Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
Calories and Force Feeding
So, I am doing calorie counting - according to my calories burnt everyday through a desk job and the odd bit of exercise in the evening, I burn 1820. This doesn't really count my running calories burnt and all the weights I am doing - although, I not altogether sure.
I am eating 1200 calories a day - about. Or rather, I'm supposed to. My dilemma is this:
When I eat a meal, I am full. I am full after breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have snacks and drink 3 litres of water a day. I have a slice of toast, banana and yoghurt for breakfast, two apples, a banana, fruit for snacks, I have tuna salad for lunch with a baked potato and for dinner, a grilled something with salad and another potato.
It's not that I am trying to NOT eat 1200 calories. I am genuinely full. If I get hungry, I eat. When I add in crisps and beer to my diet, I will eat 1300 calories a day. But I don't want to add in rubbish to my diet to make up calories.
But surely if I am force feeding myself to make up calories even though I'm not hungry is not listening to my body at all?
Again, if I am hungry, I will eat whatever it takes to make sure that I am not hungry. It happens maybe once a week and I have no issues with eating to satisfy my hunger.
I feel that this whole issue has been overdone now and it's just silly. I eat three meals a day, I eat everything from all food groups, I eat snacks and drink water. Why should I force myself to eat even more when I'm not hungry?
The materials in this website are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor, qualified personal trainer, therapist, dietitian or nutritionist Runners's World, Part of the Hearst UK well-being network © Copyright 2017
Comments
Not really - I sip on it pretty much all day. Water never makes me full.
Also, I weigh myself before and after a run and lose 2kgs of sweat on a 5 - 8km run. I also live in South Africa so it's hotter...
You could substitute some nuts and seeds for your fruit snacks? I have a handful of seeds every day, lots of good oils that help runners and a handful of brazil nuts or almonds, again, full of good oils and minerals to help your joints etc.
What's your basal metabolic rate, ie the amount of calories you need to consume to just do nothing?
Um - I'm not really sure.
<heads off to Google>
Will add in some seeds and nuts
You could also add in some cheese, as your diet looks a little low on diary.
Cheese is fairly high in calories isn't it?
I could gnaw on a block of cheese and kill two birds with one stone? Dairy makes me cough and stuff so I do try to stay away from it a bit.
I do like cheese. I like it with red wine too. I guess that will help the calorie problem then?
One more question - if my BMR is nearly 1600 calories - is it literally a case of 1200 calories is too little? If I run and burn off 600 calories, does that mean I should be eating 2200 calories?
Or what is the limit that I can drag it down to?
Losing 2kg during a 5-8k run seems quite extraordinary. Follow that and you'd lose over 10kg during a marathon, and that equates to over 10 litres of water.
Personally I don't know how you can drink 3 litres during the day - I'd never be out of the bathroom!
I drink about 3 litres of water a day because I don't drink a lot of other fluids. Also as PO is in a hotter climate she'll sweat (more) so she'll lose some fluid that way too.
PO - I'm going for a net intake (food-exercise) of around 1200-1300 calories at the moment. I'm not hungry because I've found the right balance with protein/carbs/fat that works for me.
Conventional wisdom says multiply your BMR by 1.5 if you're reasonably active and that gives you your daily calorie intake requirement of 2353. If you're trying to lose weight, you should work on a calorie deficit of 500, taking your daily allocation down to 1835.
Are you losing weight dramatically at the moment? If not, I'd say there are probably a few factors at play: you might be underestimating your actual calorie intake at the moment, very easy mistake to make, and actually eating closer to 1500? I calorie count and eat healthily, and unless I'm having a total veggie day with no substantial carbs, I rarely come in around the 1200 calorie mark. If this isn't the case and you're not losing weight, I'd suggest a trip to your doctors.
The other thing to be aware of, if you're eating ~1200 calories and exercising, your body is going to need more energy than you're giving it. So it will either break down fat stores or muscle. It's easier for a body to go for muscle over fat, it takes less energy. If you're not dieting to lose weight but your diet is as low in calories as you say, you may find your body is breaking down muscle, which is not the best course of action.
BOTF - I am never out of the bathroom! But then, I sweat more than I have ever known anyone else to sweat. I drip within 1km of a run - after 5kms, I have long, very thick hair - I can literally squeeze a ton of water out of my pony tail. I drink 3L of water so that I am never dehydrated. And I know when I get dehydrated because my lips get dry. It happens as well. And yes - I am in a hotter climate so I sweat more as a matter of course. But I sweat a lot in general. I don't drink unless I'm hungry. But - for instance yesterday - just lying outside in the sun makes me sweat. Then I mowed the lawn for two hours - in 30 degree weather. Then, I cleaned my room for about an hour, ran 7kms and gardened. Trust me that yesterday alone, I drank MORE than 3L of water
LN - good to see you!! Will DM you now actually
Cougs - I try very much to listen to my body. I know that on days where I run and do weights, sometimes I am raveous the whole day. Then, I eat until that hunger goes away.
