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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Is this really not enough??

294 replies

GoldieGal · 22/09/2020 08:33

Breakfast: 1/4 cup of porridge

Lunch: Piece of fruit or salad

Dinner: veggies and a bit of chicken

I never ate much to begin with, just the things I ate weren't particularly healthy. Obviously I don't eat the same exact things everyday but it's around the same amount of calories yet apparently this isn't enough?

Will the consequences of this be that bad? Please help!

OP posts:
LadyH846 · 22/09/2020 11:56

[quote DameFanny]@LadyH846 the OP said she's switched from biscuits and other junk to the real food she's wearing now, without changing volume of food - in which case her body may already be singing from the extra nutrients, and as it adjusts to the real food may ask for more quantity anyway?

We can't know, just words on a screen, but if you don't already have an eating disorder then following the advice of strangers on what to eat (especially on what not to eat) is the quickest way to develop disordered eating.

Eat real food, listen to your body, focus on strength, try to close your ears to other people's judgment of your body.[/quote]
If the OP only eats what she has listed out in her original post and subsequent posts, and her meals consistently look that way, it just isn't sufficient. We can quantify it.

I put her daily diet into Cronometer (an app which tracks nutrients and calories) and it is less than half of what she needs in terms of nutrients. OP if you'd like the screenshots message me, I can send them to you.

1/4 cup oats, cinnamon, 250ml fortified soya milk, 1/2 large chicken breast, 1 cup frozen veggies, salad, orange juice, banana, and salad dressing =

500 calories

Lacking the following:

  • Sufficient calories (obviously)
  • Fibre
  • B vitamins
  • Potassium
  • Choline
  • Iodine
  • iron
  • zinc
  • folate
  • vitamin e
  • vitamin d
  • carbs
  • Protein
  • fat
  • omega 3

Bear in mind that these are minimum required daily amounts OP. You're not meeting the minimum for almost everything. The only nutrient you're getting enough of, is calcium (as long as soya milk is fortified).

Needs to add in the following:

  • Eggs
  • Nuts or flax seed
  • Dairy (If not, you need an iodine supplement or iodised salt because dairy is the biggest source of iodine in diet)
  • Alternate chicken with salmon for dinner, for omega 3's
  • More carbs e.g. quinoa/rice/potatoes
  • More leafy green veg
  • Think about how to get more iron & zinc - do you eat red meat? If not, maybe add in some beans for iron, or pumpkin seeds for zinc. Dark chocolate is also a good source of both minerals.
  • You need to add pulses for more fibre and folate

What this looks like in terms of a meals for one day:

Breakfast: 1/4 cup oats, 250ml soya milk, 2 egg omelette

Lunch: 50g lettuce, 50g spinach, red pepper, with 1 cup of chickpeas, 3 tsp of olive oil with lemon for a dressing. Salt and pepper.

Dinner: Small baked potato, 150g salmon, 1 cup frozen veggies,

Snack: Banana, 10 almonds and 15g dark chocolate

Drinks: fresh orange juice (200ml), water

Comes out at 1450 calories and meets every requirement for micronutrients, carbs, fat and protein.

There you go OP.

1940s · 22/09/2020 12:04

@GoldieGal perhaps you need to wonder why your sister recommended a calorie counting app to you. Perhaps she wanted you to realise your undereating

GoldieGal · 22/09/2020 12:16

@LadyH846 I don't eat the same thing every day.

@1940s She doesn't see me often and therefore would have no idea what I eat. It's more that she's into counting her steps with her Fitbit and those kinds of things. She also recommended it to my other siblings as well.

OP posts:
Jux · 22/09/2020 12:33

Add in a few bananas if you can, too.

I used to liquidise an avocado and a couple of bananas with some milk protein (v expensive, so stopped quite quickly!) and some milk or yoghurt. I would have half for breakfast. It's v easy to eat while also being filling and very healthy.

(I don't tend to eat either - I have supper, but find it quite hard to eat during the day. I get faint though and my bp crashes, so I have to make more effort to get food into me. I used to be a foodie! I am also overweight, v short too so can't carry much extra really. It all went wrong when I became disabled and I know I don't move enough but pain and exhaustion stop me doing more.)

SuperEkstra · 22/09/2020 12:36

Urgh. The attention seeking is tedious. Are we 12?

Beautiful3 · 22/09/2020 12:42

It really depends on whether you feel satisfied or hungry at the end of the day. You might be tiny and that fulfills you, also I dont know your portion sizes. Look into your bmi to see if you're a healthy weight. If you're not, then look into counting calories.

BlueJag · 22/09/2020 12:44

The UCLA Center for Human Nutritionn says that eating fewer than 1,000 calories per day has the same effect physiologically as total starvation. With that in mind, it makes sense that the USDA Dietary Guideliness recommend a much higher calorie level for health.
You most be lacking vitamin D, C and Iron.

