I'd really appreciate some straight-talking advice on cals i

o_delaisse

(When I say "straight-talk" I don't mean be mean to me! I'm struggling you know? I mean I don't want it sugar-coated I just want some support or reassurance or something)

I'm having problems losing weight, and I think I know why, but I'm very intimidated by following some of the guidelines. In the spirit of straight-talk, I'm going to lay it down.

1) I don't eat enough calories. I'm scared to increase my calories. Are you SURE that if I increase to the recommended 1200 cals a day I'll eventually lose? In the past when I've done that I've gained (and I didn't just do it for a few days, I gave it a month or more. Not long enough?). Right now I'm having less than 1000, and net intake takes it to 700 or less. I am scared to increase. Again - are you SURE increasing will work?

2) My metabolism is shot to hell. I did stupid things to lose 100lbs very quickly. It was wrong, I had issues, I recognise that and I'm working on it (and doing well, I reckon). I'm used to 500 or less calories and that lost me the weight (and by weight, I mean the scales went down. I thought that was a victory and never thought about how I was losing water and ruining my muscles as well as whatever fat I burned off).

I'm working on this by:

1) Starting strength training to get my muscles in order. Nothing fancy, I got some exercises from a weight training website I think I can do (I just found them last night, and I'm waiting on a pulled muscle to heal itself). I gather that will boost my metabolism, and more importantly get my muscles a bit healthier.

2) I'm eating my big meal earlier in the day. Problem is, I'm not used to eating more than one meal unless I'm binging. I've done really well not binging, and I'm scared that if I increase my cals I'll encourage it again. And it's not only a case of not being used to one meal a day, it's a case of not being hungry, Because I am not hungry. At all. I don't understand the logic of eating when you're not hungry (and I AM trying to understand, I am looking up stuff to educate myself).

3) Aside from this week (pulled muscle), I'm taking my cardio seriously. I don't (now) log "cleaning", "writing", or "cooking" as exercise. I log going on my cross trainer or stepper. If I went for a walk to exercise, I'd log that, but I wouldn't log wandering around the shops in town as exercise.

4) A lot of people on here encourage "cheat meals". I did that on Valentine's Day, and it's done me no harm so I'm not scared of cheat meals any more so long as they're not more than once a week. Do people generally agree this is a good thing? They seem to.



So, if you can reassure me or suggest stuff I'd appreciate it. I'm a sensible girl and I'll take on board what you say. I'll work at this and I'll get there, I would just really appreciate some words on what I've just said if you've got time. And like I said, you don't have to sugar-coat it. Just give it to me straight. If you think anything I have said is stupid then just tell me. It's cool. I am scared about increasing calories, but if you're sure that is what I need to do then I'll work on it. And if you think my exercise talk isn't good enough then let me know.

Thank you for reading.

kevinsherrell

Hmm, it almost sounds like you are underweight if 1200 calories a day is "gaining" you weight. What are your stats (height, weight, age)?

lozfisher

Firstly well done for recognising u need to eat more and secondly well do e for admitting your scared too! Unfortunately I can't offer u words of wisdom as I'm in a similar place to you. I am trying to eat more but by eating more I mean fruit. Jesus am I eating fruit. I eat my normal meals but my snacks are fruit, fruit, fruit! I'm too scared to eat anything else. So anyway, my reason for typing is this - if u want someone to eat more food with request me as a friend! I'll check your diary and comment, u check mine and comment. Thoughts???

lisaduke45

Here is some straight talk for you and by all means I am not perfect but I will share some information that was given to me. If you eat less than 1000 calories a day you put your body into starvation mode. Example given to me was a sumo wrestler. when in season for them they eat one huge meal right before they go to bed and then dont eat all day this is how they pack on the weight. In off season they loose their weight because they go back to eating properly. I eat 1500 cals a day and exercise 30 min a day and have been doing this since Oct and I have lost 30 lbs. With falling off the wagon a few times. Being diabetic doesnt help much but i try to eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks which helps regulate my sugar. Do we all get frustrated when we dont loose I know I do but sooner or later it kicks back in. Motivation: Dont give up you are worth the effort. Also dont go by past diets because this is not a diet it is changing life.

mkathib

Good for you for asking for help! I don't have any words of wisdom except I really believe you need to eat your calorie goal for the day. You can not burn fat without energy. Your body probably is afraid for what you might do to it with past issues. If you can afford it I would strongly suggest you see a professional dietician or personal trainer to help you along the correct way. Binging can be very dangerous as you well know, and its more than a diet problem to work through! Good luck to you, and remember YOU deserve it, and you must take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else!!!

rsmithy89

Ok this thread is covered in misconceptions and broscience so I will do my very best to clear this all up for you. If you want any further information, feel free to send me a message and I can advise you on diet and exercise to a greater extent.

