Can't eat over 800 calories a day.

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  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    What is this logic???

    I'M POSSESSED BY DEMONS
  • nicolio8699
    nicolio8699 Posts: 141 Member
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    the nurse i work with says the same thing! 800 cal/day is her sweet spot and if she goes over that, she is gaining. she is meticulous about logging foods, as well as exercise! seemed iffy to me, as well, but it is what is is. she is small, 5'1", small frame, she's a runner, too, and doesn't eat back exercise calories for the most part. i'd speak with my pcp about it if you are sure you are logging correctly, etc, however! 800 is a tough goal to maintain. take it from someone who tried the medifast program (expensive version of starving yrself;)) <3 n-
  • redheaddee
    redheaddee Posts: 2,005 Member
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    Start by asking your doctor, not a message board. This seems like a medical concern to me.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    The hype is all true - if you don't eat "enough" but you eat enough not to starve to death, your body compensates by reducing your metabolism drastically.
    People could easily browse http://jcem.endojournals.org/ and other endocrinology online journals to find hundreds of studies that corroborate this outcome.

    And for people who are crying, "I'm not hungry so 800 calories is obviously enough for me!" Of course it is because your RMR, and leptin vs ghrelin levels are whacked so your RMR has likely been depressed over 30% and natural hunger signals aren't functioning normally. This is one of the major links that lead to eating disorders.
  • skinnylove00
    skinnylove00 Posts: 662 Member
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    WOW slow metabolisms suck.
  • taiyola
    taiyola Posts: 964 Member
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    For years I ate below 1000 calories a day. When I started to eat a 'normal' (1200-2000) amount, I gained. Even at 1300 I would gain. I put on 10lb by eating 'normally' with the odd high day.

    I would advise that you raise your calories by 50 every 2-4 weeks; up to 100 a month. Weigh for a few consecutive days at the end of the month (if you only weigh on one day, that could be a day you've gained due to water etc).

    Around a year later, after eating below 1000 a day, I'm eating 1600 and losing. The trick is to up your calories veryyy slowly and your body adjusts. If your body is used to eating 800, and you suddenly eat 1500, it's gunna play havoc with your body and you WILL gain.

    Also... I was over by 159 on Monday. Tuesday I was 2lb heavier exactly. Wednesday I lost 1lb by being 250 over. Today (Thursday) I have lost 0.8lb after being under by 2 calories. Your body goes crazy sometimes. I certainly did not gain 2lb of fat by eating 159 calories over my goal. I only weigh daily to keep me on track, because I know that my body fluctuates a lot.

    Good luck :smile:
  • tryinghard71
    tryinghard71 Posts: 593
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    When I started on MFP I ate only 1200 calories that it gave me not understanding how it worked. After reading many posts and all the wonderful advice I started eating back my exercise calories. Now I am netting 1200 and grossing anywhere from 1500-2000 a day. Oh, and some of those are beer calories. Have at least 2 a day. At first my weight did not move for two months. But I kept pressing on.

    Then Bam! 26 pounds gone and I am maintaining muscle. Not building but maintaining and getting stronger and tighter. Not as worried about the scale as I am my measurements. Down over 9 inches in my waist. I don't want to lose weight more than I want to get in shape.

    This is just a shout out to all the MFP people who through great threads and advice taught me this. I was not eating enough.

    P.S. When I stopped worrying about doing cardio every single day and started lifting weights this also made a huge difference. Even if the scale is not going down my measurements are and my body is changing.

    Good Luck!!!
  • jenillawafer
    jenillawafer Posts: 426 Member
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    Are you short?
    I have a similar thing, If I ate the recommended daily allowance for a woman I'd be the size of an elephant! I'm only 5ft and have come to the conclusion that since I am the size of a child that I can only ever eat child portions and have to eat a lot less than 'normal' height people.

    What's being short have to do with it?
    I'm 5'0 and don't eat 'child-like potions'
    In fact, I'd starve on anything under 1800 calories.
    Activity level plays a huge factor on what your body needs for fuel.
  • HypersonicFitNess
    HypersonicFitNess Posts: 1,219 Member
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    My guess is you've done this before and you've slowed your metabolism down so much that your body is calorie hording. You need to start eating normal calories (eat healthy food); start eating 5-6 small meals per day and make sure you get plenty of water (1/2 your body weight in oz up to 100 oz) -- this will help boost your metabolism. The other thing to help boost your metabolism is to start exercising (if you're not doing it already); a little at a time 15 minute per day. Start with 3 days of cardio and 2 days of toning.

    Also, make sure you are logging everything you eat; condiments, drinks, etc. There are hidden calories everywhere. It's funny just how many calories are in a grande "skinny" latte at Starbucks.

