Not eating enough calories....
NovaSur
Posts: 44 Member
Since going low carb i am not hungry much anymore (which is rare coming from a binge eater). My calorie intake in usually under 1000 because im just not hungry. Should i eat just to increase my calories to "safe limits" or simply just not eat if im not hungry?
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I am (was?) also a binge eater and I'm right there with you. I just ate some cottage cheese because my cals were too low for today. However, some days if they're low, I just let them stay that way. I've read here a lot that often when people first start their appetites disappear, but then they'll even out later. So I try not to stress, and just revel in the fact that for once in my life, I'm not thinking 24/7 about my next meal. :-)3
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I tend to believe that initial period of not hungry is due to the body first figuring out how to use all fat we have stored and then chugging along happily until the love handles begin to get a little light.
For most people this stage doesn't last. Hunger will increase again when fat storage gets a bit lower. Though, it usually happens waaaaaay before we want it to...
imo, you want to make sure you get all your protein in as a priority and eat to hunger. The last thing you want to happen is to lose muscle during this time. But to answer your question, I don't think there's any reason to think you'd need to force feed yourself. There's nothing about that that makes any sense in our evolution if you think about it. If you were starving somehow.... you would feel hungry. You're not hungry because your body has realized it has stored food on your hips or wherever and now it's able to access it.
When your appetite increases, it's important to honor that as well. Learning to follow hunger signals is part of the process. But while your appetite is low it's important to maximize nutrient dense foods. Concentrate on getting your protein and maybe some green vegetables if you eat them and skip the lesser nutrient dense foods.2 -
I'm not a doctor nor do I have medical training but everything in my being says that's too low a calorie count. Conventional wisdom among the fitness and medical community with respect to weight loss is to eat as much as you can while losing weight to avoid long term damage to your metabolism. 1200 calories is the most generally accepted 'low limit' I've read about but that varies with a person's size/weight of course. Think about the biggest loser contestants...I've read about several of them that eat really low caloric intake and combine with lots of exercise and they all do significant damage to their metabolisms such that they gain their weight back once they stop the extreme routine. Personally I want to avoid that situation. While I am not suggesting force feeding yourself an extra 1000 cals..... i would not be comfortable staying that low. It's certainly not needed for weight loss.0
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For what it's worth, my sister keeps her calories under 1000 per day as well. She's small - like 5'2" or so, and she's been strict LCHF for about a year now, and she tracks everything here on MFP.
She found if she goes over 1000 calories she simply does not lose weight. I don't know if it's because of her smaller size, or her metabolism is slower, or whatever. But once she goes over 1000 cal / day she seems to be into 'maintenance' levels.
I understand the concerns but I think that 1000 cal/day 'minimum' is not necessarily applicable to everyone. One size does not fit all. Having said that, it'd be important to keep an eye on things to make sure one isn't losing too much lean body mass, and make sure they're getting all the necessary micronutrients.2 -
Eat when your hungry, do not force it if you dont want too. Many of us Intermittent Fast, which sometimes leads to going under the recommended calorie goal. I must have plenty of stored energy because now that I am fat adapted I do not get hungry and sometimes end up fasting for 24 hours without wanting to eat. I am still alive and have had my biometrics taken recently, apparently not eating to a set caloric goal per day, or three meals a day because we are in a habit of doing so, has had no negative consequences.
For me it really has come down to we think we should eat, its a habit, so you should eat. Nope, I am past that now, I eat when I get hungry and sometimes even that feeling of hungry is simply a habitual feeling.
You will figure it out, its weird I know - it goes against everything we have grown up with, what doctors and nutritionists and the ADA tells you. But it works if you want to try it. If its not for you dont.
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I've been doing this since the beginning of March. Lost 41 lbs (yay!). Anywho... I started with 1400 calories, and found I was having a hard time eating that much. So I went down to 1200. I'm usually a bit under that, but some days if I'm hungry I will eat over it. I go by how I feel. If you're not hungry, why eat?3
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Steph_Maks wrote: »I understand the concerns but I think that 1000 cal/day 'minimum' is not necessarily applicable to everyone. One size does not fit all. Having said that, it'd be important to keep an eye on things to make sure one isn't losing too much lean body mass, and make sure they're getting all the necessary micronutrients.
Well put, @Steph_Maks. Hitting minimum protein grams to maintain your muscle mass is important, but if you're fat-adapted and you'd like to whittle down your Strategic Energy Reserve,* there is no reason not to reduce your dietary fat.
* @2t9nty1 -
The number of calories I eat waxes and wanes. As others have shared, focusing on grams of protein consumed and grams of carbohydrates consumed daily is far more productive for me than total calories eaten. MFP is set at 1350 for me and honestly I can't even remember how it got set at that limit. I don't pay all that much attention to it. Some days it's over, some days it's way under. Listen to your body, and respect your emotions around eating. If you're strong and able to do the things you need to/want to you're probably doing just fine.2
