We are pleased to announce that on March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor will be introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the upcoming changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!
Daily calories are too much!! HELP!
Replies
-
Here's some real advice for you. Don't "diet". That's a word that's thrown around like crazy, but the problem is a "diet" is temporary. So... what to do? Stop caring about calories. Don't pay attention to the number on the scale. There is absolutely no way to accurately count your calorie intake and the number on the scale is irrelevant, one of the reasons being that muscle weighs more than fat.
Eat HEALTHY. Do not fill yourself with sugar, preserved frozen garbage food, and fast food. Eat fresh, homemade foods and if you have to eat out try your best to eat as healthy as possible. DON'T OVEREAT!!! While our bodies are amazing, they can still only do things so quickly. It takes time for the brain to register that you're full while eating which leads to overeating! Eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and give your body time to let you know it's had all the sustenance it needs to feel full. Portion control. Find out how much you SHOULD be eating and stick with it. If you're usually an overeater I promise you the hunger pangs will only last a few days.
What can you drink? Anything that doesn't have sugar in it. I'd avoid diet soda, though, it's really no better than regular. Drink more water. Did you know that sometimes when your body seems like it's saying, "I'm hungry!" it really means, "I'm thirsty!"? WATER! You can find a calculator online to give you an idea of how much water you should be drinking daily, or you can use an app like Hydro Coach which will automatically calculate what your water intake needs are each day.
What else? EAT HEALTHY FATTY FOODS!!! Yes!! I say that because healthy fat is good for you. These healthy fats will also help you feel better and have more energy throughout the day. Give your body something good to burn! It helps you feel full longer, and also helps curb sugar cravings. Did you know sugar has been proven to be as addictive to the brain as heroin and that almost every single food you purchase at your local supermarket has sugar in it? Even your table salt has sugar in it. It's repulsive, really. If you want to become physically and mentally healthier, you have to work very hard for it and that work will continue every day for the rest of your life as you need a complete lifestyle change to get healthy and maintain that health.
Anyways, I wish you the best of luck and please help yourself on your journey by taking the time to do some research about your body, what diets really are (failure), the truth about calories, why you should ignore that number on the scale, why fatty foods are beneficial to your body and health, and anything else you can think of that you have questions about. The internet is a wealth of information as long as you can weed through all the fake and false stuff.
To start with, this is a calorie counting app. Also, losing weight is about being at a calorie deficit. Lots of us have gained weight while eating healthy. While it's wonderful to eat whole foods, there are many packaged foods including "preserved frozen garbage" and diet soda that may fit well into a healthy diet. All foods in the grocery store do not include sugar and I've never purchased salt that included sugar
I totally agree with there being a wealth of information as long as you can weed through all the fake and false stuff.14 -
lalalacroix wrote: »Here's some real advice for you. Don't "diet". That's a word that's thrown around like crazy, but the problem is a "diet" is temporary. So... what to do? Stop caring about calories. Don't pay attention to the number on the scale. There is absolutely no way to accurately count your calorie intake and the number on the scale is irrelevant, one of the reasons being that muscle weighs more than fat.
Eat HEALTHY. Do not fill yourself with sugar, preserved frozen garbage food, and fast food. Eat fresh, homemade foods and if you have to eat out try your best to eat as healthy as possible. DON'T OVEREAT!!! While our bodies are amazing, they can still only do things so quickly. It takes time for the brain to register that you're full while eating which leads to overeating! Eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and give your body time to let you know it's had all the sustenance it needs to feel full. Portion control. Find out how much you SHOULD be eating and stick with it. If you're usually an overeater I promise you the hunger pangs will only last a few days.
What can you drink? Anything that doesn't have sugar in it. I'd avoid diet soda, though, it's really no better than regular. Drink more water. Did you know that sometimes when your body seems like it's saying, "I'm hungry!" it really means, "I'm thirsty!"? WATER! You can find a calculator online to give you an idea of how much water you should be drinking daily, or you can use an app like Hydro Coach which will automatically calculate what your water intake needs are each day.
What else? EAT HEALTHY FATTY FOODS!!! Yes!! I say that because healthy fat is good for you. These healthy fats will also help you feel better and have more energy throughout the day. Give your body something good to burn! It helps you feel full longer, and also helps curb sugar cravings. Did you know sugar has been proven to be as addictive to the brain as heroin and that almost every single food you purchase at your local supermarket has sugar in it? Even your table salt has sugar in it. It's repulsive, really. If you want to become physically and mentally healthier, you have to work very hard for it and that work will continue every day for the rest of your life as you need a complete lifestyle change to get healthy and maintain that health.
Anyways, I wish you the best of luck and please help yourself on your journey by taking the time to do some research about your body, what diets really are (failure), the truth about calories, why you should ignore that number on the scale, why fatty foods are beneficial to your body and health, and anything else you can think of that you have questions about. The internet is a wealth of information as long as you can weed through all the fake and false stuff.
