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Calorie Deficit vs Starving Yourself
Replies
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The difference depends on What your metabolic rate is. I thought 1500 calories a day would be okay for me for weight loss, but I felt like I was starving all the time and would then overeat. I got my resting metabolic rate tested and it turned out that my metabolism is 35% higher than other women my height and weight. I need about 1800-2000 calories a day to lose 1.5-2 lbs a week. Therefore, 1500 was starving for ME. Or at least it felt like it, and I certainly couldn't stick to it!
You were hungry at 1500. That does not equate to starving.4 -
ClosetBayesian wrote: »The difference depends on What your metabolic rate is. I thought 1500 calories a day would be okay for me for weight loss, but I felt like I was starving all the time and would then overeat. I got my resting metabolic rate tested and it turned out that my metabolism is 35% higher than other women my height and weight. I need about 1800-2000 calories a day to lose 1.5-2 lbs a week. Therefore, 1500 was starving for ME. Or at least it felt like it, and I certainly couldn't stick to it!
You were hungry at 1500. That does not equate to starving.
Yeah, I was going to say I don't think anyone here knows what it really feels like to be "starving". Slightly peckish or a bit hungry maybe...
When I think of someone starving, i think of those little African kids etc etc2 -
It's all relative. The was one documented case that I know about of a Scottish man in 1965 that did not eat anything for a year (except for vitamins I think). He was able to survive off of his fat. I'll google that for you...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2495396/pdf/postmedj00315-0056.pdf
So after reading this, I came to the conclusion that while eating at a severe deficit can be detrimental to many, for those with very substantial fat stores, it may not need be so feared.
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Good post. Thanks there is some good information and conversation. I've lost 40 pounds since Jan 1 2016 22 pounds the first two weeks but then I started reading up because of the headache and irritability. That led me to this website 35 days ago. it is a big help. I confess that I still push the envelope but I make sure to hit around 1250 - 1350 minimum but I also try to hit my macro balance on nutrition. Result is I feel good but am still losing 2 or more weekly. I enter everything religiously even a breath mint. That's the only way I can get a plan and develop a habit for lifestyle. My rule is simple.. I NEVER eat my exercise burn. I don't have time and am still too weak to do huge long sessions everyday so I just burn but try my best not to eat into it. Works for me so far. I did plateau last couple of weeks but a marathon of yard work Saturday got me another 2.2 pounds for mon morning weigh-in. Thanks Guys and Gals.1
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ClosetBayesian wrote: »The difference depends on What your metabolic rate is. I thought 1500 calories a day would be okay for me for weight loss, but I felt like I was starving all the time and would then overeat. I got my resting metabolic rate tested and it turned out that my metabolism is 35% higher than other women my height and weight. I need about 1800-2000 calories a day to lose 1.5-2 lbs a week. Therefore, 1500 was starving for ME. Or at least it felt like it, and I certainly couldn't stick to it!
You were hungry at 1500. That does not equate to starving.
Oh I know.....I was using "starving" in a melodramatic way. The very true part there is that I couldn't stick to it. A calorie deficit is only useful if a person can actually stick to it.2 -
[...] What most people are referring to is adaptive thermogenesis. This is a naturally occurring part of dieting. To what extent can be determined by many factors (training, how large of a deficit, etc..).
“Maintenance of a 10% or greater reduction in body weight in lean or obese individuals is accompanied by an approximate 20%-25% decline in 24-hour energy expenditure. This decrease in weight maintenance calories is 10–15% below what is predicted solely on the basis of alterations in fat and lean mass. Thus, a formerly obese individual will require ~300–400 fewer calories per day to maintain the same body weight and physical activity level as a never-obese individual of the same body weight and composition. [...]"
So I wonder how this plays into the recommended 1200/1500 recommended minimum intake?
I am not sure if it does, since those are minimum recommendations for sedentary people and are statistical averages based on some level of data collected; no different than calories being based on a 2000 calorie diet.0 -
Good post. Thanks there is some good information and conversation. I've lost 40 pounds since Jan 1 2016 22 pounds the first two weeks but then I started reading up because of the headache and irritability. That led me to this website 35 days ago. it is a big help. I confess that I still push the envelope but I make sure to hit around 1250 - 1350 minimum but I also try to hit my macro balance on nutrition. Result is I feel good but am still losing 2 or more weekly. I enter everything religiously even a breath mint. That's the only way I can get a plan and develop a habit for lifestyle. My rule is simple.. I NEVER eat my exercise burn. I don't have time and am still too weak to do huge long sessions everyday so I just burn but try my best not to eat into it. Works for me so far. I did plateau last couple of weeks but a marathon of yard work Saturday got me another 2.2 pounds for mon morning weigh-in. Thanks Guys and Gals.
Males should not be cutting at 1250-1350 calories, especially when they are exercising (outside of highly trained people cutting for composition and short periods of time under doctor supervision). You may wont to reconsider your calorie and macronutrient levels based on long term goals and training.1 -
Agreed, this is not a good long term plan...Good post. Thanks there is some good information and conversation. I've lost 40 pounds since Jan 1 2016 22 pounds the first two weeks but then I started reading up because of the headache and irritability. That led me to this website 35 days ago. it is a big help. I confess that I still push the envelope but I make sure to hit around 1250 - 1350 minimum but I also try to hit my macro balance on nutrition. Result is I feel good but am still losing 2 or more weekly. I enter everything religiously even a breath mint. That's the only way I can get a plan and develop a habit for lifestyle. My rule is simple.. I NEVER eat my exercise burn. I don't have time and am still too weak to do huge long sessions everyday so I just burn but try my best not to eat into it. Works for me so far. I did plateau last couple of weeks but a marathon of yard work Saturday got me another 2.2 pounds for mon morning weigh-in. Thanks Guys and Gals.
Males should not be cutting at 1250-1350 calories, especially when they are exercising (outside of highly trained people cutting for composition and short periods of time under doctor supervision). You may wont to reconsider your calorie and macronutrient levels based on long term goals and training.
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The difference depends on What your metabolic rate is. I thought 1500 calories a day would be okay for me for weight loss, but I felt like I was starving all the time and would then overeat. I got my resting metabolic rate tested and it turned out that my metabolism is 35% higher than other women my height and weight. I need about 1800-2000 calories a day to lose 1.5-2 lbs a week. Therefore, 1500 was starving for ME. Or at least it felt like it, and I certainly couldn't stick to it!
Me too. I'm always hungry, especially between lunch and dinner, even with a snack. And after my dinner, im still hungry, by the time I go to bed, I'm very uncomfortable (even after an attempt to fill up on an after dinner 8pm salad) and I get cold and have a difficult time going to sleep. Maybe I need more calories.0 -
TamzFit777 wrote: »The difference depends on What your metabolic rate is. I thought 1500 calories a day would be okay for me for weight loss, but I felt like I was starving all the time and would then overeat. I got my resting metabolic rate tested and it turned out that my metabolism is 35% higher than other women my height and weight. I need about 1800-2000 calories a day to lose 1.5-2 lbs a week. Therefore, 1500 was starving for ME. Or at least it felt like it, and I certainly couldn't stick to it!
Me too. I'm always hungry, especially between lunch and dinner, even with a snack. And after my dinner, im still hungry, by the time I go to bed, I'm very uncomfortable (even after an attempt to fill up on an after dinner 8pm salad) and I get cold and have a difficult time going to sleep. Maybe I need more calories.
