I'm taking issue with those telling people it's ok to starve

MTGirl

This is a very good post with lots of interesting replys. Thank you Brenda for saying what a lot of us were thinking. Of course, if you are under a doctor's supervision you need to listen to your doctor, that should be understood. Great post - thanks Brenda!

July24Lioness

There are so many fad diets. How is this healthy for you? I agree that you must have so many cals a day in order to get all of the food groups in. I also wholeheartedly agree that people should try to take in things that are good for them instead of snack packs or whatever. I can get most of my nutrition in 1200 cals but a good deal of those cals come from veggies, legumes, milk, and fruit. I sometimes find myself exercising extra to get my fruit in for the day. People who eat 700 cals a day are on a diet because there's no way they can keep that up for the rest of their lives. Diets don't work. As soon as you stop, the weight comes right back on again. It has to be about a lifestyle change. People shouldn't leave out whole food groups. I think it's silly to think you can go without eating carbs for the rest of your life. I can honestly say that I could live on what I'm eating now forever. I have energy and I'm not hungry. It's all about your mindset.

Low carb plans are not diets. They are a means of a structured plan for people that struggle badly with sweet, sugar, and starchy cravings or have health issues such as PCOS, diabetes, etc............They are also for people that want to eat whole, unprocessed foods.

Low carb plans are about making PERMANENT lifestyle changes, not a quick or temporary fix. And no eating plan will work if lifestyle changes are not made.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, we do not need carbs in the form of breads, cereal, rice, potatos, etc........................we can very easily sustain optimum health on carbs from veggies, fruit, nuts and seeds.

And for the record, I do know people that have maintained successfully on a ZERO carb eating plan for years and are healthier for it.

Please don't bash what you don't know the science behind.

July24Lioness

Why encourage someone to not eat enough? I don't quite get that. Sure, there are quick and dirty ways to lose weight, but weight isn't the only issue- we all want to come out of this healthy, don't we? Ok, so you don't believe that "starvation mode" exists, that's fine, but it takes a certain amount of calories to fit in all of the nutrition a body needs. You do believe that nutrition exists, right? You do believe that a person can suffer from a lack of nutrition, don't you? Sometimes I just want to yell at these people, ARE YOU INSANE? When someone comes on the boards and asks a question like, "I only eat 700 calories a day, and I'm afraid I'm going to go into starvation mode", the correct response is not, "starvation mode is a myth", the correct response is, "you need to eat more because you're not properly feeding your body".

If your car doesn't have gas in it, it's not going to take you very far.

I don't think anyone here on this site has encouraged anyone not to eat enough.

Me, personally, I eat when I am hungry. Some days my caloric intake is between 500-700 calories and some days it is between 1800-2200 calories per day.

I made my food diary only to "friends" because I got bashed because my calorie intake was too low. Again, I only eat when I am hungry - I am not going to force food down my throat every 3 hours because someone says my metabolism is going to shut down if I don't. That is ludacris and I have found no evidence to support that reasoning.

TwentyTen

I don't have any studies or science to point to, but I know, from personal experience.
I did not gain weight from eating too many calories. Seemed the less I ate , the more pounds packed on.
I am teaching myself to eat again, and for the first time ever , the scale is moving downward.

SHBoss1673

Sure, people need to adjust slightly up or down based on other factors like muscle mass. Also part of the bigger deficit will come naturally from the BMR of a morbidly obese person being so high. They also acknowledge that as you get closer to your goal, you might have to tweak again because the difference in BMRs becomes so small.

BMR of a morbidly obese person doesn't change as they lose weight, their TDEE changes, but not their BMR.

believe it or not, your metabolic rate doesn't change all that much as you lose weight, Remember, Fat is metabolically innert, it doesn't burn very many calories (about 1 calorie per lb of fat per day) and most of that is because the muscles and heart have to work harder to keep you stable with the extra fat hanging around.

That said, I get your point, which is that you can have a static calorie goal every day no matter how much you have to lose, which theoretically should be close to correct, but in practice, there are other considerations to take into account.