To start with, this is a calorie counting app. Also, losing weight is about being at a calorie deficit. Lots of us have gained weight while eating healthy. While it's wonderful to eat whole foods, there are many packaged foods including "preserved frozen garbage" and diet soda that may fit well into a healthy diet. All foods in the grocery store do not include sugar and I've never purchased salt that included sugar
I totally agree with there being a wealth of information as long as you can weed through all the fake and false stuff.
Believe whatever you'd like. I'm offering real advice based on life experience and facts. If you don't like facts, so be it. Enjoy your day and I do hope you find something better to do with your time than react negatively to somebody that's just trying to help. Later.44 -
Here's some real advice for you. Don't "diet". That's a word that's thrown around like crazy, but the problem is a "diet" is temporary. So... what to do? Stop caring about calories. Don't pay attention to the number on the scale. There is absolutely no way to accurately count your calorie intake and the number on the scale is irrelevant, one of the reasons being that muscle weighs more than fat.
Eat HEALTHY. Do not fill yourself with sugar, preserved frozen garbage food, and fast food. Eat fresh, homemade foods and if you have to eat out try your best to eat as healthy as possible. DON'T OVEREAT!!! While our bodies are amazing, they can still only do things so quickly. It takes time for the brain to register that you're full while eating which leads to overeating! Eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and give your body time to let you know it's had all the sustenance it needs to feel full. Portion control. Find out how much you SHOULD be eating and stick with it. If you're usually an overeater I promise you the hunger pangs will only last a few days.
What can you drink? Anything that doesn't have sugar in it. I'd avoid diet soda, though, it's really no better than regular. Drink more water. Did you know that sometimes when your body seems like it's saying, "I'm hungry!" it really means, "I'm thirsty!"? WATER! You can find a calculator online to give you an idea of how much water you should be drinking daily, or you can use an app like Hydro Coach which will automatically calculate what your water intake needs are each day.
What else? EAT HEALTHY FATTY FOODS!!! Yes!! I say that because healthy fat is good for you. These healthy fats will also help you feel better and have more energy throughout the day. Give your body something good to burn! It helps you feel full longer, and also helps curb sugar cravings. Did you know sugar has been proven to be as addictive to the brain as heroin and that almost every single food you purchase at your local supermarket has sugar in it? Even your table salt has sugar in it. It's repulsive, really. If you want to become physically and mentally healthier, you have to work very hard for it and that work will continue every day for the rest of your life as you need a complete lifestyle change to get healthy and maintain that health.
Anyways, I wish you the best of luck and please help yourself on your journey by taking the time to do some research about your body, what diets really are (failure), the truth about calories, why you should ignore that number on the scale, why fatty foods are beneficial to your body and health, and anything else you can think of that you have questions about. The internet is a wealth of information as long as you can weed through all the fake and false stuff.
That's... exactly how I got to 254lbs, BMI 45, Obesity Level III. Maybe I can't calculate my calories exactly, but I've dropped 108lbs coming close. Muscle DOESN'T weigh more than fat, anymore than a ton of bricks weighs more than a ton of feathers. It's denser and takes up less space, but that doesn't make the scale irrelevant.
That "preserved frozen garbage food" is one of the major ways that this ovo-lacto vegetarian gets her protein. This was yesterday:
I can get 8 grams of protein from a 45-calorie veggie dog. Not missing out on that, just because it's "processed". And looking at the protein/iron/fiber? I'm... really trying to see the "unhealthy" parts of it. I make plenty of homemade stuff too. The seitan I had for supper, for example. But I used pickled capers from the supermarket and ReaLemon lemon juice from concentrate in it, so I'd hardly call it unprocessed. (And I buy vital wheat gluten to make the seitan; I don't mill my own or do all that rinsing, etc.)
I've been drinking diet soda daily. It's neutral and calorie-free. But once in a while? I'll get a hot apple cider at Timothy's. I mean, why not? It's about 220 calories that I budget for, sugar and all.
As far as sugar being as addictive as heroin and in everything? Nope and nope. Petting puppies lights up the same pleasure pathways. I haven't given up desserts; I just keep them to 200 calories or fewer. Easily. Something that shouldn't be possible if I'm making them with sugar, but somehow... IDK. And no, sugar is NOT in everything in the supermarket. Seriously.
Diets are ways of eating. Period. They can be healthy or unhealthy, designed for weight loss, weight gain, maintenance, various medical issues, lifestyles, or training regimens... They are not, as a class, "failure". The truth about calories is that they are a unit of measurement for energy. Not nutrition. Not macros. Energy. And ignoring the number on the scale doesn't make it go away.
18 -
lalalacroix wrote: »Here's some real advice for you. Don't "diet". That's a word that's thrown around like crazy, but the problem is a "diet" is temporary. So... what to do? Stop caring about calories. Don't pay attention to the number on the scale. There is absolutely no way to accurately count your calorie intake and the number on the scale is irrelevant, one of the reasons being that muscle weighs more than fat.
