Negative Calorie Intake

sonjavon

Not to be rude, but your profile says you are pro-anorexia/bulimia and what you are doing is pretty much that.

Who is that directed to?

Directed to me, and not to be rude it doesn't say i'm 'pro ana/mia'. It says I live my life somewhat around that. You need to read closer.

After recovering, you can never really be 100% 'normal' again. By saying I live SOMEWHAT pro-ana/mia it means that I still pay far too much attention to labeled food and carefully watch my intake of food so I eat EXACTLY what I'm recommended.
Don't try to act smart. :]

I'm sure that this statement from your profile is what caused the confusion: "Now I'm tryin to lose weight again. But not to an extremely low weight again. I live a somewhat pro-ana/mia lifestyle though. "

Anyone reading that would be concerned. I don't think anyone was trying to "act smart" - they were simply concerned about the line of questioning and the meaning of that statement.

As to the answer to your question - I think that you've gotten some good replies... your body needs fuel to burn fat. Having negative calories will make your body shut down.

Paying attention to labeled food and watching what your intake is doesn't necessarily "mean" anorexia or bulimia - most of us on this site have become VERY AWARE of every calorie we eat. It's not just about what you eat or don't eat... it's exercising, properly fueling your body and achieving good health and nutrition.

Good luck to you in your goals.

Girlmom282109

Both myself and my better half are overweight, so we are trying to lose weight for health reasons, among other reasons. I am almost to my goal weight, but am starting to plateau and am trying to figure out the reason why.

If it is because I do not eat enough calories due to working out and not being hungry, with my eating healthy 6 times a day, why would I not lose weight due to burning more calories than I consume. I am nibbling all day, but still only get to 1150 calories at the end of the day? The last 2 weeks I have lost a combined 3 pounds, and those have been after days that I have had EXTREMELY HEAVY (800+ calorie) EMPTY STOMACH CARDIO WORKOUTS followed by eating sensibly all day, and only having 1200-1250 calories. I have been eating that many calories regularly (9 weeks so far) and saw extremely good results (IMHO: dropped 17 pounds in the first 7 weeks) and started the 5 day workouts 3 weeks ago (which was about the time that I started to plateau). On another post, the members were advising that I needed to change up my workouts (I was working out 3 times prior with no strength training, started 5 days a week w/3 of strength and all 5 doing at least an hour of cardio when I bumped myself to 5x 3 weeks ago).

I have always been under the impression that in order to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you take in, which is why I am trying to push my body with the 600-800 calorie workouts and only eating 1200 a day, which is almost always healthy with relatively low sodium (1800 mg a day) and hi fiber and good protein amounts.

So what am I doing wrong to have me plateau like this now?

MFP already gives you a deficit of the calories you want to lose per day. like if you wanted to lose 1 pound a week which is reccomended. they already take 500 calories out per day. IMHO I think exercising is for toning. Try losing 100 pounds and not toning you would be very very flabby!!

songbyrdsweet

Don't try to act smart. :]

Ugh, that is so rude.

You are SUPPOSED to gain weight after recovery. That's part of recovery. It's the only way you'll see any improvement in your bone mineral density or normal menses. I don't think you should be tracking calories here. How is that going to help you stop obsessing about the numbers?

Valqis

but what about the not being hungry. How am I supposed to eat when I am not hungry?

Girlmom282109

but what about the not being hungry. How am I supposed to eat when I am not hungry?

I always try to get most of my calories in breakfast. I get anywhere from 300 to 400 for breakfast. if I know that I am working out eat a protein shake. I mix mine with PB to get more calories in.

keiko

Not struggling with ana/mia anymore.

I gained some weight after recovery. Trying to lose it healthy this time.
I used to eat about 500 or less calories a day, so now I'm wondering how to lose weight a normal way.
So this was just a simple question if I'm supposed to burn as much as I eat or not.

I'm suggesting that you talk with your DR. He/she would be the best person to guide you in whether or not you need or should be losing weight. And if they think you should they know your history so they can tell you how it will be best for you to do it.

staceyw37

first of all, make sure you are using a hrm to get accurate # of calories burned. secondly, try having more calorie dense foods to meet your cals

--avocado, nuts, things like that

and for plateau person (sorry i fogot names)--1200 is not enuf when you are working out that hard.

and orig poster--listen to songbyrd. the woman knows what she's talking about.

Valqis

first of all, make sure you are using a hrm to get accurate # of calories burned. secondly, try having more calorie dense foods to meet your cals

--avocado, nuts, things like that

and for plateau person (sorry i fogot names)--1200 is not enuf when you are working out that hard.

my normal daily calorie intake is this:

breakfast - 225-290 (either cereal w/soy milk or a soy latte)
morning snack - 100-290 (soy latte or a hundred calorie snack)
lunch - 140-240 (cup of soup and cup of yogurt)
afternoon snack - 160-280 (almonds and popcorn)
evening meal - 155 (sandwich)
night snack - 50-110 (cup of yogurt and applesauce)

What do I need to do to change my calorie intake to increase my calories to even hit 1310 as I am almost constantly eating now between 11 am - 8 pm (or so it seems).

