Can't eat over 800 calories a day.

Please read this
http://www.7layerliving.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/feastorfamine.pdf

My guess is that you have been on a low calorie diet for so long that any surplus in energy that your body is receiving it is treating as a feast and storing whatever it can.I had experience with this in the past.Growing up i ate whatever i want,i was a dancer and i typically burned whatever i ate.As i grew older ie from teens to 20s -i became relatively sedentary-still eating the same calories so i gained weight.Now instead of increasing my activity-i just reduced my intake to 800 calories a day-i lost 30 pounds in 3 months-then my body held on to every inch of fat it can.whenever I have had energy surges(ie parties/holidays) my body stored more and more fat though i was very active.It took me almost a year to slowly increase my intake from 800 to 2200.i increase 200 calories for every few weeks until the weight went up and came back down(between 160 and 164).now at 2200 i dont gain anymore,ie the weight has stabilized.making a small cut out of maintenance will have safe fat loss,this is not a quick process.

You just have to train your body to function at a particular calorie intake.It does need patience and not freaking out looking at the gains on the scale.It only a matter of time until the body gets used to it.Good luck.
PS:IF you wonder how i arrived at 2200 to calculate energy required you can use this site
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

^^ This is better than anything I could say. I recommend this.

What happened to support on this site? Geez people, she is asking for help and answering to rebutal all of your "ideas". OP, I COMPLETELY understand where you are coming from, I have a food scale and measure and weigh everything that goes in my mouth and for the first 4 weeks I was on here I ate 1200 cals a day and gained 5 lbs. I stick to around 800 now and exercise and usually end up negative or even with my net at the end of the day. THIS IS WHAT WORKS FOR ME! You may be in the same pool. I eat and I don't skimp when I do. I eat high fiber and low calorie raw fruits and veggies that have less calories in them than it takes for my body to process. Just because I don't eat 1200 calories doesn't mean I am not eating until I am full or that I am starving myself. I am just making smarter decisions about what I am putting in my mouth rather than eating for the calories. If this is what works for your body and you are not having blood sugar lows or not able to exercise due to no energy or you are having health issues develop, then go for it. I have been on this regiment to lose my last 31 lbs for about 4 months and am completely healthy. Feel free to add me, I will support you as much as possible and give advice.

You can say whatever you want, but statistically speaking, even short, petite adult women who are active and engaging in 3-5 days of exercise will need considerably more than 800 calories to maintain weight. If they are capable of doing so, then either: they have depressed their RMR and hormones to such a degree due to chronic calorie restriction that they are full on a fraction of what they should be consuming; or they have a medical condition such as hypothyroidism.

What happened to support on this site? Geez people, she is asking for help and answering to rebutal all of your "ideas". OP, I COMPLETELY understand where you are coming from, I have a food scale and measure and weigh everything that goes in my mouth and for the first 4 weeks I was on here I ate 1200 cals a day and gained 5 lbs. I stick to around 800 now and exercise and usually end up negative or even with my net at the end of the day. THIS IS WHAT WORKS FOR ME! You may be in the same pool. I eat and I don't skimp when I do. I eat high fiber and low calorie raw fruits and veggies that have less calories in them than it takes for my body to process. Just because I don't eat 1200 calories doesn't mean I am not eating until I am full or that I am starving myself. I am just making smarter decisions about what I am putting in my mouth rather than eating for the calories. If this is what works for your body and you are not having blood sugar lows or not able to exercise due to no energy or you are having health issues develop, then go for it. I have been on this regiment to lose my last 31 lbs for about 4 months and am completely healthy. Feel free to add me, I will support you as much as possible and give advice.

She didn't ask for support, she asked for advice. That's what is being given.

This short thing is total BS. Please stop talking about it.

<---- 5 feet tall and eats way more than 800 a day.

Shorter people generally have less mass, which requires less energy, hence the lower BMR. Just because you eat more doesn't mean you're the rule

What happened to support on this site? Geez people, she is asking for help and answering to rebutal all of your "ideas". OP, I COMPLETELY understand where you are coming from, I have a food scale and measure and weigh everything that goes in my mouth and for the first 4 weeks I was on here I ate 1200 cals a day and gained 5 lbs. I stick to around 800 now and exercise and usually end up negative or even with my net at the end of the day. THIS IS WHAT WORKS FOR ME! You may be in the same pool. I eat and I don't skimp when I do. I eat high fiber and low calorie raw fruits and veggies that have less calories in them than it takes for my body to process. Just because I don't eat 1200 calories doesn't mean I am not eating until I am full or that I am starving myself. I am just making smarter decisions about what I am putting in my mouth rather than eating for the calories. If this is what works for your body and you are not having blood sugar lows or not able to exercise due to no energy or you are having health issues develop, then go for it. I have been on this regiment to lose my last 31 lbs for about 4 months and am completely healthy. Feel free to add me, I will support you as much as possible and give advice.

