7 Helpful Tips to Stop You From Undereating

Earlier, you may have seen a Take about overeating. Now, I write about tips for preventing undereating. I believe that some people overlook the dangers of undereating, so hopefully, this Take and the previous Take will show you that it's important to eat approximately at your weight-maintenance point instead of eating too much or too little.

1. Know your daily calorie requirement

The table above is a very generic guideline of the amount of calories that one should eat based on activity level and body weight. Your mileage may vary.

2. Eat less fiber-rich foods

People mostly assume that fiber-rich foods are "healthy"; however, you should not go too crazy about eating too many fiber-rich foods. In fact, it is extremely easy to eat nothing but fruits and vegetables, feel overstuffed, and be completely energy-deficient and protein-deficient. Therefore, to maintain a healthy weight, you should eat protein-rich, energy-dense foods, like tofu, avocados, eggs, milk, chicken, pork, beef, and fish.

3. Increase your portion sizes

If you are unintentionally losing weight, then you should increase your portion sizes. Instead of having one bowl of watery oatmeal (1/4 cup oatmeal + 2 cups water), you may increase the amount of food content in the meal (1/2 cup oatmeal + 4 cups water) or add something that is rich in protein (such as tofu and hard-boiled eggs) to the oatmeal.

4. Eat more frequently

If you normally eat 3 meals a day (morning, noon, and night) and you find yourself unexpectedly losing weight, then you should eat more frequently -- twice as much or twice as often as you did before. If you don't have time to eat twice as often, then just follow number 3 and increase your portion sizes in your regular meals.

5. Always have water on hand, and stay hydrated

Dehydration is a way to lose weight. Losing weight by dehydration is unhealthy, because severe dehydration leads to death. Mild dehydration may lead to chapped lips or concentrated urine. You may eat a hydrating cucumber. A cucumber mostly consists of water, so it's a great water source.

6. Don't eat junk food

In Super Size Me (2004), Morgan Spurlock eats nothing but fast food for a month, and by the end of the month, he completely deteriorates his health, gains too much fat so quickly, and even loses some muscle mass. When the body gains or loses weight too quickly, stretch marks and loose skin will form.

7. Eat breakfast with the intention of outputting energy

Some people eat breakfast every day to maintain a normal body weight. Some people delay breakfast to noontime. Some people eat before a morning work-out. Whatever you do, eat something so you will have enough energy for your daily activities.

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Yoda Age: 27

Sometimes I forget to eat. I guess it's a bad thing that I skip lunch and eat twice the amount of dinner. I don't understand people who intentionally try undereat.