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People are eating too few calories
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I’m 55, 5’2”, and work out almost every day for an hour and I definitely would not lose weight eating 1800 calories a day.4
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Having gone through both periods binging and periods of starving as well as working with many health professionals in recovery I've learnt a lot about how the body functions. Personally i think part of the problem with people diets and physiques today is a result of both overeating AND undereating. Hearing so many people eating 1200-1500 calories a day sickens me. And that's because i used to eat like that and i was miserable. my body was unwell and everything inside was messed up. I now eat twice that amount and my weight has decreased, my muscle mass has increased noticeably, my mood has improved, and my energy levels are through the roof.
I want to hear what other people think about this because honestly i believe eating any less ( as an average woman) than 1800 calories, yes even to lose weight, is too little. I want to hear others peoples opinions on this
If we were all you, this would be 100% true.
Trouble is, we're not you . . . not at all, not in terms of calorie intake needs, not in terms of what makes us miserable, not with respect to other people's calorie-intake choices being sickening (WTflippiedip?).
I appreciate your concern, but my weight, muscle mass, mood and energy levels are fine, thank you. I'm glad to hear yours are good, too - sincerely.
I don't like to see people lose weight unhealthfully fast, say in excess of 0.5-1% bodyweight per week, depending on circumstances. How many calories they need, in order to do that, is very, very individual, and I don't see why I should judge that side of it. YMMV.
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Considering that it appears my maintenance (exclusive of exercise) is around 1500... kind of not a good fit for me. Realistically, even eating back half my exercise calories, I'm usually coming in around 1700 now to lose 1/2 lb per week. And I'm not cutting any further.3
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Having gone through both periods binging and periods of starving as well as working with many health professionals in recovery I've learnt a lot about how the body functions. Personally i think part of the problem with people diets and physiques today is a result of both overeating AND undereating. Hearing so many people eating 1200-1500 calories a day sickens me. And that's because i used to eat like that and i was miserable. my body was unwell and everything inside was messed up. I now eat twice that amount and my weight has decreased, my muscle mass has increased noticeably, my mood has improved, and my energy levels are through the roof.
I want to hear what other people think about this because honestly i believe eating any less ( as an average woman) than 1800 calories, yes even to lose weight, is too little. I want to hear others peoples opinions on this
For me, outside of surgery, eating 1200 calories a day does make me miserable. I am 5'5.5'' and a woman. Naturally I seem to only be able to lose around 1.5 lbs a week with heavy exercise and around 1800-2200 calories. I am not unwell eating 1200 calories but I definitely do not enjoy it.1 -
Personally at 1,800 cal/day I am losing about 2.5 lbs/wk steadily - but I also am 5' 10.5" and weigh well over 300#. I even allow myself a cheat day once a week and have still lost 45# in 18 weeks and 2 days. Don't hate, people - even having lost that 45 lbs I'm still 339 lbs. My current goal is 267 lbs to get to a BMI of 39 so I can get both hips replaced. (Actually I only need to get to 272#, but you know doctors always weigh you with your clothes on, so I want to leave a 5# cushion.) After I recover fully from the hip surgeries, both knees are next - I've been very fat a very long time, exacerbating my osteoarthritis.
As far as the OP's comment, after a certain weight even I will have to drop to 1500 cal/day, maybe less, to continue to lose weight and then to maintain, so I too think the OP's comment is a vast overgeneralization.18 -
Personally at 1,800 cal/day I am losing about 2.5 lbs/wk steadily - but I also am 5' 10.5" and weigh well over 300#. I even allow myself a cheat day once a week and have still lost 45# in 18 weeks and 2 days. Don't hate, people - even having lost that 45 lbs I'm still 339 lbs. My current goal is 267 lbs to get to a BMI of 39 so I can get both hips replaced. (Actually I only need to get to 272#, but you know doctors always weigh you with your clothes on, so I want to leave a 5# cushion.) After I recover fully from the hip surgeries, both knees are next - I've been very fat a very long time, exacerbating my osteoarthritis.
All the more proof there is no one-size-fit-all calorie guide Sounds like you have a long road ahead, but hopefully the results are worth it!5 -
Have a feeling the noob OP asking these questions is not as 'innocent' as it may appear. I'm having deja-vu, here.10
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snickerscharlie wrote: »Have a feeling the noob OP asking these questions is not as 'innocent' as it may appear. I'm having deja-vu, here.
On MFP? NEVER!
