Chronic Undereater for 4 years and kept gaining. Time to lose!
hlandry06
Posts: 5 Member
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?
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
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What is your height, weight and activity level?0
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5'6 190.4 Sedentary during day (desk) Working out 30 minutes 3x's/week minimum0
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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.0
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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.0 -
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.0
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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.0
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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 logging0 -
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.0 -
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?0
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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?
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.0 -
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.0 -
Also you're using the calculators wrong ..based on your stats you should be on about 1500 for 1lb a week0
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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.0 -
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.0 -
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.0 -
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.
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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.
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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.0 -
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?
That's not how bodies work, short of metabolic disease.
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OP, run your stats here: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
I ran your stats and your maintain weight calories is around 1940, and to lose at a 15% it would be 1650.
It is not possible to gain 50 pounds eating only 750 calories. I have to debate this unless all your meals were all home cooked, weighed and measured and you have journal of calorie counts.
I really think you need to re-evaluate your past meals.. perhaps take a meal you eat regularly and enter it in MFP and see if in deed that meal comes up to 750...
And you do not drink any thing during the day other than coffee???
There is way over estimation on most of your daily meals. Do you eat the same thing every day... I am trying to wrap my head around this.. sorry for all the questions...
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Like others said, go see a doctor. Even is starvation mode was a real thing that kept us from losing at all on very low cal diets, I don't think you suddenly went into it and gained the weight. You shouldn't be gaining at all on 750 calories a day. If it isn't medical, than I believe you are underestimating your calories. I was doing that for a long time, thinking salads were always the best way to go until I found out my favorite ones were around 1000 calories or more (even with grilled chicken). Really pay attention to your portions and eat as you always have, but count and see if that is the case. If not, go to the MD.0
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Hello, Thank you all for your information... You are right!! I went back to my main meal I used to eat every night. Which was taco shells, veggie crumbles, taco seasoning, taco sauce, cheese, and RICE A RONI. Definitely calculated that wrong. The rice a roni alone was 623 calories a night for half a box :-( It looks like my one meal and my coffee's had me around 1440/day!! YIKES. Who would of thought that one meal and coffee could do that ( I really did not snack). Thank you for opening my eyes I never knew..... Okay so im here now and trying. What amount of calories should I eat to lose 2lbs/week or where do I find this calculator? Thanks again everyone0
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OP FYI, the starvation thing you seem to be pointing to repeatedly is a myth.
If you ask many experienced members here in the MFP community they will tell you the same thing.
So you need to be looking into other aspects such as the under estimations of your daily calories that caused you to slowly gain this 50 pounds in the past 3 to 4 years. Which can't be right at 750 calories a day..0 -
750 is not really a "big" dinner except for people who are trying to eat at a deficit and lose weight. For the rest of us, 750 can really be a perfectly normal sized dinner. I might even consider it a small dinner, particularly if I hadn't eat all day otherwise. And I actually AM in a deficit and losing weight, so.
So what I'm saying is I think there's a disconnect between your perception that you're eating 750 calories and your perception that you're eating a big dinner. One of those things is not true. The fact that you're gaining weight suggests that it's the first one that's wrong. You are eating more than you think.
What makes you certain that this dinner is 750 calories? Are you weighing your ingredients / portions? Are you being careful to verify the accuracy of the entries in the database you are using? Are you making to sure to log even small amounts of calorific things like oils and nuts? Are you in fact even logging all your food at all? Do all those things consistently for 2 weeks then get back to us about how certain you are that you've been eating 750 calories.0 -
Hello, Thank you all for your information... You are right!! I went back to my main meal I used to eat every night. Which was taco shells, veggie crumbles, taco seasoning, taco sauce, cheese, and RICE A RONI. Definitely calculated that wrong. The rice a roni alone was 623 calories a night for half a box :-( It looks like my one meal and my coffee's had me around 1440/day!! YIKES. Who would of thought that one meal and coffee could do that ( I really did not snack). Thank you for opening my eyes I never knew..... Okay so im here now and trying. What amount of calories should I eat to lose 2lbs/week or where do I find this calculator? Thanks again everyone
MFP has one, or look up "Scooby tdee" for the one I used. Remember they will give you slightly different numbers because MFP counts exercise calories as extra to eat where TDEE does not. Good on you for having an open mind and getting out there & doing your research - now you are where you need to be to have some success!0 -
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I used to think I didn't eat that much..but I kept gaining... Looking back, sure I would have days where I only ate 800 to 1000 calories..but I would also have days where I would put away 4000 or so in baked goods. Not saying that's what's going on with you, but a couple of bad days in a week can cancel out a deficit in a hurry!0
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50 lbs of fat contains 175,000 calories of energy. In order to gain that much over the course of four years you'd only need to eat an average of 120 calories above your TDEE each day.Hello, Thank you all for your information... You are right!! I went back to my main meal I used to eat every night. Which was taco shells, veggie crumbles, taco seasoning, taco sauce, cheese, and RICE A RONI. Definitely calculated that wrong. The rice a roni alone was 623 calories a night for half a box :-( It looks like my one meal and my coffee's had me around 1440/day!! YIKES. Who would of thought that one meal and coffee could do that ( I really did not snack). Thank you for opening my eyes I never knew..... Okay so im here now and trying. What amount of calories should I eat to lose 2lbs/week or where do I find this calculator? Thanks again everyone
I would start by logging all your food (including weighing/measuring all of it) and seeing how much you are eating, and whether or not you are still gaining, or staying level, or losing. That will tell you your actual TDEE and you can go from there.
Or you can start with an estimate from one of the calculators as your target number, log all your food (including weighing/measuring all of it) and see if over the course of a few weeks you gain, lose, or stay the same on that amount. Again this will give you an indication of your TDEE.
If you don't take at least a couple of weeks worth of data, you might just be seeing fluctuations like water weight.0
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