The truth when someone says they eat 1,500 calories a day
Workout4Health
Posts: 447 Member
When someone weights much more than they'd like to weigh, a lot of times they claim that they are only eating 1,500 calories a day or so. And let's give them the benefit of the doubt. Let's say that's true for the most part. Let's say their numbers aren't far off and they really eat about 16-1800 calories a day. Here is where their math falls apart. They forgot about those extra 1 or 2 days when they went way overboard with their calories. So let's say they had a cheat day and ate 3,500 calories. And let's say that they had that extra day where they miscalculated their calories and ate 2,800.
Well what happens is that they're wondering why they haven't lost that extra pound. And it's because even though they were weren't very far off with their 1,500 calorie claim it was those extra 2 days of eating that they forgot about that caused them to eat an extra 3,500 calories (which is about a pound of fat) more than they thought they ate.
So the moral of the story is that it doesn't take a whole lot of failing to get off target. People that claim they eat less than 2000 calories a day are probably telling the truth most of the time. But the problem is those one or two bad days that they got hungry and underestimated how many calories they were eating. And plus maybe that extra slice of cake they forgot about at work. So now instead of averaging 1,500 calories a day, they are averaging 2000 calories a day throughout the week, even though they do eat closer to 1,500 most days of the week, and they were being honest.
So the point is that diet has to be done consistently, almost near perfectly in order to work consistently. If you follow your diet right sometimes, you'll only get results ''sometimes.'' But if you go overboard sometimes, then you'll gain back a little bit of weight sometimes.
And this is also why exercise and weight lifting is a part of weight loss (not the whole piece of the puzzle). It's not a replacement for diet (of course diet is king), but it can help you with those one or two bad days where you didn't follow your diet, if you do it intensely, effectively, and consistently. I'm not saying you should try to burn off a bad diet, but I'm saying even when you don't have those one or two bad days, you might have those 1 or 2 bad meals, and this is where exercise comes in and helps you keep your face even when you have those slip ups once in a while.
And most importantly, this is why cheat days are so unnecessary. Even when you do fall off, have a little bit of self control. An example Don't eat a whole box of pizza, eating just 2 slices would be so much better on your cheat meal, than having that whole box. I may have ate perfectly all week, but than had a milkshake at the movie theatre. That milkshake may have over 1000 calories even though I ate well for the week. That is a heck of a lot of dieting and working out to get rid of that.
Well what happens is that they're wondering why they haven't lost that extra pound. And it's because even though they were weren't very far off with their 1,500 calorie claim it was those extra 2 days of eating that they forgot about that caused them to eat an extra 3,500 calories (which is about a pound of fat) more than they thought they ate.
So the moral of the story is that it doesn't take a whole lot of failing to get off target. People that claim they eat less than 2000 calories a day are probably telling the truth most of the time. But the problem is those one or two bad days that they got hungry and underestimated how many calories they were eating. And plus maybe that extra slice of cake they forgot about at work. So now instead of averaging 1,500 calories a day, they are averaging 2000 calories a day throughout the week, even though they do eat closer to 1,500 most days of the week, and they were being honest.
So the point is that diet has to be done consistently, almost near perfectly in order to work consistently. If you follow your diet right sometimes, you'll only get results ''sometimes.'' But if you go overboard sometimes, then you'll gain back a little bit of weight sometimes.
And this is also why exercise and weight lifting is a part of weight loss (not the whole piece of the puzzle). It's not a replacement for diet (of course diet is king), but it can help you with those one or two bad days where you didn't follow your diet, if you do it intensely, effectively, and consistently. I'm not saying you should try to burn off a bad diet, but I'm saying even when you don't have those one or two bad days, you might have those 1 or 2 bad meals, and this is where exercise comes in and helps you keep your face even when you have those slip ups once in a while.
