if you don't eat a certain amount you will gain weight?

AKBarnes87

I really don't want to eat 1300 calories. Today I had about 1000 and I feel fine. I also burned 400 calories at the gym. i am the type that can get very addicted and I want to do this the right way this time!

alanabeehave

You might not gain but you will hold on to what you have, especially if you're working out. Watch your energy slowly dwindle if you don't nourish yourself~ .You can choose to eat more calorie dense food with your meals to meet your calorie goal.

Pebble321

It doesn't seem to me as though eating 1000 cals and burning 400 is "doing it the right way".
You are running the risk of not giving your body enough good nutrition to give you energy and keep you healthy.

In my opinion, it is much better to eat at a moderate calorie deficit and set up really good eating habits that you can keep up for the rest of your life, rather than starving yourself to reach a short term goal, with the high probability of giving up along the way because you are making it too hard on yourself.

If you are using MFP to set your calorie goals and it is recommending 1300 cals a day, this means 1300 net calories.
In other words, it means eat your 1300 plus the extra that you burn from exercise, so you would eat 1700 cals today.

Of course, you don't HAVE to do this - but if you can eat a healthy amount and still lose weight... why wouldn't you?

yarwell

To gain weight you have to eat more than a certain amount, not less than.

mcarter99

I think it's ok to average 1300 over the course of a week or so. If you don't feel like eating more than 1000 today, you might feel like eating 1700 tomorrow. Or averaging 1000 this week and averaging 1700 next week. People will say that's potentially harmful but I think it's worse to ignore your body's signals and to eat according to some web site formula's minimums.

now_or_never12

If you don't want to add more food to your day try adding higher calorie foods.

Eating too little can cause your metabolism to slow over time which makes it harder to lose weight.

Doing it the right way is to eat enough and get some exercise in and eating a little more to compensate for the exercise (this webstie already builds in a deficit to lose weight before exercise which is why it says to eat them back).

Anna800

You have to eat a minium of 1200, otherwise your metabolism slows. You need more fuel when you exercise, so if you only want to eat 1200 calories, don't exercise.

I average about 1800 calories a day and have lost 10 lbs in 5 weeks. I also drink alcohol every week.

dlwyatt82

Our bodies are very good at storing and keeping fat, and very stubborn about getting rid of it. You'll need to find your own sweet spot of caloric deficit that allows you to consistently lose fat, without suffering too many other ill effects or hitting a wall. When you eat too little (such as your example of 1000 calories in a day *before* exercise), you may find that your progress stops dead in its tracks at some point, as many others have experienced and posted on these forums.

I can't tell you exactly how many calories consumed / burned will be best for you. What I can tell you is not to be afraid of changing things up for at least a month at a time. Your weight will fluctuate up and down quite a lot, particularly when you first make a change in your habits, so you need to give yourself enough time to settle into a new situation and see what happens.

If you put on a few pounds trying something that didn't quite work, it is not the end of the world. Make another change and try again, and sooner or later you'll find the right method to get all the way to your goal.

Helloitsdan

Sounds like your hormones are a bit out of whack.
Try eating at maintenance for a few days then youll be ready to jump into higher calorie days.
But like someone said before, you dont know what you are doing.
In the long run youll really screw up your body.
Eat more.

Youll be amazed how fast the weight will come off when you do find that ideal calorie.
Check the link on my profile for info.
PM if you need help.

cibilbee

I had the same fear but when I was only eating 1200 calories I got to a point were I stalled & started have some severe dizzy spells. I bumped up to 1400 and actually started losing again on top of feeling a ton better. Your bey needs the fuel, more so when you are working out.

Nailrep

To gain weight you have to eat more than a certain amount, not less than.

YUP.

dlwyatt82

To gain weight you have to eat more than a certain amount, not less than.

YUP.

Well, no. To gain muscle or fat, that is basically true, but weight fluctuations happen regardless of how much you're eating. Varying water retention, mostly.

morgansmom02

I had the same fear but when I was only eating 1200 calories I got to a point were I stalled & started have some severe dizzy spells. I bumped up to 1400 and actually started losing again on top of feeling a ton better. Your bey needs the fuel, more so when you are working out.

Same here.

InnerFatGirl

'Starvation mode' doesn't happen overnight.

Anorexics eat even less, and get so skinny, they can die.

However, eating too little isn't good for you.

Do whatever works for you, but you can eat a normal amount of calories and lose weight. I've lost 30.5lbs on a diet of 1650 calories, and now 1450