Am I missing something here?

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Replies

  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    Wow everyone OK no need to take it all personally though, yes. It was just a question.

    I guess it comes down to differing visions of healthy and a lifestyle change for life - I don't see cutting out bread, nuts, healthy oils, dairy and all those nutritious and calorie dense foods as either healthy NOR maintainable for life. nor do I see living on low-fat no fat low-cal no-fun foods healthy or a good lifestyle choice (my goodness one would need a chemistry degree to even start deciphering the ingredients listings on some of those things - and they're passed off as "healthy"? Scary) as our bodies need fats and the nutrients that it carries.

    I see I am not missing anything, I just have a different vision of healthy. :wink:

    I feel like I see a lot of posts on this site that are really nothing but "look at me, I'm so much better/smarter/healther/stronger than THOSE people" statements. I'm not sure what purpose they serve except to make some feel better at the expense of others.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    The first time I gained weight it was because I wasn't eating as frequently or as much so my metabolism slowed wayyy down and I just gained like crazy. The second time I gained weight was because I was eating too MUCH so I'm here to find a balance & I've found it. :happy: I can EASILY get up to 1,200 and sometimes it's hard to stay WITHIN 1,200 (not go over) because I'm hungry...

    I have one thing to say to those who think they can't "eat that much". Once you start and continue to eat regularly, your body gets used to it and you'll end up hungry. Your appetite/metabolism is revved every time you eat or exercise. This is why when you eat more frequently (6 meals a day or whatever you're doing. I do 3 meals and 2 or 3 snacks), you lose weight.
  • sassydot
    sassydot Posts: 141
    Wow everyone OK no need to take it all personally though, yes. It was just a question.

    I guess it comes down to differing visions of healthy and a lifestyle change for life - I don't see cutting out bread, nuts, healthy oils, dairy and all those nutritious and calorie dense foods as either healthy NOR maintainable for life. nor do I see living on low-fat no fat low-cal no-fun foods healthy or a good lifestyle choice (my goodness one would need a chemistry degree to even start deciphering the ingredients listings on some of those things - and they're passed off as "healthy"? Scary) as our bodies need fats and the nutrients that it carries.

    I see I am not missing anything, I just have a different vision of healthy. :wink:

    I feel like I see a lot of posts on this site that are really nothing but "look at me, I'm so much better/smarter/healther/stronger than THOSE people" statements. I'm not sure what purpose they serve except to make some feel better at the expense of others.

    I am not sure what you are implying me here?
    I'm certainly not saying I am better than anyone

    I was simply questioning whether I was missing something when I am eating "healthy" and just managing my calorie goal and others are also claiming to be doing the same and struggling to reach a much lower one.
  • stratdl
    stratdl Posts: 303 Member
    Why does everyone even assume that everyone else needs 1200 cal anyway??....I was told my a nutritionist that 1000 was sufficient enough for my body type...height & weight....

    1200 is not some magical number... instead it is a threshold based upon an average. As the word average implies, some people will be above and some below the number (BMI). Yet, like you said, 1200 seems to carry with it a mythical power.

    I am not an expert, but from what I have read there are three ways of determining your daily caloric expenditure. The first two are laboratory proceedures, involving putting you in a chamber to measure your heat expenditure or putting on a mask that measures your oxygen/co2 exchange. The third method is a calculation using formulas. MFP and I would bet your nutritionist use the latter method. There are a few variants of the calculations, but unless you are obese, the calculations should be somewhat close.

    Unfortunately, I can't get the numbers to work out that 1000 calories is "sufficient" for anyone not on an extreme deficit diet (which should be monitored by a doctor). Here is what the numbers say for a 1000 calorie diet (along with adjustments).
    Age : 30 (younger --- calories go up, older --- calories go down)
    Height: 4' 10" (taller --- calories go up, shorter --- calories go down)
    Weight: 106 (heavier --- calories go up, lighter --- calories go down)
    Weight loss goal: 1 lb per week (less weight --- calories go up, more weight --- calories go down)
    BMI: 22.2 (just over midpoint in healthy band)

    You might be in a band that suggests 1000 calories is healthy, I'm just not seeing the band.

    If the direct measurement of metabolism (i.e., the mask that measures o2/co2) says the metabolism is less than 1200, then it's less than 1200. However, it's not too common a test to perform and can be a bit spendy (it cost me $130, but I found out I needed 1919 and also that when I exercise, I now burn boatloads of calories). Also, having certain medical issues (like those with the thyroid) can cause the number to dip below 1200.

