PEOPLE...EAT!!!

zoodalia

THIS!

chrismanforever

This is one of the reasons recording your food is so important. It's not just about making sure you don't over eat; eating enough is important, too.

My problem is that I'm so far off the reservation, calculating a diet can be difficult. I've been over-weight for as long as I can remember, so my perception of what normal eating habits are is a little screwy. I'm doing a lot of trial and error.

One thing that's worked for me is anticipating the level of activity I'm going to be doing on a given day. If you're working, for instance, you'll probably need between 2,000-2,500 calories, or more depending on the type of job/chore/active recreation you're doing. If you decide to spend the day watching T.V. or something, you could probably get away with 1,000-1,500. That's assuming your in between 200 and 300 pounds. For me, I'd add 500 calories. If you weigh less then 200, I'd say take away 500. Have a snack on hand, though. Just in case.

Phaedra2014

I've actually increased my calories in the last month or so because a) I stopped counting b) I'm training for a half marathon and c) I've been lifting. Since doing so, I've had better luck building and maintaining muscle, and my weight has been sitting between 125-130, which I'm happy with. I eat between about 1400-1700 calories most days, more on my long run days (or the day after, depending on how I'm feeling). I have probably put on a couple pounds (though I should still be under 130) but that's mostly because it's hard to lose weight doing distance running, and I've been a little slack on my eating the last couple weeks. Your body needs fuel though.

That's a really good post - empathetic and helpful.

ndmain1977

To be honest, I really don't think it matters if you're eating too few calories when you're on the weight loss portion of your diet.

My days are usually spent eating fewer than the 1345 calories I'm supposed to be eating daily according to this site. I could force myself to eat I suppose, but I don't want that to become a habit, since it took me sooooo long to get out of the habit of eating so fast that my body never had time to tell me it was time to stop eating.

When you are at your goal weight, and switching to a "maintenance" type life style, then the calories you eat are really going to matter. Of course, it will take some trial and error to find your sweet spot.

And honestly, telling someone that is proud of themselves for losing weight, that "Well, you're not doing it the right way, so you'll just gain it back!", is a really crappy thing to do.

HartJames

Again? I have learned the hard way to not give a flying f what other people are doing or not doing unless they are asking me specifically and I think they really want to know the honest blunt truth.

I lost 117 pound eating 1200-1350 cals a day and never eating exercise calories back. I also re-gained at lightening speed when I started putting bad foods back into my mouth because I had royally screwed my metabolism up. That's what happens when you canabalize muscle by eating below your reccomend net for too long.


Can you lose weight by eating super low cal? Sure, absolutely! Can you maintain that kind of weight-loss lifestyle long-term? Chances are pretty slim if you have the kind of body composition & tendencies that got you overweighting the first place. Trust, the second time around- those pounds I piled back on LOOK fatter, I wear a larger size than when I was at this weight 2 years ago. It's HARDER to lose these same pounds now as well.

Not worth it.

Also, losing weight too quickly = more loose skin (IMO).

crzyone

I EAT!! That's WHY I'm fat!~!!

meshashesha2012

i think people here are talking about 2 different things : consuming and netting. and also not taking into consideration how much stored fat and energy the person might have. Generally speaking the more weight you have to lose, the more it doesnt really matter what your net is.

i agree with needing to consume more than your BMR on a consistent basis to stay healthy., but NETTING is a different thing. I frequently NET under this mystical 1200 calorie number especially since some days I'm burning close to 2000 calories during my workouts.

