Can someone tell me if i'm eating right?

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  • raingirl21
    raingirl21 Posts: 167 Member
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    i lost 5 lbs in 9 days next weigh in is tuesday so im happy with this

    Also just be aware that when you first lose, it's mostly water weight, so it will tapper off in the next few weeks. Don't get discouraged, slow and steady weight loss is the way to keep it off.
  • robinjjordan
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    thankyou kathy! well now i drink rockstar energy water no sodium no sugar no carbs 200 mg of caffeine so its better than coffee i have it instead of coffee
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
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    woahhh alrite, i wasnt planning to eat this way forever! when i'm the weight i want obviously im gonna up the calories so i dont lose more and just maintain if people respond like this your gonna make newcomers afraid of ever asking a question be nicer

    I don't understand. You posted a topic asking if you were eating right. Many people responded, with good intentions, and let you know that the way you are eating could be very harmful to your body and you weight loss. Now you're basically saying you won't take any of the advice you've been given and we shouldn't have told you something you didn't want to hear.

    Do what you want, but many people here who are offering you advice really know what they're talking about. It would benefit you to listen to them now rather than later.

    Also, of course you're not always going to eat like this - which is exactly why you should start eating better NOW. If you eat 1000 calories a day until you reach your goal weight, then start eating normally again, the weight is going to pop right back on. 100% guaranteed. If you eat in a healthy, sustainable way, you can still lose weight and then once you reach your goal weight maintaining will be easy.

    I don't think anyone here was trying to be mean. We're TRYING to be helpful. If you don't want advice, don't ask for it.
  • robinjjordan
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    i guess i didnt think i was eating so wrong and was expecting alittle negative stuff but mostly "yeah ur eating pretty good" lol well i wasnt gonna eat normally! lol i was gonna increase by like 100 or 200 cals when im at the weight i want. small raises id be to scared to raise it anymore than that
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
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    i guess i didnt think i was eating so wrong and was expecting alittle negative stuff but mostly "yeah ur eating pretty good" lol well i wasnt gonna eat normally! lol i was gonna increase by like 100 or 200 cals when im at the weight i want. small raises id be to scared to raise it anymore than that

    or... read the links i posted and trust the science. fear is really not part of the equation once you know what's really going on with your body.
  • Binkie1955
    Binkie1955 Posts: 329 Member
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    you're higher in carbs and lower in protein than I do and you're consuming grain products
    you're using soda's and 'monster energy' drinks which I consider 'anti-nutrients'. better off with a whey protein shake in almond milk or an Atkins Bar.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
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    i guess i didnt think i was eating so wrong and was expecting alittle negative stuff but mostly "yeah ur eating pretty good" lol well i wasnt gonna eat normally! lol i was gonna increase by like 100 or 200 cals when im at the weight i want. small raises id be to scared to raise it anymore than that

    Understandable. I know it can be overwhelming, especially when you're new! But we honestly are trying to help you out. Here's the best thing I can do for you: I'm going to do some math and give you some numbers to work with.

    Your BMR is your Basal Metabolic Rate. This is the number of calories you would burn in a coma. Your body NEEDS this many calories each day just to keep running properly. If you eat less than this on a consistent basis, overtime your body will have to compensate by slowing your metabolism or stopping some of it's normal processes (your hair will start thinning, etc). At 5'4", 163lbs and 24 years old, your BMR is 1474 calories per day.

    You TDEE is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure. This is how many calories you burn every day with your daily activities. This is harder for me to calculate since I don't know if you exercise or have a busy job or what. If you were SEDENTARY, your TDEE is about 1770 calories per day. If you're not sedentary (have a job, have kids, exercise, etc.) it's even higher than that. But let's just assume you're sedentary. This means you could eat 1770 calories a day and MAINTAIN your weight.

    So what do these numbers mean? Simple. Eat less than your TDEE, and you will lose weight. If you were to eat 1450 calories a day, you'd lose almost a pound a week. And you'd still be eating right around your BMR, so you'd be doing it the healthy way. A pound is 3500 calories, so that's a 500 calorie a day deficit. To lose 1 pound a week (recommended for most people), you could eat 1270 calories a day. I wouldn't recommend that though since 1270 is below your BMR.

