But I don't WANT 1200 calories

skinnyminnie

And I don't ever eat my exercise calories back unless I feel like it. It works for me, I know I'll probably catch a lot of flack for saying that, but it works for me.

LadyKT

I also have issues with the concept of "starvation mode". I'm not sure I buy into this notion that if you don't lose weight, you should up your calories. If it wasn;t possible to lose weight from eating less, Auschwitz victims would have been fat, right?

Interestingly, I googled to see if it was a myth and I found this:

http://fattyfightsback.blogspot.com/2009/03/mtyhbusters-starvation-mode.html

Thoughts?

First off, that's a HORRIBLE thing to compare anything to. Bad example dear.

Secondly - that whole 'starvation' mode argument can pretty much be summed up as this: Eat with too large of a calorie defict = skinny fat. Eat within no more than 500 cal deficit = lean and muscular. Which do YOU want to be?

Superman1983

1200 is recommended so you don't get malnourished. It's hard to get all the nutrients you need if you eat under 1200 calories a day. As far as going into "starvation mode", that won't happen. It's a myth. "Starvation mode" is when your body requires less energy (either because you've lost weight or because you're not as active).

To back that up, here is a direct quote from the Health and Fitness Provider Network (a company that provides information to health and fitness providers such as nutritionists, personal trainers, corrective exercise specialists, etc.):

It is important to note that during prolonged periods of semi-starvation (i.e. longer than 3 days), energy expenditure (EE) may decrease (3) and may continue to decrease proportionally to the length of underfeeding. But recall that BMR is only one component of total energy expenditure. Researchers suggest that the decrease in EE is in all probability due to the resulting lower body weight (smaller bodies “cost” less to move around) and decreased activity, and not metabolic adaptation (4).

The idea that your body goes into “starvation mode” after a few hours without food is invalid. The available science demonstrates that any effects of meal pattern (frequent meals versus infrequent meals) on the regulation of body weight are likely to be the result of a behavioral adaptation -- The person is eating less because their controlled snacking prevents them from becoming too hungry – and not metabolic adaptation.

swanny320

I agree...just like no one person burns the same amount of calories in a given workout, it seems quite strange to think that people would require the same amount of intake. I get that it's a guideline but it seems people get really worked up if they hear you are consuming LESS. Oddly, the very people at work who make comments about how "little I seem to eat" now that I'm trying to be healthy are the same people who sat SILENT when I was pouring gallons of Coke in my body and chasing it with a hot dog. Ya know?

skinnyminnie

I quit eating all processed food too - and I was shocked. I've struggled with weight loss in the past because I felt like I didn't just get hungry like my skinny friends - I felt like I was dying! Hunger pangs so bad that I felt like crying and once a craving hit, it's all I could think about for literally days until I satisfied the craving.
Within 5 days of going off processed food - ALL THE CRAVINGS AND TERRIBLE HUNGER PANGS WERE GONE. Just like that. I am now a complete believer in what they say about our bodies forming dependencies on all of those chemicals.

SlowlyLosingLolita

I eat NO processed food. I only eat organic fruits, veggies, and meat. I think people don't realize that not consuming TONS of corn based sweetners (high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, dextrin, etc ) )really limits the calories ( and again, it's not intentional...I'm just avoiding processed crap for health/personal belief reasons).

Completely agree. I'm a vegan and if I eat no processed foods,breads, or junk food;I just can not physically hold the 1200 calories worth of food. I have had a few days where I only get to 600 and feel full to the point of exploding but I ate anyways because of the 1200 and actually did get sick. So, I have just been ignoring the 1200 for the most part and eating until I am full and eating better.
I don't work out,though so it may be different if I did. For now though; I just can't hold 1200.

swanny320

Yes, exactly. I am not a vegan but I don't eat anything with more than 5 ingredients and never go into the inside aisles of the grocery store.

