Anyone else have problems eating enough calories? Update: Great, I gained 8lbs.

[laohaire]

I've started tracking calories for the first time in my life. Yesterday I ate 951. While I had been on a good workout program for, um, 3 weeks, I got knocked off-kilter and have to get back on the horse. But the upshot is that I'm sedentary again. But I'm also nursing. I have about 20 pounds of fat on my middle, butt and thighs.

My recent caloric high was 1200, which included a protein shake with whole milk, potatos au gratin, full fat cottage cheese, and greens sauteed in plenty of butter. What I'm trying to say is that I made a big effort to consume lots of high-calorie, high-fat, nutrition dense foods. And still only tallied 1200. And I suspect I didn't even eat that many calories because I think the chart that I got the potatos au gratin stats from assumed I slathered tons of chedder cheese or something, when I just shook some grated parmesan on (maybe it's not really au gratin, then, I dunno).

It makes me wonder, how much do people eat?? I don't eat tiny portions either. I don't starve myself. I have a hard time figuring out how to increase calories. Suggestions?

[deditus]

I do have a hard time getting enough calories, but we are gfcf. I eat meat at every meal, usually 4 oz portions. I have high calorie snacks like a smoothie with 1 banana, 1 cup frozen fruit, greens, 1/3 c coconut milk, and water as needed. Apple slices with dip made from 1 T coconut oil, 2 T nut butter, and 1 t raw honey. I fry stuff in pastured lard (homefries, parsnip slices), add beans to salads, stews, and stirfries, smear everything I can with avocado, etc. We can only tolerate a bit of egg, but I was adding egg to everything - making custards, hardboiled eggs in salads, raw yolk in smoothie.

[LeighB]

I do sometimes too because we are GfDf and we don't eat processed foods. Sometimes I just walk around the kitchen because I don't know what to eat!
To get calories, I usually keep some fresh hummus in the fridge, I make coconut milk yogurt smoothies and add lots of beans and lentils to my meat dishes.

[laohaire]

Update: Great, now I gained 8 lbs

OK, so folks have been telling me I need to increase my calories. Usually I seem to eat about 900 calories (sedentary and nursing). If I make an effort I eat 1200. Eating fewer calories isn't about dieting for me, it's a combination of just "that's all I want" and trying to be frugal (so, sometimes I want more but can't afford it).

So anyway, I've been trying to eat more lately and doing about 1200. I last weighed myself 3 weeks ago, 140lbs, which has been my exact weight since the day I gave birth to DD 3.75 years ago. The needle on the scale never budges a pound. That's fine, but in 3 weeks I suddenly gained 8 pounds!

Plus I've been on an exercise program. There's no way I gained 8 pounds in muscle though. I'd be lucky if it were 1 pound. No, this must be at least 7 pounds of pure fat.

Sigh. What the heck! I guess I should go back to the 900 calories?

I am out of shape (but slowly improving that) and have a lot of excess fat around my middle (was about 20 pounds - now maybe more). I know the exercise will help, but this is extremely discouraging. I would not have minded one bit if I didn't lose a pound, and would have been ok gaining a pound, but 8???

[Crazybean]

When I used to eat junk food and processed food, I was the "perfect weight". Since I have gotten off on my healthy kick, I've lost wight and now look TOO thin! For breakfast I eat fruit then I make some waffles or pancakes (still not a lot of calories) For lunch, I usually have a pita topped with tomato, spinach and a little cheese, snacks I have fruit or veggies. Dinner I have minimal meat (never was a big meat eater) and have veggies and a small side of carbs like rice or pasta. The fruits and veggies I eat are eaten plain- no extra dips or seasonings. When I add up my calories, I'm closer to 800-900 a day and I used to eat upwards of 2000+ back in college when I did my nutrition class. So now, I look sickly but don't mean to- my dad thinks I'm sick with something I don't know. I feel full and fine eating this way but I suppose I have to up my calories to get back some substance to my bones

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by laohaire

I am out of shape (but slowly improving that) and have a lot of excess fat around my middle (was about 20 pounds - now maybe more). I know the exercise will help, but this is extremely discouraging. I would not have minded one bit if I didn't lose a pound, and would have been ok gaining a pound, but 8???

Well, there are a couple things that come to mind... 1 - if you just started exercising, and if the weather has recently changed, you may be holding onto water weight. We went to see my grandmother yesterday, and we both came back last night (we weigh nightly) and weighed 5 pounds more than the night before... I know we didn't both gain 5 pounds in 2 meals. That has to be water weight (it's about 15-20 degrees hotter there than here).

2- if you've been consistently eating 900 calories, it may be that your metabolism has adjusted to that - or it may be that your metabolism has been in starvation mode for so long that once you started increasing your caloric intake it suddenly went "FEAST!! MUST SAVE FOR FAMINE!!" This is not uncommon.

3- I would have to wonder what you're using to increase your calories - some things are more liable to add pounds than others... particularly if you have an intolerance/allergy to something that you just increased your intake of.

Those were the first things to come to mind, anyway.