    Also keep in mind that this is the MINIMUM amount of calories. I calculated this for you based on the idea that you are "sedentary." If you do anything besides sit on your but all day, you're actually NOT sedentary, so you can eat even more.

    Bottom line: 1000 calories or less is ridiculously low and your body will suffer for it. Eat 1400 or more for safe, healthy weight loss. When you're ready to maintain, you can eat more like 1700 and not gain weight.

    Or you can keep eating 1000 now, then jump up to 1200 when you're ready to maintain, ruin your metabolism, yo-yo diet for the rest of your life, and be generally miserable.
  • missybct
    missybct Posts: 321 Member
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    woahhh alrite, i wasnt planning to eat this way forever! when i'm the weight i want obviously im gonna up the calories so i dont lose more and just maintain if people respond like this your gonna make newcomers afraid of ever asking a question be nicer

    When you up the calories, you will gain weight - and fast, because you've restricted so harshly. I'm speaking from experience here. Also, you may get into a cycle of yo-yoing around - restrictive diet, gain weight, restrict, gain and repeat. You may be left resenting diets to the point where you refuse to eat anything remotely healthy because your perception of it is so skewered.

    I'm not going to get into the debate about clean versus "dirty" eating. I generally try and eat clean not because I feel forced, but because I prefer it - if I have a day where I eat a bit down and dirty I normally feel the same the following day. The thing with avoiding processed foods is that the natural foods are usually higher in quality ingredients/macro's and fuel you better - both in body and mind. However, food is food. A calorie deficit will work, but it may work better with cleaner eating - but we are all different with different lifestyles and environments.

    Do whatever works for you, but please consider upping your calories to at least 1200 - the weight loss may slow down slightly, but it will be healthier for your body and brain in the long run.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
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    Sorry, meant to add a couple of things.

    When you start eating more (and please, please do), you might see a gain on the scale AT FIRST. Your body needs time to adjust. Please do not say "Oh well I tried eating more and it didn't work, I need to keep eating 1000 or less!" Your body just needs time to catch up. I promise once your body adjusts you will start losing weight again and it will be in a much healthier manner.

    Also, just a note: you mentioned you'd be "afraid" to increase by 100 or 200 calories when you're ready to maintain. That concerns me a bit. The fact that you might be scared to eat more than 1200 calories, ever again, is a huge red flag when it comes to a healthy relationship with food, mental well-being, and potential eating disordered. I'm DEFINITELY not saying you have a disorder, but if you continue to be afraid of food, you could be heading down a slippery slope. If these feelings persist or get worse, please seek the help of a professional. Most people eat 2000+ calories a day as part of a normal, healthy life. If you are "scared" to eat barely more than 1000, there is something wrong.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    Like the others, I would recommend eating more and to make it quality. You don't have to give up all of the packaged stuff if that works for you, but consider the fact that homemade meals would be better for you in the long term. I often make big pots of soup and freeze it in individual portions to use as homemade freezer meals.

    As at least one other person mentioned you asked if you were eating right and people are giving your opinions on why they think you are not. Many of us have been here a long time, myself over 2 years, losing for a year and basically maintaining for a year with a major surgery and a small gain during recovery. You can't expect a "good job" for everyone.

    Please do as you said, upping your calories by 100 or so until you are consistently at at least 1200 calories. Your loss so far is great, but it will likely stall if you continue to under eat. You are better off losing a little more slowly and learning how to properly nourish your body.
  • danasings
    danasings Posts: 8,218 Member
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    i lost 5 lbs in 9 days next weigh in is tuesday so im happy with this

