900 calories and gaining weight

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Replies

  • NWCountryGal
    NWCountryGal Posts: 1,992 Member
    Food is our bodies fuel, you need more fuel it sounds like. Only you know for sure though. I eat at least 1200 calories a day and have steadily lost weight in the last 40 days except one week and I am still not convinced the scale was right. Anyway, if I exercise and burn say 400 calories, my MFP diary calculates that in and shows me how much I can eat and still lose weight. It is working for me to eat back about half of what MFP calculates. If it says I have 4 hundred extra, I eat more, but sometimes even though I am not hungry, I will drink another water and do a smoothie to add a few calories.:) Hang in there and make a few changes to test out the theory. If it doesn't work, try something else:) Take care of you:)
    please help I hate this 900 calories of cardboard for four days and gained two pounds!!! not really carboard eggs protein bars etc
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    My doctor says eat less calories than you burn loose weight he said just eat less calories and less fat . I have 90 pounds to loose i hate this body.

    The fact that you have a relatively high starting weight means your body will be able to handle a steeper calorie deficit than leaner folks and you will lose more fat than muscle despite how large your deficit is currently. As such, I don't think you done much harm in 4 days. You can forget about the starvation mode hysteria as well for the time being (whilst I do think it is very real people always seem to forget the context of the individual.)

    The problem with VLCDs is, unless you are taking medically subscribed meal replacements, that it is unlikely you are providing enough essential nutrients to your body for health (as opposed to fat loss) unless your diet is immaculate. VLCDs can be used to great effect but mostly it is a medically supervised short term measure to get weight down quickly because of upcoming surgery, potential imminent organ failure etc.

    You simply do not need to eat at such a level of calories to be successful though. It is actually counter productive in the long run. I suggest finding out what your BMR is and eating that. Alternatively, a very quick method of determining a calorie deficit goal is to take your body weight in LBs and multiply by 10 and eat that amount (eg I weigh 198 lbs so I would aim for 1,980 or so calories per day)

    Fill your calories with plenty of veg, lean meat, fruit (don't believe the hype ;) good fats and so on. A little junk here or there is fine if you want it.

    The most important part of any diet is adherence - finding something you can stick to. You are far more likely to succeed if you actually enjoy the process and don't feel deprived.
  • NWCountryGal
    NWCountryGal Posts: 1,992 Member
    Excellent!
    When I first joined, I made it a point to eat less than my suggested number of cals... AND I didn't loose weight! I WAS exercising at the time as well. When I did a little research and figured that I had probably only succeeded in putting my body in survival or starvation mode then I saw the light. I increased my intake to the reccommended amount and sometimes go over as much as 300 cals a day BUT I'm steadily loosing the weight now.
  • alexis831
    alexis831 Posts: 469 Member
    ^^This

    HAH! What they said! If I was in starvation mode I wouldn't have my abs! HAH!
    [/quote]
    Everyone has abs sweetheart, and they start to show when you have low bodyfat regardless of how you got there.
    [/quote]

    Yes they do... However their are alot of "skinny" people who are skinny with no abs because they have no muscle. Low body fat helps you get their and it is critical and the number one thing to start showing your abs however, you also have to have the muscle their too. You need both. Well you need actually 3 things a balanced diet, good cardio and weights, and core exercises, abs included 3 times or more a week.
    [/quote]









    and enough food to fuel all this 900 cals is not enough when the body doesn,t get enough it starts on the muscle to give it fuel go away with your stupid advise
    [/quote]

    I never said 900 was enough for her... I said 1200 calories as a baseline for everyone in the entire world from 6 foot tall to 5 foot tall to keep them out of starvation mode I don't think is accurate. My husbands baseline is 1500 since he is tall. Mine I have set at 1100 since I am short. One of my friends is 4'10 and hers is set to 1000 calories a day. I even said she might need to eat more based on her height and current weight and asked her for her numbers. :) The original reply was to the poster who said that everyone has to eat a minimum of 1200... well not necessarily based on your stats.
  • lmc2728
    lmc2728 Posts: 2
    I'm currently working with a personal trainer and like you, wasn't eating enough and balancing out my foods. Eat small meals at least 5x a day and eat healthy. Watch your carb and sugar intake and eat more protein. Also, if not already, add some exercise to your routine. You will see a difference.
  • Poorgirls_Diet
    Poorgirls_Diet Posts: 528 Member
    You have to eat AT LEAST 1200 a day, otherwise your body will go into starvation mode and it will store whatever it gets.
    Eat good healthy food every couple of hours to keep your digestive system active and make sure you don't starve yourself.

