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Will not eating enough really stop me from losing weight? Suggestions please!

123457

Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,420 MFP Moderator
    OP, please understand where we are coming from. Many of us have been here for quite some time and a few things are consistently come out of these threads. People are not consistent in their diaries and they are not accurate with their counts (even me, a 6 year veteran still can under report their calories easily) . The videos demonstrate that even further. Ultimately, you have to understand the underlying systematic issues and address those first. Once they are address, then we can do things such as alter macros and evaluate your entire plan. I truly hope you come back and we can help get you on the path to success.
  • IILikeToMoveItMoveIt
    IILikeToMoveItMoveIt Posts: 1,172 Member
    strong_curves wrote: »
    I used to think I didn't eat much until I started accurately logging everything I eat and drink here in MFP. You should watch this video, very eye opening:

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=KA9AdlhB18o

    I remember seeing this on Public Tv a while back. I'm glad you posted it. I suffer from calorie amnesia if I don't immediately write down what I eat. I have notebooks and two wipe boards, one for meal computations and one for daily/weekly logging. It's no joke! You gotta be honest about yourself and work around your tendencies! Great video!
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    edited August 2015
    strong_curves wrote: »
    I still don't see where anyone was being mean.

    Anyway, if she would have just watched the video I posted all the way back on page one she would have gotten a greater understanding of what her issue might be. There's so much great information here on MFP if people would only take the time to educate themselves. Tons of stickies in almost every forum that the OP could read, there's a great search feature here that could/should be utilized if she has any questions that she wants answered. Someone gets 1 answer that's not to their liking and then everyone on MFP is labelled a bully, even when the OP gets nasty themselves!

    Whenever it happens I tend to think that the OP is so frustrated with themselves that they let their emotions get to them and they think that anything other than sympathy or coddling is a personal attack. In the end they are only hurting themselves because they would rather focus on becoming defensive instead of looking at the information and using it to help them find solutions. I'm hoping that she is able to calm down and reread the thread and take the advice, but I'm not holding my breath.
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,765 Member
    IILikeToMoveItMoveIt wrote: »
    strong_curves wrote: »
    I used to think I didn't eat much until I started accurately logging everything I eat and drink here in MFP. You should watch this video, very eye opening:

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=KA9AdlhB18o

    I remember seeing this on Public Tv a while back. I'm glad you posted it. I suffer from calorie amnesia if I don't immediately write down what I eat. I have notebooks and two wipe boards, one for meal computations and one for daily/weekly logging. It's no joke! You gotta be honest about yourself and work around your tendencies! Great video!

    I keep a notebook next to my kitchen too. :)
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    justrollme wrote: »
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    If someone is discouraged by facts, her chance of success is already minimal, whether she jets or not. Enabling and coddling doesn't have a perfect track record, either.

    Responding to someone in a sensitive manner does not mean it is enabling or coddling. o/
    @justrollme

    You keep saying this.

    OP posted something that is physically impossible. There is no way -- no way at all -- she got to 300 pounds eating 1177 calories a day. It just didn't happen. That's indisputable. So, tell me this: How would you tell the OP this fact in what you consider to be a non-offensive way?
  • SaffronSunrise
    SaffronSunrise Posts: 182 Member
    I haven't been here long, but I've learned so much from reading other threads. Just a few months ago I fully believed in "starvation mode" but after reading so many threads, it really doesn't make sense. I started weighing everything on my scale and my eyes were opened. Peanut butter broke my heart a little. Another thing that I've learned is that I can fool myself about what I'm eating, but I can't fool my body. My body knows every single thing I put into it and is the best calorie calculator. Too much and BAM!!! While I stare at the scale thinking. "Nuh-Uh..."
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    SaffronSunrise wrote: »
    I haven't been here long, but I've learned so much from reading other threads. Just a few months ago I fully believed in "starvation mode" but after reading so many threads, it really doesn't make sense. I started weighing everything on my scale and my eyes were opened. Peanut butter broke my heart a little. Another thing that I've learned is that I can fool myself about what I'm eating, but I can't fool my body. My body knows every single thing I put into it and is the best calorie calculator. Too much and BAM!!! While I stare at the scale thinking. "Nuh-Uh..."
    This is exactly right. And the sooner one stops fooling oneself, the sooner one can start making progress. If someone can't be told she's fooling herself -- not "lying," but fooling herself -- without appearing "mean" or "insensitive" or "offensive" then you're almost certainly sacrificing a chance for success for the sake of using nice words, though the outcome isn't very nice.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    Welcome to MyFitnessPal!

