Help with eating? I forgot to..
 

So this is rather weird for me...but i used to be the emotional/binge eater where i would binge eat on sweets and sugar and just about anything except protein.. But..i am not doing that anymore...In fact, now i am having a harder issue.. that i never thought i would have.. Im forgetting to eat! I ate my breakfast of two eggs scrambled with a peice of laughing cow cheese and drank my two cups of veggies and then my next snack wasnt until 6:30 pm and my next meal wasnt till 8pm..Its like.. i went through almost an entire day without eating..and without getting hungry..it was the strangest thing..and to be honest..its been really difficult eating in general..im not bored of what i eat, because i always change up my recipes and make sure i get variety but for some reason, i have no interest in eating anymore..and what seems like no appetite..im struggling just to get 1200 calories into my diet.. When apparently according to fit day i need at least 2000 just to live for the day and thats with the calorie deficit taken off for weight loss already..

Does this happen to any of you? Cause i swear it has never happend to me until i went on to south beach..are my blood sugars just so stabled out now that i dont feel hungry anymore??

Protein and fat cause you to be fuller longer because they take longer to leave the stomach than carbs and sugar. But usually within 4 hours your stomach should be empty. Sugar IMO causes you to get hungry more often also so I am sure part of it is the reduction of sugar/carbs in your diet.

That being said I'd try to not forgot to eat- I assume you have a lunch hour between lunch and breakfast, even if you weren't very hungry I still would have eaten something. I eat every 2-3 hours, small meals, and now my body will not hesitate to remind me it's time to eat! :)

Remember eating every 2-3 hours keeps your metabolism running full speed :)

I also would try to up the calories- 1200 or barely 1200 is definitely too low at your weight. I think 1800-2000 is good. Some days I am less hungry and others more hungry- so it'll even out- you just don't want to eat so little for a while then binge cuz you are starving one day.

Could be that your BGL has stabilized a bit. Didn't you just start a new drug?
I'm sure you are going to get your appetite back.

Yah i started glumetza which is a different form of Metformine..its a decently high dose they gave me to help me..and i think its been since ive been taking it with every meal, i havent been so interested in eating as much..but worse then that..i cant get my regular caloric intake in these days..it just seems like sooo much food to me now..but people keep telling me i need 2000 a day and 1200 is not close..any ideas of how to up the calories??

Personally I don't think you should ever force yourself to eat. Your body could be adjusting to the new diet - more protein, more fiber, etc. As long as you are getting enough of the things you need it should even out again. If it continues to be an issue we can all give plenty of suggestions to add calories but this early I'd just wait it out.
ETA - especially with the new diabetes meds. DW's eating is all over the place when they adjust her meds

Nuts and healthy oils are an easy way to up your calorie counts. Adding just a tablespoon of olive oil adds I think 120 calories, and if you do that at every meal, that's 360 right there. Throw in a serving of nuts here and there and you should be back where you want to be. I like toasted almonds in pretty much any green veggie, and almond or peanut butter is great with a snack :)

and the calorie count for the day is....:(
 

I need HELPPPPPPPP!!! I plugged every single little thing i ate down to baking ingredients and my total calorie count today has been 1081..im supposed to eat at least 1800...arghhhh. .. i hate this.. this is so hard for me..i dont starve myself at all and i dont even really feel that hungry most days..whats wrong with me??? I mean, i feel like i eat a lot and cant cram anything more down my throat..

Can you give us an idea of what your meals look like? It is easy to add some extra calories without adding food. Cook your food with olive oil, spread some peanut butter on your apple, drink a glass of juice or milk with dinner along with your water.

I go through this during my period. I end up eating 300-800 calories a day and feel like I'm stuffing myself.

Shytowngal is right. Sneakk in some healthy fats into your meal for calories. Peanut butter (roughly 200 call per 2TBSP)) and EVOO (120 cals per TBSP) really add up!

Add some nuts and avocado. They're both high in calories and good fat.

I had the same problem too earlier on with South Beach, I think quite a few other ladies said the same thing. I'd eat cashews for dessert to make up the difference so I wouldn't be so low (I only needed 1200!). The good and bad of the beach...great being so satisfied with healthy foods!

I've never had this problem. Are you sure that you are accurately measuring out portions, rather than just eyeballing serving sizes when you calculate your calories?

higher fat yogurt, nut butters, whole nuts, avocado, olive oil...etc.

post a sample menu, please.

*sob* I want this problem so badly!!!!

Sorry...just had to put it out there. I DO realize that it's difficult to diet, no matter which end of the spectrum you have difficulty with.

I eat about 1400 cals a day and am always ready for more.

Let see here..sample day:

Breaky: 1/2 cup no fat yogurt with 1tbsp of sugar free jam
2 cups of low sodium veggie juice

Snack: Cheese string

Lunch: Salad w/8 ounces of chicken breast and olive oil and vinegar dressing 2 tbsp

Snack: Sugar free jello w/ piece of cheese or 1 ounce

Dinner: 1/2 cup chickpeas plus 4oz of ground beef, mixed in with 1/2 cup of crushed tomato, mushrooms, zucchini

Dessert: 3 minute flourless chocolate cake w/ 1tbsp of light whip
1 can of diet rite cola (no calories)
1- 8oz cup of crystal light w/ 1tbsp of Chia seed

This is coming up higher on FitDay, in the 1400+ range without adding the vegetables,any extra cooing oil for the meats, or the cheese with the second snack because I wasn't sure about that.

