i don't want to seem like im starving myself but i have some days where im just NOT hungry .. I'll pick at things here and there and eat small meals but i know im NOT getting in any where near 1200 calories .. i was told you should eat at least 1200 a day but some days i just cant do it .. especially when im PMsing (which is right now) i just want to sleep and feel blah and hunger is non existence .. is this bad?? .. I've only have a carnation good start for breakfast and quite a bit of fruit for lunch and a lil piece of sausage .. then had a few cookies and a 100 calorie snack chocolate covered pretzels and thats it for today .. if i need to eat more i would have to force myself and yuck .. oh and ive got most of my water in!! any thoughts?

First of all... you have NO veggies in there at all. And cookies and snack packs are NOT going to cut it on the nutrition end. So if you have no appetite you HAVE to make sure you are eating nutritionally dense foods.

hummus and pita
greek yoghurt
slices of chicken breast
cottage cheese
hard boiled eggs
veggies and dip

etc.

Your body will not go into "starvation" mode but you will end up probably sick from lack of good healthy nutrients...

Did you just start a calorie-restrictive diet in the last month? Loss of appetite is a very common, and unfortunately temporary, side effect for a lot of people. I went through it myself. Trust me, the best thing you can do is force yourself to eat to your plan ( or at least more than 1250 calories of good, nutritious food).
If you don't, the usual outcome is one of these

1. When you appetite comes back (which will probably happen in a matter of days or weeks), it's with a vengeance, because your body is frantically looking for more calories. Chances are, your body will store anything you eat as fat (because it will believe food is scarce and you risk starving in the future).

2. Depending on how long you've been under eating, your body might start to get low on certain vitamins and minerals, in which case you will start craving some of the strangest things, and will probably end up eating a lot of extra calories. Or, if you don't feed those cravings, you'll still have to live through them, only to have side effects such as tiredness, headaches, etc (depending on how badly you let yourself slip into a vitamin deficiency).

Now, I know these seem dramatic, but you can't be too careful.

Remember, if you don't learn self control, you're never going to keep the weight off permanently...and for a lot of us, self control means (in this stage) to make sure we eat enough of what we need.

Good luck with your goals.

If you have a day once and a while where you're just not that hungry, I wouldn't be too concerned. It happens from time to time, though I must say it doesn't happen to ME. *sigh* I wouldn't force myself to eat if not hungry, again if it's just every now and then, but I would most definitely reconsider *what* I was eating. I would be more concerned about your food choices. You did manage to eat *some* food, but not such *good* food. Especially when you're not eating much, you've got to really make it count. If you're not hungry and can manage to eat very little, this is the time to break out the higher calorie, but still healthy foods - nuts, avocado, olive oil.

Is this a typical day for you? Or just an every now and then kind of a thing? Do you normally eat like this, but just more of it? IF it IS typical, then I think you need to do some re-thinking and switch up your menu a tad. Think low fat proteins, fiber rich veggies and fruits. Whole grains.

By the way, a few cookies could easily add up to 300, 400 or more calories depending on how many a few is and what type they are. And there's really not one bit of nutrition in there.

Let your food work for you. Get the most out of it.

Virtually everyting, (except the sausage) is extremely high in sugar. The fruit sugars are natural sugars, but sugars, nonetheless. I know when I'm PMS'ing or have menstrual cramps, I crave sugar, but after eating sugars or even a lot of starchy carbs, I get nauseous, and as soon as the nausea subsides, I'm craving more sugar.

For me, though sugar only increases my appetite, so those aren't the days that I need to worry about eating too few calories (however, I do have to worry about eating empty calories). For me, eating too few calories can occur if I eat too low carb. Very low carb dieting saps my hunger, and it's not the calories I need to worry about, nearly as much as getting the good quality nutrition in - getting in the veggies especially.

I agree with everyone else that it's extremely important to make sure you're getting in your nutrition, and on not hungry days, it's probably even more vital.

Eating some nuts would be a good choice too. 1/4 cup of cashews is 210 calories. PB is also a dense choice.

its not every day i feel like this but it happens a couple times a month .. I have been doing very very well w/ the veggies and have been eating lots of chicken .. and i forgot but i did have a bunch of baby carrots yesterday also w/ my lunch (it was a catered lunch for the teachers at school and they kept telling me to eat and wouldn't take no for an answer so i was trying to eat the best things they had available which was carrots and fruit) i passed up the temptation of the 5 cakes and 3 pies they had sitting there and just settled for a chocolate chip cookie only because i knew if i didn't have one it would be worse in the long run .. i LOVE my sweets which is probably a major reason why i am where i am today .. overweight Thanks ladies for all the advice