This might be bad...

When I first joined this site I logged my food every day, but after a while I figured I had the hang of it, and just decided to estimate.

Today was the first day I decided to log again, and I logged every single thing that went into my mouth. Now, I thought this was going to come out to about 1400, which would be good. I'm on maintenance calories...well I'm working myself up to maintenance calories (which going by this site should be around 1800). Well it ends up after ALL I've eaten today I'm only at 1000 calories!

This worries me a bit because I feel like I've eaten more today than usual. So how much have I been eating, 800-1000 calories a day? Does that mean I completely effed myself over!? I'm at my goal weight now, but still focusing on losing inches....I don't want to up my calories and gain a bunch of weight. I also feel fine, I don't feel like I'm undereating at all. 

So, how much did I mess things up for myself?

Bodies are very resiliant and will adapt to the situation presented.  You've been starving yours so your metabolic rate will have slowed down to compensate.   You have to up your calories.... no real getting away from that.  And, because of the crash dieting, you will gain back some weight.... no real getting away from that either.   The quicker you start and the quicker you get up to a more normal 1800 - 2000 calories the quicker your metabolism will kick back into gear.

Once you're maintaining your weight on 1800 -2000 cals you'll know your metabolism is back up to speed.  Then you can assess the damage and, if you need to trim off a few lbs, go back to 1400-1500.... but measure what you eat on a spot-check basis to avoid undereating so badly again.

Another thing to remember you can up your calories but do it with the right foods.  Eating veggies and fruit can add to your calorie count without the fat.  Lean protien that helps you stay full longer like chicken and tuna.  By doing this you are allowing your body to have food it can do something with.

Thanks for the replies.

I'm thinking of just sticking around 1200 cals, at least for now. I'll just have to log everything and make sure I'm getting the 1200 cals.

I definitely don't want to put on a bunch of weight right before summer. Especially when I worked so hard to get to my goal weight. 

You've actually got more chance of being fat for the summer if you carry on at very low calories than if you get your body used to more food.  People with a slow metabolism find it much easier to gain weight than people with a normal metabolism.  Also.... if you're trying to lose 'inches' and you persistently undereat all that happens is that you lose muscle tone ... so you end up with that thin but flabby effect.

I don't consider myself "flabby."

I think I'll stick with what I'm doing because I am seeing results that I like.

Like I said I'm going to up my cals to at least 1200 so I'm not starving myself.  I feel full with 1200 calories, but if I was still hungry I wouldn't be against eating more. I just can't see myself eating 1800 calories, I don't know if it's physically possible for me.

Thanks though.

thin but flabby effect? wtf

Original Post by jblarghp:

 I just can't see myself eating 1800 calories, I don't know if it's physically possible for me.

An reasonably active adult female aged 20 - 50 needs around 1900-2100 cals a day to function healthily....  You are physically no different to anyone else... you have the same digestive system.  You also have the same nutritional needs as anyone else and carrying on at 1200 cals a day almost certainly means you are malnourished.  If psychologically you find the idea of eating normally difficult then you should talk to a doctor.

Original Post by brame:

thin but flabby effect? wtf

 LOL!.... People who persistently undereat and have very little body-fat usually find their muscles suffer because their body is using the tissue to compensate for missing energy.   So they are very thin but their muscle tone is poor... 'flabby'

Original Post by gi-jane:

Original Post by jblarghp:

 I just can't see myself eating 1800 calories, I don't know if it's physically possible for me.

An reasonably active adult female aged 20 - 50 needs around 1900-2100 cals a day to function healthily....  You are physically no different to anyone else... you have the same digestive system.  You also have the same nutritional needs as anyone else and carrying on at 1200 cals a day almost certainly means you are malnourished.  If psychologically you find the idea of eating normally difficult then you should talk to a doctor.

 No, it's not psychological...I'm just not hungry enough to eat that amount. Since I can remember, I never have eaten that much. My mom is my height and she definitely doesn't eat that much either. Maybe on the weekends.

I posted this thread because I was concerned that I was getting under 1200 calories when I thought I was getting about 1400. Now I know to check and make sure I at least hit 1200, but 1900-2100 is just not going to happen. I physically can't eat that much.

Physically you CAN eat 1800 calories

The only thing you CAN’T seam to do is be open to the possibility that YOU ARE WRONG.

Did you know that you can actually eat that much food with out it being bulky?

Low bulk food is high fat, like nuts, oils, etc.

You could easily eat the same MEASUREMENT and AMOUNT of food physically, but you could EASILY add an extra 250 calories twice a day to what you are eating WITHOUT NOTICING a difference.

