I am under eating by at least 1000 cals a day?

trogalicious

...Calories are only part of the equation. Your net calories need to stay between 1200-1400 on most days. ...

No.

Justkeepswimmin

. .

rogerbosch

People who can't eat or hate food - let's call them the "600-calorie people" often are unaware of the cause themselves. Not only that, they're also often in denial. Truth or honesty becomes a threat. They're in some sort of starvation mode: starving for attention and confirmation.

The real question: "Am I lovely?" has not been satisfactorily answered in their past. Well, I don't want to play Dr. Freud, but it's not a guess or a theory… It's a pattern.

Suggestions like: "Eat more healthy fats" or "Exercise less" or "You're destroying your metabolism" never work because they trigger a mind-protective defense mechanism. They are replied with slogans like: "You're not listening to my real problem!" or "Why are you so hostile?" or in this case: "I won't eat meat. Don't you know what they're doing to our cows?!"

The problem is further preferably exposed on public forums because there is a full house of folk equally wandering in the dark, proclaiming: "Forget the Roadmap!" and "You're doing fine!" and seemingly offer 'support' and 'comfort'. But in fact they're just prolonging blindness and making it more difficult to get through.

For the 600-calorie people who feel they don't lose (fast) enough while they are killing themselves with cardio/HIIT and nothing else seems to work, here's a little problem assistant:

1. Look in the mirror. Was this helpful? Yes/No
2. Eat more. Was this helpful? Yes/No
3. Seek professional help. Was this helpful? Yes/No
4. Good luck.

Francl27

Ok first... buy some gym equipment, dvds, and work out at home. You're killing yourself and your wallet by driving 1.5 hour to go to the gym.

Then eat more.

babymaddux

Alright, so I go to the gym everyday and work out for 2 hours everyday. 1 hour strength, 1 hour cardio. On the days where I can't do the strength (because its bad to do it everyday) I just do 2 hours of cardio. Anyway, so I barely have time to eat lunch anymore because it takes me about 45 minutes to get to the gym and 45 minutes to get back home. I'm really trying to lose weight and get toned up. I am at the biggest I have ever been though because I weighed myself and I weigh 200 pounds! I have been doing this gym routine for like 2 weeks and half now. I was too scared to weigh myself when I first started so, I don't know if I was even bigger than 200 pounds! I have lost 3 inches off my waist though. I usually under eat by 1000 calories, is this bad? Could I be making myself gain weight? What about anorexics? How come they don't eat, and they don't gain weight? I don't get the whole, if you eat under 1200 calories a day, you are putting your body in starvation mode and that could affect weight loss because again how do anorexics do it then....
I'm suppose to be eating 1400 calories a day but I know that most people should eat 2000 a day? Is this just a myth? When I exercise, MFP tells me that I should be eating like 2000 something calories! Usually, I end up eating around 1000-1300 a day.
Any advice would be great thanks!
Edit: That website tells me I should be eating like 2637 calories per day! Thats more than what MFP recommends, I think I'm going to stick with this website, thanks...

are you actually lifting weights for the full hour? or are you doing like most people and lifting for maybe 20 mins at most and 'recovering' for the rest of the time. and if your cardio is swimming how hard are you swimming? cos 1 hour easy breaststroke is very different to 1 hour of hard freestyle. you need to track your exercise just as accurately as your food.
like everyone else says, you should be eating your exercise calories, but make sure you're calculating them right. a couple pieces of chocolate, a protein shake etc, all help bump up the calories.

exostan

I think it's better to follow TDEE-20% than what mfp gives. I don't know why mfp has the setting so low; 1200 calories?
Also I don't think you can compare your situation to anorexics. They do it long term whereas you will get hungry and end up binging, undoing whatever deficits you created

zefreak

Calories are important, but not as much as what comes with them... I know there are some of you out there who would refute this statement; I'd challenge anyone who can come up with a sound argument (citing actual evidence) to quote this post and prove me wrong.

In my opinion, I focus more on meeting my nutrient goals for the day without eating an obscene amount of calories. I am a ski instructor in Colorado, I am very active, and often times lunch is a hard meal for me too since I cant carry my lunch with me and the stuff we feed the kids is laughable in the nutrition department. I carry unsalted almonds because i know they can stave hunger in responsible amounts. I also try to make lunch a two-part meal (splitting the calories between the pitiful choices I can actually eat at the salad bar in the cafeteria, and a hearty snack when I get home around 4 o'clock).