    Absolutely not true. I eat between 6 and 800 calories a day and I'm just fine and I've done this for going on 4 months now. I have tons of energy and work out almost everyday. And I'm really tired of this "starvation mode" word being flung around as a way to scare people into eating more. Yes she may need to eat more calories, it could be what her body needs but she will NOT go into starvation mode. Doctors put people on 500 calorie a day diets for months on end and they don't go into this made up word to scare people into eating more, give it up already. "starvation mode" is really just a plateau. She has something else going on.

    Agree! I eat no more that 800 calories per day, I'm NOT in starvation mode..I feel great, work out EVERY day, have a lot of muscle AND guess what?! I'm LOSING weight and have TONS of energy! I'm so sick of this "starvation mode" bull *kitten*!

    I am the same too and have lost 30lbs, oh wait maybe that was air!! Seriously stop with the starvation mode crap. My doctor has now put me on a vlcd and he said the starvation mode is a myth. If you are on a protein diet increase your water to flush out your kidneys. Like the above two posters I have tons of energy. If I stuck to the recommended 2430cals a day that mfp recommended for me I would never lose weight!!
  • ConstableOdo
    ConstableOdo Posts: 104
    Don't listen to them. 900 calories is fine. I am eating between 600 and 1200 a day and I am doing really well. It might per any number of things. Is it you TOM? Or that inbetween TOMs bit? I gain weight both times. It goes away after a little while.
  • kmuree
    kmuree Posts: 283 Member
    ^^This

    HAH! What they said! If I was in starvation mode I wouldn't have my abs! HAH!
    Everyone has abs sweetheart, and they start to show when you have low bodyfat regardless of how you got there.
    [/quote]

    Yes they do... However their are alot of "skinny" people who are skinny with no abs because they have no muscle. Low body fat helps you get their and it is critical and the number one thing to start showing your abs however, you also have to have the muscle their too. You need both. Well you need actually 3 things a balanced diet, good cardio and weights, and core exercises, abs included 3 times or more a week.
    [/quote]









    and enough food to fuel all this 900 cals is not enough when the body doesn,t get enough it starts on the muscle to give it fuel go away with your stupid advise
    [/quote]

    I never said 900 was enough for her... I said 1200 calories as a baseline for everyone in the entire world from 6 foot tall to 5 foot tall to keep them out of starvation mode I don't think is accurate. My husbands baseline is 1500 since he is tall. Mine I have set at 1100 since I am short. One of my friends is 4'10 and hers is set to 1000 calories a day. I even said she might need to eat more based on her height and current weight and asked her for her numbers. :) The original reply was to the poster who said that everyone has to eat a minimum of 1200... well not necessarily based on your stats.
    [/quote]

    I'd like to point out that the rule is 1200 for women, 1800 for men according to The American College of Sports Medicine (and various other researched sources).

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/492846-is-eating-1-200-calories-a-day-unhealthy/
  • This is called starving yourself. Your body is holding onto the water and other nutrients because you aren't giving it what it needs. Try upping your caloric intake. Add more protein.
  • NWCountryGal
    NWCountryGal Posts: 1,992 Member
    Your body needs food, a variety of food to help build muscle and burn fat. Depriving your body of it's needs will only harm your body.
    Yes drink more water! You could be gaining muscle though. I went from 107.2 to 110 over the last couple of days. Man does it suck looking at the number go up! YES! However I also went from 18.9% body fat down to 17.7% over the last week and lost an inch. So what does that mean??? Muscle!!! I have been eating around 900-1100 calories too... minus yesterday so eating more might not be the answer. Drink plenty of water, it actually helps you loose water weight! You are taking in ALOT of protein, you might have gained some major muscle with that. Throw the scale out.... easier said then done I know I have the same issues, and go to how you look in the mirror, inches loss or body fat %. Its more accurate. I bought a body fat tester on e-bay 6 years ago for like 25.00 with shipping the electronic kind.... SOOO worth it. Every time the scale goes up my body fat goes down so I don’t feel so bad! :) Hang in their too and power through it.... Whenever I go up eventually I go down if I don't get too depressed because of a stupid scale and remember to look in the mirror!! Remember girls cycles…. We go up and down throughout the month too depending about where we are at. :) You are doing AMAZING! Keep it up girl!

    What???? she gained muscle by eating 900 calories a day????She gained muscle by just eating protein? What????? SMH

    I know. Such BS!!!

    Uh no its not and don't call me a liar either.

    Bad advice - this may have worked for you, but its not correct. Your body needs calories to burn calories. The more excercise you do, the more calories your body burns. Ask any nutritionist or personal trainer, they will tell you this.
  • averrill1980
    averrill1980 Posts: 5 Member
    Your body needs more the 900 calories a day to survive and burn fat. your body is going to start eat at your muscle if you dont start eating more.
  • morgansmom02
    morgansmom02 Posts: 1,131 Member
    kmuree, thanks for that link! Very helpful!
  • kmuree
    kmuree Posts: 283 Member
    kmuree, thanks for that link! Very helpful!

