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.

Well seeing how I am dieting I have been tracking my food. You are all here worried about bananas - bloody dates and milk are the most sugary things on my list

Milk though!!

That's why people who eat low-carb don't use dairy milk. Dates are just dried fruit. I.e. the sugar is concentrated.

@ABugWife yep milk, go full fat and drink a bit less.

Dates are delicious and you can always argue they have fibre. You do need to have stuff you really like in your diet.

I was eating dates mainly for the fibre but bananas actually have slightly more anyway.

I need plenty of milk for my coffee addiction, I am trying hard to cut down though. I hate almond milk in coffee.

Do you drink instant or real coffee?
I find the better the coffee the less milk needed.

Eat some beans or lentils for fibre and variety.
Variety plus herbs and spices are the key to not be bored and frustrated by your diet.

Oatly does a barista style oat milk which is a really nice milk alternative. It's thick like milk and doesn't taste weird.

You can also buy bags of different combinations of high-fibre seeds like chia and flax. (These are good sprinkled on Greek yogurt.) But psyllium husk capsules are my lazy alternative for fibre.

If you're not worried about sugar though then just keep on with what you're doing.

I’m losing weight too slowly so I’m thinking about only eating a couple of bowls of vegetables for a while. I thought it would be easier but I’m eating usually under 1000 kcal a day for weeks and I thought I’d be thinner by now

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I’m losing weight too slowly so I’m thinking about only eating a couple of bowls of vegetables for a while. I thought it would be easier but I’m eating usually under 1000 kcal a day for weeks and I thought I’d be thinner by now

@Annaishere I really don't think that is a good idea from a nutrition point of view, a bit like running your car with no oil in it. A lot depends on how much weight you need to lose to get within the healthy BMI range, if its not a lot, so just a couple of stone to get to your higher end healthy BMI then it will probably be quite slow after a few weeks, with plateaus along the way. If you are already in the healthy range then it will be even slower.

Have you read any of the posts on here? Eating a few bowls of vegetables a day is a really bad idea.

No I haven’t really read much of the thread. I know initially it can cause you to hold onto fat more stubbornly but I’ve done this before and lost a lot of weight in less than a week

You lost the weight long term or it was a quick fix?

And losing a lot of weight in a week is not a good thing.

No, I didn’t stay like that long

That might be your answer then?

Exactly, this time do it slowly, surely and for life.

Quick weight loss tends to turn into long term weight gain. Slow weight loss has a chance of working.
Fuck dieting, eat healthier for the rest of your life.

From what I’ve read, doing this risks going into starvation mode and messing up your metabolism, which will make it harder to lose weight in the future as your body yo yos.

Much better to have the veggies and a small amount of protein. Eg for one meal I am eating a big salad with a lot of lettuce, a handful cherry toms, about 1/4 of a chicken breast, a few thin slice of cheese and an avocado. Large drizzle of olive oil and balsamic. For another a plate almost full of roasted veg cooked in oil with protein - small bit of chicken / fish etc. I am trying to eat in a 16/8 window and have another small meal or snack as well along with a bit of fruit and a bit of dark chocolate with coconut oil. Thus far, loss 6kg in 6.5 weeks am now a little over 35 BMI.

Hasn't 'starvation mode' been debunked?

No it hasn’t. Especially for women. It’s probably a lot more complex than calling it ‘starvation’ mode. But if you don’t eat enough you do affect your metabolism and hormones. That can go on to have a long term impact on how you store fat in the future.

Nobody can think a couple of bowls of vegetables is a long term solution to weight loss. For a start there’s no protein or fat in there.

Nope because it's not a 'faddy diet' it's meant to be a new way of eating. Obviously you are meant to go into a maintenance phase until you get to the right amount/foods you need.

@Peverellshire yes, it has been debunked. Now out of date science.

Humans have traditionally had long periods of feast & famine, that’s why fasting is so good for us.

Sadly undone by decades of adverts telling us to eat constantly. Even more so with the internet. Constant bombardment along with huge portion sizes at most places.

Tom Cruise, with his very active lifestyle, is copying David Beckham's 1200 calorie a day regime

What's the point of being rich & famous if you have to stick to harsh diet regimes... TC is short but not that short.