Not Eating ENOUGH Calories?

I just started counting calories about 5 days ago, and I think I've been doing really well! I'm eating all very healthy foods. Fresh fruits, beans and lentils, rice, etc. The only problem is, I'm worried I'm not eating enough calories. I eat when I'm hungry, and in fact, I haven't really felt hungry since I started. I'm eating a lot of foods that are low in calories but that fill me up a lot, especially lentils. These are healthy foods, and I do not feel deprived; however I've been struggling to make it past 1200 calories for the day, much less my daily goal of 1500! I have made sure to eat over 1200 each day (barely!) by eating a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of milk before bed (organic sugar-free peanut butter, wheat bread, 2% milk) which has a significant caloric (as well as fat) count. But I feel like they are good calories and fats. I don't really feel hungry enough to eat that though, and feel stuffed afterward. I work out most every day, and my burn meter usually makes it up to between 2000-2200 calories. I'm worried that my body is somehow starving even though I feel full! Is this possible? Or am I just worrying too much? Should I just be happy that I'm managing to consume so few calories and still feel completely full? Should I change anything? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

You don't mention meat, are you a vegetarian?  If not, are you eating meats?  One thing I noticed when I switched over to lean foods is that I had a harder time making my calorie goals and protein percentages.  Before I nailed it because I ate such huge quantities of fatty meats, cheesy egg dishes.  Beans, veggies are all low cal. 

Try to add small amounts of cheese (1 oz) to your sandwiches and dishes.  Almonds, pistachios and peanuts (1oz) are also packed with calories and good fats.  Greek yoghurt is calorie and protein dense too.  I use plain greek yoghurt as a substitute for sour cream and mayonaise. 

I would try to eat the peanut butter sandwich in the morning, to encourage healthy eating. 

Those are some good ideas, thank you!  No, I'm not actually a vegetarian, but at the moment my husband and I  are kind of hurting for money, so I'm trying to eat pretty cheaply.  Meat seems like it's generally expensive.  Beans and rice= very cheap!  I like the idea of adding nuts to things though.  I think they're usually a bit more expensive than I'd like, but doable.  And I do have a problem with getting enough protein eating so little meat.  I bought some tofu yesterday, because it was on sale.  It seemed fairly high in protein so maybe that will help.  Any cheap, healthy, meat ideas would be appreciated.

Hi,
What about ground turkey or some lean deli ham or turkey if your store deli is expensive try the kind that comes in the little containers like healthy choice and divided it up into small portions. It's also great to break it up and put it onto a salad or some lettuce or mix it with some egg whites and make a mini egg white scramble.  Also check the Sunday paper and online for grocery coupons and look for those items to go on sale.  You can get some great healthy foods without breaking the bank.
Good Luck and have a healthy and happy new year.
Josepi

Plan you day out in advance so that you can see if it's coming up short.  Just adding an extra ounce of dry rice to the cooking pot = 100 cals.  A couple of extra teaspoons of olive oil = 80 cals.  Half an avocado on a salad or an ounce of nuts as a snack = 150 cals.  It makes it easier to get the full 1500 if you do it that way than trying to play catch-up last thing at night.

Steadily undereating over a period of time unfortunately results in a loss of appetite.... and if you're only eating when you feel hungry it turns into a vicious circle.  It also results in a slowed metabolism making it harder to burn fat and easier to store it.  So if you can map out your menu ahead of time you win on a lot of levels.

Beans and lentils are a great source of protein so you're probably getting more than you think.   Cheap, healthy meat dishes ..... Slow-cooked Beef Stew uses very economical cuts and is totally delicious.  And if you're cooking something like Chicken Fried Rice you can make one large chicken breast do two people.  These home-made Turkey and Apple Burgers are also very cheap to make.  Eggs are incredibly economical and rich in protein and iron.... this chunky Spicy Frittata is quick to put together and very filling when served with a salad.

I think you're lucky to be able to feel full without eating too much.  It's hard to find calorie-dense foods which are inexpensive and nutritious, though.  I would increase the peanut butter on my toast if I had a problem like this.  For meat, I'd recommend using chicken or turkey thighs and legs.  These are more calorie dense than the white meat, very cheap on sale, and there are a million ways to cook them. The price of milk has come down a lot recently too, and it's useful for other things besides drinking - sauces, puddings and yogurt-making for instance.

Since you eat so healthy maybe you should just try incorporting other healthy high calorie foods in your diet. Maybe if you eat veggies roast them in a tablespoon of olive oil and there you have 120 healthy cals. You can also make veggie sandwiches with cheese and the bread and cheese will add some extra cals.you mentioned that you were tight on money so I'd like to mention that you should shop the sales. I'm kinda in the same boat and we still eat meat half the week. I work in a grocery store and I buy a pack of whatever meat is on sale. Last week we had boneless chicken breast for $1.49 a lb so I bought a pack which was less than 6 bucks and I roasted it and we had that for 3-4 days. I also buy ground turkey, a pound is under 2 dollars and its very versitile.  We only eat meat once a day though.If you do that you will end up eating more calories.  You should also look into shopping at an international store. I do that for produce b/c its soo much cheaper than bigger chains. You can take the money you save there and splurge on other things.

I remember I had some trouble like that when I first started. Don't worry, if you're not getting enough energy, you'll notice. If I went a few days eating too few calories, I could definitely tell by the way my body and mind felt. It's a pretty unique type of fatigue. Your appetite will go throughy cycles anyway. Next week you might wake up hungry and stay that way no matter what you eat.

Pork in large, bulk quantities is a good start for cheap eating.  I just bought a picnic, bone-in pork shoulder for $1.99/pound.  I'm using it for sandwiches and soups.  I also get tubes of hamburger and freeze portions of it.   Beef Stew meat (chuck) is also a good thing for crock pot dinners, soups, large dishes. 

A lot of people complain about pork but I don't find it to be any less beneficial when you are dieting. 

Peanuts and cashews are cheap nuts.  Yes, the others are expensive but buying in bulk and keeping things in airtight containers help a lot.  An important element in changing your eating habits is to keep things interesting.  You don't want to burn out and give up.