Dear "I don't associate with those who eat under 1200 c"...

I agree with most of this but i don't believe in starvation mode and i don't belive that a low-calorie lifestyle is particulary bad for health if those cals are made up of nutrient dense food.

I am relatively new to MFP (after a short stint of giving MFP a try last year and then stopping) and have spent quite a bit of time these last couple of weeks reading posts here and trying to educate myself as to the best approach to lose weight and become healthy and fit. I have learned a great deal and truly appreciate those who work in the health and fitness fields or those who have done research in that area that are kind enough to post and share their knowledge. I have benefited from that information and I thank you.

But there is one recurring theme that I've seen in a number of posts that I'd like to address. I've seen a lot of " I don't associate with people who eat well below the 1200 or net below 1200" or 'Don't 'friend' me if your calorie intake is under 1200.'

Please try to remember that not all folks who eat below 1200 calories do so intentionally. Nor are they all doing it as a means to quick weight loss. Sure there are those that do so for that reason but generally they are simply uninformed and don't know any better. Unless they've spent time researching the issue, it makes total sense to believe that the fewer calories consumed results in weight loss. Another point to consider, many folks have mitigating factors that results in a low calorie intake. I'm one of those people. Until I started spending a great deal of time reading the posts here I had no idea and thought I was doing the right thing. I thought that all I needed to do was restrict my caloric intake and exercise. I now know that isn't true. However, try as I might, I have a hard time eating above 1200 calories. Why? A number of years ago I had abdominal surgery (not gastric bypass but surgery to repair a true medical issue). The result of that surgery prevents me from eating large amounts of food at one time so my caloric intake is limited. If I space small meals throughout the day - my surgeon told me to eat 6 mini meals rather than the customary 3 meals a day - I might be able to reach 1300 calories. But I don't always have the time to devote to stopping to prepare food and eat 6 times a day. Sure, I could eat junk and reach that goal but is that healthy? No. So I choose to eat healthy and be resigned to the fact that many days I will fall under my calorie goal. It isn't because I want to, nor do I believe it is a good thing.

For those of you who might feel envious that I have a natural calorie restriction, don't. I am no different than you. If I eat junk, I gain weight. In fact, despite being limited in the amount of food I can eat, I am still overweight. Partially due to prior poor food choices and partially due to my metabolism having slowed significantly due to underfeeding (I am a classic example of the 'Starvation Mode' thread Banks posted a couple of weeks ago). So much so that even with my limited calorie intake, I still gain weight. It's incredibly frustrating to physically not be able to eat, yet still be over weight and continue to gain weight even though I eat relatively little. I am no different than all of you struggling to get healthy. I must still be very selective about what I eat. I must still exercise and work my body to see results.

I am trying very hard to up my calorie intake while still making healthy choices, but it's hard. Very hard. So please don't pass judgment and make blanket statements about how you don't associate with or befriend people who eat under 1200 calories. While there are certainly those that are informed about the dangers of underfeeding and stubbornly continue to ignore documented fact of the harm they are doing themselves, many of us realize the detriment to our bodies that low calorie intake causes and are doing our best to become healthy, just like you.

I am relatively new to MFP (after a short stint of giving MFP a try last year and then stopping) and have spent quite a bit of time these last couple of weeks reading posts here and trying to educate myself as to the best approach to lose weight and become healthy and fit. I have learned a great deal and truly appreciate those who work in the health and fitness fields or those who have done research in that area that are kind enough to post and share their knowledge. I have benefited from that information and I thank you.

But there is one recurring theme that I've seen in a number of posts that I'd like to address. I've seen a lot of " I don't associate with people who eat well below the 1200 or net below 1200" or 'Don't 'friend' me if your calorie intake is under 1200.'

Please try to remember that not all folks who eat below 1200 calories do so intentionally. Nor are they all doing it as a means to quick weight loss. Sure there are those that do so for that reason but generally they are simply uninformed and don't know any better. Unless they've spent time researching the issue, it makes total sense to believe that the fewer calories consumed results in weight loss. Another point to consider, many folks have mitigating factors that results in a low calorie intake. I'm one of those people. Until I started spending a great deal of time reading the posts here I had no idea and thought I was doing the right thing. I thought that all I needed to do was restrict my caloric intake and exercise. I now know that isn't true. However, try as I might, I have a hard time eating above 1200 calories. Why? A number of years ago I had abdominal surgery (not gastric bypass but surgery to repair a true medical issue). The result of that surgery prevents me from eating large amounts of food at one time so my caloric intake is limited. If I space small meals throughout the day - my surgeon told me to eat 6 mini meals rather than the customary 3 meals a day - I might be able to reach 1300 calories. But I don't always have the time to devote to stopping to prepare food and eat 6 times a day. Sure, I could eat junk and reach that goal but is that healthy? No. So I choose to eat healthy and be resigned to the fact that many days I will fall under my calorie goal. It isn't because I want to, nor do I believe it is a good thing.

For those of you who might feel envious that I have a natural calorie restriction, don't. I am no different than you. If I eat junk, I gain weight. In fact, despite being limited in the amount of food I can eat, I am still overweight. Partially due to prior poor food choices and partially due to my metabolism having slowed significantly due to underfeeding (I am a classic example of the 'Starvation Mode' thread Banks posted a couple of weeks ago). So much so that even with my limited calorie intake, I still gain weight. It's incredibly frustrating to physically not be able to eat, yet still be over weight and continue to gain weight even though I eat relatively little. I am no different than all of you struggling to get healthy. I must still be very selective about what I eat. I must still exercise and work my body to see results.

