400 Net Calories for the Day: Scary Behavior

wftiger

First off why is it your business.
Second do you wonder if any of these people are on Doctor recommend diet/exercise programs? Guess what that kind of diet is needed when you are morbidly obese.
Third it isn't any of your business in case you were wondering.

horrorghoul

I'm at -471. I really don't understand the whole net crap but I like working out at night since its cooler and I ate all my 1200 calories. I'm never hungry past my calories. The heat kills my hunger and I make pizzas for a living so smelling food all day makes me less hungry.

SomeoneSomeplace

Question, What if the person is like me, and we do our work out at the end of the day, I'm talking 7-8pm, the food cut off for me is no later than 7pm. What to do?

To be blunt you stop buying into stupid rumors about how anything you eat after 7 PM turns into fat

Because frankly it is BS. If you eat 300 calories at 7 AM it is the SAME exact thing as eating and 9 PM. But if you are like me and work out at night it's actually BETTER to eat late at night because most people will tell you eating up to an hour after your work out is the best time

If you refuse to eat after 7 PM even, which unless you have some health reason, there is no reason to...then you need to eat more during the day or at least drink a protein shake after you work out.

---

You guys who are in the NEGATIVE are NOT helping yourselves. You cannot maintain this life style. YOu're putting your body in starvation mode. You are STARVING your body. Yeah you'll lose a bunch of weight but you'll only enjoy it for so long before you A. End up in the hospital with a heart attack or organ failure or severely low blood pressure. Or B. Stop being able to maintain that life style and start eating normally again and gain back a ton of weight.

I've been there and I've done that .

I actually had a diagnosed ED so it just pisses me off when I see these people actually TRYING to "become anorexic" this isn't some crash diet. Starving yourself isn't some way to feel better about yourself or look good or control your life. If you honestly feel like you have to starve your body for whatever reason get help right now.

No doctor would EVER *EVER* recommend someone eats less then 1200 calories a day. It would NEVER happen. That would be a doctor telling someone to STARVE themselves.

Believe me. I've seen girls come up with excuses you wouldn't even believe to eat nothing. But the fact remains simple. Anything less then 1200 is not enough and if you're at negative calories you are headed down a very long, dangerous miserable and life threatening path.

RobynMWilson

Question, What if the person is like me, and we do our work out at the end of the day, I'm talking 7-8pm, the food cut off for me is no later than 7pm. What to do?

Don't rely on that 7pm as religion. I've broken that rule in the entire 20 yrs I've maintained my weight loss!

Shannota

First off why is it your business.
Second do you wonder if any of these people are on Doctor recommend diet/exercise programs? Guess what that kind of diet is needed when you are morbidly obese.
Third it isn't any of your business in case you were wondering.

Yep. I am under a doctor's care. I go to his office every 2 weeks. Yes, he has the certificates on his wall dealing with nutrition, etc. So, yes, he knows what he is doing. And he put me on 1200 calories a day. I exercise a lot, and I do not eat those calories back. As much as I HATE the phrase, I am "morbidly obese." In other words, I have plenty of stored energy to use up...that is what it is there for. But thank you for your concern.

RobynMWilson

Question, What if the person is like me, and we do our work out at the end of the day, I'm talking 7-8pm, the food cut off for me is no later than 7pm. What to do?

To be blunt you stop buying into stupid rumors about how anything you eat after 7 PM turns into fat

Because frankly it is BS. If you eat 300 calories at 7 AM it is the SAME exact thing as eating and 9 PM. But if you are like me and work out at night it's actually BETTER to eat late at night because most people will tell you eating up to an hour after your work out is the best time

If you refuse to eat after 7 PM even, which unless you have some health reason, there is no reason to...then you need to eat more during the day or at least drink a protein shake after you work out.

---

You guys who are in the NEGATIVE are NOT helping yourselves. You cannot maintain this life style. YOu're putting your body in starvation mode. You are STARVING your body. Yeah you'll lose a bunch of weight but you'll only enjoy it for so long before you A. End up in the hospital with a heart attack or organ failure or severely low blood pressure. Or B. Stop being able to maintain that life style and start eating normally again and gain back a ton of weight.

I've been there and I've done that .

I actually had a diagnosed ED so it just pisses me off when I see these people actually TRYING to "become anorexic" this isn't some crash diet. Starving yourself isn't some way to feel better about yourself or look good or control your life. If you honestly feel like you have to starve your body for whatever reason get help right now.

