Too Few Calories? 600-800?

lolabluola

Thank you for your encouragement. Should I just double my portions? I have a feeling I would get really full doing that.

Stupid question - but could you be measuring wrong?
Maybe you are getting more calories than you think you are?

Theres a post out there (sorry I don't have the link) that shows how measuring just a couple of things wrong a day can lead to an un logged like 400 calories. Just a thought

I know sometimes even when i only log 800-1000 for the day, I ate over that just by not measuring and eye balling - or measuring instead of weighing and by tasting as I'm cooking etc. so as long as I feel good I know i most likely went over by at least a couple of hundred Calories. Unless I was logging every single condiment (like I would if it wasn't working for me) I don't worry about it and just listen to my body, if I started gaining or stopped losing then I might look into my accuracy.

Does that make sense? Long story short don't go too crazy - I mean if you're seriously not hungry don't force it down your throat, maybe add some dressings / mayo to the tuna - salad with the tuna - some cheese with your almonds - that would add a couple of extra calories too Just experiment and find out what works for you and what doesn't and what works and feels good long term. It's taken me a couple years of experimenting so far and i'm still tweaking - p.s. i did hard core 'low carb' for a full year strict - it's hard not to eat a lot of calories and do low carb at least for me it was - Big Salads with olive oil and chicken and cheese - at I would get to at least 1500 calories a day just from big salads and chicken and eggs and nuts and berries - I lost a lot of weight that year eating that way and felt great... play around with it and look up some recipes

trinatrina1984

Hi,I think you have been given some very good advice here. It might be worth putting your dets in here, this should give you your TDEE (how much you burn on a daily basis) & BMR (calories your body uses just to stay alive) you can then work out a sensible calorie deficit. - I think there is more info in the sexy pants link.

http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

As others have said from your profile pic you look to be at a pretty healthy weight. If your goal is to get more buff its probably worth befriending people who are knowledgeable about it so you can get some good solid advice.

you can still eat burritos & burgers just do it in moderation, good luck


Edit: Just put your dets into the calculator (no exercise) it gives 1716 as your BMR & 2060 as your TDEE so you can definitely eat a lot more and still lose weight - booom!

Raclex

Thank you for the advise. Do you mean it's not possible to loose two pounds per week?

No, it's possible, I've lost 2 pounds already this week since monday. I eat between 650-900 calories.

and you're doing it wrong too.

God why do people think it's a good idea to eat like this ... What do you want to achieve? Cos I will tell you attractiveness is not on the menu with that approach lady. Sorry no matter what you think you are wrong. Just ... for gods sake be told. I mean hell you even run. You are gonna crash and burn lady. I would even dare to say you have exercise Anorexia.

Wow, you people are so nice... And I am by no means anorexic, I eat 3 meals a day.

So? I eat two meals a day.

I'm also not required to be nice when people are bragging about effectively starving themselves and having literally no idea what they're talking about... or what they're doing to their body.

^This. Follow his advice. He's a dude like you. That has succeeded and given smart advice along the way. You doN,t need a 19 year old girl's advice.

mbc_clover

Elliot I personally love Flexible Dieting. I love carbs and my body needs them. I would hate life dropping much from what I eat now (250-300g a day) A good place to look is at http://kmaecags.com/e-books/ she is phenomenal. (Also shes a total babe and freaking beast) Her Flexible Dieting book ($20 and very much worth it) is an awesome source of info and gives you an easy way to calculate food and what not. I happen to love to eat and this is the best way hands down for me to be able to eat run/train for marathons and not be nasty cause I dont have to be restricting food to get the results I want for my body and performance. You should totally check it out.

erickirb

For starters I would suggest setting an appropriate weight loss goal/week. with 30 or less lbs to lose you should not be aiming to lose more than 1lb/week. this will give you more cals, eat all of them plus most of what you burn from exercise.

And low carb will help lose water weight initially, but you will not lose any more fat on the same calorie diet, be it low carb, or low fat, or balanced.

thepandapost

I only eat between 600 and 1000 calories depending if I work out or not. I feel the amount of calories you can cut out depends on how you feel, how your own body work (cause every body is different), and the type of work that you do. Even before MFP I wasnt a very big eater. I was however, a very big drinker. I tried eating 1200 calories and such and I lost 5 pounds the first month. I am sorry other people might be happy with that but I most certainly wasnt not. I was putting in the effort and I wanted to see more results. I talked to my doctor and I cut my calories down to 800-1000 and worked out every single day. On days I decide to not work out I eat between 600 and 800 calories and it is most definitely working for me! I tend to just eat when I am hungry and I eat healthy foods. Snacking will be your best friend. 5 little 200 calorie meals is perfect! I started doing this on the 13th of August it is now the 12th of September and I have lost 15 pounds. this is what works for me and this is what I will continue doing. Hate it or love it.

The issue is not about hating vs. loving. It's about healthy, safe practices that lead to long term success. What you're doing is clearly giving you the weight loss results you want for now (sounds like you're looking for rapid results)...but have you stopped and considered the long term effects that this eating plan will have on you?

