Trying to eat enough

  • According to the chart i got from this site, i should eat 2799 calories per day to maintain- with my height, weight etc... it recommends eating no more than 1000 less than that which would be about 1800 to lose weight... well, i track my food on fitday, and have yet to reach 1800 tho i eat all the time lol... like today i had half a can of tuna ( packed in water ) on a piece of whole wheat toast.. i used one tsp diet mayo, a lil onion and celery.. spread the tuna on the toast and chopped up half a tomatoe on it as well as a lil bit of cucumber... filled me up.. then later i had half a pot of yogurt ( 50 cals) and half a banana.. only ate then cause felt i should.. wasnt too hungry... then later i had the other half of the tuna with one piece of wheat bread... according to fitday that is 675 cals so far for the day and it's almost 6pm.. i will eat again in an hour or so, but i know i wont eat 1100 cals on that meal...is it possible to drink too much water?? is that why im feeling so full all the time?? i have been averaging 2 liters per day this week, and didnt think it was all that much.. im afraid if i dont start eating more ill become ill, but also wanna keep drinkin the water to flush my system and hydrate.. anyone else have this problem, or am i odd as i think i am?? lol
    also, i burn about 400 cals a day with exercise... dumb question, but can exersize make you feel full??
  • Exercise can make you feel full, sometimes, yes. It has to do with releasing... hormones or chemicals or something. Though if you exercise a lot, you should get hungry with your body needing fuel. I guess it's more to regulate appetite. And, people do vary.

    As far as not eating enough calories, I think that's not uncommon for when a person changes to healthier eating. I've found that too, that at first I feel like I'm eating all the time and gosh isn't that a lot of food. Then, for me, that feeling drifts away as I fall into a routine. I guess it's the change of nutrients and fiber and water and all of that making the changes.

    We're about the same weight, and my general rule of thumb is not to try not to go below 1200 calories (more or less, I do points because I'm on Weight Watchers) on days I'm not feeling hungry. I've had a string of "not hungry" days lately, which might be because of some medicine I'm on. But if not, regardless, I know that I eventually get cravings or hungry and then I eat more. So this time around I'm not worrying about it too much.

    Though if you're just eating 1000 calories, or less, and it's more than a day or two, that might be a cause for concern. I'd definitely take a multivitamin. If you're not hungry and not eating much, be sure to make your calories count, nutrient-wise, and get a healthy balance. See how your weight reacts. And you can always go and talk to your doctor. I'd give it a week before you start worrying too much, though, personally.
  • Try some healthy snacks that pack a high calorie punch. Granola, nuts, cheese, etc. Staying that low at our weight is only going to cause you heartache down the road. I know from experience that is a road to a platuea. Your body will get used to that low amount of cals and then you wont lose anymore without going lower...and lets face it...you cant go much lower without begging for the eventual binge. I am not saying eat when you are full, but eat foods that pack more of a punch calorie wise. Also, you might want to have your blood sugar checked...that can cause lack of appetite, i think.
  • I completely understand not wanting to increase your calories if you feel like you are getting by on less. Believe me, I've been down that road many times. The problem is that your body will adjust to the super low calorie intake and your metabolism will slow. Then you will have to eat even less to lose weight. I went for almost a year living on less than 500 calories a day. I was sick and losing weight.... but losing weight SLOWLY (I should mention that I have a history of eating disorders - so that is part of the reason that I got to where I was at that time).

    Try eating 1600 calories a day for two weeks and see what happens and see how you feel. If you are losing anything, cut it back to 1400, then 1200. Conventional wisdom is to not go below 1200 calories a day, otherwise you get to the point of dimishing returns and can even be counterproductive for your health and weight loss goals.

    Good luck!! Keep up the exercise - that's great!!!