No doctor would EVER *EVER* recommend someone eats less then 1200 calories a day. It would NEVER happen. That would be a doctor telling someone to STARVE themselves.

Believe me. I've seen girls come up with excuses you wouldn't even believe to eat nothing. But the fact remains simple. Anything less then 1200 is not enough and if you're at negative calories you are headed down a very long, dangerous miserable and life threatening path.

What she said!! I can't feed into eating disorders and if I see someone who could easily be influenced by unhealthy 'dieting" I don't recommend MFP to them b/c I just see too much of that on here! And I ALWAYS eat after 7pm...I usually don't eat dinner till 7:30pm so maybe it's because I'm Eastern time it doesn't affect me? lol I've maintained my healthy weight loss a LONG time and don't buy into that myth b/c it's proven to be absolutely untrue in my case...

dellashanks

Ok, so my net cals are at 377 today. I know this sounds unreasonable however, I simply could not fit any thing else. I did think about adding in a serving of peanut butter just to get something in. I had a large and healthy dinner and am stuffed. I don't do this every day but it does happen sometimes. I am a busy single Mom so I have time and planning issues. I think my diary is viewable to all so feel free to critique away. Please be kind though I'm asking for help not a scolding.:happy:

zaithyr

Whether or not you believe in a magical starvation mode number, it's clear that there are very dangerous potential consequences with being on a VLCD for extended periods of time. Usually VLCD's are only supposed to be for a short time, under a doctor's supervision, and for the super obese. But there are risks involved, including those associated with malnutrition. My mom had these issues after having gastric bypass, which limited her calories to very low numbers. Medical direction aside, often eating extremely few calories is the first sign among many of an eating disorder (whether the person realizes it or not). So I understand why OP is concerned when he sees it (and also why I try to avoid looking at diaries because I get extremely worried!).

Here is one article among many that list some potential complications: http://drsuetalks.blogspot.com/2011/04/dangers-of-very-low-calorie-diet.html

This is why MFP discourages eating too little.

bikebanditandy

What if your eating a lot of fruit and veggies, that do not take up a lot of calories

Bobby_Clerici

These people will fail with this approach.
Starvation diets don't work.
Why?
Because if your calorie deficit is too great, you can easily suffer from
loss of muscle mass (slows down your metabolism) and impaired general progress.
You have to find what is right for you but you also need to remember that your body
is a machine and without the right type and amount of fuel there could be problems
either with loss of muscle, loss of energy, less weight loss/plateaus, etc.

Check out this topic:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/238282-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing-redux?hl=700+calories

Don't fall into the crash diet trap. Stick with the MFP recommendations.
Here's a great group right here on MFP:
Eat More To Weigh Less
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

Join up and connect with other for support.
Good Luck :flowerforyou:

geekyjock76

Well there is absolutely nooooooo wayyyy I could net my goal on exercise days... I can't eat thaaaaat much...Today for instance my net was 359...my goal is 1290...I have trouble getting there most days. Before I started this program, I didn't even realize how little I was eating.

Not to pick on you, but this is the segment of the population I worry about. I know a 30 yr old woman who, ever since college, grossed about 900 calories daily and then burned about 500 through exercise. She recently tested her metabolism and hormone function - her insulin and glucagon levels were lopsided to the degree that inhibited fat metabolism during exercise. In addition, the hunger hormones, ghrelin and leptin were compromised as well so she was unable to feel the need to eat. She tried multiple times to eat up to her maintenance calories but, because of the metabolic damage she caused herself, she'd gain weight and return to severely restricting her caloric intake again. So, for her, calorie restriction wasn't just something she utilized to lose weight temporarily, she became paranoid and still to this day eats like that and has not reached her goal weight.

zaithyr

What if your eating a lot of fruit and veggies, that do not take up a lot of calories

That's why you have to work on having a balanced diet. You can eat healthy nutritious foods that are more calorie dense and will give you a lot of bang for your buck! My go-to is avocados. Full of healthy fats and a good way to help get the calories in! You can add it to your salad or eat it on a sandwich in place of mayo.

NoAdditives

Question, What if the person is like me, and we do our work out at the end of the day, I'm talking 7-8pm, the food cut off for me is no later than 7pm. What to do?

Eat more before your workout to fuel it, so you work harder. Preferably protein.

Also, there's no reason you *can't* have a protein shake after your workout. I consistently ate dinner at 10 or 11 p.m. while I was losing weight (night classes for grad school) and it didn't impacted me negatively.

