NOT EATING ENOUGH!!!

[luper2b]

BOY I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD BE SAYING THAT I AM NOT EATING ENOUGH. I WENT ON MYFITNESSPAL.COM AND THEY COUNT YOUR CALORIES FOR YOU, AND I AM NOT GETTING UP TO THE 1200 MARK. I WAS AROUND 1000 LAST NIGHT, AND I WAS LOOKING AROUND THE HOUSE FOR SOMETHING ELSE TO EAT. JUST CRAZY!!!! I STARTED ON 3/4 AND I HAVE BEEN STUCK ON 7 LBS FOR A FEW DAYS NOW. SO I AM GUESSING MAYBE THAT IS THE REASON, AND I THINK MY TOM IS COMING! SO I AM HOPING AFTER THAT AND I CAN PAY CLOSER ATTENTION TO BY CAL INTAKE, I WILL DROP A BIG NUMBER. I AM DOING REALLY GOOD ON MY WATER. I HAD A PATIENT OF MINE, ASK ME IF I CHANGED MY MAKEUP. SO I GUESS THE WATER IS WORKING ON MY SKIN B/C I HAVEN'T CHANGED MY MAKE UP AT ALL. ANYONE ELSE HAVING ISSUES WITH NOT EATING ENOUGH.

[*sparkle*weight]

Yep!
I have to struggle to get my 1200 calories in and I found out I *should* be eating 1350. The real problem (for me) is that I'm trying to eat healthy so grabbing a candy bar to make up the calorie defecit isn't an option..(plus, I think it would really take a long time to lose weight eating candy bars:rolleyes:)
I usually turn to canned tuna or baked chicken to help with calorie counting...avacados are also good.
I know what you mean though...I never ever thought I'd be struggling with not eating ENOUGH!

[BrewCityBaby]

Yep!
I have to struggle to get my 1200 calories in and I found out I *should* be eating 1350. The real problem (for me) is that I'm trying to eat healthy so grabbing a candy bar to make up the calorie defecit isn't an option..(plus, I think it would really take a long time to lose weight eating candy bars:rolleyes:)
I usually turn to canned tuna or baked chicken to help with calorie counting...avacados are also good.
I know what you mean though...I never ever thought I'd be struggling with not eating ENOUGH!

you mentioned you cant just grab candy bar but have you ever tried Caramel Peanut Detour bars? its a protein bar but is similar to a snickers. you may have to get used to the protein base if u dont eat them already but it does a pretty good job of replacing the snickers lol. u can find them at GNC , The Vitamin ******, or most health food stores. plus there all kinds of different kinds to choose from. so u can have you "candy bar" but without all the empty cals

[OOlala]

I'm not sure there is any truth to that.... I heard the average person can live on like 12 almonds a day or something crazy like that....and back when we hunted and gathered our own food there was time we had none and no one died.... I have mixed feelings on this whole issue.... I mean... maybe our systems need a break now and then

[ironeyes]

Oolala~ I tend to agree with you on the amount of food we can survive on. My first month on phen I was tracking my calories and I was only averaging around 800 a day. When I went for my check up with the doctor, I asked him about the whole "starvation mode" issue. He feels that when we are overweight (or obese as I was) the body has large fat stores that it accesses when calories are restricted. As long as we are exercising to keep muscle, our body will burn the fat for energy. Once we get closer to our ideal weight then we need to be careful. After he explained it to me, I stopped counting calories and just started eating when I am hungry. I have researched it online and found there are differing views out there. I guess whatever works for you, is what you should do.

[Mary-Mary]

well I read on a magazine that if we eat less then 1200 calories then instead of losing fat we lose muscle :confused: good thing I dont have to mess with calories Ill just stick to my WW

[Kelliee]

This was written by a trainer named CoachDee...this is what he writes about the confusion of CALORIES IN/CALORIES OUT -- Proper caloric deficits.

For the love of well sauced buffalo wings....


Sorry folks, there are no magic pills, no magic diets, and no ab blasters will help you and your body lose fat. It's hard to accept sometimes isn't it?

Fat loss is about the ratio of calories in vs. calories out. Plain and simple. But what most magazines and infomercials do not tell us is that in order to achieve our fitness goals the ratio is actually 70% nutritional and 30 % exercise. But that does not mean starve yourself and do as little exercise as possible. It means eat sensibly, have 5-6 smaller meals per day to balance the blood sugars, that will also keep the metabolism stoked, and exercise on a regular basis, which should include strength training to maintain and develop lean muscle mass. This too helps boost your metabolism.