BlueJag · 22/09/2020 12:50

Even if you eat little make it nutritious.

Dillydallyingthrough · 22/09/2020 12:58

@VeraPink

Mumsnet should really take a firm stance on eating disorders and zap threads like these. There are already multiple comments from posters sharing just how little they eat in a day. Posters saying they have two cups of tea and a plate of chicken salad a day and are perfectly healthy are spreading pure pro-anorexia propaganda, and for women who struggle with disordered eating it is so dangerous.
I agree 100% with you. The OP can say repeatedly that she doesn't know about food but assuming she is over 10 she knows a piece of fruit is not lunch. The PP saying she has 1 meal and tea for the rest (but you know she takes a multivitamin!) could encourage anorexia.

OP you can pretend all you want but the tone and your responses scream disordered eating. See your GP (yes during a pandemic), they can offer you the help you need.

@mnhq surely this should be zapped way before its gets to 10 pages?!?!

Porcupine83 · 22/09/2020 12:58

My Aunt is 5.2 and eats about this much. She is 65. She has eaten this much (or this little) her whole life as she just doesn’t get hungry. She’s fine Smile

Leafbeans · 22/09/2020 12:59

If this is genuine then no, you will not be sufficiently fuelling your body. You need to work out your resting rate of cals.

dairyfairies · 22/09/2020 13:01

gosh, I'd be starving and losing weight very quickly. How many calories are these? Do you manage to maintain your weight with this diet?

Dandelionz · 22/09/2020 13:08

I regularly eat less than my BMR (1400) calories and feel full so...

Seasuns · 22/09/2020 13:11

The PP saying she has 1 meal and tea for the rest (but you know she takes a multivitamin!) could encourage anorexia.

Give over, OMAD is fine.

Her BMI is 20 something, she is hardly going to starve to death by losing a little extra.

Quickchange5 · 22/09/2020 13:13

I think you are effectively skipping lunch . Your body can’t function long term on that and there will be a future health cost .

Nomorepies · 22/09/2020 13:27

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ on the poster's request.

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 22/09/2020 13:33

It's not just the lack of calories I'd be worried about. It's also the lack of vitamins and minerals that are essential to keep your body healthy.

I really think you need to speak to a healthcare professional and ask to be referred to a dietician. This is not 'normal' and it doesn't sound healthy at all.

Leafbeans · 22/09/2020 13:36

Her BMI is 20 something, she is hardly going to starve to death by losing a little extra

It's not just about weight though, it's about sufficiently fuelling your body.

notalwaysalondoner · 22/09/2020 13:40

Honestly, if your weight is stable, you have a BMI of 20 and no obvious health issues I’d relax and just try and maybe add more variety eg avocado and fish instead of chicken. I’d probably take a daily multivitamin just in case - I get noticeably less sleepy when I take them regularly despite having a varied diet so do think it’s worth it. Everyone has different metabolisms and most people eat way too much of the wrong things these days - you probably just have an unusually low metabolism but unlike most people you’ve adjusted your diet accordingly rather than just gradually putting on weight. Talk to your GP if you’re worried but I suspect they’d say the same.

1940s · 22/09/2020 13:44

If I posted and said my 6 year old
Ate a tiny bowl of porridge made with water and a splash of milk, a piece of fruit for lunch and a piece of chicken and veg for dinner I doubt anyone would say 'that's fine' OP is not eating enough and either has an eating disorder and is looking for validation or is seeking attention. Nobody can think long term eating one piece of fruit is normal and to then come on and post asking 'is this enough??'

ThirstyGhost · 22/09/2020 13:46

This is like something from a pro-ana website. You're eating less than my healthy 6 year old DD. You're at serious risk of osteoporosis and many other health problems. Google osteoporosis if you want to see where this is headed. You're severely lacking so many nutrients and minerals. I feel bad for the genuine posters on this thread wasting their time when you just want validation for your ED. Reported. I hope MN look behind the scenes here.

MolyHolyGuacamole · 22/09/2020 13:47

@SockQueen

Is this even for real? Or just one of those competitive undereating threads that pops up?
Definitely the latter, at best. Worst? I always find these threads scream of an eating disorder Confused
HeyBlaby · 22/09/2020 13:49

There isn't a chance you are getting everything your body needs from this little food, and I don't just mean calories.

HeyBlaby · 22/09/2020 13:50

'Talk to your GP if you’re worried but I suspect they’d say the same'

They won't.

Oneborneverydecade · 22/09/2020 13:57

On the basis that the OP called Reddit 'red it' I'd assumed she's a pensioner. Don't your calorie requirement reduce as you get older and less active?

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