Maybe I'm Not Eating Enough

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Lately I find myself wondering if I am just not eating enough on phentermine. I mean, I know appetite suppression is pretty much the goal here, and it does work for that! I don't get very hungry until about 4pm most days, and then I just hang on and drink water until dinner around 6. That's great for not overeating, but I wonder if undereating, short term like this, could have a bad effect on my metabolism. Since it's only a few months I tend to think of it as a kick start. But I also try to have a day here and there, maybe 2-3 times a month, when I eat way more. On purpose. Even if I am not hungry.

I don't count calories, carbs, or anything else. I don't need to, and you know I am not a huge fan of tracking anymore. But I do sometimes notice, "hey, I don't think I have eaten much today" and then go back and add things up in my head to get an estimate. A lot of the times my day looks like this:

AM: coffee with half and half or sugar free creamer - 50 cal

Sometimes I have breakfast after that. About half the time, I don't. If I do, it is either a sugar free Greek yogurt (80-100 cal) or 1-2x/week I have 2 bacon and either avocado or an egg (150-200 cal).

Then for lunch it is pretty light. Either soup (150), a cottage cheese/fruit cup (100), or a few slices of ham wrapped around a light string cheese (100-120). I drink lots of water. I was eating a piece of fruit at lunch sometimes (50-100 cal) but haven't lately.

I usually have a little something, and I mean little, around 2 or 3 o'clock. Maybe a light string cheese (45), a few smoked almonds (50), or a slice of meat (40). I might have another cup of coffee (50).

So by dinner, most days I am only eating 250 to 400 calories. Then dinner is my "big" meal, like a serving of meat and 2-3 servings of low starch vegetables. I will have a SMALL portion of a carby food at dinner if I want it. We are talking 1/4 cup of potatoes or 2 bites of a corn muffin, that kind of thing. I sometimes have a bedtime snack but usually that is just plain herbal tea (0) or a few nuts.

That's pretty low calorie. I actually did add them up a few times over the last two months and only got 600 or 700 calories in a day. Other days I am closer to 1000. There are days I indulge, but I can count those on one hand: two or three times I've had a fast food burger with bacon and cheese, but I never eat the bun and only get water with it. On a family birthday, I had a very thin slice of birthday cake. And once I bought Halo Top ice cream and yes I did finish the pint... over the course of a week.

Everything I know about nutrition says, NOT EATING ENOUGH. My body says, I feel great! My history says, eating too little will screw up your metabolism. But will it, short term? Even if I throw in a 1500 calorie day here and there (not of junk, but of protein and fats and produce)? Not really sure. I know THIS is how I want to eat when I am off the phentermine, but I will have more of an appetite then. I think if I continue to eat this way but my hunger then leads me to eat MORE of these foods, that is the right path to be on, I probably won't be able to eat so little without the phentermine, but I can just increase the portions and add more of the healthy foods I am eating, but continue to keep the sugar and carbs at a minimum. I do know from years of calorie counting that I have to go pretty low calorie to lose weight (my body is a master at homeostasis! I even was able to stay at 270 pounds and not gain while bingeing on 5,000-10,000 calories a day! Yet I lost almost no weight at 220 pounds eating 1500 calories a day. It's definitely not simple math.) I know the answer to this is being active and more exercise, so hopefully the biking and walking will help as I go off the phentermine. I will probably also add back some strength training then, too.

Tonight's dinner: grilled bratwurst (1 for me!) with pan fried sliced potatoes and onions (about 1/4 cup) and roasted vegetables (carrots, broccoli, Delicata squash, whatever else is in the fridge... as much as I want!) Feedback on my eating is welcome :)