Calorie Deficit - Seems to be a hot but confusing topic.

upscalelifedownscalebutt

Just add nutrient and calorie rich foods. If you like wine, beer, cake, cookies, etc. have some as part of your meal plan, but try to add nutrient density to go with the calories.

If you start eating more your body will start wanting more. Same with exercise. The more you do the more your body wants to do.

3foldchord

So my net calories are 400.

But because I ate 1100 calories and my deficit is 700 calories, I'm still eating enough to remain healthy and rarely eat extra due to working out or "make up my deficit" as some say. I feel like that is my sweet spot for burning fat without sacrificing muscle, as the article states.

Huh? Giving your body a mere 400 calories a day for basic functions is not enough to remain healthy, not enough 'burn fat without sacrificing mscle', and not enough to maintain cognitive function.

upscalelifedownscalebutt

I drink 4-6 20-oz bottles of water per day.

Water fills up your stomach. Could be why you aren't as hungry.

SLLRunner

I have to ask, how it is you have trouble eating at least 1200 calories? No offense but you didnt get to a place where you need to lose weight by under eating. i know I didn't. What is your plan after you lose the weight?

I echo this. Boy, all of us ate way over our calorie allotment to put on weight, therefore I don't understand how eating some healthy calories can be difficult.

Many of us don't have big stomachs - we got fat on sweets, pastry, sweetened drinks etc, not on big quantities of food. When switching to a clean diet you can feel full on 800 calories a day - for a while. It's just an adjustment period, that I personally don't see needing to be "fixed" as long as you know what's going to come next.

Granted that sweets generally do have more calories than other foods, it still takes a whole lot of them to gain weight over a few months or even a year. What is the difference between replacing those caloric sweets with caloric fish, nuts, legumes, and other higher protein food to make sure you reach your goals?

I think a lot of people saying that they can't meet their calorie goals to some extent (many of us don't eat back all exercise calories due to possible error, but we eat a good potion of them back) is about fear of certain foods being "fattening" or fear of going out of control again. Let's face it, we all got fat by being out of control at some point.

SLLRunner

HI
MY NAME IS MARG AND I CAN TELL YOU THIS... THAT I HAVE BEEN EATING 1000 -1200 CALORIES EXERCISE USE LITE WTS.. AND I RECENTLY WENT TO A PERSONAL .T AND NUTRI. AND HE TOLD ME ALONG WITH EVERY ONE ELSE I AN MOT EATING ENOUHG~~~ WHEN YOU EAT 1200 AND BURN SAY 500 IN EXERCISE YOU ARE THEN AT 700 CAL. STARVING YOUR BODY! BUT...... I HAVE UP MY CALORIES TO 1500 FOR 2 WEEKS AND I WT MYSELF TODAY UP 2 LBS SO I AM AS CONFUSED AS YOU... :{

Well, you are probably eating more than you think you are, plus you could be over estimating your exercise calories.

mumblemagic

I didn't know that - that's really interesting! I just assumed they rode through the pain and forced themselves to ignore it. I was confused as to how they built up the willpower to avoid eating for days at a time. It makes more sense now.

a person is not anorexic because they have good willpower.... they have a mental disorder.

Yeah, I know it's a mental disorder and a pretty serious one at that. I just didn't know how they overcome hunger to avoid eating for so long. I usually can't go more than about 4-5 hours without a nibble of something. If they don't get hungry, it makes so much more sense to me now how they avoid eating.

Holly_Roman_Empire

I'm confused. why is it so hard for you to eat 1350 cals? It isn't much at all, especially if you are burning 700 calories, which would take like 2 hours on a gazelle. How long do you use the gazelle for?

Agree. I never understand this. Especially coming from people with lots of weight to lose. How did they become overweight in the first place?

akaMrsmojo

Oh wow. I honestly don't think I've ever felt this much animosity in a forum or been attacked so harshly.

I'm afraid it's just the way it is these days on MFP but not without reason - you won't have been the first person to have mentioned how they are happily eating under 1200 kcals.

Irrespective of whether you feel full or not or whether you feel good or not, if you under-eat, at some point you will experience some of the following:
-fatigue (which can lead to injuries due to a lack of concentration)
-hair loss
-low libido
-low immunity (so you'll get infections, colds, flu etc)
-depression

So figure out how you can pack more calories in whilst still losing weight.

Thank you for that! I know I'm in for it in the long run, but for now, I have none of those symptoms of poor nutrition. I promise that I will keep those in mind and fix things

Once those symptoms appear, the damage is done. It makes it a lot harder to lose in the future because you are destroying your metabolism.

Follow the program, please. It works and you you do not have to damage your body to get results.

RonW956

I never was a big eater to begin with but after using MFP's calorie thing, it says that I'm not eating enough? According to it Im consuming on average 1100-1300 cal a day.... Been at it for months and I walk/jog everyday, I walk to work & stand at my job for long hrs at a time. I dont feel hungry, never really did.