Eat HEALTHY. Do not fill yourself with sugar, preserved frozen garbage food, and fast food. Eat fresh, homemade foods and if you have to eat out try your best to eat as healthy as possible. DON'T OVEREAT!!! While our bodies are amazing, they can still only do things so quickly. It takes time for the brain to register that you're full while eating which leads to overeating! Eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and give your body time to let you know it's had all the sustenance it needs to feel full. Portion control. Find out how much you SHOULD be eating and stick with it. If you're usually an overeater I promise you the hunger pangs will only last a few days.
What can you drink? Anything that doesn't have sugar in it. I'd avoid diet soda, though, it's really no better than regular. Drink more water. Did you know that sometimes when your body seems like it's saying, "I'm hungry!" it really means, "I'm thirsty!"? WATER! You can find a calculator online to give you an idea of how much water you should be drinking daily, or you can use an app like Hydro Coach which will automatically calculate what your water intake needs are each day.
What else? EAT HEALTHY FATTY FOODS!!! Yes!! I say that because healthy fat is good for you. These healthy fats will also help you feel better and have more energy throughout the day. Give your body something good to burn! It helps you feel full longer, and also helps curb sugar cravings. Did you know sugar has been proven to be as addictive to the brain as heroin and that almost every single food you purchase at your local supermarket has sugar in it? Even your table salt has sugar in it. It's repulsive, really. If you want to become physically and mentally healthier, you have to work very hard for it and that work will continue every day for the rest of your life as you need a complete lifestyle change to get healthy and maintain that health.
Anyways, I wish you the best of luck and please help yourself on your journey by taking the time to do some research about your body, what diets really are (failure), the truth about calories, why you should ignore that number on the scale, why fatty foods are beneficial to your body and health, and anything else you can think of that you have questions about. The internet is a wealth of information as long as you can weed through all the fake and false stuff.
To start with, this is a calorie counting app. Also, losing weight is about being at a calorie deficit. Lots of us have gained weight while eating healthy. While it's wonderful to eat whole foods, there are many packaged foods including "preserved frozen garbage" and diet soda that may fit well into a healthy diet. All foods in the grocery store do not include sugar and I've never purchased salt that included sugar
I totally agree with there being a wealth of information as long as you can weed through all the fake and false stuff.
Believe whatever you'd like. I'm offering real advice based on life experience and facts. If you don't like facts, so be it. Enjoy your day and I do hope you find something better to do with your time than react negatively to somebody that's just trying to help. Later.
When your facts are incorrect, someone is going to call you on them. Your facts are incorrect.40 -
lalalacroix wrote: »Here's some real advice for you. Don't "diet". That's a word that's thrown around like crazy, but the problem is a "diet" is temporary. So... what to do? Stop caring about calories. Don't pay attention to the number on the scale. There is absolutely no way to accurately count your calorie intake and the number on the scale is irrelevant, one of the reasons being that muscle weighs more than fat.
Eat HEALTHY. Do not fill yourself with sugar, preserved frozen garbage food, and fast food. Eat fresh, homemade foods and if you have to eat out try your best to eat as healthy as possible. DON'T OVEREAT!!! While our bodies are amazing, they can still only do things so quickly. It takes time for the brain to register that you're full while eating which leads to overeating! Eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and give your body time to let you know it's had all the sustenance it needs to feel full. Portion control. Find out how much you SHOULD be eating and stick with it. If you're usually an overeater I promise you the hunger pangs will only last a few days.
What can you drink? Anything that doesn't have sugar in it. I'd avoid diet soda, though, it's really no better than regular. Drink more water. Did you know that sometimes when your body seems like it's saying, "I'm hungry!" it really means, "I'm thirsty!"? WATER! You can find a calculator online to give you an idea of how much water you should be drinking daily, or you can use an app like Hydro Coach which will automatically calculate what your water intake needs are each day.
What else? EAT HEALTHY FATTY FOODS!!! Yes!! I say that because healthy fat is good for you. These healthy fats will also help you feel better and have more energy throughout the day. Give your body something good to burn! It helps you feel full longer, and also helps curb sugar cravings. Did you know sugar has been proven to be as addictive to the brain as heroin and that almost every single food you purchase at your local supermarket has sugar in it? Even your table salt has sugar in it. It's repulsive, really. If you want to become physically and mentally healthier, you have to work very hard for it and that work will continue every day for the rest of your life as you need a complete lifestyle change to get healthy and maintain that health.
Anyways, I wish you the best of luck and please help yourself on your journey by taking the time to do some research about your body, what diets really are (failure), the truth about calories, why you should ignore that number on the scale, why fatty foods are beneficial to your body and health, and anything else you can think of that you have questions about. The internet is a wealth of information as long as you can weed through all the fake and false stuff.
To start with, this is a calorie counting app. Also, losing weight is about being at a calorie deficit. Lots of us have gained weight while eating healthy. While it's wonderful to eat whole foods, there are many packaged foods including "preserved frozen garbage" and diet soda that may fit well into a healthy diet. All foods in the grocery store do not include sugar and I've never purchased salt that included sugar
I totally agree with there being a wealth of information as long as you can weed through all the fake and false stuff.
