Community » Get Advice » Diet and Nutrition » Not eating enough!

Post: Post a New Reply  |  Start a New Topic in this Category
Not eating enough! : Community Message Boards
 AuthorTitle / Message Body
ready4size4 ready4size4
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 16:02
 Unrated
Not eating enough!
I was talking to my trainer today and told her about my caloric intake and she told me I had to increase my calories by about 500! (I'm 5'6 161lb, and was consuming 1280-1380). She said to at least consume your BMR is calories (mine is 1628). No wonder I was so hungry and having headaches like crazy! Just thought that I would put this out there for people who aren't finding the results that they want. She said I was literally running on no calories (especially after my workouts) and my body was starving itself, and storing fat. It's hard to get my mind around eating that much a day, but hopefully I will start seeing some good results soon!

Samana0682 Samana0682
NC
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 16:02
 Unrated
Totally agree
Alot of people forget to factor in their activity levels when trying to get their calorie recomendations for weight loss!

TheFabMsB TheFabMsB
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 20:02
 Unrated
This may have solved my problem too!!!
I have been watching the scale go up this week after hitting the 13lb mark last week...I have kicked up my activity levels and have now gone up 2.5 lbs! keep my calories between 1400-1500/day though my bmr burns just over 2000. it crossed my mind this morning (when i was up another .3lbs) that maybe my body was thinking it was starving...Thanks for your post!

lelogosdemoi lelogosdemoi
Charlotte NC
Tue, Feb 23, 2010 22:02
 Unrated
starvation myth
The body does not go into starvation mode until you hit serious levels of deprivation - like not eating at all for several days, or eating below 1000 calories for weeks or months on end. We are talking 3rd world country conditions here. If you're interested in reading research about this - google Eat Stop Eat (a well research program of intermittent fasting for weight loss and improved general health).

Having headaches could definitely be an indication that you're not getting enough calories. I'd worry less about the hungry feeling unless it has been going on for a couple of weeks past when you changed your diet - hunger is a conditioned response and it can show up just b/c you aren't getting as much fat, or carbs, or sugar, or salt, or whatever that you were used to. If you give your body a week or two to adjust to a new diet and you're still feeling hungry, then yep, time to listen and eat more.

@TheFabMSB - it's very normal, especially for women, to gain weight when you increase your activity levels - muscles that become inflamed attract and retain water, it's a naturally part of rebuilding process. If you maintain your activity level your body will level out after 2-3 maybe 4 weeks. You wouldn't be gaining weight b/c you're not eating enough--if you were working out hard and not eating enough you wouldn't see muscle increase, and you'd feel run down, be sore for days and days, and probably have trouble sleeping.

Everyone's BMR is different - formulas can be helpful, but there is an enormous amount of variation from person to person. How your clothes fit and how you feel (energy level, general health, sleeping well) is always the best way to tell if you're eating too much or too little.

zee2006 zee2006
Wed, Feb 24, 2010 13:02
 Unrated
WOW
I learned a lot from this thread, I knew about take in the correct amount of calories for wieght loss, but had no idea about the muscles becoming inflamed thats was new for me.

bajanjeni bajanjeni
Sat, May 22, 2010 21:05
 Unrated
I am definately eating too little then!
I really don't have a large appetite, and am always satisfied through out the day, but I only eat between 600 and 850 calories on a normal day. I know this is not enough, but I don't feel hungry enough to eat more, I also work out at least 3 times a week, do I have to increase my calories if i"m not hungry?

Oh I weigh 127 and am 5ft 5inc.

Advice plz

lelogosdemoi lelogosdemoi
Charlotte NC
Tue, May 25, 2010 12:05
 Unrated
You don't HAVE to change anything
There's no 'have to' - each person is different and no one knows you as well as you know yourself, so only you can ultimately make the best choices for your body. That said... I think it's extremely unlikely that you are getting optimal levels of essential vitamins, nutrients and minerals on 600-850 calories a day, so you may want to consider either taking supplements to make sure you're covered, or eating more just in the form of fruits and vegetables and nuts to make sure you're getting all you need. Note that it's always better to get nutrients in their raw form than from vitamins - the body metabolizes (processes) nutrients much much much more efficiently and effectly from food than from vitamin/supplement pills.

