Thoughts? *rant

elri1908

I can honestly say that I don't get hungry often! But, that being said, I try my best to get in all the calories, and eat back my exercise calories... there's a reason why I am fat ... not eating regular meals because I'm hardly ever hungry, then eating too much of the wrong things at the wrong times when I do decide to eat, and drinking too much. I have often gone for more than a day only drinking coffee and forgetting to eat... Sad, but true.

htmlgirl

It happens to me, but usually it's closer to 1000 calories. If I'm eating mostly vegetables and other healthy items all day, it just doesn't add up to 1200. This includes regular meals with healthy snacks in between (carrots or something). I think the only time I go close or over is when I have a lot of carbs that day.

If I'm not hungry, I'm not going to eat more just to get to a specific number.

PunkyRachel

Unless I'm sick, I never eat less then 1000 per day. I try and keep myself at about 1200

WorkoutMaine

I used to eat pounds of pasta a day and still be hungry. I would only be full for a couple hours then want more. Now I am eating less calorie foods and eating more of them and finding myself full. I eat between 900 and 1200 calories a day BEFORE exercise. I always eat until I am full and I always eat or drink when I get hungry. I tried to force myself to eat back calories and eat past when I got full and it made me sick so no matter what people say I will not do it again. My body will tell me when I need more or wont need more.

I do see a lot of people who wont friend people or delete people when they see them eating under 1200 net calories. Do you guys really think this is the right solution? Aren't we all here to help one another? I would think when we see someone doing something like this it would give us the opportunity to lend a helping hand and advice or at the very minimum find out if everything is alright with them and see why they are doing whatever you don't like. Why do we join a site if we are not willing to help those who are helping us? It makes no sense to me at all.

Dave198lbs

. 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.

it wouldnt be to make a few strangers happy. it would be to take proper care of your body.

calajane

I only just started on MFP and I can't imagine being full on 800 calories. I mean staying under 1400 right now is a challenge. I suspect it's because my body isn't used to a diet yet. I hope it'll get better as I go.

The_Finja

I kind of have to agree with the op. I think people confuse calories with feeling full. I believe people should not starve themselves, but I don't believe that people can't eat at least the minimum calories. 1 tablespoons olive oil on a salad for example, or a regular yogurt. I have done all kinds of stupid things on my weight loss journey, I'm just now understanding that I was lucky to not have totally screwed up my metabolism by eating too little for a long time. At one time I was eating as low as 700 calories, now I eat about 2500. It's not that hard to increase ones calories if you just eat higher calorie food and by doing this, you won't feel extra full.

pineapple1989

Sometimes I can get to the end of the day and realise I've only had 900 calories... I have a busy, stressful job and I take a packed lunch and have porridge for breakfast. If I am busy I wont remember to snack, so if I have had quite a low calorie dinner when I come to log it I realise that I still need to have about 600 calories to get to my target. If I have had Zumba that evening or something else that means I am out of the house I usually keep some emergency kit-kats in the house just to bump up my calories as I can end up netting something ridiculous like 300 calories after I've logged the exercise.

At no point have I ever felt hungrier than usual, the food I eat now is better for the body so if anything I find myself less hungry on 900 calories than on 2000 pre-diet! I ate no more pre-diet, just fattier foods, and I drank a lot of Rose wine as well.

I'm not kidding myself, I just lead a busy life and make better food choices.

Sarahbear83

It depends on the -type- of food they're eating. Fruits and vegetables take up a lot more space in our stomachs than most processed foods, and are usually way lower in calories as well. If someone is eating only clean foods, it's very possible that they can hardly make themselves eat 800 calories. If they're eating milkshakes and honey buns, they could easily go over 800 calories before lunch even rolls around.

gabimcd

Hey guys...

I really think that everyone is on here as part of their own journey and it really isn't for anyone to criticise or judge what they are eating or what they are not; we are all here to learn..or re-learn how to maintain both weight, health and exercise. It's not for anyone other than yourself to decide if you are hungry or not.

I usually eat about 800 cals per day and it is genuinely about AMOUNT and types of food....I see people on here that do sucessfully reach their 1,200 or 1,500 mark which is fab but with the help of a McDonalds or other take out food which is massively high in other nutirents. I have always been a small eater but very unhealthy i.e. a bag of crisps or two for breakfast and small portion of chips for lunch; its not a lot but its high fat, high cal and high carb...now I can eat double the amount for much less of the bad stuff and it keeps me fuller for longer.

I started this as in December I spent some time in hospital and was bedbound after an op...this led me to gain about 20lb and although this by no means made me largely overweight, it just wasn't me when I looked in the mirror and my goal currently is to get back to the old me and to be much healthier.

Feel free to slate me for this comment but I truely people that everyones journey is unique and no one is perfect at all this.

