Can’t manage to hit intake goals, I’m not hungry

labridge71488
labridge71488 Posts: 21 Member
edited February 2018 in Health and Weight Loss

It appears that I do not eat enough food on a daily basis to meet my calorie deficit or my protein intake but when I think about adding more food to my diet, I just can’t fathom it! I’m not hungry.

Obviously I’m trying to lose fat, gain muscle, and lose some weight. But I’m at a stand still and have come to the conclusion that I’m stalling my metabolism and starving my muscles without burning any fat

I literally don’t think I could choke down another oz of protein

Current diet consists of whey protein shake for breakfast(30g) cottage cheese for snack(19g), chicken with 1cup spinach for lunch(40-50g), Cajun grilled fish for dinner(30g), and an occasional hard boiled egg if I do find I am hungry.


I also drink about 120 fl oz of water daily...

How do I get the “fuel” I need without crashing my diet?!

Someone... anyone... helppppp!


Helpful information... I’m 29yo female, 5’5”, 181lbs and I haven’t lost and inch or lb in two months with 5-6 days a week weight training. I’ve started looking at my diet thinking the problem was there but I always see I’m well below my deficit. Then I read that that could actually be why I’ve stalled. But how do I manage to eat more if I’m literally not hungry? How do I get to 150-180g of protein when I can’t fathom to eat it.
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Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    Muscle loss is just the tip of the iceberg you would experience if you eat too few calories for a sustained amount of time. You can do some major damage to your body (hair loss, dry/brittle nails, hormonal issues, irregular/stopped menstrual cycle, organ malfunctions, the list goes on). If you aren't meeting the 1200 calorie minimum (or whatever your goal is if you're set to higher), add some calorie dense items to your day (nuts, nut butters, full fat dairy items, avocado, cooking oils).
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    edited February 2018
    Now that you've added more information...why are you aiming for so much protein? .8-1 gram per pound of lean mass is a good number to aim for.

    How many calories are you eating a day? How are you measuring those calories? How long has it been since you lost?
  • DebLaBounty
    DebLaBounty Posts: 1,172 Member
    edited February 2018
    You could substitute in a yogurt/fruit/milk smoothie for some of the water. Eat a handful of nuts or half an avocado as another snack. Peanut butter or an ounce of cheese might help, too. You didn’t say how many calories you’re eating a day so I can’t understand completely what’s going on with you. If you need to eat more, add in what I suggested. If you need a bigger calorie deficit to start losing weight again, incorporate those foods anyway in small portions.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
    You are eating too much protein and that could be making you feel full longer.

    At 5'5 you should be aiming for .8-1g per lbs of ideal body weight.
    I looked at the BMI of 22, a nice mid point which is 132lbs. That would give you 132g protein max, and about 105 min.
    Move your macros around so that you find a combination that helps you reach your calorie goal.
    Build a diet that is nutritious and sustainable, it may take some experimenting, but you want it to carry you into maintenance- for a long, long time.

    Use a food scale for accuracy in counting. (Read the 'most helpful posts' at the top of this sub forum)

    Also, with ~50lbs or less to lose, a 1lbs a week deficit would help with fuelling your day to day activity.
    If you exercise, eat those calories, a good workout needs fuel.

    (You can start with 75 or 50% and adjust so you are losing at your stated rate)

    Cheers, h.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    TMI, but are you having digestive issues? That much protein without much fat or fiber would do it to me,
    and that could explain a seeming standstill (although not for two months).

    That amount of protein plus, frankly, a boring diet is why you aren't hungry. But if you haven't lost in 2 months you are likely eating more than you think.

    I'd stop worrying about 150-180 g of protein, and focus on calories. IF you are counting correctly, that much protein won't help you preserve muscle and stay healthy if all you are eating is basically protein (yeah, I'm exaggerating, but not a lot) and too few calories.

    Breakfast -- mostly just protein -- add some fruit if you like the shake. Think about adding avocado or eating some nuts.

    Snack protein plus carbs (maybe fat too) -- eat full fat if you are not.

    Lunch -- dressing on the salad and maybe things like olives, other vegetables, cheese, nuts or seeds. Have bread or fruit as a side or add some quinoa to the salad (or whatever, just some ideas).

    Dinner -- again, add some sides. Potato, rice, broccoli, asparagus. Cook with some olive oil. It's unbalanced.

    130-135 is a good middle of the BMI goal weight for your height, so if you do the math with that, .7-.8 g of protein/lb of goal weight (often recommended to avoid losing muscle and help gaining it) is only 91-108 g. You should be able to get even 110-120 g easily in a balanced diet where you can eat all your calories.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,886 Member
    There are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    When you say you measured your food, does that mean you used a food scale? Check out this thread. It has several great videos why a food scale is such a powerful tool for weight loss vs measuring cups.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited March 2018
    If you're dead set that your numbers are correct, then give it another week. Patience can often be the hardest part of all this.

    I do encourage you to re-check your measuring/logging.

    If you're logging is correct AND your numbers are correct AND you've given it a reasonable amount of time to evaluate and you're still not seeing any progress, it might be worth consulting with a professional. Something may be impacting the CI side of your CICO equation.


    But to some of your more specific questions...
    - replace some of your calorie light foods with calorie dense foods. Pork sausage vs turkey sausage, that kind of thing.
    - you probably don't need 150g of protein per day, and you sure as heck don't need 180g. I'd shoot for 125 at this point.

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