Eating too few calories? That's different!

I've been on the program now for 2 months and lately am having a much different problem than when I started. I've found myself not eating enough. I'm really active in the gym and have been falling about 300-400 calories short of my limit 7 out of the last 8 days. For me that is really weird! I wouldn't mind it but I think it has lessened my weight loss. Is this possible and if so, how is this possible?

yeah we eat less calories to lose weight but too little calories causes the body to go into starvation mode and try to hold onto as much fat stores it has.

So like some has suggested try to fill that 300 - 400 calorie void by eating some nuts, a peanut butter sandwich or some other healthy but high calorie snack before bed. You can even eat a bag of popcorn. The 94% fat free ones are like 300 calories a bag.

Ok, I guess it makes sense. I'll give it a try. Hopefully it gets me back losing like I was. Thanks for the advice.

I've been having the same problem. I think that at some point, people become a bit over conscious with what we eat, so we shoot too low.

There was another thread I was following that discussed how we should all be able to up our calories to lose weight. Normal people maintain at 2000, therefore, we should all be able to lose at the 1600-1800 range.

Many of the people on there broke plataues and others lost the same amount of weight, but on more food.

Good luck!

Eating too little is just as bad as eating too much. You need to properly nourish your body. Clean/balanced eating to be successful in weight loss. How many calories are you eating a day. Have you used the BMI calculator to calculate your needs? What types of foods are you eating and what is your activity level?

Here is what I have found to be the most successful.

Count your calories but don't be obsessive. Don't drop down too low. I would starve on anything under 1500 a day and that is low for me. I am very active.

Eat clean/balanced. Stay away from junk food, fried food, fat and sugar free food, diet food, most simple carbs, processed foods.

Eat complex carbs, whole grains, low-fat dairy, lean proteins, whole fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and meats. Drink a lot of water and don't waste our calories on drinks.

Lift hard and heavy 3 days a week. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn and the faster your metabolism is.

Cardio, HIIT 2 days a week and another type of heart pumping cardio 4 days a week.

Strengthening work 5-6 days a week. Pushups, situps, squats, lunges, planks, chinups, ab and leg work, stretching and so on.

Move your body. In general, park in the spot furthest away from the door when shopping, take the long way to the restroom or other areas in the work place, walk when you have a break, take the stairs and just be active in general.

Get enough rest. Take a day off a week from working out. Don't lift weights 2 days in a row, allow for a recovery day.

Don't fall for "diets" weight loss pills and other quick fixes. None of them work in the long run. Diets fail and people gain all or more of the weight back.

Just wanted to let you know that you're not the only one! After I recovered from anorexia, I began eating way too much and it was just a binge-and-restrict cycle. After I stabilized my eating, I found that it was more difficult than I thought to eat enough! Instead of worrying about going over calories each now, I now worry that I'm not eating enough to sustain my lifestyle!  So I can totally commiserate. As other posters have mentioned, eating calorie-dense foods can help you to fit in those extra hundred calories relatively easily. Good luck! =]

I have a big problem with that.  Earlier this year I started the South Beach diet, which I'd used before and had great results on, but blew when I went on vacation, and of course, just let go.  (No more on again off again dieting - I'm done with that BS!)  If you're not familiar with it, phase 1 involves going cold turkey on most carbs except vegetables for two weeks - mostly just to break carb addiction and get rid of sugar cravings.  After the two weeks, you add back fruits and whole grains, but avoid processed carbs as much as possible.  Healthy fats, like nuts and olive oil, help keep you feeling full.

During the second week, without realizing it (I wasn't counting), I was eating about 800 to 1200 calories a day.  And working out for an hour twice a day.  At about week 3, when I was supposed to add back in a carb or two, I still wasn't very hungry.  About halfway through that week I was pretty much at 0 energy, exhausted, and having headaches.  I actually started thinking about what I'd been doing and trying to figure out what was wrong.  I added up the calories I'd ate the last couple of days, and then went out and had a cheeseburger.  I decided to stop dieting for a while, until I was feeling better.

That's why I'm here.  I NEED to count calories to make sure I'm getting enough.  I'm still using the South Beach, because it's worked for me, but modified, and I'm counting calories to make sure I have enough.  I'm still having trouble, but I'm doing much better.

The only thing I can suggest is to swap in a few more calorie dense foods - nuts, whole wheat bread - and see if that helps.  Also try drinking a few calories in a glass of low fat milk or juice - I know I don't tend to notice liquid calories as much.

Thank you to everyone who has jumped to help. This website is great. It's nice knowing that you have friends out there who will try to help and advise. I'm going to do what you all said and mix in some calorie dense foods, I'm thinking peanut butter, and get my totals up. I'll let you know how it works. If anyone else has input, by all means keep it coming. THANKS AGAIN.

You're welcome.