Eating enough?
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Beeingthin
Posts: 40 Member
To achieve my goal, I’m on 1480 calorie diet plan. Since I’ve started about a week ago (using app for only 3 days) I struggle to consume all the calories. I usually get about 1000-1250. As an example, for lunch I had 3 egg white sand which made with half a stick of celery, 1tsp mayo and 1 Tbs ff Greek yogurt on thin sliced whole grain bread and 10 baby carrots on the side. It was a total of 380. Then my dinner was healthy as well at about 450 calories, a good sized portion too! Breakfast was a banana. So that’s only 930 so I had a couple pieces of whole grain bread to bring it up to 1050. I feel full and very satisfied. Then if I exercise I’m back down to 700 or so calories. Is this going to ultimately mess me up and send my body in to starvation mode and slow my metabolism? Because that’s what I always read about. Can anyone share their experience?
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Replies
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Are you weighing your food or just using spoons?
Eat the whole egg to start with...7 -
Whole eggs, full fat yogurt (or all mayo), thicker bread. Add protein and fat to breakfast. And peanut butter. Always peanut butter.3
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Starvation mode doesn't exist. At the very least aim for 1200, if not your goal. If you still can't reach it, add in some more calorie dense items.3
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Beeingthin wrote: »To achieve my goal, I’m on 1480 calorie diet plan. Since I’ve started about a week ago (using app for only 3 days) I struggle to consume all the calories. I usually get about 1000-1250. As an example, for lunch I had 3 egg white sand which made with half a stick of celery, 1tsp mayo and 1 Tbs ff Greek yogurt on thin sliced whole grain bread and 10 baby carrots on the side. It was a total of 380. Then my dinner was healthy as well at about 450 calories, a good sized portion too! Breakfast was a banana. So that’s only 930 so I had a couple pieces of whole grain bread to bring it up to 1050. I feel full and very satisfied. Then if I exercise I’m back down to 700 or so calories. Is this going to ultimately mess me up and send my body in to starvation mode and slow my metabolism? Because that’s what I always read about. Can anyone share their experience?
Stop eating "diet" food...eat the whole egg...eat yogurt that isn't fat free, etc
Netting 700 calories per day isn't healthy...nothing to do with starvation mode other than you are starving your body of the nutrition it needs and energy...ultimately, things like hair loss, brittle nails, loss of menstrual cycle, etc happens when you're malnourished. Part of healthy eating is also getting an appropriate amount of calories.8 -
If you are mainly eating low calorie food you are not really struggling to eat enough calories you are choosing to do it deliberately. If you need more calories to properly nourish yourself eat slightly higher calorie food until you find a balance.
Also, there is no such thing as starvation mode.8 -
Ok, so whole egg, yes to pb, yes to mayo, etc. I’m definitely eating healthy and lots of veggies. I just have a hard time consuming more food because I feel full. I’ll start adding more heathy fat to my diet, that should fix it. Thanks!0
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Beeingthin wrote: »Ok, so whole egg, yes to pb, yes to mayo, etc. I’m definitely eating healthy and lots of veggies. I just have a hard time consuming more food because I feel full. I’ll start adding more heathy fat to my diet, that should fix it. Thanks!
Yes...there is more to eating healthy than veg...they are a great source of micro nutrients, but if they are crowding out your other nutritional and calorie needs then you need to adjust. Dietary fat is highly essential to proper nutrition and good health...going super low fat isn't healthy in the least.4 -
I’ve been a vegetarian for 23 years now so I’ve always gotten tons of veggies in my diet. Obviously, a lot of other non-meat foods can cause weight gain or I wouldn’t be trying to lose weight. I guess I’m still operating on old think from my 20s about all fat free, low cal foods to lose weight. I still feel anxiety and guilt when I don’t eat that way when I’m trying to lose weight!0
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Beeingthin wrote: »Ok, so whole egg, yes to pb, yes to mayo, etc. I’m definitely eating healthy and lots of veggies. I just have a hard time consuming more food because I feel full. I’ll start adding more heathy fat to my diet, that should fix it. Thanks!
Are you weighing 5g of mayo etc or just using a spoon?0 -
According to a lot of posters on these forums I have been eating too little and exercising too much for a very long time. And I mean a long time.
