Too little calorie consumption?

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  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    LOL your BMR is 2004!

    Why on earth are you eating like that?!

    Probably have a TDEE in the 3000s!

    I say cut to 2500, 2300 in the least and watch the fat fall off.

    If you were a woman id say eat 2100 daily so either way you dont eat properly for your build.

    i eat when i'm hungry. when i'm not hungry, i don't eat.

    You dont eat enough to even take care of basal needs.

    I set up diets for members that work.

    If you are interested I can get you started.

    Right now you are burning 2lbs a week and thats great if you just want to lose weight and not worry about how you look when you are done.
    But
    If you want to lose weight and maintain lean mass and come out looking like a beast.....

    A quick example.

    I'm 5'6" and 133lbs at 11% body fat.

    I maintain at 2500cals.
    I cut at 2000 cals.

    You are 6 inches taller and heavier which means you generate a ton more energy.

    Anywho.
    I wont get into an argument about hormones and such because i'm about to head to work but I helped Psulemon and my calculations work.



    There are so many factors at play in how your body is responding. Yes a calorie deficient lifestyle will loose weight. However, there are some important things to understand about nutrition.
    1. The first thing is to define your goals very specifically. loose weight-gain muscle- loose weight and gain muscle-pure maintenance. If you just wish to loose weight and eat at an undisciplined caloric deficit you will start to burn muscle. keep in mind the more muscle you have the better your body burns fat so nutrition is very important in preventing that
    2. the goal you set determines (partly) what your nutritional needs are. On average you can figure your daily caloric intake at about 8 times your weight so at 210 you should probably consume around 1650 to 1700 kcal a day this should put you between 10 to 20% bellow you BMI/TDEE giving you a healthy deficit resulting in 1 to 2 pound loss a week. (remember everyones body responds differently and it takes time to learn how your body responds to food and excersice) als o keep in mind this is general guide lines.
    3. where do the calories come from. fat, protein and carbs make up the calories. you need to understand how each plays a part in your nutrition carbs=energy they break down to sugars that feed necessary processes that keep you functioning day to day if you eat to few you will start to feel tired and listless,however, if you eat to many you flirt with hypoglycemia. If your body has to many sugars from the carb process it will store that sugar as fat in muscle cells as well as other places....fat regardless of it being a nasty word is needed in your diet. for one thing it is required for healthy skin..it is also needed in other various body function to complicated to delve into here....protein...ok this is a subject of much debate but there is some basic undeniable truths about protein...it burns more calories to digest protein that carbs or fat therefore it sort of boosts your metabolism...it is required to build and maintain muscle...everything else about protein is unimportant unless you are a bodybuilder or competition weightlifter.
    4. ok so how much of each do you need. The standard most agree on is 50% carb 30% protein 20% fat. remember these are general rules and can vary from person to person. Guidelines only. learn your own body.
    5. If you do lots of cardio you will burn calories..many people say too much cardio burns muscle..there are new studies that show this to be incorrect if proper nutrition is maintained...in my opinion for healthy weight loss you need both cardio and strength training (keep in mind the more muscle you have the more fat your body will burn (kind of..it actually burns it more efficiently) and if you strength train then you have got to maintain a proper protein intake (for women a good general rule is .6 to .8 times your body weight in grams s at 210 pounds 126 to 168 grams of protein a day)
    6. DRINK WATER>>>DRINK WATER>>>>DRINK WATER....drink at least 8 cups a day...WARNING..DO NOT PUT IT OFF TILL 2 HOURS BEFORE BEDTIME OR YOU WILL PAY THE PIPER AND BECOME VERY FAMILIAR WITH YOUR TOILET IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

    ok so what....can you loose weight with out all of this above? sure, you can loose weight eating nothing but Twinkies if you maintain a caloric deficiency. but is the weight loss healthy? absolutely not.
    Bottom line here is that nutrition and not just maintaining a caloric deficit is a key component in healthy weight loss. loosing 8 pounds a week is not healthy (usually unless supervised by a professional) you will burn muscle be weak and yoyo, it is difficult to maintain and sustain weight loss longterm this way (major cause of failure).
    one more hint...one of the most effective ways to cut calories is substitution. replace mayonnaise with low fat mayo, replace whole milk with 1% or skim milk, replace that syrup for your pankakes with sugar free syrup, get sugar free jelly or jam, get fat free coffee creamer etc etc. you would be amazed how many calories a week you can cut with nothing other than substitution. in our house we discovered we cut so many calories through substitution (and then the added calorie burn from cardio and strength training) that the amount of food we eat is actually greater than before even maintaining a 10 to 20 % caloric deficit. we even have sugar free icecream sandwiches a few times a week.

    nutrition (learn about food)...learn your body...cardio..strength train...drink water=healthy weight loss and a better more energetic you I PROMISE
    if you do these things with diligence and patience you will not only loose weight heathily you will form a new lifestyle that will become habit. it will be easier to eat out because you know food and how to budget it...you will form a habit of a healthy lifestyle.