Before you make any changes, the questions you should ask yourself are:
1) What are your fitness/health goals? If your goal is to maintain the way you look and feel now, you may not need to make any changes at all to your diet.
2) Are you happy with your energy level?
3) Are you happy with your quality of sleep - i.e. are you able to go to sleep easily and sleep deeply all night and wake feeling refreshed and energized?
4) Are you happy with your health - are you having any specific health problems or do you have any specific health risks, do you get sick often?
5) Are you happy with your weight (at 5'5 and 127lbs I think your weight is right smack in the lower range of optimal)?
6) Are you happy with the way your body looks?
7) Is your endurance/strength good - are you able to climb stairs w/o getting out of breath, open tight lids on jars yourself, lift heavy things around the house w/o throwing your back out etc)
8) Are you able to focus mentally on tasks at work or at home?

All of those are factors you can influence with diet, if any of those questions indicate factors you want to change, then you probably should think about changes to your diet (and perhaps exercise changes as well). But, if you are happy with your overall health, then if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

gctburger04 gctburger04
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 13:07
 Unrated
is this true?
I just started this program this week, and I can see that I am not eating enough calories ( i should be eating 1,200-1,300, but normally I eat around 900). I really want to lose this weight, but I'm skeptical about eating more calories- to lose weight! Has anyone tried this method and have had it work out? I just don't want this plan to backfire on me, and start to add on the lbs.

Please respond!

lesnlane lesnlane
Mon, Aug 23, 2010 16:08
 Unrated
The research says "yes"
Curves (the women's work-out place) has a research-based weight-loss plan that includes a metabolism reset "Phase 3". It requires alternating between a normal stretch (a well balanced 2000-2400 calories/day) and a correction (a well balanced 1200 calories/day) whenever 5 pounds have been gained. Coupled with the Curves circuit & daily walking, this gets the body to stop hoarding fat and start building muscle. They say the most difficult part of the diet for the participants is overcoming the ingrained fear of eating "so much food."

BalncePersevres BalncePersevres
Ottawa ON
Fri, Sep 3, 2010 11:09
 Unrated
Eating too little
@gct and baja - google calorie restriction - there is evidence supporting the ability of the body to maintain itself on seriously restricted calorie intakes, by slowing the metabolism way down.

@gct - I'm a 6'1" tall male, currently at my goal weight of 185 lbs. I was on a 1500 cal/day diet from Dec. 2009 to Mar. 2010, and lost about 25-30 lbs over that time. However, I stalled in March, and had no idea what was going on, as I hadn't changed anything. When I joined FitClick and did some research on ideal calorie intakes, I increased my calories to 1950 average/day, used the zig zag approach, and started exercising. All of that got me off the plateau, and my rate of weight loss significantly increased, going from an average of 1.5 lbs/week before the plateau to 2 lbs/week after. It really does work.

@sam - I totally agree. After reaching my goal weight, I started P90X in addition to my walking/running. Taking BMR, and exercise burn into account, and looking to maintain, I now "need" about 3000+ calories/day. I'm working my way up to that, currently at 2750, and still losing weight. If you track all your intake and exercise on FitClick, your diet dashboard will give you a good idea of where you're at, if the BMR is accurate (remember that FitClick is using the semi-sedentary level for BMR - if your daily activities other than exercise are more vigorous than a desk job, your BMR is likely to be higher).

@lelogos - excellent points!

Topic Rating: 
  • Delicious

Follow Us

Explore FitClick
Browse this section for quick links to our calorie counter and other popular diet and fitness features. From diet plans to weight loss programs, FitClick has the content you need to lead a healthy life. Find workout routines, a calorie calculator and more at your source for diet and fitness information.
We have updated our Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018. We have done this in preparation for the EU's new data privacy law, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Please take the time to review our updated documentation by clicking on the Privacy Policy link at the bottom of this page. By continuing to use this service on or after May 25, 2018, you agree to our updated Privacy Policy.