Having trouble reaching my daily calories

I'm supposed to be eating 1200 calories a day, but most days I come in anywhere from 50 to 400 under that! I know I need to eat a little more so my body doesn't go into starvation mode and hold onto all the fat, but I have a hard time eating more, especially at night. I guess I'm afraid that if I eat the wrong thing right before bed it will stop the weight loss. What are some good options when I need to eat hundreds more calores, and quickly?

Replies

  • youcandothis2024
    youcandothis2024 Posts: 7 Member
    I should add that even on the super low intake days, I'm not hungry for more. In general I try to eat foods that have a lower calorie density, so they fill me up without adding too many calories. This works really well for me to stay full during the day, so it makes it hard to want to eat even more!
  • landpirate814
    landpirate814 Posts: 1 Member
    1200 a day sounds awfully low if you’re an active person and are working out.
  • JessAndreia
    JessAndreia Posts: 540 Member
    30by30th wrote: »
    I should add that even on the super low intake days, I'm not hungry for more. In general I try to eat foods that have a lower calorie density, so they fill me up without adding too many calories. This works really well for me to stay full during the day, so it makes it hard to want to eat even more!

    Eat a little less high volume low calorie food and add more calorie dense food.
    There's no "wrong thing to eat right before bed", and as long as you stay in a deficit the weight loss will continue.
  • lin_be
    lin_be Posts: 393 Member
    You’ve got a couple of myths here. First off starvation mode does not exist. Also, eating meals before bedtime will not impact your weight loss. Only being in a calorie deficit will. What are your stats (height, weight, age)? How are you measuring your 1200 calories (food scale or cups/spoons)? Peanut butter, a tablespoon of olive oil, ice cream, all high calorie stuff.
  • youcandothis2024
    youcandothis2024 Posts: 7 Member
    Wow, thanks everyone. I can stop being afraid of "starvation mode" now, lol. I've heard about it my whole life...Anyway, I'm only 5 ft tall and I have 80 more lbs to lose before I reach a healthy BMI and I'm not very active because of chronic pain, although I do try to walk a little more these days. The 1200 is calculated based on all that. And I do weigh and measure what I eat with a food acale and measuring spoons/cups
  • Ichabodny
    Ichabodny Posts: 7 Member
    You need to hit your calories. Fatty liver disease is scary and while it doesn't happen overnight, keeping up this way is a risk. Why do you have no appetite? I have gerd and nafld. I lost fast for lack of appetite and it hurt the liver. Dr said to get 1200 calories down. I am on keto with 2 Dr approval and recommendation. I get my calories from avacado and pure vegetable oil. Also add in a small amount of almonds and flax seeds. Starvation mode may not exist but health pro lems unforseen can occur. Try to get in your base calories.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    30by30th wrote: »
    I'm supposed to be eating 1200 calories a day, but most days I come in anywhere from 50 to 400 under that! I know I need to eat a little more so my body doesn't go into starvation mode and hold onto all the fat, but I have a hard time eating more, especially at night. I guess I'm afraid that if I eat the wrong thing right before bed it will stop the weight loss. What are some good options when I need to eat hundreds more calores, and quickly?

    peanut butter
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    It should be fairly easy to get more calories in daily. Even several hundred more. As others said, a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter. A small handful of walnuts, almonds or any nut.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    30by30th wrote: »
    I'm supposed to be eating 1200 calories a day, but most days I come in anywhere from 50 to 400 under that! I know I need to eat a little more so my body doesn't go into starvation mode and hold onto all the fat, but I have a hard time eating more, especially at night. I guess I'm afraid that if I eat the wrong thing right before bed it will stop the weight loss. What are some good options when I need to eat hundreds more calores, and quickly?

    First I'd suggest evaluating your logging to be certain you really do need to eat hundreds more calories a day. Simple things like underestimating portions or inadvertently choosing erroneous entries from the database (there are thousands!) can add up quickly.

    And yeah, when all else fails, peanut butter :)
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    OP, also check out this thread and make sure your logging is accurate. If you just started, there is sometimes a honeymoon period where some people can eat very little and not feel hungry, but if it's been more than a couple of weeks that shouldn't be an issue anymore

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    30by30th wrote: »
    I'm supposed to be eating 1200 calories a day, but most days I come in anywhere from 50 to 400 under that! I know I need to eat a little more so my body doesn't go into starvation mode and hold onto all the fat, but I have a hard time eating more, especially at night. I guess I'm afraid that if I eat the wrong thing right before bed it will stop the weight loss. What are some good options when I need to eat hundreds more calores, and quickly?

    You may be in the "honeymoon" period where your appetite is decreased. If so, peanut butter or nuts can easily help you reach your calorie goal.

    If after a month or so, you have not lost around what you set your weekly weight loss goal to, then you are likely eating more than you think, and should open your diary so we can look for common logging errors.
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    edited January 2019
    30by30th wrote: »
    I should add that even on the super low intake days, I'm not hungry for more. In general I try to eat foods that have a lower calorie density, so they fill me up without adding too many calories. This works really well for me to stay full during the day, so it makes it hard to want to eat even more!

    If you are having a hard time meeting your required minimum calorie intake, and find it hard to eat MORE, why are you opting for foods LOW IN CALORIE DENSITY? pick foods high in calorie density to meet you minimum needs.
    do the opposite, pick foods higher in calorie density.