    My pleasure! :flowerforyou:
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,728 Member
    please help I hate this 900 calories of cardboard for four days and gained two pounds!!! not really carboard eggs protein bars etc

    Easy answer: No you didn't. The 2 pounds you are seeing was cause by something you ate prior to starting the 900 calories. While some people will eat a big salty meal and see "weight gain" the next day--that is just fluid retention. In reality the weight you gain/lose from eating/not eating won't be seen for at least 7 to 10 days.
  • jeffrodgers1
    jeffrodgers1 Posts: 991 Member
    Weight loss is not just a measure of calories consumed, but also calories exhausted. Most people require substantially more than 900 calories to meet there basic metabolic needs.

    I'm not going to throw any facts or figures out there and talk about starvation mode etc. Please, I implore you to eat a balanced diet and increase your activity levels. Your weight is just a number, your general health is a far more important figure.

    By continuiing at a 900 Calorie per day diet, I have serious concerns that you may be damaging yourself in a similar way that bullimic's or anorexic's do.

    Please be safe.
  • NWCountryGal
    NWCountryGal Posts: 1,992 Member
    ditto!
    I'm currently working with a personal trainer and like you, wasn't eating enough and balancing out my foods. Eat small meals at least 5x a day and eat healthy. Watch your carb and sugar intake and eat more protein. Also, if not already, add some exercise to your routine. You will see a difference.
  • BamaGirl_Tricia
    BamaGirl_Tricia Posts: 70 Member
    You should never eat below your BMR. Check out www.fitnessfrog.com
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
    that's not enough. I've plateaued several times since I started..... Each time I upped my calories to break the plateau. I'm at 2000 calories a day now (on average, give or take) and I'm still losing. I work out 6-7days a week - strength 3 -4 days a week and cardio 6 days a week. I eat very healthy for the most part, I consume on average 150g of protein a day..... with a good mix of other nutrient rich foods - lots of veggies, limited fruit. I watch my sodium closely. And drink 15-20 cups of water a day.
  • nehushtan
    nehushtan Posts: 566 Member
    My doctor says eat less calories than you burn loose weight he said just eat less calories and less fat . I have 90 pounds to loose i hate this body.

    Four days is not enough time to see the authentic results. The beginnings of real results take a few months. You have to keep at it and not give up for at least 30 days straight without a break.

    And you need to re-learn how to eat from the ground up. It's going to take 6 months to a year to reach your goals, so take the long view. Take the long view. I mean the long view. How long are you thinking of? Not long enough. I mean take the long long LONG view....

    When you were 5 years old your parents sent you to school. If you didn't keep going for 12 more years, you would be a drop out.

    Whatever you do, keep trying and changing what you are trying. For example, for now you need to eat more calories. But you also need to figure out how to simultaneously expand and narrow your food choices.

    There are two aspects to this business: the daily, even hourly, attention to what you are eating, and the 20+ year span between now and old age and death.

    I lost my 90. I was sick of it. I was sick of losing some of it and then having it come back.

    It's not coming back any more.

    Here's rooting for you.
  • beansprouts
    beansprouts Posts: 410 Member
    please help I hate this 900 calories of cardboard for four days and gained two pounds!!! not really carboard eggs protein bars etc

    EAT REAL FOOD not processed junk!!!
  • Teliooo
    Teliooo Posts: 725 Member
    My doctor says eat less calories than you burn loose weight he said just eat less calories and less fat . I have 90 pounds to loose i hate this body.

    I have lost about 120 pounds. Took me 6 years but I took it slow and didn't think about it too much until last year. The thinner i get the more obssesed I get. Don't let it rule you. You can't do it quickly.. You are kidding yourself if you think you need to or can. It isn't a race and you are dealing with your health. Would you rather be skinny but unhealthy or worse, near death? Or lose the weight slowly and keep it off, whilst being healthy? It is your choice but as you can see from here, the sensible peoiple are urging you to eat more. If you ignore it, then there was no point posting in the first place.
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
    Don't listen to them. 900 calories is fine. I am eating between 600 and 1200 a day and I am doing really well. It might per any number of things. Is it you TOM? Or that inbetween TOMs bit? I gain weight both times. It goes away after a little while.

    this is terribly unhealthy. any weight you lose will come back once you start eating normally again. This sounds like an ED in the works if not already developed.
  • peachyxoxoxo
    peachyxoxoxo Posts: 1,178 Member
    Wtf at so many people thinking its totally fine to eat less than 1000 calories a day. That is a starvation diet. You can't keep that up forever and once you start eating normally again, you'll probably gain back what you lost. As much as I want to be supportive of everyone on here, that is simply NOT healthy. Sorry.