SHBoss1673

Why encourage someone to not eat enough? I don't quite get that. Sure, there are quick and dirty ways to lose weight, but weight isn't the only issue- we all want to come out of this healthy, don't we? Ok, so you don't believe that "starvation mode" exists, that's fine, but it takes a certain amount of calories to fit in all of the nutrition a body needs. You do believe that nutrition exists, right? You do believe that a person can suffer from a lack of nutrition, don't you? Sometimes I just want to yell at these people, ARE YOU INSANE? When someone comes on the boards and asks a question like, "I only eat 700 calories a day, and I'm afraid I'm going to go into starvation mode", the correct response is not, "starvation mode is a myth", the correct response is, "you need to eat more because you're not properly feeding your body".

If your car doesn't have gas in it, it's not going to take you very far.

I don't think anyone here on this site has encouraged anyone not to eat enough.

Me, personally, I eat when I am hungry. Some days my caloric intake is between 500-700 calories and some days it is between 1800-2200 calories per day.

I made my food diary only to "friends" because I got bashed because my calorie intake was too low. Again, I only eat when I am hungry - I am not going to force food down my throat every 3 hours because someone says my metabolism is going to shut down if I don't. That is ludacris and I have found no evidence to support that reasoning.

I have seen people encourage others not to eat on MFP. Sadly, it does happen on here.

Honey7o2

I think what people who debate "starvation mode" miss that it's not saying "you're going to put yourself in starvation mode and not lose any weight!". It's saying because you are under the calories you need for the day, you are most likely starving your body of nutrients it needs.

It seems the whole debate is whether "starvation mode" halts weight loss or not, and that's simply NOT the point.

lisawest

THANK YOU BRENDA!!!!:flowerforyou: I try, as others on here do, to reply to posts that encourage under eating. I've pretty much stopped arguing with them, and instead just post links to the newbie topics (Thanks Banks!) and a few other links I've got marked for specifically this purpose (interestingly enough, the authors of most of those have already posted here! ). Others have said it so well, why should I screw it up?!:blushing:

Maybe what people have an issue with is the term "starvation mode." (My husband HATES when that term is thrown around because it is used kind of like "Boogey Man." Some illusive thing that can attack you at any time.) When I discuss it with him now, I refer to "metabolic slow down.":laugh: A rose by any other name. . .

Again, thank you for this topic Brenda! It could truly wear a body out if they tried to respond to ALL the topics about eating less and less and less and. . . .

BamaRose0107

Why encourage someone to not eat enough? I don't quite get that. Sure, there are quick and dirty ways to lose weight, but weight isn't the only issue- we all want to come out of this healthy, don't we? Ok, so you don't believe that "starvation mode" exists, that's fine, but it takes a certain amount of calories to fit in all of the nutrition a body needs. You do believe that nutrition exists, right? You do believe that a person can suffer from a lack of nutrition, don't you? Sometimes I just want to yell at these people, ARE YOU INSANE? When someone comes on the boards and asks a question like, "I only eat 700 calories a day, and I'm afraid I'm going to go into starvation mode", the correct response is not, "starvation mode is a myth", the correct response is, "you need to eat more because you're not properly feeding your body".

If your car doesn't have gas in it, it's not going to take you very far.

I don't think anyone here on this site has encouraged anyone not to eat enough.

Me, personally, I eat when I am hungry. Some days my caloric intake is between 500-700 calories and some days it is between 1800-2200 calories per day.

I made my food diary only to "friends" because I got bashed because my calorie intake was too low. Again, I only eat when I am hungry - I am not going to force food down my throat every 3 hours because someone says my metabolism is going to shut down if I don't. That is ludacris and I have found no evidence to support that reasoning.

I have seen people encourage others not to eat on MFP. Sadly, it does happen on here.

Unfortunately I have been one of the people that have been encouraged on here not to eat. I just ignore them. I feel that alot of people feel so strongly in what they do to lose weight they become close minded to any other way.

nicolina823

[/quote]
Unfortunately I have been one of the people that have been encouraged on here not to eat. I just ignore them. I feel that alot of people feel so strongly in what they do to lose weight they become close minded to any other way.
[/quote]

I'm not one that has been told on here not to eat on here but I agree with your second statement 1000%.

