800 Calorie a Day - Suggestions

WillLift4Tats

People on here are just harsh!!! My doctor also recommended a 800 calorie diet and it worked. I don't understand why people feel the need to think what works for them will work for everyone and they know all the answers. Well excuse me but if you are so smart you wouldn't be on here like the rest of us being fat and struggling!! If 800 calories works heck yeah i say go for it ! If it isn't your thing then just pass the post and keep your mouth shut!! we are here for support not people to be negative about everything we try!!! uhhhh smdh!! but with that little tantrum said cereal is great and i love fiber bars and now that some are only 90 calories a bar they are even better!!!

If your recommended 800 calorie diet worked, why do you still have 30 pounds to your goal? The problem with VLCD plans not only lies in the too few calories and nutrients needed for your body. It also is incredibly difficult to stick to and a lot of people end up falling off the wagon and binging on everything they've been so tightly restricting. Then boom, your miracle diet backfired and you've gained the weight back, and then some.

Also, yes, lots of people like to point out the "we're here for support" argument. One, this site is for calorie counting. There is also a forum for support. However, support does not mean you will get a high-five for a VLCD when many many people have seen the problems and dangers to these plans. Support can also mean pointing out these dangers and advising to seek a second opinion. Doesn't mean we're harsh. Doesn't mean we're negative. It means we actually ARE concerned and want to help. So no, won't keep my mouth shut.

OP, I also think seeking a second opinion as well as a registered dietitian is a good idea.

nomeejerome

People on here are just harsh!!! My doctor also recommended a 800 calorie diet and it worked. I don't understand why people feel the need to think what works for them will work for everyone and they know all the answers. Well excuse me but if you are so smart you wouldn't be on here like the rest of us being fat and struggling!! If 800 calories works heck yeah i say go for it ! If it isn't your thing then just pass the post and keep your mouth shut!! we are here for support not people to be negative about everything we try!!! uhhhh smdh!! but with that little tantrum said cereal is great and i love fiber bars and now that some are only 90 calories a bar they are even better!!!

People can be straight to the point and sometimes people cannot handle that approach. It is important to remember that not everybody is here for the same reasons and not all people will support an unhealthy approach to weight loss through VLCD, including MFP. Also, people that go the VLCD approach tend to come back after they have gained all the weight back (and then some) wondering how to do it the healthy way. And you know what? Those "harsh" people will still be here and still willing to help for those with an open mind.

bcattoes

Again, OP has NOT had surgery. This is only applicable to you and other folks that HAVE had surgery. It isn't that it's bad advice, it's just like trying to use the wrong key on a lock.. doesn't fit.

Silly question, but if someone ate like they had weight loss surgery but didn't have it, how is that a huge problem? The surgery is likely just training wheels to help keep the patient on the lower calories/smaller meals anyway. I'm willing to bet if someone would actually eat the sleeve diet for 3 months without surgery they'd lose the same weight as someone who did the surgery and ate that way, and they wouldn't have the potential surgery risks.

I think people seriously miss the point when it comes to VLCDs. The problem is not the low calories, it's the adherence. When someone has surgery, you are not PHYSICALLY CAPABLE of taking in very many calories, which is why they can be very successful long term. If someone without surgery is on 800 calories a day, they may be weak/tired/fatigued/etc., but they are also likely to gain the weight back because they are not on a meal plan that will be sustainable for the long term. That being said, for someone with less than 40 lbs to lose a VLCD is absurd. My argument is pointed more towards the obese (someone who qualifies for weight loss surgery).

Is it really so absurd? As more research is done on weight loss surgery patients and their VLCD more and more benefits are found. So many benefits that some doctors are suggesting that weight loss surgery be done sooner, rather than waiting until a patient is morbidly obese.

While I don't know if studies on VLCD without surgery have shown the same results, it seems logical to predict that they would.

TeaBea

This is going to end well

So True!


Why would you want to do 800 calories a day? Are you preparing to have some kind of surgery? Serious muscle loss .... serious loose skin ..... (potential) hair loss..... really hard on your organs

hockey7fan

I will start off by saying I had weight loss surgery.

For breakfast I have a protein shake (I use Syntrax Matrix protein powders) made with milk. Sometimes I have a scrambled egg with veggies and a slice or 2 of bacon.

