Group: Specific Diets & Nutrition

Created: 2012/01/01, Members: 104, Messages: 22775

With so many diets and nutritional plans out there, you can get lost. Find out what works best for others and share your experiences!

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eating low amount of calories

thespirals
thespirals
Posts: 11
Joined: 2007/09/17
United States
2007/09/17, 09:44 PM
Hello,
I just joined this site...hi!
I have a question that I've always wanted to know..
I'm 24, female, 5'1", 116lbs and trying to lower body fat and tone muscles. My personal nutrition plan says I should be eating 1500 calories a day. I have been on a diet for one month to lose weight I gained on vacation, and since then have lost the weight that I gained. I intend to keep this diet as a lifestyle....but my daily calorie comsuption has been in the range of 950 to 1200 calories a day. I eat eggs and cheese for protein, veggies, hummus, salad, nuts, soy veggie burgers and i've cut back on bread. I eat open faced sandwiches now and cut back on cereal and most grains. (i used to eat a looot more). I only eat meat if it is offered to me, I don't cook it.

Anyway, my question is....is the "starvation mode" theory true? That if you eat less calroies then you are recommended, that your body holds on to the fat instead of losing it? Should I be eating more? Today is the first day I started weight training, otherwise I;ve been running 1 mile 5 times a week. This is usually the only exercise I get during the week besides standing/walking/lifting things at work. I'm usually more active on the weekends, so I don't run. I stop and walk occasionally during the mile because running long distance is hard for me due to asthma.

thanks!
jessica
thespirals
thespirals
Posts: 11
Joined: 2007/09/17
United States
2007/09/17, 09:48 PM


oh yeah and i eat a lot of fruit too
georgiagirl
georgiagirl
Posts: 421
Joined: 2006/07/11
United States
2007/09/18, 12:16 PM
Yes... your body can go into starvation mode and from what you have posted I am willing to bet yours is there! Up it slowly over a week or so but I would not go under 1200 anyday.

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Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure.---Helen Keller
thespirals
thespirals
Posts: 11
Joined: 2007/09/17
United States
2007/09/19, 10:06 PM
is 1200 the lowest possible amount of calroies that anyone should eat? like i said, i am a pretty small person, i am not much more then 5 feet tall. i don't think the calorie calculator takes height into consideration. going over 1200 calories sounds like a lot for me. i get full incrediblly fast, but i am also eating all throughout the day eating meals that range from 100 calorie snacks to 300 calorie meals. i've always gotten full very fast, i don't like eating rice and other grians like that because it is so filling that i can barely eat any of it.

here's an example of the way i've been eating lately:

9am: 1 egg
11:30am: veggies and hummus and a string cheese stick, or cottage cheese and fruit
2pm: soup or salad
4pm: fruit or veggies
5:30pm: small snack like some fruit or some crackers or an almond bar after work
7:30ish: soy burger on one slice of whole grain toast with grilled onions and various grilled veggies with miso mayo, or a tuna sandwich

somewhere between 9-11pm: this is my weakness....eating before bed. maybe some nuts or cheese, occasionally a cup of whole grain cereal.

so what should I change? should I just eat foods with a higher calorie content?

i used to eat lots of frozen prepared dinners and lots of sweet yoplait yogurt, ice cream and lots of cereal. while i was eating like this and going to the gym i would get frustrated that i was losing absolutely no weight or body fat. i've always had a hard time getting rid of body fat, its always been there, and i've alwasy been pretty weak with muscles. i dont particularly enjoy weight training or running but i gotta do it....


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Quoting from georgiagirl:

Yes... your body can go into starvation mode and from what you have posted I am willing to bet yours is there! Up it slowly over a week or so but I would not go under 1200 anyday.


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BILL06
BILL06
Posts: 755
Joined: 2006/08/08
United States
2007/09/19, 11:35 PM
Consuming fewer than 10 calories per pound of your current weight will slow down your metabolism and cause you to burn calories more slowly. For instance, if you weigh 145 pounds, avoid consuming fewer than 1,450 calories a day. Though i wouldnt go below 1200 for females and 1700 for males, even thou you are very petite, your body still needs enough fuel daily to work properly.


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