Why NOT to eat under 1200 calories.

[laurenmay]

So, lately I've had a few people ask me if the photo in my profile picture is actually me, and if it is then why am I calling myself obese & saying I need to lose 6 stone etc..

Well yes, that photo & the one other photo on my profile ARE me. They are taken November 2011, when I was a size 8 and 133lbs. I was always small, but how I maintained my small figure wasn't clever & now I'm paying the price.

Firstly, I exercised excessively. Before starting my new job that I'm currently in, I was on maternity leave after having my son, and thanks to the fact I have amazing family to help, I managed to hit the gym EVERY single morning & my son would be looked after by his nan. I'd spend roughly 2 hours a day there, doing a mixture of weight training for an hour & then cardio for an hour..

Secondly, I ate very little. During the week I'd consume no more than 900 calories a day, some days would even be as low as 650. But then on weekends I'd binge like a crazy person, and eat anything & everything I wanted. Somehow it worked & helped me shed the 4 stone I'd gained through pregnancy within 4 short months and keep it off for quite a while. But then I started my new job, and with a full time job & a very young baby I was so tired and worn out that I didn't have time to go to the gym as often, and my workouts dropped down to maybe 3 or 4 days a week for an hour at a time. I then also found that after my weekend binge I just couldn't get into the swing of being strict during the week, and quickly enough I ended up binging EVERYDAY, not watching what I ate or how much of it.

Obviously I rapidly started gaining weight, and the past 12 months I've gained 6 stone, all thanks to starving myself in the past and being downright stupid so I royally screwed up my metabolism.

I can't say I've binged every single day for a year, because I probably haven't.. but for the most part I've eaten too much of the wrong foods but there has been some days when I've eaten fairly okay, probably around my TDEE.

So that's what happened - 12 months later I'm 220lbs and a size 16-18, rather than the slim size 8 and 133lbs that I once was. Eating under 1200 may get the weight off fast, I won't disagree on that, but it is NOT sustainable & you WILL gain it back plus MORE. Life catches up on you & nips you in the butt when you're doing something you shouldn't be, just as it did to me, and now being 87lbs heavier I'm paying the price.

I'm now dealing with my issues with food & my relationship with food, and I'm adjusting to calorie counting at the healthy 1580 that MFP suggested to lose 1.5lbs a week, and as of tomorrow am gonna get back into an exercise regime and aim for at least 3 days a week.

Don't follow my mistake, please! This is taking some guts putting this picture up, but maybe this will show you guys who are considering starvation diets that its just not worth it.

BEFORE (November 2011) --






AFTER (November 2012) --







Hoping that I'll soon enough have another photo to share with you, which will be me at goal weight of 140lbs, but with have gotten there the healthy, sensible way.

 

[Iwant2beasize12]

So, lately I've had a few people ask me if the photo in my profile picture is actually me, and if it is then why am I calling myself obese & saying I need to lose 6 stone etc..

Well yes, that photo & the one other photo on my profile ARE me. They are taken November 2011, when I was a size 8 and 133lbs. I was always small, but how I maintained my small figure wasn't clever & now I'm paying the price.

Firstly, I exercised excessively. Before starting my new job that I'm currently in, I was on maternity leave after having my son, and thanks to the fact I have amazing family to help, I managed to hit the gym EVERY single morning & my son would be looked after by his nan. I'd spend roughly 2 hours a day there, doing a mixture of weight training for an hour & then cardio for an hour..

Secondly, I ate very little. During the week I'd consume no more than 900 calories a day, some days would even be as low as 650. But then on weekends I'd binge like a crazy person, and eat anything & everything I wanted. Somehow it worked & helped me shed the 4 stone I'd gained through pregnancy within 4 short months and keep it off for quite a while. But then I started my new job, and with a full time job & a very young baby I was so tired and worn out that I didn't have time to go to the gym as often, and my workouts dropped down to maybe 3 or 4 days a week for an hour at a time. I then also found that after my weekend binge I just couldn't get into the swing of being strict during the week, and quickly enough I ended up binging EVERYDAY, not watching what I ate or how much of it.

Obviously I rapidly started gaining weight, and the past 12 months I've gained 6 stone, all thanks to starving myself in the past and being downright stupid so I royally screwed up my metabolism.

I can't say I've binged every single day for a year, because I probably haven't.. but for the most part I've eaten too much of the wrong foods but there has been some days when I've eaten fairly okay, probably around my TDEE.

