1000 calories a day but still fat? WHY?

Question

I am 19 and I have had a habit of consuming aroud 1000-1200 calories a day for years but i still look fat and whenever i eat food that I do not usually eat in my diet(esp. meat and oily food) i gain weight very quickly. My usual diet includes LOTs of carbs, veggies, and LOTS of fruits and sweet beverages, basically any non-fat food.
I wud say i eat very light food in my diet, but i have no clue why I never lose weight and it fluctuates a lot.
I am so frustrated that it seems like I'm never gonna lose weight no more as I might already have messed up my body by taking in too little calories in such a long time.

Answer 1

diet and EXCERSIZE!!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

The diet you are eating is MAKING you fat. You're only eating 1200 calories a day and you say you eat LOTS of carbs. That's a recipe for fatness. Also, all the fruit and sweet beverages you are eating has a ton of sugar. That doesn't help either.

You need more calories, first off. If you only eat 1000-1200 calories a day, your body goes into famine mode. Your brain thinks there must be a food shortage in the land. Then, when you consume all those carbs, your body goes crazy storing fat (carbs facilitate the storage of fat).

Up your protein and fat intake and STOP EATING ALL THOSE CARBS. Ironically, it takes fat to burn fat. You are depleting your body of the very things it needs to burn fat. You need protein to build muscle (building and maintaining muscle burns fat), and again, you need fat for energy to be able to BURN off the stored fat and to MAKE muscle.

I don't know who told you to eat this way - its sounds to me like you're following the government's Food Guide Pyramid. Abandon that - the FGP is practically DESIGNED to make us all fat.

Also, you need to be working out - especially STRENGTH TRAINING. There is this myth out there that cardio is how you get thin - not so. Cardio is helpful, but strength training is more important.

Love, Jack.

Answer 3

try a basic meal consisting of 1 serving of lean meat (the size of your palm), 1 serving of a non-starchy vegetable, and at least 2 servings of carbs. drink at least eight glasses of water a day. choose to drink diet sodas. If you get a sweet tooth, opt to buy sugar-free desserts. Exercise is a MUST!!! Please look into the "Walk Away The Pounds " series by Leslie Sansone. Anyone can exercise by these videos everyday without major burnout. If you dine out a lot, cut that down too. When you do dine out. order a child's meal, All in all, it's best to prepare your own nutritious meals at home. Don't forget to snack! but, just do it twice a day and please make the portions healthy and small. For example, eat 1 cup of light or fat-free yogurt between breakfast and lunch. Between lunch and dinner, eat something like an apple. I recommend to wait 2 or 3 hours after each meal to snack. You may need to have an appointment with your regular doctor so that he or she can help to work out the best health plan for you. Good Luck!

Answer 4

You need to speed up your metabolism by working out. Do cardio and weight training. You need to eat smaller meals 5 to 6 times a day. Eating carbs is fine, but make sure you are getting them in the form of 100% whole wheat, fruits and vegetables. Lay off anything made with white flour and watch the amount of sugar you consume.

Answer 5

How can you be eating "lots of carbs" and "lots of sweet beverages" and only consuming 1000-1200 calories a day?

a 12 oz can of coke is like, 200 calories.
If you drink a 2 liter of coke, that's over 1,000 calories itself.

a sausage, egg & cheese mcmuffin is ~500 calories.


That being said, you probably aren't eating regularly enough, and you aren't excercising enough.

Also, yo-yo'ing your food intake will cause your body to start storing things for later.

If you are gonna eat a lot of food, do it every day.
If you are going to fast 3 days, and pig out on the 4th, you'll just get fatter.

Despite popular belief, for example, sumo wrestlers DO NOT eat like crazy all day long. They starve themselves for 2 days, then eat. Rinse lather & repeat.

Answer 6

1000 calories isn't enough. What you need to do, is eat more fats and protein. A lot of carbs that constitute the 1000 cals isn't good for your body.

Cut out the sweet stuff. Fruits are fine, any refined sugars are bad.

Good luck!

Answer 7

Because you eat so few calories and fat, your body is probably in starvation mode where it literally clings to every single calorie you take in. You need to eat more calories, in smaller portions throughout the day. Mini meals will fire up your metabolism. Also, exercise in the forms of cardio and strength training is crucial to tone up the muscles. Building muscle tone will also burn more calories.

Here's a great website which has really helped me.
http://www.sparkpeople.com

Answer 8

Do you exercise regularly? If not that could be why. Perhaps you eat too many carbs. See a doctor, ask them what you need to do and to see if you have any health problems that may be causing this.

Answer 9

Your body has already been used to this kind of diet. You need to start exercising.

Answer 10

read tips on weight loss, calorie burning and some really good exercise programs that will help you more on this site

Answer 11

1000 calories a day? Are you trying to kill yourself? Get to the doctor and have yourself checked for a gland problem.