For those who say they can't meet their calorie goals

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Buttercupmcgee
Buttercupmcgee Posts: 95 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have a question. How did you gain weight in the first place?

I'm not being cheeky here, I genuinely don't understand how this works. If 1200 calories is a stretch for you, how did you manage to put it on? I feel like I can meet 1200 calories in my sleep--a few nuts here, a latte there, some extra avocado on my sandwich and a bit of ice cream after dinner and BAM, 1200 calories is in my rear view mirror before I know it. That's how I gained weight. More calories in than out.

I totally understand if someone comes from a highly restrictive eating background that 1200 calories might be uncomfortable territory both mentally and physically, but how does a person who comes from a place of struggling to eat 1200 calories a day end up with weight to lose? I'm confused about the science behind this.
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Replies

  • Lauren8239
    Lauren8239 Posts: 1,039 Member
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    I gained weight from eating nothing but rice, potatoes and bread. It's all I could eat without throwing up because of a stomach parasite I had for 8 years. The carbs just about killed me. After 8 years a doctor finally cured me with medication. Because of the pain associated with eating while sick with the parasite, I barely ate. So anything of the rice, potatoes or bread that I managed to keep down stuck to me and put my insulin through the roof. After being cured, it was very difficult to eat properly. Imagine, 8 years of barely eating, and when able to eat, it made made fat. I guess it was starvation mode for a long time. It's only with the help of this site that I have managed to up my calories, very slowly and carefully, and understanding from members here who were kind enough to explain why the calories were needed. So yes, if you do not have food as a priority in life, it's very easy to be unable to eat 1200 calories. I'm still having difficulty, but I'm getting there. :smile:

    Edited to add: The parasite I had feasted on carbs and stomach acid........so what I could eat actually fed the little pests.
  • Queenbec2
    Queenbec2 Posts: 42 Member
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    Well, for me, I"m eating healthier than I was before. I am eating larger quantities of lower calorie foods, so frequently, by the time I get to the end of the day, I am full and under goal. I'm working on it, but this is a lifestyle change for me and I don't want to eat just to eat (especially if it is "junk" food). I wasn't eating that MUCH before, but the foods were very high calorie and high fat.
  • MermaidFaith
    MermaidFaith Posts: 495 Member
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    I gained weight from eating nothing but rice, potatoes and bread. It's all I could eat without throwing up because of a stomach parasite I had for 8 years. The carbs just about killed me. After 8 years a doctor finally cured me with medication. Because of the pain associated with eating while sick with the parasite, I barely ate. So anything of the rice, potatoes or bread that I managed to keep down stuck to me and put my insulin through the roof. After being cured, it was very difficult to eat properly. Imagine, 8 years of barely eating, and when able to eat, it made made fat. I guess it was starvation mode for a long time. It's only with the help of this site that I have managed to up my calories, very slowly and carefully, and understanding from members here who were kind enough to explain why the calories were needed. So yes, if you do not have food as a priority in life, it's very easy to be unable to eat 1200 calories. I'm still having difficulty, but I'm getting there. :smile:

    Edited to add: The parasite I had feasted on carbs and stomach acid........so what I could eat actually fed the little pests.

    OMG! wow that is crazy
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,136 Member
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    Well, for me, I"m eating healthier than I was before. I am eating larger quantities of lower calorie foods, so frequently, by the time I get to the end of the day, I am full and under goal. I'm working on it, but this is a lifestyle change for me and I don't want to eat just to eat (especially if it is "junk" food). I wasn't eating that MUCH before, but the foods were very high calorie and high fat.

    Pretty much this. I don't meet my BMR because I'm trying to kick eating 12 Twix bars and 2 bags of Lays a day. I'm eating foods I'm not excited about or even want most of the time (I like them, just don't want them; I *want* those cookies instead.).
  • 7funnygirl7
    7funnygirl7 Posts: 1,176
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    Your stomach actually begins to shrink when it is disciplined with the right goodies too. I can't eat as much in one sitting as I used to. This is just my situation though. :smile:
  • mandasimba
    mandasimba Posts: 782 Member
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    I'm with you, I could eat all my 2k calories for breakfast... and have on many occasions and I could never understand how people say they can't eat enough, but then you look at their diaries.