So that's what happened - 12 months later I'm 220lbs and a size 16-18, rather than the slim size 8 and 133lbs that I once was. Eating under 1200 may get the weight off fast, I won't disagree on that, but it is NOT sustainable & you WILL gain it back plus MORE. Life catches up on you & nips you in the butt when you're doing something you shouldn't be, just as it did to me, and now being 87lbs heavier I'm paying the price.

I'm now dealing with my issues with food & my relationship with food, and I'm adjusting to calorie counting at the healthy 1580 that MFP suggested to lose 1.5lbs a week, and as of tomorrow am gonna get back into an exercise regime and aim for at least 3 days a week.

Don't follow my mistake, please! This is taking some guts putting this picture up, but maybe this will show you guys who are considering starvation diets that its just not worth it.

BEFORE (November 2011) --

<img src="http://www.minimins.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73043"/>

AFTER (November 2012) --

<img src="http://www.minimins.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73044"/>

Hoping that I'll soon enough have another photo to share with you, which will be me at goal weight of 140lbs, but with have gotten there the healthy, sensible way.

Hun, I must say you have inspired me! I think i mentioned to you before that the same happend with me. I attempted a VLcD twice and both times i ended up gaining twice the weight i started with and gained the weight rapidly. Literally i woke up one day and realised that none of my clothes fit and that i was a size 18-20 :-(
Reading your encouraging words has really motivated me to take myself seriously and lose the weight healthily as a lifestyle change.
Good luck to both of us x its the new year and we can do this by the ens of the year december 2013- we will be at target!

 

[TracyGWill]

Bravo, Lauren, I really applaud you for that post. As I think I've told you before, I did something very similar to my body and metabolism 30 years ago and have paid the price for decades, ending up 10 stone overweight. I think it's great that you've realised what the problem is much quicker than I did - I'd like to think that if I'd had a resource like Minimins available (or internet of any sort, lol) when I was young and destroying my metabolism, I might have caught on a lot quicker too.

I'm looking forward to seeing that photo of you at target in the not too distant future (but not TOO quckly of course, lol). xx

 

[JaxieD]

Lauren, that must have been difficult putting that up.......... As has been said at least you know where you've gone wrong and can do things properly from now on...... You will get there again....tiny steps and all that!!

 

[laurenmay]

Hun, I must say you have inspired me! I think i mentioned to you before that the same happend with me. I attempted a VLcD twice and both times i ended up gaining twice the weight i started with and gained the weight rapidly. Literally i woke up one day and realised that none of my clothes fit and that i was a size 18-20 :-(
Reading your encouraging words has really motivated me to take myself seriously and lose the weight healthily as a lifestyle change.
Good luck to both of us x its the new year and we can do this by the ens of the year december 2013- we will be at target!

Hey! Yeah you did mention you'd had a similar experience. It's horrible & I wish I'd have known before cause I never would have done this to myself had I known.. It petrifies me that it could take the entirety of 2013 to lose this weight, and that I might not be goal weight this summer like I want, but that's tough really & I just gotta get my head down and crack on. I'm a size 18-20 too, and the majority of my wardrobe is size 8-10 from last year so nothing fits anymore. Have you decided how many calories you'll be eating? xx

 

[sarahmun]

hi lauren you are really an inspiration to be so frank.
I Never have been thin but understand how easy it is to let life take over and food control you. ive done some real sole searching to find my route of eating problems and its tsken some time.

I understand what you mean about the summer i want to take my kids to the beach in something other than a hoody sweating like a pig! lol

sarah xx

 

[Iwant2beasize12]

Hey! Yeah you did mention you'd had a similar experience. It's horrible & I wish I'd have known before cause I never would have done this to myself had I known.. It petrifies me that it could take the entirety of 2013 to lose this weight, and that I might not be goal weight this summer like I want, but that's tough really & I just gotta get my head down and crack on. I'm a size 18-20 too, and the majority of my wardrobe is size 8-10 from last year so nothing fits anymore. Have you decided how many calories you'll be eating? xx

Hey! Dont be scared abt how long it takes, that will also make you fail (because ive done that too) just focus on getting there and head down and crack on like u said and just plod along.. Before u no it time would have zoomed past and u will b at target Never know everyones body is different and u may make it in half the time by summer by doing the same as everyone else x so jus focus on the outcome u want.
.dont wory abt the time cos its not a race and plus even if u didnt get to target by summer you would still be atleast half the weight! So thats poisitive x stay poisitive! Yes ive decided on 1500 calories a day x x when i go to gym and workout il do 1600 but generally 1500 x I am excited. Today was the first day and i managed to stay under at around 1430 cals. I feel full too we can do this dont worry! Just remember baby steps! Im focusing on getting into 16's at the momment and bein large not XL tops! :/ xx.and hit small goals slowly xx
GOOOD LUCK and keep us updated x x we can do it

 

[littlemiss]

Hey Lauren,

Thanks for posting that, your so brave putting your pics up.