Other feedback: You definitely need more veggies in your day. That might help your other problem. How about replacing all the vegetable juice with some veggies?

Low glycemic fruits would also be a good addition. I know you have diabetes, so does DW. Things like fresh or frozen berries are actually good for you in moderation and would be yummy with that yogurt. Just a thought

yes, what veggies do you like?

have you tried roasted veggies?
i used to HATE green beans, but roasted frozen or fresh green beans are awesome! little evoo, seasoning, and even my kids like them :)

oh im not adding back fruit at all..its like a high no no on my list.. i stuck 3 cups of popcorn into my diet and it caused major issues..and yes..that sample menu i gave you up there was definitly higher than my 1081 calorie day..but thats only 1400 calories..and apparently i need 2000 something??

Is this right?
 

Okay so im worried im not eating enough calories in the day. Based on fitday, they say that i need to eat 2071 calories a day if i want to lose weight.. cause apparently i burn 3054 calories just in every day normal sedentary life..Can someone check this for me using another calorie calculator..cause i want to make sure this is right..cause if it is..im eating about 500 calories less most days then that 2071...

http://health.drgily.com/basal-metab...calculator.php

According to this one, you burn 2140 calories per day living a sedentary life. If you consume less than that, you will lose weight.

according to this chart i found. popcorn is 55, but why couldn't you have some of the low glycemic fruits like cherries? berries aren't listed, but i've read they are also low on the chart. cherries are listed at 22. apples are 38.

http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_...#axzz1F0h2e5yr this is a glycemic chart

I did it on my phone weight loss calculator app and it said with your height/weight/gender you need 2769/day sedentary with a BMR of just over 2000. I have used this calculator as a tool for my own weight loss and it seems pretty accurate for me.

ok, i guess you can have fruit, it's just you're on phase 1 on sb. i thought you were saying you can't because of diabetes or something.

Also, to put things in perspective, I eat about 1500-1600cal per day and lose and I'm much shorter and lighter than you are now. If you start out too low, you'll have nowhere to drop from. I AM not sedentary, but my workouts are a mile walk 4-5 times a week, a 2-3 mile run once or twice a week, and occasional weight lifting and ab stuff at home.

Have you been losing weight at the calories you are consuming? At what rate (how many pounds per week)?

All calculators are only estimates and do not take into account lean mass and body fat percentages.

I would start at the amount suggested then see if you lose weight. If you don't after, say two weeks, I would go down by 100 calories each week until the scale starts moving. At your weight, I would avoid going below 1600-1650 for now.

PHG - I merged these three threads together as they are all pretty much the same question. Hope this helps with an answer.

PHG: you seem to be consistently losing weight, and it seems like you do not feel deprived, and have enough energy. If you were not eating enough calories I think you would be experiencing physical hunger and feel tired a lot. If you feel satisfied, have energy, and are losing weight, I would stick with what you are doing and not question things so much. The time to become obsessed is when you don't feel physically well, or you are not losing weight.

Agree with Mmckellan. Relax! This is an easy plan - just follow the Food Lists, try not to fret and it will happen. It's happening already.

sorry :( im just totally crazy freaked out about doing something wrong.. ive tried so hard to lose weight before in the past and in turn , i did it the wrong way.. i have a tendancy to go to extremes if i dont watch it..binging was how i got to this size and now i dont want to starve myself to get lower..i have a history of eating disorders..hence why the fear and anxiety..

Take a deep breath, follow the plan, be patient and it really will work :) I tried for 40 years before I got here. You can do this.

Agree with Cyndi. Been on lots of diets in my 54 years. This is the best! I don't ever worry about calories consumed (too little). I feel happy and sated with this WOE. Never had that with any other plan.

I wonder if you might consider talking things over with a professional. I have done that before (not necessarily food related) and found it was very helpful in so many ways. If you decide to do this, I recommend you look for someone who specializes in cognitive/behavioral therapy rather than a psychoanalist.

I'm not on South Beach anymore. I 'm on a moderately carb-restricted exchange plan, because I still had trouble overeating on South Beach. I needed a portion/calorie control element.

I didn't ever forget to eat on South Beach, because even "good carbs" tend to drive cravings and appetite out of control. It's one of the reasons I had to switch to a calorie controlled plan. I still try to make my food choices South Beach compatible, though I have to stick pretty close to Phase I foods to lose weight consistently.




I did forget to eat on Atkins. It was a very bizarre and surreal experience. Carolyn Rhea in one of her pre-TBL stand-up routines once said "it takes a special kind of stupid to forget to eat" (in the context of the routine, it was incredibly funny), and it was a joke I'd remember when anyone talked about forgetting to eat. I never said it outloud, but I also never expected that I would ever be the butt of that particular joke.


If I cut carbs too low, I will forget to eat and it's usually hubby who will notice before I do. On very low-carb, my first symptom of hunger is irritability. So to me, it just seems like hubby is being more of a jerk than usual. If I start treating him like a jerk, he'll immediately ask what and when I last ate.


I've also noticed that reducing carbs not only "cured" my emotional eating, it also cured the emotionality itself. Not only was I more in control of my eating, I was more in control of my emotions.


I still struggle with finding the right balance. Eating low enough in carbs to avoid the out-of-control hunger and emotions, but eating high enough carbs that I'm not forgetting to eat and being a snap dragon all day.