    I think a lot of people don't really know much about nutrition so when they "diet" it is vegies good, everything else bad. You can eat plain salads until you barf and still have very few calories but the thought of calorie dense foods or eating foods they have been told are bad or forbidden (like treats or pizza) doesn't cross their mind.
  • Microfiber_wechange
    Microfiber_wechange Posts: 640
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    I have a question. How did you gain weight in the first place?

    I'm not being cheeky here, I genuinely don't understand how this works. If 1200 calories is a stretch for you, how did you manage to put it on?

    I think it's eating the wrong kind of under 1200 calories :laugh:
  • _HeathBar_
    _HeathBar_ Posts: 902 Member
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    Great, now I'm going to have nightmares. :sick:
  • mslack01
    mslack01 Posts: 823 Member
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    Well, for me, I"m eating healthier than I was before. I am eating larger quantities of lower calorie foods, so frequently, by the time I get to the end of the day, I am full and under goal. I'm working on it, but this is a lifestyle change for me and I don't want to eat just to eat (especially if it is "junk" food). I wasn't eating that MUCH before, but the foods were very high calorie and high fat.

    Pretty much this. I don't meet my BMR because I'm trying to kick eating 12 Twix bars and 2 bags of Lays a day. I'm eating foods I'm not excited about or even want most of the time (I like them, just don't want them; I *want* those cookies instead.).

    This for me too. And I try to watch my fat/protein/carbs, but there is only so much tuna/chicken a person can eat, and if I eat the "crap" that I would normally eat I'm gonna go over in those categories. So yeah...I could feel my calorie goal with cheesecake, donuts, and ice cream, but I'm trying to make better choices. Do I ever choose badly? Yes. All the time, but I am trying.
  • Becky_Boodle
    Becky_Boodle Posts: 253 Member
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    I can't meet my goals because I spend 1-2 hours a day burning calories with exercise
    filling those exercise calories is hard when you're eating the right things...
    the only time I reach my goal is when I add vodka or I don't exercise...
  • Buttercupmcgee
    Buttercupmcgee Posts: 95 Member
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    Ah, okay thanks for the perspective everyone! That parasite sound awful, I'm so glad you're on the mend, Lauren!

    Okay, next question:

    I understand that filling up on salad is world's apart from filling up on pizza, calorie-wise. But if you know you need a certain amount of calories to reach your goal and keep your metabolism on track, and you used to have no problem filling it with junk food, why not have like a bar of dark chocolate after dinner to fill in some calories? Is it the fear of triggering cravings with a treat or something?
  • Camilletanis
    Camilletanis Posts: 8 Member
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    wow...you poor thing! :(
  • Camilletanis
    Camilletanis Posts: 8 Member
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    I agree. I have had that same experience.
  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
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    I gained weight from eating nothing but rice, potatoes and bread. It's all I could eat without throwing up because of a stomach parasite I had for 8 years. The carbs just about killed me. After 8 years a doctor finally cured me with medication. Because of the pain associated with eating while sick with the parasite, I barely ate. So anything of the rice, potatoes or bread that I managed to keep down stuck to me and put my insulin through the roof. After being cured, it was very difficult to eat properly. Imagine, 8 years of barely eating, and when able to eat, it made made fat. I guess it was starvation mode for a long time. It's only with the help of this site that I have managed to up my calories, very slowly and carefully, and understanding from members here who were kind enough to explain why the calories were needed. So yes, if you do not have food as a priority in life, it's very easy to be unable to eat 1200 calories. I'm still having difficulty, but I'm getting there. :smile:

    Edited to add: The parasite I had feasted on carbs and stomach acid........so what I could eat actually fed the little pests.

    I'm curious, my husband is constantly getting stomach pains if he eats certain things, and he's CONSTANTLY downing Pepsi's and chocolate junk. Would you mind saying what the name of the parasite is? I've looked and looked, both online and my nursing books for a medical cause, but never thought of the possibility of a parasite, and I can't drag his butt to the doctor, unless he's on his deathbed! Would certainly appreciate it! Thank you!!! :smile:
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
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    Even if you are eating a crap ton of low cal vegetables, there are always calorie dense foods you can add, unless your calorie intake is extremely high due to your exercise regimen. How about some oil and vinegar on that salad and ditch that low fat bottled dressing? Roast your vegetables in the oven- toss them with oil, salt, pepper, and roast. Maybe add some seeds or nuts to your salads. Full fat or 2% yogurt. Peanut butter on toast. Flax seeds. Ditch the cooking spray and use real fat (healthy oils). Avocados are a great source of fat and calories and very healthy. I could go on and on...
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    Easy! One trip to McDs covers my calorie goals for a day, but rarely makes me satisfied for the whole day!

