People claiming to be full in tiny calorie amounts

Eating under 1200 calories a day could be why they are gaining weight. Your body puts it's self in starvation mode, then when your body receives any fat it stores it for future help when the body does not get enough calories. If you would eat more lean protein during the day it would keep you full and your sugar levels low, carbs keep you more hungry, if they are the wrong ones to eat. The South Beach Diet tells you all about this, it has made me more educated in dieting the right way!

I am one of those people and I don't lie about it, I don't make stuff up and I was not always like this. The more weight I lost and the cleaner I ate the less I needed. I never had a "binge" scenario and I've always felt satisfied at the end of the day. You have find what works for you and stop calling yourself names. If you keep comparing yourself to others and if you keep being so mean to yourself you'll just set yourself up for failure. Maybe you should focus on your own nutrition and exercise plan and forget about reading the forums for a while until you figure out what makes you happy, healthy and satisfied. I won't say that everyone is different but I will say that yeah... we all have different history's medical or otherwise. We all have different nutritional requirements, we all have different routines, tastes, activities, shapes, sizes, cravings, etc.... If I read these forums and took them all seriously I'd be dead by now based on what some folks have stated. Some people do well on low carbs, others do well on high carbs, there are just too many variables to put it all into a neat little package. Weight loss is not rocket science... veggies and protein equal fat loss and the exercise gives you the bonus tone and metabolism. My opinion only here. Burn more calories than you consume and I really do believe the mind has a lot to do with it. If you feel like a failure than you will most likely fail. Be positive and get healthy, eat as much or as little as you have too to be fit, healthy and satisfied at the end of the day. Real progress is about baby steps. Good luck.

FYI I ate well over my current calorie target yesterday and only ended up with a net of 81 for the day. As ridiculous as it sounds I have no appetite at all... mainly because my allergies are killing me right now and it's ruining my appetite, plus everything tastes like cardboard yuk! So can I legitimately say that I've consumed practically no calories but am not hungry? Am I lying? Nope... but that was just for yesterday. Today might be different, tomorrow will be different, next week, next month, next year will be different.

Eating under 1200 calories a day could be why they are gaining weight. Your body puts it's self in starvation mode, then when your body receives any fat it stores it for future help when the body does not get enough calories.

No. Just no.

Everyone is different and has different eating habits developed over time. I did not get fat from over-eating, I gained a lot of weight in my early teens from an illness and never lost it. My eating habits have been highly unhealthy my whole life, both of my parents worked so they didn't cook-we ate fast food, take-out, sandwiches, etc. everyday. I also usually ate 1 or 2 big meals each day. That combined with my low activity levels and severe insomnia led to my current weight. I am trying to eat 1200 calories a day and then raise it as I progress. I am now eating smaller meals throughout the day and drinking tons of water so I don't end up hungry at the end of the day. It's something that takes getting used to and is a complete lifestyle change so I can understand some people finding it difficult to consume 2000+ calories early on in their weight loss journey.

This happens to a lot of people when they first begin tracking calories, and there are a number of different reasons for it:

1. They don't track accurately. They are way underestimating the calories they're eating, and are astonished that the feel full on so little, when really it's not so little at all.

2. They're suddenly eating all low calorie/high bulk foods like salad and veggies and super lean meats so they're getting far fewer calories for the same volume that they're used to eating when it was all burgers and pizza, and they're astonished at how full they feel after eating so few calories when the reason is that they've just eaten 5 large salads and a chicken breast.

3. By eating these healthy foods, they aren't sending their blood sugar on a roller coaster, so they aren't spending half the day crashing, and they're astonished at how little it takes to stay on an even keel when it's all more nutritious, lower-GI foods.

4. They're paying attention to the point that they're hyper-aware of their body's signals, including satiety, and they're not mindlessly shoveling food in their mouths like they usually do, and they're astonished at how few calories it actually takes to not feel like they're starving when they pay attention and eat proper foods and only when they're hungry.