Possibly, but you might benefit from altering the foods you eat to incorporate greater volume: veggies, egg whites, oatmeal, low sugar fruits, and lean proteins like chicken/turkey. Even at 2400 calories, I still have to do this. I eat loads of volume.0 -
I'm 14 pounds from my ideal body weight (based on what a chart tells me is ideal, I think I look pretty decent for 40!!). Anyway, I've lost 13 pounds already and i did that by drinking a protein smoothie for breakfast & lunch that are about 180-200 calories each. Then I eat about 500-600 calories the remaining part of the day. I take a multi-vitamin and put hemp powder, moringa, chlorella in my daily smoothies. No dairy, very low carbs from starches. Some people accuse me of "starving" myself because I'm not eating 1200 calories. However, I'm not hungry and I'm meeting all of my nutritional needs. I workout moderately about 3 days/week for a total of 2-3 hours, mostly elliptical or brisk walk on incline. It works for me. I think if you eat the right kinds of food, (veggies, veggies, veggies) you can be full, healthy, lose weight and keep it off.4
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I'm 14 pounds from my ideal body weight (based on what a chart tells me is ideal, I think I look pretty decent for 40!!). Anyway, I've lost 13 pounds already and i did that by drinking a protein smoothie for breakfast & lunch that are about 180-200 calories each. Then I eat about 500-600 calories the remaining part of the day. I take a multi-vitamin and put hemp powder, moringa, chlorella in my daily smoothies. No dairy, very low carbs from starches. Some people accuse me of "starving" myself because I'm not eating 1200 calories. However, I'm not hungry and I'm meeting all of my nutritional needs. I workout moderately about 3 days/week for a total of 2-3 hours, mostly elliptical or brisk walk on incline. It works for me. I think if you eat the right kinds of food, (veggies, veggies, veggies) you can be full, healthy, lose weight and keep it off.
Your weekly weight loss goal should be 1/2 pound a week. This would very likely bring you above 1200 daily calories. The reason for eating more would be to fuel your body and it's basic functions......heart, lungs, kidneys, existing lean muscle, etc.
Sure your body will use fat stores for some things, but unfortunately with aggressive weekly weight loss you are using existing lean muscle mass as fuel also. Healthy weight loss is about reducing your body fat percentage.
To keep more lean muscle: eat enough protein, eat enough calories overall (moderate deficit) and add resistance training to your workout regimen.0 -
TamzFit777 wrote: »The difference depends on What your metabolic rate is. I thought 1500 calories a day would be okay for me for weight loss, but I felt like I was starving all the time and would then overeat. I got my resting metabolic rate tested and it turned out that my metabolism is 35% higher than other women my height and weight. I need about 1800-2000 calories a day to lose 1.5-2 lbs a week. Therefore, 1500 was starving for ME. Or at least it felt like it, and I certainly couldn't stick to it!
Me too. I'm always hungry, especially between lunch and dinner, even with a snack. And after my dinner, im still hungry, by the time I go to bed, I'm very uncomfortable (even after an attempt to fill up on an after dinner 8pm salad) and I get cold and have a difficult time going to sleep. Maybe I need more calories.
Possibly, but you might benefit from altering the foods you eat to incorporate greater volume: veggies, egg whites, oatmeal, low sugar fruits, and lean proteins like chicken/turkey. Even at 2400 calories, I still have to do this. I eat loads of volume.
Yes, those are all good choices but I don't do egg whites because I wouldn't be able to eat it. Or maybe, I could give up the pumpernickel bread (140 cal) that I have in the morning with my egg for some kind of veggie.. But I really do enjoy my egg with the bread.
Lunch is usually a protein shake with a banana, 1 tbsp peanut butter and a 1/4 cup raw oats. Dinner example is boneless skinless chicken breast, sweet potato and a half avocado, and a spinach kale salad with 7 almonds and a few dried cranberries (1tbsp dried cranberries). Usually will have a fruit for snack (1 cup cantaloupe). The calories add up so fast.0 -
I'm 14 pounds from my ideal body weight (based on what a chart tells me is ideal, I think I look pretty decent for 40!!). Anyway, I've lost 13 pounds already and i did that by drinking a protein smoothie for breakfast & lunch that are about 180-200 calories each. Then I eat about 500-600 calories the remaining part of the day. I take a multi-vitamin and put hemp powder, moringa, chlorella in my daily smoothies. No dairy, very low carbs from starches. Some people accuse me of "starving" myself because I'm not eating 1200 calories. However, I'm not hungry and I'm meeting all of my nutritional needs. I workout moderately about 3 days/week for a total of 2-3 hours, mostly elliptical or brisk walk on incline. It works for me. I think if you eat the right kinds of food, (veggies, veggies, veggies) you can be full, healthy, lose weight and keep it off.
Your weekly weight loss goal should be 1/2 pound a week. This would very likely bring you above 1200 daily calories. The reason for eating more would be to fuel your body and it's basic functions......heart, lungs, kidneys, existing lean muscle, etc.
Sure your body will use fat stores for some things, but unfortunately with aggressive weekly weight loss you are using existing lean muscle mass as fuel also. Healthy weight loss is about reducing your body fat percentage.
To keep more lean muscle: eat enough protein, eat enough calories overall (moderate deficit) and add resistance training to your workout regimen.
Another thing to point, I rarely ever see someone with an aggressive weight loss goal (i.e. - 1000 calorie diet) ever reach their ideal body image. And i many cases, it takes significantly longer due to them being required to rebuild the muscle they lost during weight loss (very common with women who are close to or are under weight (maybe still have stomach fat issues).
Keep mind, that it is MUCH easier to maintain muscle than to build new muscle. And more importantly, muscle is what gives people that slim, toned or cut appears. And slowing down weight loss by a few months is a lot better than the year(s) of bulking/cutting... not even including the psychological impacts on adding fat to your body.0 -
TamzFit777 wrote: »TamzFit777 wrote: »The difference depends on What your metabolic rate is. I thought 1500 calories a day would be okay for me for weight loss, but I felt like I was starving all the time and would then overeat. I got my resting metabolic rate tested and it turned out that my metabolism is 35% higher than other women my height and weight. I need about 1800-2000 calories a day to lose 1.5-2 lbs a week. Therefore, 1500 was starving for ME. Or at least it felt like it, and I certainly couldn't stick to it!
Me too. I'm always hungry, especially between lunch and dinner, even with a snack. And after my dinner, im still hungry, by the time I go to bed, I'm very uncomfortable (even after an attempt to fill up on an after dinner 8pm salad) and I get cold and have a difficult time going to sleep. Maybe I need more calories.
Possibly, but you might benefit from altering the foods you eat to incorporate greater volume: veggies, egg whites, oatmeal, low sugar fruits, and lean proteins like chicken/turkey. Even at 2400 calories, I still have to do this. I eat loads of volume.
Yes, those are all good choices but I don't do egg whites because I wouldn't be able to eat it. Or maybe, I could give up the pumpernickel bread (140 cal) that I have in the morning with my egg for some kind of veggie.. But I really do enjoy my egg with the bread.
Lunch is usually a protein shake with a banana, 1 tbsp peanut butter and a 1/4 cup raw oats. Dinner example is boneless skinless chicken breast, sweet potato and a half avocado, and a spinach kale salad with 7 almonds and a few dried cranberries (1tbsp dried cranberries). Usually will have a fruit for snack (1 cup cantaloupe). The calories add up so fast.
What I generally do is mix 2 egg whites with one egg (top with salsa); my omelets are generally 4 egg whites, 2 eggs, peppers, onions, cheese and salsa.
Replacing a banana with low GI/low sugar fruit such as berries will give you greater volume. Swapping pumpernickle with some whole wheat (I use Arnold breads) will save you 80 calories, and I sparingly use avocados due to the fat content. I tend to cut fat due to the low satiety for me. I increase starches (potatoes) as they fill me up more. When I do red meat, I go sirloin or strip as it has less fat.
Alternatively, some people who need volume, find interim fasting beneficial so they can have larger volume meals. It didn't work for me.0 -
Thanks for the comments. I exceed my protein recommendations everyday. Vegetables, Hemp, Moringa, Tofu, Nuts all contain protein and are nutritionally dense. I have a great diet. I also do Yoga and weight lifting ocassionally. I am quite strong. Today I did a 2 min plank, rowing and incline walking. My Dad is a doctor and Mom is a BioChemist/Director of Public Health who is a 25+ year Vegan. I've never been really overweight because I am generally a healthy eater, however when my son was battling cancer I ate a lot of crap out of stress and convenience. I think sometimes making a drastic change in your habits can help people reset their priorities and begin to develop new/better longterm habits. I do agree that if your goal is to achieve your ideal body weight that it has to be a sustainable and healthy plan. I feel like my plan is sustainable to my lifestyle and I'm confident that I will lose another 7-10 pounds... I'm not striving for perfection. Just keep trying new things until you find what works. :0)0
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[...] What most people are referring to is adaptive thermogenesis. This is a naturally occurring part of dieting. To what extent can be determined by many factors (training, how large of a deficit, etc..).
“Maintenance of a 10% or greater reduction in body weight in lean or obese individuals is accompanied by an approximate 20%-25% decline in 24-hour energy expenditure. This decrease in weight maintenance calories is 10–15% below what is predicted solely on the basis of alterations in fat and lean mass. Thus, a formerly obese individual will require ~300–400 fewer calories per day to maintain the same body weight and physical activity level as a never-obese individual of the same body weight and composition. [...]"
So I wonder how this plays into the recommended 1200/1500 recommended minimum intake?
I'm always vastly skeptical of these claims. Of the reviews that state this, I often find they all get the number based on a specific study that involved not 20% decrease in TDEE, but actually a decrease in energy used to pedal a bike at low levels. This same study also only found it for low speed, and only in individuals that lost weight without any resistance training - they even avoided letting the people have much physical movement in the facility where they were studied.
I'm generally skeptical of them in that they clash with evolution. Why would the body bother waiting for the first famine event to alter calorie use? Evolution involves constant selection for organisms that produce the most offspring per calorie count, and most of human evolution has been a story of feast-famine cycles. Again, why wait for the first time a person hits a famine to reduce their calorie use if the body has access to a power saver mode?0 -
@psulemon but isn't "Males" too broad of a term to use in such a statement? I mean what if the guy weighs 500 pounds or 456 like the subject of the medical test I linked to earlier? If the fat stored can be used for fuel, then doesn't it stand to reason that people with more fuel stores can afford a higher calorie deficit? The guy in the study fasted for over a year. He didn't eat anything but vitamins for over a year! Now, I'm sure he wasn't hitting PRs on workouts or anything, but he survived fine. Heck, even child molester Jared from Subway sustained a diet of less than 1000 calories for a very long time while incorporating walking. I just think that a lot of people fail to take into account the full scope of the parameters affecting the "morbidly" obese.Good post. Thanks there is some good information and conversation. I've lost 40 pounds since Jan 1 2016 22 pounds the first two weeks but then I started reading up because of the headache and irritability. That led me to this website 35 days ago. it is a big help. I confess that I still push the envelope but I make sure to hit around 1250 - 1350 minimum but I also try to hit my macro balance on nutrition. Result is I feel good but am still losing 2 or more weekly. I enter everything religiously even a breath mint. That's the only way I can get a plan and develop a habit for lifestyle. My rule is simple.. I NEVER eat my exercise burn. I don't have time and am still too weak to do huge long sessions everyday so I just burn but try my best not to eat into it. Works for me so far. I did plateau last couple of weeks but a marathon of yard work Saturday got me another 2.2 pounds for mon morning weigh-in. Thanks Guys and Gals.
Males should not be cutting at 1250-1350 calories, especially when they are exercising (outside of highly trained people cutting for composition and short periods of time under doctor supervision). You may wont to reconsider your calorie and macronutrient levels based on long term goals and training.
