Thoughts? *rant

Anyaaaa11

I don't want to offend anyone with what I have to say.. I just want opinions.

I really don't get why some people can honestly say their full off 800 calories. If your on
here to lose weight, clearly you were eating more than that to gain weight..
If anything wouldn't you be even hungerier from restricting so much. It just really frustrates
me to see people say their full off such a small amount. Personal opinion, I think their lying to
Themselves.

Sure there might be exceptions.. but what do you think?
Everytime I see something like this, I delete them.

akd001

I agree. I have to exercise just to avoid going over....

zoedallas

I don't get hungry as a rule. I gained weight out of forcing myself to eat (I was underweight for years and overshot when I finally decided to do something about it) and later I ate out of boredom. Plus the things I ate were not exactly heathy. Even so, I only needed to lose 10 pounds tops.

So I don't mind when people say they don't get hungry. It wasn't unusual for me in the past to go a couple days without eating anything at all. *shrug*

BLy82

Being absolutely honest, it does happen to me.

When I'm eating healthier food and keeping track of what I'm eating, I sometimes get to the end of the day at something like 700-900 calories and don't really feel hungry at all. Usually I'll find something nutritious that I can force myself to eat to get to a more reasonable number for the day. Sometimes I'll just make a note to eat more calories at breakfast than I normally would the following day to help keep things from getting too far out of balance.

Keep in mind that when people are eating extremely high numbers of calories, they're usually eating food that is very calorie dense and very nutrient poor. If you change around the nature of your diet substantially rather than purely focusing on the calorie #'s, the level of hunger does tend to adjust to some degree alongside it.

Dave198lbs

they walk among us

zoedallas

I want to add that while I didn't eat for days in the past, I don't think I could do that now. Your body gets used to things. I'm now used to eating at certain times of the day. So my body tells me it's time to eat.

If you don't eat for a long time, then your body stops asking for food. And under those circumstances, it doesn't much like it when you do feed it. It's not an easy thing to overcome so have some sympathy for those people.

nnylee

I eat when my body tells me it's hungry. I try not to deprive myself. But I don't overdo it.

Anyaaaa11

All of you make a pretty good point. I get the part about eating
Healthier and resulting in lower calories but what about the people that eat relatively healthy
And they start dieting and are full off a severely low amount. People that have 60lbs to lose
should not be eating that little.

darkmouzy

I agree people shouldn't be eatng that little but depends on their life situation for me, I was working 2 jobs both managing positions in the day and night I literally had no breaks. I never really ate. But that's why I'm here reteaching and relearning how to eat

skyocom

From what I have read eating fewer than the recommended daily calories for yourself sends your body into starvation mode and makes your metabolic rate lower causing weight gain. I have had days that at the end I've only hit 900 calories or a little more and haven't been hungry. Although, I think my problem stems from drinking 2 to 3 gallons of water daily so 8 feel full, but calorie-wise I'm not.

ahubbard134

Some days I don't want to eat much and I don't get hungry at all. I don't force myself because most days I want to pig out big time....

LaurenAOK

I know what you mean, sometimes I feel the same way. However there a couple of things to consider.

Like a few people have already pointed out, when people join MFP they often commit to healthier lifestyles - sometimes eliminating processed and calorie-dense foods altogether. So someone who ate McDonalds for 3 meals a day could gain weight from that, then join MFP and eat the same actual AMOUNT of food but mostly fruits/veggies and end up with under 1000 cals a day. Also keep in mind that a lot of these people didn't exercise in the past and now exercise almost daily. So they may be eating as much as they used to but NETTING under 1000 after exercise. I've seen people on here that burn crazy amounts of cals exercising; there's no way they can eat all that back. Thus they end up full on a low amount of net calories.

Also I know that some days for me, if I wake up late and don't have time to eat breakfast or something, I'll then eat a regular-sized lunch and maybe a smaller dinner if I'm still full from lunch. Next thing I know it's bedtime, I'm full, and I'm only at like 800 calories for the day. Whoops.

budhandy

I have problems with depression so some days I won't eat hardly nothingg, the next day I binge.