    Why are you even asking this question, then? You are getting defensive about people suggesting that you eat healthier, more calorie-dense foods instead of considering that maybe these people know what they are talking about. If you're "happy with this," then by all means, keep doing what you're doing. You will learn the hard way, like most of us have.
  • lpina2mi
    lpina2mi Posts: 425 Member
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    I do not have an informed opinion whether the calorie count is right for you; it may be. And I do not concur with the current noise that everyone has to eat enough calories to loose weight. If this were true, concentration camp and famine survivors would not have continued to loose body mass below a threshold. I am not saying that starving is healthy. I am just underscoring, that there is individual needs and that with good professional guidance the range of optimal calories varies.
    I would rather focus on whole life and forever nutrition, rather than short-term dieting as an approach to food selection. Here are the guidelines I am using.
    Work with select health professionals to take current and evolving body profiles and take measurements, as well as discuss new research or other nutrition information.
    Define what macros (protein-carbs-fat) fit best now and tweek them as your body changes. For me consuming higher "good fats" helps to keep RA in-check.
    Define what meals you eat and when you eat them. Release yourself from social norms, but flex a bit to fit with your family group. Then set up FitnessPal to reflect your most satisfying pattern.
    Incorporate low glycemic eating (restrict sugars and food combine the ones you do eat with fiber, fat, and/or protein.) With the other guidelines, this turns out to be eating yoghurt or nuts or seeds alongside the sweetest fruits AND NOT a cream-filled donut.
    Strongly favor whole foods over processed foods. I make this especially true when I am eating fewer calories. I want to make every every kilocalorie count for something good. Calories are for building health. To this end, there are so many so-called foods & beverages which are heavily marketed that I do not eat.
    Eat more leafy greens. Eat more spinach, kale, bokchoy, brocolli, chard. This one was my new habit goal this year. I chop any leafy green and use this as my base for many toppings that would usually be presented ontop of rice or other grain. Indian curries and such work well.
    Aim to eat 20min to 35max fiber daily. Eat foods to include both soluble and insoluble fiber.
    Drink 8 to 12 (8oz) glasses daily.
    Rely primarily on food to fulfill nutrition requirements. Supplements are usually secondary.
    Get the right amount of sleep at the right time on most days.
    I grow some of my own food. I locally source and have casual relationships with the grocers that I buy other foods. I have defined staples I always stock in my pantry. I menu plan several dinners every week (with teens this works better than pre-planning all). With these things in place, I rarely think about food between the times I am hungry or when I have a meal to prepare.
  • Lauracharder
    Lauracharder Posts: 141 Member
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    you need to EAT more!!!! atleast 1200 calories
    you need more protein, bump that up to atleast 75 grams
    and do away the monster and soda drinks!
  • lpina2mi
    lpina2mi Posts: 425 Member
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    You need to eat more, undereating will not help you lose weight. Also I'm just warning you that someone might come on here and try to convince you that all the OMGbadprocessedfoods are bad for you. But if you're fine with it, thats fine. I eat a lot of processed foods and am still losing weight.

    Two things- you are definitely undereating, this stalls your progress because your body goes into starvation mode- I was very much an under eater several years ago while trying to lose weight, and it did not do me any favors!

    As far as the person I quoted, I am definitely not going to tell you OMG don't eat those processed foods at all!!! It is completely possible to lose weight eating processed foods, and I still love a Lean Cuisine once in a while. I WILL tell you, just from my experience, that it seems that almost all of your calories come from processed foods, and when I was eating similar things, I was much more bloated, and had a tougher time losing fat. Rather than suggesting you cut out all processed foods, you could make an effort to make sure you eat one less processed meal a day- rather than a lean cuisine, maybe a salad with some lean protein, or some scrambled eggs with veggies for breakfast and see how you feel, and if it makes a difference in how you feel and how your body responds.

    STARVATION MODE IS NOT A FACT; it is a wrong conclusion based on extrapolation from a study that showed metabolisms slow down. Slowing down is not the same thing as stopping. Starvation happens when there is no more fat to burn and the muscle that is being digested by one's own body results in truly wasting-away. REFER to these websites:

    Starvation mode myth or fact? | MyFitnessPal.com
    www.myfitnesspal.com › Message Boards › Food and Nutrition‎
    Jan 26, 2013 - 25 posts - 21 authors
    Im sorry but i cant beilve in it i just cant, I mean, some people did a study, on some men and their metabs slowed down but they never stopped ...
    Starvation Mode - Myth or Fact
    The Starvation Mode Myth...again.
    Starvation mode myth or fact???
    starvation mode: myth or fact?
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    Jan 29, 2013
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    Dec 7, 2011
    May 14, 2011
    Starvation Mode Revisited | Burn The Fat Blog - Tom Venuto.
    www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/2012/.../starvation-mode-revisited.ph...‎
    Dec 30, 2012 – I realized after the fact that there is more than one myth about starvation mode and it's VITAL to finish making sure I've mentioned all three:.
    Starvation Mode: Fact or Myth? - Calorie Count
    caloriecount.about.com › Forums › Young Calorie Counters‎
    Apr 10, 2012 - 10 posts - 6 authors
    Well, according to numerous sites, I'm putting my body into starvation mode since I eat around 600 calories a day. I don't get it, to be honest.
    Is Starvation Mode Myth Or Fact - What You Need To Know

