how few calories is too few?

akvz
akvz Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been on about a 1300 calorie per day plan on and off for the past couple years but have been watching what I eat for about three years now (whole foods, whole grains, nonfat milks and yogurts, lots of vegetables and fruits, balsamic and lemon only for dressings on salads, black coffee, green tea, egg whites, etc.). I was an athlete all the way through college and have always had an active lifestyle and eaten pretty healthy but I have also always been on the bigger side with about 20 lbs to lose. Since coming back from two months in a rural area about a month ago where my only options were fried foods I have been strictly following this 1300 cal plan again. I have not seen any changes on the scale, although I have noticed that my legs are getting toned again. However my stomach looks really odd in comparison - I feel like all of the weight I have to lose is in my stomach. The 1300 calories is the amount after the deficit, so every day I burn at least 500-600 calories doing an insanity workout or running 5-7 miles (or both) and have a generally active lifestyle beyond that. Anyway, the point of this whole explanation is that I am not sure what I am doing wrong. I feel like I should have lost a lot more weight after watching what I eat for the last few years even if I wasn't super strict about my caloric intake because I've always had such an active lifestyle but I have always had weight to lose and I just want to get to a point where I am confident and don't feel like I have to constantly watch what i eat and so that I don't constantly feel like I have 20ish pounds to lose. Any ideas or advice? Thanks!

Replies

  • originalcookiemonster
    originalcookiemonster Posts: 278
    Do you eat 1300 and THEN exercise? Or do you eat 1900 to 2000 and then burn 500-600? Also have you been to the doctor? They can run tests to see if you have a thyroid problem.

    The most agreed upon amount is to never eat below NET 1200. You need a certain amount of calories to function or you will go in starvation mode.
    Hope it helps :) Feel free to add me if you so desire. :)
  • georgeyacoub
    georgeyacoub Posts: 8
    It seems that I am in the same boat as you are. My research so far lead me to believe that I need to detox my body from all the junk food I consumed in the off period of my diet. A good way to detox your body is by drinking green tea.

    http://www.ehow.com/about_5394240_green-tea-detox-body.html

    It's still too early for me to decide if this works but it's one road you might want to explore.

    On another note. @originalcooki I am having trouble lately with eating a 1200 calories net. I am either overestimating the calories I burn during exercise or I am in starvation mode and I don't know it but I often eat 800-1000 net calories and I just don't feel comfortable eating when I am full. It's why I am doing this in the first place :)
  • samhigh
    samhigh Posts: 86 Member
    If you have been doing the same thing for 3 years and you still have 20 pounds to lose...Do something different!

    Ditch the Insanity workouts. Go for easy 30 minute walks if you feel inclined to do cardio. Otherwise skip it completely.

    Do strength training. Pick any program, they all work. Increase calories on training days, decrease on lower activity days. Run a ~1000-1500 calorie weekly deficit. Eat lots of protein.

    If you do this for six months, you can finally achieve your goal.

    Supporting Facts:
    High intensity sustained workouts increase cortisol production, reduce fat oxidation, and generally result in postings like this one.
    Strength training increases macronutrient partitioning
    Cycling calories improves insulin sensitivity
    A million other reasons...

    These two websites unlocked all this info for me. I was fit, but could never shed those final pounds to get ripped. Check it out:
    http://www.leangains.com/
    http://rippedbody.jp/
  • georgeyacoub
    georgeyacoub Posts: 8
    Thank you for posting these links. They were very helpful. I am wondering about my caloric intake. My maintenance is 1800 and I am currently eating 1300. When I do cardio or strength training should I eat more? So say I burn 200 calories in cardio, I eat 1500 calories instead of 1300. Is this correct? Should I eat 1300 Net calories. Or should I just eat 1300 calories regardless of my daily activity? Thank you.
  • Pentdad
    Pentdad Posts: 23
    Do a day a week of close-to-fasting, or two days of 600 calories. You will see the needle do a big jump. Alternate day fasting is the in diet right now and it is working for me. Look it up- people are turning their back on the starvation mode idea. And I've been a useless fat whale for 7 years trying most diets.

    Also my belly and tits are still big but I have lost mostly from my *kitten* and legs, I read somewhere that each body has a preferred place to store fat, and this is often the last place it really dissapears from. Mine is my huge gut. So I will have to continue before I see a reduction in it.

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