400 Net Calories for the Day: Scary Behavior

Onesnap

I post this a lot on MFP.

It's a really really helpful explanation of WHY 1200?

http://www.fitsugar.com/Why-1200-Calories-Day-Important-When-Dieting-13080864

SPNLuver83

And then you have those who encourage this, and still others who tip-toe around it and be their crutch because they are afraid of being blunt and getting deleted.....

I honestly don't know what is so hard to understand- join MFP, and eat the calories it tells you too. Plain and simple. People make things too complicated.

Onesnap

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!

Agreed! Both me and my husband are thin and healthy. We typically eat at 8:30pm. (that's post gym for me). Works for us to eat late. It's the QUALITY of those calories. No matter the time.

Onesnap

And then you have those who encourage this, and still others who tip-toe around it and be their crutch because they are afraid of being blunt and getting deleted.....

I honestly don't know what is so hard to understand- join MFP, and eat the calories it tells you too. Plain and simple. People make things too complicated.

I'm healthy and active. I can't imagine fueling my healthy 35 year old body with UNDER 1200 (NET).

Braxton2008

:happy: I know that this is dangerous but you also don't know if this person is following a certain diet. For example my doctor put me on a very resistricted diet. I actually eat all freakin day.........but its lots of veggies and fruits which most are low calorie. So if they are following something like this their calories may be low, but yet they are eating what is filling them up. Just my two cents! :happy:

SPNLuver83

The MFP plan is very conservative. I wouldn't worry too much about other peoples' diets. Most of us at 1200 are at shallow deficits of 500 or so, so I don't believe there's anything wrong with using exercise to up your deficit to 1000-ish, when you feel like.

How do you guys even know what other people are doing? Monitoring friends or something? I waste a lot of time here but I can't imagine perusing diaries counting up 'net' calories and vegetable 'servings' and all the other things I see threads here about.

Well said.

That's not well said. That's wrong. A 500 deficit is not shallow. Netting under 1200 is wrong and it hurts your body in the long run. Yes, a lot of people on here actually support their friends and check on them to make sure they are not hurting themselves. That's one of the reasons you make friends on here- to keep others in check.

Onesnap

I don't understand how anyone thinks your "net calories" (a term made-up by MFP) matters to your body at all.

It is not 'made up' by MFP (net calories). Science is science. Weight watchers is set up with a similar concept (activity points). Science!

cjhart81

well I never eat the full 1200 calories, not intentional but I cant force myself to eat if im not hungry.. saying that, I dont do much exorcise any more, just a bit of walking.. so I dont work all the calories off... but Id say I eat about 700 calories a day and have been for the last 6 weeks.. I started having a protein shake for breakfast and it just fills me right up! I have started adding a bit more fruit to it to up my calories, but for me its working and helping me loose weight.. and yes if i went back to eating how I did before then yes I would probably gain double the weight back.. BUT i dont want to go back to eating how I was before.. I will NEVER be 225lbs again!

SPNLuver83

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.

net calories is NOT made up by MFP. You are a hot mess dude.

Shannota

I don't understand how anyone thinks your "net calories" (a term made-up by MFP) matters to your body at all.

It is not 'made up' by MFP (net calories). Science is science. Weight watchers is set up with a similar concept (activity points). Science!

When I did Weight Watchers, they told us that eating back activity points was optional.

Onesnap

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.

net calories is NOT made up by MFP. You are a hot mess dude.

Thank you. Glad I'm not the only one that knows Net calories is not made up.

Onesnap

I don't understand how anyone thinks your "net calories" (a term made-up by MFP) matters to your body at all.

It is not 'made up' by MFP (net calories). Science is science. Weight watchers is set up with a similar concept (activity points). Science!

When I did Weight Watchers, they told us that eating back activity points was optional.

I think the new WW is set up differently. I could be wrong!

Sharyn913

I don't understand how people even function on something that low. 1,200 calories even has me starving!

smileitmakespeoplewonder

I actually wish I could eat more calories, but since I recently had gastric bypass surgery I can only get in about 300-400 calories per day...no matter how hard I try I just can't get anymore in.

Hopefully in the coming weeks it will increase.

tdp8700

The MFP plan is very conservative. I wouldn't worry too much about other peoples' diets. Most of us at 1200 are at shallow deficits of 500 or so, so I don't believe there's anything wrong with using exercise to up your deficit to 1000-ish, when you feel like.

How do you guys even know what other people are doing? Monitoring friends or something? I waste a lot of time here but I can't imagine perusing diaries counting up 'net' calories and vegetable 'servings' and all the other things I see threads here about.

My thoughts on this are, we are here for support and to give support to others. We are supposed to help keep our friends on track. So yes, when a friend of mine is done for the day I DO in fact look at their diary to make sure they are getting what they need. I do NOT praise anyone for starving themselves but instead try to encourage them to eat properly and be patient. IMHO if you are just praising everyone on your list whether they are being healthy or not then what help are you really?

mishkat

Bah! I thought by the title that this was going to be about eating only 400 calories daily diet which I recently learned about when a neighbor said she was doing this.

camelgirlmn

IM on 1200 a day, and I do eat that but I choose not to eat back my exercise calories...I know that will upset some but Im almost always right around 1200

I hear alot of people say this.

Misslisat

I saw someone who consistently netted 200 calories and less, and one day actually netted a NEGATIVE number.

What can you do though? Some people are set on doing it this way. All we can do is provide support, advice, and information. The rest is up to them.

Those who are set on doing this do not need the kind of support I see most often, though. There are way too many 'good job', 'atta-girl', "way to go" compliments being given and that just fuels the fire to continue what they are doing. Support, yes. Advice, yes. Solid information, yes. Those are things they need. But let's not congratulate those who are hell bent on doing unhealthy things and getting the results they want (in the beginning, anyway). Others (newbies) look at this and only see the scale number going down. It's better to set a good example rather than an unhealthy one. Just my two cents.

eriemer

I don't understand how anyone thinks your "net calories" (a term made-up by MFP) matters to your body at all.

It is not 'made up' by MFP (net calories). Science is science. Weight watchers is set up with a similar concept (activity points). Science!

When I did Weight Watchers, they told us that eating back activity points was optional.

I think the new WW is set up differently. I could be wrong!

Nope it's still optional, just like eating your bonus points or whatever they call them now. So as far as WW, "net" really isn't very important to them either, science or no science.

meeka472

Wow, this topic again??? Seriously why are people so concerned about what other people are doing? Honestly people need to do what's right for them and seek a medical professional about what caloric levels are right for them. It is not our job to police that.

I can tell you that I went to a highly regarded doctor (who ultimately directed me to this site to help track my food consumption for our appointments) who recommended initially that I eat in the 1200 - 1300 calorie range to lose weight. I eat a very clean diet that is high in protein and have lost over 30lbs since Feb. And yes, I have actually gained muscle mass.

People are different. It never ceases to amaze me how worked up people on this site get about other people's food diaries. People should work out with their doctors what's best for them and let others do the same.