Are people really eating this little?

[ABugWife]

Thread after thread after thread I see on here of people posting tiny amounts of food that they eat, or fasting most of the day. 1200 calories, 800 calories, bananas are bad for you, don't eat any carbs, no sugar ever, it goes on and on.

I am short 5'2 and fairly light at the top end of 8 stone so by these threads I should be eating barley anything but I eat every two hours pretty much, I snack all the time, I eat cheese and crisps and sweeties and cakes, sometimes I gain weight, sometimes I lose weight but it's quite steady between 8st 10 and 8st 13

I really find it hard to believe that people are eating such tiny amounts of food and not losing weight.

Does everyone here have a massive drink problem they don't include in their calories or are people lying perfectly still in bed all day long.

Where are the people that eat a normal, mostly healthy but sometimes shit diet.

I'm like you OP. I never deny myself food, cook with loads of butter and cream, eat a lot of carbs and I don't put on weight. I don't drink alcohol and rarely have sugary drinks. I'm 32.

At home I eat the same as DH (although he doesn't have breakfast) and he is a lot heavier than me. I don't know what he does for lunch though and I've been pregnant and breastfeeding a lot the last few years so need the extra calories. I expect one day I'll need to be more mindful of what I eat but for now I enjoy not having to think about it.

It's quite simple. You see what your basal metabolic rate is (the amount of calories burnt while at rest) and then you see how many calories you need daily to maintain your weight (based on activity level). If you eat less than that, you will lose weight. To maintain my weight I need around 1500 calories a day, if I want to lose weight I need less, or I need to increase activity level.

Yes and some posters on here are eating 600 calories. I have no idea but I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten that by 9am.

How on earth do you get all the protein/fats/energy/nutrients etc from such little amounts of food?

Ah yes, all these people who eat their 5 a day slowly dropping from stokes and diabetes.

Thanks, I'll skip the apples and eat bacon.

I think MN should honestly put a huge disclaimer on these threads to clarify that most posters know less than nothing when it comes to nutrition.

I'm 51, 5ft 4 and 8 stone 10 and eat at least 1800 calories a day

Sadly for you it’s absolutely true. The only way I can lose weight and keep it off is low carb.

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2018/jun/dr-michael-mosley-explains-low-carb-benefits-in-new-article-94180932.html

@ABugWife

The irony of you getting annoyed at people saying they eat so little, and then stealth bragging about being 8 stone. 🙄

I started calorie counting about 10 days ago via an App and I’ve already lost 1.5lbs and I’m chuffed.

I had absolutely no idea how many calories I was taking in before and now that I have a calorie counter it horrifies me what my intake used to be and it makes complete sense why my weight was slowly creeping up.

My App tells me to have 1200 calories a day so I can reach my desired weight and I generally take in about 1100. For the 5 days or so when I first change ms my diet I was regularly feeling hungry but now I’ve got used to a reduced intake and I realise that my eating was quite habitual as opposed to hunger, and how my regular snacks and large portions at mealtimes weren’t necessary.

I used to constantly drink cups of tea but I’ve now completely stopped that and only drink water instead.

I used to have biscuits and crisps etc for snacks whereas now I have yogurt, nuts and strawberries.

I haven’t found restricting my diet hard at all and I have also noticed that I mentally and physically feel better in myself.

For months and months I had ignored my weight increasing and I always looked for reasons and excuses as to why it was happening, but now I can admit the truth which is that I was eating poorly and taking in way more calories than I needed.

Seeing a weight loss so quickly has really empowered me to keep going.

I've found this thread really concerning and agree with you. I've conducted research into the psychology of eating (including weight management and eating disorders) for more than 15 years, and there's a lot of red flags here.

Weight and appetite are strongly genetically driven. The health risks of having a weight in the overweight range are relatively modest and somewhat contested.

Appetite and satiety are regulated by many, many hormones and physiological systems. Insulin is an important part of the picture but still only one part of it. Reducing our conceptualisation of appetite regulation to just insulin is patently incorrect.

You didn't consider getting it altered then? I find it a bit hypocritical of you to be dieting to get in a small dress while slagging off others for eating low calories or certain foods. As you have already stated, you have no idea of what menopause will be like so good luck with that too. I'm not saying that menopause makes every woman fat because it does not but ageing of a woman's body is something that you do not understand until you get there. As they say walk a mile in someone's moccasins before you claim to know all about it.

