Excuse me for being blunt, but am I just a fat butt? Lol. calorie limit Q

Verity1111
Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
edited 2:54AM in Food and Nutrition
I have seen so many posts about people who say they cannot get up to their calorie goal. Sometimes their calorie goal is as low as 1200 calories per day. I am a 5 foot 4 woman and if I wasn't thinking about it I would probably 3000 calories per day and enjoy every second of it lol. I still would not gain that much weight, though I did gain a little bit doing that. Not as much as I'd think.. So I guess I am blessed with a pretty well working metabolism.. Thankfully... But that is beside the point. I need to be very very careful to eat 1600calories and I still go over a little sometimes. Am I just a fatty? I mean, at heart I'm sure I am. My boyfriend and I joke about how much we eat all of the time, but even so I'm shocked how many people say they struggle to eat. I'm a vegetarian, but I love cheese, avocado, beans, bread, rice, pasta, dressing, etc. Is everyone else having problems eating more while I am sitting here being bitter eating less? Lol. I'm suspicious of that idea since the majority seems to be here because they're overweight. Help me out here...I'm very curious. lol.
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Replies

  • FitForL1fe
    FitForL1fe Posts: 1,872 Member
    nah I can easily eat 4500/day if I'm not counting my calories.

    those people are crazy
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    draznyth wrote: »
    nah I can easily eat 4500/day if I'm not counting my calories.

    those people are crazy
    Thanks for excusing and ignoring my dumb phones typos lol "hear nectar". That's how I feel about it! Food is delicious. I just don't understand... lol
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    I wonder how those people got fat in the first place.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    you're human...
  • FitForL1fe
    FitForL1fe Posts: 1,872 Member
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    draznyth wrote: »
    nah I can easily eat 4500/day if I'm not counting my calories.

    those people are crazy
    Thanks for excusing and ignoring my dumb phones typos lol "hear nectar". That's how I feel about it! Food is delicious. I just don't understand... lol

    lol put a pizza in front of me and I'll eat it all if I'm not counting cals.

    now 3-4k/day worth of chicken and rice...idk that would be a struggle
  • mpeters1965
    mpeters1965 Posts: 370 Member
    I'm with you! I set my calorie goal higher than MFP recommended even though it has slowed me down in weight loss. I don't have a ton to lose (lost 8 and need to lose around another 8-10) but I feel like I am starving at 1200 calories. Just under 1,400 is what I have now and most days I still have to work to stay below or at that. I don't have a great metabolism but I do exercise regularly.

    I do have two adult daughters though, and one of them regularly forgets to eat and the other seems to live on very little (she isn't a big person). They are both healthy and happy. I sure can't understand it but having seen it for years, I know that some people are just made that way. Just not me! :smile:
  • FitForL1fe
    FitForL1fe Posts: 1,872 Member
    I wonder how those people got fat in the first place.

    lol yeah they "can't hit 1600" while they log 1200 in "clean" foods and then sneak another 2k worth of ice cream off the books
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited May 2015
    People who fail to eat up to their allotted calories usually find it hard because they used to eat very calorie dense foods in small amounts and then they think dieting means extremely low fat rabbit food, so eating the same quantities they used to eat and still hitting their calories may be difficult.

    I eat whatever I want, but on some days what I want happens to be very low calorie and I end up at around 800 or 1000, while on some other days 3000 is not uncommon. I average around 1700 because I adore foods on both ends of the calorie spectrum. The way I control my eating now is by making some meals less calorie dense. For example when I was super obese I used to drench my salads in olive oil. A typical salad was about 800-1000 calories, no kidding. Now I only use a tablespoon of olive oil and a salad is no more than 200 calories. Same volume, just less calorie dense. Now imagine those who use no oil at all. A very low fat vegetable based diet can be very hard to overeat.

    You're not crazy, you just like food that has a higher amount of calories. They're not crazy either, they're just misinformed about dieting.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    I wouldn't say you are abnormal but you may be more active or have other variables than someone else.

