Am I not eating enough calaries?

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karensphotography
karensphotography Posts: 16
in Health and Weight Loss
I have not lost anything in a week. Mfp gave me 1200 calaries a day. I am 221 pounds. I'm starting to wonder if that is not enough calaries at my current weight. Sometimes I feel like I'm starving sometimes and want to binge eat. Iv only done that once. Any thoughts??

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  • chgudnitz
    chgudnitz Posts: 4,079
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    My thoughts are to eat more. Something is not right in your setup more than likely. Go back in, re-do your goals. Make sure everything is in there correctly. If they are, change your goals to 1 pound per week and eat more. Nobody wants to see you starving yourself. If you're hungry, your body is telling you it needs more, so feed it.
  • Chenoachem
    Chenoachem Posts: 1,758 Member
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    I agree. 1200 calories seems really low. I know I had started at 178 and had 1600 calories a day. I would suggest eating more.
  • parvati
    parvati Posts: 432 Member
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    According to Jillian Michaels you should multiply your weight by 7 & that is your daily calorie intake.
    If you weight 221 your daily calories should be 1547.
  • beqy12
    beqy12 Posts: 569
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    According to Jillian Michaels you should multiply your weight by 7 & that is your daily calorie intake.
    If you weight 221 your daily calories should be 1547.

    Ahh! That means I can only eat 1057 calories. That can't be right?!
  • jalara
    jalara Posts: 2,622 Member
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    According to Jillian Michaels you should multiply your weight by 7 & that is your daily calorie intake.
    If you weight 221 your daily calories should be 1547.

    Neat trick - but does Jillian account for exercise calories on top of that?
  • ready4change
    ready4change Posts: 151 Member
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    According to Jillian Michaels you should multiply your weight by 7 & that is your daily calorie intake.
    If you weight 221 your daily calories should be 1547.

    Whoa... really?! If that were true, I should only be eating 980 calories....
  • chgudnitz
    chgudnitz Posts: 4,079
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    Forget the Jillian Michaels idea. It may work for most, but without a medical or personal evaluation it obviously can not be applied to all.
  • lt_mrcook
    lt_mrcook Posts: 389 Member
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    Viewing your diary (if that's really all you ate on those days) you aren't eating enough calories. The 1200 calories is what you should eat to lose weight, without adding any exercise. Your diary shows you eating under 1000 most every day. While that might seem like a good thing, it's not. First off it sends your body into "starvation" mode, where it will try to pack on every single calorie to save itself. Secondly, if there still aren't enough calories it will start to break down body tissue to feed the furnace that keeps you alive. One of the first things the body goes after is muscle tissue. So if you are starving yourself, your body is going to store whatever you eat as fat, break down muscle and your metabolism is going to slow even more. A couple of suggestions:

    1. Try to eat AT LEAST the 1200 calories a day on your plan.
    2. Add some dedicated exercise each day to keep your muscle and metabolism up. These calories burned are your "bonus" and don't eat to them if you can avoid it.
    3. Try to get away from the processed and "diet" foods. Eat more natural foods (fruits, veg, grains, meats, etc) and try to find items grown locally so you can meet the farmer and get to know what goes into your body.

    You have made some progress, so don't get down on one "off" week. Refocus, recommit, and get back to working hard. If it was easy, the pounds would come off as quickly as they went on. Plus remember that the "diet" food industry may not be your friend. They lose a customer if you lose the weight, so why should their foods help you? Lastly, please find a dietician and consult with them. Make sure that the info you are getting here is accurate for YOU and not some cookie cutter formula that might work for 80% of those who use it. We are all unique, so don’t feel badly if something that works for a friend or family member doesn’t work for you. Good luck!
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
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    According to Jillian Michaels you should multiply your weight by 7 & that is your daily calorie intake.
    If you weight 221 your daily calories should be 1547.

    I'm sorry, but I'm not buying this. JM is making a lot of money, but almost all of the nutrition advice I've seen from her seems, well, nearly dangerous. I'm putting a lot of money in her pocket buying her workout DVDs, but I wonder where her nutrition ideas come from. Body weight x7 would be dangerous long term for most people, especially active people.