Believe whatever you'd like. I'm offering real advice based on life experience and facts. If you don't like facts, so be it. Enjoy your day and I do hope you find something better to do with your time than react negatively to somebody that's just trying to help. Later.
its not whats believed its whats been proven scientifically. and most of what you stated about sugar and other things have not been proven scientifically. and fatty foods are not beneficial for everyone. I know that for me its not and is dangerous in high quantities(including the healthy fats) your body burns calories no matter what you eat. food is processed and used in many ways and whats left or cant be used is pushed out as waste. as for morton salt its the only one I can find that contains dextrose(in the iodized salt) but the trace amounts are so small it doesnt make a diefference) as for portion control and not overeathing thats usually what helps cause a calorie deficit and even if you dont count calories your body does no matter what you put in it. I becme obese eating healthy foods and cutting out what I perceived to be bad. oh and one other thing fruits and veggies contain sugars
13 -
lalalacroix wrote: »Here's some real advice for you. Don't "diet". That's a word that's thrown around like crazy, but the problem is a "diet" is temporary. So... what to do? Stop caring about calories. Don't pay attention to the number on the scale. There is absolutely no way to accurately count your calorie intake and the number on the scale is irrelevant, one of the reasons being that muscle weighs more than fat.
Eat HEALTHY. Do not fill yourself with sugar, preserved frozen garbage food, and fast food. Eat fresh, homemade foods and if you have to eat out try your best to eat as healthy as possible. DON'T OVEREAT!!! While our bodies are amazing, they can still only do things so quickly. It takes time for the brain to register that you're full while eating which leads to overeating! Eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and give your body time to let you know it's had all the sustenance it needs to feel full. Portion control. Find out how much you SHOULD be eating and stick with it. If you're usually an overeater I promise you the hunger pangs will only last a few days.
What can you drink? Anything that doesn't have sugar in it. I'd avoid diet soda, though, it's really no better than regular. Drink more water. Did you know that sometimes when your body seems like it's saying, "I'm hungry!" it really means, "I'm thirsty!"? WATER! You can find a calculator online to give you an idea of how much water you should be drinking daily, or you can use an app like Hydro Coach which will automatically calculate what your water intake needs are each day.
What else? EAT HEALTHY FATTY FOODS!!! Yes!! I say that because healthy fat is good for you. These healthy fats will also help you feel better and have more energy throughout the day. Give your body something good to burn! It helps you feel full longer, and also helps curb sugar cravings. Did you know sugar has been proven to be as addictive to the brain as heroin and that almost every single food you purchase at your local supermarket has sugar in it? Even your table salt has sugar in it. It's repulsive, really. If you want to become physically and mentally healthier, you have to work very hard for it and that work will continue every day for the rest of your life as you need a complete lifestyle change to get healthy and maintain that health.
Anyways, I wish you the best of luck and please help yourself on your journey by taking the time to do some research about your body, what diets really are (failure), the truth about calories, why you should ignore that number on the scale, why fatty foods are beneficial to your body and health, and anything else you can think of that you have questions about. The internet is a wealth of information as long as you can weed through all the fake and false stuff.
To start with, this is a calorie counting app. Also, losing weight is about being at a calorie deficit. Lots of us have gained weight while eating healthy. While it's wonderful to eat whole foods, there are many packaged foods including "preserved frozen garbage" and diet soda that may fit well into a healthy diet. All foods in the grocery store do not include sugar and I've never purchased salt that included sugar
I totally agree with there being a wealth of information as long as you can weed through all the fake and false stuff.
Believe whatever you'd like. I'm offering real advice based on life experience and facts. If you don't like facts, so be it. Enjoy your day and I do hope you find something better to do with your time than react negatively to somebody that's just trying to help. Later.
I love facts! And there is so much fake nutrition info spouted online that it can be very difficult for people new to weight loss to know the difference between what is actually true and what is woo. I am actually not at all being negative, just wanted to point out some of the errors in your post. Sorry if you find my corrections offensive.
I am enjoying my day and hope you do as well. 🙂15 -
Your body needs a certain amount of calories to perform basic metabolic functions, even digesting your food and thinking about what to have for dinner requires calories. If you consistently eat too little to keep up these functions you body won't just compensate by burning more fat, your body will actually start slowing down and using less energy for these basic functions.
We live in a time of plenty, but our bodies are designed for a past when food was short in supply and erratic. Think of it like your fat is your savings of energy for a famine that never comes. If there is nearly enough food to eat, your body will burn some fat to make up for it, this is what happens when you eat up to your mfp recommended intake, but if your body thinks there is a real famine, because there never seems enough to eat (because you are on a very low intake diet) your body will slow things down, use less energy and keep more of your fat stores in case this famine lasts a long time.