    To the OP, it is not starvation mode, you're probably dehydrated. And please try to eat more... 900 calories is far too low.
  • alexis831
    alexis831 Posts: 469 Member
    Most of the people posting on this thread are stuck-up jerks that need to realize not EVERYONE can lose weight the SAME WAY.

    No one has the perfect recipe; it's what works for you, your belief system and your lifestyle so drop the attitudes! :explode: :mad:

    With that said, starvation mode or no starvation mode, the general consensus is that you need to consume 1,200 calories a day at least to give your body what it needs.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/492846-is-eating-1-200-calories-a-day-unhealthy/

    BOOM, headshot.

    Very few of you on here are doctors; she needs to do her research and you need to stop shoving your badly researched opinions down other people's throats. :huh:

    Another key is WHAT YOU ARE EATING. What does your diet look like? What do those 900 calories consist of? "Cardboard", as you call it, is meant to assist with meal replacements but should not (IMHO) consist of your entire diet.

    Good article. This was actually the same article I used to calculate my calorie intake instead of using MFP. Since I am 110 pounds and have a desk job my base is 1100. My 4'10 friend at 100 pounds who wants to loose 5 pounds, mainly toning up is at 1000 calories.
  • RuthSweetTooth
    RuthSweetTooth Posts: 461 Member
    Open your diary and we'll see if we can help. Be sure you are eating salads . . . they burn off more calories to digest than they contain.

    I agree you could be constipated and also, sometimes proteins contain alot of sodium and you could be holding onto water weight. That is exactly what is happening to me right now. I don't even salt my food and I still get too much sodium. Very frustrating if you like cured meats.

    Some very good advice given here, the best of which is patience.

    I enjoy my foods very much. . . perhaps you can look in my diary for ideas (although I do get too much salt sometimes. I wish I could post photos of my foods, haven't figured out how yet.

    Exercise builds muscle which will help accelerate weight loss, improve mobility, longevity, circulation, sense of well-being.

    Ruth
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
    your not eating enough....6 small meals a day...at least 1200- 1600 calories...just cut out the sugar...I went onthe diabetic diet, cut out my sugar when I first started tolose weight, its a great kick start and a good habit. Fruts are good, just the refined sugar, and pastas and bread, its all sugar. try pumperknickel bread, spelt bread and pasta if you have the craving :) they have much less sugar.
  • Twiztedbeing
    Twiztedbeing Posts: 389
    EAT MORE LOL
  • alandry123
    alandry123 Posts: 17
    I am in agreement you need to eat more food, especially if you are exercising. I eat around 1500 or so a day and burn about 300 or so off in exercise and I am consistently losing weight. You have to do whatever works best for you, as someone else said research a bit and test some things out. This is never an easy process but it gets better :)
  • alexis831
    alexis831 Posts: 469 Member
    ^^This

    HAH! What they said! If I was in starvation mode I wouldn't have my abs! HAH!
    Everyone has abs sweetheart, and they start to show when you have low bodyfat regardless of how you got there.

    Yes they do... However their are alot of "skinny" people who are skinny with no abs because they have no muscle. Low body fat helps you get their and it is critical and the number one thing to start showing your abs however, you also have to have the muscle their too. You need both. Well you need actually 3 things a balanced diet, good cardio and weights, and core exercises, abs included 3 times or more a week.
    [/quote]









    and enough food to fuel all this 900 cals is not enough when the body doesn,t get enough it starts on the muscle to give it fuel go away with your stupid advise
    [/quote]

    I never said 900 was enough for her... I said 1200 calories as a baseline for everyone in the entire world from 6 foot tall to 5 foot tall to keep them out of starvation mode I don't think is accurate. My husbands baseline is 1500 since he is tall. Mine I have set at 1100 since I am short. One of my friends is 4'10 and hers is set to 1000 calories a day. I even said she might need to eat more based on her height and current weight and asked her for her numbers. :) The original reply was to the poster who said that everyone has to eat a minimum of 1200... well not necessarily based on your stats.
    [/quote]

    I'd like to point out that the rule is 1200 for women, 1800 for men according to The American College of Sports Medicine (and various other researched sources).

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/492846-is-eating-1-200-calories-a-day-unhealthy/
    [/quote]

    Right however from that article I should be at around 1100 since I only weight 110 pounds so I am still fine and that is the same article I actually used to determine my 1100 :) The 1200 again is for the average American not us sorties or for tall people too! ;) My 100 pound friend is at 1000 calories a day and doing great. Actually she is almost their too. One size fits all doesn't work and I don't like when people use that. It could be 1000 calories, it could be 3750 calories for a 250 pound very active man! It depends on you.
  • hmgarcia83
    hmgarcia83 Posts: 45 Member
    I agree with Minnie. 900 is too low. Eat more
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