Afraid to eat over the magic 1200, binge anyway?
peanutbutterrunner
Posts: 85
Okay so in March I started trying to lose weight on here and I would usually eat 1200 or less calories a day and burn up like 300-400 calories. I lost weight pretty fast but I hit a plateau after losing 9 pounds and last month in August I gained it all back.
I also developed binge eating habits, which is why I gained it back so fast, basically I go downstairs at around midnight and just eat..and eat.. and eat.
And now I'm terrified to eat over the magic 1200 calories because it worked so well before and I binge at night so that's more calories anyway. Also, if I eat what I'm supposed to during the day at my BMR or whatever my number would be I'm scared that I'll binge and just gain more weight.
The obvious answer would be; stop binging, and well, I'm working on it but I just need some advice.
Also, when I binge at night it's just cravings and habit, I never really binge at night because of hunger so I'm pretty sure I'm eating plenty..
I also developed binge eating habits, which is why I gained it back so fast, basically I go downstairs at around midnight and just eat..and eat.. and eat.
And now I'm terrified to eat over the magic 1200 calories because it worked so well before and I binge at night so that's more calories anyway. Also, if I eat what I'm supposed to during the day at my BMR or whatever my number would be I'm scared that I'll binge and just gain more weight.
The obvious answer would be; stop binging, and well, I'm working on it but I just need some advice.
Also, when I binge at night it's just cravings and habit, I never really binge at night because of hunger so I'm pretty sure I'm eating plenty..
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Replies
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Green tea, I have about 4cups a day and it helps me. If I want something sweet I have it, but only in small amounts.
When you want to binge as yourself "Do I really need this"? then sit on it for about 20mins....if you are still hungry grab something healthy. I find keeping my purse out of sight helps too, that way I won't be tempted to go to the shops and buy crappy foods.
:-) I'm eating 1200 a day too so I get that it can be hard, check out my diary it's not too bad (Only signed up a few days ago)0 -
Well, when you're eating that few calories, it's gonna be hard to maintain it in the long run. Regardless. 1200 calories is hard to sustain forever. Slow and steady is really important!
It works for some people, but I know that when I ate 1200 in the past, I was more likely to binge. I've noticed when I increase my calories, I binge less. You might feel like you're full, but still feel deprived. If that makes any sense.0 -
There's nothing magic about 1200 calories, it may not actually be a workable amount for you. MFP has me set at 1610, plus exercise...and I'm losing just fine. Be willing to keep making adjustments and try new things.0
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Okay so in March I started trying to lose weight on here and I would usually eat 1200 or less calories a day and burn up like 300-400 calories. I lost weight pretty fast but I hit a plateau after losing 9 pounds and last month in August I gained it all back.
I also developed binge eating habits, which is why I gained it back so fast, basically I go downstairs at around midnight and just eat..and eat.. and eat.
And now I'm terrified to eat over the magic 1200 calories because it worked so well before and I binge at night so that's more calories anyway. Also, if I eat what I'm supposed to during the day at my BMR or whatever my number would be I'm scared that I'll binge and just gain more weight.
The obvious answer would be; stop binging, and well, I'm working on it but I just need some advice.
Also, when I binge at night it's just cravings and habit, I never really binge at night because of hunger so I'm pretty sure I'm eating plenty..
Stop avoiding fatty foods.
Fats is what makes our body feels full longer.
Yes, trans and saturated fats are evil so avoid those the best you can! But foods with polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats are actually GREAT for your body since they allow more fat to escape fat cells and be burned throughout the day! The best sources of these fats are: fish, nuts, and flax/canola/olive oils.
Also, stop wasting your calories on S.A.D. staple foods. No more buns, breads, crackers, or pastas. From now on, stick to burgers on the plate, sausages cut up and dipped, chicken NOT breaded or deep fried, and tacos ONLY in the form of a salad (minus shell).
Also, cheese is real bad for you. It loses most of it's dairy benefits through processing, so just avoid that saturated fat trap the best you can.
If you need ideas on how to stay under 1200 calories and lose weight, check my diary. I lost 64 lbs since April.0 -
Seriously, I used to think the same, been here over 8 months, sometimes I even forget to log in, and I know I'm way up high in the cals, like 1800 or 2000, even when I log in its like 1800 or so.. and as long as I stay active I lose. I mean I am not even trying to lose now, I'm in maintenance mode yet still lose due to the exercise., so def 1200 is too low for sure..0
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Okay so in March I started trying to lose weight on here and I would usually eat 1200 or less calories a day and burn up like 300-400 calories. I lost weight pretty fast but I hit a plateau after losing 9 pounds and last month in August I gained it all back.
