Need help understanding?

marxistence
marxistence Posts: 3
edited September 28 in Health and Weight Loss
i'm a 21 year old woman, 5'3, fluctuating between 159lbs and 157. it's taken me since march 29th of this year to get where i'm at, simply because i've been going through a lot of restricting and bingeing cycles. i recently made the choice to do this healthier, but when i do eat, i more than likely try to exercise all the calories out of my body. one night i exercised for two hours.
obviously, i can't do this anymore.

yesterday, i had 1048cals, which is the most i have ever put into my body deliberately. i was anxious and sick, and i actually didn't exercise that night, and the next morning i was lighter. i've read lots of websites where they describe exactly why you should eat more and how something like 1200 won't make you gain, but i just can't wrap my mind around it. i see a number like that and i cringe. but i lost weight. should i keep eating at least 1000 and only doing light exercise, or just one exercise a night, or should i try and give my body a few days of no exercise and eating healthily? and will i gain? i went from 178; that was my starting weight.

Replies

  • ashlinmarie
    ashlinmarie Posts: 1,263 Member
    You should have a minimum of 1200 calories daily to feed your body and keep it from going into starvation mode and help your metabolism and if you exercise, you should eat back those calories as well. I know I had trouble eating over 800 cals when I started, but if you find calorie dense but healthy snacks (such as nuts, trailmix, peanut butter, etc) you don't have to eat much to get where you need to be and it makes things much easier. I now eat between 1500 and 1800 calories daily and bike for 40 mins to an hour. If I do a class at the gym, I eat around 2000 calories. It looks like a lot but my body feels better when I eat that much.
  • GooBeGone
    GooBeGone Posts: 439 Member
    u should eat approximately 1200calories daily and that's just to fuel ur body for day to day living. if u exercise THEN u need 2 eat more.

    think of it like ur body is a car. if u fill up the gas tank and do ur day 2 day drivin then u're good, but if u decide 2 take a road trip u'll need to replenish some of that fuel or u'll "tank out"

    so don't exercise out all of ur calories. u're body will pretty much try 2 retain as much body fat as it can b/c if u exercise ALL of ur calories out it'll think it's starvin.

    hope this helps :flowerforyou:
  • slphill1
    slphill1 Posts: 1
    i think that how much you work out should reflect how much you eat, i'm not an expert and am struggling with my weight too and i know its really hard, but i dont exercise that much so i only eat around 1200-1300 cals a day and i have lost 8lbs in the past 2 wks. i think you should eat a bit more.............a banana is around 100 calories but there is no fat in it so maybe get your calorie intake up by eating a filling fruit such as a banana or maybe low fat yoghurt with it, and you wont be outting any fat into your body just sustinance for your work out regime. :)
  • Wendyma1
    Wendyma1 Posts: 289 Member
    Thanks for posting this question. I was having problems understanding this as well! I have a hard time too eating 1200 calories, then, when I exercise, I'm supposed to eat more to make up for those. I know about starvation mode, but some days I feel I cant eat that much. Maybe that is why my scale hasnt really budged even though I have been exercising like a fiend. Thanks Goobegone for that awesome information. Makes sense!
  • busymomoffour
    busymomoffour Posts: 10 Member
    a little peanut butter with the banana will provide both fat and protein - and tastes good! :-)
  • GooBeGone
    GooBeGone Posts: 439 Member
    if u're need 2 eat calories & feel like u can't eat enuff 2 get to 1200 calories u can always eat 1 tablespoon or two of peanut butter. that's approximately 200calories right there. :smile:
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    You should have a minimum of 1200 calories daily to feed your body and keep it from going into starvation mode and help your metabolism and if you exercise, you should eat back those calories as well. I know I had trouble eating over 800 cals when I started, but if you find calorie dense but healthy snacks (such as nuts, trailmix, peanut butter, etc) you don't have to eat much to get where you need to be and it makes things much easier. I now eat between 1500 and 1800 calories daily and bike for 40 mins to an hour. If I do a class at the gym, I eat around 2000 calories. It looks like a lot but my body feels better when I eat that much.

    This!!

    Too many people confuse eating more calories with eating more foods. I eat virtually 2000 calories every day...and I don't have to stretch at ALL until I start getting up around 2500cal (that's like a WHOLE extra meal lol!). Calorie dense foods, peanut butter (natural tyvm!), avacados, meats and such...are all extremely good for you and can certainly boost your calorie count. When I am too low I toss in a couple ounces of cashews or almonds. Two 1oz servings of cashews is 320cal! And don't be scared of fats! As long as it's not trans fat...and you're eating mostly whole foods...fat is nothing to worry about.

