Too Scared To Eat More

You are not eating enough. What exercise(s) are you doing that burn 1000+ calories?

What they said...

And you need to eat more normally. If you ARE burning that many calories (though I question it), then you are burning everything you take in. This is not considered healthy!

I'm going through a similar situation right now. I started my weight loss journey about a year ago and have lost 50lbs but have recently stalled out. I had been gaining and losing the same 2 lbs for months! I came on here and started asking questions and everyone was telling me that I needed to be eating tons more.

I didn't believe them, because in my mind set it just didn't make sense to me. I have always been told that the way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more. You need to look up the group "eat more to weigh less" There is lots of helpful info on that sight. When people start explaining it to you, you will definitely be confused but it does get easier.

I've been eating more for about a month now. I was eating 1,200-1,400 calories a day and am now up to 2,100. Certain days I'm so full that I don't even want to take another bite. Sadly I've put on 4lbs but everyone is saying not to pay attention to the numbers at first because it's my body's way of getting used to eating all that food again.

I put in a friend's request for you also so if you need more help with anything, let me know. :happy:

yes you definitely need to be eating more calories, but those calories should be coming from less processed whole foods (lean meats, veggies, fruit, whole grains).
I know it can be hard to make the time to prepare food with little ones under foot (I have a 5 and 2 year old that aren't keen on waiting lol) but it is so worth it!
there are lots of quick foods that you can prepare in bulk to eat through the week... hard boiled eggs, roast up a bunch of chicken breast to use over 5 days, pre cut veggies, large batch oatmeal to reheat in serving sizes... toss in some fruit and it's a great breakfast that's just as fast as high sugar cereal. Greek yogurt is another great thing to have on hand!

It's a learning curve, for sure, but it gets easier and you find ways to make fast healthy choices.

You are not eating enough. What exercise(s) are you doing that burn 1000+ calories?

What they said...

And you need to eat more normally. If you ARE burning that many calories (though I question it), then you are burning everything you take in. This is not considered healthy!

That's what I was wondering!! Huge calorie burns and low calorie intake is not good! Gotta fuel that body! On some days your net calories were barely over 100 - how are you not starving?

Feeding your body the proper nutrition and in the proper amounts gives it the fuel it needs to get through the day, and to do whatever exercise you're doing (over a 1000 cals a day, please tell me how!), and it will use it efficiently. Not giving your body the proper fuel can result in your metabolism slowing down, and your body storing everything it can as fat.

Congrats on taking the steps to make yourself healthier and not being afraid to ask - I was terrified to ask for fear of people thinking I was a dummy. You're already ahead of the game

One thing that really helped me was thinking of my body as a car and food as my fuel - I wouldn't expect my car to get me where I'm going without putting gas in it, even if I told it "well, get me there, and THEN you can have gas." Nope, my car would freak out and leave me stranded - your body does the same thing! Think of the 1200 calories you have as your baseline as the absolute minimum you have to have: that's the oil and water and antifreeze and air in the tires and all of that. Without having oil in my engine, it's gonna seize up. So... Make sure you eat those!

Also, be mindful that if you've been eating those low calories for a long time, your body kinda freaks out a little when you start giving it adequate fuel - just like my old Chevette did when I finally changed the oil ("Daddy, it's running weird." "No, that's what it's supposed to do. You're just not used to it yet."). Be patient, and keep in mind the scale isn't always the best measure (when I have a very active week, and am within my target calorie range, my weight goes up even as I'm shrinking - that's a good thing).

And: don't give up!

That dizziness on the treadmill is telling, and you did the right thing by stopping. Swimming with your kids sounds lovely But even that takes fuel!

I'm proud of you for eating a filling breakfast. I am not a "big breakfast" person myself but many people swear by it. Whatever works for you, as long as you give your body the calories it needs.

You definitely need to eat more. Less than 1000 calories is not good for anyone in my opinion. And MFP tends to overestimate the exercise calories so unless you are wearing a heart rate monitor, I would not eat all those calories back. MFP already accounts for a deficit when they give you a calorie goal. You need to fuel your body. I have lost almost 100 pounds so far and I eat an average of 2000 calories per day. I have a Body Media Fit, so I use that to determine how many calories to eat as I burn around 3000 calories per day including exercise. Good luck to you.

Congrats on taking the steps to make yourself healthier and not being afraid to ask - I was terrified to ask for fear of people thinking I was a dummy. You're already ahead of the game

One thing that really helped me was thinking of my body as a car and food as my fuel - I wouldn't expect my car to get me where I'm going without putting gas in it, even if I told it "well, get me there, and THEN you can have gas." Nope, my car would freak out and leave me stranded - your body does the same thing! Think of the 1200 calories you have as your baseline as the absolute minimum you have to have: that's the oil and water and antifreeze and air in the tires and all of that. Without having oil in my engine, it's gonna seize up. So... Make sure you eat those!

Also, be mindful that if you've been eating those low calories for a long time, your body kinda freaks out a little when you start giving it adequate fuel - just like my old Chevette did when I finally changed the oil ("Daddy, it's running weird." "No, that's what it's supposed to do. You're just not used to it yet."). Be patient, and keep in mind the scale isn't always the best measure (when I have a very active week, and am within my target calorie range, my weight goes up even as I'm shrinking - that's a good thing).

And: don't give up!

This.
Don't freak out over a little weight gain when you start eating enough. This is short term, usually 2 or three weeks. Let you body adjust. When you make changes be patient and let your body decide how it is going to deal with these changes. Don't overdo exercise, you can starve yourself this way as well. all things in moderation. You can do this.

You need healthier food. I love cereal and I haven't eliminated it (or carbs) from my diet but eating it several times a day is not good.

More protein. One day you had 1 oz (really?) of chicken breast for dinner and that was your protein for the entire day (other than milk in your cereal). Your carbs are too high. Like I said, I am not a low carber in the least bit but there is such a thing as too much. The automatic carb settings on MFP are too high. I suggest adjusting to 40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein to start.

What may have worked for you in the past may not work now. You have to eat healthy if you want to be healthy. Bumping your caloires is great but not if it means another apple/bowl of cereal/nutrigrain bar.

I hate to say this but your calories burned estimations are too high. You'd have to be swimming fast laps for 2 hours straight to have a burn like that.

I don't think there's any reason for her to adjust her macros like that. I agree, however, that bumping calories should be done in a balanced way. If you eat more, make sure you get more of protein AND fat AND healthy carbohydrates.

She can make her macros whatever she wants. All I know is when I made the adjustment and saw my carbs going into the red on some days, or close to it, it made me me less inclined to eat cereal for dinner (which I used to do ALL THE TIME) and more likely to pick up a grilled chicken breast or steak. Or even a turkey burger.

You also may want to drink more water. Protein is important. You should look at your daily nutrition levels to see what protein, fiber, and vitamins are lacking in and work to increase those numbers.

You are doing great and as you learn it will get better and easier.

I am scared of the Easter Bunny.....

It never talks..Just stands there looking crazy, all fluffy, and *kitten*....

It's funny you should post this because just a minute ago I had an ahh haa moment. I tried to lose by cutting calories, and some days I would do really well and others I would do terribly. Anyway, I know for a fact that the Body For Life program works. My sister, her husband, and my boss all had amazing results from it. The work outs are great but I am having an issue getting to the gym with a new baby that I don't want to leave, so I am following the diet part anyway. It's not really much of a diet, it's the way a person should eat: 3 main meals 3 small snacks. I just started yesterday and today I feel great, I never once felt deprived yesterday nor did I feel bloated or overly full. I had/have energy to continue the works out here at home (30 day shred) as well as the c25k. Anyway, I am eating more and it seems strange but because I am eating before I get hungry I am abe to stick to the correct portion size. Also, I know that even if I am hungry still my next meal or snack is only 3 hours away. Also with this program you get a free day where you can eat what you want and give your body a rest. Although I am not doing the routines he outlined I feel like this is the kind of program I need and I don't feel guilty or hungry and when I am trying to lose weight it's strange for me not to feel either way, but that way is obviously not working. Anyway, google it online, it's free and really easy to follow. By the way that ahh haa moment I had came after I drank a protien shake, (I was starving and wanted to skip it and go straight to lunch) but I had the shake and a necterine and some water and I feel great! My ois fueled and content but not sluggish. Sometimes you have to stop being stubborn and try new things. Good luck!!