On diet - but not being able to eat enough

[Jean des Esseintes]

I'm a bit confused. biggrin I understand if I want scientific opinions I should go to a nutritionist but I want to hear your opinions and experiences here.

I've been eating a lot recently, mostly bread and cheese, pasta and pesto and sweets. These things I could eat all day long. Gained weight of course.

I'm on a diet now. No bread, less salt, no sweets [ well, a 100 calories candy bar and coffee included in plan a day], much less pasta, no fat cheeses.

Other than that, I'm eating as before. I buy and cook fresh vegetables every day, other than greek yogurt and aforementioned sweets I don't eat anything processed. I eat when I feel hungry about 4-5 times a day so I'm not starving. I lost about 3 kilos the first week.

So far so good.

So... the question. Based on my height/ weight/ activity, I should eat about 1200 - 1400 calories a day. I'm unable to meet that. That is just too much aubergine and tomatoes and zucchini and other food... I never ate much in quantities, my many calories were packed in small and potent chocolate packages.

Should I force myself to eat to meet the recommended calories? Continue like now? Did you encounter this problem?

[F u j i b e r r y]

Depending on your height and gender, 1,200 cals is usually the recommended amount of a kid around 8-10, so I would definitely consider upping your intake.

Make sure you're taking in enough protein. It sounds like you might just be eating veggies, and depending on what you're eating, you're likely not taking in enough protein either. Tuna, chicken, turkey bacon, cottage cheese, yogurt, ground turkey, nuts/legumes, etc.---there's plenty of options.
I have rice with veggies and meat almost everyday, and that's easily around 400-700 cals for one meal. Greek Yogurt is around 200+ cals per half cup or so. Eggs are around 80 cals. Mangoes and bananas are around 100 each.

[Miragen]

A women should take 2,000 calories, when you're on a diet you should be taking 1,500 ish.
However I've always found this insanely generalising, I should take 2,500 because i'm male, but i'm not a big guy by any means, so to say that I should have the same calorie intake as those guys who are build like a house seems a bit off.

In the end I think you should do what you feel is right, no one else can tell how you feel.
If you feel full, and felt like you eat enough, I don't think you should force yourself to eat more.
Just don't be like those anorexic people and convince yourself you've had enough when you obviously did not.

[kurokawa-sumire]

free disc space

I'm a bit confused. biggrin I understand if I want scientific opinions I should go to a nutritionist but I want to hear your opinions and experiences here.

I've been eating a lot recently, mostly bread and cheese, pasta and pesto and sweets. These things I could eat all day long. Gained weight of course.

I'm on a diet now. No bread, less salt, no sweets [ well, a 100 calories candy bar and coffee included in plan a day], much less pasta, no fat cheeses.

Other than that, I'm eating as before. I buy and cook fresh vegetables every day, other than greek yogurt and aforementioned sweets I don't eat anything processed. I eat when I feel hungry about 4-5 times a day so I'm not starving. I lost about 3 kilos the first week.

So far so good.

So... the question. Based on my height/ weight/ activity, I should eat about 1200 - 1400 calories a day. I'm unable to meet that. That is just too much aubergine and tomatoes and zucchini and other food... I never ate much in quantities, my many calories were packed in small and potent chocolate packages.

Should I force myself to eat to meet the recommended calories? Continue like now? Did you encounter this problem?

If you're losing weight doing what you're doing, keep doing it. I have been eating healthy for 1 year + and I finally started losing weight once I started exercising. I eat when I want, but healthy food. 30 minutes a day, start at 1 mile & 1/2 and build your way up to 2 miles in 30 minutes. After that increase your time to 45 minutes.

I loved pasta and processed foods. I love how I feel now. I feel more alert and just healthy overall. I can breathe easier. Just eat when you get hungry. You don't have to worry about the calories if you've eliminated your carbs.