Hello! So, over the summer I started getting more into fitness and health and very quickly realized that I wasn't eating enough. I was eating ~1500 calories a day when I should have been eating around 2200. I tried to keep that in mind but I sort of forgot about it. But now, a few weeks ago, I went vegan! Not a decision I regret in the slightest. But when I started tracking what I eat again, with the intent of making sure that I was getting enough nutrients, I realized that I'm eating even less than I did before. By a lot. This past week, I think the highest I got up to was 1300 calories, and that was because I was stuffing myself for Christmas. Other days I only have 1000 or less. I'm really concerned because I know that vegans kind of need to eat more, but I literally just don't have a big appetite. I also want to just snuff out this problem as quickly as possible, because I do have depression and body image issues, and don't want this to spiral into a bad situation.

TL;DR: I need a way to eat more because I'm definitely not getting enough calories or anything really.

Just eat things that are higher in calories. Nuts, nut butters, avocados, bananas, potatoes, using oils when cooking. Two tablespoons (32grams) of peanut butter is like 200 calories. Smear some of that on a medium sized apple (about 5.5oz) for another 88 calories and you're up by nearly 300 calories from just one snack. 28 grams of almonds (about 24 almonds) have 160 calories. So, in two smallish snacks you're up by 460 calories.

Thank you!! I've gotten this advice before, but I just keep forgetting to apply it. I'm gonna put a sticky note on my computer to remind myself now lol.

I can't say that I'm a fitness nut or anything but calories in a day determine on your weight. Eat more to gain, eat less to lose. If you're eating between 1000-1300, you're supporting the weight of a 100 pound to 130 pound person. So if you want to keep your weight, knock off a zero on the calorie and that's how to determine how much you should eat. I'm 209 lbs but I'm losing. I eat on average, 1200-1300 calories a day to get down to that weight. If you're concerned, eat peanut butter. It's high in calories (200 per tablespoon) Put it on crackers or celery and you'll have a healthy snack that is packed full of good calories.

Those who switch to a vegan diet tend to lose weight a lot because of not eating meats and animal products like milk, goat's milk, eggs, honey and the such. Soymilk has good amount of calories, going vegan and being a woman, you need all the calcium you need. As a woman myself, I need calcium because we're very prone to getting osteoporosis. Please keep that in mind. I hope all this helped. ^_^

I'm not a big fitness person either, but I have read up on some stuff, and I don't think cutting down on calories too much is healthy? If you want to loose weight, you should just eat 100-200 calories under the recommended amount, which, for a woman, is 2200 calories. So you should have about 2000 calories a day. There's something called a BMR, which is basically how many calories your body burns just by existing. Even laying in bed all day, you still burn some calories - so if you eat under your BMR, your body starts using itself for energy. You'll lose weight, sure, but a big portion of it will be from muscle mass, and you'll also be low on energy because your body just isn't getting what it needs to support itself. In addition to that, your body may start storing fat because it enters "starvation mode". If you want to lose weight in a healthy way, I really suggest upping your caloric intake, cutting out processed foods, and doing whatever form of exercise is easiest for you. Sorry for the wall of text, but I'm a little concerned since I know a lot of people cut too many calories and it's just not good for you!

(Also almond milk and soy milk tend to have a pretty good amount of calcium in them, so I think I'm set there! Calcium is also found in some vegetables.)

I only eat that many calories a day because of my gallbladder. It's rather inflamed and very sore so I'm cut on what I can eat. I can have all the pasta and bread I want but I can't have fresh fruits or vegetables. They all have to be cooked, canned, or steamed. I make a lot of clear soup that has tofu, mushrooms, carrots, and squash in it. It's soooooo good and I can't get enough of it even though I make a huge batch of it every time.

I've actually gained muscle over the last month doing nothing but construction work. I do that with my dad so it's actually very good for me. I'm not letting my body take my muscle away. I have a low appetite anyhow so I really don't think I'm starving myself. =D

Oh, ok, I gotcha!! That's all good to hear, I was a little worried lol. May I ask what your recipe for the clear soup is? It sounds delicious!

I make it with a box of Swanson's Vegetable broth, two cups of water, a whole package of tofu, mushrooms, squash, carrots, celery, green onion, and any kind of other vegetable that sounds good.

Pour the entire container of broth into a large pan with the two cups of water, turn it on medium on the stove or low on a slow cooker. Cube the tofu and add it in, the broth doesn't have to be hot. Add all the other ingredients along with the tofu and cook until everything is hot. Enjoy~

It's great reheated too so, try it out. I love the stuff so much.

The thing is too find food products that are high in protein, little fat and a single digit for carb and sugar. Peanut butter, nuts, protein bars, avocado, hummus etc are very helpful and filling. I make small bars of peanut butter, nuts, coco sprinkles and a fruit that I can't remember the name in english ..

While working out (especially weight lifting), your muscle is contracted to its limit. Once you finish your routine, your body is still burning calories.

I eat 6 small meals a day because I don't feel hunger. I will physically feel hunger: nauseous, dizziness, headache and bad mood but my head is not following. While I eat, I don't feel anything either, so I rely on my portions.

I don't know if it's helpful ._.

honestly, if your health is fine with how many calories you're currently eating, it may just be how your body works. I work out 3-4x a week (on about 4 hours of sleep max a night - my doctor was SHOCKED to find out I sleep so little and feel fine physically) - a half mile sprint/mile run to get my heart rate up, then 30-45 minutes of weights, and a 5 mile jog to cool down. I eat maybe 1200-1300 calories on workout days and definitely less than 1000 on non-workout days. I try to eat well most days, but I definitely do indulge in junk food at least 2x a week. All my (medical) test results have always been perfectly normal and the only time I've ever lost any muscle tone was when a knee injury left me in a brace for almost a year and my left leg understandably shriveled. It was back to normal size after just 6 weeks of PT.