I'm still losing at a safe pace, have no issues with weakness or catching vapors or anything else because I still have a significant amount of weight to lose.

crystut03

the site didnt set me at 1200 calories by default...it actually goes by what you weight and your BMR then it sets what it thinks you should eat...MFP is just another tool to aid in losing weight. If you find something that doesnt work for you then by any means change it and stick to something that does. Losing weight can be tricky and not as easy for you as it is for the next person. Research and try to find ways. But experts will all agree that exercising is a must and calories is a plus. However, for any person who is eatling less than 1000 to 1200 calories you are starvng yourself....of course you will lose weight but in the end it will be gained back...this isnt a theory but a proven fact....and you will eventually crash without getting proper sleep. Im just saying...DO what WORKS for YOU!!

ivikatasha

It seams like every post I've ready today about someone being dizzy, not feeling good, not losing weight, not having energy, etc is because they are eating less than 1,200 net calories. If your goal is 1,300 calories (which I would die on by the way) and you burn 700 calories through exercise that means you really only at 600 calories for the day! Your body can not function on that!

THANK YOU! I get so frustrated seeing people do this to themselves! I may not be losing weight as fast as someone who eats 1,000 calories/day, but I feel WAY better and I know that my weight will STAY OFF in the long run because I plan on eating like this for the rest of my life. Here's to you for being the one to finally say something! :drinker:

If that works for you, then awesome! Keep doing it!

But it is not possible for you to know that you feel way better than everyone else who does it the other way. Unless you meant you feel way better because you have tried the 1,200 thing before, but even so, there are plenty of people in this thread that say they feel great on 1,200.

cmay89

Each person should show their food diaries to your doctor. Then he/she can tell you if you are eating too little or too much.

For me, 1200 is way too few net calories. I sleep 7-8 hours a night like a baby regardless, but when I eat at 1200 or under on a consistent basis, I lose so much energy and am constantly cranky and miserable.

HOWEVER

for those with a lot to lose, my parents (when both were extremely overweight) were told that it was best for them to get the weight off any way they could and once they were close to it, switch to eating a normal healthy diet. That approach worked for my mother but not my father. over time they both gained back a good portion of my weight, but my father gained it back faster.

But that approach should not be used for someone with 20 lbs or less to lose (per that doctor) healthy diets between 1200-2000 are more sustainable and easier to not get so far off track with.

I also am a person who hates extremes. It's not all black and white. If you are a person who can eat 4000 cal per day, bravo, I'm jealous. For those who eat less than 1000, I'm worried. But I will leave it at that. Both sides of the spectrum are too extreme for me and your body cannot keep itself in balance when there are such extremes. I believe in health and fitness and balance, not skinniness or doing anything you possibly can to attain said skinniness. Find a healthy medium and your body will thank you.

Again, ask your doctor if you are netting less than 1200. Let them look at your diary. Let them direct you in anything you need to do differently or let them justify your diet for you if they feel you are doing what you should.

tipyourbartender

My diet was suggested specifically by my doctor. And yeah, it's under 1300. Guess that makes my doctor either wrong or sadistic.

peachyxoxoxo

As a future dietitian... you have no idea how mad it makes me that people are going to their doctors instead of nutrition professionals... ugh. Please go see an RD if you have questions about your diet!!!

Way_2_a_Healthy_Mel

I EAT!! That's WHY I'm fat!~!!

Um, no...this is not the reason you are fat. You eat too much and move too little...or you did before you started to lose weight.

Crochetluvr

I EAT!! That's WHY I'm fat!~!!

Um, no...this is not the reason you are fat. You eat too much and move too little...or you did before you started to lose weight.

Such simple logic. Why do people argue over this??

neverstray

First, don't ask your doctor anything. Doctors know about as much about nutrition as a 3-year-old. They are idiots. Funnily enough, the 2000 calorie diet that they usually put people on is pretty much spot on if you eat right and exercise.

