Am I eating too much?

kaiiirogers94
kaiiirogers94 Posts: 8 Member
edited April 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
I am trying to lose weight. I need to. I'm a female, 20, 5'1 and I weigh 270 pounds. I am so unhealthy I can't get a job. So it's time. My whole life I ate once a day (lunch) and that would be it. That's how I was raised. Now I have a warped sense of eating. I'm trying to eat 1000 calories a day I have been doing this for almost 2 weeks. I feel like I'm always eating and I'm not going to make progress. Making myself eat 3 small meals a day is so hard. I don't know if I'm eating enough, or too much. I'll give you an idea of what I'm eating on a regular day.

Breakfast
1 scrambled egg, cooked in olive oil

Lunch
Grilled chicken salad with no dressing

Snack
Apple

Dinner
Grilled chicken breast broccoli, and carrots.

I only drink water.
I log everything into my app and it usually falls about 980-1000 calories. But I still feel like I'm not making any progress because I eat all the time now. Can someone tell me if I am eating too or not enough, or a good amount?
Thanks in advance.
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Replies

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
    How long have you been logging and have you lost weight? 1000 calories is too little. You can eat much more than that to lose. On the other hand, if you're not weighing your food on a food scale, you don't really know for sure how much you are eating.
  • kaiiirogers94
    kaiiirogers94 Posts: 8 Member
    It gave me 1400, but I edited it to 1000.
  • jenncornelsen
    jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
    1000 calories will not be what mfp allotted u. eat what it gives u. eating so little will do u no favors when u give up from feeling like your starving all the time. remember this is about health not just weight loss
  • kaiiirogers94
    kaiiirogers94 Posts: 8 Member
    I've been going it for about 10 days. I do not weigh my food. I don't know if I have lost weight or not, I don't like to step on the scale lol. I don't really feel hungry through out the day, though. I make myself eat.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited April 2015
    You have to step on the scale. And if you're not weighing your food or getting it out of a package, you have no idea if you're eating 1000 calories or 2000 calories.

    With the amount you have to lose, 1000 cals is fine as long as you're getting a reasonable mix of macros. But it will be hard to stick to it for an extended period of time, so be prepared for setbacks and/or adjustments.
  • blossomingbutterfly
    blossomingbutterfly Posts: 743 Member
    I've successfully lost 46 lbs eating between 1800-2000 cal a day within the past 6 months. You can totally lose weight eating much more than you are. As others have said, you need to eat more than that, and more protein as well. You did not gain it all in one day, you cannot expect to be able to lose it all like that either. Give it time, you will see progress.
  • kaiiirogers94
    kaiiirogers94 Posts: 8 Member
    Okay, so add a small amount of fat, and protein. Got it.
    What's Marcos?
    Also-how does weighing your food help?
    I'm new too the world of health, obviously. Thank everyone for your answers.
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
    Why do you need to eat 3 times a day? If you want to only eat once a day, then do that. Whatever works for you. At only 1000 cals/day (maybe you could bump it up to 1250 at least?), your meal should be as nutritious as possible. Pretty much everything you eat should give you a lot of nutrition bang for the buck at that low calorie range. What you want is a lifestyle change that is sustainable in the long term. The real goal isn't losing weight. The real goal is to be healthy, which includes a healthy weight.
  • kaiiirogers94
    kaiiirogers94 Posts: 8 Member
    I've been eating lots of veggies, and chicken. I tried a bunless turkey burger the other day. I'm trying to eat more nutritious food.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    OP doesn't know how much she's eating, and doesn't know if she's losing or gaining weight.

    Wouldn't it make sense to figure those basic things out first, before offering "eat more" advice?
  • kaiiirogers94
    kaiiirogers94 Posts: 8 Member
    I'll weigh tonight and see what the scale says. If I haven't lost anything, I guess I will try to bump my calorie intake up, as much as it bothers me. Y'all are right, the goal is to be healthy. I don't want to get smaller the healthy way.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    I'll weigh tonight and see what the scale says. If I haven't lost anything, I guess I will try to bump my calorie intake up, as much as it bothers me. Y'all are right, the goal is to be healthy. I don't want to get smaller the healthy way.

    If you haven't lost anything, you're eating too much!


  • jenncornelsen
    jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    OP doesn't know how much she's eating, and doesn't know if she's losing or gaining weight.

    Wouldn't it make sense to figure those basic things out first, before offering "eat more" advice?

    even aiming for 1000 calories a day without weighing seems detrimental. this will be a huge drop from what she is used to and will not leave her feeling very well. if she lost nothing on this restrictive eating it wouldnt be just the weighing it would be not logging certain meals or foods at all.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
    Welcome.

    Your ticker says you've lost 20 pounds. You can continue to lose weight eating many more calories. Figure out what MFP would give you to lose 2 pounds a week and eat that, plus if you exercise eat your exercise calories back.

  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited April 2015
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    OP doesn't know how much she's eating, and doesn't know if she's losing or gaining weight.

    Wouldn't it make sense to figure those basic things out first, before offering "eat more" advice?

    even aiming for 1000 calories a day without weighing seems detrimental. this will be a huge drop from what she is used to and will not leave her feeling very well. if she lost nothing on this restrictive eating it wouldnt be just the weighing it would be not logging certain meals or foods at all.