This is why intermittent fasting diets, like the 5:2 diet work, because on some days you have a big deficit, and on other days there is enough food. Your body compensates for the low intake days by burning fat, but because there is enough food on other days it doesn't slow down to prepare for a lasting famine. It is also part of the reason many people hit a plateau when dieting, and sometimes eating MORE kicks off the fat loss again.
Also remember that I am not a Doctor and this is just my opinion. Also remember that 'dieticians', 'personal trainers' and the like are just amateur quacks whose 'knowledge' is seldom based on scientific experiment.18 -
Oh and as for drinking water, the rule is "drink water when you are thirsty" preferably with meals. The famous saying, "you need 8 glasses of water a day" misses out the second part of the sentence, "but you get most of this from your food". So unless your diet consists of dehydrated meat and vegetables, you don't need anything like 8 glasses of water, in fact too much water is bad for your body, that's why your kidneys get rid of it. Nor will water or anything else you eat or drink "detox you", your kidneys and liver do that 24/7.11
-
lalalacroix wrote: »Here's some real advice for you. Don't "diet". That's a word that's thrown around like crazy, but the problem is a "diet" is temporary. So... what to do? Stop caring about calories. Don't pay attention to the number on the scale. There is absolutely no way to accurately count your calorie intake and the number on the scale is irrelevant, one of the reasons being that muscle weighs more than fat.
Eat HEALTHY. Do not fill yourself with sugar, preserved frozen garbage food, and fast food. Eat fresh, homemade foods and if you have to eat out try your best to eat as healthy as possible. DON'T OVEREAT!!! While our bodies are amazing, they can still only do things so quickly. It takes time for the brain to register that you're full while eating which leads to overeating! Eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and give your body time to let you know it's had all the sustenance it needs to feel full. Portion control. Find out how much you SHOULD be eating and stick with it. If you're usually an overeater I promise you the hunger pangs will only last a few days.
What can you drink? Anything that doesn't have sugar in it. I'd avoid diet soda, though, it's really no better than regular. Drink more water. Did you know that sometimes when your body seems like it's saying, "I'm hungry!" it really means, "I'm thirsty!"? WATER! You can find a calculator online to give you an idea of how much water you should be drinking daily, or you can use an app like Hydro Coach which will automatically calculate what your water intake needs are each day.
What else? EAT HEALTHY FATTY FOODS!!! Yes!! I say that because healthy fat is good for you. These healthy fats will also help you feel better and have more energy throughout the day. Give your body something good to burn! It helps you feel full longer, and also helps curb sugar cravings. Did you know sugar has been proven to be as addictive to the brain as heroin and that almost every single food you purchase at your local supermarket has sugar in it? Even your table salt has sugar in it. It's repulsive, really. If you want to become physically and mentally healthier, you have to work very hard for it and that work will continue every day for the rest of your life as you need a complete lifestyle change to get healthy and maintain that health.
Anyways, I wish you the best of luck and please help yourself on your journey by taking the time to do some research about your body, what diets really are (failure), the truth about calories, why you should ignore that number on the scale, why fatty foods are beneficial to your body and health, and anything else you can think of that you have questions about. The internet is a wealth of information as long as you can weed through all the fake and false stuff.
To start with, this is a calorie counting app. Also, losing weight is about being at a calorie deficit. Lots of us have gained weight while eating healthy. While it's wonderful to eat whole foods, there are many packaged foods including "preserved frozen garbage" and diet soda that may fit well into a healthy diet. All foods in the grocery store do not include sugar and I've never purchased salt that included sugar
I totally agree with there being a wealth of information as long as you can weed through all the fake and false stuff.
Believe whatever you'd like. I'm offering real advice based on life experience and facts. If you don't like facts, so be it. Enjoy your day and I do hope you find something better to do with your time than react negatively to somebody that's just trying to help. Later.
Where are the facts? All you posted was a collection of opinions, full of subjective judgments and unsourced claims.23 -
ChrisManch wrote: »Your body needs a certain amount of calories to perform basic metabolic functions, even digesting your food and thinking about what to have for dinner requires calories. If you consistently eat too little to keep up these functions you body won't just compensate by burning more fat, your body will actually start slowing down and using less energy for these basic functions.
We live in a time of plenty, but our bodies are designed for a past when food was short in supply and erratic. Think of it like your fat is your savings of energy for a famine that never comes. If there is nearly enough food to eat, your body will burn some fat to make up for it, this is what happens when you eat up to your mfp recommended intake, but if your body thinks there is a real famine, because there never seems enough to eat (because you are on a very low intake diet) your body will slow things down, use less energy and keep more of your fat stores in case this famine lasts a long time.
This is why intermittent fasting diets, like the 5:2 diet work, because on some days you have a big deficit, and on other days there is enough food. Your body compensates for the low intake days by burning fat, but because there is enough food on other days it doesn't slow down to prepare for a lasting famine. It is also part of the reason many people hit a plateau when dieting, and sometimes eating MORE kicks off the fat loss again.