This. Metabolism doesn't change enough overnight that you need to worry about not eating before bed.

carebear7951

For all of the "none of your business" replies....I really thought the OP posted in such a kind, concerned way!? I don't think he was being nasty, just trying to be helpful and promote good habits/health.

tmauck4472

Then don't look at my diary cause you'd faint dead away.

HeidiYogi

Hmmmm, but how do you know someone's goals? For instance, I've calculated a healthy calorie goal for weight loss, 20% below TDEE which is 1,718, but I choose to log my exercise so in my food notes I show what my daily goals should be not matter what. It LOOKS like I have a really huge deficit but I'm following my plan. If you didn't know that, you would think I was some crazy person who wasn't eating enough to sustain my workouts but I feel great and am hoping to start losing soon! :-)

Cristofori44

First off why is it your business.
Second do you wonder if any of these people are on Doctor recommend diet/exercise programs? Guess what that kind of diet is needed when you are morbidly obese.
Third it isn't any of your business in case you were wondering.

And then we have the other poster who said "concentrate on yourself."

Kind of a logical and ethical fallacy, isn't it?

Man 1: Jane and hundreds of other women are harming themselves.
Man 2: Shut up, that's none of your business.

Far be it from me to express concern? What's wrong with calling attention to some health-threatening behavior on the part of hundreds if not thousands of people?

If just one woman reads my post and decides that consuming under 1,200 and netting 300 may not be such a hot idea after all and decides to see her nutritionist and come up with a sensible plan, well then, even though it may not be my official "business," I'll be pleased, and so will she.

mcarter99

I don't understand how anyone thinks your "net calories" (a term made-up by MFP) matters to your body at all. What I ate minus my 'exercise'? All that affects my weight is my deficit. What I burn minus what I ate. My body doesn't care if it burns it up in BMR or the 1.2 multiplier or in the gym or walking the dog or whatever.

Your 'exercise' doesn't subtract from your daily food intake. If you ate 1200 and exercised off 400, you didn't "really take in 800". You really took in 1200. You took in 1200 calories of fiber, vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids and satiating food. That's what matters. The caloric deficit is a requirement of weight loss. "Net calories" is a meaningless term.

kaseysospacey

I was on a VLCD (about 360) for a while in 2010 (and don't you dare think that I'm saying it was a good idea.) In a few months I went from 310 to 240. Literally in maybe three months. Of course, I felt dizzy, but I was completely functioning. I didn't regain weight immediately or anything like that; the only time I regained after was after I got pregnant again and had postpartum thyroid issues. So, I was that thin for like a year, and fine. My OB (I went on a normal diet bc I got pregnant) actually told me she was glad bc I was thin enough to make pregnancy safer than if I was up at 310.
What I'm trying to say is, it can be really tempting to just do something to lose weight because you just feel so sick and desperate. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm nursing a 6 mo so my health is physically able to impact another person, I might be tempted to do something drastic for weight loss. There's a clinic in my state that does vlcd where people often lose over 100 in 3 months. If I could afford it, you bet my butt would be there. Being as overweight as I am, and having gained it so fast (all of my extra weight was gained in the 6 mos after I had baby #2 because I couldn't get my thyroid medication) it is hard to do anything. Can you imagine what its like to be over 300 lb and on top of that dealing with healing from a c section, tired from thyroid problems, and all that. It would be easier just to not eat for a couple months and then have a messed up metabolism, but be around a normal weight, and then use the tips from the "Eat more weigh less" group to reset metabolism. Yeah, you might gain 20 lbs in that month but its easier to live with a body that needs to lose 20 lbs than one that needs to lose 170. I have no stamina at all, and I'm not innocent but I saw a nutritionist and they saw no issue with my diet as it was and no reason for me to be so heavy. Without my thyroid meds, I gain weight consistently and have to sleep up to 16 hrs per day.
I'm just trying to say that it can be hard to accept losing slowly when you know if you just eat less you will lose faster. On top of that, if you are used to eating crappy, calorie dense food and switch to healthier, much less dense food you might actually have a hard time eating enough. If you think "Oh, I can do a green salad instead of Mcdonalds!" and the like you could eat a lot by volume but not by calorie.
I know you don't want to slow metabolism or get sick I'm just trying to give insight into reasons why people might undereat.

susiebear29

Really....this... again... Yes, we know it happens, yes we know it's wrong, is there anything you can do about it? Nope. Concentrate on yourself.

VERY WELL SAID!!!!