Feathil

You really can't judge people based on what their body tells them. You don't choose to feel hungry, and they don't choose to have no hunger signals. I have a friend who's suffering an extreme case of this, on top of chronic fatigue which sends her into a vicious circle of not enough sleep or food, and not enough energy to cook.

Some people get more hunger signals than others, it isn't a choice. It's partly metabolism, partly what your body has been used to as a lifestyle, and partly the choice of foods you use to fill yourself - as people have said, switching from junk to healthy food can mean less calories but a fuller sensation.

One of the biggest things to learn at MFP is not to judge people, because everybody's different and everyone's goal is to improve. There will always be misguided or foolish people, but you can tell whether it's ignorance or stubbornness fairly quickly.

LemonSnap

800 calories of the 'right' kind of food is a heap more food than eating lots more calories of the 'wrong' kind of food.

Think about it. For lunch you can have one sausage roll at 467calories or you can have a huge tuna salad for under 200 calories.

disclaimer: I am not advocating eating only 800 calories daily.

kdeaux1959

Ehhh. I do find by eating the RIGHT things, I am less hungry eating less than I used to be by eating more. Do I ever just eat 800 calories? Only the day I had oral surgery and was on serious pain meds for the day and the anaesthesia had not fully worn off... I wasn't hungry that day and I ate nothing... None-the-less, on a normal day, I eat much less than I used to and often am not hungry -- sometimes I am but restrict my eating to a reasonable level anyway. One factor to consider is that the processed foods such as "snack foods", "snack cakes", "chips", "etc... contain a wide variety of preservatives... many of these are known to be appetite enhancers... Therefore, you get a quick fix for hunger and 30 minutes later are hungry again... Being the suspicious person that I am capable of being, no doubt, there is a bit more than just wanting to "preserve" their foods for longer shelf life going on here. By eating plant and animal based foods, we are far less likely to cave into these trends. :happy:

j1wright

When I consumed more calories I was drinking a ton of alcohol which made me eat more. Now I don't drink.....actually I had two beers last weekend and two glasses of wine over a month ago but that is about it. Before I could drink 6 beers a night. That is about 700 calories a night. Yeah I know, I had a drinking problem. Things change when you have kids. Then when you have kids you eat a bunch of processed junk that is high in calories like a small fry and cheeseburger which is like 600 calories. Which is half of what I should be having a day now. I still eat the same amount of food now it just is lower calories then what I am used to.

littlepinkhearts

Weight can also be put on quite easily by eating very little of the wrong foods and not exercising at all....

AmerTunsi

A few weeks ago I would have been in the same boat with you as far as not understanding how people get full at 800 calories.

However, this past week there has been a streak of days where I just had no desire to eat and would look at my calorie intake and find that I was only 400-800 calories! It was strange because I wasn't hungry not even after working out. I have had to force myself to eat during these days.

I attribute this to just being overly stressed and having gone through a very emotional week. So while I am still overweight and got to be this way because of poor choices and emotional eating ... I now seem to have flipped to the other side and have no desire to eat when I'm emotional or stressed.

Having said all that, I don't imagine this would be something I could sustain or would want to sustain. So for those who consistently eat and consciously choose to eat this low ... I would say that they have an eating disorder at the least or something more serious going on.

naomi8888

Anya I've posted about this before too, I don't really believe it either. People that say they got really overweight from undereating??!! I always think they must conveniently forget a lot the food they eat, I had a friend like that.

rextcat

stress, and hormones are defantly part of it...for me atleast,... sometimes id' be good off 500 net other times id' be way over and still hungery. since i started jogging i have been much more "evan" i guess you would call it, with my calories.
and when i see people that have REALY low cal. intakes i just remind myself that its not for me to judge their diets, mine is way screwed up to!:drinker:


also when i say "id' be good off 500 net, im not doing anything, exersize wise, just sitting at home watching my girls.