I say, do whatever you want. Is 1200 calories enough? I don't think it is. I think people that only eat that much are starving themselves. But, the problem is, no matter what you say to them, they feel fine. So, WTF do I know about it? Maybe they are fine. i'm looking at it through my lens, not theirs. I need sufficiently more calories than that. On the EMTWL diet, I should eat around 2800 calories a day for maintenance at my goal weight. Crazy, huh? So, when I hear people eating 1200 a day, I'm like, OMG...poor girl starving herself to death. I often wonder if it really is necessary, or if they could eat a lot more, like 1800 or 2300 or something, and get the same result. I don't technically know enough about it to presach to them about it, but I do feel that inherently, 1200 is not enough food. I see some of their diaries, and I see what they eat in a day, and sometimes, what I have for bnreakfast is their whole day. It's crazy to me.

But, again, that's me. I'm not them. I can't preach to others. I don't know enough about it all. But, I do sometimes feel sorry for them because I think they are starving themselves and that they could just not do that and get similar results.

I know if it were me, and MFP told me that I could only eat 1200 cals per day, I would heavily research the Eat More to Lose More group here, and really look into it and see if it worked for me. They say you have to stick with it for about 6 to 8 weeks, sometimes longer before you see any results. They explain why. And, you might gain temporarily, which usually scares people. But, there's a lot of people over there that swear that it works. So, my question is, if you can eat more and get the same results without starving, why not just try it rather than say, "it doesn't make sense". It only doesn't make sense because maybe you don't understand how the body really works. Or, maybe it doesn't work at all.

Another thing, (watch out I'm on a roll), EVERYBODY IS NOT DIFFERENT. I get so fecking sick oif hearing that *kitten* that I'm about to blow a gasket. Everybody is almost exactly the same. That's why medicine works the way it does. Pretty much physiology doesn't reqally change much for person to person. There are small difference. But, it all works the same. So, please stop saying everyone is different. At a macro level, they really aren't. Everyone is pretty much the same. It's the opposite of what you keep saying that. you say that because it's an excuse to not try something else and see if it works. In your head, it doesn't make sense, so you reject it, saying that "you're different". You're not different. You are exactly the same as everyone else.

Cheers.

mcarter99

We're different in that we're not all men and no, we can't all eat 1800-2300/day and lose.

Crochetluvr

We're different in that we're not all men and no, we can't all eat 1800-2300/day and lose.

Thank you! And we don't all have diabetes or are seniors or going through menopause....all of which have an effect on how my body loses weight.

ladyraven68

First, don't ask your doctor anything. Doctors know about as much about nutrition as a 3-year-old. They are idiots. Funnily enough, the 2000 calorie diet that they usually put people on is pretty much spot on if you eat right and exercise.

I say, do whatever you want. Is 1200 calories enough? I don't think it is. I think people that only eat that much are starving themselves. But, the problem is, no matter what you say to them, they feel fine. So, WTF do I know about it? Maybe they are fine. i'm looking at it through my lens, not theirs. I need sufficiently more calories than that. On the EMTWL diet, I should eat around 2800 calories a day for maintenance at my goal weight. Crazy, huh? So, when I hear people eating 1200 a day, I'm like, OMG...poor girl starving herself to death. I often wonder if it really is necessary, or if they could eat a lot more, like 1800 or 2300 or something, and get the same result. I don't technically know enough about it to presach to them about it, but I do feel that inherently, 1200 is not enough food. I see some of their diaries, and I see what they eat in a day, and sometimes, what I have for bnreakfast is their whole day. It's crazy to me.

But, again, that's me. I'm not them. I can't preach to others. I don't know enough about it all. But, I do sometimes feel sorry for them because I think they are starving themselves and that they could just not do that and get similar results.

I know if it were me, and MFP told me that I could only eat 1200 cals per day, I would heavily research the Eat More to Lose More group here, and really look into it and see if it worked for me. They say you have to stick with it for about 6 to 8 weeks, sometimes longer before you see any results. They explain why. And, you might gain temporarily, which usually scares people. But, there's a lot of people over there that swear that it works. So, my question is, if you can eat more and get the same results without starving, why not just try it rather than say, "it doesn't make sense". It only doesn't make sense because maybe you don't understand how the body really works. Or, maybe it doesn't work at all.