    ,,,it's funny, because my hubby and I had just had this conversation this weekend about the "magical 1200". I also said that it was an average and that some people would be above and some people would be below, but it seems to work for a lot of people, so it's become sort of a holy grail of calorie consumption. I'm sure that there have probably been all sorts of studies that have said that it's safe to eat as few as 1200 calories (otherwise, where would the number come from? I know we didn't just make it up here on MFP!).

    As to being able to consume all of one's calories - I myself have had trouble with this from time to time. In fact, I was crazy and spent 82 minutes doing cardio this morning and I burned 950 calories before work. Meaning I had to consume 2800 calories today. After the gym, I had a protein bar and a bagel with cream cheese. I've cut way back on carbs like the bagel recently (so it wasn't as yummy as it used to be), but I needed something to use up those exercise calories. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it today, but I'll try. However, it IS hard to get it all in when you just eat the fruits, veggies, lean proteins, etc. I don't WANT to go eat baked goods (although I know that'd do the trick. It'd also make me feel pretty ill physically - which is why I dropped the baked goods from my food intake), but I may have to have more.

    I should have my hubby bring me my jar of peanut butter (it's organic, natural stuff). I could eat the heck out of that! I don't want the "conventional" stuff though - too much sugar!

    Cheers to you all and thanks for a lively discussion!
  • jennylynn84
    jennylynn84 Posts: 659
    At first for me it was because the amount of food I ate was the same, but the kind of food was different. I made my meals TOO calorie light. Whoops. So I had to back down and incorporate more calorie dense foods with a combination of my light calorie foods.

    Now it's a total lack of planning if I come in under. Example - I make a really great shrimp stir-fry with nothing but shrimp and veggies. I put it over spaghetti squash. I always forget that this meal is only around 200 calories! I have to rummage around and find extra snacks in the afternoon or while I'm cooking to fit in to my day so that I don't come in under.

    I think the biggest part of it though, is really learning to let go and EAT. When I first started it didn't feel right to be on a diet and eat appox. six times a day. I got onto this soup kick and all I had for lunch was soup. 150 calories. And I only snacked on carrots. 35 calories. Combined with a breakfast of cereal (around 250) and a 300-400 dinner.... I maxed out at 900. When everyone told me to eat more it was a shock.

    "Like what?!"

    I think mainly people that are having a hard time getting 1200 are still hanging on to the idea that dieting means "hungry" or they just haven't gotten into the groove of filling their pantry/fridge with low cal snacks.
  • misslizz6958
    misslizz6958 Posts: 124 Member
    I eat so many vegetables and tuna a day that I usually cant gt past 500 and Im happy about it. my tummy is almost flat now
  • xecila
    xecila Posts: 99
    When first starting out, trust me, it can be hard to reach your caloric goal. It seems like everyone here is in the 1400-1200 range, well, mine is a lot higher than that, as I'm much bigger. Since I'm so much bigger, I require more calories, I burn more when I exercise and I end up wayyy under my goal. I went from eating fast food, fried food, etc. all the time to eating fresh fruits, nuts, veggies and lean meats. I can eat just as much now as I ate before, but the caloric value of the food is much much lower. My first day of recording my caloric intake on my own, I wound up that evening, only having eaten 1100 calories that day. For a big girl, that's way under my goal.

    And no, it's not that I'm eating a bunch of "low-cal" food. I've mostly given up buying anything from the grocery store that doesn't look how it came out of the ground/off the branch.
  • inspiration78
    inspiration78 Posts: 22
    I think it's because it's hard to eat "good" and get that many calories. If you are not eating bread (like I am), a sandwich is out, so the calorie count goes way down without it. We eat alot, but not calorie dense food, so it's hard to be able to eat enough to reach our calorie goal because we are full.
    At least that's the way it is with me.