I agree with you that every person is different, but there is also such a thing as research and education, which too many dieters fail to do before making the decision to lose weight. And that lack of knowledge and understanding can be severely problematic -- if not now, then later on for sure. Don't set yourself up for failure in the long run. It's not worth the immediate 'victories' that you're seeing on your scale now.

I couldn't have said it better myself. I have been on my journey for 11 years and have been at goal weight/back again. Do something you plan to do for the rest of your life. I feel into the trap of instant results. This isn't a 6 month fix and you're done. This is life. Well, at least for me it is.

_HeartsOnFire_

You're welcome. As for doubling portions, I can't say one way or the other because I have no idea how you're planning your meals. You mentioned what you're eating, but I don't know how you're preparing these foods. For example, when you eat tofu or tuna -- how are you preparing these items? If you're logging all your food in the database, it might be a good idea to open up your diary so other members can see it and give better feedback.

BTW, I would strongly encourage you to read these threads for information on how best to utilize MFP:

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

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here

This...this-ity this this this...

This. Seriously.

JazzFischer1989

I don't understand how people say they can't manage to eat more than a few hundred calories - that they feel full - but they are still overweight. Unless you have a medical issue, you can manage another thousand calories or more. You must've been eating more than what you're eating now to get to this point.

PRMinx

I don't understand how people say they can't manage to eat more than a few hundred calories - that they feel full - but they are still overweight. Unless you have a medical issue, you can manage another thousand calories or more. You must've been eating more than what you're eating now to get to this point.

My guess is that people get into the diet mentality and think they have to abandon all their old foods in favor of lettuce and tuna. At first, that can be very filling! Eating 500 calories of lettuce would put me off food for a while. But it will eventually catch up and then there will be a binge. That's why it's best to eat what you like, and like what you eat, in healthy moderation.

SassyCalyGirl

Thanks again. I wasn't aware that you could open your diary, but I've done so now. Basically, I'm eating everything raw (or as packaged) and heating up the beans. I eat the half a can of tuna for breakfast and one for lunch (with 10 raspberries, I forgot to add) and a half box of tofu and 1.3 can of beans for dinner. I'm snacking on spinach in between. I'm adding some spice to every meal, which I don't put in the diary because there aren't nutrition facts on the label. I hope this gives you some information about my diet.

Do you think you can live on tuna, tofu and spinach for the rest of your life? I think not. You need to chose healthy foods that you like for sustainability. Otherwise, once you begin to eat "normal" again, you will gain all the weight you lost right back. Eat the foods you like-portion control. Weigh your food and eat at a deflict-that's how you will LOSE weight.

srslybritt

OP, judging by your stats/pictures, you don't have enough to lose to do a VLCD (very low calorie diet). I know you've been given good responses here, just wanted to throw my hat in the ring.

Focus on retaining lean muscle mass and eat in moderation. Figure out your TDEE and subtract 20% to come up with your daily goal and adjust as needed. It may take a few weeks of tweaking before you start seeing results.

Philp0718

Hello. I'm a 20 year old male, 5'4 175 lb. who wants to shed 25 to 30 pounds. I've always been a bit heavy, but this is the first time I'm seriously trying to lose weight. I know absolutely nothing about dieting or nutrition.

I did some reading around the web and figured out that a low-carbohidrate diet is one of the best diets to loose weight. So I did some more reading and then some more and found a few low-carb foods that are easy to prepare and protein-packed. Last Saturday, six days ago, I started eating only canned light tuna in water, canned chicken, tofu, pinto beans (I'll replace these with boiled eggs once I'm out), raw spinach and almonds (sparingly).

I've been keeping track of the nutritional values on the My Fitness Pal app. I'm trying to keep below 25 grams of carbs per day and I have only gone over by 5 grams a couple of days. The app says that I should be eating 1200 calories a day to lose two pounds per week, which is nice since I'm only eating between 600 and 800 calories per day, which I believe is rather low. I know that there are adverse effects to eating too little, so I'm worried about those, but still trying to lose weight, of course. I don't feel very hungry anytime besides the constant craving for a burrito , which can be curbed by a tofu snack. I don't feel like I should be eating more to meet this calorie mark if I'm not feeling hungry or getting tired. I've gone over and over the nutritional values to make sure that what I'm logging matches up with what I'm eating. Could it be that I just don't need as much food as the app predicts? Or do I really need to be eating more? Thank you for your help, Elliot

I love that you are coming on here trying to figure out a healthy way to lose weight. My advice, go to this website and enter your stats http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

Your BMR that it'll give you is the absolute minimum amount of calories you should be consuming, your body needs that just to survive. TDEE will be your max. Please don't set crazy restrictions on your eating habits, eat your carbs, eat your fats, and eat your protein. Aim for 40%, 30%, 30%. and if that burrito you want fits into your calorie and macro limits, go ahead and enjoy :drinker:

MegE_N

Thank you for your encouragement. Should I just double my portions? I have a feeling I would get really full doing that.

Stupid question - but could you be measuring wrong?
Maybe you are getting more calories than you think you are?

