After reading through this forum- doing it wrong?

purplishblue · January 2014

Honest moment here- for 7 years I had an eating disorder. I've been recovered now for years. I want to lose weight, and what I keep trying to do is eat 1200 calories a day because that is the minimum amount to be healthy (and not eating back any calories exercised). I always end up being hungry and not sustaining it though, but not wanting to up my calories.

I didn't think about about it till reading through these forums and seeing people talk about losing weight on higher amounts of calories- I guess I still have that black and white thinking of "This is the best amount since it's the least, more= weight gain". But maybe I should try not doing that. The idea of eating a higher amount while expecting to lose weight seems weird though. Thoughts? FYI I am only 5'2 so that's also how I justify 1200 calories... also myfitnesspal says I should eat that much to lose weight.

parkscs · January 2014

Here's how I would look at it. One reason why many people suggest that you eat more calories is because you should be trying to find a diet that's sustainable for you in the long-term. It doesn't do you any good to eat 1200 calories for 2 weeks and then give up altogether, returning to your old habits and uncontrolled style of eating. Put another way, you're better off eating a 10% caloric deficit for a year to reach your target weight than eating a 25% caloric deficit for 3 weeks and then giving up.

Another reason to eat more is if you're very active, so that your net calories come out to your caloric target. Combining a small caloric intake with strenuous exercise can stress your body, causing cortisol levels to rise and potentially impeding your weight loss.

In general, you want to make sure you're eating enough to keep your body healthy, while still eating at a caloric deficit, in order to lose weight.

purplishblue · January 2014

Yeah I know you're right, it's just difficult to not be so hard on myself... feeling like I'm half-assing it if I eat more.

allen_ac · January 2014

The key to a successful diet is to eat the MAX amount of calories you can while still progressively losing weight

As parkscs says, it has to be sustainable, it is not a one time job, it's a long term commitment, you want it to continue for the rest of your life, these new eating patterns and habits

No point to give all your effort and half way through your results you stop doing what got you your success right?

Don't jump into it so hard, take little steps at a time
Make your meals that you were eating to maintain your current weight 10% less, then 25%, then so forth and build it into your system and before you know it, it will be like second nature :happy:

Mediocrates55 · January 2014

Yeah I know you're right, it's just difficult to not be so hard on myself... feeling like I'm half-assing it if I eat more.

^This. I'm struggling SO hard with this. I've been doing MAD research and learning and trying so hard to retrain my brain that LESS IS NOT BETTER, but the habits are so hard. I keep doing the math on every site I can find and keep getting the same range of numbers, and that number of calories I should be eating is daunting. I'm working on my mental state every day, education helps me understand it more and feel more secure in the science rather than what my diseased brain is telling me. I love my body, for all it's flaws, and I don't want to hurt it any more than I have in the past. I want the abusive cycle to end. So I'm learning about health and fitness, how to BE healthy and fit. It's helping my mindset.

parkscs · January 2014

Yeah I know you're right, it's just difficult to not be so hard on myself... feeling like I'm half-assing it if I eat more.

Not necessarily anything wrong with being hard on yourself when it comes to hitting your goals. Just make sure you've set your goal in the best position to begin with. Meaning, if you decide to try less of a caloric deficit, adjust your goals away from 1200. Where it becomes a problem is if you fall into the all-too-common-yet-illogical trap of saying "welp, I screwed up today, time to quit dieting altogether." That's not what I would call being hard on yourself... that's just illogical... so watch out for that. Don't get discouraged. :-)

purplishblue · January 2014

Yeah I know you're right, it's just difficult to not be so hard on myself... feeling like I'm half-assing it if I eat more.

Not necessarily anything wrong with being hard on yourself when it comes to hitting your goals. Just make sure you've set your goal in the best position to begin with. Meaning, if you decide to try less of a caloric deficit, adjust your goals away from 1200. Where it becomes a problem is if you fall into the all-too-common-yet-illogical trap of saying "welp, I screwed up today, time to quit dieting altogether." That's not what I would call being hard on yourself... that's just illogical... so watch out for that. Don't get discouraged. :-)

Yes I do fall into that trap. I think it's just difficult for me to use moderation when losing weight, since in the past I was so extreme (and got results, albeit unhealthy ones). I definitely do NOT want to go back to how I was though!

valmaebel · January 2014

The best help would be to look up a BMR calculator. This will figure out the base amount of calories your body needs to sustain basic functions. You know, breathing, beating heart, etc. Then make sure you are always eating at least that amount...and then add in any major exercise you do throughout the day as well. Then you know that your body isn't starting to conserve fat because it thinks that it is starving.
For example, my BMR is 1700 calories. I always eat that, and then add in any exercises and eat that back as well.
Good luck!

purplishblue · January 2014

Thanks guys for the replies, I appreciate it. I looked at the TDEE calculator, my BMR is 1262, and my TDEE if I do no exercise is 1515. If I exercise 3 times a week it's 1736. But this is just to maintain correct?