    I'm 5'4" and my calorie goal is 1270 and I usually eat between 1270 and 1500 calories. On rare occasions I might get closer to 2000 calories but most of the time I would feel overstuffed if I ate that much. I love food and don't have trouble getting to my goal but am fully satisfied with less calories than you most days. I am also a pretty sedentary person.
    My dh struggles to eat enough sometimes but he is on a medication that has affected his appetite as a side effect. Some people who say they struggle to eat enough may not be accurate in their logging and are eating more than they think or they may have other issues that impact their appetite.
    Possibly you are not totally accurate either and are eating less or burning more than you think. If what you do works for you then it doesn't really matter if someone else eats a lot less.
  • maria76l
    maria76l Posts: 32 Member
    I could easily eat loads if i wasn't watching my kcal i always joke about loving food but i genuinely do im over weight through not watching what i was eating and eating the wrong foods.
  • PatrickH59
    PatrickH59 Posts: 5 Member
    Despite being a life long runner, eating a healthy diet, and having pretty good cholesterol numbers, I somehow got a 95% blockage in my main coronary artery, and had a stent put in two weeks ago. So, in hopes of slowing my heart disease I decided to tune up my diet. (I am also now taking all my recommended meds). I am primarily trying to drastically reduce added sugar, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Given those constraints I am having a tough time hitting my calorie goals just to maintain weight (2225 before considering exercise). It's only going to get harder when I begin to get back to my previous running and lifting now that I can't top off the tank at the end of the day with cookies and coke. Beer helps.
  • Justthisgirl1994
    Justthisgirl1994 Posts: 226 Member
    I just hate the feeling of being stuffed, and so I stop eating as soon as I feel satisfied. Plus I rarely snack on random things throughout the day. The reason I gained a bit of weight in the first place is from binging on alcohol like 4x a week #collegelife
  • My_Butt
    My_Butt Posts: 2,300 Member
    I'm actually switching sides. My calorie intake is at 1,990, and since I eat so many fruits and veggies during my long work shift, I'm actually tired of eating. I eat something almost every hour at work to keep my energy up (construction). This week, I've been leaving some snacks in the truck because I'm just bored of eating.

    But on Sundays when I go to a restaurant and have my pint of ice cream, I can still chow down 2000+.
  • BeginnersBootcamp
    BeginnersBootcamp Posts: 90 Member
    Hahaha hey now, be nice! Some people have food issues and they're afraid to eat then tell themselves they "cant" hit their goal. I have a lot of allergies so I'm limited and i try to stay away from processed foods so somedays I dont hit my 1200 goal if I'm eating totally clean and eating whatever is available at the time at home. I wasn't fat before (to whomever asked how we got fat in the first place) but I eat a lot differently and listen to my body now. Not saying its ok to be under, it's really not, but dont bash us and assume we are hiding foods :) k thanks
  • PopeyeCT
    PopeyeCT Posts: 249 Member
    edited May 2015
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    I have seen so many posts about people who say they cannot get up to their calorie goal.

    I always just ignore those people. It's like boys in the locker room bragging about their conquests.

    There is absolutely no way that anyone of any size can't eat 1200 calories in one meal if they really wanted to. No meat required.

    ilt4lzv3m6x7.jpg

    Or just one of these:
    hfqdxgc43prn.jpeg

  • PopeyeCT
    PopeyeCT Posts: 249 Member
    Hahaha hey now, be nice! Some people have food issues and they're afraid to eat then tell themselves they "cant" hit their goal. I have a lot of allergies so I'm limited and i try to stay away from processed foods so somedays I dont hit my 1200 goal if I'm eating totally clean and eating whatever is available at the time at home. I wasn't fat before (to whomever asked how we got fat in the first place) but I eat a lot differently and listen to my body now. Not saying its ok to be under, it's really not, but dont bash us and assume we are hiding foods :) k thanks

    Of course medical issues or allergies or things like that gets you a free pass!

  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    PopeyeCT wrote: »
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    I have seen so many posts about people who say they cannot get up to their calorie goal.

    I always just ignore those people. It's like boys in the locker room bragging about their conquests.

    There is absolutely no way that anyone of any size can't eat 1200 calories in one meal if they really wanted to. No meat required.

    ilt4lzv3m6x7.jpg

    Or just one of these:
    hfqdxgc43prn.jpeg

    This is very true, but you have to take into account that some of those people think they need to eat clean, low fat, or "diet foods". Many of them are just misinformed. Quite a few grew up during times when low fat was the only way to diet, or when very low calorie diets were the norm. That makes them more prone to falling for the clean eating trend with some remnants of the past diet mentality lingering on. I even knew someone who felt guilty if she wasn't hungry on a diet because that's how diets are supposed to make you feel and could not hit her goal because of how bad not feeling hungry made her feel.

  • itsMcKay
    itsMcKay Posts: 131 Member
    edited May 2015
    It's probably bull$hit. Plain and simple. Unless they're purposely gaining weight, which is always possible. I'm losing but my BF is gaining. Luckily, he's a bottomless pit so he never has that problem. ;p

    But yeah, I've managed to royally screw up these last two weeks by not paying attention to calories as closely as I need to and skipping some workouts. Today alone I more than doubled my calorie intake because my boyfriend smoked a 5-lb. pork butt and it was delicious. Also, my mom brought over chocolate. Big no no.

    But, yeah, it's mostly bull. Just tune them out. I say "mostly" because some people have weird relationships with food that might make that true. But the average obese person claiming they can't seem to eat 1200 calories a day is defying thermodynamics.
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    draznyth wrote: »
    I wonder how those people got fat in the first place.

    lol yeah they "can't hit 1600" while they log 1200 in "clean" foods and then sneak another 2k worth of ice cream off the books

    This made me laugh lol
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    People who fail to eat up to their allotted calories usually find it hard because they used to eat very calorie dense foods in small amounts and then they think dieting means extremely low fat rabbit food, so eating the same quantities they used to eat and still hitting their calories may be difficult.