    fitnessblackandwhite.com/starvation-mode-myth-or-fact/‎
    by Kevin McMillian - in 1,533 Google+ circles
    Jan 6, 2012 – Whether starvation mode is a myth or a fact is not really debatable. It does exist. However, there are many who are overly concerned with it and ...
    Starvation Mode. Myth or Fact? - Bodybuilding.com Forums
    forum.bodybuilding.com › More General Categories › Nutrition‎
    Jan 30, 2011 - 30 posts - 17 authors
    Is "Starvation Mode" Myth or Fact. To define stravation mode as eating less than 1000 calories a day will lower your metabolism and cause you ...
    Starvation Mode. Myth or Not?
    Starvation Mode Myth?
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    is starvation mode real or a myth??
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    Fatty Fights Back: MTYHBUSTERS: Starvation Mode
    fattyfightsback.blogspot.com/2009/03/mtyhbusters-starvation-mode.html‎
    Mar 24, 2009 – So what is the Starvation Mode Myth? ... In fact, after they'd been on this diet for a while -- we're talking months, not days here -- their body fat ...
    The starvation Mode Myth- Gaining weight in calorie deficit | Thigh ...
    thighgaphack.com/what-it-takes-to-enter-starvation-mode/‎
    Feb 24, 2013 – How many calories does it take to enter starvation mode? ... (Myth or Fact?) ... You only enter starvation mode once most of your body's fat has ...
    Fact or Fiction: Starvation Mode and Fast Metabolisms - PickFit ...
    www.pickfitfightfat.com/fact-or-fiction-starvation-mode-and-fast-metabolis...
    Jan 5, 2012 – MYTH: Eating a diet that is too low in calories will cause the body to go into starvation mode and not burn any calories. FACT: Severely cutting ...
    Calling Starvation Mode the “Starvation Myth”…Fact or Misleading?
    sparkofwellness.com/starvation-myth-misleading/‎
    Sep 4, 2012 – Calling Starvation Mode a “Starvation Myth” is both misleading. Starvation during dieting demonstrates that Starvation Mode is not a myth!
    Is The Starvation Mode Just A Myth? - Burn the Fat Inner Circle

    www.burnthefatinnercircle.com/members/378.cfm
    by Tom Venuto - in 833 Google+ circles
    Another myth about starvation mode is that adaptive reduction in metabolic rate .... Researchers are still debating these questions, in fact just earlier this year ...
  • kristinadalba
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    Hello
    Semi new here and thought I'd reach out in effort to chat.
    I took a look and there are two things that jump out at me.
    I'm not perfect or a doc,just a personal opinion.


    Totals 891 133 14 65 1,895 37
    robinjjordan Daily Goal 1,200 165 40 45 2,500 24
    Remaining 309 32 26 -20 605 -13

    Consuming 891 calories is an extreme cut.your body may slip into starvation mode and try to store as much weight as it can.this can be unpleasant to your body.If you restrict yourself to this extent,maintaining will be very difficult.I noticed your sugar intake was mostly from processed foods and preservatives.Even though the diet cola and energy drinks say they don't have sugar,they have aspartame and other harmful chemicals in them.I was a diet soda and energy drink addict,thinking because the labels say low or zero everything it couldn't be harming my goals.the sodium makes you bloat ,retain water ..scales to up.The chemicals are foreign to the body and have many effects. Aspartame is in many diet drinks and flavored waters....known to be a link to cancer.Theres also a debate if these diet products can be a stalker in weight loss as well.I switched to water and felt more energized,after the crash episodes.My headaches went away and surprisingly the scale dropped four lbs in a month from that one minor change.The only other thing is the processed food.many chemicals,unnatural sugars etc.
    I'd say cut the diet drinks,energy ones too.
    Just eat natural food for your snacks...fruits and vegg...I know Special K and all that stuff is good,but loaded with more things than say having a real cookie or soda.
    Beyond that either way you will lose weight,but I think if you did take these tips it may benefit your energy and def help the scales.
    Just an opinion,no bias or judgment,hope this help :)