I am losing about a pound a week - a few cms as well, here and there.
I guess my issue is that I am eating just about 1200 calories, I am exercising and drinking water. I am not starving my body - if I am hungry, I will eat. I eat more now for breakfast than I have ever eaten before. I am losing weight on the scale and weight according to the tape measure.
My concern is this: am I damaging my body by starving it of calories? Even if I feel great and have the energy to exercise?
I'm just worried that the adage "Listen to your Body" goes out of the window in this regard...
About a month I reckon? I don't mind going over by a couple hundred - but that's over a weekend and I will have a beer and stuff. But even then, I have mowed the lawn or gone for a run so to re-eat what I have burnt off would be eating everything twice!
And you?
I'm still confused. Are you trying to lose weight or trying not to? Sorry if I'm being dumb, but I really can't work it out.
If you're trying to lose weight, what are you worrying about? It's going well, you are losing and you are not hungry. Just eat healthily and eat to your hunger.
Maybe you need to worry about energy rather than calories PO? If you're feeling ok and you're not running out of energy then i wouldn't worry about the amount you're eating. Food for runners is all about fuel and you're eating better fuel so you're body will be able to utilise it better than if you were just eating cake and drinking beer all the time.
As you say its been done to death i really wouldn't over think it, if its working and you're getting the right results then great.
I am trying to lose weight, but fat - not muscle. So I don't want to be losing stuff that I want to build on. And I don't want to be slowing down my metabolism because I'm not actually eating enough.
Some people have put this into my head. Now it's hard to get it out.
"Eat less, exercise more" is apparently a lot more intricate than I thought
That's more along what I was thinking - I can run really well, feeling great on the runs - not losing steam or feeling lethargic. In fact, can run, mow the lawn for 3 hours, clean the house and only stop because my back gets sore.
I am eating two potatoes a day - making sure that my "energy" levels are enough to maintain the sports. Calories get burnt up too quickly! I mean, in a single session I can burn more calories than I am supposed to be eating.
You're right though - will just maintain for sports and running. It's not like I am a walking ball of fat either (although, pretty close to)...
I don't follow everything on this site but there's a few articles worth a read
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/articles
ETA - haven't read this artlcle in depth so don't know how accurate it is but may be interesting re muscle/fat loss linky thing
Thanks for those links LN...
Much help!
To make sure you're not breaking down muscle, make sure you get enough protein (also vitamins, minerals - keep a balanced diet). Otherwise, if you feel okay, not getting tired, and you're losing the weight you want to lose, don't worry about it. Protein needs: basic about 0.8 g protein per kg body weight per day; might increase to 1.5 or 2 times that if you're exercising a lot and putting on muscle - so you may want as much as 1.6g per kg per day. But most people on a Western diet eat WAY more protein than they need.
The only thing I'd add to what you're eating is vegetables - maybe e.g. a carrot instead of one of the pieces of fruit - vegetables tend to contain more vitamins and minerals than fruits. Avocado is good as well, containing "good" oils.
Actual calorie counting on a daily basis is fraught with inaccuracies IMO. You're clearly just confusing yourself. If you're eating enough to satisfy your hunger, taking in enough to fuel your running, etc, then I wouldn't worry too much about the figures. As for losing fat and not muscle, and not slowing down your metabolic rate, again I think that your hunger being satisfied by a reasonably rounded diet, and exercising regularly, means this isn't anything to worry about.
If you want to improve anything I think 'tweaks' to your current regime is the way to go, e.g. make sure you get the healthy sources of protein, fat, etc that people are suggesting and generally widen the food groups as much as possible. More veg in place of fruit sounds like a good idea, widen your selection of carbs, and I'm a big fan of all beans and pulses as being good sources of protein, carb and fibre all in one.
Thanks guys - it's funny how people on a weighless forum are telling me to add more high calorie foods to my diet to compensate. I like this forum though because it largely just told me what I want to hear!!
Will add a couple carrots to my diet. I bought beans and pulses and am going to try and cook with them. I hate beans and pulses though so will have to force it down - but I know it's good for me...
Ah, but this isn't a weight loss forum - it's a running forum, so different emphasis!
Re. beans and pulses - I used not to like lentils (a texture thing), but I knew I ought to eat them (I'm vegetarian, so they're useful). After a while I got used to the texture and now I really like them and they're an important part of my diet - hopefully the same will happen for you (starting to like them, I mean).