my diet concerns for some members of mfp

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Replies

  • islandjumper
    islandjumper Posts: 369 Member
    I usually eat under 1200 calories, thats just me. If I get hungry I eat more, if not I don't. losing weight with low calories is not as bad as people on here say it is. If you are sensible about it. It is also maintainable, as long as you increase your calories properly and not run back to chips and mcdonalds as soon as you are at your goal weight.

    I agree... I 'm the same way, most days are under 1200 calories, but my diet is made up of lots of veggies, fruits, yogurts, tofu, etc. I feel like I eat a ton of food every day and I barely make my my calorie limit. I don't eat junk food, I haven't had fast food in years. Actually since I've started eating around 1200 cals consistently I've lost pretty much all my cravings (even chocolate!)
    That being said you can't jump to conclusions about someone eventually failing on such a low cal diet, or the diets sustainability. If it's a friend that's complaining about plateauing and you notice a ton of junk in their, then yeah, politely give suggestions, but too many times I've seen people putting down low calorie diets, firing off some "we're all the same" nonsense about how we should all eat 1600+ cals ( I don't think I've ever reached 1600 cals even after eating back exercise cals).
    It's been said a few times, but focus on yourself.
  • Charlieh16
    Charlieh16 Posts: 109 Member
    Unfortunately i think i may be one of the culprits for not having enough calories but i have my excuses!!
    I almost never go over 1200 and on somedays i can have 300+ remaining but this isn't because i am starving myself, it's because i'm just easting fruit, veggies, salad and meats and it is all low in calories but i am still getting all the nutrients i need. I'm also exercising but not eating back the extra earned calories. My 3 meals a day fill be up perfectly :smile:
    Why on earth would i force myself to eat more just to reach a target amount of calories when i am already full!
  • stewartgreggallan
    stewartgreggallan Posts: 20 Member
    I totaly agree with you. I've been using MFP since Sept 2011 and by cutting down on portion size of food my weight loss has been a steady pound a week or so and this is working for me. I'm on my feet all day so any extra exercise I take works for me too.

    I'm looking for MFP friends who have a simular outlook.
  • RoughDiamondUK
    RoughDiamondUK Posts: 151 Member
    Hi guys

    I have a few concerns regarding people and what i have seen in their diaries, as follows:

    1. MFP gives everyone a target daily calorific intake to reach a certain weight, now eating well below this or the net effect of excercising and eating being well below this target... surely the individual will tend to lose more lean tissue than actual fat?

    e.g. should a person who's goal is to consume 1200 calories, but they burn 600 excercising then actually eat 1800 calories?

    2. Some people are eating too many empty calories but are coming under/on target. Are they cheating themselves in the long run?

    Sorry if this comes across wrong but i am genuinely concerned for people.

    My food diary is, and will remain for the time being, private.

    I know I (still) eat too many "empty" calories, and I don't need anyone to tell me that, no matter how good their intentions. I got myself into this mess and I'm going to get myself out of it as well. If I can't work it out then I'll ask for help, but right now I know what I'm doing wrong, I just need to actually make the changes -- that's the hardest bit of it for me, and it isn't something that anyone else can help me with.

    Alcohol is now truly a treat for me -- Christmas/New Year and when I'm on holiday (a "proper" away-from-home holiday), and when I do drink it's in moderation, just two, at the very most three, alcoholic drinks a night, and I wouldn't have three alcoholic drinks two nights in a row, either.

    Chocolate... ahhh... yes, I still eat way too much, and can happily consume 800 calories worth a day, when I'm eating 1200-1300 calories total. But that's actually fewer calories of chocolate than I was eating a day at one time, although the % of my daily total is probably now higher. Whatever. I'm still working on it. I will get there. I should point out that I'm not actually eating 800 calories worth every day, just the odd day here and there... mostly I'm keeping it below 500, some days below 250.

    Processed food in general I eat less of now, but I admit I still eat too much of it. But I'm not eating oven chips and/or packet pasta every day... which has to be progress.

    I try and keep within 100 calories net of my daily target, and to meet the net weekly total as well -- I don't do much exercise but I do "eat back" those 100-150 calories or so a day. There are the odd days where I've eaten way over my target (like to 2100 total) and the odd day where I ate 630 (that was actually just ONE day, yesterday, and I think I've only had one other day below 1000, and that was still in the 900s). Over the week though I am averaging the 1200 net a day, to within maybe 20 calories or so.

    I have lost a LOT of weight with the way I'm currently eating, and my BMI is now in the healthy range. I figured just getting my BMI down any way I could was more important than eating "clean"... I suspect that others share that opinion too. I have made little changes here and there... less alchohol, swapping sugar cola for diet cola, drinking water sometimes (as opposed to never), drinking the odd glass of milk (as opposed to never), portion control, eating more fruit than I was previously... I couldn't go from what I was to totally clean overnight, it's just too much and I'd have given up a long time ago.