For lunch I have 2-3 oz of protein (steak, pork chops, shrimp, fish, hamburger, crab or sometimes chicken). Chicken doesn't agree with me too well now. I have that on top of a cup of lettuce with tomato, cucumber, carrot, a sprinkle of cheese and I use real full fat dressing but I do the fork dip trick.

For dinner I have 2-3 oz of protein and some kind of veggie - I like steamed green beans, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots or more salad.

For snacks I have string cheese, mini pepperoni, sliced ham or roast beef, jerky, sliced cheese or bariatric protein bars made for WLS patients.

I eat between 800-900 calories a day and that's how my days look.

Again, OP has NOT had surgery. This is only applicable to you and other folks that HAVE had surgery. It isn't that it's bad advice, it's just like trying to use the wrong key on a lock.. doesn't fit.

OP asked for suggestions on what to eat. I'm simply saying what I eat on a daily basis in the 800-900 calorie range. I never said it was a good idea for OP to follow the same plan.

As a WLS patient, I do also see a registered dietician every 3 months. It is a good idea for OP to go see one as well to get an eating plan laid out properly.

MzManiak

People on here are just harsh!!! My doctor also recommended a 800 calorie diet and it worked. I don't understand why people feel the need to think what works for them will work for everyone and they know all the answers. Well excuse me but if you are so smart you wouldn't be on here like the rest of us being fat and struggling!! If 800 calories works heck yeah i say go for it ! If it isn't your thing then just pass the post and keep your mouth shut!! we are here for support not people to be negative about everything we try!!! uhhhh smdh!! but with that little tantrum said cereal is great and i love fiber bars and now that some are only 90 calories a bar they are even better!!!

So... this isn't meant to be rude... but just so we're all clear... did that 800 calorie diet work for you to help lose the 5lbs you've lost?? Or did you lose a bunch of weight, get off the diet, and then gain back 35lbs, that you are now on here looking to lose?

ktsimons

I feel for you! I am in a similar boat. I had my metabolism tested and found out that my base RMR is 1022 calories. That is almost 500 less than average for my age, etc.

I am borderline obese, and have back and joint problems.

That said, in order to ease the pain on my joints, I have to lose weight. In order to lose weight, I have to eat less than 1000 calories a day.

No.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

NO right back at you.

I, too, have the metabolism of a dead person. I have tried every "eat more" idea there is and all I ever did was maintain or gain. I CANNOT EAT 2,000 or even 1600 calories a day. The first go around I was kick boxing for an hour and a half six days per week...everyone in the program lost tons of weight...one guy lost 30 pounds...I lost THREE POUNDS in 12 weeks...yep 12 WEEKS. Oh and I had about 60 pounds to lose...198lbs at 5'4". I missed 2 training sessions the entire three months and ate exactly to the diet plan with the exception of one meal...good old 2,000 calories! It was awesome! I ate more per day than I have ever eaten and got absolutely NO WHERE!!! Except $700.00 poorer...LOL.. too bad there wasn't a money back guarantee. I am certain my heart was in better shape, but the scales did not move and my clothes did not fit better.

Next, I gave myself over to a trainer that had produced contest winning bodybuilders - again, 1,800 calories a day with 6 workouts per week...gained 3 pounds in 4 months...He had me spending more hours in the gym than I spent at home when my daughter was awake! He insisted I must be doing something wrong wit hmy diet and not logging what I ate...after 4 months of him calling me a liar about what I ate, he finally gave up...not me - the TRAINER quit! So I moved on to my next experiment - PALEO!

That was, by far, my most favorite experiment...I did 30 in 30 or whatever they call it...gined 5 pounds in 30 days working out 5 days a week! Eat anything on this list - don't eat anything on the other list. I was perfect on this one...I knew it had to work, right? All the web sites said all I had to do was eat "clean"...At least I was able to determine that I DO have a gluten sensitivity, so I have THAT to show for it all. But I was still heavier than when I started...

Finally I went to a doctor that put me on 800 calories a day and lost the weight. It took 5 months to lose 45 pounds and I have kept it all off since February...that's seven months of summer parties, beach, vacation, too hot to run, vodka, birthday cake and it is still off. I now eat a modified Paleo diet - which amounts to Paleo food, but counting calories...most days around 1,400 of them. I would like to loose another 20 and now that summer is over I am ready to cut back and get serious which means cutting down to 1,000...