Also, if I am not feeling hungry, why should I increase my calorie intake? I guess I am just a little confused

songbyrdsweet

Hunger is not indicative of either actual caloric intake nor caloric need. If that were the case, anorexics would always be hungry, and the morbidly obese would always be full. Obviously that's not the case. Loss of appetite is one of the initial signs of vitamin deficiency/undernutrition.

keiko

first of all, make sure you are using a hrm to get accurate # of calories burned. secondly, try having more calorie dense foods to meet your cals

--avocado, nuts, things like that

and for plateau person (sorry i fogot names)--1200 is not enuf when you are working out that hard.

my normal daily calorie intake is this:

breakfast - 225-290 (either cereal w/soy milk or a soy latte)
morning snack - 100-290 (soy latte or a hundred calorie snack)
lunch - 140-240 (cup of soup and cup of yogurt)
afternoon snack - 160-280 (almonds and popcorn)
evening meal - 155 (sandwich)
night snack - 50-110 (cup of yogurt and applesauce)

What do I need to do to change my calorie intake to increase my calories to even hit 1310 as I am almost constantly eating now between 11 am - 8 pm (or so it seems).

Also, if I am not feeling hungry, why should I increase my calorie intake? I guess I am just a little confused

This is not enough food for an adult male or even a female. You are probably not getting enough protein or other nutrients/vitamins your body needs.
Where is meat, vegetables, fruits...?
If I ate that little I would not be able to function.

Valqis

meat is for dinner in the sandwich, fruit and veggies are the nuts, applesauce, and yogurt.

plus I am taking a multi-vitamin everyday to help with anything i am not getting.

songbyrdsweet

meat is for dinner in the sandwich, fruit and veggies are the nuts, applesauce, and yogurt.

Neither nuts, yogurt, nor applesauce are vegetables. Nuts are legumes, which would be considered a meat. Applesauce is a fruit. Yogurt is dairy.

Multivitamins should be used to supplement, not supply. Absorption isn't as good from multi's because certain vitamins interfere with the absorption of others, so taking them all at once means they won't be available to your body like they would be if you were taking them in dispersed throughout the day.

keiko

How much & what kind of meat. I'm guessing you are under on protein. Yes nuts & yogurt have some but you are not eating very much.
Vitamins are a supplement. They can't be expected to provide all your daily requirements.

The body needs fuel to burn just like a car. If you only have half a tank of gas you aren't going to be able to drive cross country. That is what you are doing to your body. Not giving it enough fuel.

If you aren't sure what to eat google 1500 calorie diet (or whatever cal. you want) look at a few sites to get ideas of menus.

Valqis

Then, if I were to change to more fruits and vegetables, which are naturally lower in calories, how would this increase my calorie intake?

songbyrdsweet

Then, if I were to change to more fruits and vegetables, which are naturally lower in calories, how would this increase my calorie intake?

You ADD them to what you're already eating to make your food intake more wholesome and nutritious. You still keep the whole grains, nuts, and various forms of protein. Then it wouldn't hurt to increase your portion sizes either.

Valqis

I average between 50-90 mg of protein a day, which per My Fitness Pal is actually more than enough.

Normal meat is turkey, roast beef, or ham.

amymeenieminymo

Then, if I were to change to more fruits and vegetables, which are naturally lower in calories, how would this increase my calorie intake?

You ADD them to what you're already eating to make your food intake more wholesome and nutritious. You still keep the whole grains, nuts, and various forms of protein. Then it wouldn't hurt to increase your portion sizes either.

I agree that your portion sizes don't seem to be nearly enough. Just a sandwich for dinner? I would starve to death if that was all I ate for dinner. If you're only eating 1200 calories, and then burning off between 600 and 800, your body is only left with 400 to 600 calories to run on, which is almost certainly not enough, unless you are under the care of a doctor who is monitoring your calorie intake.

FuXiaxue

I've already finished recovery, thank you.

keiko

I've already finished recovery, thank you.

Even though you've finished recovery you said earlier that you won't be 100% normal.That is why I think your DR is the best one to give you weight loss advice.
None of us really know you or your situation. By us giving you advice we could actually cause you more harm than good.

arewethereyet

I've already finished recovery, thank you.

I am very happy you have completed the recovery process, but no one is ever completely recovered from this sort of disease. Not unlike alcoholics, you will always have a peice of you that wants to stop eating or to purge the nourishment you have given your body.

I commend you on asking questions and seeking others advise.

Please PLEASE understand the ppl speaking with you are doing so out of LOVE not to put you down.

When I see a young girl post a thread like this I think HELP HER!! She is reaching out.

I think you are an intelligent young lady who KNOWS you are not eating enough.

I actually stopped losing weight when I did not eat enough food. My doctor had me add back 50 cals a day until I was up to 1500. I then started to lose again.

Take care of yourself:flowerforyou: