Am I really starving myself?

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2

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  • tilishamichelle
    tilishamichelle Posts: 34 Member
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    In a word: Yes.

    You shouldn't be dieting.. you should be focused on making a lifestyle change.. AKA how you want to eat for the rest of your life.

    If you want to eat 1,050 calories for the rest of your life, then great have at it. If you want actually keep the weight off and not be yo-yo dieting for the rest of your life, then you need to eat more.


    I agree with you!
  • ohsweetcalamity
    ohsweetcalamity Posts: 78 Member
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    Sounds to me like you're doing fine. A lifestyle change is just a realistic diet you can do forever. And it's not unusual to be slightly more restrictive when you are actively trying to lose rather than maintain. I understood your post to mean you eat three meals at 250 and three snacks at 100. I'd try to get up to a 1200 daily minimum, but as long as you're eating nutritiously, there's nothing wrong with eating small meals and snacks more frequently. Grazing is a nice way to keep your appetite in check and if it works for you, it works. Just remember that you can't turn around and start eating chocolate bars three times a day once you've reached your goal.
  • AmyB_1992
    AmyB_1992 Posts: 32
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    Sounds to me like you're doing fine. A lifestyle change is just a realistic diet you can do forever. And it's not unusual to be slightly more restrictive when you are actively trying to lose rather than maintain. I understood your post to mean you eat three meals at 250 and three snacks at 100. I'd try to get up to a 1200 daily minimum, but as long as you're eating nutritiously, there's nothing wrong with eating small meals and snacks more frequently. Grazing is a nice way to keep your appetite in check and if it works for you, it works. Just remember that you can't turn around and start eating chocolate bars three times a day once you've reached your goal.

    Thank you, I only eat chocolate about once a week so that won't happen.

    Also I'm a pescetarian so I don't eat meat only fish, so I eat a lot of salads and sometimes fresh fish.. But that's another story!
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
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    Sounds to me like you're doing fine. A lifestyle change is just a realistic diet you can do forever. And it's not unusual to be slightly more restrictive when you are actively trying to lose rather than maintain. I understood your post to mean you eat three meals at 250 and three snacks at 100. I'd try to get up to a 1200 daily minimum, but as long as you're eating nutritiously, there's nothing wrong with eating small meals and snacks more frequently. Grazing is a nice way to keep your appetite in check and if it works for you, it works. Just remember that you can't turn around and start eating chocolate bars three times a day once you've reached your goal.

    Ditto
  • wgn4166
    wgn4166 Posts: 771 Member
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    Well I am confused.I hear eat them back, no dont eat them. I have no idea what to do
  • cadaverousbones
    cadaverousbones Posts: 421 Member
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    I would calculate your BMR and figure out how many calories you burn just being alive. The idea is to burn more calories than you are consuming to lose weight. but you don't want to start off eating a really low number (1000) is definitely too low. MFP can calculate it for you based on your weight, height, and level of activity.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    my MFP calorie goal is 1490 calories...I have 920 calories in exercise today and I have eaten a little over 1500 calories today. There are times when I manage to eat over 2400 calories a day. And you know what? last week I ate pretty much as much as I could, and I lost 2.5 pounds last week!
  • cinasana
    cinasana Posts: 40
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    In my opinion, you are doing things right to lose weight.

    This whole "you're starving yourself!!" thing is quite a bit of BS. Think about where that statement is coming from......it's one person who reads it, believes it, spreads the same message, some more people believe it, suddenly there are hundreds of thousands of people all saying that there is this horrid "starvation mode" without having actually done any research on their own parts and generalizing this to be true for everyone and every body type. Do starving people in 3rd world countries suddenly start gaining weight because they aren't eating a daily calorie intake of 1200 calories? lol...Not trying to be a smart *kitten*. These are just the thoughts I have when I read some of these forums. I feel the whole "you aren't eating enough!" is easier to accept and try to rationalize in a society where we all love to OVER consume.

    Finding the actual answer as to whether you are doing the right thing for YOUR body or not, is quite scientific. It takes finding out your BMR, your activity levels, and what your target macro nutrient percentages are (i.e. how much protein/fat/carbs should you be eating on a day when you workout? When you don't workout?).

    But without getting too complicated...one basic principle is true no matter where you turn....If you want to lose weight, you eat at a calorie deficit. Just as you are doing....Good job

    Once you reach your goal weight, slowly increase your calories so that you maintain your weight you are pleased with.

    Jenny
  • cinasana
    cinasana Posts: 40
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    AmyB,

    You might find this calculator extremely helpful:

    http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
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    The 'you have to eat above your BMR' advice is baseless, too. Your BMR has nothing to do with your daily intake, except to help calc a deficit to estimate weight loss. You do not need to 'fund' today's BMR with today's calories. Burning off stored calories is how weight loss works.
  • dany_m
    dany_m Posts: 74 Member
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    Finding the actual answer as to whether you are doing the right thing for YOUR body or not, is quite scientific. It takes finding out your BMR, your activity levels, and what your target macro nutrient percentages are (i.e. how much protein/fat/carbs should you be eating on a day when you workout? When you don't workout?).

    What's so difficult about it? Use an online BMR calculator, buy yourself a HRM, set your daily calorie goal to at least your BMR and eat back all your exercise calories, and you are all set and on the right track.

    To the OP: please don't starve yourself. If you eat below your BMR then your metabolism will slow down and eventually you will stop losing weight. Check out the MFP group 'Eat more to weigh less', they have great advice.
  • kailaguenther
    kailaguenther Posts: 17 Member
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    Why do you eat back your exercise calories? Isn't the point to lose them?
  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
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    I'm not clear on the whole "starving" yourself either. I have quite a few friends that lost weight eating 1200 calories a day, got to their goal and then watch what they eat and maintain the loss. I haven't been at my "goal" yet and I also don't eat 1200 calories a day. Although if you are exercising, make sure you eat the exercise calories so your metabolism doens't shut down.

    If your metabolism "shuts down" that means you're dead.
  • kodakdigitalcamera
    kodakdigitalcamera Posts: 67
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    Your not starving at all. In fact you can go all day without eating and your body wont starve. Why? Because you have lots of food already its on your hips. They have done studies on intermittant fasting and you can go up to 3 days without slowing basil metabolic rate. The two main nutrients that you dont want to eliminate though are electrolytes and protein. Electrolytes are needed for safety reasons to keep your heart beating and protein to prevent muscle catabolism. other than that you could eat very little else.
  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
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    In my opinion, you are doing things right to lose weight.

    This whole "you're starving yourself!!" thing is quite a bit of BS. Think about where that statement is coming from......it's one person who reads it, believes it, spreads the same message, some more people believe it, suddenly there are hundreds of thousands of people all saying that there is this horrid "starvation mode" without having actually done any research on their own parts and generalizing this to be true for everyone and every body type. Do starving people in 3rd world countries suddenly start gaining weight because they aren't eating a daily calorie intake of 1200 calories? lol...Not trying to be a smart *kitten*. These are just the thoughts I have when I read some of these forums. I feel the whole "you aren't eating enough!" is easier to accept and try to rationalize in a society where we all love to OVER consume.

    Finding the actual answer as to whether you are doing the right thing for YOUR body or not, is quite scientific. It takes finding out your BMR, your activity levels, and what your target macro nutrient percentages are (i.e. how much protein/fat/carbs should you be eating on a day when you workout? When you don't workout?).

    But without getting too complicated...one basic principle is true no matter where you turn....If you want to lose weight, you eat at a calorie deficit. Just as you are doing....Good job

    Once you reach your goal weight, slowly increase your calories so that you maintain your weight you are pleased with.

    Jenny

    Excellent post...thank you
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    How much do you weigh now and how much do you want to loose?

    At the minute 188 pounds but I want to go down to 131 pounds, (9 and a half stone)

    If that is the case then you probably would still lose weight eating 2000cals.

    I wouldn't go below bw in lbs x10 for gross calories for any extended period of time.

    If you start with very low calories then what happens when you plateau?
  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
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    This one is good too

    http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-goal.php
  • itali614
    itali614 Posts: 53 Member
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    I will tell you I have learned if I eat the amount of calories that MFP says I need to eat I loose weight at a healthy rate of 1-1.4 pounds per week. When I eat lower than what it says I don't loose.
  • tmt2003
    tmt2003 Posts: 176 Member
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    I think people try to make this too complicated. There are many methods to weight loss and people on this site make you think if you do it differently from what they believe you are ultimately going to fail. I started out at 1200 calories + eating back exercise calories, but everyone 'heard' 1200 And assumed I was starving myself - no 1200 calories plus 400+ calories extra from daily exercise means I was eating 1600-1800 calories a day so no I wasn't starving. Then yes I did hit a plateau and tried the eat more to lose (because apparentlty that is what I should be doing) it didn't work for me after EIGHT weeks I was still not loosing,intact was gaining, I was beyond frustrated and felt like a failure - never mind I had up to that point lost 80+ pounds, apparently I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I did a lot of reading, read everything I could and would lie in bed at night stressed out trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. Finally I adjusted my calories again, to 1500 flat ala JIlian Michales theory, because I figure she must have some clue (lol) and the weight started coming off again.

    So to answer some questiions: no I wil not eat 1500 calories for the rest of my life, maybe not even until I get to my goal. I will adjust as needed and once I reach maintance I will eat at maintance calories which for me is roughly 2000 calories. 2000 calories is more than 1500, so I don't get why people think I will have a problem eating MORE.

    If I reach a plateau: Ala JM (and fat2fit guys) eat maintance for a week or 2 and then drop you calories back down. It is the only thing that worked for me.

    According to JM exercising keeps your metabolism charged and it is not possible to slow your metabolism unless you are creating too much of a deficit know your TDEE and create a 500-700 calorie deficit. I don't know if this is true or not. But I do know, I feel good. I am loosing again and I have lived this lifestyle - of counting my calories, daily exercise and making healthier choices for 15 months. I know that this IS sustainable, because I AM doing this. And quite frankly it ticks me off to no end to feel like my success so far is discredited because I am losing weigh the "wrong way" and doomed for failure.

    So to answer the OPs question. No I don't think you are starving yourself : )
  • SuperSexyDork
    SuperSexyDork Posts: 1,669 Member
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    I think people try to make this too complicated. There are many methods to weight loss and people on this site make you think if you do it differently from what they believe you are ultimately going to fail. I started out at 1200 calories + eating back exercise calories, but everyone 'heard' 1200 And assumed I was starving myself - no 1200 calories plus 400+ calories extra from daily exercise means I was eating 1600-1800 calories a day so no I wasn't starving. Then yes I did hit a plateau and tried the eat more to lose (because apparentlty that is what I should be doing) it didn't work for me after EIGHT weeks I was still not loosing,intact was gaining, I was beyond frustrated and felt like a failure - never mind I had up to that point lost 80+ pounds, apparently I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I did a lot of reading, read everything I could and would lie in bed at night stressed out trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. Finally I adjusted my calories again, to 1500 flat ala JIlian Michales theory, because I figure she must have some clue (lol) and the weight started coming off again.

    So to answer some questiions: no I wil not eat 1500 calories for the rest of my life, maybe not even until I get to my goal. I will adjust as needed and once I reach maintance I will eat at maintance calories which for me is roughly 2000 calories. 2000 calories is more than 1500, so I don't get why people think I will have a problem eating MORE.

    If I reach a plateau: Ala JM (and fat2fit guys) eat maintance for a week or 2 and then drop you calories back down. It is the only thing that worked for me.

    According to JM exercising keeps your metabolism charged and it is not possible to slow your metabolism unless you are creating too much of a deficit know your TDEE and create a 500-700 calorie deficit. I don't know if this is true or not. But I do know, I feel good. I am loosing again and I have lived this lifestyle - of counting my calories, daily exercise and making healthier choices for 15 months. I know that this IS sustainable, because I AM doing this. And quite frankly it ticks me off to no end to feel like my success so far is discredited because I am losing weigh the "wrong way" and doomed for failure.

    So to answer the OPs question. No I don't think you are starving yourself : )

    She's not talking about eating 1050 calories net. She's talking about eating that period. She's starving herself.

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