Something I can't get my head round.

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24

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  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    Whilst its completely alien to me, you need to take into account that there are people who gave a different relationship with food and are the other way. There are also those who go from eating way over to the extreme of overdoing it and convincing themselves they should be eating too much under.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Hunger is also affected by hormones. Restricting calories can affect these.
    Many anorexics report not feeling hungry. I do believe that a lot of people who start off dieting with a large deficit may not experience hunger at first. That is also why a lot of people do really well with strict diets for a short time, then end up cracking and overeating.
    This is also why I have a problem with the whole "I'm not hungry so I must be eating enough" line of thinking. That isn't always the case. Hunger is not always a reliable indicator.
  • PostExamsHealthBinge
    PostExamsHealthBinge Posts: 26 Member
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    I used to get by on 1200 calories a week (before you all freak I don't anymore), and it honestly isn't that hard. There's a mental barrier you pass through determination/hard work and you can just no longer see food as a need anymore but a treat. So it's as if there isn't any food, the same feeling you get when you are sat on a train with no access to food except you could be in a restaurant and still not comprehend there being food. It's just decoration and no something you actually consume (the same could apply to certain foods for example crisps or chocolate) Also your stomach shrinks which does help quite a lot.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    edited April 2015
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    PostExamsHealthBinge wrote: »
    I used to get by on 1200 calories a week (before you all freak I don't anymore), and it honestly isn't that hard. There's a mental barrier you pass through determination/hard work and you can just no longer see food as a need anymore but a treat. So it's as if there isn't any food, the same feeling you get when you are sat on a train with no access to food except you could be in a restaurant and still not comprehend there being food. It's just decoration and no something you actually consume (the same could apply to certain foods for example crisps or chocolate) Also your stomach shrinks which does help quite a lot.

    There are people who can get to the point of seeing food as fuel and that is it. I never could.
    I dieted for a bodybuilding show and followed a very strict diet. It never got to the point where it wasn't hard. I definitely broke through that mental barrier and was able to keep going. I mean, not every day was really hard, some days were easier than others but I enjoy food. I was successful short term, but I could never do that long term. And for it to work after you reach goal, it is going to have to be a mentality that you keep. I like to go out for a good meal. I like making meals, trying new recipes and new food. I don't want to give that up.

  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
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    I can see how it could happen if you set up arbitrary eating rules to follow...like "no eating after 7". I regularly eat very little before 6pm (under 500), but then make up for it between 8-11 pm, reaching 1500-1800cals or more if I went crazy with the cardio that day. If I followed the popular myth that you can't eat after x time - I'd be screwed.
  • MamaRiss
    MamaRiss Posts: 481 Member
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    I'm one of those people. When I started out last year the first couple weeks it was hard for me to not go over my goal. But then for a couple weeks, I just wasn't hungry at all. I literally had to force myself to eat. At that time I believe my goal was around 1500, and I would end up only getting in around 1200. Thankfully that phase didn't last long and my brain, stomach, and hormones all got on the same page. After a couple months of not really tracking, I have restarted my weightloss, and a week in I wasn't hungry most days. Just one of those things that some people go through, and others don't understand
  • laropmet
    laropmet Posts: 52 Member
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    I have to admit I'm one of those fat people that eat nothing but chicken salads all day, but you better believe you won't see me on here going "Oh no I can't make my diet target" I'm more likely to be saying "Ooooh I've got room for a kitkat."
  • Angiefit4life
    Angiefit4life Posts: 210 Member
    edited April 2015
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    It's very simple actually! My goal is .5 per week and MFP cal is 1240 before I would eat fast food sometimes 2 X a day. I actually feel like I eat more now. Last night I had 6 oz steak, sweet potato and salad was still within my calorie goal. I actually figured it out once my old way by lunch I had reach 1400 calories. It's about choices in moderation. I have chocolate heck last week I had an Arby sand and salad. So it can be done and be satisfying. I have lost 31# in 5 months.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Before MFP, I ate out a lot, and was probably consuming 3,000 calories a day, which got me to .2 oz. under 170 lbs. (5'2", yikes!). But then I stopped eating out and found foods which filled me up. Some are high calorie, such as avocado, but when it's part of an otherwise low calorie salad, it evens out. Others are low calorie, such as Greek yogurt. And yes, there are days I go over, but since I was under for the past four days, it's all good.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    The other day, I messed around with breakfast and lunch such that I had only almost all protein left for dinner. I ate more pork loin than I had in more than a year. It was a lot of pork and I wasn't sure if I could finish it. Granted, I'm eating more than 1200 but I can see how someone might have trouble eating 1200 calories of chicken breast and broccoli.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    The other day, I messed around with breakfast and lunch such that I had only almost all protein left for dinner. I ate more pork loin than I had in more than a year. It was a lot of pork and I wasn't sure if I could finish it. Granted, I'm eating more than 1200 but I can see how someone might have trouble eating 1200 calories of chicken breast and broccoli.

    I don't know ANYONE who could eat that much of only chicken breast and broccoli! Oh, my, no wonder so many people fall off of strict diets!
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    Because people go from one extreme (over eating) to another extreme (under eating). They inadvertently (or maybe even on purpose) overcompensate.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    Exactly!
  • eukleja
    eukleja Posts: 29 Member
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    Before MFP, I ate crap food. But I didn't eat a lot of it. I've never been able to eat a lot in one sitting but I got fat because what I did eat was crap (burgers, pastas, pizza, desserts loaded with sugar, etc). Since I switched to 75% clean eating or so, I'm still eating the same AMOUNT of food, just less calories. And since I won't allow myself to eat burgers and crap, some days it's hard to get to 1200 calories.

    I also don't know if anyone mentioned it, but I tend to be busy during the day and eat more of my calories at night... My breakfast is 175-225 calories, lunch is 330 calories, and dinner is about 450 calories. If I have a snack, it'll be 100-200 calories depending on what it is. But if I never get hungry enough/I'm too busy to have my snack, that leaves me needing 100-200 calories and if I had a late dinner, I'm still full and trying to figure out if I should force feed myself, or just deal with the fact that I'm short that day...
  • MaternalCopulator
    MaternalCopulator Posts: 125 Member
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    Something I can't get my head round.... a whole watermelon.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    eukleja wrote: »
    Before MFP, I ate crap food. But I didn't eat a lot of it. I've never been able to eat a lot in one sitting but I got fat because what I did eat was crap (burgers, pastas, pizza, desserts loaded with sugar, etc). Since I switched to 75% clean eating or so, I'm still eating the same AMOUNT of food, just less calories. And since I won't allow myself to eat burgers and crap, some days it's hard to get to 1200 calories.

    I also don't know if anyone mentioned it, but I tend to be busy during the day and eat more of my calories at night... My breakfast is 175-225 calories, lunch is 330 calories, and dinner is about 450 calories. If I have a snack, it'll be 100-200 calories depending on what it is. But if I never get hungry enough/I'm too busy to have my snack, that leaves me needing 100-200 calories and if I had a late dinner, I'm still full and trying to figure out if I should force feed myself, or just deal with the fact that I'm short that day...

    Sounds like my day!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited April 2015
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    I can see how someone might have trouble eating 1200 calories of chicken breast and broccoli, but not how someone can have trouble eating WAY more than that, especially if they are overweight - nor how the idea "ask the forum" can be a more obvious solution than "oh, I'll just eat something of what I used to eat" :s

    In my opinion it has to be mostly humblebragging. People can't be that unimaginative?
  • kellysdavies
    kellysdavies Posts: 160 Member
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    It's worth noting that some people are very short and some people don't *need* as many calories as other people. I am short. I only burn about 1500-1700 calories a day. So this is the maximum I can eat (assuming no exercise) without putting on weight over time. To lose weight at around 1lb a week, I can only eat around 1000-1200 calories a day and I'm still at the top end of my healthy weight range.
    So I have to make those calories count and mostly choose protein and fats to keep me full. Low calorie 'diet' foods don't work for me.
    Being short sucks!
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,771 Member
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    There's a degree of self-flagellation that happens sometimes, as well as a learning curve for what really works for you. I ate under 1000 most days for a few months. Currently, I am eating 1400-1700 calories and exercising every day and losing as fast as I was starving myself.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    kellysdavies wrote: »
    It's worth noting that some people are very short and some people don't *need* as many calories as other people. I am short. I only burn about 1500-1700 calories a day. So this is the maximum I can eat (assuming no exercise) without putting on weight over time. To lose weight at around 1lb a week, I can only eat around 1000-1200 calories a day and I'm still at the top end of my healthy weight range.
    So I have to make those calories count and mostly choose protein and fats to keep me full. Low calorie 'diet' foods don't work for me.
    Being short sucks!

    I do understand that some people need fewer calories. I thought it was more about those people who can't reach their calorie goals particularly when they are lower.

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