that I'm working on developing healthier eating habits and consuming more protein than I previously did I find that I'm not hungry a lot of the time. I feel like I'm eating out of obligation mostly. My calorie goal is around 1830 but there are days I'm forcing myself to hit 1200-1300.