Alright, I'm just thinking out loud here.....
It seems to be a trend where you've got 250+ lb people eating 1000-1200 calories per day. At least that's what they say they're eating.
Let me first say, before I get to my thought, if you are carrying a lot of extra fat and you just started dieting at 1000-1200 calories per day.... you will lose weight. If you aren't:
1. You are lying to yourself and us when you say you are eating this much food, or...
2. Something is medically wrong with you.
Back to where I was going.
Here is a typical discussion and it really does baffle me:
Person: I'm 275 lb currently eating 1200 calories per day.
Me: Your cals seem a bit low for someone of your stature.
Person: No way, I'm not hungry at all. I'm actually full throughout the day.
Me: Right, but that doesn't mean you aren't making your body behave as if it were starving. Someone of your stature should be eating at least 1800 calories, if not more. 2000+ would be closer to right.
Person: That can't be right... that seems like way too much food.
So why am I baffled?
Assuming there is nothing going on medically (which is most often the case), how did you get to 275 lbs? I promise you didn't get there eating 1200 calories per day. Understand this is directed towards the individual who is relatively new to dieting.
If you've been eating 1200 calories for a long enough time, losing weight or not, I can understand how you could be full on 1200.
However, if you're accustomed to eating the amount of food required to get to and maintain a 275 lb frame.... why on Earth are you suggesting that 1200 calories is enough to 'fill you up?'
One possible answer I guess is while they are working on controlling calories, concurrently they are changing the foods they eat. These new 'clean' foods are more filling and keep them feeling satisfied longer. But still, is it really that simple?
I know there are tons of stickies warning against starvation dieting. However, a lot of new members don't read all the stickies. Rightfully so I guess.... it's a big endeavor. And they aren't accustomed to the people who are 'stickied' so why should they believe or listen to them?
That said, it seems like there is a huge flux of new people starting journals and highlighting nothing short of their starvation-dieting programs. I really don't mind repeating myself over and over again as long as they listen. But that doesn't change the fact that I don't understand how their starvation calorie levels seems like 'a lot' of food to them.
Another thought:
Maybe they were simply binging before and never really paid attention to their intakes. They certainly didn't eat on a regimented schedule. Due to these circumstances, they didn't realize how much they were actually eating. Once they start dieting, maybe they bump up the number of meals and eat on a schedule, every few hours, and this fills them up with a lot less food compared to what they were doing before they started losing weight.
Alright, I told you I was merely thinking out loud here. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts.
It seems to be a trend where you've got 250+ lb people eating 1000-1200 calories per day. At least that's what they say they're eating.
Let me first say, before I get to my thought, if you are carrying a lot of extra fat and you just started dieting at 1000-1200 calories per day.... you will lose weight. If you aren't:
1. You are lying to yourself and us when you say you are eating this much food, or...
2. Something is medically wrong with you.
Back to where I was going.
Here is a typical discussion and it really does baffle me:
Person: I'm 275 lb currently eating 1200 calories per day.
Me: Your cals seem a bit low for someone of your stature.
Person: No way, I'm not hungry at all. I'm actually full throughout the day.
Me: Right, but that doesn't mean you aren't making your body behave as if it were starving. Someone of your stature should be eating at least 1800 calories, if not more. 2000+ would be closer to right.
Person: That can't be right... that seems like way too much food.
So why am I baffled?
Assuming there is nothing going on medically (which is most often the case), how did you get to 275 lbs? I promise you didn't get there eating 1200 calories per day. Understand this is directed towards the individual who is relatively new to dieting.
If you've been eating 1200 calories for a long enough time, losing weight or not, I can understand how you could be full on 1200.
However, if you're accustomed to eating the amount of food required to get to and maintain a 275 lb frame.... why on Earth are you suggesting that 1200 calories is enough to 'fill you up?'
One possible answer I guess is while they are working on controlling calories, concurrently they are changing the foods they eat. These new 'clean' foods are more filling and keep them feeling satisfied longer. But still, is it really that simple?
I know there are tons of stickies warning against starvation dieting. However, a lot of new members don't read all the stickies. Rightfully so I guess.... it's a big endeavor. And they aren't accustomed to the people who are 'stickied' so why should they believe or listen to them?
That said, it seems like there is a huge flux of new people starting journals and highlighting nothing short of their starvation-dieting programs. I really don't mind repeating myself over and over again as long as they listen. But that doesn't change the fact that I don't understand how their starvation calorie levels seems like 'a lot' of food to them.
Another thought:
Maybe they were simply binging before and never really paid attention to their intakes. They certainly didn't eat on a regimented schedule. Due to these circumstances, they didn't realize how much they were actually eating. Once they start dieting, maybe they bump up the number of meals and eat on a schedule, every few hours, and this fills them up with a lot less food compared to what they were doing before they started losing weight.
Alright, I told you I was merely thinking out loud here. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts.