    For the first few weeks of change, I hit a point, right around the lower limit of my calorie goals, where I just can't stomach the idea of one more healthy thing. Despite the ever popular starvation mode mantra, eating junk food just because a spreadsheet tells me I should have more calories is going to do more damage, physically and psychologically, than being under on calories once in awhile. Treats are for when I want a treat, not something I am going to force myself to have when I feel satisfied.

    Please don't go around telling people that it is better to put straight sugar in their bodies than to be under on calories once in awhile. It really isn't. *maybe* if the individual is anorexic, but I am not even sure about that.
  • Tyggress73
    Tyggress73 Posts: 104 Member
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    I don't understand why people don't understand this problem.

    Yes, we had no problem hitting 1,200 calories a day when overweight (and more than likely MUCH MUCH more than 1,200)...because we were not eating good, healthy food. It is very easy to overeat calories when you are eating excess carbs, fat, junk food, fast food, sugar, etc....that's what made us fat.

    For crying out loud, most restaurant meals have 1 - 2 days' worth of salt, fat, calories, etc in them...and yet, how often did we all eat out in our former fat lives? Probably once a week or more.

    Now...we are eating healthy, less calorie-dense foods, AND in proper portion sizes. Brown rice and protein is quite filling...so are fruits and veggies...so, yes hitting 1,200 calories is sometimes tough when it's healthy calories.

    So I'm kind of sick of people saying "how can you not eat 1,200 calories, you obviously did it before and got fat." Well, DUH!
  • sissiluv
    sissiluv Posts: 2,205 Member
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    I gained weight because I was a clinically depressed individual afraid to leave her house who consoled herself with food high in carbs which would always leave me hungry for more because we could rarely afford foods high in protein. This started when I was ten and continued through until I graduated highschool in 2008, when I actively began to attempt to lose the weight I had gained on such a diet.

    Now I'm still clinically depressed but instead my will to eat often disappears, instead of my using food to console myself. Funny how that works.

    Ok the 'judgyjudgy' was rude of me. My apologies.
  • Lauren8239
    Lauren8239 Posts: 1,039 Member
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    I gained weight from eating nothing but rice, potatoes and bread. It's all I could eat without throwing up because of a stomach parasite I had for 8 years. The carbs just about killed me. After 8 years a doctor finally cured me with medication. Because of the pain associated with eating while sick with the parasite, I barely ate. So anything of the rice, potatoes or bread that I managed to keep down stuck to me and put my insulin through the roof. After being cured, it was very difficult to eat properly. Imagine, 8 years of barely eating, and when able to eat, it made made fat. I guess it was starvation mode for a long time. It's only with the help of this site that I have managed to up my calories, very slowly and carefully, and understanding from members here who were kind enough to explain why the calories were needed. So yes, if you do not have food as a priority in life, it's very easy to be unable to eat 1200 calories. I'm still having difficulty, but I'm getting there. :smile:

    Edited to add: The parasite I had feasted on carbs and stomach acid........so what I could eat actually fed the little pests.

    I'm curious, my husband is constantly getting stomach pains if he eats certain things, and he's CONSTANTLY downing Pepsi's and chocolate junk. Would you mind saying what the name of the parasite is? I've looked and looked, both online and my nursing books for a medical cause, but never thought of the possibility of a parasite, and I can't drag his butt to the doctor, unless he's on his deathbed! Would certainly appreciate it! Thank you!!! :smile:


