Healthy Lifestyle Assessment: Evaluating Your Diet and Exercise

Question
Hi. I am a 23 yr old female, 5'4, and about 123 lbs.  I am very interested in healthy eating. I usually only eat whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and things low in sugar and fat. Im not obsessed though, I do splurge on occasion.

I have always been relatively active. But more recently I have upped my exercise routine. These days I usually play soccer 3 times/wk, do vigorous weight training 2-3 times/wk, and run about 15-20 miles/wk. I have lost about 10lbs in the past 1.5 months.

I am concerned because I feel like I am eating enough but when I track my calories I am only averaging about 1200 calories a day. Everyone tells me I need to be eating more than that especially since I exercise so much. But I feel like I am always full, its just that my food choices are low in calories. I eat fruits, veggies, fish, whole grain bread, etc. And I eat pretty much all day. I  always eat a good breakfast, lunch and dinner and I ususually snack 2-3 times throughout.

I dont want to be doing anything to slow my metabolism or make my body think Im starving it. Do you think this is a problem? Should I be eating more? If so, how? Should I just eat food with more calories because I dont think I could possibly eat MORE food...

I appreciate your help!


Answer
It sounds like your diet is pretty good.  If you are tracking your calories correctly then I would say that 1200 is quite low for your age and activity level.  However, I wouldn't obsess about the amount of calories.  Continue to eat a healthy diet, including ALL of the food groups: lean meat/fish, fruit, vegetable, dairy, and whole grains.  Eating 3 meals a day with snacks in between is great!  Maybe just increase portions slightly.  It doesn't take much to increase your calories!  But if you are losing weight at a healthy rate, which is 1-2 pounds per week and are not going BELOW a healthy weight than you are doing OK.
You can check out www.mypyramid.gov for more info.  Also www.fitday.com is a great site to use if you want to double check your calorie intake.
Kim Tessmer, RD LD
www.Nutrifocus.net