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1000cals, negativity, and why I gave up.

Old 04-30-2010, 11:47 AM
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Default 1000cals, negativity, and why I gave up.

The forum that is, not the lifestyle change!

When I first came to Fitday and found the forum I thought I had found the answer to all my prayers. First and foremost I wanted a site that I could log my weight, my food intake and somewehere to keep me on the straight and narrow, because I knew I was serious. I knew that this was the right time for me to make massive changes in my life and my approach to food, eating more than was good for me (and why) and my vision of what I wanted for myself.

I found the forum and it was great at first, so many inspiring stories of success and lots of lovely supportive people. I read the forums, I was dumbfounded by some of the diets that people were on, but I kept my mouth shut, because I think if it is working for someone, making them feel good about themselves, then what the hell.

Then what I was doing for myself was called into question. And I began to doubt myself. Every other day I would read a thread where someone mentioned sticking to just under a thousand calories and they were roasted for it. 'Oh, your body will go into 'starvation mode', you will lose muscle mass, you will dry up and die' etc etc etc.

WRONG

I am under 5'2, I have a very small frame under the fat suit, and my body SHOULD surivive quite happily on 1000 cals or thereabouts!

Why on earth would my body store all this fat in the first place if it wasn't to help me through leaner times? Isn't that the whole point of storing fat, so that we can use it up when we need to? Why would my body eat perfectly good muscle tissue when there is fat enough on there to keep a small country on the go?

Another fallacy. 'Thou must eat breakfast'

No I don't. I work the backshift, don't go to bed till about 1am and don't feel the need for food till about 12 noon. That works for me.

And that is my point. I have lost around 38lbs since logging into fitday; I still have a long way to go, but I will get there. I will get there in my own way, in my own time (around 2lbs a week on average) and let me assure you all, I have not gone into 'starvation mode', my muscle mass is fine, and I feel and look better than I did ten years ago. Plus I am taking the time to prepare nutritious and delicious food which I never did in my ‘fat’ years. I don’t want the cookies (low fat or not) I want the fish, chicken and vegetable dishes that you can’t buy ready made, you have to cook them yourself.


One more thing, one of the most inspirational people on this site (Deanna aka showmenow) made me think twice when I read all the crap about 1000 cals, it worked for her, it is working for me. I am not saying it will work for everyone, but please, don't patronise people who are trying to work along with thier own bodies' needs.

I loved being here before, on the forums, but right now I feel it is a choice between the support/negativity here, and my own determination to do what's right for me and my body. I have never eaten so well or felt so good as I have in the last four months and I see the results in the mirror daily.

I am sorry if it sounded like a rant, maybe it was, Listen to your bodies, I haven't been hungry at all or craved, or 'fallen off the wagon' since Jan. I know what my body needs and my taste buds have changed, I really, really enjoy my food.

I wish you all well; but I don't know about sharing stuff on the forum any more, I am happy to just go along with what is making me happy and working very well for me, I just didn't want you all think the gal had given up, nothing could be further from the truth!
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Old 04-30-2010, 12:06 PM
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If you go to bed at 1 in the morning, then for you noon is pretty close to breakfast. And if 1000 calories works, and you are eating healty and nutritious foods, then more power to you. I could never maintain that. But I am not you.

I do worry about some of the girls here starving themselves, especially the young ones, to try to fill a body image that just isn't realistic. Every time I see HCG protocol, I want to scream "Medically sanctioned anorexia"....but this site should be about support so I bite my tongue and stay out of that thread.

Anyway, I hope I have not been one to offend you. Best wishes for health and success
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Old 04-30-2010, 01:06 PM
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Bravo.... I second everything you have said. I am 5'2" and I now weigh about 100 lbs. I am small to medium frame and I look my best at about 98-100 lbs. I maintain a caloric intake of about 900-1000 calories. That is more than enough food for me. I feel great and I love the way I look. I am 42 years old. I am not starving myself and I do not have a distorted body image. I thank you for your post. I love this site and I track my nutritional intake here. I too was very concerned about how individuals were categorically condemned for eating 1000 calories or less but I never spoke up.
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Old 04-30-2010, 01:08 PM
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I just wanted to say that if I offended you, I apologize. I'm sarcastic by nature and sometimes I don't come across in written words the way I intend. I tried very hard to say in my posts that 1,000 calories would never work for me and why, notice I never said "don't do it" or that it wouldn't work for someone else. I've dieted on and off most of my life and I know from personal experience that when I've eaten that few calories for weeks on end, I'm doomed to failure, because I jump off that wagon with gusto. Plain and simple, it isn't enough food for me, and therefore not a plan I can live with the rest of my life. If it works for you, and you're losing weight, feeling satisfied and eating healthier, that's all that really matters, right? I support your 1,000 calorie diet and feel awed that it can be done so easily and defended so passionately.
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Old 04-30-2010, 06:04 PM
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Default 1000 cal limit was set as a caution not a rule

It does drive me nuts when folks take a recommendation, suggestion, or guideline and somehow turn it into some sort of Moses on the Mount truth. I have seen several posts that are exactly as you say gallusgal, NO, YOU ARE DOING PERMANENT DAMAGE TO YOURSELF AND PROBABLY ALL OF MANKIND BY CONSUMING LESS THAN 1200 CALORIES.

Come on folks... 1200 calories was set by the American Medical Assoc. as the limit an "average" person can consume and still get a reasonable dose of vitamins and minerals. Below 1200, so the recommendation goes, requires medical supervision. Wellllll, I have had medical supervision and my sweetheart of a doctor has said that 1200 calorie limit is all nonsense as long as you have a reasonably good grasp of human nutrient requirements, don't plan on staying there forever if your maintenance level is significantly higher, and can adapt to that level of consumption without physical or emotional upheavel.