[laohaire]

Originally Posted by cristeen

3- I would have to wonder what you're using to increase your calories - some things are more liable to add pounds than others... particularly if you have an intolerance/allergy to something that you just increased your intake of.

Well, here are the things that come to mind:

1) I drink a protein shake daily, that's new. Honestly I don't even like the idea (I prefer eating whole foods, not processed crap) but gave it a whirl since I wanted to up my protein in the morning but didn't know how (I have a hard time digesting eggs, and not really inclined to eat meat in the morning, so was stumped).

2) I used to cook things in a little olive oil, but now use butter. And now will use just however much butter I think will taste good (rather than trying to minimize it). Olive oil is fine, but the stuff I have is old and almost certainly rancid, and it's expensive to replace. So, one dish I do is some swiss chard sauteed in butter, then I add a little balsamic vinegar and parmesan.

3) Adding cheese to some things (such as sprinkling a potato dish I make with some parmesan, for example).

4) I had some full-fat cottage cheese this week, that was new.

I was a vegetarian for 10 years, and stopped being one this year (buy pastured, local beef and pork) but since being ill in April seem to have stopped eating meat again. Just mentioning in case someone was wondering why I didn't mention meat.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by laohaire

1) I drink a protein shake daily, that's new. Honestly I don't even like the idea (I prefer eating whole foods, not processed crap) but gave it a whirl since I wanted to up my protein in the morning but didn't know how (I have a hard time digesting eggs, and not really inclined to eat meat in the morning, so was stumped).

What type of protein? Soy, egg, hemp, whey... I'm sure I'm missing at least one?

How much dairy were you eating before - has the amount changed dramatically?

What is your protein source when you're not eating meat?

[Carley]

1200 calories is the "magic number" your body needs to support the function of your organs. Yours is at least 1300 + 500 min for breastfeeding. No, you should not eat less. You must eat more.

The "Starvation Mode" Cristeen mentioned is real. If you eat under your BMR for a long period of time your body will adjust as if it's in a famine. That means anything you do eat goes towards protecting your organs and storing energy.

If you don't put your bare minimum energy in for bodily function your breastfeeding will be in jeapordy.

Are you depressed? Sometimes PPD is hard to recognize. Loss of appetite is a huge sign of depression. You suddenly "seem to have stopped eating meat." That sounds ominous... are you doing ok? PPD is really harsh. Mine didn't "kick in" for a while & went unnoticed by me until I hit bottom at 104 psychotic pounds.


"My recent caloric high was 1200, which included a protein shake with whole milk, potatos au gratin, full fat cottage cheese, and greens sauteed in plenty of butter."

You say you aren't eating small portions... are you weighing your food? What are you using to count your calories? This is really integral information. I don't see many carbs...(totally necessary for breastfeeding)?

I really like this program: http://caloriecount.about.com

It will give you your bmr estimate, calorie target (including breastfeeding) and the calorie count for thousands of foods, including prepackaged and restaurants. It's really convenient.

If you weigh "plenty of butter" by the gram you'll know how many calories that really is. You might be totally over or underestimating yourself.


Regardless, yes. You must eat MUCH more than 1200 calories. You should definitely bring this up to your care provider, especially your midwife.


ETA The "all or nothing" mindset is so hard to get over. I have to "get over" it just about every day If you get thrown off your exercise routine maybe it's time for a change. I mix stuff up all the time. The important thing is the self talk. You don't "fall of any wagon" or "quit" you mix it up. Something stops working, do something new.

Love yourself! Give yourself a LOT of slack right now.

Good luck!

[laohaire]

Protein shake is whey.

If I'm in starvation mode, about how long would it take for my body to readjust? And will I eventually naturally lose the excess weight or no?

Originally Posted by Carley

Are you depressed? Sometimes PPD is hard to recognize. Loss of appetite is a huge sign of depression. You suddenly "seem to have stopped eating meat." That sounds ominous... are you doing ok? PPD is really harsh. Mine didn't "kick in" for a while & went unnoticed by me until I hit bottom at 104 psychotic pounds.

I'm not postpartum (or, about 4 years postpartum, lol) and not depressed (though I possibly was in the last year).

I don't see why eating meat for a couple of months then stopping sounds ominous? I might eat it again, but meat is very rich and not always easy to get used to.

Originally Posted by Carley

You say you aren't eating small portions... are you weighing your food? What are you using to count your calories? This is really integral information. I don't see many carbs...(totally necessary for breastfeeding)?

No, not weighing my food. Using a website (www.sparkpeople.com) to count calories; I'm new to that. Counting by volume (ex: 1 cup, 1 tbsp, 1 medium potato) rather than weight.

I eat a lot of vegetables. We are members of a CSA and these days we're getting 5 or 6 bunches of greens a week (kale, senposai, collards, spinach, swiss chard, you name it). So on an average day I will be eating half a bunch (which is a pretty good amount). I am a sugar addict who has gotten to the point where I recognize just how badly even a little sugar makes me feel. I still eat it sometimes but always regret it, always. I eat brown rice a few times a week. I make homemade pizza once a week, with whole wheat crust. I bake bread sometimes but haven't lately.

