1350 calories a day...how do you do it?

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  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    Aaron_K123 wrote: »
    I know people think MFP sedentary means desk job but I'm telling you it doesn't act like that. Since people are using MFP it doesn't matter what they think sedentary means it matters what MFP sets your TDEE to if you select sedentary and what it does is barely budge it off your BMR which is like what you would be if you were bedridden, not walking around on occassion with a desk job.

    I encourage everyone who doubts me on this to try it themselves. Play with the MFP calculator, figure out what your BMR is and set yourself to sedentary and see that it considers your TDEE to be close to your BMR. Set to lightly active and see that it only bumps up from BMR not that much which is probably much more accurate for what most people consider to be sedentary.

    Fair enough. I see <5000 steps a lot of days, unless of course I walk for exercise in the morning then I can easily hit 10-20k depending on distance. But.. if I use the elliptical/stairstepper they do body weight training I go under 5k a lot of days. I also live less than 2 miles from work, drive to/from and work in a small building so that can make the difference. I think in the beginning I set it at sedimentary because I wanted the calories MFP was adding for the steps I was taking to not skew things too much. For me it evened out and worked well. If, however, you don't allow MFP to add calories back for steps taken it might be better to up that setting a bit from sedimentary. It's obviously going to work differently for everyone.
  • uglycrying
    uglycrying Posts: 28 Member
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    I don't eat at 1350 cals often. But I do have some days like that and can imagine how I'd do it. It's hard to give advice without seeing your diary or knowing what kinds of food you like to eat. Ideally while losing weight, you'd continue to eat foods you like but find ways to make them lighter on calories.

    I don't waste any calories on drinks anymore. I usually have a turkey sandwich for breakfast or lunch and that's around 300cals. I found a thin-sliced bread that's very good & light on cals (Dave's Killer Bread). Personally I don't miss cheese if I have some avocado, but there are thin-sliced cheeses available as well. (Be mindful of the calories in avocado.) Typically I have a tomato on the side. An alternate breakfast would be an egg white omelette/scramble with spinach or preferred veggies, or boiled eggs, with a toast. Maybe a slice of ham in the omelette or on toast. I found one at Trader Joe's that was only about 45 cal a slice. Oatmeal with preferred fruit on top is another option.

    How about banana pancakes? They are relatively light (compared to actual pancakes) on cals and very good imo (1 mashed banana, 2 eggs). I put berries in mine. I skip the syrup, maybe have some jam, honey, or a tablespoon of your preferred nut butter.

    I usually have baked chicken (around 8oz) for dinner, a side of veggies, maybe a grain (quinoa, lentils, or brown rice). Grains can rack up the calories. You could always opt for something like riced cauliflower instead of a grain. I mixed brown rice and cauliflower rice for awhile, so I could have more rice but with fewer calories. (Fish, thin-cut pork chops, ground turkey, and tofu are some good alternatives to chicken.)

    I think 1350 cals is doable if you aren't very active. I am very active so I eat more, but I wasn't active at the start of my weight loss. A lot of the changes I've made have been transitional rather than sudden (e.g. I gradually stopped drinking my calories). I don't think there is anything wrong with sticking to 1350 cals most days, and then having a couple maintenance days (1800 cal) as needed, to help stay on track.
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    Aaron_K123 wrote: »
    jkal1979 wrote: »
    Aaron_K123 wrote: »
    jkal1979 wrote: »
    Aaron_K123 wrote: »

    Another short woman here. I'm 5'4" weigh 172. MFP recommends I eat 1260 calories per day.

    Okay got to stop you there. MFP doesn't have a brain, it isn't a doctor...it isn't "recommending" anything. It is a calculator. You put in numbers, it spits a number back out. The number it spits out is based on what you put in and nothing else. It refuses to go below 1200, that is the only "thinking" it does.

    I could also have MFP "tell me" to eat 1260 a day, but that doesn't make it good.

    People tend to way underestimate their activity level and put in sedentary when actually they get at least 5000 steps every day from just walking to and from things and they also tend to put in they want to lose 2 pounds a week even though that is for the extremely obese. If you do that MFP will then "recommend" a diet that isn't particularly sustainable, enjoyable or good for your health. It isn't intelligent, its a calculator.

    ETA: I just tried it. With my current real bodyweight and height and gender stats I told MFP I was sedentary and wanted to lose 2 pounds a week. It told me to eat 1200 calories a day which is INSANE. It isn't intelligent, you have to know what is reasonable to ask.

    I would suggest taking a screen shot of that and send it to customer support so they know there is an issue since it shouldn't go below 1500 for men. I know that you know better than to eat that low but it makes me wonder how many men are eating 1200 because that's the goal they were given. It happened before when there was a glitch that was giving women well below 1200 to eat.

    Here are the screen caps:

    I swear the recommended I screen capped is based of those stats I also screen capped. MFP will just spit out a number, 1200 it won't go below but that is it. You have to be able to recognize when its being unreasonable...it isn't a doctor, you shouldn't just blindly follow whatever it tells you and MFP the website and company aren't resposible for that anymore than a calculator manufacturer is responsible if you do it yourself with a calculator.

    goal_2.png

    Goal.png


    So unless you think it would be actually reasonable for me, a 6' tall man with 15 pounds to lose, to eat 1200 calories a day you have to at least admit that you can get an inappropriate diet from MFP if you set it to sedentary and 2lb loss per week.

    Keep in mind I am losing 1 pound a week eating 2300 a day so this is a ridiculous suggestion.

    MFP is just a calculator, you have to know what to type into it to get a reasonable answer...its a dumb tool, not a dietician advising you.

    Now i have to go back and fix my goals so its not being nuts.

    I never said 1200 was a reasonable goal for you or any other man. What I said was that there may be a glitch in the calculator that needs to be addressed to MFP so that they are aware of it and can fix it.

    No, the math is correct. Its just not a reasonable goal.

    If I am sedentary according to MFP I am just something like 10% above my BMR. My BMR is 1750 so it sets me to something like 1900 a day TDEE. I then tell it I want to lose 2 pounds a week which is a 1000 calorie deficit per day which would require I eat 900 calories a day. MFP won't go below 1200 so it instead tells me to eat 1200.

    The calculator is correct, it is user error.

    It was my understanding that it would not give a man a goal below 1500. That's why I figured there was a glitch somewhere. Sorry if I'm wrong or caused any confusion.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited August 2016
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    Aaron_K123 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Aaron_K123 wrote: »
    I'm just curious. What do people think when they think they are sedentary?

    To me sedentary means basically bed-ridden. You are on the couch or in a chair 16 hours and you are in bed 8.

    Lightly active is you have a desk job but you do occasionally get out of your chair and walk to go get something.

    Moderatly active is you have a desk job, get out of your chair occassionaly but also intentionally go for long walks in the mornings and evenings.

    Active is the above plus doing some intensive cardio or having a more active job.

    I think people mark sedentary WAY to often. Sedentary should be an unusal set of circumstances, not the norm. Lightly active is probably what most people are. If you are in an office job where you walk down the hall to talk to Bob, then you walk to the printer, then walk to your office do some work then get up and walk to the lunch room then walk down the stairs to get a coffee you aren't sedentary.

    That's not how MFP defines "sedentary" though. To this website, "sedentary" is your definition of "lightly active." The very screen shot that you posted above includes the definition.

    Doesn't matter how they define it, it matters what the calculator does when you put that term in and what the calculator does appears to be BMR + 10% which is not what 5000 steps a day (what I get with no activity and a desk job) is.

    Even if I set myself as lightly active, I would still be below your "too low" threshold for calories if I wanted to be in a deficit, even a non-aggressive one. And I doubt I would be getting 5,000 steps if I didn't plan for some walking during the day. I can, if I want, get on the bus right outside my front door. I can spent the day walking just to meetings and the restroom and then get off the bus right by my apartment building.

    I don't do this, I move more. But I know people who *do* live this way. Eating 1,900 calories probably wouldn't work for all of them (depending on what size they started at).
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    I've tested the steps thing for activity level by having negative adjustments on and setting to sedentary. It's basically 2500 steps as a base and goes up that much for each activity level.

    I can actually struggle to hit 1000 steps on a lot of days (but like I said I am physically able to workout and hop on my mini stepper for extra activity). I don't go for walks because of agoraphobia and severe anxiety. I am not an outlier in my base activity level and not everyone exercises. With 30lbs to go I still want to lose 1lb per week though it has been slower this year for reasons. Some days that means 1300 calories and that's fine, it's all my body requires to tick over and that's all I'm doing on those days.

    I will always always advocate for eating as much as possible and still lose but you're being way too hard on many people who have lower calorie goals for completely valid and reasonable reasons.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    edited August 2016
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    So what are people saying?

    That despite being uncomfortable eating 1350 calories a day that it is inappropriate of me to suggest that the OP might be okay to eat more than that? Is that really such a bad thing to say? Should I instead be recommending she drink lots of coffee to supress her appetite?

    I'm just repeating myself at this point to the myriad of responses I am getting which means I am spamming the thread which I imagine the OP isn't appreciating. I'm going to stop because of that but I stand by what I said. I think for the purpose of health if you are a younger, able bodied person that is looking to lose a little bit of weight and get healthier and is struggling with low calorie that a good way to do that is to increase your activity level (work on your cardiovascular health) and eat more to feel more satisfied. I also suggested that that advice might very well apply to a lot of the "1200-1350" calorie dieters out there. If people really want to go at me over this I can create another thread and can debate there but I think its wrong of me to spam in here any longer replying to people.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    edited August 2016
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    AlisonH729 wrote: »
    Aaron_K123 wrote: »
    Spliner1969 wrote: »
    Aaron_K123 wrote: »
    I'm just curious. What do people think when they think they are sedentary?

    To me sedentary means basically bed-ridden. You are on the couch or in a chair 16 hours and you are in bed 8.

    Lightly active is you have a desk job but you do occasionally get out of your chair and walk to go get something.

    Moderatly active is you have a desk job, get out of your chair occassionaly but also intentionally go for long walks in the mornings and evenings.

    Active is the above plus doing some intensive cardio or having a more active job.

    I think people mark sedentary WAY to often. Sedentary should be an unusual set of circumstances, not the norm. Lightly active is probably what most people are. If you are in an office job where you walk down the hall to talk to Bob, then you walk to the printer, then walk to your office do some work then get up and walk to the lunch room then walk down the stairs to get a coffee you aren't sedentary.

    For me, sedimentary means desk job, which is what I have. I sit all day, occasionally get up to go speak to someone or fix something, go to lunch, but otherwise sit behind a PC all day. When I get home, I'll cook/grill and then finish my evening in my recliner and go to bed. To me, that's sedimentary if I don't include the 60-90 minutes of exercise I do first thing in the morning. Since I track exercise by allowing apps to post it to MFP for me for the extra calories, that's what I set myself at on any calculator I use. I've used IIFYM's calcs for the last 6-8 months and find them to be pretty accurate (for me).

    To me anyway, Lightly would be a job where I stand around a lot not necessarily sit. Moderate would be a job where I not only stand but do a fair amount of walking. Active would be a physically demanding job. But those are just my opinions.

    I have that job too. I have a desk job. If I do nothing but my desk job, take the bus home, and sit in front of the TV I STILL get 5000 steps which if you have an activity tracker MFP will set you to lightly active or you will start accruing extra calories if you set to sedentary.

    I know people think MFP sedentary means desk job but I'm telling you it doesn't act like that. Since people are using MFP it doesn't matter what they think sedentary means it matters what MFP sets your TDEE to if you select sedentary and what it does is barely budge it off your BMR which is like what you would be if you were bedridden, not walking around on occassion with a desk job.

    I encourage everyone who doubts me on this to try it themselves. Play with the MFP calculator, figure out what your BMR is and set yourself to sedentary and see that it considers your TDEE to be close to your BMR. Set to lightly active and see that it only bumps up from BMR not that much which is probably much more accurate for what most people consider to be sedentary.

    I already told you it was 1250 & 1550. I use Scooby set to sedentary. I work a desk job and if I don't make an effort to move I will only get about 2000 steps. More if I walk the dog, but I still won't hit 5000 without trying.

    I ate 1400 calories a day on my wedding diet, without much exercise and lost 8 pounds in 8 months.
    150 cal a day deficit * 7 days = 1050 calories a week if I was spot on
    1050 a week * 4 weeks = 4200 calories a month, again assuming spot on which I wasn't.
    So assuming a pound = 3500 calories thats about a pound a month with a fair margin for error. Math. :open_mouth:

    You need to stop trying to tell us that we're doing it wrong, when clearly plenty of us have got it dialed in.

    I'm not saying that! I am talking to the OP and people keep telling me I am wrong to suggest that someone who in their very own thread says that they are STRUGGLING to eat as low of a calorie limit as MFP suggested that it is possible that they don't have to eat that low because most people at least in her age bracket don't have to.

    I then tried to justify that when people called me out for daring to suggest she actually eat more and it has been going on and on ever since. I apologize if that offended you, if you have it dialed in of course continue to do what you have been doing.

    It is hard for me to stop responding but I really should stop because its becoming spammy at this point.

    To everyone, I am not saying your diet is wrong...I am saying the OP, who is struggling with eating that little, might benefit from eating more and having a slightly less aggressive approach. That many people use MFP in such a way that it tells them to eat less than they probably should for sustainable healthy weight loss. If something else came through in what I was saying I retract it and apologize.

    Okay? Everyone okay with that?
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    Aaron_K123 wrote: »
    Look. Here is my issue.

    When someone is saying they struggle to eat 1350 calories a day and on that thread there are a couple of posts:

    One post says: Its possible that you don't have to eat that little, many people lose weight and don't eat that little...you are a younger woman you probably can lose weight at 1 pound a week and eat considerably more than that

    Another post says: Drink lots of coffee, its an appetite suppresent

    Am I wrong to think there is an issue with the community if the critisism is lobbed towards the person who suggests you don't have to eat that little to lose weight and nothing is said to the person who suggests literally substituting a nutritionless appetite suppressent for food?

    The point is to be healthier right?

    Yes, the point is to be healthier, but for some people, those are the numbers they have to work with in order to be in a deficit. That's not to say everyone who has a low calorie goal has an appropriate goal, but there are people who do. I think the criticism comes from people trying to get help for their situation being told by internet strangers that they are completely wrong with the calories, it doesn't need to be that low, here's-my-anecdotal-numbers-and-all-the-cool-things-I-get-to-eat-and-lose posts, etc, that seem to come up when people post low calorie goals.

    I agree that increasing activity can help, but you also have to factor in that people who are in better shape and have more muscle are going to be able to pull down bigger numbers in terms of calorie burn simply be being able to push harder in their workouts. If all you are able to do is a modified version of a workout, you're not going to bring in big numbers, and it's doubtful that increasing activity for the stuff you can do is going to make a significant difference - you'd have to put in a lot of time that most people don't have available.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    And to further add, it could just be that OP is trying to survive on cereal and bread. For most people, regardless of their calorie goal, that's would leave them hungry and struggling.
  • clicketykeys
    clicketykeys Posts: 6,568 Member
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    Spinach for fiber, egg whites for protein. Both are low in calories for what you get out of them in both nutrition and satisfaction. Additionally, they're inexpensive and amazingly versatile.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    VintageFeline wrote: »
    Aaron_K123 wrote: »
    So what are people saying?

    That despite being uncomfortable eating 1350 calories a day that it is inappropriate of me to suggest that the OP might be okay to eat more than that? Is that really such a bad thing to say? Should I instead be recommending she drink lots of coffee to supress her appetite?

    I'm just repeating myself at this point to the myriad of responses I am getting which means I am spamming the thread which I imagine the OP isn't appreciating. I'm going to stop because of that but I stand by what I said. I think for the purpose of health if you are a younger, able bodied person that is looking to lose a little bit of weight and get healthier and is struggling with low calorie that a good way to do that is to increase your activity level (work on your cardiovascular health) and eat more to feel more satisfied. I also suggested that that advice might very well apply to a lot of the "1200-1350" calorie dieters out there. If people really want to go at me over this I can create another thread and can debate there but I think its wrong of me to spam in here any longer replying to people.

    The problem was you jumped on it without further information from the OP with her stats and goals and current activity and whether she is netting 1350. Instead you started making sweeping statements that everyone should eat more. That's as unhelpful as the generic everyone needs to eat 1200 to lose diet industry mantra.

    I find it really puzzling you got your knickers in such a twist before we had any further details and now we have this *kitten* of a thread.