Bevigal

Perhaps there are some that are not being honest with themselves, but you have to remember no two people are alike. When I stopped eating a lot of fast food my whole system has changed. I found that when you eat fast food...30 minutes later you are still hungry. With more wholesome food it does not take as much. Thats me as for others it may be a different story.

woopidydoo

I've always typically ate less than 800 calories. There are days when I could consume more calories if I go someplace like Starbucks, Panera Bread or Olive Garden but it only happens maybe once a week. I usually don't get hungry until around dinner time (and when I say hungry.. it just means I can eat. I'm not really ever HUNGRY). I really don't care about food and don't put much thought into it. I am working on eating way healthier, though. I want to incorporate more fruits and veggies so I'm planning to snack on those during the day. I'm not telling anyone to eat like me, I'm just answering the question.

issyfit

For me it's not the calories but the quality of the food that makes me feel full. Veggies and protein fill me up while simple carbs just make me feel hungrier. A huge stir fry of veggies and shirataki noodles for under 200 calories will make me much fuller than 1000 calories of sweets and starches.

TurnLeftNow

Keep in mind that overweight people don't necessarily eat because they are HUNGRY. They eat for many other reasons and they don't stop when they are full.

Some people need less to feel full. When they are actually listening to their bodies, maybe they are realizing that they are getting fuller faster.

Plus, if they are eating lots of fruits and vegetables and/or drinking tons of water, they could be filling up faster on much less.

Karalopolous

I totally get upset when people say this....but for different reasons. I upped my calories because I am weight training now so I am happier, but before when I was restricted to 1340 calories it was sooooo hard. I can't imagine being full off of 800-900 calories, I'm constantly hungry (I could go for a snack right now, haha) so it would frsutrate me when friends who were doing MFP with me at work would eat teensy meals and I'm restraining myself to go back for seconds.
I half believe the "I'm full" thing. I know some people who eat lightly, but I do know others who can eat like me and arr lying to themselves. It's the ones who are lying to themselves who make me so crazy....but whatevs, it's their body not mine.

gaylelynnbell

It happens from time to time. And other days I'm famished all day and 1250 seems like nothing.

I didn't gain weight eating because I was hungry. I ate because I was bored, upset or it just tasted good. Seldom did I actually feel hunger.

HorrorChix89

I eat when I"m hungry, stop when I'm not. Plus I cut out snacking and the need to have something in my mouth. So if it ends up being 800-1000 cals a day then so be it. I'm not going to overdo it just to make a few strangers happy.

Beezil

All of you make a pretty good point. I get the part about eating
Healthier and resulting in lower calories but what about the people that eat relatively healthy
And they start dieting and are full off a severely low amount. People that have 60lbs to lose
should not be eating that little.

I think it is partially due to "starvation" mode. You suddenly create a large or even moderate calorie deficit, and your body (I think at least in some cases) clings to energy / fat stores for as long as possible because there is suddenly less going in than there was. This could be a reason why people who are only starting out start to feel full on smaller amounts of food. Just a theory though. I'm not a scientist or a nutritionist, so don't take what I say too seriously. lol

Kell_Smurthwaite

I was a boredom and compulsive eater. I would snack whenever I was doing nothing, even though I wasn't hungry, and when I had a plate of food, I would fill it way too full and be unable to stop eating until my plate was cleared, even though I was way past being stuffed and would feel sick afterwards.

I'm learning to be more mindful of my choices as well as my eating patterns, so that whe nI am eating, I choose far healthier options. I've also upped my intake of fresh fruit and veg which is far lower in calories that the cheese and chocolate I would binge on before. I also no longer clear my plate if Im' full before I'm done.

As a result, my calorie intake is lower than it used to be.

I'm only just now beginning to be able to eat back some of my exercise calories, but I refuse to eat something high in calorie and fat that is unhealthy just to fill an arbitrary number. As a result, my gross calorie intake is usually well over 1200 calories, but my net intake is often lower than that once my exercise cals have been taken back off.

I can honestly say I never leave myself hungry because I know if I do, I'll be more likely to go on a binge.

hannp

The reason I got overweight is due to eating when i was bored. Im a student so have a lot of free hours where I sit get bored and eat. Of course the nearest thing had to be chocoltae or biscuits etc. Now that im trying to lose weight im stricter on myself i drink water when i get bored or find an activity to do. As for the 800 calories it fills me up. Its really easy to eat under it. Heaps of fruit and veges, wholegrain toast. Cutting out on cheese and things like that. I understand your viewpoint but for me 800 is plenty. Dinner tonight was a huge burger filled with chicken, lettuce, carrot, tomato, but in total came to just 210 calories.