Not eating enough calories

MommaHoff
MommaHoff Posts: 54 Member
edited October 2024 in Food and Nutrition
So I am finding that when I am careful about what I'm eating and how much that I'm not eating enough calories. On days that I spend 2-3 hours working out I'm lucky to eat 1200 calories. I know that if you don't eat enough your body will go into starvation mode. I'm thinking that this may be why I've not lost anything in over a year. I've upped the intensity of my workouts but am still having issues with not eating enough. I eat 5-6 times a day and most of the time I have to make myself eat because I do not feel hungry. Does anyone else have problems getting enough calories? How are you dealing with it or what would you suggest?

Replies

  • DenverKos
    DenverKos Posts: 182
    If you're just not hungry,try eating higher calorie foods when you DO eat. If you're working out 2 to 3 hours a day, you most certainly need more than 1200 cal a day, and that explains why you aren't losing (could be muscle gain, too - are you losing inches?)

    Like for me, I switched our bread from a higher calorie bread to one with fewer calories per slice - you could do the opposite to make sure you're getting enough calories to feed your body.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    Increasing your workout intensity or your workout time and not eating enough = no weight loss.

    You HAVE to eat in order to lose weight. Now, this doesn't mean gorge on junk, but your body needs the proper nutrients in order to feel comfortable enough to drop the weight. I see this scenario so much on this site... someone isn't losing weight, so they drop their calories more or they increase their workouts (or both) and they STILL don't lose. It doesn't occur to them that they may not be eating enough to properly fuel their body.

    You can increase your calories with every little work on your part - things like nuts, nut butters, etc easily increase your calories without adding a lot of food to your diet.

    Try having a snack of almonds and a yogurt. Or have some apples and peanut butter. It really doesn't take much effort to increase your calories.
  • busyPK
    busyPK Posts: 3,788 Member
    A lot of people have this problem, but I am not one of them. :laugh: Try and eat at least half your exercise calories back, if not all of them. Have some peanut butter, almonds, etc. that have more healthy calories and fat. Also, remember to give your body rest days from exercise!
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    eat more fat
  • nebula77
    nebula77 Posts: 1
    I am lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, and pescatarian! Trust me I feel your pain. The quickest and best calories for me are beans and nuts. My challenge is finding enough recipes and variety.
  • MommaHoff
    MommaHoff Posts: 54 Member
    I try to eat more that I do. But I almost NEVER feel hungry. I have to be reminded to eat. I actually have a reminder alarm on my cell phone every 2-3 hours to eat. I'm aware that I don't get enough calories most days. I'm trying to eat more but I usually don't realize until the end of the day how short on calories I am. I can't eat much dairy due to allergies and I'm not a big meat eater, though I do eat some, and I'm trying to cut out the simple carbs because they cause me to have sugar cravings. I think I'll try adding some nuts to my snacks. Thanks for the advice.
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