I only eat when I'm hungry. Is that okay?
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tonyrocks922 wrote: »Yeah it's so rare it makes the news when it happens. Peanut butter is bad advice in this thread. That is a fact.
Don't claim facts you no nothing about. Not every tragic story makes the headlines. My ex-husband nearly died. He was hospitalized for almost six months due to complications including heart failure and gall bladder failure directly resulting from a too low calorie diet. For the record, he had over 400 pounds to lose. This happened when he still had 200 to lose. His wife and my children had to say good byes after every visit not knowing if that would be their last time with him. One death is too many. Too few calories can also cause dizziness, exhaustion, nausea, menstrual and fertility issues, gall stones (this is particularly common in people who are over 100 pounds overweight on a very low calorie diet), migraines, insufficient nutritients, and constipation.
Making people believe that specific foods are "bad" is bad advice. Those are the things that lead to eating disorders. Telling individuals to eat nutrient rich foods to maintain minimum calorie requirements is not bad advice.
Edited to correct puncuation errors.19 -
debrakgoogins wrote: »
Making people believe that specific foods are "bad" is bad advice. Those are the things that lead to eating disorders. Telling individuals to eat nutrient rich foods to maintain minimum calorie requirements is not bad advice.
Edited to correct puncuation errors.
I am not saying peanut butter is a "bad" food. You are missing the point entirely. The FACT is telling a morbidly obese person who is not measuring and weighing their food to add calorie dense foods they are not already eating is BAD ADVICE.7 -
tonyrocks922 wrote: »I am not saying peanut butter is a "bad" food. You are missing the point entirely. The FACT is telling a morbidly obese person who is not measuring and weighing their food to add calorie dense foods they are not already eating is BAD ADVICE.
Oh, we're using SHOUTY CAPITALS now. Cool. How convenient for you to completely ignore the fact that every day people who eat too little calories have had disastrous medical results. I guess it didn't fit your "Yeah it's so rare it makes the news when it happens." scenario so ignoring it is easier than admitting you may be wrong.
It's not bad advice to tell anyone that peanut butter is a high calorie food because it IS A HIGH CALORIE FOOD. Noone said to eat more peanut butter. They said that if they are eating less than 1200, to eat more calorie dense foods - which includes peanut butter. AND...she loves peanut butter so she is likely ALREADY EATING IT.
Ultimately, a person who is losing weight can eat any foods INCLUDING PEANUT BUTTER and still make it fit into their calories. I understand your point that she may be eating more than she thinks she is but we don't know that until she starts actually weighing and accurately tracking her food. If she realizes that she is falling below 1200 calories, peanut butter or any other high calorie food IS a way to ensure she (or anyone) meets the minimum calorie count. If she finds that she is eating close to or slightly above the 1200, then great. If not, SOME of us helped her with the original concerns.
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I think you have to find the pattern that works for you. If I wait until I'm really hungry before I eat, it backfires. I need to time my eating so I keep the hunger at bay.1
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I only eat when I'm hungry. Is that okay?
Well ... if I only ate when I was hungry, I'd be 300 lbs right now.
I'm hungry a lot!!4 -
Sooooo...... Please remember that we have community guidelines, they're located HERE. <-- Please click and review.
Here's a super-cliffnotes version if you're in a hurry:
1. Discussing/picking apart ideas is totally awesome. Attacking the messenger or the way a message is delivered is not.
2. Derailing a thread to discuss the merits of a particular food is a form of trolling.
3. If you're in this thread, lets focus on assisting the OP - give her information and she'll decide for herself what she wants to or should do.
4. If you want to discuss the merits of a particular food or way of eating, start your own thread.
Happy hump day folks!
JustSomeEm
:flowerforyou:
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You really can't assume that your intake is 1200 calories because you have stated that you don't weigh or measure your food.
I too don't weigh, but I do measure. I also read portion sizes on labels. In order to really know how much you are consuming, you simply can't "eyeball it".
Get in the habit of using MFP correctly and you will train yourself to know how much you are eating later on down the road. Yes, I agree tracking is a pain in the *kitten* but it is critical in the beginning if you want to make those lifestyle changes.
You are on the right track. Cut out fast food, processed and packaged food, stay away from soda and artificial sweeteners (diet soda) and get regular exercise.
If you eat only when you are hungry, that's fine, just ensure you are getting a proper mix of protein, carbs and fats with each meal and to ensure your getting enough water and fiber too. Adding a good quality multivitamin is also a great idea to ensure you are covered if there are gaps in your diet.
Remember, weight loss, that is sustained weight loss, requires more than just calorie reduction. Healthy eating and moving more are key. This is a journey, not a destination so it will be a slow process. Weight loss doesn't just stop when you reach your target weight. That is why you yo-yo. You have to change habits, not diet.
Now....get going!2 -
For weight loss calories are king. There is no need to eliminate fast or processed food. Either can be incorporated into a weight-loss plan. As can the occasional soda. Unless you have a medical reason (eg allergy) to avoid artificial sweeteners, there's no need.
Exercise has many health benefits and gives you more calories to play with, but it's not essential to weight loss.
Sustainable eating often includes room for treats and indulgences. And there are people who are unable to move but still manage to keep their weight off. It's not one size fits all.6 -
I'm just curious about this cuz I watch "My big fat fabulous life" and she weighs 330 ish pounds yet says she can go 24 hours without eating and it doesn't bug her,she has a personal trainer that has to encourage her to eat,now I'm just wondering if you're overweight wouldn't skipping some eating be a benefit? I'm being serious and NOT making light of the situation, I've just been curious since I saw that episode2
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I'm just curious about this cuz I watch "My big fat fabulous life" and she weighs 330 ish pounds yet says she can go 24 hours without eating and it doesn't bug her,she has a personal trainer that has to encourage her to eat,now I'm just wondering if you're overweight wouldn't skipping some eating be a benefit? I'm being serious and NOT making light of the situation, I've just been curious since I saw that episode
Just my laymen's opinion here. But, I think it just depends on the person. This is probably why OMAD (One meal a day) has an appeal for some people. No harm as long as you get adequate calories in that one meal. But I feel like a lot of people get stuck on several small meals a day as gospel. Possibly that trainer on the show too? I personally couldn't do OMAD I'd be a very scatter brained and grumpy individual by my 24 hour mark!3 -
Speaking from experience. When I first began, I was eating similar. I probably ate around 1000 to 1100 calories. Not a much protein. Mostly vegetables. My energy went down but also, my hair began falling out. I don't mean a little. I mean constantly. I learned from it.5
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OP, good on you for a strong start. I hope you feel better and better with every month that goes by. Thoughts:
- 2lb per week is a healthy rate of loss for most people with 100 lb to lose. Great job! No need to change.
- People with a lot to lose have a lot of margin to experiment and find what works for them. Keep experimenting and doing what you are doing for as long as it works. At some point, if it stops working (ETA: loss stops or is unhealthy fast), you can employ other tools e.g. tracking your calorie intake (using a scale and correct entries for accuracy).
- You can estimate what your actual intake has been based on your loss so far. Most people lose water weight in the beginning, skewing this calculation to a bigger deficit that you actually have. More weeks of data will make this calculation more accurate. Nonetheless, here is the estimate with a couple assumptions to keep it generic:
--- 150lb is upper "normal" BMI for a 5'6" woman. TDEE if she's 250lb +"lightly active" +30 year old ~ 2800 kcal
--- a sustained 2lb/wk loss over time for this woman suggests an average daily intake of 1800 kcal
--- Using your specific data, you can likewise determine what your intake on average has been.
If I ate when hungry I would be overweight. Full stop. Even after decades of maintaining a healthy weight, it's still a daily battle for me. A battle I am winning (!!!) but still a battle that takes some effort nonetheless. I can't emphasize enough how helpful accurate calorie counting is. It really simplifies and demystifies so many things. I highly recommend it as a tool if your weight loss stops before you intend for it to. Best to you!0 -
Buy a food scale, they're not that expensive. Start weighing your food, and consistently do the MFP logging. I used to eyeball cheese, and logged in my portion as 1 oz. When I weighed what I was actually eating, it was closer to 3 ounces. Eye-opening! I made sure to eat a little something an hour or two before a meal, just to maintain a little more energy throughout the day. If you like eggs, they are a great source of protein, and that used to sustain me for a long time for very few calories (I think around 75 calories each). If you are exercising, be sure to eat the additional calories you've earned - you'll still lose weight! I think it's good to listen to your body and eat when you're hungry, but maybe a snack in between meals will help you avoid being ravenous by the time dinner rolls around.0
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I'm just curious about this cuz I watch "My big fat fabulous life" and she weighs 330 ish pounds yet says she can go 24 hours without eating and it doesn't bug her,she has a personal trainer that has to encourage her to eat,now I'm just wondering if you're overweight wouldn't skipping some eating be a benefit? I'm being serious and NOT making light of the situation, I've just been curious since I saw that episode
Wasn't she caught out binge eating in parking lots away from her camera crew and production team?
She makes a big thing out of her weight being caused purely by her pcos which is bull, she pretends because it makes a much better story for viewers than fat girl over eats for years
She eats more than she lets on4 -
I'm just curious about this cuz I watch "My big fat fabulous life" and she weighs 330 ish pounds yet says she can go 24 hours without eating and it doesn't bug her,she has a personal trainer that has to encourage her to eat,now I'm just wondering if you're overweight wouldn't skipping some eating be a benefit? I'm being serious and NOT making light of the situation, I've just been curious since I saw that episode
Whitney is lying about not eating. There is no way she isn't eating a whole lot of food. And she weighs more like 380. That whole show is just a joke.
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It is a joke but I do like her personality she seems fun but sadly I do think she lies about the eating and yes the PCOS excuse has gotten stale
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JustSomeEm wrote: »
Sooooo...... Please remember that we have community guidelines, they're located HERE. <-- Please click and review.
Here's a super-cliffnotes version if you're in a hurry:
1. Discussing/picking apart ideas is totally awesome. Attacking the messenger or the way a message is delivered is not.
2. Derailing a thread to discuss the merits of a particular food is a form of trolling.
3. If you're in this thread, lets focus on assisting the OP - give her information and she'll decide for herself what she wants to or should do.
4. If you want to discuss the merits of a particular food or way of eating, start your own thread.
Happy hump day folks!
JustSomeEm
:flowerforyou:
As a moderator do you disagree that telling an OP who is struggling to lose and not weighing/measuring her food to add calorie dense foods to her diet just to hit an inaccurate (since shes not measuring) number is poor advice that should be disputed by other members?
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debrakgoogins wrote: »Too few calories can also cause ... constipation.
I had constipation. One avocado a day took care of that! I feel "relieved".
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The problem with eating too few calories is that your body stops losing sooner, and since you are already low, you can't go any lower. I was doing 1200 calories a day, but then I stopped losing and was stuck for an entire year. I couldn't lower my calories any lower, as I was already low. So, this time I see a dietitian, who recommends 1600 calories a day. I have 59 lbs off since July 1. If I ever stop losing, I can safely go lower. So, I would be sure you are at least eating enough calories.3
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