My calorie intake is too low but I'm not hungry

I have been using CC since June 1st. I am pleased with my results so far...down 4.5 lbs using CC and exercise. I usually hit my goal of 1200 calories each day. Sometimes, I eat a bit more and log 1300 cals.

Yesterday, I barely ate 1000 calories. I had to force myself to eat a few more things last night to get to 1000 calories. Today, I am feeling the same way. I can't finish my sandwich without feeling like I am so stuffed.

I think I know why. I am trying to increase my fiber intake. I switched to a bread with double the fiber. I bet it is making me feel fuller than normal.

Has anyone experienced this and what did you do? Did you continue eat anyway or stop when you felt full? I keep hearing about not eating enough and starvation mode. I don't want slow my progress by not eating enough.

Advice is appreciated!

uuum...eat anyway and make choices that won't contribute to this feeling. so eat more nuts, granola, olive oil, apples, bananas, and olives. as opposed to cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, and berries. those things that are lowest in calories and highest in bulk will prevent you from meeting your calorie goals so prevent that before it even starts.

try adding 1 oz slivered almonds to your oatmeal or yogurt. add 1 tbsp olive oil to your salad instead of fat free dressing. 

have an ounce of cheese and ww crackers as a snack instead of popcorn or something less dense. 1200 calories is even a VERY small amount. what are your stats and why such low calorie goals? 

have a peanut butter and jelly on 1 piece of bread instead of 2 using 2 tbsp peanut butter and 1 tbsp jam, that will still be about 350 calories if you don't use LIGHT bread. and add in a cup of skim milk for 80 calories and you have a nice snack, 1/2 a sandwich and milk for about 430 calories and not SUPER filling either. if you want to meet your calorie goals you have to commit to it and not fight the suggestions given to you. hope this helps :)

Thank you for taking the time to write. I do want some helpful suggestions. I haven't had trouble with feeling full until I started to consciously increase my fiber intake. I'm doing this to be healthy and lose the weight. So, I appreciate the food suggestions. Like you mentioned, I simply don't know what foods contribute to this feeling and the ones that I should eat instead.

I guess I don't normally eat the nuts and nut butters because I think they contain too much fat. I also try to limit the cheeses for the same reason. I sometimes have one slice mozzarella or provolone on my sandwich at lunch and I add a tsp of freshly grated parmesan to my egg white omelet in the morning.

I think I will try your suggestion to add more cheese, pb, olives, almonds and apples. I just hope that I will be able to be sensible when it comes to the almonds and cheese as those are hard for me to eat in small quantities :)

Stats:

5'4" 167 lbs.

1st goal is 20lbs

4.5 lost so far

Original Post by hfarrier:

Thank you for taking the time to write. I do want some helpful suggestions. I haven't had trouble with feeling full until I started to consciously increase my fiber intake. I'm doing this to be healthy and lose the weight. So, I appreciate the food suggestions. Like you mentioned, I simply don't know what foods contribute to this feeling and the ones that I should eat instead.

I guess I don't normally eat the nuts and nut butters because I think they contain too much fat. I also try to limit the cheeses for the same reason. I sometimes have one slice mozzarella or provolone on my sandwich at lunch and I add a tsp of freshly grated parmesan to my egg white omelet in the morning.

I think I will try your suggestion to add more cheese, pb, olives, almonds and apples. I just hope that I will be able to be sensible when it comes to the almonds and cheese as those are hard for me to eat in small quantities :)

Stats:

5'4" 167 lbs.

1st goal is 20lbs

4.5 lost so far

sorry hun but dietary fat doesn't make you fat :) go ahead, eat your cheese and especially peanut butter. healthy fats increase satiety, and nutrient absorption. don't be afraid of these foods!! :)

I guess I get worried when I log peanut butter and CC gives it a D+ rating. I know that in moderation, it's good for me but I don't like getting D's ;). I did have that half a sandwich you suggested with some baby carrots. It was a good snack.