    Not everyone will be at the same place as I am -- I know people who have no real concept of what calories are and/or what they should or shouldn't be eating. Those people may be more receptive to advice from strangers... my problem isn't that I need advice on what to eat, it's just actually making the changes I know I need to make.
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member
    A lot of people won't like your "concern" as they are trying to balance things out for themselves whilst trying to sort through the mounds of contradicting advice on here. People here are on different journeys, it's not just a weight loss site, there are people here with eating disorders who are trying to gain some weight.
    We are all here to get healthy but how we choose to do it is up to the individual, and a lot of people who have "food addiction" are in a different mindset to others. You can't teach an old dog new tricks!
    People get very defensive about their habits and not many want a complete stranger telling them that they are doing it wrong, especially one who freely admits to eating a full pizza in one sitting in their profile.
    I agree with you that there are reasons to be concerned and if I have been talking to someone for long enough and feel I know them well enough I will tell them in a PM my concerns but I wouldn't sound them out in public or on the forums, unless, like me, they have asked for complete honesty.
    My goal at the moment is to get my weight down for a medical procedure, I'm not too worried about the lean muscle issues as such yet, this will come later when I have achieved my first goal, I tell people this and ask for help lots but I've also seen the other side where people have been bombarded with "advice" and fallen at the first hurdle and just given up :ohwell:
  • Butterfly3730
    Butterfly3730 Posts: 220
    I totally understand your concern for other people, but what I have learned from responding to posts or from reading posts is that you cannot really voice your concern because alot of times you will get blasted for it. Different things work for different people and if its working for them, they will be completely resistant to your suggestions. I see plenty of food diaries that consist of small snacks rather than real meals. I see people eating 1000 or less calories and being congratulated for that. Yes they are losing weight but that will not work for them in the long run but who are we to tell them otherwise. its something they will have to figure out on their own. I see plenty of people eating like birds and losing 1-2 lbs per week while I am eating over 2,000 calories per day and only losing 1/2 lb per week (granted Im only looking to lose a few lbs). I would rather know that I can eat over 2,000 calories per day and still lose weight at a slower rate then eat very little to the point where I am hungry all the time and feel like Im starving myself.

    The best thing that you can do in my opinion, is focus on YOUR goals and make sure you are doing what you need to be doing for YOU!

    Well said
  • LeenaRuns
    LeenaRuns Posts: 1,309 Member
    Hi guys

    I have a few concerns regarding people and what i have seen in their diaries, as follows:

    1. MFP gives everyone a target daily calorific intake to reach a certain weight, now eating well below this or the net effect of excercising and eating being well below this target... surely the individual will tend to lose more lean tissue than actual fat?

    e.g. should a person who's goal is to consume 1200 calories, but they burn 600 excercising then actually eat 1800 calories?

    2. Some people are eating too many empty calories but are coming under/on target. Are they cheating themselves in the long run?

    Sorry if this comes across wrong but i am genuinely concerned for people.

    I totally agree with you. I am using this tool as a lifestyle tool, and try to eat every calorie MFP gives me, including all the ones I earn through working out. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't agree or don't care :-/
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
    Be concerned about your own diet and let others be concerned about theirs, unless they ask for your help. Regardless of what your personal issues with food are, no one likes to be called out on it by a total stranger. If someone asks, offer your best, non-judgmental help. But if they don't, it's really better to mind your own business.

    this
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Why are you so concerned? A lot of people know what works for them and you don't know most people's half of the story and how they work.

    I'm not so sure a lot of people do know what works for them, given the number of posts on here and messages I get from people who are eating under 1000 calories and can't understand why it's not working for them.

    A lot of people, not all and not even most, seem to think that losing weight means dieting. And that dieting means a huge decrease in food intake... that you're supposed to be hungry and uncomfortable while dieting.

    Or they're having perfectly normal progress, but think because they're not dropping 7 pounds a week like people on tv or on magazine covers, that they're doing it wrong, so they need to eat even less.

    My sister has a great saying, in response to shows like the Biggest Loser or Extreme Makeover, "It doesn't have to be extreme to be a makeover." Making small changes to how you eat and how active you are will make changes in your health and body. Those might be small changes at first, but they're cumulative. And sustainable. I'd rather lose 25# in six months than try to lose 20# in one or two months, get burned out, quit, and gain it all back.
  • Marquettedominos
    Marquettedominos Posts: 107 Member
    I have tried eating under 1500 calories a day thing in the past. I was eating very clean also. It was just not enough and I lost more LBM than fat.
    I am typing this as I eat My breakfast which includes 8 eggs, 4oz sausage, and 16oz milk. Which is around 1200 calories by itself. I am usually around 3000 calories a day, but I am also strength training. So I need the calories.