Mediocrates55 · January 2014

I like this calculator. It lays it all out for you and it gives you your macro goals.
http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

allen_ac · January 2014

Just remember, calculators are never accurate, it is a estimate range of what you could be

To attain accuracy , you must experiment with your own body
- Pick a number of calories in the range that you are given off the calculator
- Maintain that number for 1-2 weeks (2 weeks preferrably if you're patient) as close as possible
- Track weight as you go along
- By the end of the 1-2 weeks - analyse what happened to your weight, did you drop alot? a little? maintain? gain weight?

Then adjust your calories accordingly, this way you have an accurate number for yourself, and that number will be much more important as your starting point

OMGeeeHorses · January 2014

I use to eat 1200 and think that was the max I could eat and if I went over it at all I would have a little panic attack. I now do not have that issue as I forced myself to eat 1800 calories for a few months and lost about 15lbs. Now my amount is down around 1510 as that is what MFP is saying I need along with exercise calories to burn 2lbs a week. Been up and down here but still fighting

neandermagnon · January 2014

Thanks guys for the replies, I appreciate it. I looked at the TDEE calculator, my BMR is 1262, and my TDEE if I do no exercise is 1515. If I exercise 3 times a week it's 1736. But this is just to maintain correct?

yes, eat your TDEE to maintain. Subtract a percentage to lose

if you're already fairly lean, subtract 10%. moderately obese* subtract 20%, extremely morbidly obese you may be fine on 30% so long as it's not causing excessive hunger and hard to stick to. This is because the less fat you have the more at risk you are of losing lean mass and bone density with the fat. But adherence is another major factor,. It's better to have a smaller deficit you can stick to, than a larger deficit that you can't.

*obese by body fat percentage standards, I'm saying this because some people think they're sooooooooooo obese when they only have around 5lb to lose because they have a distorted self-image.

Lleldiranne · January 2014

FYI I am only 5'2 so that's also how I justify 1200 calories... also myfitnesspal says I should eat that much to lose weight.

I am 5'0. I'm 36, so not a youngun' anymore either. I eat 1800-2000 calories to maintain (without eating back exercise calories, I use the TDEE method), and lose pretty easily on 1600 a day. My exercise is mostly lifting weights, with cardio mostly as warmup or playing with kids, and I only formally exercise 2-3 times a week. Even us shorties don't HAVE to cut to 1200 to lose weight. (My mom does go with the 1200 calorie thing, but to put it in perspective, she's 4'10" at best and in her sixties. She also eats back her exercise calories)

lynn_glenmont · January 2014

Just remember, calculators are never accurate, it is a estimate range of what you could be

To attain accuracy , you must experiment with your own body
- Pick a number of calories in the range that you are given off the calculator
- Maintain that number for 1-2 weeks (2 weeks preferrably if you're patient) as close as possible
- Track weight as you go along
- By the end of the 1-2 weeks - analyse what happened to your weight, did you drop alot? a little? maintain? gain weight?

Then adjust your calories accordingly, this way you have an accurate number for yourself, and that number will be much more important as your starting point

This^^ except I would say to keep tracking and comparing your net calorie intake to your weight at least for 8 weeks, and better yet throughout your entire weight loss journey and into the beginning of maintenance. For anyone, the first two weeks of a change in diet are not going to be typical: There could be substantial water weight loss that will make it look like you're in a greater caloric deficit than you really are, or if you rev up your exercise routine at the same time that you start tracking your calories and weight, you could have substantial water weight gain that makes it look like you're in a smaller caloric deficit than you really are. Plus, for a pre-menopausal woman, the hormonal cycle and typical water retention also can cause weekly blips. You can make an adjustment after a couple of weeks, but be prepared to make additional adjustments as you get more data.

Maridar · January 2014

I am also worried.. I do not want to obsess with calorie counting, weighting everything, etc. but I just realized that, for example, 1500 cal that I try to limit myself to can go up to 1700 cal as long as it is healthy, meaning, if I have a chicken breast I can have it with a huge amount of vegetables (I do not like dressings that much, maybe olive oil with salt, that's it).
Or I can have egg whites which are pretty filling if I do not add too much mayo or something else to make a nice salad, etc. Peanut butter was a good example. Find what you like to eat and look at the calories, etc. I could have sashimi every day if I could:)

lrmall01 · January 2014

Thanks guys for the replies, I appreciate it. I looked at the TDEE calculator, my BMR is 1262, and my TDEE if I do no exercise is 1515. If I exercise 3 times a week it's 1736. But this is just to maintain correct?

I just thought I would suggest that you might want to consider spending some time eating at maintenance for a little while if you have been eating 1200 calories or less for a long time. Maybe take a month or two and eat 1700 calories while exercising to give your body a break from "dieting" for a bit. Once you let it get healthy, then drop down to about 1500 calories and see how it goes.

After reading through this forum- doing it wrong?

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