    Hi :-)
    It was H. Pylori. Your husband should be checked for it. You can be infected and still have a negative test result. I was tested several times, has scopes down my throat many times, and even had to eat a radioactive egg and sit there as they tracked it being digested. For 8 years I was treated like I was crazy. It got to the point that I was so loaded with carbs in my body that I kept getting swellings and infections. I was at work and the side of my face started swelling, and I thought oh great another freaky infection...so I left work and went to a walk in clinic and was so lucky that the doctor I saw was familiar with my condition and knew exactly what was wrong by seeing me. Even knew what food I was living on. I could have cried with relief. My organs were packed with carbs and my body bloated with it. Normally it takes 2 weeks of a combination of antibiotics to kill the parasites, but it took me a month because I'd had it so long. I was told I should be dead from stroke or heart attack because my blood tests were unreal. My insulin was through the roof (luckily no organ damage), my cholesterol was super high, and my triglycerides were 1000 times higher than normal. He couldn't understand how I was still alive. He said the fat in my blood was so bad that it was like congealed gravy in a fridge. What is your husband's stomach pain like? For me it was literally like a knife was thrust into me and twisted round and round. And this came on sudden. And from eating at a restaurant. I can't eat out......I'm too afraid of getting it again. Apparently 50% of us are infected with it but have no symptoms or problems...it's only a very small percent, like myself, that get really sick. It's definitely worth getting your husband tested just in case, because if it is H. Pylori, the pain and sickness will get worse. :flowerforyou:
  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
    Options
    I gained weight from eating nothing but rice, potatoes and bread. It's all I could eat without throwing up because of a stomach parasite I had for 8 years. The carbs just about killed me. After 8 years a doctor finally cured me with medication. Because of the pain associated with eating while sick with the parasite, I barely ate. So anything of the rice, potatoes or bread that I managed to keep down stuck to me and put my insulin through the roof. After being cured, it was very difficult to eat properly. Imagine, 8 years of barely eating, and when able to eat, it made made fat. I guess it was starvation mode for a long time. It's only with the help of this site that I have managed to up my calories, very slowly and carefully, and understanding from members here who were kind enough to explain why the calories were needed. So yes, if you do not have food as a priority in life, it's very easy to be unable to eat 1200 calories. I'm still having difficulty, but I'm getting there. :smile:

    Edited to add: The parasite I had feasted on carbs and stomach acid........so what I could eat actually fed the little pests.

    I'm curious, my husband is constantly getting stomach pains if he eats certain things, and he's CONSTANTLY downing Pepsi's and chocolate junk. Would you mind saying what the name of the parasite is? I've looked and looked, both online and my nursing books for a medical cause, but never thought of the possibility of a parasite, and I can't drag his butt to the doctor, unless he's on his deathbed! Would certainly appreciate it! Thank you!!! :smile:


    Hi :-)
    It was H. Pylori. Your husband should be checked for it. You can be infected and still have a negative test result. I was tested several times, has scopes down my throat many times, and even had to eat a radioactive egg and sit there as they tracked it being digested. For 8 years I was treated like I was crazy. It got to the point that I was so loaded with carbs in my body that I kept getting swellings and infections. I was at work and the side of my face started swelling, and I thought oh great another freaky infection...so I left work and went to a walk in clinic and was so lucky that the doctor I saw was familiar with my condition and knew exactly what was wrong by seeing me. Even knew what food I was living on. I could have cried with relief. My organs were packed with carbs and my body bloated with it. Normally it takes 2 weeks of a combination of antibiotics to kill the parasites, but it took me a month because I'd had it so long. I was told I should be dead from stroke or heart attack because my blood tests were unreal. My insulin was through the roof (luckily no organ damage), my cholesterol was super high, and my triglycerides were 1000 times higher than normal. He couldn't understand how I was still alive. He said the fat in my blood was so bad that it was like congealed gravy in a fridge. What is your husband's stomach pain like? For me it was literally like a knife was thrust into me and twisted round and round. And this came on sudden. And from eating at a restaurant. I can't eat out......I'm too afraid of getting it again. Apparently 50% of us are infected with it but have no symptoms or problems...it's only a very small percent, like myself, that get really sick. It's definitely worth getting your husband tested just in case, because if it is H. Pylori, the pain and sickness will get worse. :flowerforyou:

    Actually, H. Pylori is a bacteria, not a parasite. A parasite is like a bug, such as a tapeworm. There's lots of parasites that do nasty and gross stuff, but H. Pylori is actually a bacteria, that was somewhat recently found to cause stomach ulcers and gastritis. So basically, you must have had ulcers or gastritis that were causing you problems, unless you had H. Pylori and a parasite, too. I've considered that my husband could have a stomach ulcer, but he's never complained of indegestion or acid reflux, (aka regurgitation). Fatty foods probably made your stomach hurt more because of the ulcers, since fat sits in your stomach longer. I still think this is his problem. Did you ever have indigestion, (heartburn) or reflux?

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