Why eating too little calories is a bad idea.....
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brianneangell08 wrote: »I am on my second start. my first, I lost no weight. Recalculated my TDEE to reflect the fact that yes, even though i work out a few times a week, I'm otherwise not that active--so its 1440 (I'm 5'1" and 125). . That puts me at 1200 to lose 1/2 lb a week. I'm going a bit under some days that I can have a nice meal out or two this week. My goal is to lose 5-8 pounds, but once I have a new 'set point' I'd really like build up enough muscle/get enough exercise that I can maintain on 1500. I know this seems low, but I am a 40 something short woman...
Yes! It's so frustrating for us shorties! My TDEE is only about 1510, so even 0.5 lb/week would mean a calorie intake of 1260 ... personally, I opt to eat at 1300 because any lower and I get cranky! The rate of loss is sooo frustratingly slow.
I think this is something that isn't acknowledged on MFP a lot.
Not everyone is tall (or even average height) and not everyone is able to or chooses to work out. For some, even a 0.5 lb a week deficit puts them at 1200-1300 calories a week. Not everyone eating at 1200-1300 calories is 'starving themselves' it's just what they have to eat in order to lose weight even at a very slow pace.
This would be me. I've been trying to hit 1260 a day, and that was set for lightly active, 1 lb a week loss. I finally backed it down to .5 so I can get closer to 1500 calories a day.9 -
I'm voting for this to be stickied as well. Great info!!!
Sort of in line with this, something I've always wondered because it's been preached in various diets and programs I've tried (or friends have tried)...is "starvation mode" a real thing? Meaning you eat so few calories (or your calorie deficit is so massive) that your body hangs on to weight and fat instead of shedding it?
I'm not not really asking for myself as I make sure to eat almost all the calories I'm allotted daily (I love food! Haha) but I've always been curious and never found a definitive yes or no on the web.8 -
I'm voting for this to be stickied as well. Great info!!!
Sort of in line with this, something I've always wondered because it's been preached in various diets and programs I've tried (or friends have tried)...is "starvation mode" a real thing? Meaning you eat so few calories (or your calorie deficit is so massive) that your body hangs on to weight and fat instead of shedding it?
I'm not not really asking for myself as I make sure to eat almost all the calories I'm allotted daily (I love food! Haha) but I've always been curious and never found a definitive yes or no on the web.
http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/8 -
I'm voting for this to be stickied as well. Great info!!!
Sort of in line with this, something I've always wondered because it's been preached in various diets and programs I've tried (or friends have tried)...is "starvation mode" a real thing? Meaning you eat so few calories (or your calorie deficit is so massive) that your body hangs on to weight and fat instead of shedding it?
I'm not not really asking for myself as I sure to eat almost all the calories I'm allotted daily (I love food! Haha) but I've always been curious and never found a definitive yes or no on the web.
Use the search function on this site - search "starvation mode". This has been discussed every single day ad nauseum.6 -
Thanks! I knew it couldn't be a real thing1
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iam 71.5 kg....want to b 65...my calorie recommendation is 1200...i stay around it almost from a month....and my calorie registered is saying ur I do same for 5 weeks I ll weigh 66kg ...it's been a month iam 71.5....where iam wrong1
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fatima4997 wrote: »iam 71.5 kg....want to b 65...my calorie recommendation is 1200...i stay around it almost from a month....and my calorie registered is saying ur I do same for 5 weeks I ll weigh 66kg ...it's been a month iam 71.5....where iam wrong
I just worked out that if you were a 60 year old woman at 4ft 5 inches tall, you would have still lost weight after a month. Not much weight mind but thats not the point :P
Are you 100% sure that you are not consuming more than you realise?
Even so much as a little more sugar and milk in a coffee can add up if you drink them regularly throughout the day.4 -
brianneangell08 wrote: »I am on my second start. my first, I lost no weight. Recalculated my TDEE to reflect the fact that yes, even though i work out a few times a week, I'm otherwise not that active--so its 1440 (I'm 5'1" and 125). . That puts me at 1200 to lose 1/2 lb a week. I'm going a bit under some days that I can have a nice meal out or two this week. My goal is to lose 5-8 pounds, but once I have a new 'set point' I'd really like build up enough muscle/get enough exercise that I can maintain on 1500. I know this seems low, but I am a 40 something short woman...
Yes! It's so frustrating for us shorties! My TDEE is only about 1510, so even 0.5 lb/week would mean a calorie intake of 1260 ... personally, I opt to eat at 1300 because any lower and I get cranky! The rate of loss is sooo frustratingly slow.
I think this is something that isn't acknowledged on MFP a lot.
Not everyone is tall (or even average height) and not everyone is able to or chooses to work out. For some, even a 0.5 lb a week deficit puts them at 1200-1300 calories a week. Not everyone eating at 1200-1300 calories is 'starving themselves' it's just what they have to eat in order to lose weight even at a very slow pace.
This is why I'm stopping at a higher weight and recomping. More food!
Thanks, OP. I get so annoyed seeing people eat so little. I've even been defriended for my advice of not having such a large deficit (and cutting out every delicious food) in order to stop binge eating. If you post that I will respond with a reasonable idea.16 -
Good post.
Just adding here that the body is very smart. If one wants to undereat and does it consistently, the body will respond by LOWERING METABOLIC RATE to compensate for the calories taken in. That could mean VERY LITTLE weight loss over a long period of time. Also known as ADAPTIVE THERMOGENISIS.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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princeofmind wrote: »fatima4997 wrote: »iam 71.5 kg....want to b 65...my calorie recommendation is 1200...i stay around it almost from a month....and my calorie registered is saying ur I do same for 5 weeks I ll weigh 66kg ...it's been a month iam 71.5....where iam wrong
I just worked out that if you were a 60 year old woman at 4ft 5 inches tall, you would have still lost weight after a month. Not much weight mind but thats not the point :P
Are you 100% sure that you are not consuming more than you realise?
Even so much as a little more sugar and milk in a coffee can add up if you drink them regularly throughout the day.
Yes that's true but unless we keep bomb calorimeters in our homes to verify intake or university level VO2 max meters to verify caloric output we will never have the level of caloric surgical precision that some people suggest is necessary to be successful on MFP. So where does one draw the line? My .5 lb loss a week is 1330 and my maintenance is 1500 cuz I'm short and getting older. And though the advice given makes good sense, I won't eat back ALL exercise calories to cover for any errors.
And we can't all be doing it wrong.15 -
newheavensearth wrote: »princeofmind wrote: »fatima4997 wrote: »iam 71.5 kg....want to b 65...my calorie recommendation is 1200...i stay around it almost from a month....and my calorie registered is saying ur I do same for 5 weeks I ll weigh 66kg ...it's been a month iam 71.5....where iam wrong
I just worked out that if you were a 60 year old woman at 4ft 5 inches tall, you would have still lost weight after a month. Not much weight mind but thats not the point :P
Are you 100% sure that you are not consuming more than you realise?
Even so much as a little more sugar and milk in a coffee can add up if you drink them regularly throughout the day.
Yes that's true but unless we keep bomb calorimeters in our homes to verify intake or university level VO2 max meters to verify caloric output we will never have the level of caloric surgical precision that some people suggest is necessary to be successful on MFP. So where does one draw the line? My .5 lb loss a week is 1330 and my maintenance is 1500 cuz I'm short and getting older. And though the advice given makes good sense, I won't eat back ALL exercise calories to cover for any errors.
And we can't all be doing it wrong.
Here's what you do. You log your calories in as accurate as possible by using a scale and proper database entries. You do that for a month and check how your weight develops. If it's going faster than it should, slightly up your calories, if it's slower than it should, slightly lower your calories. Do it for another month, readjust.43 -
stevencloser wrote: »newheavensearth wrote: »princeofmind wrote: »fatima4997 wrote: »iam 71.5 kg....want to b 65...my calorie recommendation is 1200...i stay around it almost from a month....and my calorie registered is saying ur I do same for 5 weeks I ll weigh 66kg ...it's been a month iam 71.5....where iam wrong
I just worked out that if you were a 60 year old woman at 4ft 5 inches tall, you would have still lost weight after a month. Not much weight mind but thats not the point :P
Are you 100% sure that you are not consuming more than you realise?