I definitely understand where Lizzy is coming from concerning the youngsters that think by starving themselves they will attain that perfect body and thus that perfect life. Cassie (CJohnson) can certainly attest to those self-image problems from a professional point of view. But we do, indeed, need to be mindful of making assumptions based on insufficient information.

I am no spring chicken, have a PhD in biochemistry, have well over a 100 posts to my name (for better or worse) and I too have gotten well intentioned (I am going to assume) but off-base comments about how wrong I am to drop to 1000 cals from time to time while training for a race.

You do what you need to do gallusgal. Maybe you should start a post entitled 1000 cals isn't a death sentance and here's why....

Best of luck to you and thank you so much for posting your heart felt complaint, I am sure it has made many of us stop and think

Pam
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Old 04-30-2010, 11:39 PM
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RunbikeSki,

I agree with your overall statement, but I don't see why you should single out someone to make a point.

Best wishes,
MS
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Old 05-01-2010, 03:15 AM
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Default hmmm...

....not sure what ya mean there, Molly. If you mean Lizzy and CJ, they are both very wise and experienced posters that I have a lot of respect for. Both have commented on these issues over the months. Otherwise, not sure who I singled out other than myself.
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Old 05-01-2010, 03:35 AM
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peace ladies! i am proud of the people we have on these fourms, we do have very motivated, wise and knowledgable people here and i do respect you all!
i am also on a close to 1000 calorie diet, my body doesnèt need the extra calories, becasue i am only 5 feet and have a very small frame. i know people here all have very good intentions, after all we are all here to lose weight or stay on track, but also know my activity level is no where close to the most people on this fourm and that also makes my calorie needs different. so learn the good stuff and leave what you know doesn t work for you behind.
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Old 05-01-2010, 06:17 AM
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I definitely agree that there is a different recipe for success for everyone. Sometimes I feel like the redheaded stepchild in posts where people are eschewing all carbs. I think that the rule of thumb with anything is to use common sense. To me, a piece of fruit that grew in nature and is packed with vitamins is not a bad choice, even though it has carbs! But that's beside the point.

I acknowledge I have commented about 1000 calories, though I don't recall specifics...but I am always careful to try to not be preachy and to say "you may want to try" or "have you considered," because some folks will jump in and tell you flat out what to do like it's the gospel or something, and I don't like that. I have probably suggested increasing calorie intake to folks who commented about being stuck and who asked for ideas about what to change, but that's based on knowledge of what has worked for me and others. I have also had the experience of the rebound gain from being at 1000 calories myself (and I'm 5'2"), so for me, that didn't work and I have most likely shared that. I am more than happy to agree to disagree with anyone's perspective, or to hear their side of it.

If any of my posts had an offensive tone, I'm sorry. It's hard to know from what we read, though...for all we know, you could be 20 years old, 5'9", very active, and trying to subsist on 1000 calories...which is a lot different than being 5 feet even, 60 years old, with a small build.

The bottom line is that we all have to do what's right for us. If it works, we reap the rewards. If it backfires, that's ours to deal with, too. At the end of the day, be good to yourself, be sensible, and be healthy. As long as you are honest with yourself in doing what you need to do, you can't go wrong. I can't flag anyone on here as someone I suspect of an eating disorder, but one major sign of that is not being honest with yourself about what works (like the teenagers who eat 200 calories a day, say that they are never hungry, and have enough energy to run a marathon). As long as you are being honest and following what your body tells you to do, that will be the way you sustain in the long run.
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Old 05-01-2010, 07:26 AM
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Thanks for the mostly positive replies guys. I expected more criticism and I am glad to see that you are all being fair-minded about it. My OP was a bit of a rant, but it is frustrating to read the lectures about the dangers of 1000 cals. Just to set the record straight I am in no way advocating starvation, in fact, the way that I am eating right now (small but often) I very seldom have to deal with any hunger pangs let alone starvation. I couldn't cope with it if that was the case and I know this for a fact because I have been following faddy diet after faddy diet for years and always slipped and cheated because I was so hungry I 'deserved' a treat.

I made it clear in my post the reason I think this works for me; I am small. Under 5'2. It makes perfect sense to me that as a small framed person I need less calories than taller/bigger people as fuel to function. I spoke to the practice nurse about it the last time I had a routine appointment. She hadn't seen my for months and right away said I was looking fantastic. She even said I was 'glowing' (lol). I told her about the weight loss, the types of foods I was eating and the amount of cals per day and she said 'well, you are obviously thriving on it!'

As a small person I need fewer calories, it's simple in my mind. The calories I do consume are made up of fresh fruit, fresh veg, fresh fish or chicken, meat free burgers sometimes, plenty of salad veg like tomatoes and beetroot (which I LOVE and have with just about everything). I also have the odd glass of wine at the weekend, a bag of Quavers here and there, and weight watchers bread which makes wonderful toast!

This gives me the energy to work full time, work out, dance, make love, shop till I drop and to be honest, I feel fitter, heathier, sexier and more motivated to live life to the full than I have done in ages. All of this on my 'paltry' 1000 cals.

Before I started my journey in January I was a pale, bloated, shapeless imitation of myself, I couldn't bear for my wonderful OH to see me naked, I was ashamed. Like I said before, I still have a way to go, but I will get there. My confidence and self esteem are back, as well as my determination and will.

Having said all of that; I totally respect that this isn't the way for everyone, but again, I am under 5'2, I listened to what my body was telling me and I have made the necessary adjustments. If I need to make further adjustments like more calories, more workouts, I will do so. But please don't tar everyone with the same brush is what I am saying. For some of us wee ones, 1000 cals is more than adequate for fuel, and everything else.

Good luck everyone not just with weight loss, but with life and how you live it. However you do it, do it the way that is right for you.
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