    Just to use myself as an example, I weigh 154 pounds. I had my RMR tested in a lab, and it's 1549. That's RMR, the minimum I need to survive. With exercise adjustments, I lose successfully eating nearly 2000 calories a day. (about 1500 plus most of my exercise calories)

    I just think that any "one size fits all" formula is dangerous.

    IMHO, we are all unique machines, and need to figure out what works for us. :flowerforyou:
  • kellyjen
    kellyjen Posts: 1
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    I just started last week at 220- my base calories were 1520 and I'm having trouble eating enough. This is not my first time through weight loss, though. I find I am most successful when I keep snacks on hand that are easy, quick, and better choices. Grabbing a handful of grapes instead of a jujube or having carrots instead of chips; it gives you the same sweet and crunch without refined sugar or extra fat. Also, making sure I get all 8 cups of water into me is just as important, so when I have a craving, I head for the tap instead of the fridge.
  • lt_mrcook
    lt_mrcook Posts: 389 Member
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    The BWx7 is most likely for losing weight, which might be a good formula but might not apply to everyone. I had always been told to maintain weight it shold be BWx10 for calories. Again EVERYONE is different, and you should always check to ensure the information is good for YOU. Also, don't take things out of context without knowing all of the data/info behind them.
  • MFPfriend
    MFPfriend Posts: 1,121 Member
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    The BWx7 is most likely for losing weight, which might be a good formula but might not apply to everyone. I had always been told to maintain weight it shold be BWx10 for calories. Again EVERYONE is different, and you should always check to ensure the information is good for YOU. Also, don't take things out of context without knowing all of the data/info behind them.

    I've heard the BWx10, too.

    The BWx7 is most likely for the morbidly obese people who come on the Biggest Loser, and HAVE to lose the weight quickly.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,122 Member
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    I just wanted to say, I had read Jillian said your weight times 12. Which puts ME at least really close to my BMR. Which makes a lot more sense.

    Also, you have gotten a lot of differing advice on this thread (gee, Surprise!) and I agree to consult a dietician or registered nutritionist for your own personal recommendations.

    Pay attention here to the people who had a lot to lose (weight-wise) who have lost it successfully and have kept it off. Not the newer members who have 10 lbs to lose. Everyone is different.
  • kimber607
    kimber607 Posts: 7,128 Member
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    I just wanted to say, I had read Jillian said your weight times 12. Which puts ME at least really close to my BMR. Which makes a lot more sense.

    Also, you have gotten a lot of differing advice on this thread (gee, Surprise!) and I agree to consult a dietician or registered nutritionist for your own personal recommendations.

    Pay attention here to the people who had a lot to lose (weight-wise) who have lost it successfully and have kept it off. Not the newer members who have 10 lbs to lose. Everyone is different.

    That sounds better...LOL
    I came here at 157 and Decided 1200 was just TOO low based on my needs, activity level (not working out) etc
    I bumped my cals to 1490....I would say the first few days are the toughest but your body asjusts
    oatmeal was a great pic for me..I also loved making little egg mcmuffins...100 cal engligh muffin, 1 egg and 1 slice low-fat healthy cheese
  • karensphotography
    karensphotography Posts: 16
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    Thanks everyone for your advice. I really appreciate it. I went and adjusted my goals. I changes it from losing 1.9 pounds a week to 1.5 pounds a week. It brought me up to 1500. So If I do not eat all my calaries everyday I still will be above 1200. And I will be able to eat a little more. I work at Walmart and I work all kind of diffenet hours. So it is hard for me to eat meals all the time so I eat a lot of health choice, smart ones, and lean cuisines. All we have at work is a micowave so it's convienent. I also eat a lot of select harvest and progresso soup. Also quick and easy. It's hard to come with easy low calaries meals. Anyways!! Thanks for all the adivice!!!



    Sent from my iPhone
  • Supermel
    Supermel Posts: 612 Member
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    I am also finding it hard to eat enough calories. Mostly i think cause i'm sick of eating all the 'good food' and if i cant have junk its easier ot have nothing. A trainer friend has encouraged me to pair a complex carb with protein for each meal and snack. Also i aim for more protein than is what is listed on this site. One of my favourite snacks right now is lite peanut butter mixed into a regular instant package of oatmeal with 1/2 cup of skim milk. It is yummy and filling and uses up some good calories :) HTH :)

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