So why am I here? Simple, because I need assistance in losing fat. "But you're a personal fitness trainer for God's Sake!"

Yes, but I was naughty, and I did not keep track of my daily calories like I tell my clients, and lo and behold, I discovered that I was not eating ENOUGH calories!!! YIKES... that is not a good thing folks. Here I was thinking I had it all under control, yet, I could not understand why my body fat percentage did not drop over the course of the past 4 weeks. WHat had happened was I was starting to plateau, so I changed up my exercises and even dropped some calories, but I did not keep a watchful eye on those calories and now I have discovered that I am actually sabatoging my efforts by not eating enough calories.

Folks. Remember to only drop your caloric intake by 500 calories per day via a proper nutritional plan and exercise. If you increase your caloric deficit by over 800 calories per day nature has a way of protecting the body against excessive weight loss. At first you will lose alot of water, a little fat. Then suddenly you stop losing. You've plateaued, because your body now refuses to give up the fat, regardless if you want it off for summer or not.

It is a scientific fact that when your calorie count suddenly drops, your body will compensate for the fact by reducing your metabolic rate. As a result, you'll need fewer calories to maintain your weight. This explains why some people lose weight up to a point and then cannot lose any additional weight, no matter how hard they try. Friends, this is one of the most dangerous myths in the weight loss world. You literally have to eat yourself thin, not starve yourself thin.

Know your BMR, know your activity level and know your caloric needs, and monitor them closely. You will achieve!

The key is really that the number of calories you eat directly affects your metabolism. If you don't eat enough calories, your body goes into "famine" mode. Fooled into believing you cannot find enough to eat, your endocrine glands PURPOSELY slow your metabolism to conserve energy. Slowing the metabolism means burning less fat. Is this really what you wanted to do??? It sure isn't what I wanted to have happen. Counting Calories is an important aspect of fat loss.

I hope you all find this informative and answering a lot of the unknown....:)

[OOlala]

I can't believe that all these numbers and things apply to everyone across the board... if that were the case there wouldn't be people that stuff their faces and stay thin while someone else eats a rice cake and gets fat....I think you require whatever amount of calories that keep you feeling your best and maintaining a healthy weight.... the trick is figuring out that magic number...and I also believe that quality is important... people need to spend more on good food and eat less of it

[Kelliee]

Your right....not one number will apply to every single person of the same height, weight and age and so you do have to play around with them a bit... and figure what works for you.

The reason the skinny person might be able to stuff their face and not gain (and I have so many friends like this) is because their metabolism is off the charts. Some of that can be genetics I would imagine but I also think that their body composition of ratio of lean muscle to fat is different.

I heard something the other day on I think it was Dr. Oz that I found hard to believe and that was that there are some incredibly thin people out there with body fat indexes that are high... so they are under the assumption that they are fit when in fact, high body fat is a risk factor for many diseases including heart disease. When I heard that I thought all the world has gone mad for sure....skinny people being at risk for heart disease...how absurd.... When I was 23 years old, at 5'1, I weighed 105 pounds...I looked thin...wore a size 5 and felt great. I wasn't an exerciser by any means. I had a body fat analysis done which was being offered in the mall at the time...they hooked the electrodes up to my ankles and let the low voltage run. My body fat percentage was 28%....I was shocked....I mean...I only weighed 105 pounds...

I just posted the information so that those who are baffled by their body not losing weight or inches can understand what "possibly" might be going on. I do believe that too little calories will slow your metabolism down...there are too many people on this forum alone that start off losing massive amounts of weight to only hit the wall weeks later. I think the information gives an explanation (scientifically) as to what happened and how to push past it.

But like you said....not every explanation and theory fits every person. I guess we just have to learn by trial and error....:)

[Rcook]

I know I don't eat enough, never have and now really dont!
My body fat right now is 19% at 148ish pounds......really that is good and I am really muscular, im big that way, its not defined enough and that is something that I work on. If I lift heavy weights like abody builder I bulk up a ton and you can see the definition, but I don't want to be bigger!

[kiss90]

Luper,
I have found my skin is looking so much better (it wasn't "bad" before but..), I have less breakouts and my face doesn't need as much moisturizer. It's a welcome change!!