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.

Yes me too. I used to always run fasted! I don’t now. The new book is good for peri and post menopause. Sorry that your cancer treatment put you in to early menopause. I had chemo at 34 and it was 50:50 whether I’d go in to early menopause. I seemed to escape. But Next Level really dives in to the hormone side of things and what we can do to counter the inevitable side effects of all these hormone changes.

@Dymaxion It applies to everyone - whatever weight. If you starve yourself your body will cling on to fat. It will breakdown muscle.

I don't think that is entirely true, also I am not starving myself, I am eating 800 calories made up of protein, with some good fats/full fat dairy and a lot of vegtables, most of which are not counted in those 800 calories.
I am not exercising at this point other than normal daily activity and some walking. When I transition to more calories then I will start to slowly increase my exercise levels.

Ok. We’ll have to agree to disagree. I think increasing calories and activity when you can sounds like a good idea. Good luck.

I’ also on a weight loss plan at the moment. It’s hard.

@Delatron I'll order it today!

Yay! I should be on commission but it’s such a good book. It has completely changed the way I fuel myself and exercise. And I’ve seen good results. I recommend it to everyone at that life stage!

@Delatron if I run London quicker after reading it, it'll all be down to you 🥳😁

I'd love to feel full of energy!

I wish I could eat sandwiches now! If I do, I pile on weight. I have black coffee in the morning (I don’t eat breakfast), soup for lunch (shop bought so I know exactly how many calories) and a normal dinner. No snacks, no milk in drinks, no alcohol, no fizzy drinks. I could eat sandwiches for lunch a few years back though. I’m not alone in this; I remember my MIL having to eat much less after a certain point too.

What do you do to burn 580 calories during exercise please?!

I typically burn around 400 in a 60-minute HIIT class (which is about 50 minutes of exercise with stretching/cooling down before/after). I’m petite so perhaps that’s why it’s lower than I see some people burning… or my Apple Watch is faulty, I dunno. 😅

I've just read the blurb for the Next Level book.
"you’re battling new symptoms, might be gaining weight, losing endurance and strength, and taking longer to bounce back from workouts that used to be easy. The things that have always kept you fit and healthy just seem to stop working the way they used to. "

I don't have the weight gain and am in good health overall, but the rest of it....God yes. My running and racing performance has tanked. Way more than just getting older each year.

I think it will help! I was woefully under fuelling and completely knackered all the time. I used to come back from long runs and not feel hungry so assume I didn’t need to eat much and that was a good thing (it’s not). Now I make sure I fuel before the run, on the run if it’s long and immediately afterwards (with lots of protein).

Then all adaptogen supplements she recommends have also helped with energy levels.

Enjoy the book!

I've read most of the menopause related posts, because I assume I'm in it (nearly 54) but apart from tiredness I have no other symptoms. No change in eating patterns that I've noticed, and still roughly the same weight that I have always been, 8 stone 12 and 5 foot 8. I don't eat red meat and no alcohol but fairly normal stuff apart from that. Maybe I'm not menopausal and it's yet to come. I will be waiting for it ...

Should appeal to some
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/AMA/4853496-open-now-ama-with-dr-michael-mosley-television-presenter-and-bestselling-author

Ask the man himself about 800cals

I've just ordered this and will be really interested in read it. As I said earlier, I'm a pretty happy eater, don't count calories, eat some of everything and haven't put on weight with meno, but I've always run fasted because I dislike eating before noon and need to get my run in early. I've read some stuff lately indicating that's not great for cortisol levels, so may need to give some thought to changing this.

That doesn't seem to make sense. If you're eating "a lot of vegtables" that are not counted within those 800 calories, then you're eating more than 800 calories. What is calorie counting supposed to mean when you only count SOME of the calories you eat?

But in principle I agree with you. 800 calories is what Mosely prescribes in the anti-diabetes diet. I have a friend who did it, managed to be satiated enough, had no ill effects, lost a load of weight and now no longer has any of the markers for diabetes. The idea that it must be sending you into starvation mode is ridiculous.

