Am I eating enough? Help!!
 

Hey guys,

I'm on my first week and I feel great! I'm 5'2" and I'm hoping to go from my original 175 to 115. I've been going to aerobic and strength classes religiously and cutting down my calories while eating healthy. I know it's just the first week but I feel really motivated and surprisingly satisfied with the workouts and amount/type of food that I'm eating.

However, while calculating my calories for the week I noticed that I'm only averaging about 900 calories per day and working out an average of 400 calories per day. I keep reading articles saying that it's unhealthy to eat that little calories and that I won't see results because of that. I'm trying to add calories by eating protein bars and shakes, but (I thought I'd never say this) I'm having a hard time feeling hungry. With all the water and nutrient packed foods that I'm eating, I'm pretty full most of the day aside from when I'm falling asleep.

So what I'm pretty much trying to say is that I'm really scared that I'm doing this all wrong and I'm going to mess things up for myself. I'm willing to be patient with my weight loss, although I'd be really happy if I could lose it within 8 months in a healthy way. Do you guys think I'll be alright or do you suggest I change things? Any advice would help, seeing as I'm a total newb.

Go Superfoods! :carrot:

-Sarah

Well you will see results. (Though for the first few days you may retain some water and food-even if the number still drops). That's fact and as a previous anorexic I lived it. How do you think anorexics lose weight? But it is unhealthy. If you eat so little you will lose mainly muscle weight not fat weight. Which eventually-after long term-will lead to several health problems and if it gets out of hand organ failure. Also your hair will fall out (That happens A LOT faster-short term and long term). You should never go below 1200 without being monitored by a doctor. Please eat more.

That's good to know, wolfgirl69. I definitely don't want to lose muscle or hair. I'm sorry to hear about your struggles with anorexia. I've had many friends throughout the years struggle with that and it's never an easy thing to be a part of or witness. Thanks for the advice. Do you have any tricks on how to up my calories in a healthy way? I'm terrified that if I stretch out my stomach too much, my old eating habits will return. And I think the biggest issue is not feeling hungry. Shouldn't I stop once I'm no longer hungry?

I eat high calorie small portioned things like nuts (Specifically I like pecans), avocados, veggies with extra virgin olive oil on them, etc. I actually had a similar problem because of a medication I take and asked a question just recently.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/calo...rd-i-know.html

Hope this helps! :)

I am glad u realized it and want to change it, i am very proud of u! I started adding protein bars and nuts to my diet to reach my cals. Last time I lost weight my cals were so low that when I finally increased them I gained all my weight back, I know u don't want all your hard work going down the drain. This time I made sure to add plenty of vitamins like chlorella, spirulina, calcium, chia etc. as an insurance policy too. I think eating the right amount of cals coupled with exercise it's possible to lose 55 in 8 months for sure. Best of luck!

I just realized I was doing the same thing...I wasn't eating nearly enough, but I felt full just the same. I've almost doubled my calories and I've found myself eating when I'm not all that hungry, but I want the results I'm working so hard for to last more than a couple of months. I'm trying to eat more fats and protein which have helped with the calorie count and I realize that eating more calories doesn't necessarily mean eating whatever I want to - I still limit my starch and carbs. I don't think I'll have another 5 lb week, but I just have to keep telling myself that this will take time and I'm only cheating myself by taking shortcuts.

Best of luck to you!

I don't know how realistic 55 lbs. in 8 months is when you are quite small. You may lose a bit more at the start, but that is only 36 weeks and it gets near impossible to lose more than 1 lbs. per week once you get quite small (you may even lose less than that as you get close to goal). I would concentrate now on getting a healthy routine that you can maintain and just see what the scale does.

If you aren't eating at least 1200 calories, then your metabolism isn't going to be high enough. I realised that I was doing this too once I started calorie counting and that I was scrambling, in the first week, to eat an extra 300 cals after dinner! Having breakfast/3 main meals a day really helped get my calories up to 1200. I find that if I skip breakfast, I usually come under so I make sure that I eat when I first get up and then have lunch 2-3 hours later (3 hours before dinner). Having snacks during the day will also help. It may be that you have to eat lots of small meals during the day or eat foods that are high in calories but are good for you: nuts, dark chocolate, fruit. I find that fruit and nuts aren't very filling for me, but they fill me up for 1/2 an hour or so.

I read an article once that said that midnight snacks are NOT bad for you, unless you have eaten more than your allotted calorie intake. I suggest that you calculate your BMR (minimum calories your body needs per day) and TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). When you have those numbers you can work out the average intake you need to lose weight safely.

No, you aren't eating enough and though you may lose weight I think you'll pile it all back on later. Might as well eat more now, lose weight slower and keep it off.

If you are falling asleep during the day, you definitely aren't eating enough. :)

I'd start with 1200 for a few weeks. You have to give it time, you won't see results overnight.

But please, feed yourself! Your body is hungry!