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

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  • Grumpy2208
    Grumpy2208 Posts: 63
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    The trouble is it's not a sustainable system.

    The point of starting at a higher calorific amount , when you are more overweight, is so that you can drop your calories further as you progress and then plateau. It takes a lot more than 2000 to maintain a body that is 200+lbs, so you should be able to drop at that level. As you get smaller, ie. 180,160,140, you need to drop further. If you start out super low (ie 1000), you are hooped when it comes to plateaus. Your metabolism might start to crap out too. And of course, you start to lose muscle in addition to fat - you don't want to lose muscle. Muscles are super sexy trust me.

    I mean yea sure go ahead and eat 1000 calories a day but really when you plateau - how far can you cut on an already 1000 calories diet?.

    And plus when "life happens" and you eat normally - your body will hold on to the food instead of using it as energy. And you will put on weight - so what's the point of doing all this hard work if after a year, two years, five years - you are back to square one?. Can you see yourself doing this for the rest of your life?. If you can good on ya. But the truth is you can't.

    Have you seen a happy successful anorexic?. Chances are they are either dead or have gained weight.
    No disrespect to any anorexic - recovering or otherwise.

    I mean yea sure, it's only been two weeks or so and you can do it now but really why set yourself up for failure. If you wanna do things properly then do it the right way. Do it with an approach that is pragmatic and real.

    Can you see yourself eating "healthily" for the rest of your life? I mean really not even a bowl of ice cream, like even once in your life?.

    I get all that - you have lots of time so you work out a lot etc etc. I work out for the same reasons. I am bored to death. I have nothing else to do in life except maybe have a affair ( joking ). I am at the top of my profession right now. I have finished all my education. I am married to a fantastic guy. I work out a minimum of 20 hours a week as I have nothing else to do. And this is not something which I have been doing for a few weeks, a year or two. No I have been the same way for more than a decade.

    The reason why it is sustainable is because I eat. I eat an average of 2800 a day. I eat anything as long as it fits my macros.
    Not because I have to eat back my exercise calories. Not because I work out a lot.

    Because I love my life. I love my brain which allowed me to make a better life for myself and my family.
    I love my body which allows me to live happily and doesn't screw with my psyche.
    I love my body which allows me to be the best I can in my life and I owe it a huge responsibility to look after it.

    I mean do whatever you want, but once you hit a plateau or just go slightly over your calories and you put on weight - don't freak out. Expect it to happen. Because it will. And I really don't know what you gonna do then?. Drop your calories even lower?. You can do that?. Sure?. You will be happy? Still can work out two hours?. Still can hold on a full time job to the best of your ability?. Still can have shiny hair, healthy teeth, skin etc etc?. Wow; am impressed.

    Nah you know what, that game is boring. It's too long, too tedious, it's the cop out lazy way.

    Do it the proper way. Look after your body and it will return the favour by looking after you - I give you my word.
  • cindyjoesousa
    cindyjoesousa Posts: 87 Member
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    Hi..Im Cindy..Ive lost 85 pounds since Jan 2012 with mfp and exercise..Sounds like you're building muscle which weighs more than fat..and when you aren't feeding your body enough calories, it holds on to the fat for survival..sounds crazy but I speak from experience..after more than a year I stopped losing weight for 6 weeks..reading posts on mfp helped me figure out I needed to increase my calories a little..you also have to eat all meals and snacks to keep your metabolism going throughout the day..pack a take along lunch you can eat in the car if you don't have time for a sit down lunch..good luck to you
  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
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    I went back on my records and found a day which was a bad day for me, eating things like ice cream, cheese cake, roast dinner, chips etc, and it only was 1600 calories!


    Considering cheesecake has anywhere between 500-800 calories a slice I don't think this is accurate.

