Question about calories and diet

So I've recently started on actually eating properly..by properly I mean MORE not less food. For months I wasn't allowing myself more than 1000 cals a day but was working out 6x a week burning anything from 300-800cals a day..so now I'm actually eating properly! 6x a day..small and very clean meals.
Anyway has anyone seen Jenna Marbles' videos on youtube? She made one about her diet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8V7KivOz6Y (she has an incredible body) and there's no way she can be consuming more than about 1000 cals a day. on an average day she eats:

Breakfast: Smoothie- Banana, frozen berries, flaxseed oil, juice (orange etc)
Lunch: Salad with nuts or beans for protein (she's a vegan) with cranberries, seeds etc.
Dinner: Steamed veggies with brown rice or sesame seeds
Snacks: fruit/nuts

exercise: every morning..often does HIIT training

She looks really healthy and toned, always has a lot of energry...have a look through her vids and you'll see! she has one where she's showing her body in a bikini. Everyone kept telling me I should eat more considering my workouts but then I look at people likie her who work out and barely eat and look awesome...I'm not saying I don't WANT to eat but people like her make me scared I'll start gaining weight since I upped my cals!!

Replies

  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Sorry I was bored about the point the video reached 1:41. What I will say is that a list is not particularly helpful in determining the number of calories a person eats. Unless she is giving exact measurements or calorie numbers you shouldn't try to compare your calorie intake to hers. Also her TDEE may be different from yours. Up your calories gradually by maybe 200 and a time until you reach MFP's recommendation for you.
  • lizzyholiman
    lizzyholiman Posts: 15 Member
    Don't be afraid to eat back those cals. Your body NEEDS calories to function. Your body NEEDS fats and carbs and all the healthy vitamens from food and those calories you eat!:drinker:
    I used to do exactly what you did with the 1000 calories or less (without including excersizing and all the calories burned):frown: and now i am struggling to gain it back and feel good about myself. It is scary when you go from big to small in such an extreme way and it crushes your world. You need to nourish and care for your body, not starve it and deprive it of what it needs.
    All these 1000 cal diets are LAME :sick:
    Care for your body and give it plenty of nourishment. You won't gain weight by staying within a healthy range of calories consumed daily (NET calories) and get some healthy excersize into your daily routine. Let the little things go, like eating that extra slice of pizza or eating an extra serving of nuts when snacking because those little things don't matter in the end.

    I didn't eat chocolate for three months and now I can't live without it:heart: I love dark chocolate:love:
  • Thanks so much :) this was really helpful and motivating. So should my "net" cals be what MFP set my daily cal allowance to? So 1250 for me? That just brings the number under "food" up so much on the days I work out!! Its scary seeing that number go above 1200 haha
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Thanks so much :) this was really helpful and motivating. So should my "net" cals be what MFP set my daily cal allowance to? So 1250 for me? That just brings the number under "food" up so much on the days I work out!! Its scary seeing that number go above 1200 haha

    You want to net your calorie goal, but you also want to be sure about what you're burning. I tend to underestimate how much exercise I did so that I have a small buffer. In your case you probably should count on eating them all back, especially since your calorie goal is so low.