I just feel like I have to speak up because as much as I love this subreddit, there have been times where the advice I found to be potentially harmful to people. Usually, in the case of those who have less weight to lose (think stubborn last 10 lbs) who have dropped their weight low enough to have a small TDEE, resulting in a smaller daily calorie allowance.
Many times I see people who are eating 1200-1300 calories a day asking for advice on why they're not losing weight and how to break their plateau. And aside from the general advice of weighing their food and paying closer attention to their counting, the usual follow up will be to exercise more. Which I agree with. But then the issue arises when asked whether they should eat back the calories burned.
I firmly believe that it is dangerous to live like that long term. The last 10 lbs can take ages to lose, so you're telling them to both eat sub 1300 AND to exercise without eating back the calories burned... For potentially months.
Let me tell you from personal experience how that worked for me. In case you're curious, I am 23F, 158cm, 51 kg right now. I used to be 54kg. I tried eating at 1200- 1300 calories per day with around an hour of cardio (usually running) 5 or 6 times a week and walking at least 10k steps. By the second week I had nearly fainted in the train during my commute. My blood pressure was super low and I felt light headed, sleepy, weak, and consistently cranky. It wasn't until doing some research and consulting with my boyfriend that I realised I was putting my body through hell just for the sake of losing those last 2 kgs to my goal weight, 48kg. Worst of all, I was questioning if this was eating disorder behaviour I was developing.
I'm not saying you will develop an eating disorder or that you will faint if you do this. You could be fine. People are different. But there is also a risk that you'll react worse than I did, and is it really worth it putting yourself through that hardship?
If someone is eating 1200 calories and exercising, please don't advise them to not count the exercise calories or even "count half of the calories burned". Remember what the subreddit wiki says: 1200 is the absolute MINIMUM for women and 1500 for men. This should include the calories burned from exercise. I don't care how innacurately Fitbits and exercise machines estimate calories burned. If you're doing cardio (besides leisurely walking?) for x amount of time, look up the calories burned on MyFitnessPal and ADD it.
Im sorry if this post sounds negative. I'm very grateful to this community for teaching me so much about weight loss and fitness. I'm at a much better weight and I feel happier and more comfortable. I just wanted to say this because my experience was a harsh wake up call for me. Please don't punish your bodies by eating lower than 1200 calories, thanks.
[link] [comments]
from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2K5j27B
No comments:
Post a Comment