Guilty About Eating
SarahSchirduan
Posts: 16 Member
Hi guys! I'm having a small hiccup with my weight loss. It seems that every time I eat something, I feel guilty, even if I'm still hungry after I finish my meals. I know for weight loss I am supposed to eat below my calories, so instead of eating the recommended 1,600cal, I am eating between 1,000 and 1,200, which is still in the normal range, so not sure why I'm still hungry. But I am still not losing weight while eating all the right foods. Is there anything that would help speed this up?
SW: 175lb
CW: 165lb (Past 10mo.)
GW: 120lb
SW: 175lb
CW: 165lb (Past 10mo.)
GW: 120lb
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Replies
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1000 calories is NOT in the "normal" range, especially at your weight. That's too little. Food is fuel. There should be no guilt as long as you're not stuffing your face. However, if you're not losing weight you're not at a deficit, so you may think you're eating 1000 to 1200 calories but you aren't. If I'm understanding correctly, you've been stalled for 10 months? Get yourself a food scale and you'll be shocked by how much you're actually eating. Also, there are no "right" foods.0
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1000 calories is not normal range. It's below normal. There are minimums for a reason. Your body is sending you signals for a reason, you know. They're not there just to be ignored.
How long has it been since you've lost weight?
I agree you should consider purchasing a food scale and weighing your food. It'll help tighten up your accuracy and help with your portions.
That being said, you should never feel guilty about eating. If you're feeling this way, perhaps you should seek out a professional to talk to. Undereating + guilt = red flags. You don't want to go down that path. Seriously. You don't.0 -
I use a food scale for every meal to make sure that I am eating proper portions for my bodyweight (4oz. meat per day, 4oz. greek yogurt for protein, etc.). And I thought it was so your body doesn't go into starvation mode...? Is it lower or higher?0
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No such thing as starvation mode. Also, for precision you should be weighing food in grams, not ounces. How long have you been using a food scale? How long have you been stalled? How long have you been eating 1000 to 1200 calories?0
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SarahSchirduan wrote: »I use a food scale for every meal to make sure that I am eating proper portions for my bodyweight (4oz. meat per day, 4oz. greek yogurt for protein, etc.). And I thought it was so your body doesn't go into starvation mode...? Is it lower or higher?
Starvation mode is a myth.
I wouldn't go by the bodyweight thing either. Just log whatever you eat into your diary and make it fit into your calorie goal. It's great to hit macro goals for nutritional reasons, but weight loss comes from having a calorie deficit. If you're not losing weight, you're not in a deficit. That's why most recommendations will be to weigh your food so that you can log as accurately as possible and that will show (within a margin of error) exactly how many calories you're eating.0 -
Oh alright, I must have been using it wrong. I've been trying to eat 1,000-1,200cal for about 7mo. and using the food scale for 6mo. with a weight stall of 10mo. Maybe I should also cut my calories to 800 to create the deficit? And I will switch my scale over to grams. Thank you so much!0
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Okay, so you definitely need to start weighing in grams. Also, by the information given it's pretty much confirmed now that you're eating way more than even 1200 calories. You should not have a 10 month stall on such a small amount. Do you exercise at all? Are you sedentary?0
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I work from 7am-10pm, but work out 5 days a week for 1hr.0
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Where did you get 1600? If that is the recommended calorie goal you got from mfp it that includes your deficit and that is what you should be eating to lose weight. If you are eating under 1200 you will be hungry. That is the minimum for women to eat. It is not healthy to go under 1200 on a regular basis. If mfp gave you 1600 then eat that and try not to feel guilty. I know it is hard but even when you are trying to lose you need to eat to fuel your body. Good luck! You can do it!0
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DO NOT go below 1000!!!! That is not healthy at all and the guilt you feel while eating combined with the low calorie intake and wanting to go lower is a huge red flag....0
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SarahSchirduan wrote: »Oh alright, I must have been using it wrong. I've been trying to eat 1,000-1,200cal for about 7mo. and using the food scale for 6mo. with a weight stall of 10mo. Maybe I should also cut my calories to 800 to create the deficit? And I will switch my scale over to grams. Thank you so much!
DO NOT cut your calories to 800. You've completely misunderstood.
Get your accuracy and logging down first. If you're not losing weight on (minimum) 1200 calories, after 4-6 weeks, then a visit to the doctor should be in order. NOT cutting your calories to dangerous levels.0 -
SarahSchirduan wrote: »I work from 7am-10pm, but work out 5 days a week for 1hr.
Do you eat back your exercise calories? Are you eating 1000 to 1200 total or net?0 -
No, just no. There was a period in my life where I was only netting 800(ish) calories (undiagnosed type 1 diabetes, which ended up causing my body to not metabolize almost all carbs), and close to three years later I'm still dealing with some of the effects of it (lots of muscle loss that decreased my BMR/RMR, hair loss, brittle skin and nails, sagging and loose skin, etc).SarahSchirduan wrote: »Oh alright, I must have been using it wrong. I've been trying to eat 1,000-1,200cal for about 7mo. and using the food scale for 6mo. with a weight stall of 10mo. Maybe I should also cut my calories to 800 to create the deficit? And I will switch my scale over to grams. Thank you so much!
You really should check out this link. At a bare MINIMUM, MFP wants people to eat at least 1200 calories (and if you're eating this little, you should also be eating back a majority of the calories you burn from exercising):
http://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/1575987-eating-disorder-resources0 -
then a visit to the doctor should be in order.
If you are properly measuring and logging your intake and not losing at your posted weight and calories you should definitely see a doctor.0 -
SarahSchirduan wrote: »Hi guys! I'm having a small hiccup with my weight loss. It seems that every time I eat something, I feel guilty, even if I'm still hungry after I finish my meals. I know for weight loss I am supposed to eat below my calories, so instead of eating the recommended 1,600cal, I am eating between 1,000 and 1,200, which is still in the normal range, so not sure why I'm still hungry. But I am still not losing weight while eating all the right foods. Is there anything that would help speed this up?
SW: 175lb
CW: 165lb (Past 10mo.)
GW: 120lb
You should be eating all of the calories MFP tells you to eat. They are already giving you a deficit to lose weight. Eating 400-500 calories less than that is unnecessary. You should not go below 1200. That is the minimum amount for adult women. If you exercise you can eat a portion of the calories you earn as well.
If you have not lost weight for 3-4 weeks check the accuracy of your logging. Measure and weigh all your food and drink. Be sure you are including things like cooking oils and condiments and choosing the correct entries from the database. It is unlikely you are really eating 1000- 1200 calories and not losing any weight at all.
If you are hungry and getting enough calories try changing the foods you are eating. Eat more protein, fats and fiber to help you feel more satisfied.
Feeling guilty over eating will not help you lose weight. Food is there to fuel your body. Everyone needs to eat. If you don't fuel yourself properly then you will not function well.0 -
I asked my doctor what was wrong and she said the only recommendation she had was to put me on steriods which would decrease my hunger which I'm not too comfortable doing.0
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SarahSchirduan wrote: »I work from 7am-10pm, but work out 5 days a week for 1hr.
Do you eat back your exercise calories? Are you eating 1000 to 1200 total or net?
I am eating 1,200 total on exercise days.0 -
SarahSchirduan wrote: »I asked my doctor what was wrong and she said the only recommendation she had was to put me on steriods which would decrease my hunger which I'm not too comfortable doing.
Then find a new doctor. Tell them your calorie intake, that you weigh the food, etc and you haven't lost weight in X amount of time. A good doctor will run blood tests (like thyroid, for example) to make sure you don't have anything going on that's hindering that weight loss.0 -
SarahSchirduan wrote: »I asked my doctor what was wrong and she said the only recommendation she had was to put me on steriods which would decrease my hunger which I'm not too comfortable doing.
Then find a new doctor. Tell them your calorie intake, that you weigh the food, etc and you haven't lost weight in X amount of time. A good doctor will run blood tests (like thyroid, for example) to make sure you don't have anything going on that's hindering that weight loss.
They ran blood tests and said everything was fine except that my blood pressure was at risk for being high, but is currently in the proper range.0 -
If all this is the case then you need to get a second opinion because apparently you are a statistical anomaly with regard to weight loss and the human body.0
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If all this is the case then you need to get a second opinion because apparently you are a statistical anomaly with regard to weight loss and the human body.