It hasn't caused me to binge, cause I won't. And I have not stalled, If I go up a pound or two one week I'll drop that same amount and two extra the next week, etc... I have lots of energy, feel great and am very happy with my overall progress.
They will still say I am doing it all wrong. I must eat more and I must exercise less. Or I am eating more than I think I am (not I measure and log everything, including exercise).
There is lots of good information here and lots of supportive people. There are also lots of people that will tell you their way is the only way and the right way. Sort of like religion:)
You have to do what works or what you can make work for you not what works for someone else. This took me some tinkering over long periods of time and I keep reading and learning as I go.
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According to a lot of posters on these forums I have been eating too little and exercising too much for a very long time. And I mean a long time.
It hasn't caused me to binge, cause I won't. And I have not stalled, If I go up a pound or two one week I'll drop that same amount and two extra the next week, etc... I have lots of energy, feel great and am very happy with my overall progress.
They will still say I am doing it all wrong. I must eat more and I must exercise less. Or I am eating more than I think I am (not I measure and log everything, including exercise).
There is lots of good information here and lots of supportive people. There are also lots of people that will tell you their way is the only way and the right way. Sort of like religion:)
You have to do what works or what you can make work for you not what works for someone else. This took me some tinkering over long periods of time and I keep reading and learning as I go.
It's unlikely that netting 700 calories regularly is going to "work" for OP.12 -
I think this is what you have to work with. Not only is a healthy diet balanced and varied, a healthy relationship with food is relaxed and happy. You have to feed yourself responsibly, but there's no reason you should deny yourself enjoyment from food.Beeingthin wrote: »I guess I’m still operating on old think from my 20s about all fat free, low cal foods to lose weight. I still feel anxiety and guilt when I don’t eat that way when I’m trying to lose weight!7 -
Tavistock i measure everything out. If I’m cooking for the family, I add all the calories up that I’ve mixed in the pot (as a vegetarian, I usually make one dish meals) then divide it by however many potions. I’m very meticulous about it.1
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According to a lot of posters on these forums I have been eating too little and exercising too much for a very long time. And I mean a long time.
It hasn't caused me to binge, cause I won't. And I have not stalled, If I go up a pound or two one week I'll drop that same amount and two extra the next week, etc... I have lots of energy, feel great and am very happy with my overall progress.
They will still say I am doing it all wrong. I must eat more and I must exercise less. Or I am eating more than I think I am (not I measure and log everything, including exercise).
There is lots of good information here and lots of supportive people. There are also lots of people that will tell you their way is the only way and the right way. Sort of like religion:)
You have to do what works or what you can make work for you not what works for someone else. This took me some tinkering over long periods of time and I keep reading and learning as I go.
I tend to agree with you about this. I do however worry that I’m not getting enough calories. When I was 20, I weighed 215 and lost 90 lbs in the span of 2 years by drinking slim fast for most of my breakfasts and lunches as well as burn 500 calories every.single.day with cardio and did weights. By the time I was done, no believed that I ever wore a size 24! I was a slim, muscular size 6. Could I have lost the weight quicker if I consumed more calories? I don’t know. But the same methods aren’t going to work this time around at the age of 40. And with 3 children under 3, I won’t have time to spend 2 hours a day at the gym. I want to make sure I’m doing it right.
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There will always be scaremongers, people who enjoy spreading confusion and fear. Be afraid of them, not of what they try to scare you with. Be smart, think critically and logically. The world works on general universal principles.Beeingthin wrote: »According to a lot of posters on these forums I have been eating too little and exercising too much for a very long time. And I mean a long time.
It hasn't caused me to binge, cause I won't. And I have not stalled, If I go up a pound or two one week I'll drop that same amount and two extra the next week, etc... I have lots of energy, feel great and am very happy with my overall progress.
They will still say I am doing it all wrong. I must eat more and I must exercise less. Or I am eating more than I think I am (not I measure and log everything, including exercise).
There is lots of good information here and lots of supportive people. There are also lots of people that will tell you their way is the only way and the right way. Sort of like religion:)
You have to do what works or what you can make work for you not what works for someone else. This took me some tinkering over long periods of time and I keep reading and learning as I go.