Theres a post out there (sorry I don't have the link) that shows how measuring just a couple of things wrong a day can lead to an un logged like 400 calories. Just a thought

I know sometimes even when i only log 800-1000 for the day, I ate over that just by not measuring and eye balling - or measuring instead of weighing and by tasting as I'm cooking etc. so as long as I feel good I know i most likely went over by at least a couple of hundred Calories. Unless I was logging every single condiment (like I would if it wasn't working for me) I don't worry about it and just listen to my body, if I started gaining or stopped losing then I might look into my accuracy.

Does that make sense? Long story short don't go too crazy - I mean if you're seriously not hungry don't force it down your throat, maybe add some dressings / mayo to the tuna - salad with the tuna - some cheese with your almonds - that would add a couple of extra calories too Just experiment and find out what works for you and what doesn't and what works and feels good long term. It's taken me a couple years of experimenting so far and i'm still tweaking - p.s. i did hard core 'low carb' for a full year strict - it's hard not to eat a lot of calories and do low carb at least for me it was - Big Salads with olive oil and chicken and cheese - at I would get to at least 1500 calories a day just from big salads and chicken and eggs and nuts and berries - I lost a lot of weight that year eating that way and felt great... play around with it and look up some recipes

I'm in your camp. I KNOW I am too lazy to perfectly measure everything. I measure things every now and again, to make sure that my "eyeball" or "palm full" measurements aren't too far off the mark, but if I really food-scaled every single bite I'd get fed up and stop doing it all. So I keep myself to a measured 1200 calories per day, knowing I likely eat more like 1300-1400. It's working so far. I do NOT recommend this to someone new, but this is what has worked for me after some trial and error, and I think it's the most sustainable path for me.

trogalicious

i know a few people who have only consumed only 500 calories on th HCG diet... one lost 50 lbs in 4 ish months.,... and its been a year and she has kept it off........ its not the healthiest she didi take multivitamins .. the other lost 45 in same time and kept it off

hope they're looking forward to some serious bone density issues later.

Philp0718

Thank you for the advise. Do you mean it's not possible to loose two pounds per week?

No, it's possible, I've lost 2 pounds already this week since monday. I eat between 650-900 calories.

and you're doing it wrong too.

No, I think I eat enough calories for my body. And I'm pretty healthy, I run a lot.

I don't care what you think.
Science will tell you that you're wrong.

It isn't opinion.. it isn't "What Trog thinks" either.

You're doing it wrong.

..but that's okay. Keep eating that little and we'll see you on the forums again asking why your period stopped or maybe why your hair is starting to fall out.

You do realize that your body needs calories just to exist right? I mean, like.. you know... for your heart to beat, or brain to function? Maybe hepatic functions?

Wait til you realize that your hormones are screwed up.


I'm trying to save you grief later... please understand that.

I don't really care if it comes across as harsh, you need to really... REALLY understand how WRONG you are.

Yes, I do realize that my body needs calories to exist which is why I eat 900 sometimes, my body really doesn't need more than that.

What makes you believe that your body "doesn't need more than that"? Because you don't feel hungry? Girl I am not trying to be ruse or anything, but the very MINIMUM a woman should consume a day is 1200 calories. Consistently being lower than that is just going to damage your body. Trust me.

RGv2

Dude. You're 5'4" 175, you don't need to lose 20lbs. I'm 5'6" and when I was in the best shape of my life I was 172-176.

You need to do a body decomposition, not lose an inordinate amount of weight.

TeaBea

Yes, I do realize that my body needs calories to exist which is why I eat 900 sometimes, my body really doesn't need more than that.

You're 18 years old according to your profile.....unless you are 3' 4" tall (or something) your body needs way more than 900 calories. The number of calories your body would use if you were in a coma is known as your BMR (basal metabolic rate). Eating 900 is like asking your body to make choices.....do I nourish heart muscle.....OR do I nourish this head of hair? Your body will always choose heart muscle, blood cells, brain function over less important skin cells, lean muscle mass.

For a 5' tall female - 18 year old - 135 pound - couch potato .....the BMR is 1315

Check yours here:
http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

erickirb

i know a few people who have only consumed only 500 calories on th HCG diet... one lost 50 lbs in 4 ish months.,... and its been a year and she has kept it off........ its not the healthiest she didi take multivitamins .. the other lost 45 in same time and kept it off

Poor people,15-30 lbs of that loss would have most likely come from muscle mass. It is much harder to build muscle back than it is to retain it while losing. Ouch

erickirb

Dude. You're 5'4" 175, you don't need to lose 20lbs. I'm 5'6" and when I was in the best shape of my life I was 172-176.

You need to do a body decomposition, not lose an inordinate amount of weight.

Not necessary. In my profile pic I am 5'6" 140-142 lbs. To look like that at 5'4" I would have had to get down to sub 130 lbs

laurie04427

Hi, I didn't read through the comments so probably everyone else said this already maybe but yep I was doing the same, averaging around 800-1000 calories for the first month I started to try to lose weight. No fatigue. Felt great. Lost weight nicely. But about the 5th week fatigue and brain fog started setting in and I didn't have much energy to do anything. So you may be okay for now but you will probably want to get your calories up soon because you need more nutrition than that amount of calories provides.