Gx

gabimcd

It depends on the -type- of food they're eating. Fruits and vegetables take up a lot more space in our stomachs than most processed foods, and are usually way lower in calories as well. If someone is eating only clean foods, it's very possible that they can hardly make themselves eat 800 calories. If they're eating milkshakes and honey buns, they could easily go over 800 calories before lunch even rolls around.

Totally agree with this.

almonds1

I eat 500 when I wake up.... 800 Cals is 120 cups of Pop-eyes favo food!!!

Lesa_Sass

This happened to me when I was obsessed with my body image and losing weight. I would intentionally plan meals that would give me between 700 and 800 calories a day (last year). I "thought" I was full, but my head was telling me that I would gain weight if I ate any more. It was a game between me, myself and I to see how little I could eat.

This is very sick and unhealthy behavior, it is a eating/ body image disorder and I am so freaking happy that I actually wrapped my head around the eat more concept. Now I eat 1400 to 1600 calories a day, sometimes way way more than that even. I am at my goal weight and running between 19 and 20% bmi. Did I mention I was 43 years old?

So this is MY experience and mine only. So if anyone gets their panties in a wad freaking out thinking that I am saying they have one, well that is not the case, but I will say this, if you do not have an eating disorder, you will not freak out at the thought of it.

Di3012

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.

Excuse me, but how the hell can you sit there and say they are lying to themselves?? How do you know if they are hungry or not? You don't, it is always best to reserve your judgement.

It is good you delete them as friends, because it is highly likely they would delete you first if they knew you were calling them liars.

foxyforce

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.

also a pet peeve of mine

odonogc

There has not been one day where it wouldn't have been EASY for me to go over.

SWEETS1234

I can't imagine eating 800 cal daily. I love food all the different types and tastes. I enjoy every meal or snack I plan everything and look forward to all it. This is just me though as for everyone else well to each their own. We all do whats right for us.

Valtishia

There could be many reasons for this.... despite what they ate before, they are now changing their choices, which would include eating more protein and fiber (things that make you feel fuller as oppose to the empty calories they may have been eating before). These changes could also include drinking much more water, which could also make them feel fuller than normal.

I don't personally tend to eat lower than 1200 (usually more around 1500 or higher on high exercise days), but occasionally it has happened. I personally watch my calories very closely as the reason I got as big as I did (268 lbs) was because I was an under eater for many many years. It wasn't until a dietician told me I wasn't eating enough that the weight started coming off. It definately took some time to get my calories up though.

Monkeyrhea

I've been going at this for about 2 weeks now and have found myself sitting around 900-1000 net calories at the end of the day and my recommended is 1640. I was full and just couldn't force myself to eat anymore. I never would have believed it either, but I have replaced my chocolate, potato chips, french fries, and cheeseburger with turkey, carrots, broccoli, and other fruits/veggies. I actually made a comment to my husband the other day that I had this gigantic plate of food for hundreds of calories less than some stupid meal I would have gotten at McDonalds. I also think that I used to eat out boredom and stress so I wasn't really hungry when I was eating 2-3 thousand calories a day. The days that I actually exercise are a littler harder for me. I am starving on those days.

Lolli1986

I often get to the end of the day and find that if I had not eaten that chocolate bar, I would have barely hit 1000cals. I don't eat chocolate out of hunger... i eat it out of pure want.

I don't eat until I'm full, though. I eat until I'm no longer hungry. I find 'full' painful and annoying.

I gained weight because I became largely immobile for a year. However, I tracked my cals while I ate whatever I wanted during some of this period (so that i had baseline data for what I do), and I rarely hit 1600 cals, which is well below my supposed TDEE.

Therefore, a lot of people on here would tell me that I probably lived in 'starvation mode' when i was fit and active, and did not net enough calories. This, perhaps, is what caused me to gain weight while netting below my supposed maintenance.

I still question this story because my food supply is darn plentiful compared to anything we've encountered as a species historically/evolutionarily.

Bottom line: no, I never starve myself, and it is impossible to kid myself about it because when i get hungry, i get ravenous and can think of nothing but food until I have eaten it. I spend half an hour, tops, before a meal feeling hungry. Yet, somehow, at the end of the day, i am at 1000cals and I eat a chocolate bar.

JustJennie1

If I'm hungry I eat. If I'm not I don't. If I'm under my calorie goal I'm not going to force myself to eat something just to hit it.