And most importantly, this is why cheat days are so unnecessary. Even when you do fall off, have a little bit of self control. An example Don't eat a whole box of pizza, eating just 2 slices would be so much better on your cheat meal, than having that whole box. I may have ate perfectly all week, but than had a milkshake at the movie theatre. That milkshake may have over 1000 calories even though I ate well for the week. That is a heck of a lot of dieting and working out to get rid of that.
0
Replies
-
This is true...alot of people under estimate what they are eating. I try to over estimate to be on the safe side lol. They also sometimes dont realize how much more effort it takes to actually burn that cheat off. You really cant out exercise bad nutrition. Nice post.0
-
This content has been removed.
-
I had a undiagnosed thyroid issue hashi/hypo so I kept on gaining and did not change my eating patterns for the most part. At least nothing significant enough to gain 45lbs in less then a year.0
-
So the moral of the story is that it doesn't take a whole lot of failing to get off target. People that claim they eat less than 2000 calories a day are probably telling the truth most of the time. But the problem is those one or two bad days that they got hungry and underestimated how many calories they were eating. And plus maybe that extra slice of cake they forgot about at work. So now instead of averaging 1,500 calories a day, they are averaging 2000 calories a day throughout the week, even though they do eat closer to 1,500 most days of the week, and they were being honest.
really hit the nail on the head for me! 12 weeks straight of 6 days/week at the gym and i lost 3lbs. i *thought* i was eating 1600 per day and was so frustrated about lack of results. you've described me exactly. now, i will say that i was much healthier and more fit and feeling amazing with all that time at the gym, the weight just wasn't coming off until i got serious about tracking the calories honestly.0 -
yes people lose weight by eating less calories than they need on average and they gain when they consume more than they can use.
i disagree with this thoughAnd this is also why exercise and weight lifting is a part of weight loss (not the whole piece of the puzzle). It's not a replacement for diet (of course diet is king), but it can help you with those one or two bad days where you didn't follow your diet, if you do it intensely, effectively, and consistently. I'm not saying you should try to burn off a bad diet, but I'm saying even when you don't have those one or two bad days, you might have those 1 or 2 bad meals, and this is where exercise comes in and helps you keep your face even when you have those slip ups once in a while.
you cant out exercise a bad diet. trust, i gained a lot of weight all while lifting weights, playing soccer, playing tennis, running 10ks, swimming, etc . eat more food than your body needs and you will gain weight. expecting exercise to bail you out a fool's errand0 -
I did eat 1500 cal a day for 9 months ... and did it very successfully. I still don't see the point of this thread.0
-
I did eat 1500 cal a day for 9 months ... and did it very successfully. I still don't see the point of this thread.
+1.
a lot of hypothosising for why?
plenty of open diaries disprove Op categorically.0 -
:yawn:0
-
I did eat 1500 cal a day for 9 months ... and did it very successfully. I still don't see the point of this thread.
Uhh? He said there are people who claim to eat 1,500 calories but might have days where they might eyeball portions & be way off, have binge days that they don't log accurately, are inconsistent loggers, etc & then wonder why they haven't lost weight.0 -
It is so important to log food and exercise accurately. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but here's my noob story.
I just started logging my calorie intake less than a month ago. I had had gone from 260lbs to around 235lbs a year after quitting booze, but after quitting a 38-year pack a day smoking habit four months ago my resting heart rate went from around 72 to 54(!) and my weight started to creep up again.. My BMR had dropped significantly, I guess. But my lungs felt great.
I found this site 3 weeks ago and started logging with a 1000 calorie deficit target. I had never counted calories seriously before and just could not believe how small the portions were and that there were, for example, over 600 calories in just 160 grams of dry basmati rice. Logging is a real eye opener--there is so much little stuff you normally wouldn't think about (cream and sugar in your coffee, Sriracha sauce, etc.) I used to go through a 1500 calorie home baked loaf of bread every few days. I had no idea it was so calorie dense. Without diligent portion control and logging I realized it would be impossible for a beginner to accurately track food intake.
