I need help with caloie Intake

I am suppose to eat about 1700 calories a day, but I am not getting anywhere need that.  I stay around 1000 calories a day.  i am not starving myself, but I am just not hungry and i am afraid it is keeping me from losing the weight I want to lose.  Any suggestions out there?

Are you also working out?

You know that you are going to face the gauntlet with you only eating 1000 cals a day.

I also think that you have answered your own question, if you do not eat enough cals a day, your body will go into starvation mode even though you don't think you are starving yourself. Your body will then hold onto each and every fat cell it can and store it as energy.

Start eating some more and watch the fat melt away!

Chris

If you are eating way less calories than you naturally burn, you will automatically lose weight through time.

1000 isn't enough. It's true, you're body will go into starvation mode; ultimately causing you to lose muscle and store fat.

To get those extra calories in, try having a bowl of cereal before bed. That's what I do. Peanut butter is also a good way to reach your minimum requirement.

I'm pretty new to this site and counting calories, but that's the advice I've been given.

Original Post by rkdesktop:

If you are eating way less calories than you naturally burn, you will automatically lose weight through time.

 

 That may be true, but it's going to be muscle tissue, not fat, that's lost. That's really bad news because muscle is what burns the calories.  Fat pretty much just sits there.  To truely lose body fat you need to be well nourished, something that can't be done on a very low calorie diet.

In the Advice section, Mary Hartley has some great explanations of how this works.  Read these:

Comparing Starvation to Starvation Mode

More about Starvation Mode

Negative Effects of Starvation

Basic Q&A

I hope this helps you understand why undereating is counter productive to weight loss.  There's more and I'll leave you to explore the Advice section and find them for yourself.

Tell us what you typically eat during an average day and maybe we can tell you how to modify it to get more calories.  We can probably do this without adding very much more actual food, you'll be surprised.

2 tablespoons peanut butter on toast with your breakfast

handful of nuts as a snack

avocado on a salad

and ta da!!!!  500+ calories closer to your 1700 calorie goal!  You just need to pick calorie dense, low bulk foods to get your numbers where you need them.

Thank you for all of your advice.  I will try to get my calorie intake up.  To answer some questions posted, yes i do excerise.  I am a mother of 3 kids....8yr daughhter, 6 yr old daughter, and an 8 month old boy.  I also volunteer up at my daughters school at least once a week, and then clean house everyday, and work out on a WiiFit 1-2 times a week. 

My daily eating:

Breakfast i eat either a bowl of cereal (3/4-1.5 cups cereal and 1-2 cups fat free milk) or eat an apple and banana.

Lunch is usually a lettuce tomato sandwich on white bread or 2 granola

Dinner varies between baked chicken with rice, tacos, or cheese quesidillas.

Snacks include fruit (apple, orange, or banana). popcorn, a cookie or two (low calories), or veggies (celery, carrots, or cucumbers)

my drinks are the generic Crystal Lite (peach tea, lemon tea, cherry limeade, or lemonade) which are 0 calories, a cherry coke zero which is 0 calories, crystal lite (fruit punch) 5 calories, and water.

That fills me up everyday, and sometimes I have to force myself to eat which I think is bad....but I am always opened to suggestions.