PEOPLE...EAT!!!

THIS!

I've actually increased my calories in the last month or so because a) I stopped counting b) I'm training for a half marathon and c) I've been lifting. Since doing so, I've had better luck building and maintaining muscle, and my weight has been sitting between 125-130, which I'm happy with. I eat between about 1400-1700 calories most days, more on my long run days (or the day after, depending on how I'm feeling). I have probably put on a couple pounds (though I should still be under 130) but that's mostly because it's hard to lose weight doing distance running, and I've been a little slack on my eating the last couple weeks. Your body needs fuel though.

That's a really good post - empathetic and helpful.

Again? I have learned the hard way to not give a flying f what other people are doing or not doing unless they are asking me specifically and I think they really want to know the honest blunt truth.

I lost 117 pound eating 1200-1350 cals a day and never eating exercise calories back. I also re-gained at lightening speed when I started putting bad foods back into my mouth because I had royally screwed my metabolism up. That's what happens when you canabalize muscle by eating below your reccomend net for too long.


Can you lose weight by eating super low cal? Sure, absolutely! Can you maintain that kind of weight-loss lifestyle long-term? Chances are pretty slim if you have the kind of body composition & tendencies that got you overweighting the first place. Trust, the second time around- those pounds I piled back on LOOK fatter, I wear a larger size than when I was at this weight 2 years ago. It's HARDER to lose these same pounds now as well.

Not worth it.

Also, losing weight too quickly = more loose skin (IMO).

i think people here are talking about 2 different things : consuming and netting. and also not taking into consideration how much stored fat and energy the person might have. Generally speaking the more weight you have to lose, the more it doesnt really matter what your net is.

i agree with needing to consume more than your BMR on a consistent basis to stay healthy., but NETTING is a different thing. I frequently NET under this mystical 1200 calorie number especially since some days I'm burning close to 2000 calories during my workouts.

I'm still losing at a safe pace, have no issues with weakness or catching vapors or anything else because I still have a significant amount of weight to lose.

It seams like every post I've ready today about someone being dizzy, not feeling good, not losing weight, not having energy, etc is because they are eating less than 1,200 net calories. If your goal is 1,300 calories (which I would die on by the way) and you burn 700 calories through exercise that means you really only at 600 calories for the day! Your body can not function on that!

THANK YOU! I get so frustrated seeing people do this to themselves! I may not be losing weight as fast as someone who eats 1,000 calories/day, but I feel WAY better and I know that my weight will STAY OFF in the long run because I plan on eating like this for the rest of my life. Here's to you for being the one to finally say something! :drinker:

If that works for you, then awesome! Keep doing it!

But it is not possible for you to know that you feel way better than everyone else who does it the other way. Unless you meant you feel way better because you have tried the 1,200 thing before, but even so, there are plenty of people in this thread that say they feel great on 1,200.

My diet was suggested specifically by my doctor. And yeah, it's under 1300. Guess that makes my doctor either wrong or sadistic.

I EAT!! That's WHY I'm fat!~!!

Um, no...this is not the reason you are fat. You eat too much and move too little...or you did before you started to lose weight.

First, don't ask your doctor anything. Doctors know about as much about nutrition as a 3-year-old. They are idiots. Funnily enough, the 2000 calorie diet that they usually put people on is pretty much spot on if you eat right and exercise.

I say, do whatever you want. Is 1200 calories enough? I don't think it is. I think people that only eat that much are starving themselves. But, the problem is, no matter what you say to them, they feel fine. So, WTF do I know about it? Maybe they are fine. i'm looking at it through my lens, not theirs. I need sufficiently more calories than that. On the EMTWL diet, I should eat around 2800 calories a day for maintenance at my goal weight. Crazy, huh? So, when I hear people eating 1200 a day, I'm like, OMG...poor girl starving herself to death. I often wonder if it really is necessary, or if they could eat a lot more, like 1800 or 2300 or something, and get the same result. I don't technically know enough about it to presach to them about it, but I do feel that inherently, 1200 is not enough food. I see some of their diaries, and I see what they eat in a day, and sometimes, what I have for bnreakfast is their whole day. It's crazy to me.

But, again, that's me. I'm not them. I can't preach to others. I don't know enough about it all. But, I do sometimes feel sorry for them because I think they are starving themselves and that they could just not do that and get similar results.

I know if it were me, and MFP told me that I could only eat 1200 cals per day, I would heavily research the Eat More to Lose More group here, and really look into it and see if it worked for me. They say you have to stick with it for about 6 to 8 weeks, sometimes longer before you see any results. They explain why. And, you might gain temporarily, which usually scares people. But, there's a lot of people over there that swear that it works. So, my question is, if you can eat more and get the same results without starving, why not just try it rather than say, "it doesn't make sense". It only doesn't make sense because maybe you don't understand how the body really works. Or, maybe it doesn't work at all.