    Checking out your diary, that is a little low for your calories. If you're not hungry, you don't have to force yourself to eat if you're under your daily recommendation. It typically isn't sustainable to eat like that over the long term. Sure, a day here and there are fine. In fact, I try to even out my calories for the whole week. I eat under maintenance (in a calorie deficit) Sunday-Thursday so that I can have a little extra food on Friday and Saturday. I would only change the course if you go 7+ days at >1,500 calories and accurate logging.

    I noticed your diary uses measuring spoons and not a food scale. It's not critical, although you might find it easier to use a food scale. You put the bread on the plate, weigh, log weight, then hit TARRE to zero out the scale. Then you put the peanut butter directly on the bread. Log the weight... hit TARRE.. etc. You don't dirty up as many spoons. It can also be more accurate for high calorie foods, like butter, peanut butter, nuts, cheese, etc.

    You also probably don't want to log Cleaning as exercise. Regular activity like cleaning, pulling weeds in a small garden, etc. are included in your Activity Level on MyFitnessPal. The discriminator I use- would I put on a sports bra and stretch before this activity? If yes, I log it as exercise. If not, it's part of my daily activity.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    edited August 2015
    SaffronSunrise wrote: »
    I haven't been here long, but I've learned so much from reading other threads. Just a few months ago I fully believed in "starvation mode" but after reading so many threads, it really doesn't make sense. I started weighing everything on my scale and my eyes were opened. Peanut butter broke my heart a little. Another thing that I've learned is that I can fool myself about what I'm eating, but I can't fool my body. My body knows every single thing I put into it and is the best calorie calculator. Too much and BAM!!! While I stare at the scale thinking. "Nuh-Uh..."

    And THIS is why the knowledgeable members here take the time to do what they do! It's not just for whoever started the thread, but, as importantly, it's for the many people new to weight management that are only reading AND LEARNING at this stage. Hopefully a thread like this can help them avoid the pitfalls that are all too common when starting out - ones that many of us struggled with, too.

    So even if the OP storms off in a huff of denial, the solid information and help given in a thread like this will hopefully stand to give the other innumerable new members that are just lurking and learning the information they will need to succeed.

    Oh, and the search engine is a wonderful thing. If people used it more they could get most (if not all!) of their questions answered without the potential for butthurtness. ;)
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    litnbug wrote: »
    I don't have a very big appetite, ironic as that may be in a woman weighing 300 lbs. I know I don't eat correctly, but aren't calories calories, regardless of where they come from. As I've started this change today, I am going to make a conscious effort to eat better, but I still don't see me eating as many calories as is recommended. Suggestions please!!

    Congrats on starting your weight loss journey!

    Yes, calories are calories. Not eating enough makes you lose weight not gain.

    Eating better has nothing to do with weight loss, it's calories in/calories out only.

    You are eating more than you realize. I'm sure someone downstream has posted some of the standard advice or videos about eating more than is realized. :)

  • kb3aka
    kb3aka Posts: 14 Member
    edited August 2015
    Your body needs fuel on a consistent basis. To go long periods of time without eating slows down metabolism and your body will store what it thinks it needs as fat reserves. The type of calories you consume does make a difference. Increasing protein, decreasing sugars, increasing water intake (or other 0 calorie drinks like hot tea), and exercising can have a tremendous impact. Definitely check with your doctor to see if there are any particular nutrient deficiencies and take vitamins/supplements if necessary. Also be cautious of eating too close to bedtime, which should be a time for your body to rest and not time for your organs to have to do more work digesting food.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    kb3aka wrote: »
    Your body needs fuel on a consistent basis. To go long periods of time without eating slows down metabolism and your body will store what it thinks it needs as fat reserves. The type of calories you consume does make a difference. Increasing protein, decreasing sugars, increasing water intake (or other 0 calorie drinks like hot tea), and exercising can have a tremendous impact. Also be cautious of eating too close to bedtime, which should be a time for your body to rest and not time for your organs to have to do more work digesting food.)
    The only way this could be more wrong would be to be longer.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,420 MFP Moderator
    kb3aka wrote: »
    Your body needs fuel on a consistent basis. To go long periods of time without eating slows down metabolism and your body will store what it thinks it needs as fat reserves. The type of calories you consume does make a difference. Increasing protein, decreasing sugars, increasing water intake (or other 0 calorie drinks like hot tea), and exercising can have a tremendous impact. Definitely check with your doctor to see if there are any particular nutrient deficiencies and take vitamins/supplements if necessary. Also be cautious of eating too close to bedtime, which should be a time for your body to rest and not time for your organs to have to do more work digesting food.