    I agree with this. I always try to cut out the carb which, in turn, cuts the calories. So, I'll have a lettuce wrap instead of a regular sandwich. This makes a huge difference, calorie wise. Also, I used to eat a ton of cals a day (obviously, or else I wouldn't be trying so hard to lose weight!) but now I find it more of a psychological battle. I see the number MFP gives me a day (1280 cals) and I want to stay under that. So, sometimes I find myself at the end of a day trying to "fill" the calories so that I can get close to that number. I've gotten used to the drastic cut in my cals so it easier to stay within my allotment. In the 55-60 days or so that I've been using this site I have only gone over my cals ONCE and that was by about 50 cals. That's not to say I never splurge a little, but I make sure I get a good workout in so that I can get some more cals for that day. Fruits and veggies don't add up nearly as quickly and a person can only eat so many. IMO.
  • lculian
    lculian Posts: 313 Member
    I read through this thread and I think what people are trying to say is...if you aren't making your calorie counts, don't end up putting your body into starvation mode. You are working too hard and making so many great changes don't let your progress get haulted by under eatting. Toss a handful of nuts into your bowl of fruit or add them to a salad. Use an olive oil and vinegar dressing.

    Try adding one of these things to one meal a day, see what it does to your overall calories and after a few days if you need more calories add an avocado to a meal it's super healthy and can add a little creaminess:happy:

    Just don't let all of your efforts stall because your under your goal and in starvation mode.
  • misslizz6958
    misslizz6958 Posts: 124 Member
    Starvation mode is a load of crap when it comes to my body. I lost 70 pounds in 4 months "under eating" and not exercising after having my baby . Only gained 10 back within 5 months after that and I was eating A LOT. Now I lost 16 pounds within the last few weeks also "under eating" and no exercise. However now that I have the time im going to start working out everyday so i should lose even more and i really have no plans up upping my calorie intake over 500. Once i lose these last 20 pounds im going on a 1200 cal diet with exercise to maintain. So I dont gain again.
  • imagymrat
    imagymrat Posts: 862 Member
    I eat so many vegetables and tuna a day that I usually cant gt past 500 and Im happy about it. my tummy is almost flat now

    I'm sorry, but that is absolutely ridiculous...and you think you are healthy? so big deal..you have a flat tummy, and potentially will kill yourself, sounds like a great trade off to me....hopefully you have someone following you around so that when you pass out they can catch you.
  • misslizz6958
    misslizz6958 Posts: 124 Member
    Ive never felt better or had so much energy. I don't even take diet pills or drink caffeine anymore. I'm also full to. All i'm doing is a lesser version of Adkins.
  • Buzzkitty1
    Buzzkitty1 Posts: 134
    Undereating and no exercise? Um okay!
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
    Ive never felt better or had so much energy. I don't even take diet pills or drink caffeine anymore. I'm also full to. All i'm doing is a lesser version of Adkins.

    I realize this topic is now going way off the rails and I might get jumped on for looking at someone's food diary and then being "critical" but, if your diary is correct, you are sometimes not even taking in 500 calories. No way and no how is that healthy. Will you lose weight? Sure. Starved of nutrients every body is going to start cannibalizing itself to try to survive. "Starvation mode" doesn't mean that a person won't lose weight. Of course you will lose weight. But it is going to be muscle weight that you lose first. The human body NEEDS a certain amount of fat to survive. It doesn't need all of the muscle, so it will eat that first.

    Clearly, the people on this site are not going to convince you otherwise since you seem to be set on what you're doing.
  • misslizz6958
    misslizz6958 Posts: 124 Member
    my food diary is perfect I'm pretty OCD about it. I take vitamins. ALSO when my doctor asked about my diet and told him he was concerned and ran a whole battery of tests on me and i'm in perfect health and seeing i've been doing this the better part of the year Im not the least bit concerned. Sorry if i'm going to listen to my body and my doctor over you guys. The only point i'm trying to make is not everyone needs that many calories.
  • misslizz6958
    misslizz6958 Posts: 124 Member
    Also where do I go to look at someone food diary? I'm curious to what you guys eat.
  • rjadams
    rjadams Posts: 4,029 Member
    my food diary is perfect I'm pretty OCD about it. I take vitamins. ALSO when my doctor asked about my diet and told him he was concerned and ran a whole battery of tests on me and i'm in perfect health and seeing i've been doing this the better part of the year Im not the least bit concerned. Sorry if i'm going to listen to my body and my doctor over you guys. The only point i'm trying to make is not everyone needs that many calories.