Also remember that I am not a Doctor and this is just my opinion. Also remember that 'dieticians', 'personal trainers' and the like are just amateur quacks whose 'knowledge' is seldom based on scientific experiment.
What you are describing is adaptive thermogenesis, and it doesn't happen in any noticeable fashion from one day to the next, it happens over months of drastic undereating.
And dietitians are not amateur quacks, at least not in the US, they are medical professionals educated in nutrition and how the body uses it.14 -
Here's some real advice for you. Don't "diet". That's a word that's thrown around like crazy, but the problem is a "diet" is temporary. So... what to do? Stop caring about calories. Don't pay attention to the number on the scale. There is absolutely no way to accurately count your calorie intake and the number on the scale is irrelevant, one of the reasons being that muscle weighs more than fat.
Eat HEALTHY. Do not fill yourself with sugar, preserved frozen garbage food, and fast food. Eat fresh, homemade foods and if you have to eat out try your best to eat as healthy as possible. DON'T OVEREAT!!! While our bodies are amazing, they can still only do things so quickly. It takes time for the brain to register that you're full while eating which leads to overeating! Eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and give your body time to let you know it's had all the sustenance it needs to feel full. Portion control. Find out how much you SHOULD be eating and stick with it. If you're usually an overeater I promise you the hunger pangs will only last a few days.
What can you drink? Anything that doesn't have sugar in it. I'd avoid diet soda, though, it's really no better than regular. Drink more water. Did you know that sometimes when your body seems like it's saying, "I'm hungry!" it really means, "I'm thirsty!"? WATER! You can find a calculator online to give you an idea of how much water you should be drinking daily, or you can use an app like Hydro Coach which will automatically calculate what your water intake needs are each day.
What else? EAT HEALTHY FATTY FOODS!!! Yes!! I say that because healthy fat is good for you. These healthy fats will also help you feel better and have more energy throughout the day. Give your body something good to burn! It helps you feel full longer, and also helps curb sugar cravings. Did you know sugar has been proven to be as addictive to the brain as heroin and that almost every single food you purchase at your local supermarket has sugar in it? Even your table salt has sugar in it. It's repulsive, really. If you want to become physically and mentally healthier, you have to work very hard for it and that work will continue every day for the rest of your life as you need a complete lifestyle change to get healthy and maintain that health.
Anyways, I wish you the best of luck and please help yourself on your journey by taking the time to do some research about your body, what diets really are (failure), the truth about calories, why you should ignore that number on the scale, why fatty foods are beneficial to your body and health, and anything else you can think of that you have questions about. The internet is a wealth of information as long as you can weed through all the fake and false stuff.
There's so much incorrect information in this post I don't even know where to start, yikes.18 -
ChrisManch wrote: »Your body needs a certain amount of calories to perform basic metabolic functions, even digesting your food and thinking about what to have for dinner requires calories. If you consistently eat too little to keep up these functions you body won't just compensate by burning more fat, your body will actually start slowing down and using less energy for these basic functions.
We live in a time of plenty, but our bodies are designed for a past when food was short in supply and erratic. Think of it like your fat is your savings of energy for a famine that never comes. If there is nearly enough food to eat, your body will burn some fat to make up for it, this is what happens when you eat up to your mfp recommended intake, but if your body thinks there is a real famine, because there never seems enough to eat (because you are on a very low intake diet) your body will slow things down, use less energy and keep more of your fat stores in case this famine lasts a long time.
This is why intermittent fasting diets, like the 5:2 diet work, because on some days you have a big deficit, and on other days there is enough food. Your body compensates for the low intake days by burning fat, but because there is enough food on other days it doesn't slow down to prepare for a lasting famine. It is also part of the reason many people hit a plateau when dieting, and sometimes eating MORE kicks off the fat loss again.
Also remember that I am not a Doctor and this is just my opinion. Also remember that 'dieticians', 'personal trainers' and the like are just amateur quacks whose 'knowledge' is seldom based on scientific experiment.
As someone who's done IF protocols for years, this post makes me cringe
Also, a dietitian is not an amateur 'quack', they have years of schooling (many times at the Masters level), and need to be licensed.7 -
The minimum safe calorie load for a woman is 1200 calories. If you consume too few calories, your body will go into starvation mode (lower your metabolism) to try to restore what it considers your base weight. Cutting calories too drastically can seriously decrease your metabolism, which is not what you want. In your profile, drop your activity status. That will bring down your target calories, but you actually need to eat more than 900 calories. Throw in some fat, fruit, and fiber where it makes sense. Apple with 1 TBs peanut butter for a snack, berries and fiber one with that yogurt in the morning, some olive oil with that salad so you can better absorb the nutrients. Red peppers or carrots with hummus or guac make a great snack.33
-
Starvation mode, as you describe it, does not actually exist. https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/8
-
I just looked at my container of salt, and it contains dextrose.
