I've only had 800 cals but I'm so FULL :(

I use skinfold measurements, and it shows I'm losing fat. At any rate, the calorie calculator I use indicates that 950 cals/day will lead to 1 lb/week weight loss, so I don't plan to exceed that. I think personal metabolism and other internal workings plays a part as well, and needs to be taken into consideration, rather than a one size fits all.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but how many calories do you plan on eating once you've hit your goal?

Around 1300 is the suggested calories for maintaining my goal weight.

Are you very short??? How old are you???

I am 61 y/o and my maintenance calories when I reach the goal weight of 145 will be 1500 at sedentary and 1700 for 3x a week exercising.

I use skinfold measurements, and it shows I'm losing fat. At any rate, the calorie calculator I use indicates that 950 cals/day will lead to 1 lb/week weight loss, so I don't plan to exceed that. I think personal metabolism and other internal workings plays a part as well, and needs to be taken into consideration, rather than a one size fits all.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but how many calories do you plan on eating once you've hit your goal?

Around 1300 is the suggested calories for maintaining my goal weight.

Are you very short??? How old are you???

I am 61 y/o and my maintenance calories when I reach the goal weight of 145 will be 1500 at sedentary and 1700 for 3x a week exercising.

67, 5'5", goal weight 130. Some may think my goal weight is low for my height, but I'm very small boned, and that's what I weighed for most of my adult life.

ha!

I use skinfold measurements, and it shows I'm losing fat. At any rate, the calorie calculator I use indicates that 950 cals/day will lead to 1 lb/week weight loss, so I don't plan to exceed that. I think personal metabolism and other internal workings plays a part as well, and needs to be taken into consideration, rather than a one size fits all.

Are you mistaking your BMR for the amount of calories your body burns in a day? 950 cal to lose 1 pound a week sounds way too low to be real.

With the skinfold measurements I imagine you get a percent bodyfat read from that. Does your bodyfat loss track exactly with your weight loss? Meaning if you lose 5% bodyfat have you lost that much in pounds? If you have lost more in pounds then it would suggest you are losing muscle in addition to fat and you need to be really careful about that or you can cause yourself some future problems.

For info, and I realize there are many here that have done far more research and are way more knowledgeable about this diet business than I am, this author says " based on the RDI and RDA for nutrients the actual lower limit for calories (when you add up the individual recommendations for protein, carbs and fats) comes out to around 800 calories per day for women and 900 for men. So even according to the RDA you can easily eat well below 1200 and get your daily requirements of protein carbs and fats."
http://johnbarban.com/weight-loss-fallacies-2lbs-per-week-and-1200-calories-per-day/

Agreed! This perfectly expresses something that has really bugged me about these threads. It almost seems that the "Help! My wee tummy is just so full!" people take some sort of masochistic pride in depriving themselves and letting others know about it, as if they expect a pat on the back instead of the stern talking-to they invariably get.

Hence my frustration and pissiness. Perhaps I read to much into these sorts of posts but it does seem to me like this is a real REAL simple fix, you just swap out low calorie dense foods for high calorie undense foods and there you go. So when I see a post like this I feel as you do, that it is somewhat attention whoring for a pat on the back and assurances that somehow repeatedly missing your goal is okay. Will it kill you...no...but its missing your goal and you have every ability to fix that if you just act.

While I am not in disagreement with you...I wonder...does MFP play a role in encouraging this. One thing that I have noticed...at the end of the day if I go to my home page and glance at what is on that news feed about people on my friends list...I see...

"So and So is under their calorie goal". (Then I see all the pats on the back from all of their other friends...)

You never see...

"So and So is over their calorie goal".

Nor do you see...

"So and So has met their calorie goal for the day".

Wording is everything to people that need some validation...even if it doesn't mean what they think it means.

Just my opinion...seems as if "eating under their calorie goal" has become a badge of honor.

Well, yeah, the idea behind MFP is to eat a bit less than you burn so you can lose weight

That said, I mostly use the like button. Other than that, I throw out a comment every so often and I'd say it's evenly split between under calorie goal and not. Two friends recently had short convos with me on the topic. One said but I ate like crap both yesterday and today! I had to explain that logging and an overall downwards trend in calories consumed was just as important as being under. Another one wants to stop logging due to too many "over" days in a row and agreed to do maintenance for a while instead. There's no reason we couldn't be just as supportive whether our friends are under their goal or not Heck, I'd say we need each other more when things aren't going just perfectly!