    It will take some time for your metabolism to catch up and for your body to realize it doesn't need to horde anymore; this is called yo-yo dieting.
  • katweeks63
    katweeks63 Posts: 59
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    Thank you all for your input. I will take all into consideration and find a solution.
  • KeriW626
    KeriW626 Posts: 430
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    Ok, please do some research on Starvation Mode. After long periods of eating less than 1200 calories, Then start eating your body will keep as much of these increased calories as possible and store it as FAT. For that day when you go back to eating 800 calories a day again. If you do some research on anorexia you will find they tend to eat 600-800 calories a day. People dont usually care unless you are bone and skin. But I am hear to tell you, IT BEGINS SOME WHERE. Those people we parade around as having anorexia are STARVING. I personally think there is a differance. So do some research on both Starvation Mode and Anorexia. Good luck.
  • abirkel
    abirkel Posts: 60
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    Please read this
    http://www.7layerliving.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/feastorfamine.pdf

    My guess is that you have been on a low calorie diet for so long that any surplus in energy that your body is receiving it is treating as a feast and storing whatever it can.I had experience with this in the past.Growing up i ate whatever i want,i was a dancer and i typically burned whatever i ate.As i grew older ie from teens to 20s -i became relatively sedentary-still eating the same calories so i gained weight.Now instead of increasing my activity-i just reduced my intake to 800 calories a day-i lost 30 pounds in 3 months-then my body held on to every inch of fat it can.whenever I have had energy surges(ie parties/holidays) my body stored more and more fat though i was very active.It took me almost a year to slowly increase my intake from 800 to 2200.i increase 200 calories for every few weeks until the weight went up and came back down(between 160 and 164).now at 2200 i dont gain anymore,ie the weight has stabilized.making a small cut out of maintenance will have safe fat loss,this is not a quick process.

    You just have to train your body to function at a particular calorie intake.It does need patience and not freaking out looking at the gains on the scale.It only a matter of time until the body gets used to it.Good luck.
    PS:IF you wonder how i arrived at 2200 to calculate energy required you can use this site
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    THIS!!! Please eat more.
  • AbsoluteNG
    AbsoluteNG Posts: 1,079 Member
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    You're not exercising and most likely living a sedentary lifestyle. Going to the gym should solve your problems and it would allow you to eat more if you wish to do so. I also believe that upping your calorie intake without exercise will just put on some unwanted pounds that might or might not fix your problem.
  • Sassy922
    Sassy922 Posts: 399 Member
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    3 words:
    CALL YOUR DOCTOR

    It says in the disclaimer we are not medical professionals
  • ECA67
    ECA67 Posts: 806 Member
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    Thank you everyone for all the information. I too have this very same problem. I do take 100mcg of synthroid everyday but I know I have shot my metabolism so bad that eating very little causes me to gain. I was grieving over the death of my husband for four years and sometimes would go weeks without anything to eat except water and I did not lose weight but when I started eating again even though it was only 200-400 calories a day I put on mega weight. I need to also take this advice to get my metabolism back in order and quit freaking out when I gain a few pounds or this will go on forever ! I will try slowly upping my calories over a couple months before returning to the scale. I will do this with you if you'd like. We sound like we have a lot in common.
  • krystina_letitia9
    krystina_letitia9 Posts: 697 Member
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    Are you short?
    I have a similar thing, If I ate the recommended daily allowance for a woman I'd be the size of an elephant! I'm only 5ft and have come to the conclusion that since I am the size of a child that I can only ever eat child portions and have to eat a lot less than 'normal' height people.

    I'm 5'1" and eat 1600 cals a day - and I lose weight. Hmmmm.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
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    Are you short?
    I have a similar thing, If I ate the recommended daily allowance for a woman I'd be the size of an elephant! I'm only 5ft and have come to the conclusion that since I am the size of a child that I can only ever eat child portions and have to eat a lot less than 'normal' height people.
    Height has nothing to do with how much you can eat. I'm 5'2" and eat around 2,000 calories and lose weight.

    To OP: How long did you stay at 1200 cals? You will gain at first because your body is thinking "OMG, I better store all this for when she drops down to 800 again". My advice would be to try eating at 1200 for a few weeks/a month. Once your body learns you aren't depriving it, it will settle down and drop some weight.

    This. Though I don't see how some people even do the 1200. I have mine set at 1500 MINIMUM.
  • cheninaerin
    cheninaerin Posts: 86
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    You shouldn't be weighing yourself daily- if that's how you measure your gains / losses-- that's your problem. Weigh yourself once a week and see if you gradually lose weight
  • krystina_letitia9
    krystina_letitia9 Posts: 697 Member
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    Are you short?
    I have a similar thing, If I ate the recommended daily allowance for a woman I'd be the size of an elephant! I'm only 5ft and have come to the conclusion that since I am the size of a child that I can only ever eat child portions and have to eat a lot less than 'normal' height people.

    What's being short have to do with it?
    I'm 5'0 and don't eat 'child-like potions'
    In fact, I'd starve on anything under 1800 calories.
    Activity level plays a huge factor on what your body needs for fuel.

    HAHA. Me too. I eat an absolute minimum of 1600, and more when I exercise. I'm 5'1" and 130.5lbs - and have never eaten "child portions" since I was a child.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
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    I call BS until I see an open diary. Why are you so afraid to open it for us to see? No exercise, not accurate food, lots of sodium, etc.?

    If these things REALLY aren't the case (which I'll believe when I see), it could legit be a thyroid issue, in which case carbs can make you super sensitive to weight gain/slow weight loss.

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