Scared of eating 'so many' calories

DreamingOfSize10_UK

I have been doing really well working out each day so far but so scared of eating my calories and then my earned calories through exercise on top of that!!

I am going to sound controversial but whenever I've dieted in the past, I have found the only way I lost the weight is by drastic dieting and the instant results spurred me on. I know have come to the conclusion that this can't be done for long and most people go back to their usual unhealthy ways as you cannot keep it up, and it's way too punishing and bad for you etc.

But I still can't stop myself from feeling scared of eating so much. I know that when I did the Weight Watchers plan, I stuck to it and the weight came off ridiculously slow.... say 7lbs in three months. I know that people say that if you deprive yourself your body goes into starvation mode and your metabolism runs slow etc etc, but from my past experience I have only ever been able to shift the weight at a reasonable pace by eating little / cabbage soup diet and so forth. All bad for you I know.

I just want the results to happen at a steady rate to keep me motivated and achieve my goal.

Sorry for waffling. I really want to conquer this.

x

EDIT - ooops not sure if I posted in the right section for this one!

carolinegeorgia

ha, glad you said that, I feel exactly the same, have been told I have to eat more to lose weight but it just doesn't seem normal to me and struggling with that.......

jtorrez1

Stick with it. The more you exercise the more calories your body needs to maintain your metabolism. It works!..Have fun and keep at it.

ProTFitness

Stick with your calories but worry more about eating foods that feed your body not posion it. You need to get off the roller coster that so many people are on. Learn how to make this your LIFESTYLE. Eating healthy nutritious foods and being consitant is the key to life long weight loss. DIETS do not work! So rethink how you are looking at it and all will fall into place

karriecook

my philosophy is, if it comes off slow it will stay off better. I'm trying to lose 1 lb a week and although it feels like a very slow process I have to keep reminding myself it is better for my body and my metabolism is adjusting to the new me. I never try to eat my calories burned but i do try to consume all my daily cals. on days i was under, i gain a 1/2 lb. i'm also trying not to weigh myself every day which is soooooo hard for me.

hpsnickers1

Yes it does work. Before I started trying to get healthy I would get through the day on coffee then have dinner and munch a little - that was it. It worked great for a while then the weight started packing on. Almost 20 pounds in a year.

Now - I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with snacks. I don't always get my fruits and veggies but I try. I exercise regularly. And I'm losing weight. So - I'm losing weight eating more than when I was starving myself. Our bodies burn calories digesting food. So eating boosts the metabolism.

vburnett01

Yes, you need the calories or "fuel." I know it sounds crazy, but I've heard it works. I hear it all the time on the biggest looser too. Just be sure not to indulge in food high in fat and sugars to make up the calories you burn off and earn daily.

Linsy7182

I've been right where you are as well. I did and even more strict calorie diet, did a treadmill an hour + a day almost every day unless something prevented it. That was almost the verge of an eating disorder because of the excessive working out and low calorie intake. I went from 189 to 119 in 8 months and then realized how horrible I looked at 119 and began to increase the calories...in which I ended right back at 182 2 1/2 years later. You're not alone in this though, I'm afraid of exceeding my calories, but I'm also afraid of not eating enough so it's pulling back and forth for the pure fact that I have to work out if I get too close to my calorie goal for the day when some days I just want to relax and not have to stress the workout. You'll fall into a constant and become more comfortable as you learn how your body works and reacts to different things. Good luck.

maryrshstattoo

It sounds like you have been dieting alot and not achieving a permament result. It also sounds like you've been doing the same style of dieting over and over and not seeing the results you want. Why not try something totally different? Eat healthy foods low in calories 6 times a day and exercise, and the weight will come off. If you exercise to burn 400 calories then you add that to your recommended calories I am assuming 1200 so that day you can eat up to 1600 calories and lose. On the das you don't exercise eat only the 1200. It works your more than welcome to look at my diary and results.
This past weeks diary is not the best example since I am having medical issues and have had to eat soft foods today I have to do all liquids, so look back a few weeks. Good luck!

tonisteedley

I am totally with you on this one.. The strict diets has always worked for me as well with quick results " In the past !!! " Until I had my daughter 4 yrs ago. Then the last 2 yrs I have done soooo many diets that were strict and I might lose 1-2 lbs the entire time and thats with excercise. I was soooo stumped and frustrated with it, because it had always worked for me in the past. But not now...
I went to mt DR and she did every test and they all came back Negative, ahe told me I did not eat enough calories and my body was probably in starvation mode and had slowed my metabolism down. I didnt believe her, and I still don't want to believe her. But since I have been on here the last few weeks, there has been some great advice here. And I have a feeling there right !! Eat more !!! I use to average int he past 700-800 calories a day with excercise. Plateaued for almost a year. Now I try my hardest to eat atleast 1200 a day. " In a good way " Some days it dont happen for me, actually " most days ". But I am getting there. But I am so scared I will gain weight from it.
I suggest you work your way up, with good nutritious food. Good luck. I know how you feel !!! And hang in there....

♥Violette♥4Ever♥

I have been scared of eating my calories too! I'm so glad you brought it up.

tesswrong

I've been dieting and a bulimic on and off. I can't get rid of it.

cjusticeg

i don't pay attention to the exercise calories anymore. I went and talked to a trainer at my gym and he did the math and whatnot and said that I should just eat 1800 a day regardless. And I have found that I am losing weight now that I have upped my calorie intake from 1200-1500 to 1800. You must give your body fuel, otherwise instead of burning off what you put in it, it's going to store it because it feels that it's starving.

myofibril

I am totally with you on this one.. The strict diets has always worked for me as well with quick results " In the past !!! " Until I had my daughter 4 yrs ago. Then the last 2 yrs I have done soooo many diets that were strict and I might lose 1-2 lbs the entire time and thats with excercise. I was soooo stumped and frustrated with it, because it had always worked for me in the past. But not now...
I went to mt DR and she did every test and they all came back Negative, ahe told me I did not eat enough calories and my body was probably in starvation mode and had slowed my metabolism down. I didnt believe her, and I still don't want to believe her. But since I have been on here the last few weeks, there has been some great advice here. And I have a feeling there right !! Eat more !!! I use to average int he past 700-800 calories a day with excercise. Plateaued for almost a year. Now I try my hardest to eat atleast 1200 a day. " In a good way " Some days it dont happen for me, actually " most days ". But I am getting there. But I am so scared I will gain weight from it.
I suggest you work your way up, with good nutritious food. Good luck. I know how you feel !!! And hang in there....

You are a classic example of the damage that you can do to yourself with crash diets and why they SIMPLY DO NOT WORK IN THE LONG TERM (sorry for shouting but that point needs to be stressed to everyone.) 700 - calories a day as well as exercise? Sweet baby Jesus...

I can tell you why eventually you stopped losing weight using them and plateaued. It happens eventually with all crash diets but leaves you in a very poor finishing position in comparsion to conventional lifestyle change "diets."

There is a lot of overblown nonsense spoken about entering "starvation mode" on these boards. It is melodramatic and usually poorly applied. However, in some cases it is very real and you are a prime example if your doctor is to be believed.

What most people tend to forget is that as your get lighter the amount of energy you need per day to power yourself decreases (your BMR). Therefore the same deficit that you applied at the start of your diet will not reap the same weight loss the further into your diet you get. This is the same for a normal diet and a crash diet.

What crash diets do howver, is to cause a an adaptive reduction to BMR to a much greater extent than a conventional diet. Now, some people will argue that the popular concept of a "starvation mode" as discussed in sites such as this does not exist and that an adaptive reduction to semi starvation calorie levels does not happen. Ignore them. They are misguided at best. It is the amount of adaptive reduction which is the issue, not whether "starvation mode" exists. Whilst I agree that when most people get told on here that they "are entering starvation mode" it is simply incorrect that does not mean that a small percentage of people, such as yourself, DO reach that stage.

So what does this all mean in plain English? Your crash diet level of calories (700 calories - 800 calories) has become your maintenance calorie level. In other words, your body will now no longer jettison weight at that calorie level - it has become your baseline figure instead of a calorie deficit level. That is why you plateaued for so long. Anyone who wants to go on a crash diet should ask themselves if they really want to end up having a maintenance level of calories of 800 calories for the rest of their lives. Screw that in my view as it sounds like no fun.

I congratulate you on seeing your doctor. However, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not fear weight gain and go back to your old ways. It probably will happen in the short term but it is vital for your success. Remember your body has got used to 700 - 800 calories a day. Now that you are feeding it more your body is thinking "Thank God for that. However, I remember I was in a famine for a long time. Can I be sure that it will not happen again soon? No, I better start hoarding for the next time it happens."

In the short term your body will restore your glycogen levels and begin storing fat like crazy until it gets the message that it will be receiving the necessary level of calories on a consistent basis. It WILL get to that stage eventually if you allow it to and then you can start shedding weight on a safe and steady basis. Obviously work closely with your health care professionals during this time.

Crash diets. They are just not worth it.

DreamingOfSize10_UK

Thank you to each and everyone of you for the replies. Love the info by msf74.

I've figured what feels like my whole entire life, I have spent it doing some crash / fad diet or a rollercoaster of feast or famine. I can no longer go back to that. I have nothing to lose doing it the sensible approach and I'm enjoying working out for the first time in my life so it's all good. Want to be here in six months or so and look back at this post in my new sim, healthy toned self!