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@psulemon but isn't "Males" too broad of a term to use in such a statement? I mean what if the guy weighs 500 pounds or 456 like the subject of the medical test I linked to earlier? If the fat stored can be used for fuel, then doesn't it stand to reason that people with more fuel stores can afford a higher calorie deficit? The guy in the study fasted for over a year. He didn't eat anything but vitamins for over a year! Now, I'm sure he wasn't hitting PRs on workouts or anything, but he survived fine. Heck, even child molester Jared from Subway sustained a diet of less than 1000 calories for a very long time while incorporating walking. I just think that a lot of people fail to take into account the full scope of the parameters affecting the "morbidly" obese.Good post. Thanks there is some good information and conversation. I've lost 40 pounds since Jan 1 2016 22 pounds the first two weeks but then I started reading up because of the headache and irritability. That led me to this website 35 days ago. it is a big help. I confess that I still push the envelope but I make sure to hit around 1250 - 1350 minimum but I also try to hit my macro balance on nutrition. Result is I feel good but am still losing 2 or more weekly. I enter everything religiously even a breath mint. That's the only way I can get a plan and develop a habit for lifestyle. My rule is simple.. I NEVER eat my exercise burn. I don't have time and am still too weak to do huge long sessions everyday so I just burn but try my best not to eat into it. Works for me so far. I did plateau last couple of weeks but a marathon of yard work Saturday got me another 2.2 pounds for mon morning weigh-in. Thanks Guys and Gals.
Males should not be cutting at 1250-1350 calories, especially when they are exercising (outside of highly trained people cutting for composition and short periods of time under doctor supervision). You may wont to reconsider your calorie and macronutrient levels based on long term goals and training.
You're cherry-picking down to a size of one. I could also conclude it is safe to jump out of planes if you let me select single individuals surviving it.
Any man on a plan involving under 1500 calories a day should be under some kind of medical guidance and supervision. Even the initially supervised VLCDs (very low calorie diets, the kind that involve 1,000 calories or less) cause amino acid deficiencies because of the protein source used in them, despite them being done under medical supervision (though admittedly during a less knowledgeable era).0 -
@psulemon but isn't "Males" too broad of a term to use in such a statement? I mean what if the guy weighs 500 pounds or 456 like the subject of the medical test I linked to earlier? If the fat stored can be used for fuel, then doesn't it stand to reason that people with more fuel stores can afford a higher calorie deficit? The guy in the study fasted for over a year. He didn't eat anything but vitamins for over a year! Now, I'm sure he wasn't hitting PRs on workouts or anything, but he survived fine. Heck, even child molester Jared from Subway sustained a diet of less than 1000 calories for a very long time while incorporating walking. I just think that a lot of people fail to take into account the full scope of the parameters affecting the "morbidly" obese.Good post. Thanks there is some good information and conversation. I've lost 40 pounds since Jan 1 2016 22 pounds the first two weeks but then I started reading up because of the headache and irritability. That led me to this website 35 days ago. it is a big help. I confess that I still push the envelope but I make sure to hit around 1250 - 1350 minimum but I also try to hit my macro balance on nutrition. Result is I feel good but am still losing 2 or more weekly. I enter everything religiously even a breath mint. That's the only way I can get a plan and develop a habit for lifestyle. My rule is simple.. I NEVER eat my exercise burn. I don't have time and am still too weak to do huge long sessions everyday so I just burn but try my best not to eat into it. Works for me so far. I did plateau last couple of weeks but a marathon of yard work Saturday got me another 2.2 pounds for mon morning weigh-in. Thanks Guys and Gals.
Males should not be cutting at 1250-1350 calories, especially when they are exercising (outside of highly trained people cutting for composition and short periods of time under doctor supervision). You may wont to reconsider your calorie and macronutrient levels based on long term goals and training.
The fatter you are, the more loss per week you can get away with, but it's always a weighing of risks. In those cases, staying at the extreme obese bodyweight is more dangerous than surviving on only vitamins.0
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