Ultimately, I guess what I am saying is that if I eat a really great spinach salad with grass fed chicken on it... with lots of veggies, rich in vitamins and minerals and consume no corn based or sugar cane based sweeteners but come out with less than 1200 calories at the end of the day versus the person who consumed power bars and slim fast shakes (full of cleverly disguised sugars and other synthetic chemicals)...yet I feel great, have energy, etc....how can that be wrong at the end of the day? Why am I suddenly in danger of going into "starvation mode" but the person shoveling chemicals into their system is fine because they met some arbitrary number set by some entity I don't know...lol...don't get it....

...but it's been a fun discussion!

warmachinejt

Don't eat less than 1200. I can tell your protein intake is really low already without looking at your diary. I can also tell you have no good fats in your diet (since fats take up more calories). Add more peanuts/almonds and peanut butter to your diet.

swanny320

I eat grass fed pork almost every night...and chicken on my salads at much. I also eat a hard boiled egg for breakfast...How much more protein do I need?!?!?!

Soziberry

I am really curious as to what you guys eat in a day now. I have my full quota of cals but not my exercise quota unless a night out comes. I even allow myself a couple of treats daily like chocolate or biscuits as I get the feeling I am needing them if I don't have any. So no processed food passes your lips EVER? Not even a chocolate?

swanny320

NUts: Yes, I could probably eat more of them. I probably don't eat enough of those. The problem with nuts is that I'm not that crazy about them so I never think about them. I'll buy some the next time I go to the store!

swanny320

Sozi, no....no chocolate.

Read "In the Defense of Food". It's a great book and if after reading it you still want something that is processed, I'll be shocked.

As for what I eat, I eat eggs in the morning with a piece of fruit. For lunch, usually some sort of leafy green like a spinach salad (or lately, I've been cooking swiss chard and eating it...yum) with chicken. At night I eat a pork chop with some veggies. During the day if I get hungry I just grab some fruit or some veggies.

What I've learned about processed food is that it's full of sweeteners that you don't even realize and most are made from corn and you don't even realize that it's a sweetener if you read the label. What I found was that when I quit eating processed crap, my cravings went away...it's because my body became addicted to all the junk chemicals in the food. Once I got off them, I no longer suddenly felt hungry and snacky (you know that feeling that you need to graze in the kitchen).

Now I want to be clear...I'm not condemning anyone that needs or wants more food than I eat or who wants to eat processed food...I'm just saying that by eating clean and not consuming chemicals (including the chemicals we put in animals), I don't seem to crave food like I did before when I was eating McDonalds when it suited me or eating a Lean Cuisine at lunch.

CodyD18

You can lose weight by eating under 1200 calories. It just might mess up your metabolism and you'll end up gaining the weight back anyway.

Soziberry

I have dieted most of my life and found the diet I fail on is 1 that doesn't allow treats. We can program ourselves to eat healthy, organic, clean food like caveman plan but most people I know have broken it in favour of a mighty big pizza, beer and chocolate. If it is working for you then you have answered your own question and it doesn't matter what we say you are going to do what you feel is best - of course. Good luck and please try the nuts/avacado

megruder

I would HIGHLY recommend talking with your physician and/or a dietician. A registered dietitian can look at your food log and your weight along with body composition and make some healthy suggestions. You can get advice from everyone on here, but it's not tailored to your particular situation. I've been speaking with a dietitian that works with the hospital's weight loss clinic and I've gained some really great advice.

Jessika616

I would suggest going to a gym and getting your BMR tested and see really how many calories you burn a day. The one on here is just a calculator and is just an average amount. Yours could be different.

CodyD18

I would HIGHLY recommend talking with your physician and/or a dietician. A registered dietitian can look at your food log and your weight along with body composition and make some healthy suggestions. You can get advice from everyone on here, but it's not tailored to your particular situation. I've been speaking with a dietitian that works with the hospital's weight loss clinic and I've gained some really great advice.