For instance, and I am not saying you have to eat this, but this is just to demonstrate how you can eat MORE with NO extra bulk:

You can add an extra 250 calories worth of cheese to a grilled cheese sandwich without noticing ANY DIFFERNCE to how big the sandwich is and how full it makes you feel

To a salad, you can add 2 toss’s of oil instead of 1 OR you could add half an avocado without the salad being any more filling.

You are no different to any one else, your body needs a NORMAL amount of calories to function at its best, so if you only eat 1200 calories then it is very likely that your body is missing out on a lot of essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that could be making you function better.

Ultimately you are cheating yourself out of having the best body that you can because you refuse to even try to eat a little more.

Just because you “ are full” on 1200 calories does not mean that your body will not benefit from a LITTLE more.

Feeling very full does not automatically mean that your body is getting enough of what it needs from the food - just an extra hand full of nuts, an extra 2 tbsp of oil, is all you need to bump your calories up to have a normal metabolism.

You are on this website, so are you at least open to trying new things JUST to see if they work for you? If you have any adverse affects by increasing your calories you can just stop! But if you are seeking ways to improve your body then you SHOULD be willing to listen to what the experts say - and the experts all say that eating more than 1200 for a women is essential for your body to get everything it needs to function at its best.

Stop yelling at me!

I just eat when I'm hungry....
if that amounts to 900 or 1600 or 1900, I don't care.
I'm not going to force food down my throat, that seems stupid.

I'm not even going to bother counting calories again.

SORRY ! I was not yelling, sorry I came across that way!

I agree that you should just eat when you are hungry and stop when your are full. Simple.

I just thought that you were telling yourself that you could not eat that much, when in reality you may feel a little extra hungry one day and you MIGHT feel like 1800 calories

I was worried that by “telling” yourself it is not possible for you to eat “ that much” that you would automatically never do it, as you already believe that not being able to eat 1800 is a fact

Logically, you may feel like that much one day but it is great that you don’t count calories, that way if you DID feel like eating 1700 calories one day and 1200 the next you would not know the difference; you would just be doing what you felt like~!

Original Post by gi-jane:

Original Post by jblarghp:

 I just can't see myself eating 1800 calories, I don't know if it's physically possible for me.

An reasonably active adult female aged 20 - 50 needs around 1900-2100 cals a day to function healthily....  You are physically no different to anyone else... you have the same digestive system.  You also have the same nutritional needs as anyone else and carrying on at 1200 cals a day almost certainly means you are malnourished.  If psychologically you find the idea of eating normally difficult then you should talk to a doctor.

 I've seen you post those numbers, I'm just not sure how you came to it. I suppose a very active woman, sure. Women come in different sizes, obviously, and 1900-2100 can really be a lot for some people.

I always stick with what works for me even if others want to say oh no..eat like 700 calories more per day, you'll lose weight! (Yeah, actually..that's how I gained it to begin with, lol)

You don't have to take my word for it but use the CC calculator to check it out ... or one of the many other sites designed to work out energy neds.   1900-2100 is pretty typical.  If you're 5'0" and 100lbs, yes it may be too much but if the average woman is between 5'4" and 5'7", say, and between 125lbs and 160lbs, reasonably active (not 'working out' just moving around etc)  then 1900 to 2100 is a good benchmark.   If someone's 200lbs, however, they're going to need 2200, 2300..... If someone works out every day they might need 2500 quite easily.  The OP didn't mention their size or height but it's not likely that their energy needs are 1200 a day....

Food packaging also works on 2000 cals as the average daily intake for an adult woman.  The traffic light labelling system flags a 400 cal ready-meal as '20% of daily calories'

Just wanted to add that I'm in a very similar position to you (OP). I'm trying to up my calorie count (I was at around 1000 calories, not starving at ALL, mind you) for a little while (few weeks, 6 tops). Now I'm even finding it difficult to exceed 1300... I feel SO FULL after 1200 (I eat really healthy). I'm just trying to up everyday...I know that if I wouldnt count, I would NOT exceed 1000 calories so I kinda have to. So I definately feel your frustration, esspecially when people think it's rediculous that you're full on 1200... Idk why but I am! I'm not saying it's right but yeah. :S

Stomachs shrink when you don't eat much and you get used to the feeling of living off not that much food which makes you think it's normal. For medical reasons I couldn't eat for a couple of days and even after that, I got a lot less hungry, and would feel full off a few mouthfuls of a light salad!!! That doesn't mean that your body doesn't NEED MORE FOOD on the inside! Because it does. Even if you don't feel anything, your body is being damaged by having calories too low, trust me. Like others have said, you can easily add cals without adding any volume ie through salad dressings! Your body will thank you for it in the long run.