More food?!

I know this is completely stupid, and certainly not what I would want to hear if I were struggling, but I really need some advice.

The last two days, I have been hovering around 700-750 cals AFTER DINNER! Yesterday, I ate 8 sticks of celery (4 with roquefort and 4 with Light Hummous) to bump the cals up to about 1,100. I would rather not do this since I think it's probably better to eat a more balanced day's worth of food...or is it?

I have 7 blackberries, 5 strawberries, half a banana and a Yakult Light (bio-bacterial yoghurt-y drink) for breakfast, which is usually around 120 cals or so. Lunch is soup (also around 120 cals) and then dinner varies, but is usually a bunch of vegetables, some meat and some salad. Tonight I had a ready-meal from Sainsbury's that was 499 cals, so I'm sitting at 700 calories. I'm not really hungry; it's 9:15 and I'll be in bed by 11.

Suggestions, please?

remeber that if you do not eat enough, you body will shut down your metabolism and make it even harder to loose the weight.  i struggle sometimes too with not eatting enough the other day was only 816 calories but the next day was 1700.  I think the most important thing is this should be a lifestyle change and be perminent- do you really think you can eat like that forever? 

 Be realistic... I made home made pizza with whole wheat crust portabella mushrooms, onions, carrots..... and instead of eatting the 4 or 5 pieces i wanted, I only had two and it was a nice calorie bump but not that much, it was about 280 calories... then had a nice sized salad to go with it.   That made my meal with dessert ( fruit) about 400 cal.  which is more realistic to everyday forever.  I also got to eat pizza one of my favorite foods but I ate it more resposibly....

Also looking at yoru breakfast.... do you get hungry before lunch?  What about a nice nutritious snack?  Handfull of nuts etc. It seems to me your meals are so light you should be snacing inbetween.

R

Make sense?

Thanks for the advice. Yes, I definitely know I can't let myself eat too little; I don't want to mess up my metabolism! You're also right about a lifestyle change, and I do understand that. Before I started trying to lose weight, I never ate breakfast, occasionally skipped lunch and always ate a huge dinner that consisted of (usually) a very unhealthy take-away. At the moment, I definitely think what I'm doing is better! :) I do take your point about eating like this forever...

I never get hungry before lunch, though when I first started eating breakfast, I occasionally did. Now, rarely, if ever. The nuts are a good idea, though, and I will try to find something to snack on!

Your pizza sounds yummy. Pizza is definitely my favourite food! I'm going to have to try to make my own, just like you did!

Thanks! :)

If you're not all that hungry at breakfast have the fruit and yoghurt but then follow up mid-morning with a snack...  Wholegrain crispbreads with cottage cheese, a sliced boiled egg or hummus, for example.  At lunchtime, instead of soup, how about a pitta bread filled with chicken, tuna or beef and some salad with a little mayonnaise?  Another piece of fruit to follow.  Some nuts and raisins as a mid-afternoon snack. They by supper-time you'll have got closer to your calorie intake target and you'll have had a much better balance

Persistent undereating is a problem for dieters.   Not only is it very unhealthy to undereat (there are malnutrition issues) but crash-dieting tends to be counter-productive for weight-loss.  Crash-dieters lose weight fast but regain it even faster.  People that eat sensibly and lose weight slowly find it it much, much easier to maintain their new weight. 

Make the right choice....

Thank you so much for your very sound advice. You are right on all counts! I really like the sound of the snacks you have suggested; I love all of those foods. I will definitely be shopping for that stuff this weekend! Thanks! :)