Signs of not eating enough

I just feel on days I let myself eat to satiety, I end up overeating, especially at night. The next day, it’s back to counting calories. And the cycle repeats.

I’m not sure if the overeating on certain days is a sign of me undereating/being too restrictive in general with my diet.

There's nothing particularly wrong with having a prescriptive diet, per se (although it depends how prescriptive.... If you're really not prepared to shift the framework slightly then that's probably a sign that you're taking it too far) but what seems odd to me is the disparity between am and pm. As if you're 'saving up' all your permitted calories for later in the day, when actually your body is crying out for them in the morning.

Surely you can keep the same caloric intake but redistribute it more sensibly throughout the day? As I've said before, doing an hour's run at 5am and then all morning doing manual labour (even if it relatively light, you're still on your feet that entire time) and not eating until midday is crazy, you need to change that asap.

So, would the solution be to simply eat a lot? To get out of that “panic” state? (I know you’re not a doctor but I’ appreciate any feedback)

Xandertuns wrote:

Probably the desk job tbh. The running is good but it probably just is an equalizer for sitting at a desk all day. I don’t think ur eating is an issue. Can you get up and move around at work? Even a lunch walk or after work if you run in the AM

Youre right. I work from home 2-3 days a wk and often times my run is the only time I will leave my apartment. I am looking to add a strength routine a few days a week and will also look to incorporate some light walks during the day. Thanks!

You are binging and purging, basically. Of course you feel like you will overeat. There are psychological and physiological ramifications of only eating once per day.

I used to eat like that, too. When I was recovering from my eating disorder and my eating wasn't yet normalised. Life is so much better on the other side, man. I can't believe the years I wasted obsessing like you are.

Get help. This is bulimic behavior.

Please take the advice of some of these posters and seek help. I have a good friend who dealt (deals) with an eating disorder and it is really hard on them and the people around them.

Anyone have advice on what the first step should be? Any specific resources to share?

My lifestyle isn't that active, although I can rarely sit still and probably get up and sit back down hundreds of times per day. I'm also fairly tall, and just have pretty much always been this way - maybe a high metabolism, I don't know. It isn't all it's cracked up to be, because if I have a week or a run of a few days of not eating enough, my weigh plummets and I can start looking ill. At the moment I don't sleep very much (e.g. last night was up since 4am) so that may account for being more active as well. My friend who is 5 foot 0 eats about 1200-1500 to maintain weight, so I guess everyone is different. I also don't drink anything but water, that seems to be a major difference. But in a nutshell I think it's just how I am.

With regard to the OP, I don't think it's a time issue at all, I think it's what he said about saving calories as an insurance policy for later in the day, which doesn't make sense. You won't benefit fully from your morning run if you don't have hydration, calories, protein, carbs, fat in order to recover and build muscle/adapt etc. I'd start by simply trying to have a bottle of water and something small (e.g. a flapjack, banana) and start from there, good luck.

Your body will have a natural weight it wants to be at. For someone with similar build and height they may have a different natural weight. If you eat a lot less relative to the amount of exercise you do, or eat a lot more relative to the amount of exercise you do then you will lose or gain weight.

Having two meals a day isn't the issue here. After a morning run you want some nutrition (ideally within 30 minutes), this will then give you energy for your job. If you don't feel like a lunch, and just snack, if your body is ok with that then fine. Do an evening run, then have your second run, but eating after your morning run is a better way of doing things

Agree with most of the comments on this thread. Whether you feel you are restricting a lot or only a bit, or hitting your BMR intake, you are still obsessed with calories/food/control and really need professional help. You might not be able to see it, and that's ok. You're too ill to know you're ill, but you have probably gotten hundreds of responses urging you to find help, so please try to trust those around you; many of us are speaking from personal experience and are much happier and healthier now that we have a better relationship with food.

Saving calories for later is not normal.

Being terrified of weight gain is not normal.

Being afraid of losing control because you're hungry is not normal.

You don't have to go through life like this!

