Should I eat more for today?!


Question: Should I eat more for today?
I've been doing this "eat when hungry; stop when full" thing, and I was really "listening" to my body at when it was hungry/full.

So, this is what I ended up eating today:
(5:30AM)
Nature Valley granola bars (190)
(10:30AM)
Nature Valley granola bars (190)
(4:45PM)
Subway veggie delight (260)
Total: 640 calories.

I'm not hungry right now, and I don't eat past 7PM. It's 5:40PM right now.

Btw, I'm 14 years old, female, 115 pounds, and 5'4".

Answers:

You eat too few calories and not a great variety. I also believe that 2000 calories is way too much for your age and weight, so don't even aspire to consume a certain amount of calories. (I actually think that 2000 is too much for most people to stay slim and healthy, unless they exercise frequently).

What you eat seems very one-sided and maybe your metabolism isn't moving fast enough, which is vital for good health and nutrition absorption. How is that looking? A granola bar can sit in your stomach for an hour or two, and the subway sandwich may not offer lots of fiber, depending on the bread. Here are some recommendations to load up on fiber and get your metabolism started, while also providing more calories and more balanced nutrients:

-start with fresh fruit in the morning if you can - an orange has about 65 cal and an apple 95 cal. You should be hungry again in less than an hour.
-then have an oatmeal or cold cereal with ground flax seeds, nuts or pumpkin seeds, more fruit, and soy, rice, or almond milk. That fills you up until lunch and adds around 300 calories. It will also provide enough fiber to kick your metabolism into action. The ground flax seeds provide omega 3 fatty acids.
-for lunch eat your sandwich or even better a homemade one - but load up on greens more than bread or starches. The greens will provide nutrition and move through your body fast. I don't know if Subway offers kale, spinach, chards, or at least romaine as salad. Most other greens are rather useless from a nutrition perspective. If you eat a whole grain bread with hummus, dark leafy greens, vegan cheese, tomatoes and anything else veg, you should be hungry again after a few hours. The calories will be around 200-300.
-the afternoon would be a great time for that granola bar, but only if you're hungry
-then for dinner have a meal with legumes and grains - as these seem to be missing in your diet so far. Focus on whole grains like brown rice and whole wheat pasta - much more nutrition and fiber.
A bowl of Indian or Thai curry with veggies, tofu, and brown rice comes in around 300 - 400 calories.

You also don't need to stop eating after 7 pm - unless you go to bed at 9 pm. It's a myth that you gain weight when eating later - it entirely depends when you go to rest and how long your body has to digest and burn down the food.

Again, to be healthy and eat enough calories while not stuffing yourself, make sure the food goes fast through your system and that you balance your nutrients with enough whole foods. If you lean towards constipation and if your lifestyle is more sedentary, change that. You body needs aerobic and resistance exercise to prevent disease. That will also ensure that you never have to worry about calories or gaining weight when eating more.

If you want to get some ideas for the foods that give you the best nutrition and metabolic boost, check this out: http://www.belsandia.com/nutrition-data.…

If any of the recommended changes still don't boost your burn rate and appetite, you may need to look at any psychosomatic reasons for why you eat so little. Is there an underlining fear of gaining weight that you may want to address?

I hope this gives you some ideas and assistance.



I wonder if your mother knows you are starving yourself. You did not eat enough. You consumed less than half of what you should have consumed. You are at the low end of weight for your height. You're heading down the path of an eating disorder and I hope you realize that before it's too late.



Of course you should eat more. Have a bowl of wholewheat pasta and sauce. For gods sake, why are you asking, you know it's not enough food. Your womb will shrink up and you'll get a hunchback.

I think youre trolling, but if you're for real, for gods sake you KNOW you need more than this pathetic amount.

Pasta, oatmeal with milk and honey, for gods sake. This kind of post makes me angry.



You're not eating enough. Like others said, you need about 2000 calories.

Also, when you under-eat it starts to lower your metabolism, so you digest food slower, and makes you less hungry. This doesn't mean you need less food.



you should eat around 2000 calories a day you are a serious risk of malnutrition or could aquire an eating disorder but still you shouldnt eat if your not hungry but still make sure you get enough food and vitamins to make you body function proper;y



You need to eat a bit more! What you eat in a day is less of what a normal person should eat on breakfast, lunch or dinner. Eat a sandwich or something, that's it =)



eat about 2000 calories



That really isn't much food. You should eat more, preferably meat or dairy products.



Facepalm. If you have to ask, then you know it is not enough.



you should eat more




The consumer Foods information on foodaq.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.
Copyright © 2007 FoodAQ - Terms of Use - Contact us - Privacy Policy

Food's Q&A Resources