Personally I think we go overboard on counting calories, everyone's bodies are not the same. what works for one may not work for someone else...


and yeah, if your watching your diet & eating clean, then 1300 cal a day for some, may be hard go figure....I'll have a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast.... 2/3 cup uncooked or about roughly a cup & a half cooked with 1 cup milk, about 400 calories. that can fill me up until past lunchtime.... for lunch, PB&J sandwich & a banana , round off to another 500 calories.... and I feel full...

dinner maybe a piece of chicken with a salad... about 300... and thats 1200 in a day.....so I think the ones who say that I'm starving myself may need to ask themselves if they are the ones who's still eating too much?

Rai007

The reason she is feeling full on so little net calories is primarily due to leptin serum concentration levels decreasing along with the LEP-R receptors becoming unreliable in monitoring changes in leptin levels. In short, her hunger cues are disturbed and not reliable in terms of meeting energy needs. Additionally, her body's proficiency in burning the optimal amount of calories throughout the day is decreasing at a considerable rate relative to the degree and duration of restriction. The result is, over time, she needs to eat less and less to maintain her weight. These are common side effects from chronically restricting calories via a semi-starvation diet and, combined, is also what leads to obesity relapse once one increases calories back up to adjusted maintenance.

Op pls see a doctor because you are going on VLCD.

astartig

The reason she is feeling full on so little net calories is primarily due to leptin serum concentration levels decreasing along with the LEP-R receptors becoming unreliable in monitoring changes in leptin levels. In short, her hunger cues are disturbed and not reliable in terms of meeting energy needs. Additionally, her body's proficiency in burning the optimal amount of calories throughout the day is decreasing at a considerable rate relative to the degree and duration of restriction. The result is, over time, she needs to eat less and less to maintain her weight. These are common side effects from chronically restricting calories via a semi-starvation diet and, combined, is also what leads to obesity relapse once one increases calories back up to adjusted maintenance.

Op pls see a doctor because you are going on VLCD.

Net calories do not equal vlcd. she is eating 1100-1200 calories a day, the exercise does not drop someone into a vlcd. it's what you actually eat that counts for that. the deficit is taken from body composition. it's not like the body suddenly has no fuel. It's the nutrients that set the 1200 calorie baseline nothing else.

the important thing is that nutrients are eaten adn enough protein is consumed to keep the muscle tissue from wasting.

mwal74

I've decided this will be my last post on this thread. I did state in my original message "please let me know if I'm mistaken" because I wasn't really sure how things were done here at MFP. It amazes me how some of you jumped at the chance to make sure I felt completely stupid and worthless. You failed.

I fully understand that my eating habits over the 5-6 days I'd logged here were not as healthy as they could be; they were not representative of my normal diet. I do know that the Special K bars are not what they're cracked up to be; they're usually used as a treat because I like them more than snickers. This is also the second time I've explained that my durango was in the shop and I had no way to go real food shopping until last night. I could have been eating my son's taquitos, greasy pizza pockets, sugary cereals, and other worse things. I didn't.

I think the best advice I got out of this topic was to keep doing what works for me, watch my nutrient intake, start weight training, and listen to my body.

I honestly hope no one considering joining MFP bases their decision on this thread. If I had seen something like this - people degrading others, poking fun at, etc... I would have never joined. I would have gone somewhere where people lift you up and support you. Luckily, I have a great group of friends, and this thread helped me make even more.

Several of you were extremely rude. I understand that this is the internet, and you are anonymous to me. That makes it OK, right? Those of you who chose to be rude - I hope you're not teachers. Students, even those looking for information from a message forum, do not need to be degraded the way you've done here. Education, no matter the type, needs to be constructive and uplifting.

Do the MFP community a favor and either let this topic die down or have a moderator delete it. It really does set a bad example for people who may be looking for a good place to join.

akaMrsmojo

I've decided this will be my last post on this thread. I did state in my original message "please let me know if I'm mistaken" because I wasn't really sure how things were done here at MFP. It amazes me how some of you jumped at the chance to make sure I felt completely stupid and worthless. You failed.

I fully understand that my eating habits over the 5-6 days I'd logged here were not as healthy as they could be; they were not representative of my normal diet. I do know that the Special K bars are not what they're cracked up to be; they're usually used as a treat because I like them more than snickers. This is also the second time I've explained that my durango was in the shop and I had no way to go real food shopping until last night. I could have been eating my son's taquitos, greasy pizza pockets, sugary cereals, and other worse things. I didn't.

I think the best advice I got out of this topic was to keep doing what works for me, watch my nutrient intake, start weight training, and listen to my body.

I honestly hope no one considering joining MFP bases their decision on this thread. If I had seen something like this - people degrading others, poking fun at, etc... I would have never joined. I would have gone somewhere where people lift you up and support you. Luckily, I have a great group of friends, and this thread helped me make even more.

Several of you were extremely rude. I understand that this is the internet, and you are anonymous to me. That makes it OK, right? Those of you who chose to be rude - I hope you're not teachers. Students, even those looking for information from a message forum, do not need to be degraded the way you've done here. Education, no matter the type, needs to be constructive and uplifting.

Do the MFP community a favor and either let this topic die down or have a moderator delete it. It really does set a bad example for people who may be looking for a good place to join.

