Am I starving myself?

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  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    I just wanted to double check here. I am 287 pounds and I am trying to lose weight. I actually started out at 300 pounds. Over the last 3 weeks I've been eating consistently. Here is one typical day for me.

    Breakfast:

    Glucerna chocolate shake OR 1 hard boiled egg
    fruit (Today I had 1/2 cup blueberries)
    Frozen buttermilk waffles with 1/2 tablespoon of Country Crock butter with calcium

    Lunch:

    6 original sea salt triscuits
    2 oz of colby jack cheese
    red grapes
    1/2 cup cucumber with skin
    1/2 cup snap peas
    (I change up the fruit and vegetable weekly so I don't get bored.)

    Dinner:
    I know this is odd, but for the last 2 weeks all I have been having is chicken with spinach. I crave it every night!
    6 to 8 oz of chicken, no fat, no skin cooked in 1 tablespoon Country Crock butter with calcium
    1 to 2 cups of fresh spinach cooked in 1/2 tablespoon of evoo
    1/2 cup white onions
    1/2 cup mushrooms
    1 tablespoon minced garlic

    Dinner Option # 2
    Just 6 to 8 oz of chicken, no fat, no skin cooked in 1 tablespoon Country Crock butter with calcium
    With a green on the side.

    This is a typical day for me. I usually end up eating about 1250 to 1300 calories a day. I exercise 5 days a week for 30 minutes to an hour. I also do weight lifting with light weights.

    Are you netting or grossing 1250-1300 calories?

    I am netting 1250 -1300, actually it might be grossing because then I work out and burn more.

    What is the caloric goal that MFP gives you? When you workout, do you enter it and eat those cals back?
  • Transformer711
    Transformer711 Posts: 55
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    I have this problem too where I find it hard to meet my calorie goal on just over 1300 cals, especially on days where I workout and end up with 400+ more. Whilst its great that people realize their bodies don't need as much food as we like to think, eating too little must have some kind of long term implications.

    What I do is try to eat more healthy snacks during the day such as fruit, natural yogurt with granola and honey, cucumber/carrot sticks just to name a few. Sometimes I double up on dinner portions (within reason) in order to get more calories in. Like someone said, the key part to weight loss is finding a regime that is sustainable for the rest of your life. Weight loss doesn't have to be a strict regiment. There are lots of delicious healthy recipes out there, so try to get in some variation.

    Good luck!
  • thatgirlkellib
    thatgirlkellib Posts: 150 Member
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    personally what has worked for me,
    I have a complex carb for breakfast with a fruit, Like oatmeal apples with cinnamon or
    weight watchers string cheese and boiled eggs
    Watch your serving sizes / track each meal before you eat keeps you more accountable
    Replaced Milk with 1% or almond milk.
    Drink water before and after every meal
    Lunches make sure you have protein , tuna/ salad / chicken / egg / veggies

    dinner- lean protein and veggies
    changed cooking oils to Coconut oil
    for creamy additives I replaced with plain Greek yogurt (protein)
    I cut out all (fake sugars) and refined sugar
    use stevia and local raw honey
    diet sodas and beverages / beer makes you bloat --drink lots of water

    mainly do what makes you feel right

    I adore Blogilates With Cassie on youtube
    she has really good Ideas and reasons behind them
    pre-planning my meals makes me stay on track
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Yes.

    You're supposed to eat back exercise calories. Use http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ if you don't want to.
  • jennegan1
    jennegan1 Posts: 677 Member
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    starvation mode can happen to any one at any weight. If you arent eating your maintaince calories and dont eat for long periods of time your body goes into starvation mode

    Unless by "starvation mode" you mean "BMR drops a little", that is completely wrong.