Another thing, (watch out I'm on a roll), EVERYBODY IS NOT DIFFERENT. I get so fecking sick oif hearing that *kitten* that I'm about to blow a gasket. Everybody is almost exactly the same. That's why medicine works the way it does. Pretty much physiology doesn't reqally change much for person to person. There are small difference. But, it all works the same. So, please stop saying everyone is different. At a macro level, they really aren't. Everyone is pretty much the same. It's the opposite of what you keep saying that. you say that because it's an excuse to not try something else and see if it works. In your head, it doesn't make sense, so you reject it, saying that "you're different". You're not different. You are exactly the same as everyone else.

Cheers.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/you-are-not-different.html

neverstray

First, don't ask your doctor anything. Doctors know about as much about nutrition as a 3-year-old. They are idiots. Funnily enough, the 2000 calorie diet that they usually put people on is pretty much spot on if you eat right and exercise.

I say, do whatever you want. Is 1200 calories enough? I don't think it is. I think people that only eat that much are starving themselves. But, the problem is, no matter what you say to them, they feel fine. So, WTF do I know about it? Maybe they are fine. i'm looking at it through my lens, not theirs. I need sufficiently more calories than that. On the EMTWL diet, I should eat around 2800 calories a day for maintenance at my goal weight. Crazy, huh? So, when I hear people eating 1200 a day, I'm like, OMG...poor girl starving herself to death. I often wonder if it really is necessary, or if they could eat a lot more, like 1800 or 2300 or something, and get the same result. I don't technically know enough about it to presach to them about it, but I do feel that inherently, 1200 is not enough food. I see some of their diaries, and I see what they eat in a day, and sometimes, what I have for bnreakfast is their whole day. It's crazy to me.

But, again, that's me. I'm not them. I can't preach to others. I don't know enough about it all. But, I do sometimes feel sorry for them because I think they are starving themselves and that they could just not do that and get similar results.

I know if it were me, and MFP told me that I could only eat 1200 cals per day, I would heavily research the Eat More to Lose More group here, and really look into it and see if it worked for me. They say you have to stick with it for about 6 to 8 weeks, sometimes longer before you see any results. They explain why. And, you might gain temporarily, which usually scares people. But, there's a lot of people over there that swear that it works. So, my question is, if you can eat more and get the same results without starving, why not just try it rather than say, "it doesn't make sense". It only doesn't make sense because maybe you don't understand how the body really works. Or, maybe it doesn't work at all.

Another thing, (watch out I'm on a roll), EVERYBODY IS NOT DIFFERENT. I get so fecking sick oif hearing that *kitten* that I'm about to blow a gasket. Everybody is almost exactly the same. That's why medicine works the way it does. Pretty much physiology doesn't reqally change much for person to person. There are small difference. But, it all works the same. So, please stop saying everyone is different. At a macro level, they really aren't. Everyone is pretty much the same. It's the opposite of what you keep saying that. you say that because it's an excuse to not try something else and see if it works. In your head, it doesn't make sense, so you reject it, saying that "you're different". You're not different. You are exactly the same as everyone else.

Cheers.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/you-are-not-different.html

Ha, ha. Awesome.

neverstray

We're different in that we're not all men and no, we can't all eat 1800-2300/day and lose.

Thank you! And we don't all have diabetes or are seniors or going through menopause....all of which have an effect on how my body loses weight.

That's different.

Crochetluvr

We're different in that we're not all men and no, we can't all eat 1800-2300/day and lose.

Thank you! And we don't all have diabetes or are seniors or going through menopause....all of which have an effect on how my body loses weight.

That's different.

That's the point. There are a lot of us that ARE different and "not the same as everyone else". You cant lump everyone into the same group. And what works for someone else doesn't necessarily work for me. I am different, but I don't make excuses. And maybe THAT makes me different, too.