BamaRose0107

Unfortunately I have been one of the people that have been encouraged on here not to eat. I just ignore them. I feel that alot of people feel so strongly in what they do to lose weight they become close minded to any other way.
[/quote]

I'm not one that has been told on here not to eat on here but I agree with your second statement 1000%.
[/quote]


No you are not the one that told me not to eat.:flowerforyou:

kelli_panzera

Since this keeps on popping up, I have an overwhelming desire to add my opinion! :happy:
When I came to MFP last year, I think I probably tried everything I ever read on this site. Yes, people tell you the calculations here are no good, and blah, blah, blah...while some people swear by MFP- and I am one of those. I am a food *kitten*-I love food, I am a hungry girl, and reading some of the posts where people say they are not capable of eating the mere 1200 calories per day to survive just shocks me. Why would you want to NOT do the bare minimum required of you to keep yourself HEALTHY? If you'll exercise yourself into oblivion, why not nourish the body you want so badly to change?
Before I came here, I was eating maybe 2x per day. My highest weight was 260. I felt like s*#t! I had no energy, I looked terrible, and poor me! Only eating 600-800 calories per day (because people said I MUST be eating too much) and the scale didn't budge! Last year my doctor referred me this site, and while I thought I was ready for the commitment, I struggled. I used the 1200 calorie rule religiously, worked out religiously til I was in pain every day, and still did it wrong- I punished myself! I walked away last September after 6 months and 18 pounds, and gained it all back.
So this time I am in it to win it. Jan. 4, 2010-I weighed in at 210. I had a click in my brain that said enough was enough. I researched, read, posted, and begged for information! I learned that I needed to eat the foods that were good for me, not empty calories that just taste yummy. Oh, i've cried about it, but I had that swift kick in the butt I needed. Why starve myself and binge? Eventually you will. And then you'll post it here for the world to pat you on the back and tell you it's going to be okay. I'm not being a jerk! I've done it myself, more than once!
So now I eat! And I usually eat most or ALL of my exercise calories. And I am SUCCEEDING! I'm sorry to be so long winded...ten years ago, in my twenties, I was sure that I was fat because I ate too much, and there was no information that anyone EVER offered to me to contradict that. Now, I am older, wiser, and know better. I hate when younger women have that same mindset, and make mistakes like I made. So, please people, EAT, MOVE, and ENJOY your time here while you have it! Life's short, and I hope you can see that the better you take care of that body, the better it takes care of you!

BamaRose0107

Since this keeps on popping up, I have an overwhelming desire to add my opinion! :happy:
When I came to MFP last year, I think I probably tried everything I ever read on this site. Yes, people tell you the calculations here are no good, and blah, blah, blah...while some people swear by MFP- and I am one of those. I am a food *kitten*-I love food, I am a hungry girl, and reading some of the posts where people say they are not capable of eating the mere 1200 calories per day to survive just shocks me. Why would you want to NOT do the bare minimum required of you to keep yourself HEALTHY? If you'll exercise yourself into oblivion, why not nourish the body you want so badly to change?
Before I came here, I was eating maybe 2x per day. My highest weight was 260. I felt like s*#t! I had no energy, I looked terrible, and poor me! Only eating 600-800 calories per day (because people said I MUST be eating too much) and the scale didn't budge! Last year my doctor referred me this site, and while I thought I was ready for the commitment, I struggled. I used the 1200 calorie rule religiously, worked out religiously til I was in pain every day, and still did it wrong- I punished myself! I walked away last September after 6 months and 18 pounds, and gained it all back.
So this time I am in it to win it. Jan. 4, 2010-I weighed in at 210. I had a click in my brain that said enough was enough. I researched, read, posted, and begged for information! I learned that I needed to eat the foods that were good for me, not empty calories that just taste yummy. Oh, i've cried about it, but I had that swift kick in the butt I needed. Why starve myself and binge? Eventually you will. And then you'll post it here for the world to pat you on the back and tell you it's going to be okay. I'm not being a jerk! I've done it myself, more than once!
So now I eat! And I usually eat most or ALL of my exercise calories. And I am SUCCEEDING! I'm sorry to be so long winded...ten years ago, in my twenties, I was sure that I was fat because I ate too much, and there was no information that anyone EVER offered to me to contradict that. Now, I am older, wiser, and know better. I hate when younger women have that same mindset, and make mistakes like I made. So, please people, EAT, MOVE, and ENJOY your time here while you have it! Life's short, and I hope you can see that the better you take care of that body, the better it takes care of you!