I'm kind of the opposite of you OP. I'm obese but aware that I eat a lot of carbs and sweet, high fat foods so I know exactly why I'm overweight. I am surprised when people say they have simply gained weight with age, and it often goes hand in hand with them saying that they used to be able to eat whatever they wanted. That's never been true for me e.g. when I ate all the chocolate I wanted to eat at 15, I put on weight! If I don't eat much for a week now because of say, illness, my weight drops. I know that I eat far more than I did when I was young though (I pretty much used to eat the same foods day in day out for years as a teenager so easy to compare!) and am generally more sedentary now. Just watched a video where someone said that it's common for people to underestimate what they eat by 400-500 calories a day. I wonder if there is some truth to that. People can be quite good at fooling themselves!

I think some research shows that most are very similar! Studies also show under reporting and people talk about their aim, but then forget the lump of cheese they ate, the kids leftovers. The month off the wagon.

I eat lots. I’ve never eaten much processed crap and don’t have anything other than home made cakes and biscuits. I regularly eat cake, but one home made fairy cake is never going to make someone fat. I eat pizza I make, bread I make, chips I make, brown rice, brown pasta, curries I make. Full fat Greek yogurt, cheese, butter. I snack, but fruit and nuts and seeds.

I am 51 and menopausal. The future is not devoid of real food OP.
I can’t drink much anymore though as it fucks my sleep! I might have half a bottle on a big weekend.

I was 8 stone pre pregnancy. Had my baby seven months ago, currently 9st 9lb, eating 1200 cals a day and losing no weight :(

I've just started walking a couple of hours a day, plus eating 1200-1300 and am now losing weight v slowly (thank God).

Staying between 8st to 8st 7 I always found quite easy, never dieted or really restricted, but now I have a lot to lose I'm having to diet quite drastically to see any movement on the scales whatsoever.

I think people who eat barely anything probably have a lot to lose, and once they get to their goal weight they probably (understandably!) binge after restricting so much for so long, then put weight back on.

It really is that simple, yes. All diets come down to that in the end.

Some people here seem strangely angry about the fact that that rate varies between individuals, and the particular way they have of staying within it may not work for everyone.

I was thinking the same today, OP, mainly because I've never done the breakfast -lunch-dinner thing. More breakfast-elevenses-sandwich-teatime-snack-dinner-pudding! I eat every 2-3 hours, whenever I feel like it, basically. I've stopped eating chocolate bars throughout the day since perimenopause. I'm the same height and weight as you, which is bigger than before perimenopause but not fat enough to stop me eating lots. I am active in that I walk a lot.

Maybe just different metabolisms, body shapes, etc., but I couldn't ever find the self-discipline to eat so healthily. I admire those who do!

I eat about 2500 cals currently and I'm still loosing weight because I'm looking after 5 kids and working in 3 very physical jobs, I literally can't get the calories into me fast enough BUT and it's a massive but when I'm actively trying to loose weight I have to drop my calories down to 1200 or I don't loose anything especially when I'm WFH or not full time (I go from 8hrs to 45+)

Everyone's matabolisum is different and mine definitely fluctuates depending on time of the year/month/exercise/stress etc etc.

This. This thread is quite alarming.

Maybe there are some, but I eat big portions too 😂I'm with you, OP. I defrosted chicken breasts that were supposed to last us two dinners, then I looked at our plates and said screw it and we ate it all.

Honey pie, I eat 150 calories per day and am as fit as a fiddle. My skin is clearer, my IBS cleared up and I have no hormonal issues now. It was like a miracle! I banned carbs from my diet and everything just fell off.

I eat a handful of blueberries and one babybel each day. I am still 7 stone though and hope to get lower. I do yoga and weight lifting on the regular.

I can live on pure air and thank my lucky stars for it. It even helped me to put my kids into private school and my DH is so much happier with my body during sexy times - which i naturally hate, because I am 40. And self loathing.

😂😂

You had a baby 7 months ago though. It is unrealistic to lose weight quickly after that.

We are all different. I'm your height and weight and a pretty consistent size 8/10. I'm super active. I walk a lot and work out most days.

I eat a very healthy plant heavy diet with very few carbs but a lot of protein. It keeps my BP under control.

I do eat other things but small amounts - so a couple of fun size chocolate bars a week, a few crisps if I'm out with mates, a slice of cake for a birthday. If I go out for a meal I bring a doggy bag home and stretch it over 2/3 days with lots of veg and salad on the side. I drink wine/cocktails 3/4 days a week but not much.

if I ate what you say you eat I would be at least 3 stone heavier (as I was a few years ago) and my BP would sky rocket. I think you might find that as you reach menopause your metabolism will change and you will have to adjust your diet quite considerably.

Genetics

Well today I had a chicken sandwich. Because I can't afford to eat. My kids eat 3 meals a day.
My sister in law cannot understand why I'm struggling to afford to attend her precious wedding.

People always say exercise and activity makes no difference but I don’t agree. I notice the weight go on if my activity levels go down. E.g. I walked to the shops today, around 10,000 steps, and my phone estimated it used 300 calories, it’s not nothing.