I just don't understand why I should be making myself eat more!

I'm almost 20 and usually eat around 1200-1300 calories a day. I am not hungry and when trying to lose weight I just don't understand why I should be making myself eat 1500 calories. I am 180lbs. so I just can't figure out why eating MORE would make me lose weight. Can anyone explain?

You're eating the absolute bare minimum for an adult woman- 1200 calories. You just exited your teen years and you may still be growing, especially internally. This means you've been eating below what is required for a growing teenager- 1500 calories for a girl. I know you don't want to be called a child, but you don't stop growing until around your age. Your metabolism may be depressed from eating less than it needs to run your body and maintain your growth. Because you're slightly restricting your intake, your body may be storing calories and fat in order to sustain itself. Therefore, eating a few hundred calories more will give it a boost. Anticipate an initial weight gain, but it won't be very much and afterwards it will be easier to lose because you'll be eating enough to sustain your body. =]

Ok, thank you for clearing that up!

Another question, on that note, because I'm having a similar issue. Why is it that I keep eating small meals multiple times all day long and I'm still not nearly reaching my calorie goal? Am I doing it wrong?

Your welcome, mandypants =]

xxheysarah- Your issue may not be the amount your eating, but what you're eating. If you're eating a grouping of low cal or "diet" foods several times a day as meals, then that's why you're not reaching your calorie goals, which are really really important to meet, even when losing weight as opposed to gaining. My suggestion is to either up the amount of meals you eat (which might make you feel too full), or check out the thread in the Weight Gain forum about higher calorie foods. If you eat things like peanut butter, you get more calories per tablespoon but it's not necessarily unhealthy if you eat it in moderation. Try replacing a few low cal foods with some more calorie dense once for a few days and see how you do =] But I advise to plan out what you eat ahead of time so you don't end up eating too much. Good luck! PM if needed =]

Thank you for the tip, good advice!

I am not hungry and when trying to lose weight I just don't understand why I should be making myself eat 1500 calories.

Everyone in here is absolutely correct about this mandypants :) Also, I have to point out that it is never safe to eat under the minimum. If you need 1500 and you are only getting 1200, your body will adjust accordingly. You will start to feel very full when you eat "normal sized" meals and your metabolism will try to slow to match up with your new eating pattern.

Eventually, eating below your minimum will cause you to plateau, this is very common for people who arent getting quite enough calories. Do you really want to have to sink from 1200 to even lower to break a plateau? Its not safe, and there are many many other reasons you shouldnt eat below your minimum requirement, believe me I've been there (to the extreme).

Read my journal, mandypants, if you get the chance, it will explain what happened to me when I too just ate a little bit under my limit, things progress!

Wishing you the best of luck and health!