I tend to agree with you about this. I do however worry that I’m not getting enough calories. When I was 20, I weighed 215 and lost 90 lbs in the span of 2 years by drinking slim fast for most of my breakfasts and lunches as well as burn 500 calories every.single.day with cardio and did weights. By the time I was done, no believed that I ever wore a size 24! I was a slim, muscular size 6. Could I have lost the weight quicker if I consumed more calories? I don’t know. But the same methods aren’t going to work this time around at the age of 40. And with 3 children under 3, I won’t have time to spend 2 hours a day at the gym. I want to make sure I’m doing it right.
You don't lose faster eating more calories, that's not how it works.
You lose weight according to the calorie deficit you can and do stick to over time.
If you want to do it properly, don't worry about your age, your metabolism, what other people think - focus on your general health, your brain, your skin, your happiness, your energy to care for your kids.7 -
Beeingthin wrote: »To achieve my goal, I’m on 1480 calorie diet plan. Since I’ve started about a week ago (using app for only 3 days) I struggle to consume all the calories. I usually get about 1000-1250. As an example, for lunch I had 3 egg white sand which made with half a stick of celery, 1tsp mayo and 1 Tbs ff Greek yogurt on thin sliced whole grain bread and 10 baby carrots on the side. It was a total of 380. Then my dinner was healthy as well at about 450 calories, a good sized portion too! Breakfast was a banana. So that’s only 930 so I had a couple pieces of whole grain bread to bring it up to 1050. I feel full and very satisfied. Then if I exercise I’m back down to 700 or so calories. Is this going to ultimately mess me up and send my body in to starvation mode and slow my metabolism? Because that’s what I always read about. Can anyone share their experience?
Sometimes when you completely change your diet, it may take a week or 2 for your stomach and your appetite to adjust to how you're eating. So it's not a big deal in the short term. But you definitely don't want it to be a long term thing.
Before you start trying to eat more though, revisit your logging. Make sure you are using accurate entries in the database (many were incorrectly entered by users) and start using a food scale whenever possible.
There's a definite learning curve with food logging and eating at a deficit in general. Just be patient and keep tweaking as you learn
These posts might be useful:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1
Good luck!4 -
Beeingthin wrote: »Tavistock i measure everything out. If I’m cooking for the family, I add all the calories up that I’ve mixed in the pot (as a vegetarian, I usually make one dish meals) then divide it by however many potions. I’m very meticulous about it.
Peanut butter it is then!4 -
Beeingthin wrote: »I’ve been a vegetarian for 23 years now so I’ve always gotten tons of veggies in my diet. Obviously, a lot of other non-meat foods can cause weight gain or I wouldn’t be trying to lose weight. I guess I’m still operating on old think from my 20s about all fat free, low cal foods to lose weight. I still feel anxiety and guilt when I don’t eat that way when I’m trying to lose weight!
I've been vegetarian for 44 years, and lost weight just fine at age 59-60 eating to my protein and fat goals as a minimum, going from obese to BMI 22 in just less than a year (while hypothyroid, BTW). Just focus on eating your whole calorie goal or very close, plus a fair fraction of any exercise calories (I ate all of mine most days); and getting solid nutrition.
You'll do just fine at your "advanced" age.
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Beeingthin wrote: »Ok, so whole egg, yes to pb, yes to mayo, etc. I’m definitely eating healthy and lots of veggies. I just have a hard time consuming more food because I feel full. I’ll start adding more heathy fat to my diet, that should fix it. Thanks!
You are not "definitely eating healthy" if you are chronically undereating.Beeingthin wrote: »I’ve been a vegetarian for 23 years now so I’ve always gotten tons of veggies in my diet. Obviously, a lot of other non-meat foods can cause weight gain or I wouldn’t be trying to lose weight. I guess I’m still operating on old think from my 20s about all fat free, low cal foods to lose weight. I still feel anxiety and guilt when I don’t eat that way when I’m trying to lose weight!
There are plenty of veggie options that are more energy dense than half a stick of celery and 10 baby carrots. Try starchy root vegetables, winter squashes, beans, and avocados.
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