    Yes, that is fair...I apologize. The way you put it makes sense and I can admit fault there. Perhaps I was bringing in baggage from other 1200 calorie dieters I've interacted with on the forums. Some people are legit hurting themselves and I struggle just standing by with that, but you are right I shouldn't leap to that conclusion or get immediatly defensive if people argue against the idea of eating more. I do believe there are a lot of people who use the MFP calculator to justify dangerously low caloric diets and I get frustrated by that.
  • Evamutt
    Evamutt Posts: 2,338 Member
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    the only time i feel hungry is if i miss a meal or snack. I'm on 1440 cal/day & i usually have some left over. what helps me is we have a nutribullit & i make fruit/veggie drinks, I put 1 cup of frozen/fresh ftuit,1/2C of lo fat yogurt & use unsweetened almond or cashew milk, protein powder, spinach, zucchini,or broccoli, green beans, etc. & they're very filling. a typical meal for me is a chicken thigh, microwaved sweet,yam or regular potato, tsp of butter,sometimes 1/4 cup cheese.I look to see what has lower calories so i can have bigger portion as opposed to high calorie meal & have smaller portion. i eat P&J on one slice of bread & use no sugar added jam, egg salad, tuna, ground beef or ground turkey Pattie or whatever meal i make that i weigh. I find eating simply like the chicken piece or patty with veggies/potato is more filling because you can have more than say like a casserole.
    My problem WAS i ate only twice a day & would have seconds or thirds because i was so hungry & didn't eat breakfast or snacks, still don't like breakfast but i can drink my shake in the morning, so I'm actually eating more often then before. I usually have about 800cal left to eat after lunch which is plenty.
    For me personally, i can't believe I'm eating more & losing weight! I do love Lays potato chips but now i have an ounce instead of half the bag & 2Tbl of sour cream instead of half the carton, which is enough. I haven't given up anything i ate before that i choose not to give up, i just have less of it & if it doesn't fill me up, i make a shake. I even ate some pigs feet i made. I usually cook everything at home & once in a great while go eat out, but i've hardly ever ate out. When i was working at a very busy job, I made my own trail mix & snacked on that during the day & would take veggies for lunch & drank lots of water.
    My son gave me a recipe i'd like to share: bring beans(i use pinto beans) to boil, cover, let sit for 1 hour.drain. add equal amounts of your favorite veggies & enough chicken broth to cover(i use water due to high sodium) & cook about 1 hour. Use stick whizzer or food processor to process. it's very good.
    I want to add that my hubby who was overweight, on insulin & heart meds started eating all his meals from the nutribullit only because he had all his upper teeth pulled & couldn't chew for several months, he lost all extra weight, got off insulin & heart meds, goes to the gym & has not gained it back. he went from 3X to lg/lx. I don't like the idea of eating my dinner(meat etc) from there but i love my shakes
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    edited August 2016
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    OP if 1350 really is appropriate for you but you struggle with hunger, try rebalancing your macros. For many people carbohydrates are less satisfying for hunger than protein. Fat is also satisfying but is higher calorically. Protein gram for gram typically speaking is the best satiation to calorie ratio so for issues with hunger raising your total protein and lower your carbs can help. Don't go overboard, still want to have carbs and still want to have fat.

    Calories are for the weightloss, micronutrients and macro balance are for satiation and feeling satisfied with your diet.
  • stylistchicky
    stylistchicky Posts: 561 Member
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    Looks like you have lots of advice here. But I eat 1,200/1,300 calories without a workout. But I swim daily which adds 300 calories. I find eating at the high end of the calories is best. I don't do dairy. Dairy makes you bloat and adds hormones, calories and fat. I added a probiotic because you need that good bacteria for your gut.This low-low dairy has been the best decision I have made.
    I also eat a TON of fruits and veggies and very little bread or rice. I still have it, just not everyday. I eat a lot of hummus. It adds ton of flavor and fills you up because its a fat.
    So if you are needing to lose weight quickly for a wedding or vacation or...whatever Do low carb. High lean protien and high HEATHY fats. You will lose weight like crazy. A pound a day at first. The thing with that diet...its not sustainable.
    Hope this helps
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,906 Member
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    Aaron_K123 wrote: »
    Honestly troubles me how many people on this site seem to be trying to eat 1200-1400 calories a day, that just seems ludicrously low to me. That is like a sandwich, a glass of milk, a salad and a bowl of cereal for your entire day. You look at people who claim to be full on that and they are just eating a ton of fibery plant matter to I guess make them feel full in the physical sense...but that can't be satisfying.

    When I first started on MFP I chose a weekly weight loss goal of 2 pounds per week, figuring if the contestants on The Biggest Loser could lose double digits I could lose two. By lunchtime I realized this was too aggressive a deficit for me and dialed back to a pound a week, which I stayed on for losing 25 or 30 pounds or so.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,906 Member
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    Aaron_K123 wrote: »
    ElkeKNJ wrote: »
    About twenty years ago (when I was still skinny) I overheard a pharmacist telling an overweight woman that you cannot diet without being hungry. That always stuck with me, and now I am her. I use his words as a mantra sometimes, though they might be a bit outdated. So either try and cope, look for more satiating foods, or up the kcals to a more comfortable level. But I guess the warm fuzzy gut feeling after a copious meal is no longer an option.

    Well that isn't true at all. I lose a pound a week and I'm not hungry. It is very easy to disprove overgeneralizations like that because there are plenty of people who don't fit that "rule".

    If you are active you can eat quite a lot and still lose weight.

    Ya, when I was losing a pound a week and was active I was only hungry right before meals.

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