Chronic Undereater for 4 years and kept gaining. Time to lose!

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hlandry06
hlandry06 Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello,
I have drank coffee and eaten a big dinner ONLY for about 750 calories/day. I would go all day without eating and then eat a huge dinner at night. I did this for 4 years. My body adjusted to this. I wouldn't be hungry all day. I have gained about 50 pounds over that time. I used to be a very athletic dancer and when I got a desk job this all began. Now I have read about your body going into starvation mode and about these calculators to figure out how much calories you should be eating. They think I should eat like 2200 calories/day???? How do I go from being an undereater, to eating more but losing weight? What should my calorie goal be?
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Replies

  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    What is your height, weight and activity level?
  • hlandry06
    hlandry06 Posts: 5 Member
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    5'6 190.4 Sedentary during day (desk) Working out 30 minutes 3x's/week minimum
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
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    If I gained 50 lbs. on, confirmed via weights/measurements, 750 calories per day, I'd be at the doctor's office right quick.
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
    edited April 2015
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    hlandry06 wrote: »
    5'6 190.4 Sedentary during day (desk) Working out 30 minutes 3x's/week minimum

    Probably closer to 1,200 not 2,200.
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
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    hlandry06 wrote: »
    Hello,
    I have drank coffee and eaten a big dinner ONLY for about 750 calories/day. I would go all day without eating and then eat a huge dinner at night. I did this for 4 years. My body adjusted to this. I wouldn't be hungry all day. I have gained about 50 pounds over that time. I used to be a very athletic dancer and when I got a desk job this all began. Now I have read about your body going into starvation mode and about these calculators to figure out how much calories you should be eating. They think I should eat like 2200 calories/day???? How do I go from being an undereater, to eating more but losing weight? What should my calorie goal be?

    Starvation mode is not a thing, here, so don't go down the wrong path.

    I suspect that you were taking in a LOT more calories than you think over this "undereating" phase of life.
  • whyhelloheart
    whyhelloheart Posts: 82 Member
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    There is no such thing as starvation mode. The reason why you gained 50 pounds is simply because you are underestimating how many calories you are eating throughout the entire day.
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    I'm sorry, it doesn't work that way, somewhere along the line you were consuming more calories than you realize. Good thing is, you are here now, and MFP is a great tool for weight loss.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited April 2015
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    hlandry06 wrote: »
    Hello,
    I have drank coffee and eaten a big dinner ONLY for about 750 calories/day. I would go all day without eating and then eat a huge dinner at night. I did this for 4 years. My body adjusted to this. I wouldn't be hungry all day. I have gained about 50 pounds over that time. I used to be a very athletic dancer and when I got a desk job this all began. Now I have read about your body going into starvation mode and about these calculators to figure out how much calories you should be eating. They think I should eat like 2200 calories/day???? How do I go from being an undereater, to eating more but losing weight? What should my calorie goal be?

    Sorry but you did not gain weight eating 750 calories a day - that is not how starvation mode works

    I would doubt the accuracy of your calorie count for your dinner and drinks tb, and the other little things you munched during the day without noticing. Pretty sure 750 calories does not a huge dinner make,how did you count your calories

    So I'd start by looking at accurate calorie logging
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
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    If you gained 50 pounds eating 750 calories, you need to see a doctor.

    The fact probably is you were eating significantly more than 750 calories at your one meal.
  • hlandry06
    hlandry06 Posts: 5 Member
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    I have been to doctors and been checked out. Thyroid etc all clear! The only thing that makes sense to me is my body preserving..... I gained those 50lbs over a 4 year span. I was very active before that and went to no activity and then eating less..to then eating one meal a day. If I start eating 2200 calories like the calculator says based on my height weight and activty level. Wont I just gain even more?
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
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    LAWoman72 wrote: »
    If I gained 50 lbs. on, confirmed via weights/measurements, 750 calories per day, I'd be at the doctor's office right quick.

    Heck with the doctor, I would contact the government since I would be making energy out of nothing like a perpetual motion machine
  • PeachyPlum
    PeachyPlum Posts: 1,243 Member
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    hlandry06 wrote: »
    I have been to doctors and been checked out. Thyroid etc all clear! The only thing that makes sense to me is my body preserving..... I gained those 50lbs over a 4 year span. I was very active before that and went to no activity and then eating less..to then eating one meal a day. If I start eating 2200 calories like the calculator says based on my height weight and activty level. Wont I just gain even more?

    Probably.

    The first thing I would do is get a food scale and start accurately weighing and logging every single thing I put in my mouth. Only then will you know how many calories you actually eat on a given day.
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
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    Do you drink your coffee black...or add cream and sugar?

    Cream and sugar might not be what you call food but they do contain calories.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Also you're using the calculators wrong ..based on your stats you should be on about 1500 for 1lb a week
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    TDEE calculator says 1600. That's a daily number whether you work out or not. MFP would give you a lower number but then on exercise days you would have a little extra.

    Yeah it's physically impossible to gain weight by undereating, so you'll have to do some mental adjustment as far as what you've been thinking. Even if you only eat once a day, you still need to check those portions and your ingredients and do a true calculation of calories.
  • whyhelloheart
    whyhelloheart Posts: 82 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Like we've been saying: you have been grossly underestimating how many calories you've been eating during the day. The only way someone gains weight is by eating more calories than they are burning. There is no such thing as starvation mode. There is no such thing as your body "preserving".

    If the calculator is telling you to eat 2200 calories per day then try eating 2200 calories per day. But you need to be diligent with it. You need to weigh you food accurately and put everything into MFP. See if you lose weight. Decrease the amount of calories if you see yourself maintaining or gaining.

    Edit: Looks like people have put in your information to a calculator and you should be eating between 1500-1600 calories per day to lose 1lb a week. Eat that many calories and see if you lose weight, but, again, you need to be diligent.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
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    whyhelloheart wrote: »
    There is no such thing as starvation mode. The reason why you gained 50 pounds is simply because you are underestimating how many calories you are eating throughout the entire day.

    Or she has an undiagnosed metabolic disease and a significant portion of her calories were coming from carbs.
  • whyhelloheart
    whyhelloheart Posts: 82 Member
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    azulvioleta6 wrote: »
    whyhelloheart wrote: »
    There is no such thing as starvation mode. The reason why you gained 50 pounds is simply because you are underestimating how many calories you are eating throughout the entire day.

    Or she has an undiagnosed metabolic disease and a significant portion of her calories were coming from carbs.

    She said that she went to the doctor and doesn't have a thyroid condition. Calories are calories, no matter where they are coming from. It doesn't make a difference if it was from carbs or fat or protein.

    I eat a boatload of pasta and as long as I'm within my calorie goal, I'll lose weight.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    edited April 2015
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    azulvioleta6 wrote: »
    whyhelloheart wrote: »
    There is no such thing as starvation mode. The reason why you gained 50 pounds is simply because you are underestimating how many calories you are eating throughout the entire day.

    Or she has an undiagnosed metabolic disease and a significant portion of her calories were coming from carbs.

    NM. :)
  • rayneface
    rayneface Posts: 219 Member
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    I wonder if you considered how many calories were in your coffee - sure dinner might have been only 750 (although likely more if you were not weighing/measuring and tracking)

    Sugar and cream can add up quickly especially if you are using it to fuel yourself all day. A large coffee with 2 cream and 2 sugars can be around 265calories.

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