Should I Be Eating More??

Is there anyone out there who's really big who has a hard time eating enough calories per day? I am down to 316 (37 lb!) now... and technically, with the amount of exercise that I do (4-6 hours a week), I should be eating at least 1500 calories a day. I can't do it. By the time I get to 1200 I'm full. I would be happier eating about 1000 cal a day. I don't want to eat just to eat, but I'm afraid I'm actually slowing down my progress. You know... the body holding onto fat because it thinks it's in starvation mode. Help! Is this really scientific or is it all a bunch of hooey? This is all driving me crazy. I worked so hard to get to this point... I just want to keep on losing to the best of my ability. Any advice?? (-medic100)

Link

Thu. Aug 5, 7:14pm

My thoughts are - to get yourself to a place where you have a good relationship with food - eat when you're hungry, eat smart (quality foods), stop eating when you're no longer hungry (not when you're full), and don't eat just to eat so that you meet a daily calorie minimum. You have an abundant source of fuel from which to tap into, you are eating, and you're doing a reasonable amount of exercise - you will see consistent progress in the long term.

Thursday, August 05, 2010, 8:16 PM

How are you already full at 1000 calories? Just curious.

Thursday, August 05, 2010, 8:26 PM

OP

I really have no idea.... I think it's from eating a lot of fiber and complex carbs. I eat almost no refined sugar. (unless it's baked into a multigrain sandwich round, a veggie burger or a tortilla...) No fruit juice, no cakes/cookies/pies... I'm being really careful. On the days I really do vigorous exercise I need extra to keep from being hungry. But I've been tracking my calories and it never comes out above 1200. (Maybe once...) Today I'm at 1000 calories. I could stop now and be fine. I think when I did South Beach it possessed me and won't let go :-D It's bizarre. I ran in the pool for an hour today! I know that I need to eat more. I'm too big to live on 1K cal a day! I just don't know what to eat next. I guess I am a little hungry. Maybe I've just gotten too good at ignoring hunger. Strange. I will listen more closely.

Link

Thursday, August 05, 2010, 9:13 PM

OP here

ugh.. I just wrote a big post and deleted it by accident... here it is again.

I guess that I'm not very hungry because I eat almost all complex carbs, no simple ones... definitely no refined sugar. Any sugar I eat is in whole fruit or is in my veggie burgers/tortillas/sandwich thins. No candy/cookies/cakes/pies/pasta/regular bread/fruit juice/beer/wine... I eat veggies like crazy, and I get plenty of fat, fiber, and protein. I'm taking this weight loss journey very very seriously (but still having plenty of laughs.) I've also been tracking calories religiously via a calorie counter... it's always between 1000 and 1200 for the day. I've lost 37 lb in just over two months. That's an average of almost 4 lb per week. That isn't toooo fast. I should be able to lose 3 lb per week (1% body weight) and still be safe.
What worries me is that I just bumped up my activity level, kept my food intake the same, and I'm losing less than I was when I was sitting on my butt every day... only two pounds this week. Is it a plateau? Is it not eating enough? Am I overanalyzing? This is serious business! I'm not going to be the biggest loser this week. >:- |

Maybe I've gotten too good at ignoring feelings of hunger. Maybe I just need to listen a little more closely to what my body has to say. lol.. Maybe I'm just a whiner.

Thank you for all comments and advice! It's nice not having to go through this alone. :-D

Link

Thursday, August 05, 2010, 9:32 PM

OP here

For crying out loud... I have typed this post two times already and Firefox keeps dumping it. One more time into the breach...

I suppose I don't get too hungry b/c I eat a lot of complex carbs. I avoid all kinds of sugar, refined and otherwise, unless it comes in fruit, a tortilla, a sammich round, or a veggie burger, etc. Or in a vegetable. I don't eat cakes, cookies, pies, ice cream, or fruit juice. I eat tons of veggies, get plenty of fat, fiber and protein. I drink lots of water. By the time I eat 1000 calories, well spaced out, I'm not really hungry. If I exercise that day sometimes I need to eat 1200 to be full. I can't explain it other than maybe I'm getting too good at ignoring hunger... if I feel it, I ignore it unless it's actually making me feel sickly. It's as if I was possessed during the time I did South Beach!

Is this the dreaded plateau? Why now? All I really know is that I'm exercising more than ever, I'm eating a little bit more than I did a month ago, and I'm losing 2 lb a week instead of 4. I know 4 is too many, but... I LIKED IT. Three pounds a week should be safe.... 1% of my body weight.

Maybe I am just a big whiner and should be quiet... no... that's not going to happen even if I am just being a whiner. Maybe I should be quiet and listen to my food. I just want to make sure I'm doing every thing right.

Thank you for comments and advice. It's nice not having to go through this alone :-D

Link

Thursday, August 05, 2010, 9:44 PM

aaargh! some days I HATE firefox. I'm really a lot more intelligent than these REPEATED posts would make you think... lol.. maybe I AM hungry. Well, now you have three different versions of the same story...

Thursday, August 05, 2010, 9:48 PM

I think you're just fine! Sounds like your body is getting what it needs, and I think it is a good skill to be able to put hunger on the back burner. I've read that if you're body is getting enough micro and macro nutrients, you're just not going to be as hungry as if you ate refined garbage - your body isn't looking for anything else!

Keep up the good work! And yes, 4 lbs. a week loss is a lot, but you have it to lose, so enjoy it! Just make sure you keep eating healthy!

Thursday, August 05, 2010, 11:04 PM

OP

Thanks for all the input, encouragement, suggestions... I finally decided to stick with what I'm doing (mostly) but make sure I hit that 1200 cal a day when I'm exercising. I found some calorie and BMR calculators that made sense...

Thanks again for helping me get through my panic!

Link

Friday, August 06, 2010, 10:42 AM

where's the protein and fat? Your body still needs those. And if you're bulking up on just high fibre foods, you're still likely to be missing nutrients.

Upping activity level and not losing weight? You're right, you're probably not eating enough, which will likely result in you becoming unduly fatigued over time.

Personally, I think there's no way a person over 300lbs is eating enough if they're only getting 1200 cals.

Friday, August 06, 2010, 3:31 PM

OP

Thanks for the input. I did bump up my daily calories. I actually feel better. I didn't realize until I started eating more that I'd been getting very tired. I was full of energy up until the point where I did my cardio, then I was wiped out for the day.

So, I'm still sticking with complex carbs and lean proteins and good fats. I just added some extra fruit, some extra protein, and a couple of extra snack-size meals. It wasn't as scary as I thought. :-D

Monday, August 09, 2010, 12:52 PM

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