DaughterOfTheMostHighKing

every body is different. you need to find what works for you and listen to your body. eat and feed it so it works well. you can't drive a car on empty for long before it dies.

cmccorma

We're different in that we're not all men and no, we can't all eat 1800-2300/day and lose.

Thank you! And we don't all have diabetes or are seniors or going through menopause....all of which have an effect on how my body loses weight.

That's different.

That's the point. There are a lot of us that ARE different and "not the same as everyone else". You cant lump everyone into the same group. And what works for someone else doesn't necessarily work for me. I am different, but I don't make excuses. And maybe THAT makes me different, too.

This! I developed gestational diabetes while pregnant and continued with insulin resistance afterwards. People ARE different and I'm sick of the people who say we are all the same!

CassieReannan

I totally agree, knowing from experience! I did this at the start too.

I'm feeling dizzy and weak because I have flu. I seem to be eating quite a lot.

:laugh: same.

ericgAU

Easier said than done I'm afraid. My wife struggles with her weight mainly because she doesnt eat. Like you, I harp on about the need to eat but she cites a number of reasons why she doesnt, a.) too busy looking after the kids, b.) not hungry, c.) doesnt like food, d.) doesnt like particular kind of foods etc. etc. There are probably a myriad of reasons why people dont eat as I'm sure theyre are those that deliberately starve themselves in the vain attempt to lose weight. Its to those people that I say, WAKE UP! It doesnt work!

ashleygonzalez1

I have to disagree as well. I didn't have energy due to not sleeping or resting very well. Sleep is a huge part of weight loss as our bodies repair at night and the hormones that are needed for digestion (cortisol, leptin, and ghrelin) are produced at night!

For me, a typical breakfast would be a protein smoothie made up of a vegan protein powder (no gluten, yeast, soy, corn, etc), 1 tbsp almond butter, 1/2 cup of almond or coconut milk, 1/2 cup of water, 1 cup of berries and psyllium powder. Sometimes greens powder but that depends on my mood. That's usually around 300 calories.

If I go to they gym, I will have a snack of a brown rice cake and a tbsp of almond butter pre-workout. 150 calories

Lunch, on a typical week, will consist of a brown rice wrap, 2 cups of greens (lettuce, etc), 4-6 oz turkey or chicken (depending on hunger), olive oil and vinegar. On the side, I'll usually throw some other veggies together like cucumbers and olives or bell peppers cut up. YUM - That's usually around 400 calories.

Dinner is typically 4-6 oz of a clean lean meat, two cups of a cruciferous vegetable (broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, etc), salad greens, and if I choose to, a high fiber carb like beans or brown rice or carrots. That's usually between 300-400 calories.

All of that is right around 1200 calories, give or take. Subtract the usual 400+ calories I burn doing cardio and weight lifting, then I have a good deficit going on. On the rare occasion I'm still hungry, I'll eat a few calories back in healthy nuts or something with protein. Other than that, it's how I maintain my slow 1-2 lbs of weight loss a week.

There is so much more to losing weight than eating less calories... There is sleeping, less stressing, finding your bliss, eating less, exercising more and removing inflammatory foods from your diet among a whole host of other things. My journey started with wanting to lose weight to look good and is ending with finding my bliss, my happiness, and creating a life for myself that is centered on a healthy life and healthy attitude. This has rubbed off on my husband and he's now eating healthier and in doing so has lost 22 lbs. My daughter is taking less ADHD medication because she's eating healthier foods. It's a cycle of healthiness I hope we will always continue!

It's wonderful that you are eating healthier, and you're right, the food you are eating is an excellent choice. BUT you are not eating nearly enough. I doubt you're even getting enough protein for what you should be eating. I highly recommend you read the New Rules of Lifting for Women. It has a lot of information about weights, cardio, and what you should be eating.


Also, the fact that you said

All of that is right around 1200 calories, give or take. Subtract the usual 400+ calories I burn doing cardio and weight lifting, then I have a good deficit going on.

