Morbidly obese... Do I need to eat more? LoL

Blue801

Just double checking with the more experienced folks on here, is there a reason I should be trying to eat all of my target calories daily? I'm 5'4" and over 300 pounds, am just starting exercising again very lightly, and was thinking unless I'm feeling deprived or tempted to binge there wasn't much reason to eat all those calories? But my sister was concerned so I thought I'd ask.

melrunnerbean

If i were you I would eat as close as you can to the calories allocated but if your not hungry there is no reason to force yourself to have the entire calorie allowance.

Some days you will feel hungrier than others so i wouldn't worry too much and just eat round about what you have been allocated.

Blue801

If i were you I would eat as close as you can to the calories allocated but if your not hungry there is no reason to force yourself to have the entire calorie allowance.

Some days you will feel hungrier than others so i wouldn't worry too much and just eat round about what you have been allocated.

Thanks! This makes sense.

riverain

You want to make sure you are getting close to the recommended calories. I you are starting to exercise you want to make sure your body has what it needs to build some more muscle to burn more fat. Some days you eat less, some days you eat more... if it averages out that is fine.

I have friends who have restricted their calories very severely and are very successful for a while, but then after a few months rebound and eat double what their maintenance calories would be and gain everything back and then a few more. Then they feel bad and go back to severe restrictions for a few months... it's a vicious cycle you don't want to get trapped into.

Lld320

Just don't be way under every single day for a long period of time and don't get upset if you are over some days. Your metabolism doesn't work on a 24 hour basis what you are eating one day means nothing. What you are eating over the course of a couple weeks is very important. It will balance out unless you become obsessive about starving yourself - don't do that.

Iwishyouwell

I wish people would stop perpetuating such nonsense.

My sister was morbidly obese, had bariatric surgery, and is REQUIRED, by doctors, to eat well below her TDEE.

She, like most patients in this predicament, lost just fine on a severely calorie restricted program.

Doctors recommend these kinds of plans for obese patients all the time. When you're that size stripping away a ton of fat on a low calorie diet can be just fine for quite awhile.

Blue801

You want to make sure you are getting close to the recommended calories. I you are starting to exercise you want to make sure your body has what it needs to build some more muscle to burn more fat. Some days you eat less, some days you eat more... if it averages out that is fine.

I have friends who have restricted their calories very severely and are very successful for a while, but then after a few months rebound and eat double what their maintenance calories would be and gain everything back and then a few more. Then they feel bad and go back to severe restrictions for a few months... it's a vicious cycle you don't want to get trapped into.

What counts as severely restricted? If through the week I'm averaging out over 1200 daily would that avoid severe restriction and a rebound you think? Also, did they just abandon the restriction because they got too hungry?

Lld320

1200 is definitely low for someone that weighs 300. What does mfp suggest you eat daily?

Blue801

I wish people would stop perpetuating such nonsense.

My sister was morbidly obese, had bariatric surgery, and is REQUIRED, by doctors, to eat well below her TDEE.

She, like most patients in this predicament, lost just fine on a severely calorie restricted program.

Doctors recommend these kinds of plans for obese patients all the time. When you're that size stripping away a ton of fat on a low calorie diet can be just fine for quite awhile.

Cool! You don't happen to know at what point she was advised to eat more calories do you? Was it once goal was reached? Or within a certain poundage away from goal?

WBB55

I took about 2 years to lose 100 pounds back in 2006-08, and I'm still recovering from the damage I did my body by not eating right during my weight loss.

For someone losing a lot of weight over a long period, you run a good risk of losing muscle and other tissue, like bone. Though in theory I have no qualms against you not eating all of your allotted CALORIES, I do have qualms about people chronically not eating all of the needed NUTRITION. So, long term, to protect your muscles and bones:

(1) take a good multivitamin/multi mineral
(2) try to do walking or some kind of mild impact, weight bearing activity every day (i.e. walking, skating, dancing, wii sports, etc.)
(3) do some basic weight training to maintain the muscle you have (2-3 days/week of basic lifting: squats, sit ups, planks, bicep curls... basic stuff)
(4) make sure to eat your RDA of protein and unsaturated fats

But also, don't let the pendulum swing too far. The brain/emotional issues that cause extreme obesity aren't unrelated to the ones that cause extreme UNDER eating. So don't develop the opposite eating disorder you already had. Ok? Eat enough to fuel your body.

Blue801

1200 is definitely low for someone that weighs 300. What does mfp suggest you eat daily?

My mfp limit for a 2 lb weekly loss is 1620.

WBB55

My mfp limit for a 2 lb weekly loss is 1620.

I think that's an excellent goal. If you did that every day for two years, imagine what you'll look like. Imagine what you'll feel like.

Lld320

I wish people would stop perpetuating such nonsense.

My sister was morbidly obese, had bariatric surgery, and is REQUIRED, by doctors, to eat well below her TDEE.

She, like most patients in this predicament, lost just fine on a severely calorie restricted program.

Doctors recommend these kinds of plans for obese patients all the time. When you're that size stripping away a ton of fat on a low calorie diet can be just fine for quite awhile.

Cool! You don't happen to know at what point she was advised to eat more calories do you? Was it once goal was reached? Or within a certain poundage away from goal?

It's also a really good way to establish an eating disorder.

kidtachyon

But the issue is this: People need to follow a plan that they can follow day after day, week after week, month after month.

I severely restricted diet will be very hard to follow long term. And "long term" is the key. People need to follow a plan that is livable and not a grind to get through every day.

richardheath

I wish people would stop perpetuating such nonsense.

My sister was morbidly obese, had bariatric surgery, and is REQUIRED, by doctors, to eat well below her TDEE.

She, like most patients in this predicament, lost just fine on a severely calorie restricted program.

Doctors recommend these kinds of plans for obese patients all the time. When you're that size stripping away a ton of fat on a low calorie diet can be just fine for quite awhile.

A Doctor required very low cal diet following surgery with close monitoring is not the same as someone simply choosing to eat 600 cal per day as they feel they will have faster weight loss. Promoting a VLCD for a "normal" person here on MFP will get you a strike as it isn't a healthy way to lose weight if you are not under close Doctor supervision. Eating too little will deprive you of nutrients, cause muscle loss, deprive you of energy, make you hangry, set you up for eating disorders etc etc.

OP: Eat what MFP tells you to, or as close to it as you can. 2 lb per week is considered a "safe" rate of weight loss (and remember, you didn't put the weight on overnight, so it isn't going to fall off overnight either). Monitor your weight for a few weeks*, then adjust accordingly if needed.


* where a few = 2 to 5: http://xkcd.com/1070/

chrs86

I love all the people who are or were overweight their entire life and tell others how many calories they should eat. Hilarious, for real. IDK, if you know this but some people who don't have severe weight issues don't usually eat what you guys suggest. There's times I had to work and would not eat until dinner and at that time I would eat a huge meal probably 1000-1200 cals itself. I never friggin starved to death or was severely underweight. Now eat your cookies.

MinnieInMaine

I wish people would stop perpetuating such nonsense.

My sister was morbidly obese, had bariatric surgery, and is REQUIRED, by doctors, to eat well below her TDEE.

She, like most patients in this predicament, lost just fine on a severely calorie restricted program.

Doctors recommend these kinds of plans for obese patients all the time. When you're that size stripping away a ton of fat on a low calorie diet can be just fine for quite awhile.

Just because something worked for your sister under her doctor's supervision doesn't mean you should advise other morbidly obese people to follow the same guidelines. Suggest, sure, but also advise them to check with their doctor before trying to follow a VLCD. Otherwise you are also spreading nonsense.

While generally folks who are truly morbidly obese can do ok with a more restrictive daily calorie goal, there is a limit. Please don't self diagnose. Ask your doctor what they think. One can't go by BMI charts alone as they're not accurate for all.

OP, I would advise you to eat at least your daily calorie goal and at least half of earned calories. Better to be healthy by losing slow and steady and making sure you get enough calories/nutrients, than to lose quickly and risk issues with your metabolism and other possible health risks. Unless, as stated above, you are advised otherwise by your doctor. Also, the more restrictive you are through weight loss, the harder it can be to maintain once you reach your weight loss goal. To up calorie intake without eating more food, skip the diet/light foods and eat the regular version instead. including calorie dense foods such as whole eggs, lean protein, nuts, seeds, avocado can also help.

FYI, I have lost my weight by eating to goal plus exercise calories as determined by my HRM (Polar heart rate monitor)

amberrea82

First of all, I am just going to echo how important it is to be eating the *right* foods. I was EXACTLY where you are right now. As soon as I had made my mind up that I wasn't going to keep hurting myself and really watched what I was putting into my body, it started melting off. I've really noticed that when I have a week where I eat closer to my recommended caloric intake, it's a lot slower coming off. If I cut it back a bit, it makes a huge difference. That said, I can only suggest actually eating more. LOL By that I mean smaller portions and more often. And have a cut off time. I don't know how many people I've heard/read/seen saying that "it doesn't matter - your body isn't on a clock" and I wanna smack them. As much as possible, I make sure I'm eating dinner no later than 7 pm, and really try not to be snacking after 8. When I stick to it, I really see results.

Blue801

I wish people would stop perpetuating such nonsense.

My sister was morbidly obese, had bariatric surgery, and is REQUIRED, by doctors, to eat well below her TDEE.

She, like most patients in this predicament, lost just fine on a severely calorie restricted program.

Doctors recommend these kinds of plans for obese patients all the time. When you're that size stripping away a ton of fat on a low calorie diet can be just fine for quite awhile.

Just because something worked for your sister under her doctor's supervision doesn't mean you should advise other morbidly obese people to follow the same guidelines. Suggest, sure, but also advise them to check with their doctor before trying to follow a VLCD. Otherwise you are also spreading nonsense.

While generally folks who are truly morbidly obese can do ok with a more restrictive daily calorie goal, there is a limit. Please don't self diagnose. Ask your doctor what they think. One can't go by BMI charts alone as they're not accurate for all.

OP, I would advise you to eat at least your daily calorie goal and at least half of earned calories. Better to be healthy by losing slow and steady and making sure you get enough calories/nutrients, than to lose quickly and risk issues with your metabolism and other possible health risks. Unless, as stated above, you are advised otherwise by your doctor. Also, the more restrictive you are through weight loss, the harder it can be to maintain once you reach your weight loss goal. To up calorie intake without eating more food, skip the diet/light foods and eat the regular version instead. including calorie dense foods such as whole eggs, lean protein, nuts, seeds, avocado can also help.

FYI, I have lost my weight by eating to goal plus exercise calories as determined by my HRM (Polar heart rate monitor)

My doctor told me I could eat 500 calories a day and I'd lose the weight. There's no way I could stick to that sort of restriction. I average over 1200 so far, and was used to eating 3-5000 a day. I'm not trusting my skinny doctor so much these days.

Azdak

I am not one of the doomsayers about lower calorie intake or larger deficits, but the recommendation to focus on "lifestyle change" vs "diet" is usually the best one. If you went to a registered dietitian, they would likely put your calorie intake at 1800-2000 per day.

1800 calories/day is a decent amount of food. If you are exercising and accurate and consistent with intake, you should be able to steadily lose weight at that level. Unless you hit some really big calorie burns with exercise (eg 600+ in a workout) I would not worry about eating back the exercise calories.

CyberEd312

First of all, I am just going to echo how important it is to be eating the *right* foods. I was EXACTLY where you are right now. As soon as I had made my mind up that I wasn't going to keep hurting myself and really watched what I was putting into my body, it started melting off. I've really noticed that when I have a week where I eat closer to my recommended caloric intake, it's a lot slower coming off. If I cut it back a bit, it makes a huge difference. That said, I can only suggest actually eating more. LOL By that I mean smaller portions and more often. And have a cut off time. I don't know how many people I've heard/read/seen saying that "it doesn't matter - your body isn't on a clock" and I wanna smack them. As much as possible, I make sure I'm eating dinner no later than 7 pm, and really try not to be snacking after 8. When I stick to it, I really see results.

Well then I guess you will have to smack me, lol cause I personally took a snack to bed every night and lost a few pounds in the process, OP I am in the camp of meal frequency will have no bearing whatsoever on weight loss as long as you are eating in a calorie deficit and hitting your macro's. On the original question I do not agree with running a large deficit just because you are obese. Faster isn't always better, I was off the charts at 560 lbs. and never once did we sit my weight loss goals any faster then losing 1 to 2 lbs. a week... I lost the vast majority of my weight eating over 3000 calories a day so I read stuff like these severe low calorie diets and just shake my head, if you make this a lifestyle change and just commit to it then what difference does it make if it takes you a little longer to get to your goal.? Atleast by taking it slow and steady by the time you reach your goals you will have established a plan that is sustainable for the long term and there would be no reason to worry about any relaspes in my opinion...... Best of Luck to you..........