Ignoring the scale and doing my best to eat only "healthy" (whole grain and so forth) is how I got to 217 pounds. Some of us have to pay attention to that stuff because our appetites lead us astray.15 -
ChrisManch wrote: »Your body needs a certain amount of calories to perform basic metabolic functions, even digesting your food and thinking about what to have for dinner requires calories. If you consistently eat too little to keep up these functions you body won't just compensate by burning more fat, your body will actually start slowing down and using less energy for these basic functions.
We live in a time of plenty, but our bodies are designed for a past when food was short in supply and erratic. Think of it like your fat is your savings of energy for a famine that never comes. If there is nearly enough food to eat, your body will burn some fat to make up for it, this is what happens when you eat up to your mfp recommended intake, but if your body thinks there is a real famine, because there never seems enough to eat (because you are on a very low intake diet) your body will slow things down, use less energy and keep more of your fat stores in case this famine lasts a long time.
This is why intermittent fasting diets, like the 5:2 diet work, because on some days you have a big deficit, and on other days there is enough food. Your body compensates for the low intake days by burning fat, but because there is enough food on other days it doesn't slow down to prepare for a lasting famine. It is also part of the reason many people hit a plateau when dieting, and sometimes eating MORE kicks off the fat loss again.
Also remember that I am not a Doctor and this is just my opinion. Also remember that 'dieticians', 'personal trainers' and the like are just amateur quacks whose 'knowledge' is seldom based on scientific experiment.
What you are describing is adaptive thermogenesis, and it doesn't happen in any noticeable fashion from one day to the next, it happens over months of drastic undereating.
And dietitians are not amateur quacks, at least not in the US, they are medical professionals educated in nutrition and how the body uses it.
Unlike nutritionists, however, who can call themselves that after taking a weekend online course.
6 -
a registered dietitian has to go through schooling for a period of time,do hands on things and so on(my friend was A RD and she changed fields) on and they are recognized by the AMA. They have to take other courses too(biology I think is one). where a nutritionist can take a couple hour course and if they pass the course they can practice in some states without a licenses/degree. an RD cannot in most states.4
-
@magdilinab it’s been a few days since your original post and the feedback you’ve gotten that eating more total calories is important but so is tracking accurately.
Have you made any changes to your routine or meal plan? Do you have any questions still?7 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »Cahgetsfit wrote: »Please read this re your not losing on low calories:
The dude knows what he's talking about, he's a top coach.
only part of this I dont agree with is them mentioning soma types
yep me too - the soma types thing. everything else he talks about is good. Oh - and re exercise I also dont agree with him that all women only want to get a big booty and not have shoulder caps coz i'm the opposite LOL.6 -
2snakeswoman wrote: »I just looked at my container of salt, and it contains dextrose.
Ignoring the scale and doing my best to eat only "healthy" (whole grain and so forth) is how I got to 217 pounds. Some of us have to pay attention to that stuff because our appetites lead us astray.
yep - I can eat "healthy" until the cows come home - and end up looking just as big as the cows because i have very poor self-control and limits!
And re the salt - interesting and doens't surprise me, but I usually only buy the salt labeled "sea salt" which is more expensive but is actually just salt. it can clump more depending on weather - the dextrose I'm assuming stabilises the salt so it doens't clump.0 -
Cahgetsfit wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »Cahgetsfit wrote: »Please read this re your not losing on low calories:
The dude knows what he's talking about, he's a top coach.
only part of this I dont agree with is them mentioning soma types
yep me too - the soma types thing. everything else he talks about is good. Oh - and re exercise I also dont agree with him that all women only want to get a big booty and not have shoulder caps coz i'm the opposite LOL.
same here ive always had the big booty lol I want my upper half to be bigger but to do that I have to start working out again lol0 -
2snakeswoman wrote: »I just looked at my container of salt, and it contains dextrose.
Dextrose is added to stabilize the iodine. It is such a tiny amount that it is dietetically insignificant. It doesn't even add a single calorie. It is 4/100ths of a percent of the salt.
14 -
Cahgetsfit wrote: »2snakeswoman wrote: »I just looked at my container of salt, and it contains dextrose.
Ignoring the scale and doing my best to eat only "healthy" (whole grain and so forth) is how I got to 217 pounds. Some of us have to pay attention to that stuff because our appetites lead us astray.
yep - I can eat "healthy" until the cows come home - and end up looking just as big as the cows because i have very poor self-control and limits!
And re the salt - interesting and doens't surprise me, but I usually only buy the salt labeled "sea salt" which is more expensive but is actually just salt. it can clump more depending on weather - the dextrose I'm assuming stabilises the salt so it doens't clump.
Better yet, buy kosher or pickling salt. It is just salt and much cheaper than sea salt which adds nothing nutritionally.7 -
magdilinab wrote: »I had 1 cup of non- fat Greek Yoghurt for breakfast.
A salad with 4eggs, half a tomato and Cucumber, Lettuce and lemon juice for lunch.
And boiled mix veg and pan fried chicken breast for dinner.