I dont know why people on these forums advocate this 1200 calorie rule. There is no such thing. That said, one needs to eat at their TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) in order to keep their body running efficiently. If you give me your stats, I can work this out for you and then we can apply the required caloric deficit for you to lose weight. Furthermore, when you use your TDEE to work out caloric intake, you do not eat back exercise calories. I see too many people on here falling for this trap and then they complain when they arent losing weight.

Think of it this way, just say I bought a nice car but I ran it on regular unleaded petrol instead of premium unleaded. That car isnt going to be running on effective fuel and will lack in performance. The same thing applies to your body. It requires fuel to run efficiently and you also need energy to fuel your workouts. A bad workout means less fat burnt. Its better to eat a bit more and absolutely smash it in the gym.

Starvation mode is a myth. What happens is your body becomes more efficient at using energy the lighter you get. Thats why your caloric intake needs to be reduced the lighter you get. Furthermore, the lighter you are, the less energy is required to move your body weight around during exercise.

Weight loss is simple. Theres two rules. Calories in v calories out and macronutrient sufficiency. You need to eat adequate amounts of protein and dietary fat. Once again, I can help you with this if you send me your stats.

Meal timing and frequency is also a myth. You can eat whenever you want. Just make sure you are hitting your caloric goals.

Your pulled muscle is probably due to malnutrition. You will risk harming yourself if you arent eating a sufficient amount of food or nutrients. Another reason why you should eat more.

I have had "cheat meals" before. But I do not advocate them as a way of "kick starting" your metabolism. This is a load of crap once again. I use cheat meals when I have a birthday or new years eve or whatever. Its one day where I enjoy myself and the damage done isnt that severe.

Strength training is the best idea. I was losing consistent weight keeping in a caloric deficit and lifting weights. I did ZERO cardio. I should note that lifting weights during a caloric deficit will mean that you will maintain your muscle mass. You will not gain any extra muscle unless you are new to lifting weights.

Listen to what I have to say. So many people on here are full of nutritional misconceptions is drives me crazy. Send me a message, I am more than glad to help.

_Bob_

I don't have a lot of advice but I know what you mean about the shot to hell metabolism. I've killed mine too. my doc said to eat a healthy diet. not too little or to much and that increasing my muscle mass would be the best way to control my metabolism. I think you might just need to try snacking more, I'm going to try it too since I'm always way under too.

hope that helps

MystiqueASAP

I would start by seeing a dietician. I'm no expert, but I would also recommend that you slowly increase your caloric intake. Depending on the diet you were on and how long you were on it, I would start adding different food groups one at a time. Try adding some light yoga to your workouts. Just my opinion. Good Luck.

o_delaisse

kevinsherrell - I'm not underweight, but I used to be. Think my BMI was 17 or a bit higher. Now it's about 24. I'd like it to be where I was when I felt good - about 20/21 (I'm trying to think more about BMI than weight because it stops me on fixating on a specific number. Between 20-21 is reasonably broad. I don't know why, but that kind of thinking helps me). Oh, and I'm 30 next month. I suppose my BMI is important because I don't have a lot to lose, I should have said that to start with. I just felt so much better when it was between 20-21, like I felt that no one could call me fat any more because it's fairly low, but on the other hand it's not unhealthily low. And my clothes fit me nicely. And I just want it there, you know?

lozfisher - I'll add you Thank you!

lisaduke45 - I've read a lot about starvation mode being a myth, and I think that if it was true, no one would ever go underweight. I'm not disagreeing with you, please don't get me wrong. I just don't understand it but I really am trying to understand it. I sometimes think that maybe my BMR and stuff is worked out wrong, and maybe for some reason my BMR is a lot lower than most people's. Reckon that's crap? Tell me if you do.

mkathib - "you cannot burn fat without energy" - I never thought about it like that. I suppose that makes sense. God, though, I really am scared to up my intake. Maybe I could do it slowly. As for a dietician - I was referred to one a few years ago but I refused to go because I was happy as I was. I could see my doctor again, maybe she'd give me a second chance at seeing someone. She's a nice doctor.

rsmithy89 - I will message you, but for the benefit of the forum I have one question / obseration: I see a lot of men saying starvation mode is a myth, whereas the women say it isn't. I think maybe it's harder for women to lose weight? Or is that crap? I've heard it is, but I haven't got the medical degree to back up my argument!

BobNV - I do want to try snacking more, not sure what at the minute but I'm looking into it. Thank you

MystiqueASAP - Thank you, I'll look up some yoga stuff. It's something I have been interested in:)

rsmithy89

You are correct that it is harder for women to lose weight than men.

Men are biologically capable of losing more fat and being leaner than women. Its the harsh reality.

