How low is too low

amarneu
amarneu Posts: 164 Member
edited November 15 in Health and Weight Loss
I've been committed to exercising and eating more healthy for a little over a month now, and have seen results. My concern is that I tend to loose my appetite when exercising and since I exercise whenever I get the chance to given an office job and kids that take my attention, this means my appetite is suppressed for a large portion of the day and it is common for me to eat 1000 cals or less. I recognize this isn't healthy for me and don't want my metabolism to get messed up because of this. My question is, have there been others who constantly eat low but then overeat one day a week and find a balance? I don't think I would be able to commit to being able to eat the goal cals everyday, but could plan a higher cal meal (usually a restaurant) for once a week. Helpful advice wanted please! My stats are female 5'10ish, cw222lbs gw180lbs

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Lots of people "bank" calories, successfully. It sounds like that can work for you. But don't eat under 1200 calories daily. Just make sure you are indeed eating the amount you think you are eating (neither under- nor overestimating; log correctly).
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Lots of people "bank" calories, successfully. It sounds like that can work for you. But don't eat under 1200 calories daily. Just make sure you are indeed eating the amount you think you are eating (neither under- nor overestimating; log correctly).

    Look at her stats. She shouldn't even be eating 1200.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited February 2017
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Lots of people "bank" calories, successfully. It sounds like that can work for you. But don't eat under 1200 calories daily. Just make sure you are indeed eating the amount you think you are eating (neither under- nor overestimating; log correctly).

    Look at her stats. She shouldn't even be eating 1200.

    I agree. But it's highly unlikely that someone with her stats consistently eats 1200 calories. (And I said "don't eat under 1200", I didn't advise her to eat 1200.)
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    Add in some food which is high calorie and doesn't fill you up. Add a bit more fat to things, increase the carb portion, eat some cheese, have a few cookies or some chocolate. Basically all the foods we get told to cut down on to lose weight? Add them back in until you're consistently reaching your goal. Healthy eating isn't just about getting enough vitamins, minerals, protein etc - you need to make sure you're getting enough calories too.
  • amarneu
    amarneu Posts: 164 Member
    Thanks for the feedback, maybe I can try to work a smoothie in instead of strictly drinking water
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
    I lose my appetite a bit with weight lifting and even more so on certain medications. I've found it helpful to eat more calorie dense foods, higher fat foods, and drink more milk (usually with protein powder mixed in). I can pack enough calories into my meal to meet my calorie, protein, and fat requirements without eating alot of food.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Eat a bowl of ice cream before you go to bed....Voila.
  • rachelleahsmom
    rachelleahsmom Posts: 442 Member
    Nuts
  • amarneu
    amarneu Posts: 164 Member
    Muscleflex79 wrote: »
    not trying to sound too harsh, but you obviously were eating a lot more calories in the past - getting to 1200/1500 should not be a struggle...

    Lol yes clearly I was or I wouldn't need to loose weight currently. But I got here from years of convenient unhealthy food and lack of exercise, now that this has changed my appetite has changed significantly. I don't want to eat something unhealthy just to up my calories but don't want to damage my body either - I should say that I don't really notice a lack of energy or anything of that sort when I do eat lower. I like the suggestion about calorie dense healthy snacks

  • red99ryder
    red99ryder Posts: 399 Member
    i tend not to chase others calories , the scale will reflect what they are eating and calories in food is so all over the place its really hard to track perfectly . OP what rate of loss did you have for the first month ? as a rule of thumb 1 percent weight per week max .

    good luck
  • amarneu
    amarneu Posts: 164 Member
    red99ryder wrote: »
    i tend not to chase others calories , the scale will reflect what they are eating and calories in food is so all over the place its really hard to track perfectly . OP what rate of loss did you have for the first month ? as a rule of thumb 1 percent weight per week max .

    good luck

    I've been averaging 2-3 lbs per week
  • DietVanillaCoke
    DietVanillaCoke Posts: 259 Member
    edited February 2017
    What are your macros like? As I can't image you're getting anywhere near enough for your body to function properly or healthy... that can lead to all kinds of problems from hair loss to heart failure. Giving us a rough idea of your macros each day will help us find some more food for you to add to your diet =D Or you can see what you're lacking and just google what are good food sources. Then add them to your diet.

    I actually became dangerously anemic while i was morbidly obese, because I was eating a good 3000calories but even with that, I ate jack diddly squat iron =/. I had to have transfusion. I also lacked things like vitamin C, Magnesium, fiber and Potassium. With your current extremely low calories I can't imagine you're getting enough of what you need.

    If you're low on protein, add a protein shake to your morning routine =D. Buy a bulk bag of cashews and eat some every day. It helps me when I crave sweet things which is usually before dinner and before bed. Eating cheese does the same for me also =D. I also started eating more beans, chickpeas and lentils in my curries. They make it more filling and It helps me get in more fibre =) They're also super cheap where i live so they might be cheap for you too! Avocado is also amazing just to snack on. Some times I make guacamole and add a little tequila to it, because I'm a strange, strange foodie XD
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    Hornsby wrote: »
    amarneu wrote: »
    Muscleflex79 wrote: »
    not trying to sound too harsh, but you obviously were eating a lot more calories in the past - getting to 1200/1500 should not be a struggle...

    Lol yes clearly I was or I wouldn't need to loose weight currently. But I got here from years of convenient unhealthy food and lack of exercise, now that this has changed my appetite has changed significantly. I don't want to eat something unhealthy just to up my calories but don't want to damage my body either - I should say that I don't really notice a lack of energy or anything of that sort when I do eat lower. I like the suggestion about calorie dense healthy snacks

    Luckily, eating anything to put you at a reasonable calorie count could be considered "healthy" as compared to chronic undereating.

    Absolutely. Food is not "healthy" or "unhealthy" on its own - only in the context of the diet as a whole. For someone who is undereating, ice cream or a cookie is a healthy choice, provided you are also getting in enough fruit, veg, protein etc. Being deficient in calories is as bad as being deficient in anything else!
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