Originally Posted by Carley

If you weigh "plenty of butter" by the gram you'll know how many calories that really is. You might be totally over or underestimating yourself.

Well, I'm not just totally guessing; I will cut off a tablespoon of butter. Since my husband will eat half, I'll put down a half tablespoon for myself.

Originally Posted by Carley

Regardless, yes. You must eat MUCH more than 1200 calories. You should definitely bring this up to your care provider, especially your midwife.

Lol, the only HCP with a brain I have right now is my dentist (who is AWESOME!! I'm a little frustrated with the medical profession right now.

Originally Posted by Carley

ETA The "all or nothing" mindset is so hard to get over. I have to "get over" it just about every day If you get thrown off your exercise routine maybe it's time for a change. I mix stuff up all the time. The important thing is the self talk. You don't "fall of any wagon" or "quit" you mix it up. Something stops working, do something new.

I don't think I have an all or nothing mindset. I'm not eating few calories to diet. It's a combination of feeling full with what I have (most of the time) and finances (only some of the time, and not at all lately since I've decided to make the effort to eat more). When it was finances, it wouldn't be a big deal either, it would just be like "hmm, a snack sounds good... what should I eat? hmm, don't see anything really and we already overspent our food budget for the week so running out and getting something is out of the question. Nevermind." Anyway, I'm not saying that's great but I'm not anorexic.

[Carley]

Starvation Mode slows your metabolism, but it wouldn't explain an 8lb gain. It takes a lot of excess calories to gain 8 lbs. You can read up on the "Starvation Mode" theory on Sparks/google. Remember anorexics lose weight and maintain an unhealthy weight by not eating over 1200 calories & refusing to eat more. "Starvation Mode" won't explain a near 10lb weight gain.

Have you weighed yourself since then? In the morning after you pee before you eat? A scale can read 8lbs and not indicate you've gained that much fat on your body. If you weighed yourself at the end or even middle of the day it could explain the adjustment.

The "All or nothing" I was refering to was the exercise. It helps if you never think you "fell off the horse."

I thought you were postpartum because you were breastfeeding Still, breastfeeding adjusts your hormones, but still wouldn't "explain" an 8lb gain.


Suddenly stopping eating a food group when you're already having a hard time eating over 950 calories sounds ominous, not just stopping eating meat by itself.

Estimating by volume has a huge variance than weighing by grams. I doubt it would be as off as to gain 8lbs (28,000 calories more than what you burn by just being alive and breastfeeding, approx 1800+ calories) but you might be eating less or more than your estimates (which is volume) reflect.

e.g. most store bought breads will list the calorie content for "one serving" stated "1 slice" (usually 28 grams). I've found that "one slice" is more like 56 grams, which means 1 slice has twice the calories listed.

Do you binge eat when you eat sugar? That could explain weight gain.

I know you said it's not as applicable now, but adjusting your food budget is cheaper than developing medical conditions.


Regardless, you need to see a medical professional. You might be fustrated by the field (?) but it's clear you need to be checked out. There is nothing any of us Internet People can even speculate that would explain your loss of appetite and weight gain. You could have a tumor, a thyroid imbalance or simply be underestimating your calorie intake & were bloated or full of food when you weighed yourself. If you binge eat with sugar you would have had several pounds of food in your digestive system.

The bottom line is you need to see a doctor.

I hope you feel better soon.

[Carley]

Here's some advice I thought would be helpful to you:


http://caloriecount.about.com/calori...ing-burn-q2289

http://caloriecount.about.com/calori...tfeeding-q3430

http://caloriecount.about.com/dietin...ect-baby-q4837

http://caloriecount.about.com/happen...es-needs-q2281

http://caloriecount.about.com/calori...dy-types-q8621

http://caloriecount.about.com/person...e-weight-q8414

http://caloriecount.about.com/end-st...g-weight-q4563

http://caloriecount.about.com/fix-ru...tabolism-q3499

http://caloriecount.about.com/deal-w...tuations-q2668

http://caloriecount.about.com/gain-days-q628

[vm9799]

wow, we totally have the same issue! well except i don't breastfeed (my youngest is almost 10!) and i'm a meat lover.

my issue is that i gained roughly 30lbs. a few years ago from meds that i was on that completely shut down my naturally VERY high metabolism. in an effort to jumpstart my metabolism, i have been exercising daily (a 3 mile interval walking program). but i also just can't bring myself to eat enough calories each day! before the meds 'issue' i always just listened to my body.....ate when i was hungry and because i eat very healthy foods i had never read a label etc.

i joined calorie count in an effort to monitor that i wasn't eating out of control and found the total opposite! i eat now just how i did before and i'm only eating roughly 900 calories a day. i'm finding i'm having to force myself to eat...which i hate....in an effort to follow this 'advice'. also want to note that i have NEVER been anorexic or even close. just always been naturally very thin (size 2/4).

i find the whole thing of forcing myself to eat when i'm not at all hungry, to feel unnatural to me. it's frustrating! and the weight isn't budging. and while i understand the whole 'starvation mode', then why wasn't this a problem for me in the past?? i just don't get it.