    I don't get the 'can't eat enough' argument. I can easily cram in 2000 calories a day. I have eggs, meat or fish and some avocado for breakfast, sweet potato with fish and veg for lunch, meat and veg for dinner and a couple of protein shakes or some meat or nuts as snacks. I had a peanut butter and ice cream milkshake yesterday (I am in now way suggesting that this is good for weightloss,lol) and that was probably around 1000 calories. You could have one with just milk and peanut butter and bam, calorie heaven.
  • CrazyTrackLady
    CrazyTrackLady Posts: 1,337 Member
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    Hi..Im Cindy..Ive lost 85 pounds since Jan 2012 with mfp and exercise..Sounds like you're building muscle which weighs more than fat..and when you aren't feeding your body enough calories, it holds on to the fat for survival..sounds crazy but I speak from experience..after more than a year I stopped losing weight for 6 weeks..reading posts on mfp helped me figure out I needed to increase my calories a little..you also have to eat all meals and snacks to keep your metabolism going throughout the day..pack a take along lunch you can eat in the car if you don't have time for a sit down lunch..good luck to you

    And now we're back to the "a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat" ridiculousness.

    NO, NO, NO a thousand times NO!
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Hi..Im Cindy..Ive lost 85 pounds since Jan 2012 with mfp and exercise..Sounds like you're building muscle which weighs more than fat..and when you aren't feeding your body enough calories, it holds on to the fat for survival..sounds crazy but I speak from experience..after more than a year I stopped losing weight for 6 weeks..reading posts on mfp helped me figure out I needed to increase my calories a little..you also have to eat all meals and snacks to keep your metabolism going throughout the day..pack a take along lunch you can eat in the car if you don't have time for a sit down lunch..good luck to you

    She's not building muscle on less than 1000 calories per day.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
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    Hi..Im Cindy..Ive lost 85 pounds since Jan 2012 with mfp and exercise..Sounds like you're building muscle which weighs more than fat..and when you aren't feeding your body enough calories, it holds on to the fat for survival..sounds crazy but I speak from experience..after more than a year I stopped losing weight for 6 weeks..reading posts on mfp helped me figure out I needed to increase my calories a little..you also have to eat all meals and snacks to keep your metabolism going throughout the day..pack a take along lunch you can eat in the car if you don't have time for a sit down lunch..good luck to you

    She's not building muscle on less than 1000 calories per day.
    exactly.
  • gsstaley
    gsstaley Posts: 9
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    Yes, limiting your calorie intake so severely is signaling your body that it is starving and so your body is holding on to your fat. And the key is that you are not pushing yourself. While swimming is an enjoyable exercise and reduces the stress on your joints, its not burning the calories that you think. To get a real fitness workout from swimming you need to be swimming fast and hard enough to feel yourself sweat, even under water. Save the pool for the last 10 minutes of your visit to the gym as a cool down but get on a treadmill with a heart rate monitor and get yourself up to 30 - 40 minutes of real, sweaty, miserable, push yourself movement. Then, use the additional hour of your day to plan a healthy meal. You won't need 2000+ calories anymore, but you need to eat according to the MFP recommendations. You have to PUSH yourself to get results. Time does not equal exertion. PS Your strength routine shouldn't take an hour either.
  • MarioLozano16
    MarioLozano16 Posts: 319 Member
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    If you want to lose weight you need to eat less calories than what your body requires. Just make sure get the proper amount of macronutrients ( Proteins, fats, carbs)
  • damelasc
    damelasc Posts: 2
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    Watch for the fine print when you "Complete your entry" at the end of the day. Just below where it tells you what you will weigh in 5 weeks it will tell you that you need to consult a doctor before continuing to eat so few calories and that you need to consume more calories. I was doing the same thing you were doing, but my family was concerned I was at an unhealthy level. Upon research I discovered, as much as I hate to admit it, that they were right. You can seriously damage your heart by under-consuming calories over an extended period of time. (Like anorexics do!). Err on the side of caution! I was dropping weight quickly when I was malnourishing myself, but I still lose every week while eating at a more healthy level. Take care of yourself, that is the point, right?
  • thelastseneschal
    thelastseneschal Posts: 9
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    That website for bmr calculation is cool. But it tells me that my diet which is a normal well looked at and healthy diet is unhealthy. more anti low carb bias..... oh well
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    I wish there was a resting place for threads like this, where we can go back and re-read them for the lols. I will miss this when its locked and gone. :(
  • dianamatienzo
    dianamatienzo Posts: 127
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    Sounds like you're building muscle which weighs more than fat.