Some bodies CANNOT EAT MORE TO LOSE... Besides if there were such a thing as starvation mode, then no one would die of Anorexia, right?

There are people with blue eyes and people with brown eyes...there are red heads and blonds...there are fast metabolisms and there are slow. Please folks, realize that what works for one will not work for all, PERIOD.

TheSlorax

Again, OP has NOT had surgery. This is only applicable to you and other folks that HAVE had surgery. It isn't that it's bad advice, it's just like trying to use the wrong key on a lock.. doesn't fit.

Silly question, but if someone ate like they had weight loss surgery but didn't have it, how is that a huge problem? The surgery is likely just training wheels to help keep the patient on the lower calories/smaller meals anyway. I'm willing to bet if someone would actually eat the sleeve diet for 3 months without surgery they'd lose the same weight as someone who did the surgery and ate that way, and they wouldn't have the potential surgery risks.

I think people seriously miss the point when it comes to VLCDs. The problem is not the low calories, it's the adherence. When someone has surgery, you are not PHYSICALLY CAPABLE of taking in very many calories, which is why they can be very successful long term. If someone without surgery is on 800 calories a day, they may be weak/tired/fatigued/etc., but they are also likely to gain the weight back because they are not on a meal plan that will be sustainable for the long term. That being said, for someone with less than 40 lbs to lose a VLCD is absurd. My argument is pointed more towards the obese (someone who qualifies for weight loss surgery).

Is it really so absurd? As more research is done on weight loss surgery patients and their VLCD more and more benefits are found. So many benefits that some doctors are suggesting that weight loss surgery be done sooner, rather than waiting until a patient is morbidly obese.

While I don't know if studies on VLCD without surgery have shown the same results, it seems logical to predict that they would.

Reread my post. I specifically mentioned that it is absurd for someone with a relatively small amount of weight to lose, i.e. overweight rather than morbidly obese. The biggest concern for an obese person on a VLCD without surgery would be the projected adherence.

eta: wow, sorry, didn't read yours very well. forgive me. I still think it's absurd. I think the benefits they are finding are in relation only to the rate of weight loss? the side effects of weight loss surgery, IMO, are not acceptable for someone only slightly overweight or obese.

Serah87

People on here are just harsh!!! My doctor also recommended a 800 calorie diet and it worked. I don't understand why people feel the need to think what works for them will work for everyone and they know all the answers. Well excuse me but if you are so smart you wouldn't be on here like the rest of us being fat and struggling!! If 800 calories works heck yeah i say go for it ! If it isn't your thing then just pass the post and keep your mouth shut!! we are here for support not people to be negative about everything we try!!! uhhhh smdh!! but with that little tantrum said cereal is great and i love fiber bars and now that some are only 90 calories a bar they are even better!!!

Yes you will lose weight, BUT is it sustainable?? As someone else said if it worked than why are you still here??

determinedbutlazy

Get your doctor to refer you to a nutritionist. If you even went to a doctor. I lost 75 lbs and never had to resort to 800 cal a day... You can certainly eat more and lose your 37lbs.

determinedbutlazy

Double post.

bcattoes

Again, OP has NOT had surgery. This is only applicable to you and other folks that HAVE had surgery. It isn't that it's bad advice, it's just like trying to use the wrong key on a lock.. doesn't fit.

Silly question, but if someone ate like they had weight loss surgery but didn't have it, how is that a huge problem? The surgery is likely just training wheels to help keep the patient on the lower calories/smaller meals anyway. I'm willing to bet if someone would actually eat the sleeve diet for 3 months without surgery they'd lose the same weight as someone who did the surgery and ate that way, and they wouldn't have the potential surgery risks.

I think people seriously miss the point when it comes to VLCDs. The problem is not the low calories, it's the adherence. When someone has surgery, you are not PHYSICALLY CAPABLE of taking in very many calories, which is why they can be very successful long term. If someone without surgery is on 800 calories a day, they may be weak/tired/fatigued/etc., but they are also likely to gain the weight back because they are not on a meal plan that will be sustainable for the long term. That being said, for someone with less than 40 lbs to lose a VLCD is absurd. My argument is pointed more towards the obese (someone who qualifies for weight loss surgery).

Is it really so absurd? As more research is done on weight loss surgery patients and their VLCD more and more benefits are found. So many benefits that some doctors are suggesting that weight loss surgery be done sooner, rather than waiting until a patient is morbidly obese.