I also developed binge eating habits, which is why I gained it back so fast, basically I go downstairs at around midnight and just eat..and eat.. and eat.
And now I'm terrified to eat over the magic 1200 calories because it worked so well before and I binge at night so that's more calories anyway. Also, if I eat what I'm supposed to during the day at my BMR or whatever my number would be I'm scared that I'll binge and just gain more weight.
The obvious answer would be; stop binging, and well, I'm working on it but I just need some advice.
Also, when I binge at night it's just cravings and habit, I never really binge at night because of hunger so I'm pretty sure I'm eating plenty..
Judging from your profile pic you should be eating way more to lose the fat.
I can help you if you want custom numbers run.
PM me but be ready to eat and lose fat.0 -
sounds like something i dealt with a lot! you may need to eat a protein centered dinner, plus fiber to stay fuller longer! example could be garlic lemon chicken breast with a side of broccoli or a veggie or your choice. that way you go to bed satisfied....and maybe eat lightly throughout the day? i never eat breakfast before 9....i get so so hungry by lunchtime if i do and end up overeating.0
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My first question to you is why do you want to be 120lbs when you are 5ft 7½? I've just had a look at your profile and fed your ideal weight into the BMI calculator and it comes up with 18.5 which is right at the BOTTOM end of healthy, i.e you are trying to get into the UNHEALTHY range by dieting to 120.
Your current weight of 136 comes up as 21.0 and 145lbs comes up as 22.4, both of which are in the healthy 18.5 - 25 range.
OK, now I am the first to say that BMI is a rather crude measure that dietitians and doctors use to determine if you are a healthy weight but it is a good rough guide.
So, first answer the question - why are you trying to starve yourself to the UNHEALTHY end of BMI?
Once you have answered that, then be thankful that you are in the healthy range!
If you are worried that you perceive the odd blob that you consider to be fat, I am more inclined to believe that you need to get more muscle tone to your body. I would seriously question why you need to lose weight.0 -
I'm on 1200 per day but that's because I'm shooting for a 2lb per week loss. That IS too low under normal circumstances (I have an event I want to look good for at the end of sept). If you're on more of a long-term goal, maybe bump the calories up a bit.
Personally, I allow myself to "eat normal" on the weekends, this means, I eat how I normally eat when not trying to lose weight. Not sure if this will be effective or not. We'll find out during my weigh in next Monday.
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter0 -
I'm on 1200 per day but that's because I'm shooting for a 2lb per week loss. That IS too low under normal circumstances (I have an event I want to look good for at the end of sept). If you're on more of a long-term goal, maybe bump the calories up a bit.
Personally, I allow myself to "eat normal" on the weekends, this means, I eat how I normally eat when not trying to lose weight. Not sure if this will be effective or not. We'll find out during my weigh in next Monday.
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
As long as you are ending the week in a deficiency, it shouldn't matter if you had "normal days". Of course that assumes your "normal days" aren't binge days where you eat 4500 calories and eat primarily processed foods instead of clean.0 -
Looking at your photos and your weight compared to your height, you certainly don't need to lose weight. Weighing 120 lbs is quite low for your height. That's actually around my goal weight and I'm 5 inches shorter than you... so make sure you aren't starving yourself to be underweight. You are currently within the healthy range for your height and weight and instead of losing weight, focus on toning your body and maintaining the weight you are at, because believe me you have no excess weight on you to lose.0
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Make sure you eat back alllll your work-out calories! The magic 1200 is like a charm for me too, when I go past it it's so disappointing.
Switching workouts to the morning can help the calorie counting management sometimes, since you know how many "spare calories" you have up your sleeve for the day. It's depressing if you crave and eat a donut at 11am, and then have that awful thought of "You will have to go to the gym tonight instead of doing activity X because of that donut." If you run off 300cal at 6am, then you can have an extra egg with your breakky, or some cheeky carbs at night!