Makes it very clear to me that you have no clue how calories work and that you don't realize the detriment you are doing to your body. The 1200 calorie goal is already an EXTREME deficit from the amount you should be eating to maintain. To add even more deficit on top of that is starvation. Have fun when you gain all your weight back. I hope you seriously consider looking into what you are doing to your body with an unbiased view before you seriously damage your health.

Seriously? I have no idea what I'm doing losing 1 to 2 lbs a week steadily? I didn't lose 40 lbs in a month, I've lost it working hard at changing my dietary habits over SIX months and SLOWLY adding exercise to my lifestyle. 1200 calories is not a goal. I don't have a caloric goal at all. I keep the sugar low and the protein high. I log for my benefit, not to see where I am and how much more I can eat for the rest of the day. If I'm hungrier, I eat MORE. If I'm not, I don't. If I want something sweet, I eat a damn apple with almond butter instead of 4 -- 100 calorie packs!

This forum is supposed to be one where people come together to HELP each other out and share a common discourse on the subject of food, weight loss, exercise and nutrition. I don't log on here to be taunted or insinuated stupid. I've read more about nutrition and exercise from different authors over the last 6 months than I have in my entire lifetime. I've talked to the trainers at the gym who push protein shakes, I've talked to my doctor, I've asked other people who've lost a lot of weight what they did differently and looked at Paleo, vegan, vegetarianism, low carb - high protein, low protein - high carb, etc. I found what works for me and my lifestyle and my body. It also happened to work for my husband and daughter (who needed to gain weight and has!), too.

"Have fun when you gain all your weight back. I hope you seriously consider looking into what you are doing to your body with an unbiased view before you seriously damage your health." - Thanks! You're AWESOME!

wolfi622

First, don't ask your doctor anything. Doctors know about as much about nutrition as a 3-year-old. They are idiots.

You learned this in medical school, then?

fittiephd

All of that is right around 1200 calories, give or take. Subtract the usual 400+ calories I burn doing cardio and weight lifting, then I have a good deficit going on.

Makes it very clear to me that you have no clue how calories work and that you don't realize the detriment you are doing to your body. The 1200 calorie goal is already an EXTREME deficit from the amount you should be eating to maintain. To add even more deficit on top of that is starvation. Have fun when you gain all your weight back. I hope you seriously consider looking into what you are doing to your body with an unbiased view before you seriously damage your health.

So you have no idea this person's size and yet you know that 1200 is an EXTREME deficit for her? Not to mention, she's not trying to MAINTAIN, she's trying to lose.

I have never run across a forum with so much misinformation.

It doesn't matter what her height is, maintenance level even for someone 5'0 to 6'0 as a woman is never less than ~1850, so even subtracting 500 from that she shouldn't eat less than 1350, and that's if she's 5'0 or less. If she's wtihin 15 lbs of her goal weight she shouldn't be eating more than a 250 cal deficit and that puts her at 1600. It's literally based on science, try reading a few scientific papers on nutrition before you start calling it misinformation.

I have two masters degrees and work in academia. And I'm done here. I give up.

Fun fact, I'm in academia as well, biomedical engineering and biotechnology undergrad and starting a PhD in bioinformatics in 10 days. I don't think that is relevant, but if we're gonna start spouting off resumes....

*Edited to fix a typo.

fittiephd

I have to disagree as well. I didn't have energy due to not sleeping or resting very well. Sleep is a huge part of weight loss as our bodies repair at night and the hormones that are needed for digestion (cortisol, leptin, and ghrelin) are produced at night!

For me, a typical breakfast would be a protein smoothie made up of a vegan protein powder (no gluten, yeast, soy, corn, etc), 1 tbsp almond butter, 1/2 cup of almond or coconut milk, 1/2 cup of water, 1 cup of berries and psyllium powder. Sometimes greens powder but that depends on my mood. That's usually around 300 calories.