But regardless of the reasons, I agree it's super annoying. The only thing I find more annoying is the "We're all different" crowd. Apparently each of us is a unique snowflake with our very own unique set of laws for thermodynamics, chemistry and biology. Our bodies work in such wildly divergent ways that it's pointless to even look at things like studies, or give advice which has worked for large populations of humans. Because we're all different. What works for you cannot possibly work for me. Harrumph!

That last bit, yes. I have a friend who 6 months ago kept saying "I can't lose weight and I hardly eat ANYTHING." I asked if she actually tracks the calories, and she said "No, but I just hardly eat ANYTHING, I MEAN ANYTHING. I know I'm not eating too much." Flash forward 6 months, she has cut back on certain types of food and has lost several pounds. I mention to her that after a solid week of tough workouts and careful calorie counting, I hadn't lost a single pound and was very frustrated. She dryly and without hesitation says "you must be eating more than you think you are or you're not burning off as much as you eat, that's all it could be". So, apparently some people think they are unique little snowflakes, but everyone else is exactly the same, ha, ha. It was a little annoying, but as it turns out, I miscalculated my weight loss. I actually dropped 2 pounds this week. :-)

I think it would surprise you how easy it is to be satisfied on that few calories, especially if the person is a "grazer" and doesn't split their eating into meal segments. I know the timing of your food doesn't matter for weight loss, but it will matter for satiety.

That being said, most of the time, yes, it is a load of carp and the person is lying to everyone including themselves and trying to force themselves to eat less because they think it's an insta-cure for being overweight.

ETA: Don't ever feel insecure or guilty about what you eat. Eat what fuels you, what works for you, and what makes you happy. Eat for results, not because you have anything to show.

Proud grazer here! I don't know how people can do meal segments lol, but I never have been able to. I eat about 8 "meals" a day and then I eat dinner. I eat about once an hour until 6 pm most days. It makes 1,200 calories look like a lot of food.

Holy crap this chick must be the biggest troll on the site.

But to everyone agreeing, if you feel hungry on 1500 calories--some tips:

1. You must be starting out, give it a month... your body's probably adjusting to the lower calories.
2. Eat protein & veggies instead of french fries and ho ho's
3. Exercise everyday. you'll be able to eat 2000 calories without gaining
4. Eat in small portions throughout the day. (200-300 calorie bursts throughout the day) your stomach expands when you eat large meals. (This is why you feel hungry faster after eating at a buffet)

5. If you feel ravenous while trying to lose weight on a 1500 calorie diet, and all you can think about is food, eating it, playing with it, chewing it, taking long walks on the beach with it.... you're probably not ready to lose weight. I know this because it happened to me. All my "diets" crashed and burned when I still had this mentality. When you stop the constant obsession with food, you won't feel that anymore and the lbs just come off when you stick with a plan. And when you're a man(or woman) with a plan, nothing gets in your way. 1500 calories seems like a lot when you're heading toward a goal that you want to finish at a faster pace.

6. Quit being so negative. Take back charge of your life and punch your stomach in the face for craving foods that are bad for you. Attitude makes a huge difference.

But I don't think I am the only person who has come on these forums, read all the posts about how little people are eating and thought, "why can't I eat that little? am I doomed to be a bloated whale for life" or even tried to eat so little only to binge after a couple of months (and for a couple of months) and end up fatter than they were before.

I am fatter than the first time I came to this site precisely because I tried to compete with some of the calorie levels I was seeing and thinking I was being a pig eating more than that because "if they can do it I must be able to". That sets a lot of people up for failure, I can't believe I am the only one...

5. If you feel ravenous while trying to lose weight on a 1500 calorie diet, and all you can think about is food, eating it, playing with it, chewing it, taking long walks on the beach with it.... you're probably not ready to lose weight.

this comment caught me off guard & made me laugh entirely too hard.

When people post things on here saying they only eat 1200/1000/800 etc calories a day and they are soooooo full and they just can't seem to find ways to eat more than that while at the same time claiming to be fat (how did they get fat eating so little?) are they just lying. When I eat 1500 calories a day, even if I eat masses of bulk through non starchy vegetables, I am utterly ravenous, obsessed with food until I've eaten at least 1800-2000 calories. I'll feel lightheaded, unable to think properly, tired, demotivated and obsessive. But there's people claiming to regularly eat way below that and to feel like they've eaten TOO much, while being fat... It's really discouraging, it makes me feel like if I eat a normal day's worth of food (1800 calories to 2000) I am a disgusting un womanly pig because clearly I seem to be unable to eat less. But I kind if suspect it's just one of those internet lies, I think those people are either eating more or are not fat and have not been fat recently.

