Must I starve to lose?

MelaniaMadison

All the online tools tell me to eat between 1600-1700 cals to lose. Seriously, I cant even get through one day on that?

I weigh 200lbs, but also have a ton of lean muscle. Im quite thin at 150-160. I dont work out much, but I have a pretty active lifestyle.

I eat lots of lean protein and fresh produce and high fiber grains- I eat very clean and healthy & avoid sugar. I also only drink H20. But I still find that if I go below 2000 cals I feel really weak. Must I starve and feel awful to release fat?

BreederUK

I'm a man and currently weigh around 300 lbs and I'm eating 1800 - 2000 cals a day. I'm working out in the gym every weekday for 3 hours and burning ~ 1400 cals per session.

So to answer yes you can survive on 1700 cals a day without feeling hungry. One tip I can give you is to push your carbs to the morning and don't eat any in the evening. it will ensure you don't feel hungry during the day.

I don't feel hungry at all at the moment. I have more energy than before. I looked at your pic and you look pretty. I can imagine if you lose 50 pounds you're going to look pretty hot!

SunofaBeach14

How many calories are you eating right now?

And honestly, 1600 to 1700 calories a day is far from starving. That said, you can slowly work into a diet. You don't need to move from say, 3000 calories a day, to 1600, overnight. For me, I found that taking slow steps really helped me make the permanent change I needed. I started by simply exercising, then I started paying more attention to what I ate, and then finally I started counting calories. I'm 5 years into the process and it has definitely worked for me.

miss_phat_booty

Well you do have to eat at a deficit in order to lose weight but you don't have to starve yourself in order to do so.

I don't really have an answer for you but I found this group to be very informative and helpful:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

0somuchbetter0

hmmm... I know you don't mean "starve" literally, right? 1600-1700 seems like plenty to me, but I'm only 5'3" and I've been doing this a long time. How tall are you? You say you have a "ton" of lean muscle...why is that? Were you a bodybuilder in the past? Are you sure about that? Have you had your BF% tested by a reliable method? I'm pretty muscular myself, but I don't use that as permission to eat more calories. Through lots of trial and error and measuring and weighing and experimenting, I've found my "sweet spot" of 1350 cals to lose about 1 to 1.5 lbs a week on average. Sure I'm hungry before meals...at first it was hard but I've gotten used to it. I've also learned that if I eat plenty of protein and fiber I don't get as hungry as when I eat meals that are heavier in carbs. i.e. I had pancakes for breakfast the other day and my stomach was growling a couple of hours later, whereas an egg or some Greek yogurt will last me to lunchtime.

gcbma

I usually eat 1200-1500 a day. You learn to manipulate foods and meals. Feel free to fr me!

ZombieEarhart

My advice would be to start at 2000 calories. Weigh everything on a food scale, be scrupulous and honest with your logging so you can establish whether that puts you in a deficit. You may want to look into doing the TDEE-20% method, you can google an online TDEE calculator to figure that out. If you use that method, you would set a daily goal to eat, and would not eat back your exercise calories.

Whatever method you choose, though, weigh your food and really pay attention to the numbers, and stick to it for at least 4 weeks so you can figure out your deficit.

Good luck!

tefleon

I'm doing around 1200 per day and I'm fine. Water helps but the whole thing has made me look at what sorts of food I was eating. For example, I cut butter and a slice of toast from my morning soft, dippy eggs with soldiers. I looked at what I drank. I looked at the ingredients I was using and thought about whether they (a) actually needed and (b) could they be substituted for something else. Another example, when I started making salads I was add some chopped nuts and maybe some blue cheese on. Maybe only 20-30 grams but then I discovered how much these cost in terms of calories so now I have one or the other.

At no point do I think I'm starving myself and I know that the 1200 is until I reach my goal weight. What I have learnt in the last five weeks is to look at what I'm eating. I now eat poached chicken almost every day with loads of salad; previously it would have been pan fried with butter and in a pitta or between two slices of crusty bread with some cheese and a sauce. Do I miss the latter, actually no because I've discovered salads are actually nicer and rather than high calorie sauces to enhance the flavour I'm doing the same thing with spices.

Soups are great and this forum has lots of great recipes.

If you continue to eat the same things you have always eaten then yes, you maybe hungry. If you look at eating as much as you can for your allowance then you'll be do great.

vs_shine

I agree with this previous poster.

If you're super sedentary, then no more than 2000 cal a day from food is more than sufficient; you're body may just be use to you eating too much throughout the day. So this may be more psychological.

I am also interested in your claim involving muscle. Some heavy people think their fat deposits are muscles just because their calf or thigh doesn't full gooshy like their tummy fat does. Fat hardens and behaves differently depending on where it decides to stick on your body so it can be decieving if you don't know.

A great thing to do would be to:
Get your body fat accuratley measured and talk to a nutritionalist.

Great job with doing Myfitnesspal and working hard though! it'll take time, but results will come and you'll have so much more energy and other health issues you may have i'm sure will begin to become less so.


It's all about learning the truth about your own body. Owning your body and doing whatever you have to do to get healthy because the people around you care. They want you to be with them for years to come.

hmmm... I know you don't mean "starve" literally, right? 1600-1700 seems like plenty to me, but I'm only 5'3" and I've been doing this a long time. How tall are you? You say you have a "ton" of lean muscle...why is that? Were you a bodybuilder in the past? Are you sure about that? Have you had your BF% tested by a reliable method? I'm pretty muscular myself, but I don't use that as permission to eat more calories. Through lots of trial and error and measuring and weighing and experimenting, I've found my "sweet spot" of 1350 cals to lose about 1 to 1.5 lbs a week on average. Sure I'm hungry before meals...at first it was hard but I've gotten used to it. I've also learned that if I eat plenty of protein and fiber I don't get as hungry as when I eat meals that are heavier in carbs. i.e. I had pancakes for breakfast the other day and my stomach was growling a couple of hours later, whereas an egg or some Greek yogurt will last me to lunchtime.

I don't think you're as "weak" and "starved" as you think you are. At 200 lbs you have plenty of energy reserves.

I'm fighting the urge to post a pic of a real starting person...hehe...

sun_fish

I find I stay reasonably full if I meet my fat and protein macros. Mine are set higher than the MFP default using the formula from this post:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

_HeartsOnFire_

I'm just gonna leave this right here...use what you can, disregard what you don't.

Read these:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here?hl=so+you're+new+here

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1217573-so-you-want-to-start-running

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

TL:DR the link right above this one then ->http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

Excuses??? http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2014/06/02/the-no-excuses-play-like-a-champion-challenge/

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

Want to lift heavy things?
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

Stronglifts Summary
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/560459-stronglifts-5x5-summary

Stronglifts Womens Group
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women

liftnlove_

My advice would be to start at 2000 calories. Weigh everything on a food scale, be scrupulous and honest with your logging so you can establish whether that puts you in a deficit. You may want to look into doing the TDEE-20% method, you can google an online TDEE calculator to figure that out. If you use that method, you would set a daily goal to eat, and would not eat back your exercise calories.

Whatever method you choose, though, weigh your food and really pay attention to the numbers, and stick to it for at least 4 weeks so you can figure out your deficit.

Good luck!

I agree with this...I weigh quite a bit less than you, and I would be verrry grouchy and hungry eating 1600 calories a day. Why be miserable when you can eat more food, be happy, and still lose bodyfat? All these people who are eating 1200 calories a day...um, yeah, come talk to me in a year and tell me how that's workin' for ya. If people want to eat that low, that's their choice, but it's almost never necessary to eat that low to lose weight.

You need to find a sustainable calorie level that fuels your body and still allows you to steadily lose fat, not just "weight". You shouldn't be feeling sick and hungry all the time. Make sure your calories are coming from nutrient-dense foods...plenty of fiber, protein, and quality carbs will keep you fuller. Slow and steady is the only thing that works with weight loss long-term.

mathandcats

Since your diary is closed, this might not apply to you: proteins and fats help you feel more satisfied and for longer. If you are not eating enough of these, that might explain it.

I'm 5' 3.5", I exercise every day but am sedentary at school and work, and I eat about 1400-1500 per day. I never find that to be too little. You are welcome to friend me and troll my diary for ideas if it helps.

Sunitagt

All the online tools tell me to eat between 1600-1700 cals to lose. Seriously, I cant even get through one day on that?

I weigh 200lbs, but also have a ton of lean muscle. Im quite thin at 150-160. I dont work out much, but I have a pretty active lifestyle.

I eat lots of lean protein and fresh produce and high fiber grains- I eat very clean and healthy & avoid sugar. I also only drink H20. But I still find that if I go below 2000 cals I feel really weak. Must I starve and feel awful to release fat?

Weight loss is tough on your body for sure. My current goal is about 1650ish, feel free to take a look at my diary if you want. Plenty of protein and fiber help me from feeling hungry, and distracting yourself with other activities. Eat more home-cooked meals, veggies and fruit because you can get a fair amount of those in for less calories.

ruthejp13

The algorithm to calculate your calories is based on thousands (if not millions) of individuals varying greatly. Since you are just starting, don't restrict any calories until you know what you've been consuming. Just spend at least 3 days eating like you always have but weighing and recording the food to determine your starting calories.

In your bio, you said your appetite is back on track now that you are off of pills. You might be able to eat completely normally and still lose weight now that medication isn't going to be messing with you.

A great BBC documentary about how extremely different people can be is "Why Are Thin People Not Fat": http://youtu.be/dAQr77QMJiw

I love the old experiment of prisoners eating 10,000 calories a day and not gaining weight. I wish that were me.

devil_in_a_blue_dress

Was expecting to see 1,200 calories ... sees 1,700 and is confused. Terribly confused.

Are you paying attention to your macros?

The only thing I can figure is you aren't eating enough nutrient dense foods -- either not getting enough veggie or lacking protein/fat/carbs.

Are you weighing your food?

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

My advice would be to start at 2000 calories. Weigh everything on a food scale, be scrupulous and honest with your logging so you can establish whether that puts you in a deficit. You may want to look into doing the TDEE-20% method, you can google an online TDEE calculator to figure that out. If you use that method, you would set a daily goal to eat, and would not eat back your exercise calories.

Whatever method you choose, though, weigh your food and really pay attention to the numbers, and stick to it for at least 4 weeks so you can figure out your deficit.

Good luck!

I'd try this. If your lifestyle is active 2000 may be fine to lose. Even if it isn't you can gradually walk your calories down 100 at a time. That's what I do when I cut. My maintenance is about 2100 so I'll eat 2000 for a few days, then 1900 for a few more, etc.

eta: make sure your fat is high enough. You say you're eating "clean"-- a lot of people go way too low on their fats when they do that. Nuts, avocado, olive oil, full fat dairy, etc will help you with that.

foxsylph

How tall are you? If you are tall, 200 lbs and as muscular as you say you are, I can believe 1600 might be a shock to the system. When I began eating 1600 calories at 220 lbs, I do remember being fairly hungry all the time. 1600 was a big jump from what I had been eating before - and it may have been too low to start with, looking back.

A deficit of calories is obviously needed for weightloss but you shouldn't be left feeling miserable from hunger so.. I'd say listen to your body. If you are genuinely feeling very hungry on that deficit - lose weight slowly, starting around 1800-2000 with exercise, perhaps?

I echo the previous poster who talked about eating carbs in the morning and looking at your macronutrients to see how you can keep your blood sugar even the best. Regular eating in small portions might help, drinking ample water and concentrating calories to the morning and making it a mixture of complex carbs with some protein helped keep me filled up. I used to eat a large bowl of oatmeal with yoghurt/fruit/toppings or borlotti beans and olive oil on toast etc.

If you aren't losing weight on that amount after a month or so, re-assess and consider lowering them more?

wilsoje74

All the online tools tell me to eat between 1600-1700 cals to lose. Seriously, I cant even get through one day on that?

I weigh 200lbs, but also have a ton of lean muscle. Im quite thin at 150-160. I dont work out much, but I have a pretty active lifestyle.

I eat lots of lean protein and fresh produce and high fiber grains- I eat very clean and healthy & avoid sugar. I also only drink H20. But I still find that if I go below 2000 cals I feel really weak. Must I starve and feel awful to release fat?

1700 is far from starving. How do you know you have tons of lean muscle?

LITtlerMeCO

I''m 5'10", -><- close to Onederland, and I aim for 1800 calories a day (I try to eat back about half of my exercise calories which can push me to 2100 on a big exercise day), some days I don't hit my goal/rarely do I go over it. I average right around 2 pounds a week and plan to readjust calories/exercise once I hit 199 to make sure I'm doing what's best for my body. For two weeks before I officially started MFP I wrote down what I was eating on a separate piece of paper and there were days I was eating between 2000 and 3000 (damn you Village Inn Lemon Supreme Pie). I thought I was eating right but just couldn't lose weight. I had no idea how many calories were really in a Chipotle Burrito-one of those with some chips & salsa is 1735. By eating small meals throughout the day I'm never "hungry" and I freely admit to a cookie after dinner if my net calories are below 1800 for the day. You may just need to figure out what foods make you hungry/increase cravings and what foods make you feel fuller longer to help with the "starving" feeling.

PinkCupcakes84

I eat 1700 and am far from starving. In fact, I even have room for my chocolate if I want it.