Another thing, (watch out I'm on a roll), EVERYBODY IS NOT DIFFERENT. I get so fecking sick oif hearing that *kitten* that I'm about to blow a gasket. Everybody is almost exactly the same. That's why medicine works the way it does. Pretty much physiology doesn't reqally change much for person to person. There are small difference. But, it all works the same. So, please stop saying everyone is different. At a macro level, they really aren't. Everyone is pretty much the same. It's the opposite of what you keep saying that. you say that because it's an excuse to not try something else and see if it works. In your head, it doesn't make sense, so you reject it, saying that "you're different". You're not different. You are exactly the same as everyone else.

Cheers.

We're different in that we're not all men and no, we can't all eat 1800-2300/day and lose.

Thank you! And we don't all have diabetes or are seniors or going through menopause....all of which have an effect on how my body loses weight.

First, don't ask your doctor anything. Doctors know about as much about nutrition as a 3-year-old. They are idiots. Funnily enough, the 2000 calorie diet that they usually put people on is pretty much spot on if you eat right and exercise.

I say, do whatever you want. Is 1200 calories enough? I don't think it is. I think people that only eat that much are starving themselves. But, the problem is, no matter what you say to them, they feel fine. So, WTF do I know about it? Maybe they are fine. i'm looking at it through my lens, not theirs. I need sufficiently more calories than that. On the EMTWL diet, I should eat around 2800 calories a day for maintenance at my goal weight. Crazy, huh? So, when I hear people eating 1200 a day, I'm like, OMG...poor girl starving herself to death. I often wonder if it really is necessary, or if they could eat a lot more, like 1800 or 2300 or something, and get the same result. I don't technically know enough about it to presach to them about it, but I do feel that inherently, 1200 is not enough food. I see some of their diaries, and I see what they eat in a day, and sometimes, what I have for bnreakfast is their whole day. It's crazy to me.

But, again, that's me. I'm not them. I can't preach to others. I don't know enough about it all. But, I do sometimes feel sorry for them because I think they are starving themselves and that they could just not do that and get similar results.

I know if it were me, and MFP told me that I could only eat 1200 cals per day, I would heavily research the Eat More to Lose More group here, and really look into it and see if it worked for me. They say you have to stick with it for about 6 to 8 weeks, sometimes longer before you see any results. They explain why. And, you might gain temporarily, which usually scares people. But, there's a lot of people over there that swear that it works. So, my question is, if you can eat more and get the same results without starving, why not just try it rather than say, "it doesn't make sense". It only doesn't make sense because maybe you don't understand how the body really works. Or, maybe it doesn't work at all.

Another thing, (watch out I'm on a roll), EVERYBODY IS NOT DIFFERENT. I get so fecking sick oif hearing that *kitten* that I'm about to blow a gasket. Everybody is almost exactly the same. That's why medicine works the way it does. Pretty much physiology doesn't reqally change much for person to person. There are small difference. But, it all works the same. So, please stop saying everyone is different. At a macro level, they really aren't. Everyone is pretty much the same. It's the opposite of what you keep saying that. you say that because it's an excuse to not try something else and see if it works. In your head, it doesn't make sense, so you reject it, saying that "you're different". You're not different. You are exactly the same as everyone else.

Cheers.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/you-are-not-different.html

Ha, ha. Awesome.

We're different in that we're not all men and no, we can't all eat 1800-2300/day and lose.

Thank you! And we don't all have diabetes or are seniors or going through menopause....all of which have an effect on how my body loses weight.

That's different.

That's the point. There are a lot of us that ARE different and "not the same as everyone else". You cant lump everyone into the same group. And what works for someone else doesn't necessarily work for me. I am different, but I don't make excuses. And maybe THAT makes me different, too.

We're different in that we're not all men and no, we can't all eat 1800-2300/day and lose.

Thank you! And we don't all have diabetes or are seniors or going through menopause....all of which have an effect on how my body loses weight.

That's different.

That's the point. There are a lot of us that ARE different and "not the same as everyone else". You cant lump everyone into the same group. And what works for someone else doesn't necessarily work for me. I am different, but I don't make excuses. And maybe THAT makes me different, too.

This! I developed gestational diabetes while pregnant and continued with insulin resistance afterwards. People ARE different and I'm sick of the people who say we are all the same!

Easier said than done I'm afraid. My wife struggles with her weight mainly because she doesnt eat. Like you, I harp on about the need to eat but she cites a number of reasons why she doesnt, a.) too busy looking after the kids, b.) not hungry, c.) doesnt like food, d.) doesnt like particular kind of foods etc. etc. There are probably a myriad of reasons why people dont eat as I'm sure theyre are those that deliberately starve themselves in the vain attempt to lose weight. Its to those people that I say, WAKE UP! It doesnt work!