I lost weight on a low cal diet, but not as low as yours, I consumed 1000 a day, but mostly it was 1100 (I found some of my old weight loss diaries last night) I did make sure I had once or twice a week eating around 1300. I managed to escape without my motabalism being damaged though as I maintained for almost 2 years. and when I did put on weight it was only 3 stone over another 2 years. But i've heard many people going down the same path as yourself, I always found it quite common with CD & LL ect. Which is why i'm always dubious about how your body reacts when fed "normal food".

With regards to your pics, your stomach looks the exact same as mine, my legs are chubbier, but yeah I have almost the exact same tummy. You definately definately can lose all that again doll. Theres no doubt. Just think about how good you look in your slim pic, you can get that again!!!

xxxxxx

 

[laurenmay]

hi lauren you are really an inspiration to be so frank.
I Never have been thin but understand how easy it is to let life take over and food control you. ive done some real sole searching to find my route of eating problems and its tsken some time.

I understand what you mean about the summer i want to take my kids to the beach in something other than a hoody sweating like a pig! lol

sarah xx

Hi Sarah, thank you. It was scary putting it up & I do worry if people that know me from work etc will see it but I think it needs to be there to show people what their doing by eating so little..
That's the same as me! I spent last summer covered up in so many clothes & indoors and made my life a misery.. so no more! xx

 

[laurenmay]

Hey! Dont be scared abt how long it takes, that will also make you fail (because ive done that too) just focus on getting there and head down and crack on like u said and just plod along.. Before u no it time would have zoomed past and u will b at target Never know everyones body is different and u may make it in half the time by summer by doing the same as everyone else x so jus focus on the outcome u want.
.dont wory abt the time cos its not a race and plus even if u didnt get to target by summer you would still be atleast half the weight! So thats poisitive x stay poisitive! Yes ive decided on 1500 calories a day x x when i go to gym and workout il do 1600 but generally 1500 x I am excited. Today was the first day and i managed to stay under at around 1430 cals. I feel full too we can do this dont worry! Just remember baby steps! Im focusing on getting into 16's at the momment and bein large not XL tops! :/ xx.and hit small goals slowly xx
GOOOD LUCK and keep us updated x x we can do it

I worked out that if I lose 2lbs a week as of this week, that I'll be 10 stone by October which would be great.. I'd like to be 9.7 stone where I was before, but maybe if I weight train more this time that I'll weigh a bit more due to muscle growth but I'll be slimmer & inch wise smaller which means more to me! I know I won't be goal weight by summer which is a bit daunting, but at the same time I could be between 11 & 12 stone summertime, and at that weight I'm a little chubby but not so bad & I know I'd have an enjoyable summer nonetheless. I'm gonna aim for 1600 cals as advised by one of the calorie gurus on MFP, so hoping that works for me & the plus side is that I can eat a fair amount of food on that many! Good luck to you too we both have similar goals so we can keep each other on track! xx

 

[laurenmay]

Hey Lauren,

Thanks for posting that, your so brave putting your pics up.

I lost weight on a low cal diet, but not as low as yours, I consumed 1000 a day, but mostly it was 1100 (I found some of my old weight loss diaries last night) I did make sure I had once or twice a week eating around 1300. I managed to escape without my motabalism being damaged though as I maintained for almost 2 years. and when I did put on weight it was only 3 stone over another 2 years. But i've heard many people going down the same path as yourself, I always found it quite common with CD & LL ect. Which is why i'm always dubious about how your body reacts when fed "normal food".

With regards to your pics, your stomach looks the exact same as mine, my legs are chubbier, but yeah I have almost the exact same tummy. You definately definately can lose all that again doll. Theres no doubt. Just think about how good you look in your slim pic, you can get that again!!!

xxxxxx

Hiya littlemiss,

I'm not going near another VLCD or low calorie diet again. It's tempting sometimes when I know I could lose the weight within say 6 months or less, but it's not worth the hardwork or hassle if it doesn't stay off long term! I'm dedicated to sticking to a healthy calorie allowance now & being patient.. which has always been hard for me! Lol.

My legs are so big, you can't really tell from the side but from the front they're absolutely huge. I have really bad knees now too which I'm sure is a result of the excessive weight gain putting pressure on them. I tend to put on weight all over when I do gain.