I am trying very hard to up my calorie intake while still making healthy choices, but it's hard. Very hard. So please don't pass judgment and make blanket statements about how you don't associate with or befriend people who eat under 1200 calories. While there are certainly those that are informed about the dangers of underfeeding and stubbornly continue to ignore documented fact of the harm they are doing themselves, many of us realize the detriment to our bodies that low calorie intake causes and are doing our best to become healthy, just like you.

I agree with most of this but i don't believe in starvation mode and i don't belive that a low-calorie lifestyle is particulary bad for health if those cals are made up of nutrient dense food.

Hallelujah!!

You may not, and that's up to you to decide what to believe. But I've lived it, and I know first hand what it did to me.

I agree and well a set calorie like 1200 is just silly because the number is relative to you body size.. While that would be way to low for a big person, for me it's barely below my BMR? So am I in starvation mode for eating at BMR. Since we tend to actually eat 100-200 calories more than we THINK we do, I log less on purpose because really it's just an estimate and serving sizes can legally go OVER in calories but not under, so they always error in the OVER direction.

The whole thing is just silly.

THANK YOU. my set intake is 1200, and that is plenty for me. I am 5'1" and 124 pounds, so it clearly takes me way less food to fuel my body. They always say "fuel yourself, you're like a car and need fuel" but small car takes a lot less fuel than a truck lol. So don't judge people, all different body types have all different needs, and although 1200 may be not enough for someone taller or whatnot, its enough for me! no, i am not pro ed and i always aim for 1200, not lower, but people need to be more open minded and realize everyone is different and a 1200 cal diet is far from "starving" for a lot of people!

I agree with most of this but i don't believe in starvation mode and i don't belive that a low-calorie lifestyle is particulary bad for health if those cals are made up of nutrient dense food.

Hallelujah!!

You may not, and that's up to you to decide what to believe. But I've lived it, and I know first hand what it did to me.

Me, too--

sweet post, but at the end of the day, don't worry about strangers here. You'll find your niche if you stick around enough. Ignore the idiots and the idiot threads, and you can find a nice support network.

Starvation mode is something the masses wish to ignore....it's rather like faith. Because some haven't seen, they don't believe.

You know, whatever--

I've lived it, too-- it is horrible.

If you're inclined, you'll find a support network here....but don't give an ounce of worry to what idiots say.

I agree with most of this but i don't believe in starvation mode and i don't belive that a low-calorie lifestyle is particulary bad for health if those cals are made up of nutrient dense food.

Hallelujah!!

You may not, and that's up to you to decide what to believe. But I've lived it, and I know first hand what it did to me.

Me, too--

sweet post, but at the end of the day, don't worry about strangers here. You'll find your niche if you stick around enough. Ignore the idiots and the idiot threads, and you can find a nice support network.

Starvation mode is something the masses wish to ignore....it's rather like faith. Because some haven't seen, they don't believe.

You know, whatever--

I've lived it, too-- it is horrible.

If you're inclined, you'll find a support network here....but don't give an ounce of worry to what idiots say.

Lol, oh, right, so you've ~seen~ for faith? That's an awful analogy, because starvation mode, fitness, and diet are based on science, ever evolving, and have tons of research.

Faith is the people who have no basis for comparison and just decide, "Well, 1000 calories just works for me. There's not really evidence because I haven't been at it long term, and I'm on this site for a reason, but, well... I have faith that it works."

See the difference?

Actually, it's an excellent analogy.....you just obviously didn't understand.

By "faith" I mean those who have faith in God. (*gasp!!!* She said God.) There were people in the days after Christ's death who refused to believe he had risen. Some believed by faith, based on the testimony of those who had seen Him.

There are some who refuse to believe in "starvation mode," despite the testimony of those of us here who have truly experienced it. It isn't something that happens overnight. For me, it was an 18 month sustained period of deprivation. I was totally gung ho and obsessed with numbers on scale...cutting out all sugar, all fat...living on 1200 calories of fruits, rice cakes, peanut butter and plain greek yogurt. I never ate back any exercise calories. I'd lost 50 pounds, and overnight nearly all of it went back on when my body finally cried uncle, and my metabolism, not to mention my thyroid was fried.

My body went on full alert, and began to feed on the muscle and store everything else as fat. On 1200 calories, training for a half marathon, and doing Insanity and P90X, my body put back on nearly all of my weight.

Don't believe it? I couldn't care less. Personally, I'm not like Banks-- the sweet guy who posted the starvation mode thread mentioned above....I don't have a burden to save every knucklehead from herself on this site. I learned my lesson and shared my lesson for quite some time. I've done my duty.

Don't believe it? No skin off my apple.

Pro ED???

not getting enough cals can be detrimental even if you are getting all the vitamins and minerals you need. For one it is very difficult to get enough fat and protein on an extremely low caloric intake (<1000), and not getting enough of these 2 can have serious side effects.

Pro Ed- Good greif no. I can only talk about my experience - I'm petite- 5ft0 and small framed. I don't think you can have a blanket figure for every body shape/ type/ weight/ gender. I prefer to listen to my body- if I'm hungry (whatever time it may be) I'll eat, and try to ensure that something i eat is healthy (e.g. celery sticks and nut butter, cubed porkloin steak, big bowl of berries etc.). I'd never force myself to eat if I wasn't hungry just to meet a target. That way if i do want something unhealthy now and again its okay- I won't beat myself up over it.