First, don't ask your doctor anything. Doctors know about as much about nutrition as a 3-year-old. They are idiots.

You learned this in medical school, then?

I have to disagree as well. I didn't have energy due to not sleeping or resting very well. Sleep is a huge part of weight loss as our bodies repair at night and the hormones that are needed for digestion (cortisol, leptin, and ghrelin) are produced at night!

For me, a typical breakfast would be a protein smoothie made up of a vegan protein powder (no gluten, yeast, soy, corn, etc), 1 tbsp almond butter, 1/2 cup of almond or coconut milk, 1/2 cup of water, 1 cup of berries and psyllium powder. Sometimes greens powder but that depends on my mood. That's usually around 300 calories.

If I go to they gym, I will have a snack of a brown rice cake and a tbsp of almond butter pre-workout. 150 calories

Lunch, on a typical week, will consist of a brown rice wrap, 2 cups of greens (lettuce, etc), 4-6 oz turkey or chicken (depending on hunger), olive oil and vinegar. On the side, I'll usually throw some other veggies together like cucumbers and olives or bell peppers cut up. YUM - That's usually around 400 calories.

Dinner is typically 4-6 oz of a clean lean meat, two cups of a cruciferous vegetable (broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, etc), salad greens, and if I choose to, a high fiber carb like beans or brown rice or carrots. That's usually between 300-400 calories.

All of that is right around 1200 calories, give or take. Subtract the usual 400+ calories I burn doing cardio and weight lifting, then I have a good deficit going on. On the rare occasion I'm still hungry, I'll eat a few calories back in healthy nuts or something with protein. Other than that, it's how I maintain my slow 1-2 lbs of weight loss a week.

There is so much more to losing weight than eating less calories... There is sleeping, less stressing, finding your bliss, eating less, exercising more and removing inflammatory foods from your diet among a whole host of other things. My journey started with wanting to lose weight to look good and is ending with finding my bliss, my happiness, and creating a life for myself that is centered on a healthy life and healthy attitude. This has rubbed off on my husband and he's now eating healthier and in doing so has lost 22 lbs. My daughter is taking less ADHD medication because she's eating healthier foods. It's a cycle of healthiness I hope we will always continue!

It's wonderful that you are eating healthier, and you're right, the food you are eating is an excellent choice. BUT you are not eating nearly enough. I doubt you're even getting enough protein for what you should be eating. I highly recommend you read the New Rules of Lifting for Women. It has a lot of information about weights, cardio, and what you should be eating.


Also, the fact that you said

All of that is right around 1200 calories, give or take. Subtract the usual 400+ calories I burn doing cardio and weight lifting, then I have a good deficit going on.

Makes it very clear to me that you have no clue how calories work and that you don't realize the detriment you are doing to your body. The 1200 calorie goal is already an EXTREME deficit from the amount you should be eating to maintain. To add even more deficit on top of that is starvation. Have fun when you gain all your weight back. I hope you seriously consider looking into what you are doing to your body with an unbiased view before you seriously damage your health.

Seriously? I have no idea what I'm doing losing 1 to 2 lbs a week steadily? I didn't lose 40 lbs in a month, I've lost it working hard at changing my dietary habits over SIX months and SLOWLY adding exercise to my lifestyle. 1200 calories is not a goal. I don't have a caloric goal at all. I keep the sugar low and the protein high. I log for my benefit, not to see where I am and how much more I can eat for the rest of the day. If I'm hungrier, I eat MORE. If I'm not, I don't. If I want something sweet, I eat a damn apple with almond butter instead of 4 -- 100 calorie packs!

This forum is supposed to be one where people come together to HELP each other out and share a common discourse on the subject of food, weight loss, exercise and nutrition. I don't log on here to be taunted or insinuated stupid. I've read more about nutrition and exercise from different authors over the last 6 months than I have in my entire lifetime. I've talked to the trainers at the gym who push protein shakes, I've talked to my doctor, I've asked other people who've lost a lot of weight what they did differently and looked at Paleo, vegan, vegetarianism, low carb - high protein, low protein - high carb, etc. I found what works for me and my lifestyle and my body. It also happened to work for my husband and daughter (who needed to gain weight and has!), too.

"Have fun when you gain all your weight back. I hope you seriously consider looking into what you are doing to your body with an unbiased view before you seriously damage your health." - Thanks! You're AWESOME!

I was trying to HELP you. Literally for the sake of your wellbeing. And I really do hope that you eat more before you hurt yourself.. I wasn't being sarcastic. Sometimes what works really well isn't necessarily what's best for your body.