This is why I was so confused and feeling guilty! I felt like I must be doing something wrong because everything came up normal! My doctor said, "Maybe your body was just meant to hold on to 45 extra pounds" which I don't think is very healthy for a 5'4" 22yr old.
I really appreciate these responses everyone!0 -
If all this is the case then you need to get a second opinion because apparently you are a statistical anomaly with regard to weight loss and the human body.
Agreed.
If I plug in your weight for a 5' tall 65 year old woman who is sedentary the daily calories for maintenance are 1458. That would mean you, with no exercise, would have a deficit of 258 calories a day X 300 days = 77,400 /3,500 calories in a pound of fat = a loss of about 22 pounds.
That is pretty much worst case.
You can plug in your actual info here:
https://tdeecalculator.net/0 -
SarahSchirduan wrote: »If all this is the case then you need to get a second opinion because apparently you are a statistical anomaly with regard to weight loss and the human body.
This is why I was so confused and feeling guilty! I felt like I must be doing something wrong because everything came up normal! My doctor said, "Maybe your body was just meant to hold on to 45 extra pounds" which I don't think is very healthy for a 5'4" 22yr old.
I really appreciate these responses everyone!
That doctor needs their license revoked. Really though, I really hope you find the answers you seek, but in the meantime PLEASE eat more calories. You're not losing, but you're not gaining either, so at least there is that! Then go get a second opinion. This is not normal and you should not have to go on a very low calorie diet to achieve weight loss. In fact, that will do more harm to your body than good.0 -
SarahSchirduan wrote: »If all this is the case then you need to get a second opinion because apparently you are a statistical anomaly with regard to weight loss and the human body.
This is why I was so confused and feeling guilty! I felt like I must be doing something wrong because everything came up normal! My doctor said, "Maybe your body was just meant to hold on to 45 extra pounds" which I don't think is very healthy for a 5'4" 22yr old.
I really appreciate these responses everyone!
That doctor needs their license revoked. Really though, I really hope you find the answers you seek, but in the meantime PLEASE eat more calories. You're not losing, but you're not gaining either, so at least there is that! Then go get a second opinion. This is not normal and you should not have to go on a very low calorie diet to achieve weight loss. In fact, that will do more harm to your body than good.
This.
Your doctor isn't good if they're telling you your body wants to hold on to 45 extra pounds. No reputable doctor would ever say that.0 -
Thank you so much! I think I'm going to look into a nutritionist then since they specialize in this. Another reason for the low calorie count was because a lot of my friends were telling me it's better to just eat one meal since I was eating 5 small ones, which confused me to hell! But we can't all be 100lbs and live off one meal a day!0
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Steroids make you hungry they do not decrease appetite.....does you health proffesional actually have a medical degree.0
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And yes, I'm super happy that my weight isn't going up!!0
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SarahSchirduan wrote: »Thank you so much! I think I'm going to look into a nutritionist then since they specialize in this. Another reason for the low calorie count was because a lot of my friends were telling me it's better to just eat one meal since I was eating 5 small ones, which confused me to hell! But we can't all be 100lbs and live off one meal a day!
Rather than a nutritionist, seek out a registered dietitian.0 -
SarahSchirduan wrote: »Thank you so much! I think I'm going to look into a nutritionist then since they specialize in this. Another reason for the low calorie count was because a lot of my friends were telling me it's better to just eat one meal since I was eating 5 small ones, which confused me to hell! But we can't all be 100lbs and live off one meal a day!
Rather than a nutritionist, seek out a registered dietitian.
Yeah, I'm going to look into one that is both so I know it isn't someone who is just speaking crap. And my doctor has a license, she owns her own practice, but doesn't really major in nutrition and weight loss.0 -
Where did you get 1600? If that is the recommended calorie goal you got from mfp it that includes your deficit and that is what you should be eating to lose weight. If you are eating under 1200 you will be hungry. That is the minimum for women to eat. It is not healthy to go under 1200 on a regular basis. If mfp gave you 1600 then eat that and try not to feel guilty. I know it is hard but even when you are trying to lose you need to eat to fuel your body. Good luck! You can do it!
Sorry, just saw this quote. I thought that was the total before cutting calories. That makes a lot of sense! Thank you.0
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