To stop the binging I think you have to start addressing why you binge. Start writing down your thoughts before, during and after a binge, and see if they are simple things you can identify and fix. ie "I'm hungry" is an easy trigger to fix! But, "I feel like *kitten*" is not. If you can know why you are doing it (which is nooooo easy task!) then you will hopefully be able to brainstorm some alternative things to help you with it.
xx0 -
My first question to you is why do you want to be 120lbs when you are 5ft 7½? I've just had a look at your profile and fed your ideal weight into the BMI calculator and it comes up with 18.5 which is right at the BOTTOM end of healthy, i.e you are trying to get into the UNHEALTHY range by dieting to 120.
Your current weight of 136 comes up as 21.0 and 145lbs comes up as 22.4, both of which are in the healthy 18.5 - 25 range.
OK, now I am the first to say that BMI is a rather crude measure that dietitians and doctors use to determine if you are a healthy weight but it is a good rough guide.
So, first answer the question - why are you trying to starve yourself to the UNHEALTHY end of BMI?
Once you have answered that, then be thankful that you are in the healthy range!
If you are worried that you perceive the odd blob that you consider to be fat, I am more inclined to believe that you need to get more muscle tone to your body. I would seriously question why you need to lose weight.
I'm the same height and 120 is what I'm aiming for. I have a tiny frame, so at 138 I'm at 27% body fat. 120 would get more into the fit range for my body type.
This is why people should ignore BMI and have their actual body fat tested. When I'm at the top of the "healthy" range for BMI, I'm actually "obese" for my actual body fat measurement.0 -
DustinLeeSamp - Naturally occurring saturated fat is not 'evil'.
It will not harm the heart or kidnap the kids.
Fat-phobia, restricting calories too far and eating nutrient-poor food like rice cakes/whole grains/'low fat' processed junk and then wondering why we feel the need to 'binge' is what got us yo-yo dieting here. The body is starving, give it what it needs.
Eat whole, natural, nutrient-rich foods (protein and, yes, fat) and you will not want to binge on anything.0 -
Okay so in March I started trying to lose weight on here and I would usually eat 1200 or less calories a day and burn up like 300-400 calories. I lost weight pretty fast but I hit a plateau after losing 9 pounds and last month in August I gained it all back.
I also developed binge eating habits, which is why I gained it back so fast, basically I go downstairs at around midnight and just eat..and eat.. and eat.
And now I'm terrified to eat over the magic 1200 calories because it worked so well before and I binge at night so that's more calories anyway. Also, if I eat what I'm supposed to during the day at my BMR or whatever my number would be I'm scared that I'll binge and just gain more weight.
The obvious answer would be; stop binging, and well, I'm working on it but I just need some advice.
Also, when I binge at night it's just cravings and habit, I never really binge at night because of hunger so I'm pretty sure I'm eating plenty..
So, you hit a plateau and gained it all back? Doesn't sound like it worked that well to me. From my experience, and from reading other people's stories on here, people are more likely to binge at lower calorie intakes than higher ones. Also, it's pretty common for appetite to diminish when you restrict calories, so I wouldn't necessarily use hunger to judge whether or not you're getting enough food.
There's nothing magical about 1200 calories. I'm 4 1/2 inches shorter than you and about the same weight. I eat about 1500 calories a day when I don't exercise, and I eat back my exercise calories. I'm losing every week.0 -
Not sure if you're really looking for advice. Sounds like you have eating issues.0
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Hi great advice from everyone. I have finally started to lose real weight now that I am eating more - I know sounds the wrong way round but I am eating more often, eating cleaner and doing weights. I have just started New Rules of Lifting for Women and it has lots of advice and a great work out plan if you want to tone up which is more likely than lose any significant weight. Suddenly my metabolism is going through the roof which is great as its been such a slug in the past.
Good luck and try to eat more!0 -
I honestly don't get this site at all. I made a loosely similar topic and the replies here are saying 1200 caloires for anyone is too low.
I made a thread asking if it was normal and every reply with EAT MORE PROTEIN. I CAN BARELY EAT 1000, yadda yadda yadda.
I'm starting to wonder if MFP will just trigger my eating disorder?0 -
First of all, 1200 is not a magic number. There is NOTHING special about it, everyone needs a different amount. Majority of the people here should be eating above it anyways.