    Most of this is nonsense.
  • teee12
    teee12 Posts: 93 Member
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    listen to your body, if you arent hungry, then dont eat .my net calories are usually 1000 a day, and i usually eat 1300 or so.:) whatever works for you!! ;)
  • brooshie
    brooshie Posts: 141 Member
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    so many different opinions! ahhh, how will i ever choose! lol
  • beansprouts
    beansprouts Posts: 410 Member
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    If you are (a) not hungry or weak...and (b) making all of your nutrient goals with the food that you are eating...Why do you feel that you need to eat more/ add more calories? Sad to say...gluttony is the only food disorder that too many people on mfp fail to recognize...DON"T FALL INTO THAT TRAP!

    well because all the people that believe in "eat more to lose more", and 750 net calories does NOT seem like a lot. that's why i said i have a problem but it's not really a problem, because i don't really know what to believe. if i gotta eat more to lose weight, why wouldn't i do that? i'm not disappointed in my current results. but hey, if they can be better, why not! right?

    i'm just not knowledgeable and i know there are people here that are more informed than i am and could possibly help.

    If you truly want to be knowlegeable...then start reading all of the nutritional information for yourself!...If eating more to lose more worked in all cases...There would not be any fat people on mfp!
  • brooshie
    brooshie Posts: 141 Member
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    If you are (a) not hungry or weak...and (b) making all of your nutrient goals with the food that you are eating...Why do you feel that you need to eat more/ add more calories? Sad to say...gluttony is the only food disorder that too many people on mfp fail to recognize...DON"T FALL INTO THAT TRAP!

    well because all the people that believe in "eat more to lose more", and 750 net calories does NOT seem like a lot. that's why i said i have a problem but it's not really a problem, because i don't really know what to believe. if i gotta eat more to lose weight, why wouldn't i do that? i'm not disappointed in my current results. but hey, if they can be better, why not! right?

    i'm just not knowledgeable and i know there are people here that are more informed than i am and could possibly help.

    If you truly want to be knowlegeable...then start reading all of the nutritional information for yourself!...If eating more to lose more worked in all cases...There would not be any fat people on mfp!

    well obviously i didn't exactly mean "the more you eat the more you lose", surely you understood what i actually meant.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    It comes down to this; do you want to lose muscle or fat? If you like your muscles you need to eat enough calories to sustain. Also for those who say listen to your body i will say this... hunger signals can be suppressed. Its why people who are anoerexic dont feel hungry while only eat 500 calories... its also the reason why people on interim fasting are starving the first week but after that can sustain longer periods of time without food. If you want to test this, go 2 weeks with eating 3 meals and 2-3 snacks. Then go back yo just eating 1 meal with a couple of snacks and see the hunger difference.
  • beansprouts
    beansprouts Posts: 410 Member
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    It comes down to this; do you want to lose muscle or fat? If you like your muscles you need to eat enough calories to sustain. Also for those who say listen to your body i will say this... hunger signals can be suppressed. Its why people who are anoerexic dont feel hungry while only eat 500 calories... its also the reason why people on interim fasting are starving the first week but after that can sustain longer periods of time without food. If you want to test this, go 2 weeks with eating 3 meals and 2-3 snacks. Then go back yo just eating 1 meal with a couple of snacks and see the hunger difference.

    You are confusing CALORIES with PROTEIN!
  • brooshie
    brooshie Posts: 141 Member
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    maybe i can start juicing again.

    i used to always make a carrot, apple, strawberry, & ginger juice. that would add a lot of calories with minimal bad things i suppose. wouldn't be hard, and would be cheap (my favorite).

    just buy a bundle of carrots & apples.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    It comes down to this; do you want to lose muscle or fat? If you like your muscles you need to eat enough calories to sustain. Also for those who say listen to your body i will say this... hunger signals can be suppressed. Its why people who are anoerexic dont feel hungry while only eat 500 calories... its also the reason why people on interim fasting are starving the first week but after that can sustain longer periods of time without food. If you want to test this, go 2 weeks with eating 3 meals and 2-3 snacks. Then go back yo just eating 1 meal with a couple of snacks and see the hunger difference.

