Eating up?!?

fallenangel1973

I only eat when I'm hungry, always have. Since joining mfp I have read several times that to lose weight, I'm supposed to eat 1200 calories a day. I was just curious if eating up to hit my calorie mark is true cuz eating up to lose sounds crazy to me.

FireBrand80

The goal they give you puts you in a calorie deficit.

"Why not eat less?" is a slippery slope.

fallenangel1973

Thank you

diannethegeek

When you habitually eat less than 1200 calories you run the risk of lean muscle loss and a resulting metabolism slow-down, which will slow any weight loss. It's not really necessary to eat more foods, but you might want to try more calorie dense foods like nuts, avocado, olive oils, etc to boost your calorie count.

Capt_Apollo

i'm not sure i follow. are you saying that you used to only eat when hungry, and that it was below 1200 calories?

jjelizalde

I only eat when I'm hungry, always have. Since joining mfp I have read several times that to lose weight, I'm supposed to eat 1200 calories a day. I was just curious if eating up to hit my calorie mark is true cuz eating up to lose sounds crazy to me.

You have to eat to fuel your body. You need to eat a net of 1200 or your body thinks it needs to go into survival mode by storing fat. Why would you want to starve yourself when you can achieve the same goal of losing weight by eating more? Eat peanut butter, almonds, olive oil, avocados, all calorie dense good fats to make sure you hit at least 1200 calories a day. Check out Eat More to Weigh Less - it works.

rml_16

i'm not sure i follow. are you saying that you used to only eat when hungry, and that it was below 1200 calories?

That was my question, too. It's highly doubtful short of a medical condition.

fallenangel1973

I usually eat between 800 and 1100 calories a day. I've just never been much of a big eater. I usually snack on fresh fruit, avacados and pistachios

rml_16

I usually eat between 800 and 1100 calories a day. I've just never been much of a big eater. I usually snack on fresh fruit, avacados and pistachios

If that is all you've eaten for a long time and you need to lose more than 60 pounds, you need to see a doctor.

AnninStPaul

I usually eat between 800 and 1100 calories a day. I've just never been much of a big eater. I usually snack on fresh fruit, avacados and pistachios

If that is all you've eaten for a long time and you need to lose more than 60 pounds, you need to see a doctor.

Do you weigh/measure and log those snacks? Avocado and pistachio are healthy foods, but high in fat and calories.

bcattoes

I'm sure you didn't gain weight by eating less than 1200 calories per day, so if you really aren't hungry you have probably cut your fat too low and are filling up on lots of veggies. Lots of veggies are great and fat has a lot of calories but is very satiating and your body needs it. Your skin and hair will look better if you don't drop your fat too low, and this helps with sagging skin as you lose.

Make sure you are meeting your fat goal with good healthy fats (vegetable oils like olive or canola, avacado, nuts or nut butters, etc.)

nataliexxxx

I usually eat between 800 and 1100 calories a day. I've just never been much of a big eater. I usually snack on fresh fruit, avacados and pistachios

If that is all you've eaten for a long time and you need to lose more than 60 pounds, you need to see a doctor.

AGREED

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

I will never understand how someone 2x my size can eat 2/3 the amount and be stuffed.

That aside--you definitely need to eat ENOUGH fat and protein in order to preserve lean body mass--and 1200 calories is not likely enough to meet your basic needs. If you're active you definitely need more than 1200 and I can just about bet that 1200 is less than your BMR.