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What the hell? Question about daily calorie intake...

lorindaleigh

So I was at 800 to 1,000 calories per day for 3 months. I lost 51 pounds.

I then stopped losing any weight for about a month. I was told by multiple people that my issue was my low calorie intake. I up'd my calories to 1,200 and then gained 5 pounds. Then had a couple of more weeks of zero loss or gain. So I was told to up it again to 1,700.

I FINALLY lost a pound! However, I am hungry all the time. I was never hungry at 1,200 or below. Now 1,700 doesnt seem like enough to me.

I have no idea what to do here. I really really want to lose this weight and Im being patient. But Im so tempted to go back down to 800 calories a day.

I'm 5'9, female and I weigh 328 pounds. I would love love love any help that you can give me.
Thanks!

Replies

khadijak17

first of all i think 800 calories are bad thats not enough to fuel your body don't do it!! if your hungry on 1700 i don't understand how your going to maintain the 800 calories a day, 1700 is double that amount and your still hungry?.
I suggest stay with your calories that mfp has given you and throw in some excercise calories so that you have extra when your hungry.......make sure your having fruit, veg, protein and cut back on empty calories if you have them.
Be patient 800 calories will make you lose weight in the wrong way and then you will put it all back on unless your going to eat like that for the rest of your life, keep to the healthy way it might be slower but it will stay off good luck

lyndian_rogers

I agree with above. Plus 800 sounds dangerous to me.

aimeelouwhite

I had a peek in your diary. I wonder if the feeling hungry is to do with the foods you are eating. There does seem to be quite a lot of McDonalds and Burger King which although yummy doesn't tend to fill me up for long if I eat it. Maybe try switching for Subway? I'd also suggest filling up on some vegetables...... you can eat a LOT of veges for not many calories. I would not reduce calorie intake... keep fueling your body but explore your food choices for some cleaner options maybe?? Maybe this might help? Congrats on the first 51lbs!

Fozzi43

You go way over your sodium on quite a few days?

carolinelittle

Why are you not eating what you are allowed to? Give it a go! It looks like you are starving your body, especially looking at what you ate in your last entry. I'd be starving too if that is all I ate. I ate around 1300 cals today which is 550 under my allowance. You should see what my dinner plate looked like, chock full and healthy and filling. I just finished eating a 100 cal ice cream that was delicous! Time to find foods that are filling that will meet your needs. Please don't go back to 800 cals, please. No one, NO ONE, needs just that many. I bet your body is crying out for more. I too have a lot to lose, you have done so well to date, just try eating what the site sets for you, or closer to it. Have a look around and see what is working for others here, and you will see it is being done with a decent amount of food/calories. You can do this.

susantrigg18

Hiya,

Im 16 weeks in to my new lifestyle of eating clean, I've lost 18kgs or 40 pounds... no processed foods, just plenty of veggies, fruit, yoghurt, eggs, lean meats, a little cheese, & nuts and you would be amazed at how much you have to eat of these foods to reach you calorie intake!

MFP has set my calorie intake to 1440 per day, and believe me, if you eat clean, its a struggle to eat that much. Granted, i do little exercise compared to many on here, and its what makes up those calories that make the difference.
Lay off the processed, fast foods, soda`s & sweets & your body will not only thank you, you will reap many benefits from getting rid of the chemicals & sugars.

Before cutting out all that stuff i had heartburn & reflux everyday, i snored like i was a gold medalist, my skin was blotchy, i had terrible period cramps & i could only sleep 4 hours a night. haven't had any of these problems since about 4 weeks in.

000WhiteRose000

Basically I think you have messed your metabolism up. You need to find out what your maintenance calories are and stick to that for at least a month. You might gain a little to start with but that will stablis. Then you can slash your calories down again, but I wouldn't go down to 800 or 1000. Reduce by 25% and see how you get on.

tryclyn

I would start here

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Fibergurl

You may want to make an appointment with a Registered Nutritionist. It's really easy to start a diet plan and bring along unhealthy behaviors into your plan. Good luck to you in your journey.

lambertj

You may very well have messed up your metabolism. Got to http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/ and enter your information, and choose your activity level, then minus about 20% off the calories and eat that amount every single day. It won't be fast and it won't be easy but it will get your metabolism on the way to being repaired. At your size and weight, eating 800 calories a day must have really slowed your metabolism down. You may even have some gains as your body plays catch up. Extreme low calorie almost always fails. Slow and steady wins the race. I show on the fat2fit bmr that even if you are sedentary you should be eating no less than 1700 a day. Also, keep your sugar and carbs in check and make healthy filling food choices. Good luck!

stormygirl_82

I would start here

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Go to these thinks!!!

