Will a 1200 calorie diet initially do any damage?

AnnPT77

PoppyFlower1 wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

With a demanding job like yours, with others relying on my energy and mental clarity, I'd want to be cautious!

What features is it that you like about this particular diet plan? I'm wondering if there might be some lower-risk option that would give you some of the same advantages.

Speaking only for myself, this is pretty much the eating plan I used, lost 50+ pounds, and am still at a healthy weight over 2 years later:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm#latest

Thankyou. I think the problem is on days off, if I worked every day I’d have no problem! Some days I’m so busy I don’t eat anything at all hardly drink and don’t get to go to the bathroom. I remember one time I was in charge and had a patient that needed transferring to another hospital.....I escorted the patient in the ambulance to handed over and finished my shift that I’d started at 07.30 at midnight! And I had work again at 07.30 the next day! I’d eaten nothing and a kind paramedic from the ambulance gave me a chocolate bar so that I didn’t pass out as at this point I felt unwell. Sometimes it’s hard to take a break when you have so much to do. I’ll end up eating chocolate and sweets that are lying around that relatives have bought in. A lot of people have said to just prioritise breaks as they’re important but I also have to look after my registration. Can you imagine in a coroners court? “why did this patient receive their antibiotic infusion late” “ because I had to go for my lunch break I was hungry”.......

But then I overeat on non work days and very often I’m so exhausted that I don’t move for the full day either. So one day of moving a lot and eating nothing vs one day of not moving at all and bingeing on food means that there’s no weight loss at all :-(

You could consider a different calorie goal on work days vs. non-work days, either less on work days (since you're too busy) and more on off days, or vice versa. As long as you end up with a calorie deficit on average (less than maintenance calories overall), you'll lose weight fine.

Details about when you eat your calories are pretty much irrelevant for weight loss, but can matter when it comes to satiation, energy level or convenience. Many people around here shoot for a weekly goal, and let individual days vary. I do. (I think MFP Premium, the non-free version, will let you set different calorie goals for different days, but a lot of folks just keep a mental balance, and look at their weekly totals occasionally in the app.)

If you want to stay at a heathy weight long-term, not just lose/regain, you'll want to use the weight loss process to find a new routine/habits that will sustain you long term. Without meaning to be unkind, it sounds like your current eating habits are a bit out of control, not based on a routine of good nutrition and workable habits.

It's not something I usually suggest, but on your work days, you might be a good candidate for meal replacement bars or shakes, chosen carefully for well rounded macro & micro nutrients. (Meal replacement bars/shakes are a slightly different category than protein bars/shakes. You can get them at grocery stores or health food stores; you don't need an expensive specialty product from gyms or online marketers.) The bars you could maybe stash in a pocket or desk drawer to grab quickly, but shakes could work if there's a refrigerator you can use, or a place in your work area for a tiny insulated lunch bag or thermos.

It might also help you to prep some quick, go-to, nutritious, sustaining pre-work breakfasts and post-work dinners. That would be a thing you could do on one of your off days.

I hear what you're saying about not leaving your floor for lunch when patients need you. But it also wouldn't play well in coroner's court to be saying "the patient didn't get their antibiotic because of my brain fog from undereating": That brain fog becomes a bigger risk when in a calorie deficit.

Try to look at the overall eating plan as a puzzle, and work on findng a solution that gives you good nutrition, the right calorie average, and a practical, workable routine.

Best wishes!

Kalex1975

AnnPT77 wrote: »

(I think MFP Premium, the non-free version, will let you set different calorie goals for different days, but a lot of folks just keep a mental balance, and look at their weekly totals occasionally in the app.)

Indeed, MFP does have this for premium users.

AudreyJDuke

Are you hungry? If so (and I would imagine so) then eventually you will probably crash and binge.

joaniebalonie088

I think we have some unique challenges working in the medical field. We are busy, and we can’t count on getting consistent breaks because the patient flow will be different every day.
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I pack my lunch in a cooler and stash it in my cubby, so that I can grab half a sandwich or a pre-sliced container of fruit on the go. When it’s prepped it will take like 3 minutes to eat, lol!

I have it easier than you because I work 5 days a week for 8.5 hours, so even if I don’t eat more than a snack until afterwards it is at least not 13 hours without food!