tw : weight / dieting talk - - - - - - - i recently decided i wanted to lose a little weight / get healthier and i saw many people online saying to eat whole foods and do a calorie deficit, so i downloaded an app, which calculated how many calories i should eat daily, and been tracking my food i’m confused (and know not much about dieting) , i ate 2 meals + snack today, and had reached almost my total for daily calories and i got the WORST hunger pains of my life like fully on the floor crying thought i was gonna throw up i’m not understanding :( i’m trying to follow the calorie deficit but i still end up super hungry, is there some particular way you’re supposed to ease into a calorie deficit ? idk maybe i’m doing something wrong,please give advice!

How many calories in deficit is it telling you that you need to do? Losing weight slowly over a long time is much more sustainable and longer lasting than losing it rapidly. If you are making an effort to eat more whole foods and to move more, and making it a lifestyle change rather than a short term diet, then honestly that’s great. If you’re hungry eat something. Realistically it might be months until you see any significant weight changes but overall sustainable changes and your health is the most important thing! Having side effects like that is not okay, don’t stress your body out!!

If you're in a big calorie deficit you're going to be hungry, and if you're hungry you need to eat. I would suggest focusing more on the "health" part rather than losing weight because they are not the same thing. Incorporating more fruits, veggies, fiber, and physical activity will benefit your health and also make you feel better. I personally can't see how being on the floor with hunger pangs is healthy in any way but that's why I don't mess with dieting.

@bluerose9 @aurielle i am not trying to lose a ton of weight super fast! just genuinely don’t really know what i’m doing. i watched some videos and googled a bunch and have just been doing what it said to. the app i had was telling me to eat 1374 cal every day and tbh before that i wasn’t paying attention to calories at all so i guess that’s just way lower than what i normally eat. but no, honestly i probably will just stop worrying too much about the calories and just continue eating the healthier foods more freely

@k273iii yeah and those healthier foods like veggies and high fiber stuff are lower in calories so it might work out well without having to count them exactly and restricting what you eat

@k273iii making healthier choices is the way! Don’t starve yourself 😭 and definitely don’t restrict yourself from eating something. I know you’re going to take a more calmed approach but if you’re curious on how to approach this in the future then please talk to a dietician rather than using google or information you find from videos. Diet culture online is super toxic and dangerous.

I’ve never counted calories. But it doesn’t sound like a lot. What i suggest is just eating healthier. That’s a great start. The better food the low the calories anyways. Recently I’ve found routine helps a lot. Eat at the same times everyday. Limited snacks. Lots of water. Movement of some kind. A thing that is hard for me is when I am somewhere with lots of snacks I kinda loose control and just eat and eat. I think that’s my biggest problem I’m a smoker so the munchies are reeeealll lol. And the more you eat the bigger your appetite. I’ve tried cutting down on the size of my plates and it’s helped too. Be kind to yourself! Calorie deficit is really hard to do!

I’m short (5ft1) and lost 2 stone but my deficit was still around 1500 calories a day so I don’t think yours should be that low really? Did you enter that you are very sedentary or that you want to lose more at 1lb weekly or hit your goal quickly? Making sure that you’re not hungry & missing out on sweet treats/social events will mean it’s more sustainable to stay healthy long term. I still eat cakes in the office or have a chocolate bar a few times a week but little and often instead.

Do you have GERD? Or any issues with your stomach or intestinal issues? What you experienced doesn’t sound like hunger pains. If you have experience heartburn in the past it could be a form of that. When I don’t eat enough food, like every four to five hours (doesn’t have to be a lot just a small snack) I will get the worst pain that I’ve experienced. It used to be miserable. I would have to lay down in the fetal position and just basically cry. It could feel like a hunger pain. Maybe but when I get it, it feels like I’m being punched in the stomach. If you aren’t eating that much it could explain the issue

I’m no dietitian, but i do have some perspective on this from own experience. Your calorie needs will depend on fsctors like height, weight etc, but 1374 kcals equals to my bmr, meaning i would need that amount just for my organs to function, without any movement. So it does sound a bit low to me. If you have never tracked calories before, I would first find out how many calories you are currently eating on average. Without restricting, just try to write down everything you would intuitively eat in an average day that makes you feel satisfied and full. If you are usually eating 2000+ cutting it down suddenly to 1300 is going to be challenging, both mentally and phisically. Its recommended to start with a 500 calorie deficit/day, though in my experience thats still way too strict for someone never cutting calories😄 i started with 200-300 and slowly increased it on the go. Also, i focus on a weekly average deficit, rather than daily, because some days are different than others. Dont forget that as others mentioned, how you feel and long term habits are way more important than quick fixes, focusing too much on numbers can be harsh on your mental health too, so what is more important, you listen to your body. I mean, really. I used to eat out of boredom or stress, and once ive got that under control, i could clearly distinguish the actual hunger from the “stress hunger”. The most weight i lost wasnt even when i was counting calories, but when i listened to my body and really only ate when i felt hungry. Your body will tell you if its hungry or not, you just have to identify the cues correctly

@madeline_ so you’re saying if i calculate my bone, i shouldn’t eat any less calories than that? just making sure i understand

@madeline_ ***bmr

@k273iii yes, it won’t be sustainable in the long run. I dont want to confuse you much, but reading about “tdee” as well, could be helpful for you.