TracyRFogleson

take it for what it is worth, i was always wearing the same size pants as my age when I was younger, when I got pregnant with my first daughter at 15 yrs old I wore a size 14 through eight of my nine months. I became a couch potato pretty much after she was born. Though I ate whatever before pregnancy I started eating because i was isolated after my baby was born. That started my eating out of depression and loneliness. I am now 40yrs old, weight is way out of control, but there are days that IF I can manage to get 800 calories consumed it is a miracle as i now don't eat because I am the only one home. It really depends on so many factors. I found that if I keep water in a gallon jug in the refridgerator or even sitting next to me while I am doing crafts I will forget to eat. Just not think about it. Not that I am forgetting to be honest with myself about what I have or have not eaten today. I have gone for days not eating because I will sit down start on my crafts when my husband would leave for work and next thing i know it is 8-10 hrs later and I have not moved from the spot I was sitting when my husband left and he is home now. Not good for you by any means but it does happen once in a while.

TracyRFogleson

I have never though of eating just to hit the calorie goal. If for some reason i go for weeks coming in under my goal, then I look at lowering my numbers, never been told that it isn't a good idea but the nutritionist I have talked to was trying to get me down to 1200 calories per day and after knowingly consuming over 2600 every day that is just to much to ask so slowing going down was the plan that we set up

honestlysweet

I totally believe them, because my husband is that way. He is six feet tall and slender. He does not eat unless you remind him to. Seriously. He is a very hyper, busy man. He can not sit still for a minute. He always has to be doing something. So when he is busy, which is always, he doesn't think to eat. He just keeps doing what he's doing until he is ready to pass out from hunger. Then he will make a quick sandwich and keep moving. Won't eat again til ten or eleven at night. (Eats a sandwich at about two pm.) He doesn't eat a lot because he doesn't think about food constantly.

Spanaval

I've had days like that. For instance, I'm on about 1300 calories a day (BMR is 1274). I work out late at night. I ate my calories for the day, then worked out longer than I planned (long story, but my streaming video quit half way through, and the new DVD I popped in turned out to be twice as long as I thought it was). At around 11PM, I found myself short by something like 600 calories. All I wanted to drink was water, which filled me up, and I went to bed not in the least bit hungry. It's happened a few times, and when I've forced myself to eat t make up for the calories, I feel sick, overstuffed, and cannot sleep properly.

HorrorChix89

I totally believe them, because my husband is that way. He is six feet tall and slender. He does not eat unless you remind him to. Seriously. He is a very hyper, busy man. He can not sit still for a minute. He always has to be doing something. So when he is busy, which is always, he doesn't think to eat. He just keeps doing what he's doing until he is ready to pass out from hunger. Then he will make a quick sandwich and keep moving. Won't eat again til ten or eleven at night. (Eats a sandwich at about two pm.) He doesn't eat a lot because he doesn't think about food constantly.

My brother is like this. He's in his Sophomore year of college and a film major. Plus he works at a dealership inspecting new cars. He's also living up tot he whole "college student" life. He eats when he remembers to eat. I remember asking him one day why didn't he eat and he simply told me "I forgot to". I didn't understand it at first but I can understand it now.

HorrorChix89

. 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.

it wouldnt be to make a few strangers happy. it would be to take proper care of your body.

My body is MY body.

Beezil

I totally believe them, because my husband is that way. He is six feet tall and slender. He does not eat unless you remind him to. Seriously. He is a very hyper, busy man. He can not sit still for a minute. He always has to be doing something. So when he is busy, which is always, he doesn't think to eat. He just keeps doing what he's doing until he is ready to pass out from hunger. Then he will make a quick sandwich and keep moving. Won't eat again til ten or eleven at night. (Eats a sandwich at about two pm.) He doesn't eat a lot because he doesn't think about food constantly.

My brother is like this. He's in his Sophomore year of college and a film major. Plus he works at a dealership inspecting new cars. He's also living up tot he whole "college student" life. He eats when he remembers to eat. I remember asking him one day why didn't he eat and he simply told me "I forgot to". I didn't understand it at first but I can understand it now.

My husband is the exact same way... he actually ended up having health problems because of this. He's 6ft tall and got down to 105lbs... you can imagine how terrible I felt. I felt like it was my fault, because I never really used to cook him dinner. (Now I do it almost every night and I'm on him constantly about eating. lol) I also didn't notice the weight drop in him, probably because it was gradual and of course I see him every day. It took a while, but he got back up to almost 120lbs. He should still gain about 10 more to be safe - but he is doing much better. It's just one more reason I think people should eat on a schedule instead of only eating when they feel hungry. My husband went to the hospital for a collapsed lung, and they told him if he quit smoking and put on more weight, it would be a lot less likely to happen again. He was in the hospital for 9 days with a tube in his chest waiting to find out whether or not he would need surgery to repair his lung. It was hell. (Spontaneous pneumothorax - look it up- for those of you who might think smoking / weight has nothing to do with a collapsed lung.) I got him to use MFP for a while to help him, although he hasn't used it in months... I really need to get him back on here because he's lost about 5lbs again.