    No I didnt mean that. I meant for some one to go on for days with out eating at all
  • SStruthers13
    SStruthers13 Posts: 150 Member
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    I think the answer is do you feel well? Do you have energy, go to the bathroom normally, sleep well and do you feel like you need to eat more? By feel like you need to eat more I mean are you sincerely hungry or just want to pig out or have a craving? If you are feeling well and eating a good variety (being nourished) then I say you are ok if you are not sincerely hungry. Some people are appalled by eating only 1200 to 1300 calories but I ate 1200 for a year and was fine even though I am very physically active. I only eat 1300 to 1400 a day to maintain. It's a matter of your metabolism. The key is to listen to what your body tells you and make good decisions.

    Also remember to eat a treat every now and again! I always had one REASONABLE pig out meal a week when I was losing and since I am at goal I have a treat daily.

    Good luck!
  • bkw61
    bkw61 Posts: 29 Member
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    Im 5.4. and weigh 143. I eat 1300 calories a day and loose about a pound every couple of weeks...key for me... I eat at least five times a day! it keeps my metabolizim humming. Plus make sure your eating the right nutrients via the MFP nutrition tracter part. It will let you know if you are meeting or short on protein and such.
    Simple savings tip. I use spray butter.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    starvation mode can happen to any one at any weight. If you arent eating your maintaince calories and dont eat for long periods of time your body goes into starvation mode

    Unless by "starvation mode" you mean "BMR drops a little", that is completely wrong.

    No I didnt mean that. I meant for some one to go on for days with out eating at all

    Studies have shown that it takes 72 hours of no food to have any metabolic adaptation. So realistically, starvation mode is not going to be an issue for anyone on this board. On the other hand, large deficits can lead to increase muscle loss which inevitably would lead to a lower BMR but for the most part, most peoples RMR will adapt to try and compensate.
  • red_road
    red_road Posts: 761 Member
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    Yes you are. Eat more please. Use this to figure out how much. Choose 15% below TDEE.

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    No!

    He is a high-body-fat individual, the standard scooby calculator will considerably overestimate his numbers.

    i actually found the scooby calculator to give me similar numbers as MFP
  • jennegan1
    jennegan1 Posts: 677 Member
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    starvation mode can happen to any one at any weight. If you arent eating your maintaince calories and dont eat for long periods of time your body goes into starvation mode

    Unless by "starvation mode" you mean "BMR drops a little", that is completely wrong.
    [/quote]

    No I didnt mean that. I meant for some one to go on for days with out eating at all
    [/quote]

    Studies have shown that it takes 72 hours of no food to have any metabolic adaptation. So realistically, starvation mode is not going to be an issue for anyone on this board. On the other hand, large deficits can lead to increase muscle loss which inevitably would lead to a lower BMR but for the most part, most peoples RMR will adapt to try and compensate.
    [/quote]

    I know Ive read up on about this....but I know sometimes what I say is wrong until I re read the article I was thinking of
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    Im 5.4. and weigh 143. I eat 1300 calories a day and loose about a pound every couple of weeks...key for me... I eat at least five times a day! it keeps my metabolizim humming. Plus make sure your eating the right nutrients via the MFP nutrition tracter part. It will let you know if you are meeting or short on protein and such.
    Simple savings tip. I use spray butter.

    Meal timing and how many meals you eat throughout the day doesn't matter. The "keeps my metabolism up" myth has been disproven.
  • bmaibes
    bmaibes Posts: 3 Member
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    I use land o lakes light butter with canola oil.

    I am 5'9" and weigh 240 lbs. MFP calculates my calories for the day to be 1310 to lose 2 lbs per week.
  • echofm1
    echofm1 Posts: 471 Member
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    I just want to let you know that I'm 290 pounds, started off at 343, and I've been losing by eating roughly 2000 calories a day (started off at 2200, currently at 1920), PLUS eating my exercise calories back. You'll lose weight eating 1200-1300 calories a day, but you really don't need to. At the beginning I was losing 3 pounds a week, now I'm down to about 2 pounds a week with an MFP goal of 1.5. Why rush the process, especially when you've got a lot to lose? It'll just lead to misery, yo-yo dieting, and excess skin.