    If she's not weighing, there is no way to know if "restrictive eating" is happening.

    If she's not losing, then the target is irrelevant because "restrictive eating" is not happening and she is in fact eating more than she thinks anyway. In this case, it would be a lot more.
  • kaiiirogers94
    kaiiirogers94 Posts: 8 Member
    But what does weighing them do? I don't understand. And it says I've lost 20 pounds because I thought I was 290, but I weighed Sunday and I was actually 270
  • LavenderLeaves
    LavenderLeaves Posts: 195 Member
    If you're 270 and only eat one meal a day...I'm guessing you're either a compulsive overeater or a binge eater. Either one of them can sabotage someone's food intake, because usually one of the other means we're eating some really calorie-dense foods either out of comfort or simply because we just mindlessly eat whatever might easiest.

    You may find that you only need to eat twice, or once a day, but IMO, I would suggest you find what you're most comfortable with. As someone who used to binge multiple times a week, I would get to the point of being ravenous and eat up to 5k within a few hours because at that point, I'm not looking for a balanced meal. I just want FOOD.

    Weighing your food is the only effective way to properly count your calories. Period. You might eat chicken, but unless you weigh it, you have no idea if you're eating 75 calories of it, or 300 calories of it. Guestimate calories when absolutely necessary, but if you're cooking at home, it's the only way to know. ESPECIALLY when you're eating calorie dense foods like cheese, oils/butter, or red meat.

    Honestly, a lot of what you said raised a few warning flags of some disordered thoughts. Perpetually under eating will likely end up sabotaging you, as a warning. You will eventually get hungry eating 1k calories and that will lead to overeating or binging at some point. This is why you should really stick to what MFP advises you to eat, calorie wise. Do not let yourself fall into the trap of feeling guilty over food. This isn't going to help you at all. Don't be afraid to eat. Don't beat yourself up because you eat things you don't deem "healthy." You're trying to lose weight to better your health and this requires an entire lifestyle change, and dieting mentality will really only end up hurting you in the long-term.

    I remember when I really made the effort to start eating 3 times a day, I felt like I was eating a ton. It was weird. I was also used to mostly eating one huge meal a day. Consistently eating multiple times a day was hard for me, but I gained the ability to 1) tell when I was actually hungry, not just being not-hungry/stuffed/ravenous. 2) I learned to be able to tell when I was approaching fullness, NOT just being uncomfortably stuffed. 3) Binges or serious bouts of overeating no longer are a point of anxiety for me, and happen less than 3 times a month during a "bad" month. 4) I'm still consistently losing.

    Almost 5 months in, and I can actually eat according to my body's hunger cues about 85% of the time. Some days I eat 2 meals, other days I eat 3. I can now save up calories without feeling like I'm necessarily starving myself for days I know I'm going to be eating out rather decadent meals and have them without guilt.

    And on the scale with your weight...then just weigh yourself once a month. If it makes you nervous to weigh yourself every week, don't do it. Simple as that. Everyone is different. Some people can weigh daily, or multiple times a week, and not be bother by it, some can't. Do what works for you.
  • jenncornelsen
    jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
    weighing foods in grams or oz on a food scale will we way more accurate than say cups and tablespoons
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Weighing the food tells you how much you're eating.

    Weighing yourself tells you if you're gaining or losing weight, which is important to know so the appropriate adjustments can be made.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    edited April 2015
    I am trying to lose weight. I'm female, 20, 5'1 and I weigh 270 pounds...
    I log everything into my app and it usually falls about 980-1000 calories.
    Can someone tell me if I am eating too or not enough, or a good amount?
    Here's a newbie help post I did, which compiles links to useful info.
    Start with sexypants.

    Then the second link, about accurate measuring & logging.

    Then the post about setting reasonable goals, including weight, calories, and macros.
    In that is a link to a BMI chart, which shows that a healthy weight range for your height is
    100 - 125 pounds.

    Also a link to this calculator from the Baylor College of Medicine, which takes into account your
    age, height, and activity level, PLUS it shows you how many servings of the various food groups
    you should be eating.
    That says that if you were _inactive_, in order to maintain a healthy weight of 125 lb you should
    be eating 1559 cal/day. So eat that much and you'll eventually get there.
    Looking at it the other way around, to maintain your current weight of 275, you'd need to eat
    2526 cal/day. If you subtract 1000, to lose 2 lb/week, you're at about the same calorie goal as above.
    As you hit plateaus, cut 50-100 cal at a time until you start losing again. Check with your doctor
    if it looks like you'll be going under 1000 (normally I'd say 1200, but you're short enough that
    100 lb is a healthy weight, so 1000 cal should be OK).
    You're enough above a healthy weight that it's reasonable and quite possible for you to lose at
    least 2 lb/week, probably a bit more at first. But remember that you didn't get fat overnight, and
    you're not going to get fit quickly either.

    .
    I don't know if I have lost weight or not, I don't like to step on the scale
    Then you should at least be taking measurements, though those results will be slower to see.
    You need to weigh yourself, at least once a week, to see if your current calorie intake is causing you
    to lose weight, maintain, or gain.
    Information is power. Control your body, don't let it control you because you're afraid of some numbers.

    Speaking of which, start at least measuring your foods, if not actually get a food scale & weigh them.
    You should only have to do it for a little while before you learn what a portion looks like.