Eat to live calorie problem

profit013
profit013 Posts: 5
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone.. I'm sorta new here (joined a long time ago but finally ready to mentally commit) but I am having an issue and figured I would solicit advice.

I started the eat to live diet and have lost about 9 pounds in the first week. I thought this was fine and was really excited so I thought I would start logging my food into MFP to further my success. Problem is, I logged all my food and it totaled only 800 calories even though i eat about 2 pounds of vegetables, one cup of brown rice and one can of beans a day. Furthermore, when I added all of the fruit I eat I was waaaaaay over the sugar level. The plan doesn't allow for fats like olive oil so it's not an option and i dont like avacados. Actually, other than the beans my diet is almost void of fat. I'm never actually hungry after meals and I enjoy the way I body is starting to feel.

So, my question is, does caloric intake matter if I am eating healthy nutrient dense foods?

*I should add that I fast from 8pm until 12pm so most of my food is condensed into 2 large healthy meals.

Replies

  • albertine58
    albertine58 Posts: 267 Member
    If Eat to Live is working for you, by all means keep up what you're doing! But this is a calorie-tracking website, so everyone here who is having success will say YES, calories absolutely matter. Also, our bodies really need fat, so a zero fat diet is a huge red flag to me. Can you have nuts? Most vitamins in vegetables are fat-soluble so you don't get all the nutritional benefit if you eat veggies without fat! People usually do because they cook with oil or use salad dressing, or eat fats in the rest of their meal. If I were you, I'd have the olive oil with my veggies- you can limit it to 1 tbsp per day or something, but it's important! Sticking to an arbitrary diet plan's "rules" is kind of silly if it isn't balanced.

    Also, this just seems weird to me - 1 cup brown rice & 1 can beans = 600 calories already. Add a lot of fruit and veg...are you sure you're only at 800? And don't worry about the sugar level if it's all coming from fruit- MFP's sugar limit is ridiculously low; they really need to fix it!
  • Boogage
    Boogage Posts: 739 Member
    I wouldn't stay on this diet too long as eventually you'll end up lacking energy for your workouts and will fail to shape your body as you slim. This is what happened to me and now I'm trying to bulk and put on weight again while building some muscle to tone and shape as as I've ended up skinny fat at with too much skin that didn't get chance to firm up along the journey
  • DoNotSpamMe73
    DoNotSpamMe73 Posts: 286 Member
    Eating below calorie limits are not a problem. Only if there is nothing for it so leech, our bodies are pretty amazing at doing stuff. If you have a low calorie intake that is great for weight loss. If you still have plenty of water and nutrient dense food you will stay healthy. Nutrients are what your body needs, not excess calories. Lack of nutrition hurts the body, not lack of calories.
    Another thing to bear in mind is starvation mode is rare even among the starving and that the body isn't eating the muscle first. Muscles are only decreasing in the situation where you aren't using them.
    I've been logging for amount a month and lost a couple of kilos, I still have a long way to go still. However I look at a lot of tips, look up what backs it up and what your body needs and healthy weight loss. Or just being healthy.
  • profit013
    profit013 Posts: 5
    @albertine58 my mistake, I logged as 1cup instead of can so you are right.. I'm actually around (just over) 1000. it's really hard to actually log the veggies as I weigh them and it doesn't really coincide with MFP measurements.
  • profit013
    profit013 Posts: 5
    So nutrient density trumps caloric intake? I know this may seem like a silly question but after reading the forums I became really concerned about hitting 1200 calories.
  • DoNotSpamMe73
    DoNotSpamMe73 Posts: 286 Member
    I'd have to say with workouts watch the calories for what you doing each day and surpass that. For the simple reason of calories literally meaning energy. However if you are exercising fat will be burnt before muscle unless you have little to lose, and not even always then. Nutrients and water are important because they are calories that live up to their name. If you are getting tired too easily up calories that include that. Some foods give energy, some can drag your energy down. The second is often referred to as empty calories, because they aren't giving energy.
    To the original poster of this who asked in the first place (the person we are all replying to), watch how you feel and your health. Log what you do and how much you eat/drink. If you feel well/good do what makes you feel that way. Though remember to get your nutrition and to eat in the first place. Haha :D. Good luck to you and everyone on MLP. Whoops MFP (I like the show:blushing: ...)
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
    @albertine58 my mistake, I logged as 1cup instead of can so you are right.. I'm actually around (just over) 1000. it's really hard to actually log the veggies as I weigh them and it doesn't really coincide with MFP measurements.

    there are a lot of different entries for every vegetable and some of them are by weight, you just have to search a little. I eat mostly veggies and I have no problem reaching my 1350 target, but I do add a teaspoon (or 2) of grape seed oil to my salad. I also eat avocados and nut, both of which add calories without problems. Although how is your protein intake?

    Just noticed you said you don't like avocados and that your plan doesn't allow for oils ... it is really so nutritious then if you are not getting enough calories and there are no fats and it doesn't look like a lot of protein either? Ultimately, only you can decide, but fat is not the devil, we leave that role to aspartame or was it a different artificial sweetener ... nevermind :-)
  • profit013
    profit013 Posts: 5
    @albertine58 my mistake, I logged as 1cup instead of can so you are right.. I'm actually around (just over) 1000. it's really hard to actually log the veggies as I weigh them and it doesn't really coincide with MFP measurements.

    there are a lot of different entries for every vegetable and some of them are by weight, you just have to search a little. I eat mostly veggies and I have no problem reaching my 1350 target, but I do add a teaspoon (or 2) of grape seed oil to my salad. I also eat avocados and nut, both of which add calories without problems. Although how is your protein intake?

