Eating very low calories but not hungry
 

Hi all. I have been eating very little calories for the last 3 days about 700 calories. But I didn't do this on purpose and only came to realization after looking up the calories. I switched to a low gi diet since I have PCOs and insulin resistance. I have been eating 1 cup of black beans steamed with 1 large chicken breasts steamed and coffee with coffee mate and whip cream. I also just started treating my thyroid problem with iodine so I don't know if this has anything to do with anything.

The problem is that I am really full and I have to make myself eating the full 1 cup of beans and chicken. This might be TMI but I do have regular BM every day so there is no issue there. Also, I'm losing .5 lb every other day so I am not losing much weight either. I also have not dieted for years and wasn't much of a dieter so if my metabolism is messed up it is due to thyroids and not my prior eating history. So, I'm not sure what I should do. Should I just wait until my body balances out from my diet and thyroid treatment? Should I force myself to eat more calories?

Can you calculate about how many calories you were eating on a daily basis before you did the diet change to see what the difference was?

I would not go below 1200 calories (once in a while fine, but not on a daily basis). You need the nutrition for your brain and body to work properly, and it will probably catch up to you if you go at it for too long. It wouldn't be unhealthy to add some fatty, low gi foods to your diet, such as maybe a scoop of sour cream to your chicken and beans. A sliced avacado. Or some read meat... something that packs a little more calories for the amount of food. In my experience I can eat very low calorie and still feel full, but I just don't function as well. I've been filling up on veggies the last couple days, but I've had to add some simple veggie dip to meet my calorie requirements, otherwise it would just be too low.

You may hit a plateau be careful.. If you are not hungry though don't eat..

It is not uncommon when starting a low calorie diet to not feel hungry. It will usually rebound. I would be more concerned about the lack of nutrients in your diet than the low calories. Although you are getting some fiber and protein, there is no healthy fat, and there are a lot of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients in a variety of healthy foods you are missing out on. Not to mention that it will be difficult to exercise on such low calories, and might slow down your thyroid if done for a long time, as well as predispose you to lower bone density.

Thank you for the replies. :)

I actually didn't count my calories prior to. Before the low gi diet, I was eating eggs & potato in the morning and meat & carrots for dinner and fruits. Being insulin resistant, I thought it would be good to give up potato and fruits (due to fructose) and now I am eating like this. I ate carrots because eating meat alone wouldn't fill me up. Now that I am eating beans, there is no room for carrots.

Also, the reason I am so restrictive is that I eat all natural foods which I had never done before so my cooking skills are very limited. I also shop only for myself so I only buy one kind of a food at a time because I wouldn't be able to finish before the food spoils and it also doesn't help that I shop at BJs.

I know that I need to eat more but I am so full. I think it has to do with the black beans as I never ate them prior to switching to the low gi diet. I read that black beans are really beneficial to pcos and it should be eaten daily. With that being said, I find it so hard to eat them and eat something else. I am taking supplements to help me somewhat with the deficiencies.

So, should I force myself to eat or should I wait for the rebound? Would my appetite come back once I get used to this diet? I have done diets in the past which never worked and am trying to adopt a permanent life style which I started 7 weeks ago so thank you for helping me tweak it. :)

If you're trying to eat black beans everyday, try making them into a hummus. It's tasty, and there are lots of good recipes online.

It's also normal not to lose more than 1/2lb or 1lb per week at your weight- you are quite small.

I also want to reiterate the danger of the appetite rebound- for most people (like me) it happens within a few weeks after starting a low calorie diet and losing your appetite. Is your doctor the one that recommended so few calories? If not, I suggest talking to them.

That's a good idea. I think I will grind up the beans and make it into a drink.

Well, my appetite came back along with cravings for pizza. :( So, I guess the rebound was quite a fast one. I also am on a plateau on the weight loss unfortunately but as long as I am eating healthy, I will try to be patient with the weight.

Thanks for the help!