Do you know where I can find guidelines for the percentages of carbs, proteins and fats that I am supposed to be getting? I want to make sure that my diet is balanced correctly. For example, carbs are my biggest proportion (around 50%) followed by protein (around 30%) and then fat ( around 20%).

Thanks again!

Original Post by hfarrier:

I guess I get worried when I log peanut butter and CC gives it a D+ rating. I know that in moderation, it's good for me but I don't like getting D's ;). I did have that half a sandwich you suggested with some baby carrots. It was a good snack.

Do you know where I can find guidelines for the percentages of carbs, proteins and fats that I am supposed to be getting? I want to make sure that my diet is balanced correctly. For example, carbs are my biggest proportion (around 50%) followed by protein (around 30%) and then fat ( around 20%).

Thanks again!

there are many schools of thought on this some promote 60/20/20 and others give ranges like:

carbs: 50-60%

fats: 20-30%

protein: 10-20%

almost always, fat has a greater percentage than protein which makes sense because gram for gram there's more cals in fat so even if you ate equal numbers of grams from fat and protein, fat would have a greater %

Original Post by hfarrier:

I guess I get worried when I log peanut butter and CC gives it a D+ rating. I know that in moderation, it's good for me but I don't like getting D's ;). I did have that half a sandwich you suggested with some baby carrots. It was a good snack.

Do you know where I can find guidelines for the percentages of carbs, proteins and fats that I am supposed to be getting? I want to make sure that my diet is balanced correctly. For example, carbs are my biggest proportion (around 50%) followed by protein (around 30%) and then fat ( around 20%).

Thanks again!

 This, too, shall pass.  Your body may not be hungry right now and later it might crave more than 1200 cals.  That's the glory of these magnificent, miraculous machines which house our spirits; so unpredictable, yet to a degree, quite predictable. 

I agree with you about not adding nuts and nut butters because of the fat.  You sure don't want your body developing a craving for more than a Tbsp.  May I suggest that if you are eating three meals a day you switch to four?  For instance, break up the food you would eat for lunch so that you can have some of it for a snack.  A few bites of cheese and fruit can be a nice energy boost around 3pm. 

I know what you're experiencing.  That happened to me when I was eating 1200 cals and even when I was eating approx. 900 cals (in my ignorant youth).  I now am on 2200 cals and am having quite a time trying to eat that many calories of healthy food.  Now, turn me loose in the Cheesecake Factory and I can pack on 9000 cals. in a nano!

What better demonstration can we have that it's been our choices, and not our greed, that has made us heavier than we want to be? 

Hope I've given you an option worth considering, and whatever you wind up doing, good luck!

Oh, the grading system keeps me aware of what I'm eating, too.  I started to say you could split your dinner, too, and have a little something to eat a couple hours before bedtime but I didn't know if you were one of those cosmopolitan types who eats dinner at 9 or 10 at night and I've been told not to eat too close to bedtime.  However; if one eats at 9 or 10 I suppose they don't go to sleep until at least a few hours later.  When I was eating WW or 1200 cals it was dinner that I found myself not being able to finish so saving the leftovers to have later when hunger pangs strike as one would a doggie bag makes sense.  Maybe buy some lunch bags from the grocery store and draw some puppies on them and package your leftovers in plastic containers and put them in the bags in the fridge which is everyone's signal that this is your food for later.  And, hey, if you don't like leftovers then just throw away what you can't eat.  Let the bleeding hearts deal with the starving children and hungry homeless!     

Get your cals up. Eating 1200 may even be too little for you to maintain a solid weight loss. I found 1500 worked better for me, and I rapidly lost my weight in 2007 (also eating 1500 was easier than 1200 for me). Up your cals by eating a handful of almonds or drink a glass of milk at the end of the day.

I feel the same way. When i do my food log on here i'm only at 450 calories right now and I don't plan on having a big dinner but I don't believe in eating beyond being hungry and I'm not going to force myself to eat. The goal of this website is to loose weight and I fee like if i eat when I'm not hungry just to get to the calories I want then i'm defeating the purpose.