Hopefully I'll have a skinny picture to share with everyone in a year or less time! xxx

 

[Iwant2beasize12]

I worked out that if I lose 2lbs a week as of this week, that I'll be 10 stone by October which would be great.. I'd like to be 9.7 stone where I was before, but maybe if I weight train more this time that I'll weigh a bit more due to muscle growth but I'll be slimmer & inch wise smaller which means more to me! I know I won't be goal weight by summer which is a bit daunting, but at the same time I could be between 11 & 12 stone summertime, and at that weight I'm a little chubby but not so bad & I know I'd have an enjoyable summer nonetheless. I'm gonna aim for 1600 cals as advised by one of the calorie gurus on MFP, so hoping that works for me & the plus side is that I can eat a fair amount of food on that many! Good luck to you too we both have similar goals so we can keep each other on track! xx

Aww yep we are here to motivate each other xx

 

[littlemiss]

 

[littlemiss]

^^^^^

Thats what i'm up against.....

Think we have a similar journey ahead?

xxxxxxxxx

 

[laurenmay]

^^^^^

Thats what i'm up against.....

Think we have a similar journey ahead?

xxxxxxxxx

I'm not sure if this is aimed towards me? xxx

 

[littlemiss]

Yeah. I posted my "now" pics in the post above that, to show you how similar our bodies look. And i'm aiming to lose 6 stone too, so we have a similar journey ahead. I hate the idea of spending all year doing it, but hey ho. Think how nice and slim we'll be next Christmas.

xxxxxxxx

 

[laurenmay]

Yeah. I posted my "now" pics in the post above that, to show you how similar our bodies look. And i'm aiming to lose 6 stone too, so we have a similar journey ahead. I hate the idea of spending all year doing it, but hey ho. Think how nice and slim we'll be next Christmas.

xxxxxxxx

It's bringing me down knowing it could take so long, I won't lie.. I'm not used to the fact that you need to eat a good amount of calories & lose weight steadily etc. I'm eating 1600 now, but I feel that it's too high for me and I should be within 1200-1400.. A couple of months ago I CC'd strictly for a week and stuck to 1300 calories with no exercise, and I lost 9lbs. To me I'd rather that number because I know it's worked before.. I'm so confused. xxx

 

[littlemiss]

Aww hun

I know what you mean. I have to admit, I'm clueless about what all this TDEE and what all that means, I did work out my BMR last night (what my body uses when lying in bed) I also worked out the bendicts thing (that works out how many cals you use with your exercise level) and it says you take 500 cals off per day if you want to lose 1lb a week, but it also said its ok to lose 2lbs (its healthy to lose 2lbs per week) so my bendicts figure thing was 2300 , take 1000 a day off that and it leaves my figure at 1300 cals a day. Which is more than I ate when I lost weight the last time, but i'm worried about the whole matabolism thing ppl have been talking about (even though it never effected me before)

Do you know what would be good - if you sat down and worked out what your cal intake was when you were eating unhealthy, ****** I think mine would be 3000 odd a day. I am a choc addict. And if you think of eating 3000 compared to 1300 its a big diff....does that make sense? This is what i'm going to do later. I mean, if you were eating 2300 cals before, and you drop to 1300 thats 1000 defecit straight away, meaning a 2lb loss. Sorry if im rambling

xxxxxxxxxx

 

[laurenmay]

Aww hun

I know what you mean. I have to admit, I'm clueless about what all this TDEE and what all that means, I did work out my BMR last night (what my body uses when lying in bed) I also worked out the bendicts thing (that works out how many cals you use with your exercise level) and it says you take 500 cals off per day if you want to lose 1lb a week, but it also said its ok to lose 2lbs (its healthy to lose 2lbs per week) so my bendicts figure thing was 2300 , take 1000 a day off that and it leaves my figure at 1300 cals a day. Which is more than I ate when I lost weight the last time, but i'm worried about the whole matabolism thing ppl have been talking about (even though it never effected me before)

Do you know what would be good - if you sat down and worked out what your cal intake was when you were eating unhealthy, ****** I think mine would be 3000 odd a day. I am a choc addict. And if you think of eating 3000 compared to 1300 its a big diff....does that make sense? This is what i'm going to do later. I mean, if you were eating 2300 cals before, and you drop to 1300 thats 1000 defecit straight away, meaning a 2lb loss. Sorry if im rambling

xxxxxxxxxx

I've messaged you xxxxx

 

[TracyGWill]

Stay strong, Lauren! Stick with the 1600 for now and see how it goes - you know all the reasons not to go too low too soon. If it doesn't work just adjust it. The best rate to lose at is 1-2lbs a week, so just aim for that and you'll have the best chance of success. xx