Not eating enough even though following guideline

[Allia]

Help! I am underweight with some disordered eating history. I would like to eat more, but the template options leave me confused. Even though I am following the template, I am only consuming about 800 calories a day. I'm sorry I count: I was worried. How is this possible? For example I have 8 boiled medium-large (31-40) shrimp, a tablespoon of coconut butter, and half a plain cucumber for a meal.

[GFChris]

To clarify on the veggies, it's 1-3 cups a meal, so 1/2 cucumber is less than what is recommended. The template is a guideline. *Satiety* is what should ultimately drive how much you eat. Are you hungry on what you're currently eating now? Do you season what you're eating? (Boiled shrimp and plain cucumber seems a bit bland.) If you don't want to lose weight, eat closer to the upper end of the template. Further, this article has tips on maintaining weight on a Whole30. http://whole30.com/2013/12/keeping-weight-whole30/

That being said, note that the Whole30 was not written with eating disorders in mind. If the structure of this plan is triggering those behaviors more than helping you, it may be best for you to halt this process and work with a counselor or other professional who specializes in eating disorders.

[Allia]

Thanks for the reply. Vegetables aren't really um... calorie dense, though, so overall wouldn't it still be pretty bad for losing weight?

 

I am sometimes hungry. But it's common for after a long period of messed up eating to not really have accurate hunger cues so I tend to undereat sometimes.

 

I want to clarify that I don't have a high metabolism, so I'm not sure if I should be having more to the upper end either. But maybe, since the template is also affected by my stature it would just be personalized too - am I understanding this correctly?

[QuilterInVA]

Root vegetables are more calorie dense. 8 shrimp aren't much. I eat twice that much to get a palm size serving. Half a cucumber is no where near the vegetables needed for the template 1-3 cups. Add a piece of fruit and/or some nuts. These will up the calories. If you can, get the book "It's Starts With Food" and really learn about what we are eating and why it is necessary.

[jmcbn]

Bear in mind Allia that the amounts in the meal template are minimums and it's really okay to eat more. And as someone tryinng NOT to lose weight you would fall into the select group of people for whom smoothies are okay to take IN ADDITION TO your template meals. The meal that you are reporting barely meets the lower end of template so you really could do with eating more. 8 prawns are aboout a half a palm, a cucumber is mostly water and of little nutritional value, and a half of one barely fills a cup.

Root veg, as Quilter has said, are carb dense and substantially more filling - try roasting a batch of mixed veg in the oil of your choice along with some spices - much more interesting than cucumber!

I know you say that with your history of disordered eating that it's hard to read hunger signals, but I'd comment that if after a glass of water/herbal tea, or some kind of distraction like running a bath the feeling of hunger is still there then perhaps it really is genuine hunger & you should opt for a mini meal there & then, and then increase the size of your meals next day.