Thank you so much for sharing your story.:flowerforyou: I totally agree EAT, MOVE and ENJOY LIFE.

questionablemethods

Thanks for sharing your experience, ellik26! I'm happy to hear things are working better for you this time around. I am also someone who used to get by on a measly <1000 calories a day. Luckily, I didn't quite become obese, but the weight sure didn't seem to want to budge. The first time I started counting calories, I was amazed that I could eat so many and still lose weight. It seems to backwards.

katattack

So now I eat! And I usually eat most or ALL of my exercise calories. And I am SUCCEEDING! I'm sorry to be so long winded...ten years ago, in my twenties, I was sure that I was fat because I ate too much, and there was no information that anyone EVER offered to me to contradict that. Now, I am older, wiser, and know better. I hate when younger women have that same mindset, and make mistakes like I made. So, please people, EAT, MOVE, and ENJOY your time here while you have it! Life's short, and I hope you can see that the better you take care of that body, the better it takes care of you!

Thanks womaness! This is great. Just what I needed to hear this morning. Best to you and congrats so far! Eat woman, eat!!!!!!! hahaha :laugh:

kbreitmeyer

I actually learned a lot about eating from my toddler. We are taught to feed her nutrient-dense foods, b/c she typically only requires a small amount of calories per day (around 900 on average for a toddler). Obviously, you want to maximize those calories through fruit, fiber, lean protein, milk and veggies. She eats things she sees us enjoying, until she feels full, and she stops. And she proudly slaps her buddha belly in the bath tub with pride. We could learn a lot from the toddler.

lisa811

And jeez...I don't know about anybody else, but I was HAPPY to find out I should be eating more than I was! That was the best news ever!!!

mscasanova

Low carb plans are not diets. They are a means of a structured plan for people that struggle badly with sweet, sugar, and starchy cravings or have health issues such as PCOS, diabetes, etc............They are also for people that want to eat whole, unprocessed foods.

Low carb plans are about making PERMANENT lifestyle changes, not a quick or temporary fix. And no eating plan will work if lifestyle changes are not made.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, we do not need carbs in the form of breads, cereal, rice, potatos, etc........................we can very easily sustain optimum health on carbs from veggies, fruit, nuts and seeds.

And for the record, I do know people that have maintained successfully on a ZERO carb eating plan for years and are healthier for it.

Please don't bash what you don't know the science behind.

Thank You I agree with you. Some people have hereditary diseases that play a big factor in how they need to eat.

Like me, Yes diabetes is very strong in my family. Which is one of the biggest reasons I finally woke up and said Im not risking it. I know that even if I lose weight and maintain, but dont watch my carb and sugar intake, Its not gonna make a difference in the world how much I exercise I do. I can still get Diabetes.

I know for FACT that matters. My gpa and dad are both still very active. Gpa still runs 5 miles a day and has since he was in the Army many many moons ago. But when he was in his 20's and 30's didnt limit his sugar and carb intake. Why would he when he was a perfectly fit and active man? Well guess what at the age of 35 he was diagnosed with Diabetes and no matter how much he cleaned up his diet, the damage was already done and he is insulin dependent. Same thing with my dad... Yes it is more manageable than if they hadnt made changes, but its something they will have to deal with everyday.

So I do believe "low carb diets" are necessary. Not for everybody. But for some.

Because this is very predominant "issue" within my family I am on a carb restricted plan. That is Dr monitored. I do eat carbs but good carbs. I dont "waste" my allotment on things that I feel are a waste. I limit my bread and potatoes tremendously..

My calories are also A LOT lower bc of this. I eat 1000-1200 cals MAX. and have lost a significant amount of weight in 3 months. Some would say its unhealthy. But Im healthier now than Ive ever been. I exercise regularly and eat very healthy. I have my blood work done every 3 months like clock work. Have for about 3 years now. Everything has improved.

I have never been an over eater. Even at my heaviest. I have always had the tendency of eating the wrong things... I know that there will be a point when I cant possibly afford to lose more weight. When that time comes I will need to re-evaluate my routine. But I do know that at 1600 calories I can maintain with little exercise. I go higher I will gain. I go lower than 800 for any significant amount of time I will slow down my loss but not stop. But btwn 900-1000 Im perfectly fine. I get plenty of nutrition from eating clean, healthy food. So I am not worried about being malnourished. I think it all depends on WHAT you eat not how MUCH you eat.

I wasnt trying to "attack" anybody. Just wanted to share my knowledge.