The reason you see a lot of men saying that starvation mode is a myth is that a lot of the men on this site are also members of other fitness forums. These forums specialise in nutrition and bodybuilding etc and actually quote journal articles on nutrition and are frequented by fitness experts.

Do you ever see anyone cite any studies or academic references on here? No.

A lot of the women on here get their nutritional information from magazines and television. These magazines are full of the old misconceptions about diet. Ill throw a few at you. No carbs at night, no eating after 8pm, 6 meals per day, starvation mode, fat is bad, cardio is essential, eat "clean" etc etc etc. All of these are false. Its the fault of the media for pumping out these misconceptions.

I am speaking from personal experience here. I have done my research and as a result, have lost a lot of weight. The online community I frequent is full of people who use the same advice and have also lost a HEAP of weight.

Why do women lose weight slower than men? It comes down to lean body mass. Men naturally have more muscle than women. More muscle means increased metabolic rate. Furthermore, we are capable of reaching body fat percentages as low as 4-5%. Whereas, a woman is considered to be at an unhealthy body fat level if she is below 20%.

o_delaisse

You are correct that it is harder for women to lose weight than men.

Men are biologically capable of losing more fat and being leaner than women. Its the harsh reality.

The reason you see a lot of men saying that starvation mode is a myth is that a lot of the men on this site are also members of other fitness forums. These forums specialise in nutrition and bodybuilding etc and actually quote journal articles on nutrition and are frequented by fitness experts.

Do you ever see anyone cite any studies or academic references on here? No.

A lot of the women on here get their nutritional information from magazines and television. These magazines are full of the old misconceptions about diet. Ill throw a few at you. No carbs at night, no eating after 8pm, 6 meals per day, starvation mode, fat is bad, cardio is essential, eat "clean" etc etc etc. All of these are false. Its the fault of the media for pumping out these misconceptions.

I am speaking from personal experience here. I have done my research and as a result, have lost a lot of weight. The online community I frequent is full of people who use the same advice and have also lost a HEAP of weight.

Why do women lose weight slower than men? It comes down to lean body mass. Men naturally have more muscle than women. More muscle means increased metabolic rate. Furthermore, we are capable of reaching body fat percentages as low as 4-5%. Whereas, a woman is considered to be at an unhealthy body fat level if she is below 20%.

Just emailed you

I'm going to look up some of these forums, I think it would be very helpful, thank you.

cowgirlslikeus86

Arguing the "Proper way to loose weight" and " how you should go about it" is like debating religion. Everybody has their own opinion. There are studies for and against every belief and misconception you see typed in these forums. "There is no starvation mode" "We should never eat less than 1200 calories" " eat your calories back" "Don't eat your calories back" " You have to eat breakfast" " you can eat whenever you want" " heap all your meals into one huge meal" "Don't count house cleaning as excercise" Ya da da Blah Blah Blah!

The bottom line is that, like religion, there are many options and everyone has to find thier own way. Most likely through trial and error. What is right for one person may not be right for another. If all else fails, see a nutritionist. One that will stick with you and adjust your diet to make it work for you.

o_delaisse

Thank you

staceyseeger

BUMP

JenniNBond

Please go to the doctor and get medical advice - they are going to give it to you straight so that you can be healthy.

nixirain

Read this:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

Then go to the doctor.

tbresina

Ok this thread is covered in misconceptions and broscience so I will do my very best to clear this all up for you. If you want any further information, feel free to send me a message and I can advise you on diet and exercise to a greater extent.

I dont know why people on these forums advocate this 1200 calorie rule. There is no such thing. That said, one needs to eat at their TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) in order to keep their body running efficiently. If you give me your stats, I can work this out for you and then we can apply the required caloric deficit for you to lose weight. Furthermore, when you use your TDEE to work out caloric intake, you do not eat back exercise calories. I see too many people on here falling for this trap and then they complain when they arent losing weight.

Think of it this way, just say I bought a nice car but I ran it on regular unleaded petrol instead of premium unleaded. That car isnt going to be running on effective fuel and will lack in performance. The same thing applies to your body. It requires fuel to run efficiently and you also need energy to fuel your workouts. A bad workout means less fat burnt. Its better to eat a bit more and absolutely smash it in the gym.

Starvation mode is a myth. What happens is your body becomes more efficient at using energy the lighter you get. Thats why your caloric intake needs to be reduced the lighter you get. Furthermore, the lighter you are, the less energy is required to move your body weight around during exercise.

Weight loss is simple. Theres two rules. Calories in v calories out and macronutrient sufficiency. You need to eat adequate amounts of protein and dietary fat. Once again, I can help you with this if you send me your stats.

Meal timing and frequency is also a myth. You can eat whenever you want. Just make sure you are hitting your caloric goals.