    Your body can go 72 hours without food before having any metabolic adaptation. Also, food prior to bed has no impact on weight loss (that myth has been dispelled for quite some time). Eating closer to bedtime only affects those who get heartburn or indigestion from it, aka, it will mess up your sleep cycle. But your body will consistently metabolism food.

  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    kb3aka wrote: »
    Your body needs fuel on a consistent basis. To go long periods of time without eating slows down metabolism and your body will store what it thinks it needs as fat reserves. The type of calories you consume does make a difference. Increasing protein, decreasing sugars, increasing water intake (or other 0 calorie drinks like hot tea), and exercising can have a tremendous impact. Definitely check with your doctor to see if there are any particular nutrient deficiencies and take vitamins/supplements if necessary. Also be cautious of eating too close to bedtime, which should be a time for your body to rest and not time for your organs to have to do more work digesting food.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrjwaqZfjIY
  • sherbear702
    sherbear702 Posts: 649 Member
    strong_curves wrote: »
    I used to think I didn't eat much until I started accurately logging everything I eat and drink here in MFP. You should watch this video, very eye opening:

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=KA9AdlhB18o

    Great video!!! Thank you for sharing. This is a real eye opener for those who think they're tracking everything.

    Oh, and I also want some of that isotope water. How cool would that be if we could do that at home?
  • KarlaH9801
    KarlaH9801 Posts: 362 Member
    Ang108 wrote: »
    kkenseth wrote: »
    Nevermind. I found it. OP, do you usually skip breakfast?

    Breakfast is a personal choice, nothing more. It does not " jump start " one's metabolism every morning, it does not provide extra energy, it's just a nice ( or often hurried ) meal if people prefer.
    Meal frequency is a personal choice.
    I ate breakfast ( and did not like it ) for 65 years, because supposedly it was " the most important meal of the day ". When I joined MFP two years ago, I learned otherwise and stopped eating breakfast and now eat two large meals a day. As a volume eater that makes me happy and sticking to the program has become easier for me.
    I have lost 65 plus pounds by doing 18:6 and cutting out breakfast. Of course anyone's mileage varies, but breakfast is not a " must " for weight loss and /or healthy living.
    Exactly the same for me-except not 65 years ;-) If I eat breakfast, I am hungry ALL DAY LONG!!!! If I wait until 11 or 12 to eat, I am happy with 2 meals and maybe a snack. And I can much better stay within my calories. Which makes me a happy momma.

  • Soopatt
    Soopatt Posts: 563 Member
    This is all pretty sad, but fascinating at the same time. Someone should do a study. MFP seems to be the place where all sorts of interesting patterns of emotional behavior can be observed, when it comes to obesity.

    I have been around 4 months and have read dozens of these threads and the OP often gets huffy - either at the suggestion that they could tighten their logging, or at the suggestion that whatever crazy fad they want to undertake is not going to get support (remember the egg only thread?).

    I am also one of the bunch of people who came in with all sorts of silly ideas and slowly shed them, but absorbing information from this community. I am glad I saved myself the "it's not working" post though - not because anyone has been mean (I don't see that), but because I would have felt awkward later when I did a bit of forum reading and started to notice what I might be doing wrong. I saved face by figuring out most of it on my own.

    I started off thinking I could eye-ball. I had no idea and was underestimating by 100 or 200%. Then I thought a non-digital scale was good enough. Wrong again - those things are useless! I also thought milk in my coffee didn't count somehow and that I could guess sauces and liquids. No, no, no. Notice, I am only being mean to myself here. I was ignorant of the rules, so I feel I can mock myself from a distance.

    (If you are quietly reading this OP, if you check out other threads, you will see that it is not personal - think of the new recruit in the army who makes his bed badly - you get attention when you are new and don't know the way of things, but it really does help to improve your results, I promise)
  • longtimeterp
    longtimeterp Posts: 614 Member
    litnbug wrote: »
    You know, this is really starting to aggravate me. I don't understand why you all would think I would lie about what I'm eating and then ask for advice. As far as medical problems, there are none that I know of, and I have had several different things checked including my thyroid, and was very let down when I found out it was normal.

    Seriously? this is some disordered thinking. Stopped reading further.
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