If I go to they gym, I will have a snack of a brown rice cake and a tbsp of almond butter pre-workout. 150 calories

Lunch, on a typical week, will consist of a brown rice wrap, 2 cups of greens (lettuce, etc), 4-6 oz turkey or chicken (depending on hunger), olive oil and vinegar. On the side, I'll usually throw some other veggies together like cucumbers and olives or bell peppers cut up. YUM - That's usually around 400 calories.

Dinner is typically 4-6 oz of a clean lean meat, two cups of a cruciferous vegetable (broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, etc), salad greens, and if I choose to, a high fiber carb like beans or brown rice or carrots. That's usually between 300-400 calories.

All of that is right around 1200 calories, give or take. Subtract the usual 400+ calories I burn doing cardio and weight lifting, then I have a good deficit going on. On the rare occasion I'm still hungry, I'll eat a few calories back in healthy nuts or something with protein. Other than that, it's how I maintain my slow 1-2 lbs of weight loss a week.

There is so much more to losing weight than eating less calories... There is sleeping, less stressing, finding your bliss, eating less, exercising more and removing inflammatory foods from your diet among a whole host of other things. My journey started with wanting to lose weight to look good and is ending with finding my bliss, my happiness, and creating a life for myself that is centered on a healthy life and healthy attitude. This has rubbed off on my husband and he's now eating healthier and in doing so has lost 22 lbs. My daughter is taking less ADHD medication because she's eating healthier foods. It's a cycle of healthiness I hope we will always continue!

It's wonderful that you are eating healthier, and you're right, the food you are eating is an excellent choice. BUT you are not eating nearly enough. I doubt you're even getting enough protein for what you should be eating. I highly recommend you read the New Rules of Lifting for Women. It has a lot of information about weights, cardio, and what you should be eating.


Also, the fact that you said

All of that is right around 1200 calories, give or take. Subtract the usual 400+ calories I burn doing cardio and weight lifting, then I have a good deficit going on.

Makes it very clear to me that you have no clue how calories work and that you don't realize the detriment you are doing to your body. The 1200 calorie goal is already an EXTREME deficit from the amount you should be eating to maintain. To add even more deficit on top of that is starvation. Have fun when you gain all your weight back. I hope you seriously consider looking into what you are doing to your body with an unbiased view before you seriously damage your health.

Seriously? I have no idea what I'm doing losing 1 to 2 lbs a week steadily? I didn't lose 40 lbs in a month, I've lost it working hard at changing my dietary habits over SIX months and SLOWLY adding exercise to my lifestyle. 1200 calories is not a goal. I don't have a caloric goal at all. I keep the sugar low and the protein high. I log for my benefit, not to see where I am and how much more I can eat for the rest of the day. If I'm hungrier, I eat MORE. If I'm not, I don't. If I want something sweet, I eat a damn apple with almond butter instead of 4 -- 100 calorie packs!

This forum is supposed to be one where people come together to HELP each other out and share a common discourse on the subject of food, weight loss, exercise and nutrition. I don't log on here to be taunted or insinuated stupid. I've read more about nutrition and exercise from different authors over the last 6 months than I have in my entire lifetime. I've talked to the trainers at the gym who push protein shakes, I've talked to my doctor, I've asked other people who've lost a lot of weight what they did differently and looked at Paleo, vegan, vegetarianism, low carb - high protein, low protein - high carb, etc. I found what works for me and my lifestyle and my body. It also happened to work for my husband and daughter (who needed to gain weight and has!), too.

"Have fun when you gain all your weight back. I hope you seriously consider looking into what you are doing to your body with an unbiased view before you seriously damage your health." - Thanks! You're AWESOME!

I was trying to HELP you. Literally for the sake of your wellbeing. And I really do hope that you eat more before you hurt yourself.. I wasn't being sarcastic. Sometimes what works really well isn't necessarily what's best for your body.

kgprice11

touche to the topic!