    So what you are doing is working for you. But these threads are started by people where it isn't working for them. So we offer advice that works for the majority of people. I am glad that what you are doing works for you. I certainly couldn;t maintain a lifelong existance on so few calories and so even if I did loose weight I wouldn't keep it off. I am here to get healthy and to maintain for life. And trust me it gets harder the older we get.
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
    my food diary is perfect I'm pretty OCD about it. I take vitamins. ALSO when my doctor asked about my diet and told him he was concerned and ran a whole battery of tests on me and i'm in perfect health and seeing i've been doing this the better part of the year Im not the least bit concerned. Sorry if i'm going to listen to my body and my doctor over you guys. The only point i'm trying to make is not everyone needs that many calories.

    No, not everyone needs 1200 calories. Someone really small is not going to need them, but most of the time 1200 is a pretty good low-end guess of what the average person needs.

    Best of luck doing what you are doing and I hope you find a lifestyle you can survive on for the long term.

    "Those convinced against their will are of the same opinion still."
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
    Ditto that! I'm curious about what exactly those people are eating when they say they struggle to eat 1200 calories. My first thought is quality of food. I personally have no problem getting my calories in especially after a big work out.

    Let me tell you what I eat and you will see that I'm not sacrificing quality at all. My actual goal is 1000 by recomendation of my endocrinologist. I'm set to REACH 1000 and not go below, not cut calories to 1000. I naturally eat around 600-800 if I just do what my body wants. I do not always eat meals, just snack and munch throughout the day.

    When I wake up I always eat fruit. I have a grapefruit every single day and whatever else I may have in the fruit bowl. Sometimes I have a glutten free granola with berries and almond milk too. I also have a big steamy cup of green tea with a little Agave.

    The next time I get hungry, I munch on nuts while I steam, roast, saute, grill, or broil some veggies. I add some sort of grain like rice (always brown or wild) or maybe a rice noodle. Paired with some kind of Vegan protien like tofu or beans and I'm full and still way behind on my cals.

    Later on I might grab a clemintine, some grapes, an apple, or some fresh pineapple. A few more nuts and I'm good to go.

    At dinner time I'm usually not hungry. I usually prepare more veggies. Veggies are my staple. I let my daughter choose the grain and the protien. Dinner and lunch are about the same. I simply eat waaay less after 3pm. I might even have some vegan ice cream or cookies.

    My calories are higher if I eat a prepared food. Right now I'm eating some gluten free, vegan mac and cheese. 520 cals. Add my morning grapefruit and my rice and beans for dinner and I'm still below 1000 calories. And I'm NOT HUNGRY at all! Basically, every single "meal" is prepared around loads of veggies, always fresh and mostly organic. My grains are now limited due to severe food allergies, but brown and wild rice are my best friends. My protien comes from beans, lentils, nuts and tofu. There is no quality lacking in my diet. Maybe its because I'm Vegan that I'm naturally so low on my cals. veggies and rice are pretty darn filling and low in cals. In all honesty, I feel better now than I ever have. My bloodwork, which is done regulary, is perfect. My health at this point is better than ever. I'm not lacking energy, my skin is glowing and my pants are falling off. I'm just sayin'....
  • chigirl_j
    chigirl_j Posts: 37 Member
    I agree with you momabee it can be challenging in making wise and good food choices. Junk food calories are consumed generally in mass quantity at one time and then you repeat the process, but eating healthy often means smaller portions of fiber, protein and all of the other beneficial nutrients and I think the human will says "hey stop eating because this is too much work, lets just eat the nutrition free stuff like fried chips, high sugar cookies and cakes, ect and feel better" Basically I think its just the mind, body and will adjusting something different coupled with having to keep account of what you're eating.

    It was challenging for me in the begging because I found that my diet had evolved to high sodium, sugar and preservatives with little to none nutritional value, but as my mind set changed so did my eating. I still struggle with the junk food from time to time but now it is mostly under control and more healthier choices are taking over. Just a thought! Good luck and much success on your lifetime goals=)
  • sassydot
    sassydot Posts: 141
    Wow this has gone WAY off track :noway:


    Thanks to everyone who has responded usefully. I understand where you all are coming from now. I thought maybe there was something different I could be doing to easily reach a lower target, but I just can't do what you all are doing(all vege and low/no-fat and artificial stuff, and little to no carbohydrates), so will stick with higher calories and a slower loss, and not deprive MYself :smile:




    i'll bow out now as I can see this quickly turning nasty and I don't want to be involved. Stress makes me eat :tongue:
  • mromnek
    mromnek Posts: 325
    Let me tell you what I eat and you will see that I'm not sacrificing quality at all. My actual goal is 1000 by recomendation of my endocrinologist. I'm set to REACH 1000 and not go below, not cut calories to 1000. I naturally eat around 600-800 if I just do what my body wants. I do not always eat meals, just snack and munch throughout the day.

    Thanks for putting in here that your diet is under medical direction. I am curious though, with the extreme deficit diet your doctor has you on, did s/he give any guidelines on what to eat? At first blush, it sounds like you are somewhat staying in the food pyramid.
  • lori26hancock
    lori26hancock Posts: 3
    Hey just a thought but some of them may be on weight loss meds like me....that stuff really makes you not want to eat at all...but, your metabolism will not work well with only 700 calories a day...this will slow down weight loss for a while.
  • whyflysouth
    whyflysouth Posts: 308 Member
    To recap, sortof... I'm in line with the folks that say people on their first 3 months of really paying attention to what they eat will find 1200 cals hard to fill. The main reason is that the first things most people take out from their diet are oily/fried foods, and processed carbs. Once you get rid of those things the calories all come from quantity of food.

    Likewise, most of us were raised on the 3-course meal idea so removing processed flour, pasta, and rice from a meal and then only eating such meals 3 times a day, it becomes very hard to hit that number.

    For some, myself included, this only lasts a few months we lose some weight, exercise more, feel better and gain some more confidence, relax and allow ourselves to take in some flour and pasta without going into excess. The main thing that's helped is also my body's getting used to the idea of eating 6 times a day. You find that you can eat those small 200-300 calorie meals more often and your temptation for unhealthy food dwindles, you find yourself no longer tempted by extreme hunger but more of a subtle sense of "hmm, yeah I should probably eat something right now," and at that point you can treat yourself with a taste of something unhealthy, like a little cake in maybe a 150 calorie slice.

    If you've been living off of a under 1000 calorie diet and it hasn't been torture, well that's nice, but it must be hard to actually ENJOY food if you never eat any. We should transition from food addicts (where the food controls us) to food enjoyers (where we have control over the experience).
  • misslizz6958
    misslizz6958 Posts: 124 Member
    Thats a huge thing I had to change which was the though process of food being there or enjoyment. Once I learned that you eat for nutrition and that it I was good. Sure I miss food, I'm a really really good cook but now I just put that towards making other people happy.
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
    Let me tell you what I eat and you will see that I'm not sacrificing quality at all. My actual goal is 1000 by recomendation of my endocrinologist. I'm set to REACH 1000 and not go below, not cut calories to 1000. I naturally eat around 600-800 if I just do what my body wants. I do not always eat meals, just snack and munch throughout the day.

    Thanks for putting in here that your diet is under medical direction. I am curious though, with the extreme deficit diet your doctor has you on, did s/he give any guidelines on what to eat? At first blush, it sounds like you are somewhat staying in the food pyramid.

    I'm not really on any sort of deficit diet. I'm a survivor of anorexia and bulimia. I litterally lose my appetite very easily and my metabolism is very screwed up. After my recovery began, I gained weight as I was supposed to. I was eating "normally". Unfortunately, I continued to gain. Besides having a screwed up metabolism, I have PCOS. So my weight gain was enormous, hence my desire to lose. My doctors have given me direction on eating to meet my nutritional goals so that my metabolism will work on its own. 1000 calories seems low to most, but it was determined based on my medical workup. It was also taken into consideration that I usually eat below that, so 1000 is a starting point. Most people are told to cut cals, I'm the opposite. I'm sure they will add more as time goes on. But I do make sure to get in protien, fiber, etc. I just don't get too worked up about it. I've lived my life around food obsession and I have learned that when you take in the basics and move, your going to be ok. With all I've been through, I've learned to listen to my body. If I only had 600 cals today and I'm full, I'm not going to force myself to eat more. If I eat 1800, I don't freak out.

    I like the saying "I don't live to eat, I eat to live." A good motto for a survivor of an ED. I'm lucky to still be alive. That really changes a persons perception of food and exercise.
  • mromnek
    mromnek Posts: 325
    @ WannabeaCullen - Wow, I just looked at your profile. Your story is truly an inspiration and a story of hope and courage.

    With the fighter spirit you have, you will surely succeed!!!
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