Hi guys! I'm having a serious problem. I'm on week 2 of Phase 1 and I'm eating tops 900 calories a day according to FitDay (and I measure most of my food out so it's relatively accurate). The thing is, I have to literally force myself to eat even that much and I end up sick every night. If I ate when I was hungry, I might only be getting 500 calories a day.
Also, I wake up pretty late so my whole meal plan is kind of off. Breakfast is my biggest meal of the day and it resembles most people's lunches. I have a normal size "lunch" (which is when my family has dinner) and a very small dinner around 10. I'm normally up until around 3AM, but I am afraid to eat then because I've always binged the most at night and it's almost as if I lose control of my arms and mouth at that time- I just shove whatever sugary substance there is in the vicinity into my mouth. Getting rid of these items is not a possibility as my family is not supportive at all of my diet.
What do people do to get enough calories in a day?
(PS. I'm allergic to dairy and nuts so those are not possibilities for me.)
I cook with olive oil, occasionally dip veggies in hummus if I can stand it (the kind I got it gross but I force myself to eat it for the extra calories and oils), and put a teaspoon of oil-based dressing over my greens whenever I have them.
It's really strange because I've never had this problem before. I think the veggies and water fill me up much more than carbs ever did, so it's hard to eat a lot. It took me over an hour to eat one poached egg on 2 cups of spinach and dressing and a glass of water this morning and I felt like I was going to pop. I used to be able to eat plates at buffets before getting to that point. I don't even think it's a mental thing either because I'm a tummy rumbler so if I was ignoring my hunger, I would hear it.
After dinner I normally bring up some broccoli sauteed in garlic, onions, and olive oil (my favorite snack) to have with water while I write or websurf, but I normally can't eat them because I'm just not hungry. I'll have a few bites at most.
You definitely need more calories. Why don't you give us a listing of what you are eating during an entire day and we'll try to help? Even if your "day" doesn't begin at the same time as most of us, you still need to get in three full meals and two snacks.
Can't relate to the not wanting to eat thing... I never did have a problem getting enough calories.
Anyway, I was wondering if you like peanut butter? That is ok to eat on SB, isn't it? A spoonful or two would up your calories - you could dip your veggies in it if you like that. Just a thought. A sliced avocado would be good, but they are expensive right now, so I only buy them occasionally.
I'm allergic to nuts, so no peanut butter. I have an aversion to it anyway due to an unfortunate peanut butter cracker eating contest in the 1st grade.
My next trip to the store, I'm going to pick up a few avocados. I had a really good salad the other day with some guacamole rather than salad dressing that I want to try recreating. I hate normal iceburg or romaine lettuce so that's the only way I can make myself eat it.
A good portion of calorie dense, healthy foods are restricted due to my allergies. I love cottage cheese and am mildly devastated that I can't eat it.
I'm allergic to all forms of dairy- goats milk included. So no milk, yogurt, or cheese of any kind. I don't know exactly which nuts I'm allergic to, but I get violent skin reactions from peanuts and almonds so I haven't tried anymore beyond that and just think it's safe to say that they're all out. I also avoid soy except for the occasional tofu due to some sensitivities that my doctor noted, but haven't manifested itself into a full flown allergy.
Wow. You poor thing. I wonder if there is such a thing as lactose free cottage cheese? If you could find that, would you be able to eat it? What about hummus or other bean dips?
Yeah, I'd go for some avocados then. I had this delicious appetizer in a restaurant -- sliced avocado with lump crabmeat. That wouldn't be cheap, but it would be SB and very tasty. Not sure if you're allegeric to seafood.
Yes, I'm curious too, what your diet was like before you started the South Beach Diet? I'm wondering if you may be experiencing an allergic reaction to something you are eating, which is causing you to feel so full all the time. Perhaps you should see an allergist or your family doctor to rule out this possibility?
Have you tried using rice milk? It would be a good way to up your caloric intake, and you can use it to make pudding and shakes. It tastes pretty good, too. And do you like any other veggies besides spinach and broccoli? By adding in a variety of vegetables, you'll avoid becoming bored with your meals, and may be able to eat a little more. You should also be eating more protein, whether it be meat or beans.
Another thought is, maybe you should consider moving on to Phase 2 and start including some fruits and a little pasta and bread into your diet to help you get in more calories every day.
Actually, SB kind of brought on the allergies :P Well, maybe not, but my allergic reactions coincided with the start of SB. I developed the milk allergy right after starting SB the first time, though it took over 6 months for me to figure out what was causing my burning, itchy hives because my college health center said it was stress. Oy. The nut thing came about as I was phasing myself off of sugar and grains to get ready to start phase 1 a few weeks ago.
This past month was a real low point in terms of eating as it was finals and my roommate was really horrific (writing me hate mail but pretending she didn't, ridicule me for everything I did, blah blah) so I was kind of eating about 3 cartons of Ben and Jerry's (allergy be damned.. seriously, no amount of Ben and Jerry's is worth itching, I don't know what was wrong with me!) a week and living off of take out gnocchi and yellow curry. :P Before that I would eat most of my meals in the school dining hall, which actually was pretty healthy. Either I'd eat at the vegan/vegetarian station or I'd get a grilled salmon fillet with 2 veggie sides. So I wasn't eating bad all the time, but I definitely was eating quite a bit more plus snacking a lot while I studied.
Can an allergy make you feel full all the time? I'm worried about being able to get in to my doctor because she normally is booked a month in advance and I'm leaving for a summer long internship in a week. Worse comes to worse, Boston is a city of hospitals and one of them must have a free clinic.
Thank you all for all your help! I feel like I'm so annoying :P
I think the bloating - from the lactose intolerance or allegeries - yes, can make you feel uncomfortably FULL, but I'm not sure if it would curb your hunger. Dairy wreaks havoc on some people's systems. I occasionally get bad bloating, and I feel pretty darn uncomfortable, but it does not take away hunger/urge to eat. Sad but true
The salmon and all the dining hall food sounds good and very healthy -- are you still able to eat there?
not eating enough!