Learn about BMR and TDEE!!! Seriosly, right now! If you eat 800-1000 calories you are not even eating what your body needs to function in a coma. (BMR)

The simple answer.................Your body holds on to it's energy storage (fat) when it believes it needs to. If you do not eat enough then you are telling your body to hold on to the fat because it won't get the energy it needs from food.

Please research this further.

Altruista75

I would start here

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

^^^^THIS^^^^ You are NOT eating enough and your body is revolting! You need to eat in order to lose weight! Please read the above links!!!

BlackTimber

Try going low carb for a while. Carbohydrates will make you hungry.

ltl_leah

I also looked at your food diary. You tend not to eat any fresh foods and stick to convenience foods. Also, in your food diary today, you have 1100 calories worth of dairy products listed. Find a balance of carbohydrates with vegetables, fruit, and slow digesting starches. Eat low sodium proteins and unprocessed foods. Your sodium intake is really high.

If you clean up your eating, get rid of fast food and begin preparing fresh meals, you will see a difference. If you aren't a good cook, invest in a slow cooker and look up low calorie recipes online, such as skinnytaste.com. Feed your body with good food and drink plenty of water. If you aren't tracking drinks and beverages, begin to track those because some forget to track sugary drinks, which also have a lot of calories.

Hope this helps and best of luck.

sevsmom

Are you exercising regularly? If so, there's NO WAY 800 calories is enough. And, if you really want to lose weight you have to monitor your HEALTHY caloric intake and burn calories with exercise. Hopefully I just missed the part where you said you sweat your butt off 4 or 5 times a week doing Zumba or kick boxing or something.

lorindaleigh

I had a peek in your diary. I wonder if the feeling hungry is to do with the foods you are eating. There does seem to be quite a lot of McDonalds and Burger King which although yummy doesn't tend to fill me up for long if I eat it. Maybe try switching for Subway? I'd also suggest filling up on some vegetables...... you can eat a LOT of veges for not many calories. I would not reduce calorie intake... keep fueling your body but explore your food choices for some cleaner options maybe?? Maybe this might help? Congrats on the first 51lbs!

Yup thats recently... I started that when I raised my calories. I moved and don't have a fridge at home and I work 14 hours a day... I know excuses excuses. Btw... Subway isnt really that much healthier.

Thank you for responding (that goes to everyone). I'm going to stock up on some veggies and leave them at work. Well see what happens.

wahmx3

I would start here

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

^^^^THIS^^^^ You are NOT eating enough and your body is revolting! You need to eat in order to lose weight! Please read the above links!!!

This! Please start eating more, your heart, brain, lungs and every other body organ is screaming for food and thanking you for finally eating more. I didn't look at your diary but totally agree with everyone else, eat more fruits and veggies and really watch your sodium. To put it into perspective, I am 5'4",weigh 145 and eat around 1500 calories daily. it will take some time to repair your metabolism and get it working correctly again, but so worth it to lose the weight and more importantly to keep it off!

Onaughmae

Concentrate on things that make you feel full. Dont be afraid of protein..its your friend. High protein will keep you feeling full for much longer than carbs. Set your goals to lose 1 pound a week, and dont worry about going over MFP recommendation for protein, they set theirs too low anyway. I find the more simple carbs I eat, them more I crave them. Stick with whole grains instead.

You have done amazing so far and you can do this! Best of luck to you

susanp57

You have few veggies. They can fill you up for few calories. That shake you are using for lunch sometimes will probably leave you hungry in short order. Go back and take a look at basic nutrition and then plan your menus from there.

HTH

aimeelouwhite

Verges at work sound like a great idea! Maybe also some fresh fruit or raw nuts might be grat to have at work.

I suggested subway as I could see fast foods in your diary which made me think you we're really busy and needing to be able to gab something quick at times. If you choose the meat in subway carefully or forego cheese and or sauces or change it from sandwich to a salad you'll find it a much healthier option than bk or mcds.

Hope these ideas are helpful

jilliew

I echo everyone's suggestion for less processed food, and more veggies. I shall add that you should drink a crap-load of water, especially with all that salt you're taking in. Have a full glass or bottle of water at your desk at all times and drink it!

psuLemon

You are more hungry now because your body is adapting to the new intake and is noticing that you aren't starving yourself. If you more on getting lean whole meats, fruits, veggies and plenty of healthy fats, it will take care of your satiety issues. Also, with your weight, you might even need more than 1700 calories. If you don't see much more weight loss, up your calories by 200 to see if that helps. But try to keep carbs moderate and work on getting protein/fat.