When it comes to calories, MFP will tell you you aren't eating enough if you don't consume at least 1200 calories a day. I agree with this; calories are energy and you need energy from food every day to promote a faster metabolism and to keep your body from storing fat. My goal is to eat a minimum of 1400 REAL calories a day, from REAL foods that are of high nutrient density, anti-angiogenic, and take awhile to digest, as opposed to empty B.S. calories that you don't need and your metabolism rips right through. Eating the right foods to reach your nutritional goals is most important. If you are eating whole, healthy foods, its actually somewhat challenging to go over 1700-1800 calories a day... you're simply not hungry enough!

Definitely do what some people on this forum have suggested and go to another source to determine what is nutritionally appropriate for you... I find that MFP goes way overboard on sugar, fat, and calorie totals when I log my activity for the day, and I also don't entirely agree with the calorie total that it tells me. For instance, when I log 240 minutes of "Skiing, Downhill, Moderate Effort" It tells me that I can eat an extra 2200 calories that day... I highly doubt that, especially since half of that time (or more) is riding chairlifts!

If you are very active like I am, yes... you do need more calories, fats, and proteins than a person who leads a sedentary lifestyle. That being said, you shouldn't try to go overboard on your calorie intake, especially if its at night with dinner, well after exercising. Remember that a calorie is a measure of energy, and if you don't use energy, your body will store it as fat for later use.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!
This was what I was trying to say, but didn't know how


To everyone else. No I didn't get fat on only eating 1500 calories a day. I got fat on eating too many high calorie, high fat, high sugar food that were loaded with chemicals that left me HUNGRY all day, PLUS I didn't do any exercise.

I also use to eat when I wasn't hungry and binge eat. THAT IS HOW I GOT FAT.

I have LEARNT to only eat when I am hungry, and to eat healthy foods. Not EVERYTHING has to be covered with fat etc, nor does it have to be high in calories to be fulling.

And you all presume that everyone can eat anything. How do you know that we can all have nuts, oils etc? I myself can't have bananas, corn, or alot of dairy or wheat products as of health problems that come with them, and having alot of fats, no matter how good they are, can make me feel physically sick. I can eat about half a handful of nuts before I feel like vomiting, and if that doesn't happen I end up with thick mucus in my throat.

I ENJOY EATING ALOT OF VEGES, and if that is so wrong, then hell! I am doing it all wrong

That is not saying though I do not eat the occasional treat. I even have loads of dark chocolate in my freezer for when I have sugar cravings, so I don't reach for that caramel slice. I still eat chips every so often, and I still go to the cafe, but now I balance that out by eating correctly through the rest of the week.

And how do you think vegans do it? They don't have alot of stuff that you are all suggesting yet they survive.

Its not about how many calories you eat, its about WHAT YOU ARE EATING.

I eat to fuel my body, not to keep up with my calorie intake

Justkeepswimmin

I eat to fuel my body, not to keep up with my calorie intake

Urm not to be picky or argumentative there are some things you've said I agree ... partially... and others things you've said I don't ....but this sentence makes little sense to me.......

Wouldn't eating to fuel your body mean eating to keep up with your calorie output?..

Also if you got fat as you say by eating too much unhealthy stuff like fats...why do fats now make you physically ill?

zefreak

What exactly do you want to hear? Why are you here asking for advice, then arguing or getting defensive when people WHO HAVE HAD SUCCESS WITH MAJOR WEIGHT LOSS are trying to HELP you?

You sound more like a petulant child and less like someone willing to consider that maybe, just maybe, SOME people know what they're talking about.

FFS It wasn't me who was asking the advice. I am having success on what I am doing. I had actually already made a comment at the start of this thread giving this poor girl advice, then found the comment about the guy basically telling her that if she ate properly she should reach it, so I was saying it isn't possible for some of us. I am not going to cover my food with crap I don't want to eat just so I reach my "goals" nor am I going to eat more when I am not hungry just so I can please everyone else.