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Another one-post wonder with misguided opinions.
What a surprise...9 -
I completely disagree. There is not a "one size fits all" when it comes to calorie intake. Height, weight, activity level, medical issues, etc can be a factor in determining how many calories you should take in and what your end goal is. I have been following a 1200-1400 calorie meal plan since April 2018 and have never felt better! I'm full after each meal, I have way more energy than before....I feel amazing. 1200-1400 calories a day isn't for everyone, but it works perfect for me!3
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I am just a hair under six foot. I hit my goal of 165 pounds about two months ago.
I do mild weight lifting three days a week, cardio three other days and one day off. I started adding calories back about every three weeks until I stopped losing.
It looks like at about 1550 calories a day is maintenance for me, which to me seems a bit low but I have been the same weight for three consecutive weeks, yes with some daily fluctuations but generally right between 160 and 165. If I hit below 160 for three straight weeks I will add another 50 calories a day and keep tracking. Of course if I go the other way for three weeks I will cut 50 calories a day.4 -
Another one-post wonder with misguided opinions.
What a surprise...
What's interesting is that they've been here since Oct. 2017, and have obviously been reading the forums by the way the post is worded, so they must have read thread after thread where sweeping generalizations are shot down in the first response.1 -
Well...
I think there's a really indirect noncausal correlation between undereating and poor physical health. There is not a chance I could eat 1500 calories every day for the rest of my life unless I was extremely sedentary. And if I was extremely sedentary, then I should eat 1500 calories. But also I should not be that sedentary, because that's not good for your body in other ways. You should exercise more than that.
However, none of that adds up to actual weight gain, if that's what you mean. I probably wouldn't gain weight eating 1500/day forever, but I'd probably have other physical issues from the sedentary lifestyle.
And yeah I mean if you're at a healthy weight and you're still undereating long term, it's probably not the best for you, same as overeating. Eat what your body needs to be healthy.4 -
But how do you know exactly what your body needs to be healthy? It this not where you are eating the right amount to not gain or lose any weight over a measured period of time at you then current general activity level?Well...
I think there's a really indirect noncausal correlation between undereating and poor physical health. There is not a chance I could eat 1500 calories every day for the rest of my life unless I was extremely sedentary. And if I was extremely sedentary, then I should eat 1500 calories. But also I should not be that sedentary, because that's not good for your body in other ways. You should exercise more than that.
However, none of that adds up to actual weight gain, if that's what you mean. I probably wouldn't gain weight eating 1500/day forever, but I'd probably have other physical issues from the sedentary lifestyle.
And yeah I mean if you're at a healthy weight and you're still undereating long term, it's probably not the best for you, same as overeating. Eat what your body needs to be healthy.
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Um, my BMR is round about 1300, and I have a desk job that has me working long hours. Eating 1800 calories is pretty much how I wound up morbidly obese in the first place.
So, no.10 -
I'm 58 and just under 5' tall, with arthritis. I'm losing nicely on 1200 healthy food calories per day, with lots of water daily, and exercise several times a week. I had LOTS of weight to lose, and have received input both from a doctor and dietitian. I'll increase my calories when I'm ready to maintain.1
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I think OP is full of bull . I am 59 and over 1500 cal I gain even working out . not all of us are burning off 1800 a day . OP has an opinion but it is wrong .
I have been staying between 1300 and 1600 and weight loss has been very slow . I am ok with slow as 1200 cal was faster but left me hungry .1 -
I know for me it’s important that I eat 1200-1500 calories mainly because I do weights and cardio every day. To some it may seem to little but I’m not very big in size and I don’t need as much as say a man needs. But I mostly eat a lot of calories now because I always used to fail years ago. I used to eat under 1000 calories while doing exercise and I didn’t realise that my body was actually hungry, so all that led to was binge eating.3
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Gosh I am struggling to lose on 1200/day or less, if I ate 1800-2000 I would just gain and gain!7
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Um, my BMR is round about 1300, and I have a desk job that has me working long hours. Eating 1800 calories is pretty much how I wound up morbidly obese in the first place.
So, no.
Your BMR is the amount of calories you’d need to sustain your body if you are in a coma, essentially. You don’t need to eat below your BMR to lose, and having a desk job with long hours doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t be more active. I have a desk job and work probably 50+ hours a week yet still manage to get in 10-12k steps a day, by doing so my TDEE (which is what your calorie deficit should come from) is around 2100.5
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