    Well, I'm glad I asked and caught this before I did it for too long. I want to do this right so it stays off for life. I don't want excess skin!!

    Lots of excess skin is one of my biggest worries, which is why I'm an advocate of going slow. It gives your skin a bit more time to adjust to your new shape. Not to mention you get to eat more in general and still feel great, which I'm a fan of :drinker:
  • jennegan1
    jennegan1 Posts: 677 Member
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    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html
  • meghanner
    meghanner Posts: 180 Member
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    Just buy real butter!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    Did you choose: I want to lose 2 pounds per week?

    If so, MFP is giving you a 1,000 calorie deficit. Before exercise. When you exercise, you need to eat a bit more.

    You might try changing your goal to 1 pound per week or 1.5 pounds per week and eat between those numbers. You will still lose weight steadily and it will be easier to get all of your nutrients with a goal higher than 1200-1300,
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
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    I just wanted to double check here. I am 287 pounds and I am trying to lose weight. I actually started out at 300 pounds. Over the last 3 weeks I've been eating consistently. Here is one typical day for me.

    Breakfast:

    Glucerna chocolate shake OR 1 hard boiled egg
    fruit (Today I had 1/2 cup blueberries)
    Frozen buttermilk waffles with 1/2 tablespoon of Country Crock butter with calcium

    Lunch:

    6 original sea salt triscuits
    2 oz of colby jack cheese
    red grapes
    1/2 cup cucumber with skin
    1/2 cup snap peas
    (I change up the fruit and vegetable weekly so I don't get bored.)

    Dinner:
    I know this is odd, but for the last 2 weeks all I have been having is chicken with spinach. I crave it every night!
    6 to 8 oz of chicken, no fat, no skin cooked in 1 tablespoon Country Crock butter with calcium
    1 to 2 cups of fresh spinach cooked in 1/2 tablespoon of evoo
    1/2 cup white onions
    1/2 cup mushrooms
    1 tablespoon minced garlic

    Dinner Option # 2
    Just 6 to 8 oz of chicken, no fat, no skin cooked in 1 tablespoon Country Crock butter with calcium
    With a green on the side.

    This is a typical day for me. I usually end up eating about 1250 to 1300 calories a day. I exercise 5 days a week for 30 minutes to an hour. I also do weight lifting with light weights.


    Seriously unappetising.

    Specific diets in my opinion are a load of rubbish. The 'chicken and spinach' appears to be your choice. That would have driven me mad eating that every day, which is important because feeling like that just makes you rebel against the diet.

    Why not just eat a normal diet, just a bit less of each thing until you have lost the weight? If you are exercising for 30 minutes a day, then this should allow you to be a bit flexible....
  • JessicaLSpindler
    JessicaLSpindler Posts: 29
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    [/quote]
    Seriously unappetising.

    Specific diets in my opinion are a load of rubbish. The 'chicken and spinach' appears to be your choice. That would have driven me mad eating that every day, which is important because feeling like that just makes you rebel against the diet.

    Why not just eat a normal diet, just a bit less of each thing until you have lost the weight? If you are exercising for 30 minutes a day, then this should allow you to be a bit flexible....
    [/quote]

    Well I chose that lunch because I like those things. To you it may be unappealing, but not to me. I do agree that I am forcing myself to eat that way everyday. I can branch out and try other foods and eat a "normal" diet. But I like cheese and crackers and love red grapes. For the veg, I def need a spinach dip or something because I hate eating those just plain.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    The first main thing is how many calories you are eating. You need enough to fuel your body, but be in a deficit to lose weight.

    Then it is what you eat. Of course eating healthy whole foods is better than junk, so you can get all the nutrients you need, but you could still eat "junk" and lose weight. If you like the chicken and spinach and grapes, eat them. In 3 weeks or a month you might get tired of it and want something else. I go through phases where I eat a lot of the same things, but then next month it is different things.

    It is not difficult to bump up your calories in a healthy way if you need to, I think some people already addressed this.

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