I have seen people lose weight successfully doing it both ways, so whatever works for you then do it. I have tried eating more calories and guess what, it didn't work! SO went back to what I was having success at. Maybe before you throw crap at someone else you should walk in their shoes first

zefreak

Oh and if anyone thinks I am full of it my dairy is and has always been open, look at it yourself. I was logging everything in up til recently where I got busy with kids being sick all the time. And every one of those days that I did a full log in day (Some are only half full as I would forget to go back and do it and then forget what I had to eat) I was never ever left hungry.

I never suggested to this woman to not eat more, in fact if you go back to the start of this thread I actually suggested a way to her TO EAT MORE. But no, you guys are so passionate about bashing other people down, and think its your way or the highway you don't pay attention to those things

Graelwyn75

Why waste everybody's time here when you did not really wish any advice?
Did you feel you had something to prove or something?
Seriously, your body so do what then heck you want to it. But quit wasting the time of decent people who are trying to help someone who did not even want help.

Pearlyladybug

That is BS if I ever saw it.

I don't eat "Low fat" etc foods as I believe they contain a high amount of unhealthy chemicals. I eat alot of homemade soups, smoothies, breads, PB, cheese etc and I STILL can not get to 1400-1500 some days. Its only if I eat crap food I can reach my calorie goals (And even then it is my calorie goal with out exercise so about 1750 calories) But one of my smooties are about 400 calories but can keep me full for 4-5 hours. One of my soups is only 180-230 (Depending on how much I have) and keeps me full for 3-4 hours.
I had half a sliced cucumber for morning tea the other day, and it kept me full for 2 hours, when I put it into the system it was a whole 8 calories.
So no, some of us LITERALLY can not get to that much

An oz of cheese has around 110 calories. An oz of nuts has around 150-170. An avocado has around 250. It's not that hard. I mean, I don't think many of us got overweight by struggling to get to 1500 calories a day...

My thoughts exactly, The whole reason a lot of us are on this site is because of eating to many cals!

zefreak

I eat to fuel my body, not to keep up with my calorie intake

Urm not to be picky or argumentative there are some things you've said I agree ... partially... and others things you've said I don't ....but this sentence makes little sense to me.......

Wouldn't eating to fuel your body mean eating to keep up with your calorie output?..

Also if you got fat as you say by eating too much unhealthy stuff like fats...why do fats now make you physically ill?

They always made me physically ill, I just ignored it back then because I wanted that particular food so much. But now its even worse because my body is getting use to eating healthy (Eg if I drink alot of Cola now, my tounge and throat literally start being eaten away and I end up in pain for a few days cause my body is just not use to it. I get half way through a cake or slice and can't finish it because my body is rejecting high sugar foods now)

What I mean is that I am trying to full my body with foods that fill me up longer. Yes those nuts etc maybe healthy and high in calories, but is it going to keep me full so I don't pig out and snack on things I should be? Probably not. For example, in the mornings I usually have all bran and a smoothie, equaling to 400-500 calories. It keeps me full til1-2pm when I next have time to sit down and eat a proper meal. Where as this morning I only had time to have vogals toast with PB, great food and healthy and high in calories equaling 450 (I think), BUT a hour later I was hungry again because I didn't have the high amount of fibre and other goodness I needed in the morning to keep me going and my body FUELED. Just because I eat low calorie foods, it does not mean I don't eat enough, or have enough other things like fats, iron, fibre etc missing from my diet

Pearlyladybug

:laugh:

beyondjupiter

Wow. People seem really cranky on here :ohwell:

I got fat by eating waaayyy too much crap. I love candy, doughnuts, pastries, chocolate, ice cream, etc.

I have recently started eating mostly raw and cooked veggies, 4 fruits per day, beans, and whole grains. I eat meat sometimes and have pretty much cut out dairy. I do drink almond milk though.

A couple of days ago I ate a ton of veggies, salads, fruits, green smoothie, and some beans. I think I logged around 1000 calories that day. I was pretty shocked. It seemed to low. However, I don't exercise for 2 hours a day

I was a little concerned but the way I see it, I am getting all the nutrients I need and I wasn't hungry. If I was, I ate something.

lithezebra

You don't need to go to any other website. Just eat what MFP tell you to eat PLUS eat back your exercise calories. It's really that simple.