Your pulled muscle is probably due to malnutrition. You will risk harming yourself if you arent eating a sufficient amount of food or nutrients. Another reason why you should eat more.

I have had "cheat meals" before. But I do not advocate them as a way of "kick starting" your metabolism. This is a load of crap once again. I use cheat meals when I have a birthday or new years eve or whatever. Its one day where I enjoy myself and the damage done isnt that severe.

Strength training is the best idea. I was losing consistent weight keeping in a caloric deficit and lifting weights. I did ZERO cardio. I should note that lifting weights during a caloric deficit will mean that you will maintain your muscle mass. You will not gain any extra muscle unless you are new to lifting weights.

Listen to what I have to say. So many people on here are full of nutritional misconceptions is drives me crazy. Send me a message, I am more than glad to help.

Here's my stats can you help me? I have been on a plateau and not sure why. I am 5ft 5 and weigh 150, I am 42 yr old female. I average 300 cal burned a day as exercise every day except on Tue and Thur I burn 1000 (2 classes each day). What could I possibly be doing wrong? I haven't lost in 3-4 weeks! I have been eating about 1300 cal a day, all healthy!

jenifer7teen

Strength training is the best idea. I was losing consistent weight keeping in a caloric deficit and lifting weights. I did ZERO cardio.

what? why not? isnt cardio an important piece of the puzzle for long term health? (*sorrry off topic...)

swilk627

I can only speak from my personal experience ---- I started out doing the 1200 calorie thing because that's what MFP said. When I manually changed it to 1400 calories a day (pretty close to my BMR), I felt so much better. I have better endurance and, best of all, I've been losing weight steadily!

therealangd

You're at a healthy weight already, so that's good.

In order to make you feel better about the choices you are making, start adding 100 calories a day to your intake. Do that for a week or so and then add 100 more etc, until you are eating at your TDEE. It won't be as mentally stressing as going hog wild all at once. I would say that if you've been eating at 700 calories or so for a very long time, you've lost a fair bit of lean muscle as well as the fat.

BMI isn't really a great measurement tool when you are at a healthy weight and you want to improve your figure. It doesn't take into account your lean muscle mass. Body fat percentage is a better tool. Take measurements. Those are numbers you want to see change now, not necessarily your weight.

Your goal now should be to increase your lean muscle mass. That will increase your metabolism and lower your body fat %.

If you do this right, you will be healthy.

kdiamond

Ok this thread is covered in misconceptions and broscience so I will do my very best to clear this all up for you. If you want any further information, feel free to send me a message and I can advise you on diet and exercise to a greater extent.

I dont know why people on these forums advocate this 1200 calorie rule. There is no such thing. That said, one needs to eat at their TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) in order to keep their body running efficiently. If you give me your stats, I can work this out for you and then we can apply the required caloric deficit for you to lose weight. Furthermore, when you use your TDEE to work out caloric intake, you do not eat back exercise calories. I see too many people on here falling for this trap and then they complain when they arent losing weight.

Think of it this way, just say I bought a nice car but I ran it on regular unleaded petrol instead of premium unleaded. That car isnt going to be running on effective fuel and will lack in performance. The same thing applies to your body. It requires fuel to run efficiently and you also need energy to fuel your workouts. A bad workout means less fat burnt. Its better to eat a bit more and absolutely smash it in the gym.

Starvation mode is a myth. What happens is your body becomes more efficient at using energy the lighter you get. Thats why your caloric intake needs to be reduced the lighter you get. Furthermore, the lighter you are, the less energy is required to move your body weight around during exercise.

Weight loss is simple. Theres two rules. Calories in v calories out and macronutrient sufficiency. You need to eat adequate amounts of protein and dietary fat. Once again, I can help you with this if you send me your stats.

Meal timing and frequency is also a myth. You can eat whenever you want. Just make sure you are hitting your caloric goals.

Your pulled muscle is probably due to malnutrition. You will risk harming yourself if you arent eating a sufficient amount of food or nutrients. Another reason why you should eat more.

I have had "cheat meals" before. But I do not advocate them as a way of "kick starting" your metabolism. This is a load of crap once again. I use cheat meals when I have a birthday or new years eve or whatever. Its one day where I enjoy myself and the damage done isnt that severe.

Strength training is the best idea. I was losing consistent weight keeping in a caloric deficit and lifting weights. I did ZERO cardio. I should note that lifting weights during a caloric deficit will mean that you will maintain your muscle mass. You will not gain any extra muscle unless you are new to lifting weights.

Listen to what I have to say. So many people on here are full of nutritional misconceptions is drives me crazy. Send me a message, I am more than glad to help.

I agree with everything he has to say!! If I were you, I'd raise your calories and do strength training and just nix the cardio. You don't want to be a flabby underweight person, believe me it is not attractive.