[susieyarb]

Today has been that kind of day for me. It's nearly 2 and I'm only at 450 calories and I've eaten everything I care to eat so far. I'm just not very hungry today. I dont want to eat just to eat. I've thought about having a banana just to up my calories, but I'm really not hungry for it at all.

So far I've had my morning oatmeal; 1/4 cup cottage cheese (that's all we had left) and a Healthy Choice Lemon Pepper Fish meal. I've had 2 of my 24 oz water bottles so far. Now here it is snack time, and I'm going to eat a 100 cal pack of almonds, but I'm not really hungry.

[KyAngel1975]

All the time. I was told to eat every 2 hours to keep my metabolism up and going but it gets hard sometimes. I eat as close to 1400 cal a day that I can get but sometimes its so tough. I eat lots of fruit and veggies and that is fine but gosh I feel like I eat constantly.

[JulieJ08]

On the one hand, I think it's fine if some days are low after still eating to satiety. It's natural calorie cycling. On the other hand, don't forget to pay attention not just to whether you end up ravenous or binging that night, but also over the course of the next several days. Sometimes when we eat too little, we might not realize it makes us crazy if the effect is delayed a few days.

[susieyarb]

I know I need to eat my calorie budget, but when you're eating lots of fruits and vegies and all the other healthy grains and nuts, etc. You can often feel like your eating and eating but these things don't have a ton of calories.

I did eat my snack of almonds and a yogurt, but am still below 700 going in to dinner. I'm going to have to eat a big dinner LOL!

[gr82bmom]

Yes. It can be hard to decide what to do when you come in low early in the day and it's already evening. Do you eat a large dinner and that's a really large one if you're having a healthy one (fish and veggies). I'm still learning how to balance it out right. I'm sure in time we'll be pro's at this...hopefully .

[rockinrobin]

Do you ever have a day where you just can't get enough calories in??

Ummm, ummm, ummm - no. I was 287 lbs - getting in enough calories was/is NEVER a problem for me. Never. Ever. Ever.

And now, I have no problem filling up on healthy foods. I like volume, so for me, it's not a problem at all (how I wish it were). Healthy calories add up too.

I find planning ahead keeps me where I want/need to be.

Breakfast has the same amount of calories day to day.
My lunches have the same amount of calories day to day.
Dinners the same.
Snacks - also the same.

They are different foods, all with similar calorie counts.

And if by some miracle, I just didn't want to eat something, I wouldn't sweat it. The occasional missed snack or meal is no biggie in the scope of things.

[susieyarb]

Well, I'm still learning, Robin. I know I need to get my breakfast calories a little higher. I'm not big on breakfast, so it's a process for me.

I ended up at about 1325 yesterday which is fine.

I'm glad that I'm not the only one who is still learning to get things right. It's a whole new world for me, so I'm learning a little more each day.

[PeanutsMom704]

I would also consider when your worst time is for potential problem eating? A lot of people find themselves eating too much at the end of the day - if that's the case, then it can be a good plan to leave a fair amount of calories for the end of the day so you can eat more then but still stay within your target.

And some people do well with 5 or 6 small meals/snacks spread throughout the day. They never eat that much at any one time, so they are usually hungry 2-3 hours later.

Personally, I have found it easiest to stay on plan when I have my big meal for lunch, during the middle of the day. I have 150-250 calories for breakfast, lunch is generally 650-750 and then 300-400 for supper. Depending on whether or not I'm hungry and if I've been on the lower or higher end of those ranges, I'll have 1 or 2 snacks but many days I just have my 3 meals.

I think you just need to experiment to find out what works for you. But generally speaking, as long as one day's low eating doesn't set you up for a late night binge or over eating the next day, I would listen to your body and not eat if you aren't hungry. A low day here and there is fine - I know it's conventional wisdom to never fall below 1200, but that is still just a guideline. (I've even read that on the Biggest Loser, with contestants who are big to start with and burning like 6000 calories a day through activity, Jillian sometimes drops them to 1050 and they still lose weight, so I personally would not worry about so-called starvation mode)