While I don't know if studies on VLCD without surgery have shown the same results, it seems logical to predict that they would.

Reread my post. I specifically mentioned that it is absurd for someone with a relatively small amount of weight to lose, i.e. overweight rather than morbidly obese. The biggest concern for an obese person on a VLCD without surgery would be the projected adherence.

I read your post correctly. The biggest problem with any diet is adherence. Why, other than personal opinion, do you say VLCD is absurd for an overweight person?

meadowsmummy

If my dr suggested i give myself an eating disorder i would be looking for a new dr.
you need to educate yourself on nutrition and why you need calories and all the other macros to make your body work

psuLemon

Here are some of my thoughts:

1. Get blood work down
2. Get a RMR test done.


Do you have any medical conditions? Hypothyroidism, PCOS, etc...? Any food allergies?

DenyseMarieL

In my honest opionion, exercise more so you can eat. Build muscle. Dieting alone will help you lose weight, but which is healthier for your body? You'll feel better, too. More energetic. Not hungry and frustrated.

running_shoe

Radical, unsustainable, unhealthy. Shocking your body is never a good idea.

RBurnham90

trishgrace

I weighed in over 300lbs at 5'3" ish. I went to a nutrition specialist and was told to go on 1000 calorie diet for 6 weeks only. Then to never go below 1200. I agree that you really need a 2nd opinion. Especially if you are getting any exercise at all.

bcattoes

Again, OP has NOT had surgery. This is only applicable to you and other folks that HAVE had surgery. It isn't that it's bad advice, it's just like trying to use the wrong key on a lock.. doesn't fit.

Silly question, but if someone ate like they had weight loss surgery but didn't have it, how is that a huge problem? The surgery is likely just training wheels to help keep the patient on the lower calories/smaller meals anyway. I'm willing to bet if someone would actually eat the sleeve diet for 3 months without surgery they'd lose the same weight as someone who did the surgery and ate that way, and they wouldn't have the potential surgery risks.

I think people seriously miss the point when it comes to VLCDs. The problem is not the low calories, it's the adherence. When someone has surgery, you are not PHYSICALLY CAPABLE of taking in very many calories, which is why they can be very successful long term. If someone without surgery is on 800 calories a day, they may be weak/tired/fatigued/etc., but they are also likely to gain the weight back because they are not on a meal plan that will be sustainable for the long term. That being said, for someone with less than 40 lbs to lose a VLCD is absurd. My argument is pointed more towards the obese (someone who qualifies for weight loss surgery).

Is it really so absurd? As more research is done on weight loss surgery patients and their VLCD more and more benefits are found. So many benefits that some doctors are suggesting that weight loss surgery be done sooner, rather than waiting until a patient is morbidly obese.

While I don't know if studies on VLCD without surgery have shown the same results, it seems logical to predict that they would.

Reread my post. I specifically mentioned that it is absurd for someone with a relatively small amount of weight to lose, i.e. overweight rather than morbidly obese. The biggest concern for an obese person on a VLCD without surgery would be the projected adherence.

eta: wow, sorry, didn't read yours very well. forgive me. I still think it's absurd. I think the benefits they are finding are in relation only to the rate of weight loss? the side effects of weight loss surgery, IMO, are not acceptable for someone only slightly overweight or obese.

What sides effects do you feel make it unacceptable?

psuLemon

Some problems that you face when you are on programs like this or WW is they are both low calorie diets. With that said, if you stay on them for long, you can encounter metabolic adaptation (not the same as starvation mode) where your RMR will adjust to burn less calories. Do to under fueling your body, you tend to lose a large amount of weight form muscle as well. This is why programs like HCG are horrible for you. When you don't supply enough energy from food, your body can start to convert the amino acids in your muscles for energy, which cause loss of lbm. Depending how long you were on weight watcher, your RMR could have adapted which is why when you started to eat more calories, you gained.

It's also plausible, that the type of calories matter for you. I know for my wife, we did an elimination diet to find out she can't do gluten. So while you might not be allergic, there might be an underlying intolerance. This is what prevented my wife from losing weight for years.

So it's possible, at this point, you are fighting a few things, to include an adapted RMR (which is why I suggest the test) and a possible food intolerance (not as prevalent but always a viable thing).