Suggestions for meeting calorie intake minimums?

Try as I might, I am struggling with meeting my calorie minimum.  I am not quite 5' tall, 162 lbs (as of this morning), 37 years old and CC calculated my calorie intake at 1200 per day for weightloss because my sedentary lifestyle.  I am a social worker/counselor and am getting my master's degree online (grad. date Friday, Dec. 12 WOO HOO)! But my lifestyle is fairly sedentary because of my profession and schooling. 

I have been having difficulty meeting my minimum calorie requirements for several days (even though it seems as though I am eating ALL the time).  For instance, last night, I had to wolf down an apple and two rice cakes at 11:30 PM because I was under my calories and I still came up 45 cals short (it is ridiculous when I have to stay up late just make sure I am going to make my caloric minimum)!  This has kind of been the case for several days now (between 30 - 70 cals short).  After reading so much about starvation mode and the impact on metabolism, I don't want to screw mine up even more ... how bad is this ... and does anyone have any suggestions? 

I think I have already done a number on my metabolism because before I started CC, I was used to eating one meal a day (nothing healthy mind you) ... sometimes two meals a day but after counting calories ... I realized I was maybe not even getting my 1200 cals in with my one nasty fat meal!  So, I have been plugging away at getting food in my body at a minimum of three times per day (get out of the not having time to eat mode) and I have started taking vitamin supplements for metabolic support (Vitamin B Complex & Cayenne Fruit).  I am hoping this will help ... but how much is my last few days going to hurt what I have already done? 

I am struggling with meeting my calorie intake ... and with eating at least 3 times per day ... and the eating a bunch of times in a day ... is (in my opinion) the downfall of every past dieting experience I have ever had ... getting that many meals into my already tight schedule is HARD!  Any suggestions would be helpful.  I am committed to making it work this time ... I really am ... so any advice would be appreciated! 

Thanks so much in advance!

Gwen

A handful of nuts or some peanutbutter always help up calories. If you are cooking, use a little olive oil instead of whatever 0 cal spray you use.

urgh I feel you.  My calorie goal is 1400 per day and I have a problem getting past 1200 on most day but I feel like I'm CONSTANTLY eating.  I have 3 meals a day and about 3 snacks and still I'm under, (unless I go out to eat - restaurant food is always loaded with hidden calories).

Is it really that bad to be so many calories under?

Yes, Alla, going under is bad. Chronic undereating destroys your metabolism, and your body will hoard every calorie it come into contact with.  Repairing your metabolism is a long, slow process - it can take months to fix. One can spend the first six months on your journey to better health just eating at maintainence to fix a slow to non-functioning metabolism.

Ragin' - how long would you estimate that you were in the habit of undereating? Can you meet with a nutritionist to get meal plan suggestions, particularly a plan designed to repair a slowed metabolism? In the meantime - add olive oil to salads and cooking, eat mixed nuts mid-morning and mid-afternoon as snacks (carefully - they are REALLY calorie packed, measure them out beforehand.) What are you eating for dinner? Try a big piece of pan-seared salmon - use sesame oil to cook - with a salad and 1 cup of brown rice, couscous or quinoa. That should add you up at least another 400-500 calories! Also, adding in exercise is a good way to get your body used to burning calories again. Can you do an at-home workout and/or walk? It's hard with both work and school, I know. But getting up 1/2 hour earlier and walking 1-2 miles will make a difference!

Mel,

I have not met my minimum caloric requirements for the past 5 days.  Before that, I spent years probably not meeting them ... which I understand has contributed to my seriously obese condition.  I do work out on the treadmill at home for a minimum  of 30 minutes six days a week (usually spend about an hour on the treadmill).  I have done a considerable amount of work trying to fix my metabolism (including the eating right for your body type regime -- which worked well for kick starting my metabolism ... but wasn't something I could commit to long term), vitamin supplements, eating earlier in the day (within an hour of waking up), etc ... etc.. etc... but I am a little afraid that the past 5 days is going to set me back ... and screw up all the hard work I have done to fight the metabolism I've worked so hard to repair. 

Thank-you all for the suggestions of what may increase my calorie intake.  I LOVE nuts ... of all kinds but have been avoiding them like the plague because they are so packed with calories.  I will keep some in my truck and next to my desk so that I can add those throughout the day as a calorie booster.  Likewise with the oil.  I have not had oil in a very long time ... and I will go ahead and start cooking with oil again!  YAY!

I get the majority of my calories in the evening when I cook my dinner (daytime is just too hectic to actually have an entire meal.  An example of a typical meal might be:  1 C whole wheat spaghetti noodles, 1/2 cup of marinara sauce with 4 oz of 99% fat free ground turkey, 2 C green salad with 2 tbsp wanton noodles & lite dressing.  But breakfast and lunch are another story.  I usually do not have time for a meal ... during the week, it is all I can do to grab a pre-mixed Slimfast shake and guzzle it down on the way to work or between clients in the afternoon.   But, I did recognize that putting something in my body was better than putting nothing in my body ... nuts are an easy thing to add because they require no prep work ... except to measure.  I can keep a measuring scoop right in the jar and scoop out a portion right from my desk at work ... and some pre-packaged nuts in my truck to grab on the go!  That is an excellent idea!  I just can't cram in 800 cals after I get off work but before I go to bed ... it's not working!

Thanks bunches for your suggestions!

The only way to do it effectively is to plan what you intend to eat in advance.  Work it out using the CC food log and enter everything you're going to eat.  If you can see it's coming up short you can make a decision at that point to have slightly more breakfast, slightly more lunch, an extra snack of nuts in the afternoon.... whatever it is it's easier to spread it out over the whole day rather than be eating food for the sake of it last thing at night.

If your life is too 'hectic' to have a meal then that needs revising because it's making you fat...  If you get slimmer but don't address this basic problem then you'll be fat again really quickly.    It takes sub 3 minutes to eat a sandwich and a banana.   Breakfast.... takes no time to throw some milk on a bowl of cereals.   Again, it comes down to planning ahead and giving food/health/you priority over other things.  Good luck