Most everyone that has responded has given advice, no more than you have. Just because its not the same advice you would give does not mean people are not being supportive. She asked a question, she is getting answers, its up to her to decide what to do with the information. Chill out.

^ I agree with this reply. You have no place deciding what is or isn't support, and just because you think you have the correct advice for her doesn't mean it will be the most helpful to her. I think a lot of the other replies are valid and I think it's great that the OP has so much support, so she can think clearly and weigh her options for deciding what to do next.

I am in the same boat as you. I was always thin until I had my third child (17 years ago). It took years to get within 10 pounds of my pre baby weight. I have managed to maintain the weight until 3 years ago when menopause hit at 50. Now I have ballooned to my all time high. I have always eaten fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy, and fish, with some red meat and lean chicken, and exercise 3 times a week for 30 minutes. My blood work is normal. I went to a nutritionist, lost 5 pounds and maintained after that on her program, and she couldn't understand why. She advised just to exercise 5-7 times a week. A co-worker told me About this site so i started keeping track of my food, and doubled my exercise time from 30 to 60 minutes, but still only 3 days a week. I eat between 750- 900 calories a day, and finally am able to loose some weight. I started August 13 and have lost 12 pounds. I am NOT starving, i feel fine, but I truly believe my body just does not need that much food. I am 5' 7" and look my best between 135 a 140. That is my goal. Some of us, especially as we get older, just don't need as much food. And truthfully, if you are not eating junk, sweets, and starches, the fruits and veggies are lower in calories and you can eat plenty to fill up and not feel hungry. It is working for me. If it works for you, stop listening to everyone else. I know 1200 calories is too much food for me. I can't even eat that much in a day unless it is cookies and cake!!

Your height itself has nothing to do with how many calories you require. Your lean body mass, base metabolism (BMR) and further, total energy expenditure (TDEE) are the variables that you should be looking at.

A woman who is 4'11" and 200lbs is going to have a very different caloric requirement to maintain her weight than a woman at 4'11" and 100lbs.

I would do research on your BMR and TDEE and set up a nutritional plan for yourself, with a strong focus on eating whole foods rather than just a calorie allocation (water retention due to sodium intake is not a fun variable to introduce). Then, you need to make sure you stick to your plan for at least a month before you give up and say "1200 calories is making me fat". It takes time to see a positive trend after you change a variable in your life. You may see a gain on the scale for a while. Don't lose heart, just keep going. Remember that your body's natural reaction to change is to quickly store fat for survival. it's imperative that you give yourself a chance to adjust. Being hungry is not necessary to lose and maintain your weight.

My guess based on personal experience is that you aren't eating enough. If you start eating more, you probably WILL see some weight gain at first. But, if you keep it up your body will adjust.

I'm also a proponent of weight lifting.

I struggled for three years trying to lose weight on a lower calorie diet - even though in the back of my mind, I knew I wasn't eating enough. I used a simple calorie calculator that I looked up on Google to determine my calorie intake for MAINTENANCE, not weight loss. I subtracted about a hundred calories to round it down to a nice even number and compensate for mis-measurements. Then, I go on a walk for an hour to an hour and a half most days. I get between 4 and 5 miles in at least 4 times a week, but not more than 6.

In order to eat that healthy calorie number, I had to RAISE my calorie intake by over 600 calories a day, and I lost 5 pounds the first week after struggling for that three years to budge a single ounce.

The hype is all true - if you don't eat "enough" but you eat enough not to starve to death, your body compensates by reducing your metabolism drastically.

I am 5'5", and my diary is public. You are welcome to look at it. I will admit that my calorie choices have not been the best the last two or three days, so have mercy, please!

go based on #'s and facts maybe!!?? what is your bmr what is your tdee??
also.. you have already lost 19#'s on here.. (shows on your ticker) so how was that done?! by how many calories??
were you doing 1200 cal a day with that wt loss or?? i know/heard that if you are TOO low to start wtih .. it can throw your metabolism off... you should DEF Not be 'gaining wt ' when you eat 900 cals a day!?!?! thats not squat.. esp w/exercise and such.. SOMETHING isnt adding up..