    I think that everyone is different and if it works for you great. I just hate it when people say they have been eating under 1200 cals of mcdonalds and other crap and still aren't loosing weight. My advise is always the same. You need to first calculate what your Daily maintenance calories are and eat as clean as possible. NEVER NEVER NEVER eat any fast food or soda. I think most would be surprised at how much you can eat if you don't eat as much processed food.
    .
  • gorgeouss9
    gorgeouss9 Posts: 221
    this is the exact reason why I want to create a spreadsheet with food choices for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks, Drinks.. and then the night before, I choose what I want to eat for the next day - that way I get all my nutrients in, plus a little extra something special ..
  • HeatherHoskins
    HeatherHoskins Posts: 157 Member
    I know that everyone means well to tell you to keep quiet but I disagree. I joined MFP to get help from people who know what they are doing, have struggled with what I am struggling with. I am an idiot when it comes to eating right. I never have in my life and no one has ever taught me "healthy Eating". I am on this site because I NEED to lose weight. If some one sees that I am doing something that can hurt or slow down that goal then PLEASE let me know. That is why were are here. To have a whole communty supporting us. Some times the truth hurts but it still needs to be said.
  • Danielle8706
    Danielle8706 Posts: 33 Member
    I honestly try to get in all my calories in a day plus some I earn by exercise. But someday its hard for me to eat that much I'm a big girl and I like to eat so I'm not trying to starve myself or anything but when your eating good calories I stay fuller longer. I have been bashed for it but in all honesty I'm not trying to do this the unhealthy way but im not going to force myself to eat when I'm not hungry.
  • symegeer
    symegeer Posts: 143 Member
    Thanks to the OP for this post. I share some of these concerns, although I'm more worried about friends that I have with extremely low caloric intakes (and not people with significant amounts to lose). Even though people have opened up their diaries and accepted me as a friend I find it very difficult to offer support for what might be a serious problem without sounding judgemental.

    Feel free to add me, I welcome any advice on my own habits which are far from perfect! :smile:
  • Pollywog39
    Pollywog39 Posts: 1,730 Member
    Just ONE more reason to not open up my diary :noway: :noway:
  • SixCatFaerie
    SixCatFaerie Posts: 690 Member
    I totally understand your concern for other people, but what I have learned from responding to posts or from reading posts is that you cannot really voice your concern because alot of times you will get blasted for it. Different things work for different people and if its working for them, they will be completely resistant to your suggestions. I see plenty of food diaries that consist of small snacks rather than real meals. I see people eating 1000 or less calories and being congratulated for that. Yes they are losing weight but that will not work for them in the long run but who are we to tell them otherwise. its something they will have to figure out on their own. I see plenty of people eating like birds and losing 1-2 lbs per week while I am eating over 2,000 calories per day and only losing 1/2 lb per week (granted Im only looking to lose a few lbs). I would rather know that I can eat over 2,000 calories per day and still lose weight at a slower rate then eat very little to the point where I am hungry all the time and feel like Im starving myself.

    The best thing that you can do in my opinion, is focus on YOUR goals and make sure you are doing what you need to be doing for YOU!

    Really well said! Thank you! Total agreement. :bigsmile:
  • Fit2befitZ
    Fit2befitZ Posts: 150 Member
    I understand and hear what you are saying. I am not going to get into the differences posted on this topic. But, I would also like to add a lifestyle situation. I travel for a living about 95% time. So, on travel days often my choices are to go way under or way over my calioric goal. I refuse to do the way over so I am most often way under. People don't understand this concept at all. I don't trust the food in airports or airplanes and the fodd is VERY calorie/fat dense. Can you get a salad at the airport? Yes. Ask yourself how long it has been sitting there and how it looks. No thank you. So, yes sometimes you DO need to know about someones lifestyle in order to have a better assessment of their situaiton. I eat better choices than most on the road but I don't have my own kitchen to cook in every night (although I do actually have a George Foreman machine, shhh, don't tell the hotel staff). I do go to the grocery store when I arrive but MUST get creative with what I purchase. So yes, I eat a lot of fruits and veg as they don't need a stove. It isn't the easiest lifestyle to lose weight but I have lost over 40 pounds while traveling so it can be done.

    Since people don't understand the nuances related to leading a healthy lifestyle as a road warrior (and have made negative comments to me about eating out), I keep my diary private. Haha, I also don't have any friends on MFP. There may be a correlation, hmmmm.

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