November 2017 - February 2018
Hey guys. So I've just recently started on a diet to lose weight (first week of February) and I've noticed a recurring pattern that is bringing up some concerns for me.
Most days I am quite a bit under 1200 calories, which is the minimum recommended amount according to most sources. I eat three meals a day and one to two snacks, but usually only average about 1000-1140. (Today is the closest I've gotten in awhile at 1170) And this is regardless of how I try to vary things I eat and how much I try to hit that "magic number". I am just literally unable to consume 1200 calories because I'm too full between 1000-1140 to possibly eat anything else.
This happens AT LEAST 4-5 days out of the week, sometimes even every day. And it concerns me since it's not just a rare occurrence or a once-in-awhile thing, it's most of (or all of) the week.I've heard (and been constantly reminded by my weight loss app) that being under 1200 can have a negative impact on my health. But the problem is, I'm not trying to eat this little, I'm just too full to eat anything else by the time the end of the night comes around and I notice I'm under.
And this isn't even taking into consideration calories lost by exercising. If I log my exercise, I tend to be just a little over 1000 or even under 1000 net calories on most occasions. I either measure or weight practically everything I eat and if anything I tend to overestimate or round up my calories if I'm unsure. So my actual intake would likely be less than what is recorded. And because I carefully weight and measure things, I don't think it's an error in recording calories.
I even tried to add calories to my diet today to get closer to 1200 by eating a peanut butter and banana sandwich to indulge a little, but I still couldn't make it to 1200 calories overall. And often times a serving size of something is too much for me so I have to undercut it.
I'm eating a lot of vegetables, fruits, cereal and hummus. And I've been staying away from snacks like potato chips and foods with a lot of fats. So it's not that my diet mainly consists of junk food or anything of that sort.
The only days I manage to make it over 1200 are usually the days I eat ice cream and that's only because I add a banana and chocolate syrup to it. And I'm not always in the mood for that heavy of a snack so I don't eat it ever day. And even on those days I don't always reach 1200, so it's not even a guarantee that I will make it to that point.
Should I just not exercise at all? Should I force myself to eat the remaining calories if I'm not hungry? I don't want to get into the same rut as before by ignoring my body's signals that I'm full, but I also don't want to experience too many negative impacts on my health either. (the only thing I've noticed is I'm a bit more tired than I was prior to dieting, but not substantially.)
This hasn't prevented me from losing weight at all and I seem to be losing at a decent rate. (I lost about 12 pounds since Feb.) I'm just concerned I'm not eating enough
Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated, since this is really concerning for me.
I am 5'1 1/4 and newly starting a vegetarian diet for ethical reasons if that helps at all.
Most days I am quite a bit under 1200 calories, which is the minimum recommended amount according to most sources. I eat three meals a day and one to two snacks, but usually only average about 1000-1140. (Today is the closest I've gotten in awhile at 1170) And this is regardless of how I try to vary things I eat and how much I try to hit that "magic number". I am just literally unable to consume 1200 calories because I'm too full between 1000-1140 to possibly eat anything else.
This happens AT LEAST 4-5 days out of the week, sometimes even every day. And it concerns me since it's not just a rare occurrence or a once-in-awhile thing, it's most of (or all of) the week.I've heard (and been constantly reminded by my weight loss app) that being under 1200 can have a negative impact on my health. But the problem is, I'm not trying to eat this little, I'm just too full to eat anything else by the time the end of the night comes around and I notice I'm under.
And this isn't even taking into consideration calories lost by exercising. If I log my exercise, I tend to be just a little over 1000 or even under 1000 net calories on most occasions. I either measure or weight practically everything I eat and if anything I tend to overestimate or round up my calories if I'm unsure. So my actual intake would likely be less than what is recorded. And because I carefully weight and measure things, I don't think it's an error in recording calories.
I even tried to add calories to my diet today to get closer to 1200 by eating a peanut butter and banana sandwich to indulge a little, but I still couldn't make it to 1200 calories overall. And often times a serving size of something is too much for me so I have to undercut it.
I'm eating a lot of vegetables, fruits, cereal and hummus. And I've been staying away from snacks like potato chips and foods with a lot of fats. So it's not that my diet mainly consists of junk food or anything of that sort.
The only days I manage to make it over 1200 are usually the days I eat ice cream and that's only because I add a banana and chocolate syrup to it. And I'm not always in the mood for that heavy of a snack so I don't eat it ever day. And even on those days I don't always reach 1200, so it's not even a guarantee that I will make it to that point.
Should I just not exercise at all? Should I force myself to eat the remaining calories if I'm not hungry? I don't want to get into the same rut as before by ignoring my body's signals that I'm full, but I also don't want to experience too many negative impacts on my health either. (the only thing I've noticed is I'm a bit more tired than I was prior to dieting, but not substantially.)
This hasn't prevented me from losing weight at all and I seem to be losing at a decent rate. (I lost about 12 pounds since Feb.) I'm just concerned I'm not eating enough
Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated, since this is really concerning for me.
I am 5'1 1/4 and newly starting a vegetarian diet for ethical reasons if that helps at all.