Secondly, being afraid of numbers and binging doesn't sound like a healthy relationship with food and you might want to seek help. I can totally relate to what you're describing. I was severely restricting my calories and after many months of that, I started binging at night too. Good luck!0 -
it sounds like your binging is just habit that you need to break - you already recognise that you are not hungry.
maybe try having a big glass of water when you get to binge and try reading or something else But DO NOT go to the kitchen.
attach a bell to the fridge/cupboard door so that when you open it, it will ring and remind you to stop what you are doing and go back to bed.
you need to keep away from the temptation for at least 21 days to break your habit.
Good luck0 -
I'm starting to wonder if MFP will just trigger my eating disorder?
It's possible - if the disorder is already there then you'll be able to find answers that fit in with it on the forum.
I think you have to be quite a strong character to block out all the posts where people are saying it's so great to be eating less than 1200 cals/day. It's not a magic number to strive to be under - it's the magic number to NEVER BE UNDER.
Work out you maintenance calories for your current weight and hang on to that figure because anything below that and you're still losing. I wish MFP would display a friendly green total if you daily calorie goal is within, say +/- 100 cals of the set-in-stone recommendation, rather than turning to guilty red as soon as you go 1cal over.
MFP is about teaching ourselves healthy eating habits and rebuilding a healthy relationship with food - nothing in life is black and white so stringent calorie goals go counter to what we're aiming for.0 -
1,200 net calories is a lot of calories if you eat foods low in calories but a lot of them and depending on exercise. I eat a lot of broccoli, fresh fruits, cabbages, green beans, carrots, etc. One week, I ate 5 cups of vegetables a day along with everything else. There was absolutely no hunger at night time.
I'm at about 1,500-1,700 total calories now as I only have 10 pounds to lose. It's working okay...0 -
I'm on 1200 per day but that's because I'm shooting for a 2lb per week loss. That IS too low under normal circumstances (I have an event I want to look good for at the end of sept). If you're on more of a long-term goal, maybe bump the calories up a bit.
Personally, I allow myself to "eat normal" on the weekends, this means, I eat how I normally eat when not trying to lose weight. Not sure if this will be effective or not. We'll find out during my weigh in next Monday.
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
As long as you are ending the week in a deficiency, it shouldn't matter if you had "normal days". Of course that assumes your "normal days" aren't binge days where you eat 4500 calories and eat primarily processed foods instead of clean.
Definitely not 4,500! If I ate like that "normally" I'd have a much greater weight loss goal. 0 -
Okay so in March I started trying to lose weight on here and I would usually eat 1200 or less calories a day and burn up like 300-400 calories. I lost weight pretty fast but I hit a plateau after losing 9 pounds and last month in August I gained it all back.
I also developed binge eating habits, which is why I gained it back so fast, basically I go downstairs at around midnight and just eat..and eat.. and eat.
And now I'm terrified to eat over the magic 1200 calories because it worked so well before and I binge at night so that's more calories anyway. Also, if I eat what I'm supposed to during the day at my BMR or whatever my number would be I'm scared that I'll binge and just gain more weight.
The obvious answer would be; stop binging, and well, I'm working on it but I just need some advice.
Also, when I binge at night it's just cravings and habit, I never really binge at night because of hunger so I'm pretty sure I'm eating plenty..
Judging from your profile pic you should be eating way more to lose the fat.
I can help you if you want custom numbers run.
PM me but be ready to eat and lose fat.
I read your post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
And it makes a lot of sense. I calculated my BMR on this site: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
And modified for activity. I've adjusted MFP to 1600 calories http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/
gave me 1,994 to maintain. Not sure if I'm doing it right. But I plan on cutting down the carbs and increasing protein and good fats as well as working out. We'll see how it goes!0 -
Sorry, but I am going to be a b!tch here. I hate when skinny chicks wah wah about being too fat. :sad:
Seriously, I feel like if you lose much more weight, you will look unhealthy and be unhealthy. Stop trying to limit your food and start working out: lifting weights will seriously tone you up, allow you to eat more, and change your appearance for the positive while still being healthy.0 -
Sorry, but I am going to be a b!tch here. I hate when skinny chicks wah wah about being too fat. :sad:
Seriously, I feel like if you lose much more weight, you will look unhealthy and be unhealthy. Stop trying to limit your food and start working out: lifting weights will seriously tone you up, allow you to eat more, and change your appearance for the positive while still being healthy.
I ****ing love you!!!!
=D0
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