Yes it’s to do with cortisol levels. And annoyingly women are more affected than men.

Plus women need to eat within 30 minutes of exercise (again to do with cortisol) men can get away with eating hours later.

I’m not really interested in Michael Mosley as most of his work relates to men. Especially the fasting programmes he has done.

I eat a normal diet, OP. Fluctuate within a few kilos. Overeat on holiday😁 I don’t track anything. Work out or walk 2 or 3 times a week. Eat 3 meals at normal times.

Did have to go low fat a few years back when DH was waiting to have gall bladder out, so have learned to cook without. Don’t really like sweet stuff. Basically as long as I fit a 12 I don’t care, not sure I could be bothered with calorie counting, sounds exhausting.

I wish people would follow threads properly and read posts before getting all dramatic. You're not the only one who seems to have misrepresented what Ive said.

I have already set out that I had WLS, I am in the process of moving forward with that. Its a long slow process and your body can only do what it can. My surgeon, nurses and dietician are very happy with my progress and what Im eating. I think I will listen to them rather than people like you.

I also didnt say a 'treat' is half a teaspoon of peanut butter, I said it depends how Im feeling, you lose all taste for anything sweet afterwards so sometimes I just like it plain.

Ive never had disordered eating, I just like food and ate too much of it, too rich, too many meals out, too much entertaining. Its very easy to put on weight and after a while (age) your joints cant take it so it has to come off.

I agree with other posters, unfortunately the 80s and 90s was the 'low fat' narrative and I fell for it along with many. It was the worst thing I could have listened to .

Is this just a stealth boast about your weight to make us feel bad?

Except for those with ED or someone who is less than 5 feet tall and very small with low muscle mass; no one is consistently eating 1200 calories a day. Not in any long term. A lot of apps count your steps and exercise, but they overestimate actual calories burned. So, what people are actually doing is eating 1600-2000 calories, then they write down how much they walked, other exercises, some cleaning, etc and minus calories burned from what they ate and come up with something around 1200.
The best thing to do is eat as healthy as you can, keep a food diary where you don't lie to yourself, and after a couple weeks or a month, take a look at it and see what areas you can cut back a little. Maybe you have been telling yourself you only eat treats once or twice a week, but your diary says it is 3-4. So, you can try and cut back to 1-2 days, or, even better, cut the portion size and still have the treat 3-4 days a week.
One of the things I like to do is switch out a meal where I usually eat a lot of calories with a sandwich with lots of veggies on it or a salad with some meat and other toppings. Or a soup, soup is great for losing weight as well if you stick to broth soups, no creamy soups and no stews with heavy gravy.
Now, if only I took my own advice.

You are lucky, I average 1400 cals per day, I eat healthy food but watch portions v carefully. I'm 53 and a stone heavier than you @ABugWife

I feel like doing a food diary on here and showing people what a ‘normal’ diet looks like. It blows my mind to realise the dance that is going on in so many home around food. I have no idea what calories I’ve eaten today. Off out for a colourful now and will enjoy it.

Curry 🙄

I'm 5'6" BMI of about 21/22 but I was getting a bit of a tummy so I just did a month of sticking to 1,500 cals and it's doable. I had three meals a day plus some cals left over for two mid-morning biscuits or a small glass of wine in the evening.

I did lose some inches but fuck me, it was regimented and boring and a lot of the time I felt peckish.

I'm probably eating more like 1,750 - 2,000 calories a day now and I'm not losing but I'm also enjoying food and drink and feel more nourished overall. I'll do 1,500 again if I have to but surely - unless you're morbidly obese to the point your life is in danger - life is far too short to be weighing cereal every morning?

Also I would add that whenever I see a weight loss/low cal eating threads on MN it brings out some absolute batshittery in some posters. I swear these kinds of threads are a magnet for people with ED who get some validation or euphoric recall type high from posting about sticking to 800 calories a day and never feeling hungry.

It's messed up.

No it's not and the fact that you go straight to that thought says a lot more about you than it does about me.

Another persons appearance, weight, accomplishments, intelligence, or anything else is no reflection on you and shouldn't make you feel bad.