    You are confusing CALORIES with PROTEIN!

    I appreciate your concern but i am not confusing anything.
  • beansprouts
    beansprouts Posts: 410 Member
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    It comes down to this; do you want to lose muscle or fat? If you like your muscles you need to eat enough calories to sustain. Also for those who say listen to your body i will say this... hunger signals can be suppressed. Its why people who are anoerexic dont feel hungry while only eat 500 calories... its also the reason why people on interim fasting are starving the first week but after that can sustain longer periods of time without food. If you want to test this, go 2 weeks with eating 3 meals and 2-3 snacks. Then go back yo just eating 1 meal with a couple of snacks and see the hunger difference.

    You are confusing CALORIES with PROTEIN!

    I appreciate your concern but i am not confusing anything.

    YEAH YOU ARE Confused!!! Calories alone DO NOT suppress hunger. And for your information...most anorexic people (ie the eating disorder) eat all of the time!
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    and is it really that important for me to increase my intake, even if i'm never hungry?

    Looking at what you're at, I'd only be concerned that because your diet is so repetitive, there could be some vitamins and stuff that you're missing out on.

    Looking at your calorie levels, I would say that you're doing alright, but increasing it probably couldn't really hurt -- adding in those calorie-dense foods like we've mentioned. I also don't see why you *need* to either, but I'm not one of the many "experts" around -- so I really can't say.

    My cheat days are on Tuesdays where I go out for Tacos. and Wisconsin is the dairy state!! so we're pretty picky with our dairy :) I'm lucky enough I was able to ween myself off of cheeses! haha.

    I also take Green Tea pills, a Multi-vitamin, and Omega-3 pills.

    I know I should record my gulps, but I really only take them when I take the vitamins (3 times a day). Other than that it's water.

    Well there is another issue.... If you are trying to increase your calorie intake, why not add cheese back into your diet? You guys have some delicious cheeses up there in WI. :happy:
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    It comes down to this; do you want to lose muscle or fat? If you like your muscles you need to eat enough calories to sustain. Also for those who say listen to your body i will say this... hunger signals can be suppressed. Its why people who are anoerexic dont feel hungry while only eat 500 calories... its also the reason why people on interim fasting are starving the first week but after that can sustain longer periods of time without food. If you want to test this, go 2 weeks with eating 3 meals and 2-3 snacks. Then go back yo just eating 1 meal with a couple of snacks and see the hunger difference.

    You are confusing CALORIES with PROTEIN!

    Oh, and cheese has protein!
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
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    i don't have the slightest idea on my body fat.

    but if increase my calories by a lot, i'll literally have to FORCE myself to eat. that's my dilemma .

    why can't you just eat more calorie dense foods? It's really not that hard to eat more calories.
  • angmarie28
    angmarie28 Posts: 2,815 Member
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    I eat way too little too, I eat about 1100 calories normaly, before exercise, but if I workout hard, I will drink a protien shake just to add a few more calories. but I normally net about 700-800 also :/ but in not hungry, so im not about to go force myself to eat
  • brooshie
    brooshie Posts: 141 Member
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    i don't have the slightest idea on my body fat.

    but if increase my calories by a lot, i'll literally have to FORCE myself to eat. that's my dilemma .

    why can't you just eat more calorie dense foods? It's really not that hard to eat more calories.

    i suppose because i'm so used to what i've been eating consistently, and actually enjoy it. idk.
  • Laundretta
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    I've been on a diet since January. I've really tried to eat low-carb food. Sometimes I can, sometimes not, but usually I cheat on every 3rd day and it's so frustrating! I don't know why i didn't lose more weight than this (people say I lost it a lot, but the scale says different). I guess I'm addicted to carbs. I wish I could follow Paleo, LC, LCHF or Atkins, but I'm so tired of eating just meat, fish, eggs and cheese.
    My other problem is that I just can't eat my daily dose of calories! It's too much for me (1200kcal).
    Should I force myself to eat 1200kcal per day, is that the key of my weight loss?
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    It comes down to this; do you want to lose muscle or fat? If you like your muscles you need to eat enough calories to sustain. Also for those who say listen to your body i will say this... hunger signals can be suppressed. Its why people who are anoerexic dont feel hungry while only eat 500 calories... its also the reason why people on interim fasting are starving the first week but after that can sustain longer periods of time without food. If you want to test this, go 2 weeks with eating 3 meals and 2-3 snacks. Then go back yo just eating 1 meal with a couple of snacks and see the hunger difference.