Even so much as a little more sugar and milk in a coffee can add up if you drink them regularly throughout the day.
Yes that's true but unless we keep bomb calorimeters in our homes to verify intake or university level VO2 max meters to verify caloric output we will never have the level of caloric surgical precision that some people suggest is necessary to be successful on MFP. So where does one draw the line? My .5 lb loss a week is 1330 and my maintenance is 1500 cuz I'm short and getting older. And though the advice given makes good sense, I won't eat back ALL exercise calories to cover for any errors.
And we can't all be doing it wrong.
Here's what you do. You log your calories in as accurate as possible by using a scale and proper database entries. You do that for a month and check how your weight develops. If it's going faster than it should, slightly up your calories, if it's slower than it should, slightly lower your calories. Do it for another month, readjust.
All this "get it to the gram with NASA precision or you're doomed forever" grates my nerves sometimes, but that was the other thread.
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If the alternative is "Yeah I'm just kinda holding it in my hands and being like 'eh that looks like 100 grams to me'", then nasa precision is going to be the advice.21
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I would collapse of low blood sugar eating less than 1000. That's about all the reason I need lol! Older women sometimes become hypothyroid. Happened to me in my late thirties. It sometimes takes more than one try to find the right medication, just as one example.
So this is where I ask if you have had any fairly comprehensive bloodwork done lately.13 -
stevencloser wrote: »If the alternative is "Yeah I'm just kinda holding it in my hands and being like 'eh that looks like 100 grams to me'", then nasa precision is going to be the advice.
Where did I say stop weighing and measuring? I didn't.
Good night.7 -
newheavensearth wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »If the alternative is "Yeah I'm just kinda holding it in my hands and being like 'eh that looks like 100 grams to me'", then nasa precision is going to be the advice.
Where did I say stop weighing and measuring? I didn't.
Good night.
A lot of people aren't even starting, yet swear they're being accurate and the reason they're not losing must be something else.19 -
My only issue with posts like these is regarding people, like myself, who work with their doctor and are cleared for a medically supervised low calorie diet. Right now my doctor is ok with me eating 900-1000 calories a day and I work with her, a trained professional who knows my medical history. I understand there are people who really need information like this, but it really irks me when MFP tries to reset my goals that I discussed ad nauseum with my doctor.35
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I try not to eat back my exercise calories.
My allowance is set to 1200 I personally aim for between that and 1000 just because it won't let u complete the diary for the day otherwise. I've lost 36lbs in 20 weeks. My hair has been falling out and I'm very tired. Reading this has worried me a bit. Would some one who understands mind friending me and having a quick look at my diary to see what u think please?
I mostly go to the gym 4 times a week I weigh 136.5lbs now and I think I might be happy to stop around 128 or a little less. I am in a hurry to get there.11 -
My only issue with posts like these is regarding people, like myself, who work with their doctor and are cleared for a medically supervised low calorie diet. Right now my doctor is ok with me eating 900-1000 calories a day and I work with her, a trained professional who knows my medical history. I understand there are people who really need information like this, but it really irks me when MFP tries to reset my goals that I discussed ad nauseum with my doctor.
Don't you think it makes more sense for MFP to be geared towards the many, rather than the few? There are way more people doing this on their own without a doctor's input than under a doctor's care, and many are inclined to choose a calorie deficit that is unhealthy & not sustainable.45 -
My only issue with posts like these is regarding people, like myself, who work with their doctor and are cleared for a medically supervised low calorie diet. Right now my doctor is ok with me eating 900-1000 calories a day and I work with her, a trained professional who knows my medical history. I understand there are people who really need information like this, but it really irks me when MFP tries to reset my goals that I discussed ad nauseum with my doctor.
What puzzles me is the number of times people post such a low calorie diet and never mention that they are under doctors supervision. In general, it's a bad idea. So when someone posts that they are doing this, we don't find out until several posts later that they are under doctors care and they are all pissed off. If they started saying "I'm under doctors care and eating 900 calories a day" the responses would take that into consideration.
And if that is the case, then just don't try to close out the day. Not perfect but you really gain very little by not closing the day. Realize you are the exception and that MFP is built for the masses.37
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