The timing of meals isn't really important, but you shouldn't be forcing yourself to eat at fixed intervals if you're hungry at different times.

For MOST people, the body will adjust to an ideal set point for weight and you will intuitively eat what your body needs when you need it and not think about food all the time.

Try to find a registered dietitian with experience with eating disorders. I think the best approach for you is a medical professional who can help steer you away from the controlling aspect of calories and a prescriptive diet. You have started dozens of threads about calories and metabolism in the last few months and I feel for you. It can be better.

konrad1198 wrote:

I just feel on days I let myself eat to satiety, I end up overeating, especially at night. The next day, it’s back to counting calories. And the cycle repeats.

I’m not sure if the overeating on certain days is a sign of me undereating/being too restrictive in general with my diet.

Why should you care about “overeating?” Performance is what matters!!!

I agree that this is blatantly obvious disordered eating and professional help is needed. Running 60-70 miles/week and being on your feet all day as a 6’2 male means that you can eat enormous amounts of food (4000+ calories/day) without worrying about becoming overweight. Health and happiness > your job > running.

konrad1198 wrote:

I just feel on days I let myself eat to satiety, I end up overeating, especially at night. The next day, it’s back to counting calories. And the cycle repeats.

I’m not sure if the overeating on certain days is a sign of me undereating/being too restrictive in general with my diet.

Why do you care if you overeat when you only weigh 150 lbs? Are you afraid of gaining weight? How tall are you?

Rather than blaming hormones, do something about it. Hormones are made from the food you eat, so you have complete control. Damaged fats like soy, canola help raise the fat storing hormone estrogen, and lower fat burning testosterone levels.

blamb61 wrote:

konrad1198 wrote:

I just feel on days I let myself eat to satiety, I end up overeating, especially at night. The next day, it’s back to counting calories. And the cycle repeats.

I’m not sure if the overeating on certain days is a sign of me undereating/being too restrictive in general with my diet.

Why do you care if you overeat when you only weigh 150 lbs? Are you afraid of gaining weight? How tall are you?

What does overeating even mean if you're only 150 lbs?

Rupp fan wrote:

I agree that this is blatantly obvious disordered eating and professional help is needed. Running 60-70 miles/week and being on your feet all day as a 6’2 male means that you can eat enormous amounts of food (4000+ calories/day) without worrying about becoming overweight. Health and happiness > your job > running.

If I’m brutally honest, there are probably days where I feel I could/do eat that many calories, but I would tend to refer to those days as overeating/abnormal. Maybe I just simply need that many calories, at least on some days.

2 years ago, I was a landscaper, I biked 25 to 30 miles a day back and forth to work, worked 8 to 10 hour days and would run 120 miles a week. I was 5’11 165 pounds roughly some times fell to 158. I ate 5,000 to 7,000 calories a day. A few breakfast sandwiches a big lunch but small dinner. Stay hydrated and eat more. Some people run fast at a low weight and some run better with some muscle. Find your happy medium and don’t destroy your body by not eating

Buttcoin wrote:

Why should you care about “overeating?” Performance is what matters!!!

ding! ding! ding! we have a winner.

I am guessing you are not female, it is healthy for a woman’s weight to fluctuate during their menstrual cycle and it is healthier for some women to have higher levels of stored fat, only a very small amount of women can actually achieve a “classic runner’s body” naturally and maintain it healithy, this is 100%to do with gemetics. Luckily, I fit that discriptio,. I am 5’3 and a lean 105lbs so I really don’t need to worry about my weight nor do I eat soy or processed junk, my diet is 99% natural and I run a paleo based bakery from home in aid of my autistic brother who suffers diet/bowel related autoimmune problems. Don’t talk to me like I’m a 300lb overeater blaming “hormones”, I am in excellent shape. I know the majority of people make pathetic excuses and have a general lack of motivation but for the majority women, hormones absolutely do matter. At least I am an “in-shape person” who isn’t ignorant to this fact.

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