    You are confusing CALORIES with PROTEIN!

    No that post is not. You can eat a bunch of protein, but if your fat level is low enough and you are not getting enough calories over a prolonged period of time, your body will use muscle for energy at a greater proportion than fat. That is why as people get closer to their goal they need to eat at a smaller calorie deficit. As stated, hunger is not always a good indicator. It was our screwed up sense of hunger or satisfaction that got us overweight in the first place, that does not get fixed quickly. That is why it is important to use your brain to determine what and how much to eat, not just your sense of hunger or lack thereof.
  • beansprouts
    beansprouts Posts: 410 Member
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    It comes down to this; do you want to lose muscle or fat? If you like your muscles you need to eat enough calories to sustain. Also for those who say listen to your body i will say this... hunger signals can be suppressed. Its why people who are anoerexic dont feel hungry while only eat 500 calories... its also the reason why people on interim fasting are starving the first week but after that can sustain longer periods of time without food. If you want to test this, go 2 weeks with eating 3 meals and 2-3 snacks. Then go back yo just eating 1 meal with a couple of snacks and see the hunger difference.

    You are confusing CALORIES with PROTEIN!

    No that post is not. You can eat a bunch of protein, but if your fat level is low enough and you are not getting enough calories over a prolonged period of time, your body will use muscle for energy at a greater proportion than fat. That is why as people get closer to their goal they need to eat at a smaller calorie deficit. As stated, hunger is not always a good indicator. It was our screwed up sense of hunger or satisfaction that got us overweight in the first place, that does not get fixed quickly. That is why it is important to use your brain to determine what and how much to eat, not just your sense of hunger or lack thereof.

    Duh??? If your body fat levels are that low...Then why are you trying to lose weight in the first place? There is a difference between weight loss and maintence.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    It comes down to this; do you want to lose muscle or fat? If you like your muscles you need to eat enough calories to sustain. Also for those who say listen to your body i will say this... hunger signals can be suppressed. Its why people who are anoerexic dont feel hungry while only eat 500 calories... its also the reason why people on interim fasting are starving the first week but after that can sustain longer periods of time without food. If you want to test this, go 2 weeks with eating 3 meals and 2-3 snacks. Then go back yo just eating 1 meal with a couple of snacks and see the hunger difference.

    You are confusing CALORIES with PROTEIN!

    I appreciate your concern but i am not confusing anything.

    YEAH YOU ARE Confused!!! Calories alone DO NOT suppress hunger. And for your information...most anorexic people (ie the eating disorder) eat all of the time!

    Go eat a pound of veggies, rice, etc and tell me you arent full. Protein prolongs that effect. Making blanket statements like you are is rather ignorant nor is i actually contributing to this thread. If you cant contribute to this thread then just send me a pm and we can discuss over that.
  • beansprouts
    beansprouts Posts: 410 Member
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    It comes down to this; do you want to lose muscle or fat? If you like your muscles you need to eat enough calories to sustain. Also for those who say listen to your body i will say this... hunger signals can be suppressed. Its why people who are anoerexic dont feel hungry while only eat 500 calories... its also the reason why people on interim fasting are starving the first week but after that can sustain longer periods of time without food. If you want to test this, go 2 weeks with eating 3 meals and 2-3 snacks. Then go back yo just eating 1 meal with a couple of snacks and see the hunger difference.

    You are confusing CALORIES with PROTEIN!

    I appreciate your concern but i am not confusing anything.

    YEAH YOU ARE Confused!!! Calories alone DO NOT suppress hunger. And for your information...most anorexic people (ie the eating disorder) eat all of the time!

    Go eat a pound of veggies, rice, etc and tell me you arent full. Protein prolongs that effect. Making blanket statements like you are is rather ignorant nor is i actually contributing to this thread. If you cant contribute to this thread then just send me a pm and we can discuss over that.

    Why do people like you feel the need to start name calling when anyone disagrees with you? You are the one who is not contributing much beyond "voodoo" nutrition to this thread.