What I was eating when I gained weight is far different from what I eat now. A 300 calorie salad (including cheese, an egg and oil-based dressing) fills me up because it's a high volume of food. Before, I ate small amounts (by volume) of more calorie-dense foods, but I was hungrier through the day, so I could eat more calories overall. I also have no appetite until about noon most days.

Yes, I often feel full on 1,000-1,200 calories a day. 1,500 is like a feast for me.

I try to eat around 1200 calories a day, did I used to, of course not, yes, that's part of the reason why I was overweight, so I cut my calories and started working out, now I'm completely full on 1200 calories and I have found that the times when I tried to eat more calories than the 1200 that even once I've reached 1500-2000 calories I get even more hungry and end up going overboard, not sure why but when I stick to my 1200 I can eat that and be completely satisfied.

I think it would surprise you how easy it is to be satisfied on that few calories, especially if the person is a "grazer" and doesn't split their eating into meal segments. I know the timing of your food doesn't matter for weight loss, but it will matter for satiety.

That being said, most of the time, yes, it is a load of carp and the person is lying to everyone including themselves and trying to force themselves to eat less because they think it's an insta-cure for being overweight.

ETA: Don't ever feel insecure or guilty about what you eat. Eat what fuels you, what works for you, and what makes you happy. Eat for results, not because you have anything to show.

Proud grazer here! I don't know how people can do meal segments lol, but I never have been able to. I eat about 8 "meals" a day and then I eat dinner. I eat about once an hour until 6 pm most days. It makes 1,200 calories look like a lot of food.

Same here! I am a grazer/snacker big time. When I do sit down to one big dinner I just get too full too fast and I become uncomfortable. I snack on something like every two hours or so all day long right up to about 7 PM and then I shut it off. I never get too hungry, sometimes go to be just slightly hungry, my metabolism never tanks and is running right through the night.

The only thing I find more annoying is the "We're all different" crowd. Apparently each of us is a unique snowflake with our very own unique set of laws for thermodynamics, chemistry and biology. Our bodies work in such wildly divergent ways that it's pointless to even look at things like studies, or give advice which has worked for large populations of humans. Because we're all different. What works for you cannot possibly work for me. Harrumph!

I only partially agree with your statement. The same laws for chemistry, biology, and thermodynamics apply to everyone, but it depends on the person's baseline biochemical and physiological levels to begin with. For example, time and time again I have had blood tests that have shown that my testosterone levels are too high for the average female. So, it has caused me to have broad shoulders, store my fat at my belly and not as much my hips/thighs, and gain muscle faster than the average woman (all typically masculine traits). I also had to take hormone pills to even get my period. So, chemistry and biochemistry in my example worked exactly the way it should- the way my genes told it to. But everyone's genes are different and that's why we all have different starting points, different chemical balances or imbalances

Have you studied chemistry, biochemistry, or thermodynamics? Genetic mutations happen all of the time, that's why we look different and have different fingerprints. And it's the genes we all have that dictate our body chemistry. While there is no bypassing chemistry, biochemistry, thermodynamics, or physiology, individual differences DO in fact cause us to react differently to different stressors we subject our body to.

I'm "taking a long walk on the beach with it" and yet I still lost all my weight.

I am taking a supplement which controls my hunger. I am not hungry. I am not thin and I am eating a small amount. The water I drink (from 8 - 10 cups per day) has me feeling very full and it is true that it is a struggle to get more in. This is not a lie. I am sure that without the appetite suppressant I would probably be hungry. I am not light headed and I do have lots of energy. Don't berate yourself because you are on a different path. But it is absolutely true that there are medications available to help with hunger and they work. You just need to see your doctor to find one that is safe for you if you decide you nwant or need that type of help.