Realized I've been eating too few calories 700-1000...

diana21293
diana21293 Posts: 1
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone, I'm Diana and I am 19 years old. My starting weight was 175lbs (mid-may) and now I am 146lbs. During the summer I just ate traditional Korean food (I'm Korean) and managed to eat a 1200 calorie diet but once I moved back to college I started eating the food at the dining court and I thought I was eating enough. But I realized I was eating around 700-1000 calories. I've been eating like this for about a month. So if I started eating 1200 calories would I gain weight?

I don't skip meals. I always eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I eat every 4-5 hours around the same time everyday.

Breakfast: Instant oatmeal, 1 cup honey nut cheerios, 6 almonds, red delicious apple

Lunch: Salad (chicken breast strips, spinach leaves, bell pepper, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, chuy hotsauce or red vinegar)

Snack: Banana, apple, or fiber one brownie

Dinner: Soup or sandwich

Replies

  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    It's a good thing you began tracking caloric intake at this stage of your life because many adults do not and, as a result, unknowingly undereat most of their lives. The combination of a depressed RMR and leptin concentrations and being oblivious to one's present and adjusted TDEE makes losing fat a lot more difficult since they do not have an idea of an accurate baseline to make adequate deficits.

    One month of reduced caloric intake and energy availability at the scale of which you were doing is not going to affect you in any significant way so do not worry. You will gain water weight due to the increased amount of calories, but that's it. Everyone has a "set point" or weight that their body likes to stay at so once you establish that caloric intake and energy availability number, try to maintain that.

    As for as your diet, consider how much protein you eat daily: a goal of 0.8 to 1 grams x lean body mass would be a good start. Also, the 1200 calorie diet is the energy availability (net) amount you should provide your body after exercise calories have been deducted - it is not your gross dietary intake. A lot of people get confused by that.

    You may want to estimate how large of a deficit you should be creating if you only weigh 146 lbs - the less fat you have to lose, the smaller the deficit should be. In honestly, the 1200 calorie net is meant for obese individuals with a substantial amount of fat to lose. You would not fit into that category and should reduce your deficit as 2 lbs per week (1000 calorie total deficit) is way too large. Instead, your weight loss goal should be set to no more than 1 lb per week (500 calorie total deficit). So you can eat 350 calories less than current TDEE and engage in 150 calories of total exercise (mainly strength training with a little cardio). As you get closer to your goal weight, you'll have to reduce the deficit by upping calories.

    Lastly, meal frequency and time isn't important - meeting your daily energy needs by eating your calorie goals is, however.
  • clobercow
    clobercow Posts: 337 Member
    Calories don't matter so much as getting enough o the right foods. Just ensure you're getting enough protein and fat. Eat enough veggies for fiber and you'll be fine. Don't let the '1200 calorie church of MFP' scare you. I doubt you will gain weight while increasing your intake. If you're progressing, that's good. If you're not. Make a change.

    Most people that stall and are on a VLCD are typically severely lacking in protein. Many people blame this on the mystical minimum caloric target, when in reality, an increase of protein and fat helps lean body mass and fuel you more efficiently than a diet based in carbohydrate.

    "This is just advice. Do what ever the **** you wana do!" -The Hodge Twins
  • FiercelyBeautiful
    FiercelyBeautiful Posts: 590 Member
    It's a good thing you began tracking caloric intake at this stage of your life because many adults do not and, as a result, unknowingly undereat most of their lives. The combination of a depressed RMR and leptin concentrations and being oblivious to one's present and adjusted TDEE makes losing fat a lot more difficult since they do not have an idea of an accurate baseline to make adequate deficits.

    One month of reduced caloric intake and energy availability at the scale of which you were doing is not going to affect you in any significant way so do not worry. You will gain water weight due to the increased amount of calories, but that's it. Everyone has a "set point" or weight that their body likes to stay at so once you establish that caloric intake and energy availability number, try to maintain that.

    As for as your diet, consider how much protein you eat daily: a goal of 0.8 to 1 grams x lean body mass would be a good start. Also, the 1200 calorie diet is the energy availability (net) amount you should provide your body after exercise calories have been deducted - it is not your gross dietary intake. A lot of people get confused by that.