    Also...don't be scared of gaining 1lb or even 3lbs when you start eating healthy! Your body will need time to process the new input...and correct its method of attack now that you'll be fueling it properly =D.
    i think that how much you work out should reflect how much you eat, i'm not an expert and am struggling with my weight too and i know its really hard, but i dont exercise that much so i only eat around 1200-1300 cals a day and i have lost 8lbs in the past 2 wks. i think you should eat a bit more.............a banana is around 100 calories but there is no fat in it so maybe get your calorie intake up by eating a filling fruit such as a banana or maybe low fat yoghurt with it, and you wont be outting any fat into your body just sustinance for your work out regime. :)

    Be careful with very fast absorbing carb loaded foods like bananas. I only eat them post workout...when I need carbs to refill my glycogen depleted muscles. If they aren't used immediately...they spike insulin and most often go straight to fat.

    Cris
  • GooBeGone
    GooBeGone Posts: 439 Member
    a little peanut butter with the banana will provide both fat and protein - and tastes good! :-)

    haha!! busymomoffour beat me 2 the punch! :laugh:
  • marxistence
    marxistence Posts: 3
    wow, you guys are all so helpful and quick! thank you! :)
  • TAWoody
    TAWoody Posts: 261 Member
    I'm confused...the most you've ever eaten in 1 day is less than 1100 calories? I call major bull. How did you gain so much weight if you're eating so little.
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    i think that how much you work out should reflect how much you eat, i'm not an expert and am struggling with my weight too and i know its really hard, but i dont exercise that much so i only eat around 1200-1300 cals a day and i have lost 8lbs in the past 2 wks. i think you should eat a bit more.............a banana is around 100 calories but there is no fat in it so maybe get your calorie intake up by eating a filling fruit such as a banana or maybe low fat yoghurt with it, and you wont be outting any fat into your body just sustinance for your work out regime. :)

    a banana is more likely to store as fat than eating "fats".
    Why do people assume "low fat" is good? fats you eat do not automatically mean fat on your body. High GI carbs are more likely the culprit. I would rather put a tablespoon of olive oil on my food than eat a slice of white bread.

    You need at LEAST 1200 calories bare MINIMUM of healthy fats, lean proteins and complex carbs (no white stuff).
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    I'm confused...the most you've ever eaten in 1 day is less than 1100 calories? I call major bull. How did you gain so much weight if you're eating so little.

    notice she said "intentionally".

    She mentioned a binge disorder, so the gaining came from starvation resulting in a very trashed metabolism, then a binge going straight to weight gain, rinse and repeat. It's a vicious cycle.

    The only way to fix it is to fix your metabolism. Eat MORE than 1200 EVERY day of HEALTHY food
  • Mommyof3texans
    Mommyof3texans Posts: 347
    I hope I can set your mind at ease. I started this journey with a 1200 calorie goal and that worked kind of slowly at first but was losing. It actually took me going up to 1300 to really start losing on a regular basis. My exercise right now is strictly running every other day burning an average of around 300 calories each time. I eat as few processed foods as possible and try hard to choose very healthy foods to make up that 1300-1600 I eat each day. I have lost consistently over the past 6 weeks since doing this with only 1 week at a small loss but most weeks were close to 1lb give or take.

    It seems counter intuitive, but if you think about it...your body needs calories JUST to do its usual daily functions not to mention any exercise or movement you make. Even at 1200 calories, you will have a calorie deficit which means weight loss.
  • TAWoody
    TAWoody Posts: 261 Member
    I'm confused...the most you've ever eaten in 1 day is less than 1100 calories? I call major bull. How did you gain so much weight if you're eating so little.

    notice she said "intentionally".

    She mentioned a binge disorder, so the gaining came from starvation resulting in a very trashed metabolism, then a binge going straight to weight gain, rinse and repeat. It's a vicious cycle.

    The only way to fix it is to fix your metabolism. Eat MORE than 1200 EVERY day of HEALTHY food

    Thank you. I didn't know that lead to weight gain. Keep up the good work marxistence!
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    i think that how much you work out should reflect how much you eat, i'm not an expert and am struggling with my weight too and i know its really hard, but i dont exercise that much so i only eat around 1200-1300 cals a day and i have lost 8lbs in the past 2 wks. i think you should eat a bit more.............a banana is around 100 calories but there is no fat in it so maybe get your calorie intake up by eating a filling fruit such as a banana or maybe low fat yoghurt with it, and you wont be outting any fat into your body just sustinance for your work out regime. :)

    a banana is more likely to store as fat than eating "fats".
    Why do people assume "low fat" is good? fats you eat do not automatically mean fat on your body. High GI carbs are more likely the culprit. I would rather put a tablespoon of olive oil on my food than eat a slice of white bread.

    You need at LEAST 1200 calories bare MINIMUM of healthy fats, lean proteins and complex carbs (no white stuff).

    This!

    The same for cholesterol.
  • marxistence
    marxistence Posts: 3
    thanks. it's an ugly cycle. i didn't purge anything; i just restricted, sometimes as eating as low as 300cals a day, and then 800-900+ a day on the weekends. depressing, because i'd lose weight and then gain it all back, and then some. looking at 1000 makes me cringe, still, because i still can't fathom deliberately counting all of that and then eating it. it's a binge. however, this is my third day of eating (or trying) to eat healthy, and i'm working my way up to 1200 or more.

    you're all so helpful and kind :)
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