    I eat whatever I want, but on some days what I want happens to be very low calorie and I end up at around 800 or 1000, while on some other days 3000 is not uncommon. I average around 1700 because I adore foods on both ends of the calorie spectrum. The way I control my eating now is by making some meals less calorie dense. For example when I was super obese I used to drench my salads in olive oil. A typical salad was about 800-1000 calories, no kidding. Now I only use a tablespoon of olive oil and a salad is no more than 200 calories. Same volume, just less calorie dense. Now imagine those who use no oil at all. A very low fat vegetable based diet can be very hard to overeat.

    You're not crazy, you just like food that has a higher amount of calories. They're not crazy either, they're just misinformed about dieting.

    Well thank you. That makes some sense. I wouldn't have thought of that, likely. I really could not live in just salad. For people who can... More power to them, I guess. lol
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    maria76l wrote: »
    I could easily eat loads if i wasn't watching my kcal i always joke about loving food but i genuinely do im over weight through not watching what i was eating and eating the wrong foods.

    This is it to me summed up for most people here, I'd assume.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Well most people who 'can't' eat 1200 calories probably underestimate their food IMO.

    But it's true that a lot of people go from calorie dense foods to low calorie, high volume foods, so they are full fast on much lower calories...

    But personally I could eat 1200 calories of 'clean' food and still be hungry 90% of the time, apart that one freak week a month when I'm actually not very hungry.
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    PatrickH59 wrote: »
    Despite being a life long runner, eating a healthy diet, and having pretty good cholesterol numbers, I somehow got a 95% blockage in my main coronary artery, and had a stent put in two weeks ago. So, in hopes of slowing my heart disease I decided to tune up my diet. (I am also now taking all my recommended meds). I am primarily trying to drastically reduce added sugar, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Given those constraints I am having a tough time hitting my calorie goals just to maintain weight (2225 before considering exercise). It's only going to get harder when I begin to get back to my previous running and lifting now that I can't top off the tank at the end of the day with cookies and coke. Beer helps.

    That makes sense. I'm glad you're okay. Sick is better than dead. Now you can better your health even more. Keep working on it. :)
  • Marilyn0924
    Marilyn0924 Posts: 797 Member
    draznyth wrote: »
    I wonder how those people got fat in the first place.

    lol yeah they "can't hit 1600" while they log 1200 in "clean" foods and then sneak another 2k worth of ice cream off the books

    Haha! Exactly what I was thinking!
  • jodazary
    jodazary Posts: 144 Member
    I have a problem eating the allotted 1200 I get msgs almost daily saying im not eating enough but im not hungry but im not losing weight either
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    I just hate the feeling of being stuffed, and so I stop eating as soon as I feel satisfied. Plus I rarely snack on random things throughout the day. The reason I gained a bit of weight in the first place is from binging on alcohol like 4x a week #collegelife

    I've never met anyone who feels full that easy lol so that's what I mean. I just ate over 500 calories and I don't feel full at all... I just have to make it until another meal or through the day whatever lol
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    My_Butt wrote: »
    I'm actually switching sides. My calorie intake is at 1,990, and since I eat so many fruits and veggies during my long work shift, I'm actually tired of eating. I eat something almost every hour at work to keep my energy up (construction). This week, I've been leaving some snacks in the truck because I'm just bored of eating.

    But on Sundays when I go to a restaurant and have my pint of ice cream, I can still chow down 2000+.

    Geeze. Well, yeah, if I was living off vegetables I would be tired of food. I don't like vegetables. Lol.. I mean, I eat them and I like them to an extent, but I'm not crazy over them. I'm obsessed with cheese.
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    Hahaha hey now, be nice! Some people have food issues and they're afraid to eat then tell themselves they "cant" hit their goal. I have a lot of allergies so I'm limited and i try to stay away from processed foods so somedays I dont hit my 1200 goal if I'm eating totally clean and eating whatever is available at the time at home. I wasn't fat before (to whomever asked how we got fat in the first place) but I eat a lot differently and listen to my body now. Not saying its ok to be under, it's really not, but dont bash us and assume we are hiding foods :) k thanks

    I'm not bashing, for the record. I'm legitimately wondering lol
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    PopeyeCT wrote: »
    Verity1111 wrote: »
    I have seen so many posts about people who say they cannot get up to their calorie goal.

    I always just ignore those people. It's like boys in the locker room bragging about their conquests.

    There is absolutely no way that anyone of any size can't eat 1200 calories in one meal if they really wanted to. No meat required.

    ilt4lzv3m6x7.jpg

    Or just one of these:
    hfqdxgc43prn.jpeg

    Mmm cheesecake....
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I just hate the feeling of being stuffed, and so I stop eating as soon as I feel satisfied. Plus I rarely snack on random things throughout the day. The reason I gained a bit of weight in the first place is from binging on alcohol like 4x a week #collegelife

    That's the thing though. Some days it takes way more calories to feel satisfied. Some days I can eat 4000 calories and still not feel stuffed.
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