I agree with this.

velvetkat

Instead of finding ways to defend what you are doing.. if it works do it... when it stops working try something else.. Eat a few more calories when you stop losing.. You will stop at some point as everyones body adapts and needs change to continue losing the weight. Now if you dont have a lot to lose then it may work differently.
I change what I do almost weekly whether it is the type of amount of exercise. Types of foods.. started out eating healthy then started not eating processed food then went to not eating foods high on the glycemic index. I have yet to hit a plateau and I have been on this new lifestyle for 4 months. Last week I lost 5 lbs... why? I have no idea.. but I have been losing 4 lbs a week since the beginning.
Also I only drink water.;. no flavored water no soda nothing but water.
Some people zigzag their calories.. check into it as it seems to work for some.

Good luck!! seems different things work for different people and you have to do what works for you. Just please make sure you check your nutrients to see you are getting enough.
I didnt get enough potassium for 2 months. I mean I was getting 1/3 was is recommended and I started getting muscle cramps. Not fun and I have to check to make sure I am getting enough and its a struggle with 1200 calories.

crisanderson27

I eat NO processed food. I only eat organic fruits, veggies, and meat. I think people don't realize that not consuming TONS of corn based sweetners (high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, dextrin, etc ) )really limits the calories ( and again, it's not intentional...I'm just avoiding processed crap for health/personal belief reasons).

Oddly enough, I eat very little or no processed food normally (the last week is a long story...), and I've got no problem eating as many as 2400cal. After that i have to stretch a little. A normal (lower calorie) day consists of a 3 egg omelette with misc veggies, turkey, and cheese in the morning, chicken/broccoli/mozzarella/spinach bowl (home made, no rice) for lunch, home made protein shake for lunch, and usually some form of chicken for dinner, along with misc vegetables for dinner. I drink only water or milk...with 90% or more of the time it being just plain water. A day like this will be around 1800cal or more. If i need extra I'll toss in a couple handfulls of cashews or the like.

All you're talking about doing is one type of 'eating clean'...and with your size 1200cal might be more than is necessary...but debunking the whole '1200cal minimum' thing just because you're short and petite doesn't really make a lot of sense...and is semi irresponsible at best when you're posting to a forum full of all stripes and sizes of people...some of which are starving themselves eating 1000cal, thinking it's going to make them lose weight.

Cris

rileysowner

Yes, I've cranked my exercise way up...almost every day and while, yes, I feel tired after a good workout, I'm not tired in the sense of not having energy.

I guess what I'm having trouble understanding is why it would be UNHEALTHY to not eat 1200 if I feel good and the food I eat is good, clean, food. I'm definitely not PURPOSELY trying to deprive my body of food....I like food and if I was hungry, I'd eat it...but it seems I'm usually pretty content around 1000 calories.

Since other than telling us you are small boned, you have not told us anything else. How tall are you? If you are really short (at or under 5' or so) and small boned, 1200 may be too much, then again it might not. It could be that your metabolism has slowed, especially if you ate really low calories before. That, BTW, is not a good thing. You will want to speed it up, and if you have lots of energy that will be easy enough.

The other problem is figuring out how many calories you ate before. Sure the volume of what you ate might have been smaller, but junk food is usually packed with calories. For that matter, unless you charted it, you are likely similar to many people with bad eating habits and ate much more than you remember because of occasional little bits and bites here and there. You say you didn't eat 1200 before, but you may have eaten that and even more. The problem for your hunger is that "healthy" food is much bulkier, and generally contains much more fiber than junk food. That means it fills you up physically more than junk food, and it is harder to eat a lot of it. Just compare say 100 calories of a veggie like broccoli and 100 calories of potato chips for how big they are and you can start to see what I mean.

For most people who have weight to lose, trusting their hunger to guide them is not a good idea, because for the vast majority it is their messed up sense of hunger and fullness that got them where they are now. I know I can't trust my sense of hunger even after re-training it for over a year. It is accurate most of the time, but there are times when I feel full and have not eaten nearly enough, and other days where I have eaten lots of healthy food, but my body still is telling me to eat more. I would never just trust my sense of hunger to decide how much to eat (or not to eat for that matter.)