I really love cooking and eating and I realized that things would be extremely bleak without a serious exercise regime to burn some eatback calories. So I started biking by grabbing a city share bike and doing 35 minute ~6-mile rides along the rivers. It's been great so far--both my performance and the fun factor have increased greatly in just a month. And most importantly I can eat the food I want in decent portions (and even really indulge occasionally after a major workout day) without screwing up my ~1500 net calorie target. I've even been inspired to hit the Bowflex a couple of times a week for upper body resistance training.
I feel great and my mood and energy levels are so much better than they were. The important thing to me is that it's working exactly as advertised: The weight is coming off pretty much on schedule and my body is measurably recomposing (newbie muscle gains in thighs and losses everywhere else). But without the easy and accurate logging this site and the integrated GPS bike tracker allows me to do I don't think I would be successful over the long haul. It's just too easy to "forget" or rationalize when you don't log everything accurately.
This is easier than I thought it would be--the rewards on so many levels make it really worth it.0 -
Limit myself to 2 slices of pizza on my cheat day? What's even the point?0
-
This sounds like a confession to me.0
-
I eat 1550 cals, and have four cheat days a month where I probably eat anywhere from 4,000-5,000 calories, and I'm down 70 lbs and still losing, and I just lift 4 days a week. Just sayin'0
-
Limit myself to 2 slices of pizza on my cheat day? What's even the point?
Agreed.. I fit 2 slices of pizza in my regular calorie goals when I want it. Not splurging at all.0 -
I still don't see the point of this thread.
I have to agree! Just a condescending attitude.0 -
Limit myself to 2 slices of pizza on my cheat day? What's even the point?
Agreed.. I fit 2 slices of pizza in my regular calories when I want it. Not splurging at all.
The splurge part is where I practically drink the cheezy cheddar or jalapeno ranch dips that come with the pizza and drown the pizza with a giant whiskey and coke and then chocolate ice cream for dessert. Then eat the kids' left over pizza.0 -
:yawn:
Agreed!0 -
I still don't see the point of this thread.
I have to agree! Just a condescending attitude.
Glad it's not just me. Any questions I had (or anyone, for that matter) have already been answered in the "Sticky" posts like "Sexypants" and "So you're new here", etc. No need for this thread.0 -
I still don't see the point of this thread.
I have to agree! Just a condescending attitude.
I saw the writing on the wall by the third word.0 -
When someone weights much more than they'd like to weigh, a lot of times they claim that they are only eating 1,500 calories a day or so. And let's give them the benefit of the doubt. Let's say that's true for the most part. Let's say their numbers aren't far off and they really eat about 16-1800 calories a day. Here is where their math falls apart. They forgot about those extra 1 or 2 days when they went way overboard with their calories. So let's say they had a cheat day and ate 3,500 calories. And let's say that they had that extra day where they miscalculated their calories and ate 2,800.
...
I weight more than I'd like and recently switched to 1520 calories a day. I don't believe in cheat days and sometimes feel hungry when my next meal isn't "on time" and can fit two slices of pizza within my daily calorie goals without going over. So far I'm successful.
Certainly you couldn't be addressing me.
Don't paint with such broad strokes. If I understand your point, It would be more accurate to say that anyone claiming to eat within their caloric goals and not losing the weight they'd like to see are either miscalculating their intake or have a medical condition interfering with the process.
*sigh*0 -
:flowerforyou:I still don't see the point of this thread.
I have to agree! Just a condescending attitude.
Glad it's not just me. Any questions I had (or anyone, for that matter) have already been answered in the "Sticky" posts like "Sexypants" and "So you're new here", etc. No need for this thread.0 -
Limit myself to 2 slices of pizza on my cheat day? What's even the point?
Agreed.. I fit 2 slices of pizza in my regular calories when I want it. Not splurging at all.
The splurge part is where I practically drink the cheezy cheddar or jalapeno ranch dips that come with the pizza and drown the pizza with a giant whiskey and coke and then chocolate ice cream for dessert. Then eat the kids' left over pizza.
Now that's what I call a party0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 426 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions