Honestly, is eating too few calories such a bad thing?
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bumpGoing under occasionally wont hurt at all, in the same way going slightly over occasionally wont hurt at all.
As for doing it regularly, you asked for experience...
My BMR was 2200, and i was regularly eating 11-1200, with 5-600 calories burned a day. It worked for a while, then i went 2 weeks with no loss. My nutritionist advised me to try eating 2000 for a few days. I thought "huh...eat more, to lose weight...that's odd", but i did it.
And lost 3lbs in the next 2 days.
But, everyone is different ofc.
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I don't mean to sound harsh, but in order to get overweight enough where you need to lose weight, you had to be eating over 1200 calories a day. Way more. I hear it a lot here from people "I just can't eat 1200 calories a day or I'm just stuffed". That may be true of someone who is pretty much at their goal weight, but I have a hard time believing that from who is overweight.
I have been on this journey for a year now. I have never had a problem hitting my calories, yet I have lost weight. I'm only 20 lbs from goal and still have no problems hitting the 1500+ calories I'm allotted. I don't want to starve myself, been there done that and failed after a few months of keeping the weight off.
Obviously I WAS eating over 1200 calories a day...now that I've begun to eat less some days I can't eat that much.0 -
I agree with the live to eat not eat to live method posted above. I dunno, I get the whole metabolism thing etc., etc., but when it comes to your bodies "natural, evolutionary tendencies" ...we used to eat to live.
I always learned eat when hungry, don't eat when not. It's as simple as that. When I started to eat when I wasn't hungry, just for binging to cope with feelings or because the food was "around", that's how I gained weight.
if your BMI is too high, that's when the "eat when hungry, don't eat when not" idea doesn't work. Right now you are hungry for more than the suggested amount because your body is used to living with a higher BMI. In time your body will get used to less calories. The 1200 calorie rule and the excersizing is necessary to get to the point where you don't have to worry about it anymore, and you reach a healthy BMI. By this time, you're used to eating less, and you have learned to eat to live. your body will fall into its natural state at this point.
If you aren't hungry, don't force yourself to eat.0 -
This seems to be getting pretty controversial ;-P
I don't understand the claims that eating fewer calories will permanently damage your metabolism. In order to lose weight, obviously you need to consume fewer calories. When I initially created my MFP account, I was SHOCKED to see that I was automatically set to be consuming 1200 calories a day. I would think I'd need to gorge myself and be eating nonstop all day long in order to reach that “goal”. I'm a pretty petite person...yes, I get the munchies, yes, I "binge", but no way no how could I consume 1200 calories comfortably OR healthily over the span of a day. In addition, when you budget in the calories lost due to physical exercise, is the "1200 calorie method" suggesting we replace them? Especially if the body absolutely, positively needs 1200 calories in order to properly function…I mean exercising could turn into a detrimental practice based on this belief, wouldn’t you think?
I firmly believe that everyone is built differently. I don't think it is fair in anyway to be generalizing how many calories the human body needs in order to be healthy, because the fact of the matter is it's going to vary from person to person. I am aware of "starvation mode", but as with the calorie intake, I'm convinced this will also be different based upon the weight and calories needed by the body to function optimally. It isn’t healthy to deprive your body of the nutrients it needs, but any knowledgeable dieter will be aware that you should ALWAYS take a multivitamin to keep your body stable during caloric changes. I am going to keep approaching weight loss how I’ve always approached it, and that is by cutting calories – it would be safe to say I have been doing so my entire life and it has yet to affect my metabolism…I also have yet to keel over and die due to me only reaching this 1200 calorie/day goal twice a year…Thanksgiving and Christmas lol.
Just my opinion on the matter for what it’s worth ;-P
*Just a quick edit:
Obviously in cutting calories, you still want to consume healthy calories...I don't think it is some unheard of phenomena for someone to have a nicely rounded diet, consuming all of the nutrients their body requires, while at the same time on a lower calorie diet.
To whoever is looking to this topic for advice: PLEASE do your research. Know what you are getting yourself into. BE INFORMED, do not take anyones word for this but those of experts. I was merely stating my opinion and view on the topic, not in ANY way trying to say that I am an informed expert who knows all regarding this issue.0 -
In a word, YES.
Sorry if I sound crabby, but...
Ok, this is kind of a hot button topic for me. I struggled with an eating disorder at a dangerously low weight for nearly ten years. Then I "got better" only to become morbidly obese. Long story, and I wont go into it now.
When I started MFP it was my goal to eat as little as possible and exercise as much as possible. I lost weight very quickly on roughly 1000-1200 calories a day despite the fact I was burning 1000+ calories with exercise. Then I hit a plateau.For THREE MONTHS. Then my hair started falling out. In huge chunks. My skin was flaking off. I was tired, irritable, weak, dizzy spells. When I started eating ALOT more, like eating the dreaded exercise calories that everyone is so afraid of, all of that went away, AND I started losing again.
Just my personal experience.
I see so many people on here giving bad advice that will cause many people to develop this mindset that eating as little as possible is best. Seriously, we need to fuel our bodies if we want them to work hard for us. I am not advocating eating a bunch of empty calories, just simply giving our bodies the NUTRIENTS they need to survive so we can live long and active, healthy lives.
I realize not everyone agrees with me. However, eating 1200 calories is hardly GORGING yourself. In the medical community, anything under 1200 calories is considered a starvation diet.
Again, I apologize in advance for sounding crabby. I wish you all the success in your journey!0 -
I have no idea I have heard it's bad but for me if I don't eat at least 1,600 calories I feel light headed.0
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Eating less and excercise will NOT make you gain weight.....its not possible thats all a MYTH and when they say if you eat less it will effect your metabolism....IT WILL NOT........I did the master cleanse for 7 days a year ago and im still maintaing the weight, if anything it BOOSTED my metabolism.....a human being do not have to eat 3-6 meals a day. I never eat breakfast and lunch, all i eat is dinner and an evening snack and excersise thats all my body needs AND im building muscle....
i know this is controversial but i agree... its simple science!! I also feel like its an excuse for dieters to convince themselves to keep eating!!!0 -
Eating Under 1200 every once in a while is not going to hurt you. But eating that way everyday will. When You Don't eat enough your body tries to store fat.0
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Eating less and excercise will NOT make you gain weight.....its not possible thats all a MYTH and when they say if you eat less it will effect your metabolism....IT WILL NOT........I did the master cleanse for 7 days a year ago and im still maintaing the weight, if anything it BOOSTED my metabolism.....a human being do not have to eat 3-6 meals a day. I never eat breakfast and lunch, all i eat is dinner and an evening snack and excersise thats all my body needs AND im building muscle....
We humans are designed to be able to fast, and burn the fat while fasting. IMO fasting is good for you once in a while. The paranoia about eating too little and hanging onto weight here is kinda ridiculous.
If you are really starving YOU WILL KNOW IT! You will be weak, tired, feel like crap, get cold easy, and you'll want to eat. Just fasting or eating less especially with a sedentary life style is no big deal at all. If you starved for months then ya you might have a problem. You will not be able to function!
I can probably safely say no one here has truly starved. Do you see fat starving children in 3rd world countries? It's a myth guys. You have to literally starve for weeks or months to go into starvation mode, and you are starving away muscle and fat. not holding onto it 99.9% of plateaus in my opinion are from people slacking or not counting their calories properly.
Proof: http://fattyfightsback.blogspot.com/2009/03/mtyhbusters-starvation-mode.html
It's probably already been said but, starvation mode = myth, but eating too little is bad because you will not get enough fuel and nutrients. Just eating low for a few days or weeks will not do this.0 -
wow...that made me scared lols.....yes maam totally would eat the calories...hehehe thank you0
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So I woke up a little late this morning and didn't have time to eat. I only ate dinner and at about 600 calories I honestly feel full. I plan on eating a Nutra Grain bar in a little while but is going under my calorie goal really so bad? I don't eat like this every day but I also don't always try to eat 1200 calories. Sometimes I do take in less than that. I honestly can't believe that if i'm at least taking in some calories and exercising that it won't help me lose weight. I've heard it all before that if I don't eat enough I could actually gain weight...but after a month of not eating fast food and junk food, only drinking water and trying to stay healthy...idk if I can believe that. any opinions or experiences?
I suppose it depends on your goals. If you want to be healthy, or if you want to gain muscle and lose fat, yes it does matter. If you consistently eat less that your BMR, whatever that number is, you won't build healthy muscle. If its just about a number on a scale, probably not.0 -
I support this postGoing under occasionally wont hurt at all, in the same way going slightly over occasionally wont hurt at all.
As for doing it regularly, you asked for experience...
My BMR was 2200, and i was regularly eating 11-1200, with 5-600 calories burned a day. It worked for a while, then i went 2 weeks with no loss. My nutritionist advised me to try eating 2000 for a few days. I thought "huh...eat more, to lose weight...that's odd", but i did it.
And lost 3lbs in the next 2 days.
But, everyone is different ofc.0 -
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Eating less and excercise will NOT make you gain weight.....its not possible thats all a MYTH and when they say if you eat less it will effect your metabolism....IT WILL NOT........I did the master cleanse for 7 days a year ago and im still maintaing the weight, if anything it BOOSTED my metabolism.....a human being do not have to eat 3-6 meals a day. I never eat breakfast and lunch, all i eat is dinner and an evening snack and excersise thats all my body needs AND im building muscle....
We humans are designed to be able to fast, and burn the fat while fasting. IMO fasting is good for you once in a while. The paranoia about eating too little and hanging onto weight here is kinda ridiculous.
If you are really starving YOU WILL KNOW IT! You will be weak, tired, feel like crap, get cold easy, and you'll want to eat. Just fasting or eating less especially with a sedentary life style is no big deal at all. If you starved for months then ya you might have a problem. You will not be able to function!
I can probably safely say no one here has truly starved. Do you see fat starving children in 3rd world countries? It's a myth guys. You have to literally starve for weeks or months to go into starvation mode, and you are starving away muscle and fat. not holding onto it 99.9% of plateaus in my opinion are from people slacking or not counting their calories properly.
Proof: http://fattyfightsback.blogspot.com/2009/03/mtyhbusters-starvation-mode.html
It's probably already been said but, starvation mode = myth, but eating too little is bad because you will not get enough fuel and nutrients. Just eating low for a few days or weeks will not do this.
And if it's just about a number on a scale, your entirely right. If its about good nutrition and building muscle, not so much. People always want to talk about our caveman ancestors. You do know they died before they were thirty-five don't you? They weren't healthier than we are, no matter how obese we might be.
And much as I love them and their "science counts" attitude, the Mythbusters are not peer reviewed scientific research, nor do they claim their methodology is sound.0 -
I have ONLY gained weight from not eating. I used to live on coffee and dinner, not intentionally; I am busy! I have gained over 30 lbs on that diet and constant movement, if not "actual exercise" every single day. Your entire body goes into starvation mode and the whole time some one tells you that, you'll be thinking "but I'm not even HUNGRY!" and yet, you WILL gain weight. I am .5 lbs shy of obese because I RUINED my own metabolism. It's getting scary for me and it was a hard pill to swallow when my dr told me I HAVE to eat MORE. I will be "correcting" my metabolism for the rest of my life because I thought taking care of my 4 kids was more important than taking care of myself. What you do now will effect you greatly in the near future... I am only 25. Good luck, and good health!0
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Part of eating healthy is eating enough good food to help your body function the way it was meant to. A day here or there is no biggie. But doing that too often could be damaging. You want to less a long healthy life? Take care of what you have. It will pay off in the long run.0
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Wow thank you everyone. Obviously I'm not going to do this every day, sometimes I just feel full enough to where I don't have to eat 1200 calories...and then if I eat more when I'm already full I feel bloated and disgusting. Also, I used to never eat breakfast during a diet...but somewhere along the way people started telling that it'll get my metabolism going in the morning so it'll be working all day. The only thing is that whenever I eat breakfast I'm so hungry all day and I tend to over eat at dinner. The way my schedule works in college, I only have time to eat about 2 meals a day. I know I should be eating more but there's really no way around it. Any suggestions?
Don't confuse needing to eat 1200 calories with needing to eat three or more meals. I eat one meal, and I snack, often. Have some nuts in premeasured portions in your purse. Keep some carrot sticks in the fridge at work. Have an apple, a banana, or some berries. Nuts are a really good source of protein and healthy fats, and are about 170 calories for an ounce. I net my BMR.0 -
I'm studying for a degree in exercise science. Even without performing exercise, your body needs at least 1200 calories a day to perform normal functioning. Its factual science, and can be found directly in textbooks. That being said, make sure you don't skip meals. you'll regret it in the end.0
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I need to eat 1200 calories daily too but I don't. I ate 665 calories today even eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner.0
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I support this post also, well said!
I support this postGoing under occasionally wont hurt at all, in the same way going slightly over occasionally wont hurt at all.
As for doing it regularly, you asked for experience...
My BMR was 2200, and i was regularly eating 11-1200, with 5-600 calories burned a day. It worked for a while, then i went 2 weeks with no loss. My nutritionist advised me to try eating 2000 for a few days. I thought "huh...eat more, to lose weight...that's odd", but i did it.
And lost 3lbs in the next 2 days.
But, everyone is different ofc.0
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