    Just noticed you said you don't like avocados and that your plan doesn't allow for oils ... it is really so nutritious then if you are not getting enough calories and there are no fats and it doesn't look like a lot of protein either? Ultimately, only you can decide, but fat is not the devil, we leave that role to aspartame or was it a different artificial sweetener ... nevermind :-)

    Well the plan is a tad bit unrealistic in some aspects but it is only meant to be a six week detox phase that will jump start weight loss and get me eating in a way that is conducive to losing and keeping weight off. After the six weeks I will eat the occasional chicken breast and tuna like I used to and by then I'm sure my caloric intake will improve and my weightloss will slow to a 2pound per week avg. I just don't want to be malnourished before I make it to that point.
  • albertine58
    albertine58 Posts: 267 Member
    I weigh all my veggies raw before cooking, and it's easy to find by-the-gram calorie counts for any veggie on MFP! You just might have to check a few different entries. The ones that look very generic (ie. "string beans, green or yellow, raw") tend to have several serving options including 100g in the drop-down menu. If you have 350g of veg, then track that as 3.5 servings of 100g. Doing this can be surprising- it was interesting to find out that 250g green beans and 600g zucchini both have ~100 calories. That's a huge difference in calorie density! But green beans are sweeter, so it makes sense.

    Also, I agree with the people encouraging more protein! Throw some tofu, tuna, or chicken into your day. I'd shoot for at least 60g protein. I don't know what this diet is claiming to "detox" from, but detoxing is nonsense and moreover it doesn't sound very healthy- it's mostly carbs, not enough fat and protein!
  • jayrudq
    jayrudq Posts: 475 Member
    I would not be worried about the calories, as this is your "jump start" I would worry about FAT. You need fat. For your brain, for your skin, and hair, for well...everything. And adding tuna and chicken in a couple of weeks isn't going to cut it. I would be seriously sad and miserable, as well as unhealthy without eating fat....
  • callie006
    callie006 Posts: 151 Member
    Congrats on your losses so far! A family friend is on this plan. You can eat up to a tablespoon of flaxseed oil and an ounce of nuts per day even during the detox phase from what I understand. Eating these fat sources might help you get the benefit of the vitamins in the veggies and help you feel even more satisfied.
  • darkangel45422
    darkangel45422 Posts: 234 Member
    Personally, if you're feeling good (and it's honestly feeling good, not just happy about the weight loss) then I'd continue with what you're doing and just keep tabs on your health. Fat IS important, and don't be afraid of it, but so long as you're not eating none and you still feel good, it probably won't hurt you in the short run. Don't be afraid to tinker with plans to suit you better though; adding some healthy fats to the diet won't derail you I promise.

    And don't worry about calories; like someone else said, nutrients not calories matter. There have been studies done where severely overweight people are injected with the nutrients they every day, and otherwise don't eat ANYTHING; their body lives off their fat stores and they are perfectly healthy for a long time (I think I saw one last for over a year).
  • julgwill
    julgwill Posts: 18 Member
    for fat on Eat To Live, eat almonds, walnuts, flax and sunflower seeds, or even pecans and cashews. There are excellent sources of fat and makes salads yummy. If you are suffering for claories on eat to live you are not doing it right. Eat you cup or grains, lentils are packed with calories. Eat them every day. Beans are great for protein, as is cooked brocoli, quinoa, and soybeans. Stay away from animals, but eat wild caught fish if you must have some meat. Remember, eat to live is not about weight loss, it's about total body health. Eat eat eat, just eat the right stuff.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    You are a 21 year old young male. 800 calories is absolutely too low, unless you have a LOT of weight to lose like hundreds of pounds, and even then you should only eat that low under direction of a doctor.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I just took a crash course on Eat to Live and it is a highly restrictive diet. If you are going to follow this carefully you can't skip the avocado. It's got essential nutrients that you need on this regimen. The same author has a book, "Eat for Health" that is less restrictive. That might be better.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    Eating at such a large deficit without increasing protein means you can expect to lose significant muscle. It is not advisable to keep such a low intake unless you are either very short (a dwarf) or under a doctor's supervision, as it is very difficult to meet your nutritional needs with appropriate micronutrients at this intake. I hope you will reconsider this program.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    edited December 2014
    jayrudq wrote: »
    I would not be worried about the calories, as this is your "jump start" I would worry about FAT. You need fat. For your brain, for your skin, and hair, for well...everything. And adding tuna and chicken in a couple of weeks isn't going to cut it. I would be seriously sad and miserable, as well as unhealthy without eating fat....

    profit103 jayrudq makes a very valid point and do Google and read more on the subject.

    Until five months ago I thought eating fat made one fat. Now I know eating fat makes me thinner and eating carbs make me more fat but you may be different from me. All humans need Fat and Protein but Carbs are optional for humans per research that I have read.



  • coueswhitetail
    coueswhitetail Posts: 309 Member
    If you are truly feeling great, then don't worry. The Eat to Live diet recommends eating nuts and seeds and you can get your fat from those. Since you say you are feeling great, then most likely you are eating more calories than you think. So perhaps refocus on measuring food. I basically, though not strictly, follow the Eat to live plan and eat around 1600 to 1700 calories a day. My diary is open so you can check out what I eat if you like. I probably have about 400 calories of alcohol a day though which isn't allowed on the strict 6 week Eat to live plan. My husband is a brew master and so cutting out alcohol wasn't really an option :)

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