This is a place where people can come for motivation and support in their fitness goals. Not a place where people should feel threatened because they "aren't as smart" as others or "ask dumb questions" or may not have actually read a post about a certain topic. Weren't you ever taught that if you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all...? The "dozens of threads disproving 'starvation mode'" is just a bunch of people posting their own thoughts and opinions. Even if you have factual evidence that it does not exist you don't know this person's situation and you don't have to call someone asking for help a troll and call them out about how much they weigh on especially on a site where it is supposed to be a safe place. You're a cruel person for doing this and so is everyone else who is being mean just because they think they're "better" for thinking different things.

Speak for yourself. I come here to get information from those who have gone before me on how to lose this weight without being bloody miserable the entire time. Patting people on the back and telling them they must have "gained muscle" or "everybody is different so you're TOTALLY the special snowflake who can subsist on 800 calories and not have any repercussions" is NOT helpful in the long run. They may feel better in that moment but real information and feedback would serve them better.

For info, and I realize there are many here that have done far more research and are way more knowledgeable about this diet business than I am, this author says " based on the RDI and RDA for nutrients the actual lower limit for calories (when you add up the individual recommendations for protein, carbs and fats) comes out to around 800 calories per day for women and 900 for men. So even according to the RDA you can easily eat well below 1200 and get your daily requirements of protein carbs and fats."
http://johnbarban.com/weight-loss-fallacies-2lbs-per-week-and-1200-calories-per-day/

I would not say easily. Keep in mind that many vitamins and macronutrients require the presence of fat to absorb properly.

That may play a role, but I think the overall mentality of dieting plays a big role in it as well. Swapping out higher calorie foods may seem like an obvious solution, people are conditioned to think dieting means restriction and high calorie is bad. We are bombared with labels, commercials, books and magazine articles that encourage us to buy products because they supposedly healthier, many by the simple fact that they are lower in calories or fat. Losing weight is equated with deprivation and sacrafice.
It is hard to let that go, I know it was for me.

The phrase "I am eating healthier" to me is a red flag. Most of the time you see low calorie, low fat foods or those versions of foods in the diary (if open).

Well, this is assuming the person that did that swapping actually has a clue on what good food is beyond market tabloids and has any concept of calorie eating levels besides the 1200 they see spouted out.

I'm betting the know in the back of their mind fruit and vegetables is better, so I'll swap that out for a bunch of stuff I used to eat, never mind of something of that is perfectly healthy too, and useful for reaching goal.

I'd also suggest the misguided encouragement from MFP "in 5 weeks you'd weigh...." probably is noticed early, noticed that when they miss goal by say 100 it's more weight lost amount, so then attempt to reach 200 under.

Also, many come in to MFP having already dieted and failed somehow else - their body is already messed up and not healthy. And the estimates of maintenance are based on healthy metabolism bodies (besides the fact of selecting unreasonable weight loss amount and becoming unhealthy here).

Couple responses in this thread of ones wanting to eat more with conviction, likely started that way elsewhere. So eating very little already because body is already jacked up. Of course they didn't gain weight eating that little originally, but their metabolism is so shot they are eating at their maintenance level now, whether that be with accurate or inaccurate food logging, still lower than it could be.

I'm not trying to sound snarky when I say this but... I eat a lot of fruit, veggies and whole grains, rarely eat desserts or fried stuff and try to restrict my dairy to fat-free or low-fat and I'm STILL working hard to just keep my daily calorie intake under 1600. I am still getting hungry (like, "gut hungry") at times and I only skip meals if I ate a huge meal earlier or I'm not feeling well.

I'm not trying to sound unsympathetic - I'm just puzzled. I can't imagine what it feels like to feel full on only 800 calories a day but I sure wish I could experience it once in awhile - weight loss would be a lot easier.

I think, U are probably carbohydrates addicted.

What does it mean"guthungry" for u?

Um... Did you LOOK at my diary? A lot of my carbs come from vegetables. I also eat oatmeal, whole wheat bread and brown rice. But I don't crave carbs. I eat a healthy amount and balance it with protein, mostly plant-based. (I'm a vegetarian) but also egg whites in the morning.

"Gut hungry", for me, means my stomach is rumbling and I am feeling the physical symptoms of hunger rather than just craving food when I'm actually physically nourished.