MFP has terrible estimates of calories burned during cardio exercise. You can't even enter a distance for hiking, only a time. That's why I don't trust MFP enough to eat back my calories.

zefreak

Wow. People seem really cranky on here :ohwell:

I got fat by eating waaayyy too much crap. I love candy, doughnuts, pastries, chocolate, ice cream, etc.

I have recently started eating mostly raw and cooked veggies, 4 fruits per day, beans, and whole grains. I eat meat sometimes and have pretty much cut out dairy. I do drink almond milk though.

A couple of days ago I ate a ton of veggies, salads, fruits, green smoothie, and some beans. I think I logged around 1000 calories that day. I was pretty shocked. It seemed to low. However, I don't exercise for 2 hours a day

I was a little concerned but the way I see it, I am getting all the nutrients I need and I wasn't hungry. If I was, I ate something.

I wish I could like this lol

Justkeepswimmin

I eat to fuel my body, not to keep up with my calorie intake

Urm not to be picky or argumentative there are some things you've said I agree ... partially... and others things you've said I don't ....but this sentence makes little sense to me.......

Wouldn't eating to fuel your body mean eating to keep up with your calorie output?..

Also if you got fat as you say by eating too much unhealthy stuff like fats...why do fats now make you physically ill?

They always made me physically ill, I just ignored it back then because I wanted that particular food so much. But now its even worse because my body is getting use to eating healthy (Eg if I drink alot of Cola now, my tounge and throat literally start being eaten away and I end up in pain for a few days cause my body is just not use to it. I get half way through a cake or slice and can't finish it because my body is rejecting high sugar foods now)

What I mean is that I am trying to full my body with foods that fill me up longer. Yes those nuts etc maybe healthy and high in calories, but is it going to keep me full so I don't pig out and snack on things I should be? Probably not. For example, in the mornings I usually have all bran and a smoothie, equaling to 400-500 calories. It keeps me full til1-2pm when I next have time to sit down and eat a proper meal. Where as this morning I only had time to have vogals toast with PB, great food and healthy and high in calories equaling 450 (I think), BUT a hour later I was hungry again because I didn't have the high amount of fibre and other goodness I needed in the morning to keep me going and my body FUELED. Just because I eat low calorie foods, it does not mean I don't eat enough, or have enough other things like fats, iron, fibre etc missing from my diet

I am definitely a fan of the 'what works for you" philosophy, however, for 98% of people there are caloric minimums that need to be met. Or are we not arguing that?

PS lol at cola I think I haven't' had soda in years it'd probably make me throw up also.

mamosh81

If you find you don't have time for lunch but would like to eat at that time, maybe just pack things you can eat on the go, eg fruit, healthy bars, crackers, sandwiches with a simple spread on them (Like Peanut butter)

I believe in eating when I am hungry, not in eating to keep myself from getting hungry OR trying to keep to my high calorie suggestion. When Ive done exercise it tells me I should be having between 2200-2500 which is just way way way too much food for me. I am lucky to get to 1400-1500 each day, some days are even under 1000. Not because I am starving myself but cause I eat low calorie but high filling foods, if I ate anymore I would be physically sick. Yes I am struggling to lose weight, and it could be cause of my low intake, and its something I need to figure out, probably with my doctor, but I have also found eating more towards my calorie suggestion makes me put on even more weight.

i pretty much do it exactly the same i just can not force myself to eat when i dont have a hunger sensation if i feel my belly grumble i eat but if it dosnt then i dont even think about eating something

watfordjc

You cannot fuel your body by ignoring calories. 20% of your BMR is brain activity. 10% of your BMR is digestion. Non-dietary and non-exercise thermogenesis makes up another chunk of your BMR. Unless you are a zombie, ghost, or vampire, calories are needed for all 3 of these things. Then there are the calories needed for protein synthesis, fatty acid metabolism, fatty acid synthesis, and everything else the body does. Yes some of those calories can come from the saturated fats stored in body fat, but toxins (yes I'm using that word) are also stored in body fat and I personally wouldn't want to worry about the amount of organochlorines floating around in my body - I don't believe you can increase bile production in line with fat catabolism.

If you can't eat enough add butter, ice cream, McDonald's, Subway, Domino's, etc. If you don't want to eat that stuff nor anything else already suggested, cut back on the exercise.