OP, I do not think people mean to be harsh or try to make you feel stupid. People here know that you are hurting your body and afraid you will not listen and do harm. Please understand, while people come across harsh, they are sincerely trying to help.

MFP is not about starving, it is a program that works. I never eat under 1200, always hit my goal of 1480 and I lose.

Do not be discouraged, be happy so many are trying to help you.

MuseofSong

OP:

Not agreeing with you is not the same thing as attacking you.

I called shenanigans on your claim of feeling sick at forcing yourself to eat 1350 calories, which is your currently recommended MFP net for your weekly loss goal.

Neither you nor I became obese eating 1350 a day. We were packing in several thousand extra calories above our TDEE to gain weight on a semi-regular basis.

To claim otherwise is to lie to yourself, and to say it's hard for you to eat 1350 a day was another lie. To go from eating a TDEE surplus to a net of only 400 calories is silly.

It makes me think your post was a drama troll, but if it's legitimate, awesome, I hope you read the forum links and get your math sorted out for the sake of your own health. Good luck with whatever you decide.

RenewedRunner

This is some random microcosm of society where most of us will only interact via a computer screen and keyboard. How can people who you can easily ignore bother you so much?? Who cares what people say?? Are you this sensitive in life?? I am an educator, I work with students all day long and tell them constantly that what other people say only has power when you GIVE it to them. It doesn't need to be so painful. Not everyone in real life is Sandra dee sweet, why would you expect that off the Internet??

And even couched in snark, there is a ring of truth. Ignore the tone, take the truth, and move on. Not everything is puppies and rainbows.

melaniecheeks

If you were so sure that your way is fine - why did you ask the question?

geekyjock76

Maybe people are jealous that you feel full on less than 1200..... Honestly I am a little bit too

Most anorexics feel not at all hungry on 600 calories (total) or less a day...it's because they have broken the mechanism that controls hunger cues and hormones. So, don't be jealous.

^^^^This is bull****. Most anas are hungry all the time they just fight against it. It's a second by second battle against levels of ghrelin that would send the average person into an all consuming feeding frenzy. Yes, they learn to bypass their triggers, some of which are healthier than others, but so has the vast majority of the world for varying reasons.

Anorexics typically suffer from both elevated ghrelin and decreased serum leptin. Thus, they may experience moments of feeling not hungry, despite eating little, and moments of feeling outright starving while their hunger/satiety cues remain disturbed.

mumblemagic

A couple of articles that people might find interesting:
http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/the-dirt-on-clean-eating/

And from the BBC today:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24464774

Very interesting reading, regarding the scientific merits of drinking water & eating clean.

calliekitten9

Honestly, I think there is some solid advice in this thread..and I did not read it to mean to just keep doing what you are doing because a lot of people were concerned about the total calories you consumed. I understand that some posters were more "blunt" then others....but overall I think everyone was trying to answer your question. I know that I need to do a better job with my calorie intake. One thing that MFP has allowed me to do is to see gaps in what I am eating and why I tend to "fluctuate" so much (ie eating too little, eating too much cycle). I have to take responsibility for ensuring that I have enough items in my home at all times to ensure that I can still get a healthy meal even if I cannot make it to the store because I work late or just don't feel like it. Taking care of ourselves is a lifelong challenge and without other people who can help us to see our pitfalls, we can often get caught up in a cycle that ultimately hurts us rather than helps us. I do hope that you do take from this post the advice about eating more calories and perhaps getting a more accurate estimate on the calories you actually burn. I know that I have been resistant to buying a food scale but that leaves me guessing amounts rather than actually knowing what my true total calories consumed is.

In the end...I do wish you luck on your journey and applaud your decision to take your health into your hands.

cwolfman13

There really isn't anything complicated or confusing about a calorie deficit...it's just that people like to overcomplicate things. You need XXXX calories to maintain....you cut 500 calories from that to lose about 1 Lb per week...it's pretty much like 5th grad math. Maybe why they had that show, "are you smarter than a 5th grader?" Apparently a lot of people aren't.

When I didn't exercise I needed about 2400 calories to maintain...which means to lose about 1 Lb per week I needed to eat around 1900 calories. I did that for quite awhile and finally started getting my fitness on. That activity wasn't accounted for in my activity level with MFP so those 300 calories I burned needed to be tacked onto those 1900 calories...so I grossed roughly 2200 calories. Note that my new maintenance with exercise would also now be 2700 calories...so at 2200 calories, I'm still at a 500 calorie deficit from maintenance.

See...5th grade math.

Edit: as others have noted, you have to be careful not to overestimate burn...if you're probably not burning 700 calories in an hour. I burn about 600 calories in an hour of cycling non-stop at about 15ish MPH...it's a pretty good clip and there's no stopping...I see people logging those kinds of burns all of the time for what amounts to a joy ride with their kids...most people don't burn as much as they think they burn. If it seems too good to be true then it probably is. I used to eat back about 80% of what my HRM told me I burned for an aerobic event to account for estimation error. If you're using a database, you likely will need to account for more error due largely to the fact the people tend to overestimate their level of effort because they are "tired" when they're done.