    You may want to estimate how large of a deficit you should be creating if you only weigh 146 lbs - the less fat you have to lose, the smaller the deficit should be. In honestly, the 1200 calorie net is meant for obese individuals with a substantial amount of fat to lose. You would not fit into that category and should reduce your deficit as 2 lbs per week (1000 calorie total deficit) is way too large. Instead, your weight loss goal should be set to no more than 1 lb per week (500 calorie total deficit). So you can eat 350 calories less than current TDEE and engage in 150 calories of total exercise (mainly strength training with a little cardio). As you get closer to your goal weight, you'll have to reduce the deficit by upping calories.

    Lastly, meal frequency and time isn't important - meeting your daily energy needs by eating your calorie goals is, however.

    Thanks for that!
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    Hello everyone, I'm Diana and I am 19 years old. My starting weight was 175lbs (mid-may) and now I am 146lbs. During the summer I just ate traditional Korean food (I'm Korean) and managed to eat a 1200 calorie diet but once I moved back to college I started eating the food at the dining court and I thought I was eating enough. But I realized I was eating around 700-1000 calories. I've been eating like this for about a month. So if I started eating 1200 calories would I gain weight?

    I don't skip meals. I always eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I eat every 4-5 hours around the same time everyday.

    Breakfast: Instant oatmeal, 1 cup honey nut cheerios, 6 almonds, red delicious apple

    Lunch: Salad (chicken breast strips, spinach leaves, bell pepper, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, chuy hotsauce or red vinegar)

    Snack: Banana, apple, or fiber one brownie

    Dinner: Soup or sandwich

    It really depends on your BMR. 1200 is such a silly number because it's relative to your size. The shorter you are the smaller you are, and the smaller your BMR. My BMR is barely above 1200 so saying we all have to eat that amount is just plain silly.

    So test it out, if you gain or don't lose notch it down. If you feel weak notch it up. But one thing for sure is that if you have fat reserves you will not go into starvation mode if you eat like you have been. I did it for two years while losing my 60 lbs and stayed strong for long workouts both weight lifting and running and built muscle at the same time. Now I'm not telling anyone what to do. I'm just saying what I experienced. My full story here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/740340-i-lost-60-lbs-at-age-51-anyone-can-any-workout

    Starvation mode happens for men when they get below 6% body fat and women when they get below 12%. I'm below 12% now so I do have to be careful and I've experimented and I know what starting to go into starvation mode feels like. I'm into being healthy and I don't have any eating disorders. I love eating, I love food, and I love enjoying life and I'm enjoying it tremendously at the moment, as strong and fit and ripped as I've ever been in my life at almost 52 years old.

    Do what you want and so will I. But I found this quote very helpful:
    We’ve been trying to figure out an exact NUMBER of calories that everyone should be eating, without recognizing that everyone is slightly different. In truth, the calories aren’t the end game. Your body is. So the EXACT amount of Calories that are right for you is the EXACT amount that will allow you to maintain your ideal bodyweight no matter what some calculator or chart says.

    In other words, an online calculator might tell you that you need to eat 2,500 calories
    per day to maintain your ideal bodyweight. But the only way to know for sure if this is
    the right amount for you is to test it out. If you gain weight or can’t lose weight eating
    that much, then you know you need to eat less to lose weight no matter how many
    calculators and text books say otherwise.

    This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, it just means the estimate of your needs
    was just a bit off.

    -John Barban

    So, just experiment until you found what works for you. But when you have excess fat, eating more to lose is just plain silly, think about it? There is no such thing as starving fat people.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    So, just experiment until you found what works for you. But when you have excess fat, eating more to lose is just plain silly, think about it? There is no such thing as starving fat people.
    It is silly to suggest that people should create and sustain an unnecessarily large deficit to meet their fat loss goals as it will not promote any greater fat oxidation and will only lead to further reduction of RMR and serum leptin concentration levels. Why walk down that path when it's not necessary?
  • DaysFlyBy
    DaysFlyBy Posts: 243 Member
    So, just experiment until you found what works for you. But when you have excess fat, eating more to lose is just plain silly, think about it? There is no such thing as starving fat people.
    It is silly to suggest that people should create and sustain an unnecessarily large deficit to meet their fat loss goals as it will not promote any greater fat oxidation and will only lead to further reduction of RMR and serum leptin concentration levels. Why walk down that path when it's not necessary?

    ^^^ voice of reason
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