Hey girl I know you went through a restrictive phase when the dr was monitoring your intolerances etc. Did your stomach shrink because of that I.e. You got full quicker? How did you readjust so your appetite asked for as much as you actually needed? I know I need more food than my hunger asks for (it doesn't ask for more than my bmr even though I'm quite active!) and I don't want to underfeed it because I'm so quickly full! Thanks :)
I still ate enough calorie wise, and I never restricted how much I ate, I was just worried about eating anything that was a “fodmap” and could cause me problems with my IBS, so adjusting my appetite wasn’t necessary- I was always hungry!
The problem with appetite is, when you’re not hungry and you eat less, your body has less energy to carry out life processes and your metabolism slows down, which means you burn off less energy just living, which means you need less food. It’s a vicious cycle, as the less you eat, the less your body learns to survive off, and the less you get hungry for.
I don’t think it’s necessary to know your BMR, so don’t compare what you eat it to it. Those online calculators are inaccurate and do not account for individual differences, you’re a lot better off ignoring them. Work on increasing portion sizes of grains from say 1/2 cup cooked to 1 cup cooked, add calorie dense avocado, hummus and tahini to savoury meals, and use coconut oil/olive oil to cook with. Snack on calorie dense nuts, seeds, medjool dates and dried fruit, and treat yourself to dessert! Chocolate, coconut yoghurt, raw cashew/coconut icecream, etc, and get baking! Make eating and food enjoyable and you’ll want to eat more, guaranteed.
After giving your body more calories, your body will have more energy to carry out processes, your metabolism will speed up and you’ll burn more calories, so you’ll get hungrier. It might take a while, but stick to it! Just try and cut down on fruit and vegetables for a while, except calorie dense sweet potato and bananas, because otherwise you’re just filling yourself up on low calorie food.
If you feel you need actual guidance, your doctor is qualified to give you an actual plan :)