I have been on the bigger side my whole life, but ive been eating healthy for the last couple of years and all I've lost is 20lbs. And with my activeness I still can't seem to shake it. I am 5ft 10, so quite tall too.
That doesn't sound like a lot of food. Does that fill you up?0 -
magdilinab wrote: »I had 1 cup of non- fat Greek Yoghurt for breakfast.
A salad with 4eggs, half a tomato and Cucumber, Lettuce and lemon juice for lunch.
And boiled mix veg and pan fried chicken breast for dinner.
I have been on the bigger side my whole life, but ive been eating healthy for the last couple of years and all I've lost is 20lbs. And with my activeness I still can't seem to shake it. I am 5ft 10, so quite tall too.
Sounds like you've hit your plateau. essentially your body is no longer in the shock/recovery phase that is needed to promote muscle gain and stoke your metabolic rate. Your body is no longer challenged by your 5km walk and your metabolism is slowing back down and burning less fat.
The answer isn't to cut more calories. You need to try mixing up your training. Try a basic HIIT workout. Joe Wicks beginner one is great
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q20pLhdoEoY
If you don't feel comfortable, then just try to pick up the pace during your walk. Also take a look at your macros, most PTs recommend 1.7g of protein per KG of body weight to sustain muscle mass.26 -
No it does not sound like that at all.8
-
2snakeswoman wrote: »I just looked at my container of salt, and it contains dextrose.
Ignoring the scale and doing my best to eat only "healthy" (whole grain and so forth) is how I got to 217 pounds. Some of us have to pay attention to that stuff because our appetites lead us astray.
Dextrose is in iodized salt because it's necessary to keep the iodine from degrading. It's not enough to be calorically or nutritionally significant.7 -
OP, there's a lot of great advice in this thread, though a lot of things are all over the place. Just for a different view, here's what I learned through my journey:
1. Everyone's way of losing weight is valid for them, but maybe not for others. We can all tell you what worked for us, which can give you directions and things to try, but you have to work out what works best for you. Basically, as long as what you're doing works and keeps you nutritionally healthy, it's valid.
2. MFP is crap at estimating calories burned from exercise. Your best bet is setting it to sedentary and logging exercise yourself. Getting a fitness monitor of some kind will help. Even that won't be 100% accurate, but it'll be a lot closer.
3. Accurate logging is key. Weigh, weigh, weigh EVERYTHING. Even condiments. Yes, it's tedious. Yes, it's a pain in the *kitten*. But you have start with a baseline, and accurate logging will give you that. Once you've gotten a better idea of how much things are, some people can ease off on the weighing everything. I don't anymore, unless it's something new. But then, I tend to eat a lot of the same things, so I've found what size serving works for me.
4. There's a lot of advice from MFP members, a lot of it can be contradictory. (e.g. 'You have to cut carbs to lose weight!' 'But I didn't and lost weight just fine!') Research EVERYTHING. Remember, what works for one person may not help you at all, so look into different things to see if you think it's worth trying for you.
5. Weight loss happens in the kitchen. Exercise itself doesn't do anything for weight loss. It's important for a lot of other things, so if you're walking daily totally keep doing it! But you can lose weight just by adjusting your food.
6. A key factor to losing weight and KEEPING it off is changing your eating habits. Sure, you can go on a diet and restrict calories and lose weight. But if you don't change your eating habits, as soon as you stop, you'll gain it back. So find a way of adjusting your calories and eating habits that you can sustain. You said you saved room for ice cream, which is perfectly fine. If you can adjust your favorite food's serving sizes to keep eating them, you're more likely to keep doing it when you reach your goal. If someone suggests a diet plan, you try it and it works, then great! But if it's not a way of eating that you can see yourself doing THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, then it's probably not something you want to do.
7. Talk to your doctor about what your minimum calorie goal should be. That's what you need to hit to stay healthy. Going under it for too long can really jack you up!
8. It is really hard to just 'sum up' things I learned. Seriously, this too long already!
9. Profit!9 -
Yikes at this thread! OP - come back and post this same question in March when there's less woo flying around, you'll be much less confused and much better off.
9 -
I don't understand why all these first time posters are coming in here to post all this Youtube/fitness magazine woo in this thread? Did someone put a link to it in another forum or something?
OP said she would see what she could tighten up on her logging back on page 2. Since she hasn't been back to tell us her logging was perfect and it must be something else, I'd hazard a guess that was the issue.
Pro tip: When you hear hoof beats, think horses, not unicorns. Logging accurately is a skill that requires practice, and for most of us our food log when we started was a hot mess. Most folks would find their calorie needs are pretty typical if they really nailed down their logging, and were more patient. Not starvation mode, not a dead metabolism, not a medical condition, not their body needing to be confused, not sugar hiding in their salt.
31
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 394.2K Introduce Yourself
- 43.9K Getting Started
- 260.4K Health and Weight Loss
- 176.1K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 440 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153.1K Motivation and Support
- 8.1K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 4K MyFitnessPal Information
- 16 News and Announcements
- 1.2K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.7K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions