new and having problems eating 1200 calories a day

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  • smitten1320
    smitten1320 Posts: 3
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    Teabea,

    I wouldn't say I'm a senior citizen! I'm 47! LOL
    I do not have any health issues unless a bad attitude counts!

    "Finally, because you want to keep lean muscle and lose mostly fat. Obese people can keep muscle.... but closer to goal = skinny fat. " Can you clarify this statement?
  • nicca_jb
    nicca_jb Posts: 1,278 Member
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    "Finally, because you want to keep lean muscle and lose mostly fat. Obese people can keep muscle.... but closer to goal = skinny fat. " Can you clarify this statement?

    This needs to be verified for accuracy, but here's the gist.

    What TeaBea is saying is that when you eat less than you're using to simply live (BMR), your body stockpiles what fat it can for later energy (it's preparing for the idea that you're going to continue eating at this level and you'll need those energy stores later) and "burns"--or takes the extra energy you need to live--from what you're not using, which is lean muscle. If you're obese or overweight, you already have a good store of fat, so your body doesn't save extra. Instead it uses some of what you've stored to make up for the calories you're under.

    Even though this will work for a while, you're setting yourself up for a later situation where the body starts switching gears and no longer thinks you can use the fat you've stored. Later you get to a point where you've lost x pounds, but your body fat percentage is still high. = "skinny fat".

    Women who are average height and not senior citizens and who work out regularly will eat much more, sometimes into the 1800-2000 range a day, lose fat and build muscle. I haven't hit that point yet, but I'm personally at or around the 1500-1700 range just running a few days a week and doing basic resistance training.

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