    ^ False.
    When one does not consume enough calories, the body is in a catabolic state and does not build muscle. Obviously catabolism and anabolism always work together in the body, but with the amount of calories she is consuming, the catabolism is overpowering the anabolic process; so she's not building muscle.

    Secondly, muscle and fat weigh the same. Muscle is more dense than fat, so a 1lb piece of fat takes up more space than a 1lb piece of muscle because the fibers in the muscle are more "organized" and packed than in fat.

    Other than that contradiction, Cindy, I congratulate you on your weight loss :)
  • GracefulDancer4Christ
    GracefulDancer4Christ Posts: 419 Member
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    I was an undereater myself and upped my calories to the 1,665 I am to eat according to scoobysworkshop. I do 30 day shred level 1 for 25 minuets. that is enough of a work out for me. 2 hours of workouts is not good for your body. undereating is not either. that is why I take a class and ask for help on the undereating. I went from 900-1,000 calories to about 1300-1400 calories. I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks if I feel hungry I add more to it.
  • reneena1
    reneena1 Posts: 4
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    if you lost 3 inches you are doing excellent stay away from the scale for now and take measurements around yourt waste chest thigh arm and leg measuring the same arm or leg area every week track that for now. Eat healthy. You are building muscel, muslce is heavier than fat. Eventually the more muscle you build the more fat you will shed, you may want to focus more on cardio rite now.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
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    if you lost 3 inches you are doing excellent stay away from the scale for now and take measurements around yourt waste chest thigh arm and leg measuring the same arm or leg area every week track that for now. Eat healthy. You are building muscel, muslce is heavier than fat. Eventually the more muscle you build the more fat you will shed, you may want to focus more on cardio rite now.

    No to the building of muscle on such a low calories diet. Please read up on how you actually build muscle. It's bloody hard work and takes a surplus of calories to do, bar a few rare exceptions of which this is not one.

    I do agree with taking measurements though. But only once a month.
  • rogerbosch
    rogerbosch Posts: 343 Member
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    Hi..Im Cindy..Ive lost 85 pounds since Jan 2012 with mfp and exercise..Sounds like you're building muscle which weighs more than fat..

    Yes, look in the mirror, stick up your thumb and look at your triceps… see that hanging bridge? Those are huge triceps! Now thumb down… I know that your triceps suddenly disappeared, but now look at those massive swaying biceps! Bend forward! Can you see your abs growing as you lean deeper? That's the result of eating less than 1000 calories with 2 hours in the gym each day! Huge muscle growth! Keep it up!
  • KatWood
    KatWood Posts: 1,135 Member
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    Wow, quite the interesting thread. I see alot of comments where people have stated they have problems eating more than 1400 calories. They keep saying they feel full. My response is that feeling full does not necessarily mean you are providing enough fuel or the right kind of fuel for your body. I could eat cucumbers all day long and feel full but that doesn't mean I am providing my body with the nutrients it needs. Hunger is only an indicator it does not tell the whole story. And in fact it can be misleading. If you are working out 2 hours a day your body simply needs more fuel and the best way to get it is through healthy nutrient rich foods.

    Best of luck to the OP and I want to say congrats on your dedication to this lifestyle change. I hope you find a way that is healthy, sustainable and provides the results you are looking for.
  • iLoveMyAR15
    iLoveMyAR15 Posts: 122 Member
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    somebody prob already said this but look into HIIT training. You can cut your cardio down to like 20-30 minutes and get waaaay more out of it than 2 hours on a treadmill. To me that is a waste of time that i dont have
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    In to catch up on all seven pages...

    ...and to learn more about this approach to building considerable amounts of muscle while on an extreme calorie deficit.
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
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    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...

    Anorexics continue to loose weight because even when your body is in starvation mode, it has to burn calories to keep you alive. In starvation mode your body simply slows your metabolic processes to avoid using as many calories as it normally would.

    If you're doing 2 hours of cardio, and under eating by 1000 calories, you are going to run yourself into the ground. And forget building muscle, your body has bigger priorities for those calories you are eating.

    Set up MFP to "Sedentary", then add your cario exercise every day, and eat a NET of 1,200 calories. You will be fine and healthy and problem solved.

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