Morbidly obese...
shg200
Posts: 2
455 lbs.... Suggested calorie intake is 3250 for each day....
Why isn't it recommended that calories get cut to 1200 a day, this should get rid of the weight a lot quicker. Just curious why the recommended calories were that high
Just starting out, so any advice is appreciated.
Why isn't it recommended that calories get cut to 1200 a day, this should get rid of the weight a lot quicker. Just curious why the recommended calories were that high
Just starting out, so any advice is appreciated.
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Replies
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Because it's not necessary. Sure, 1200 will cause you to lose weight faster, but most people can't sustain that low of a caloric intake for any length of time. It's not about how fast you can take the weight off, it's about whether you can stay with it.0
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I am by no means even close to an armchair expert. BUT, my understanding is that the bigger you are the more calories your body needs just to function.
I would start out by just making sure that you log everything you eat and drink honestly for the first few weeks (I honestly think I ate on auto pilot a lot) while trying to stay within those calories.
1200 is pretty low!0 -
The goal is not quicker. The goal is lose as slow as you can so that you can maintain in for the rest of your life. Also you will have less loose skin when you slow down. This is not a sprint it's a life change. You'll look back and think to yourself I'm glad I lost slowly.0
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Give it a try. If you lose weight on those calories then that's great. If not drop it down to a lower one.0
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To do it healthily, you need a bascic amount of calories, comprising of a good variety of all macro/micro nutrients needed to keep your body functioning correctly. I am guessing that 1200 is WELL below your RMR requirements (the calories your body would use if you did nothing -at all - veritably commatose) So when you think about it - cutting your calories below what your body needs, just to function,probably isnt doing it any favours, right? You want to lose weight AND be healthy.
*edited as i can't spell, apparently.0 -
You probably don't want to be too restrictive if you want to last. If you want your weight loss to be sustainable long-term you need to make permanent lifestyle changes, and not use drastic, temporary methods. As you lose weight, MFP will recalculate your calories down periodically. The loss should be fairly quick at first, but then it will slow down as your body adjusts. Just remember that if you take it slow and be patient it WILL happen. :flowerforyou:0
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Because most people who have eaten 3000+ calories a day for years and gained weight won't last from such a drastic cut all of a sudden. They'll end up binge eating either the next day, the end of the week, or a month down the road. Then they'll hate themselves and try again only to repeat the same mistakes.0
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I'm just chiming in here to echo what these folks are saying. You *could* cut to 1200, but you'd be starving. Maybe not in the literal sense of the word, but going insane with hunger pangs and physically exhausted kind of starving...I'd listen to these folks. Try what MFP suggests, and if you notice in, say, a month, no loss, go a bit lower.
You will most likely sabotage yourself by going that drastically low. I tried 1200. I wound up being below 1200 several days a week, and I was too lethargic to do much more than sleep and work (on loads of caffeine).
Hope this helps...and best of luck to ya!
(Edited for typos)0 -
what everybody else has just said, plus if you lose it fast, your going to be left with some seriously saggy skin, if you lose it at a slower rate (ie not biggest loser style), you've got more chance of it shrinking with you
good luck0 -
Start with that and see how things go - if you are still feeling well and have enough energy, you can always cut a couple hundred calories per day each week and see how it goes. If you decrease your calorie intake 500/day, you'd lose another pound per week - but I wouldn't go any lower than that till you try it for a few weeks and see how things go. You are trying to build a lifestyle change that you will keep long term, so easing into it can make it easier to maintain.0
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Agree that 1200 cals might lead to binge eating but of course, if you really could stick to 1200, the weight would drop off (like someone with a gastric bypass). Here's an idea, why not reduce the cals incrementally each week so you get used to eating less gradually?0
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If you drop weight too fast, gallstones can result.
And there is no need to go that low now.
After every 10lbs you lose, recalculate cals and you'll see that the thinner you get, the less cals you'll get.
Right now, just focus on learning how to weigh, measure and log food.0 -
Why would you want to lose weight quickly? Just think, it didn't take a night, a day, or even a few months to gain the weight so it won't come off quickly either. Sure you would lose a lot of weight restricting your calories, but like others have mentioned it wouldn't be sustainable in the long run.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants0 -
Why would you want to lose weight quickly? Just think, it didn't take a night, a day, or even a few months to gain the weight so it won't come off quickly either. Sure you would lose a lot of weight restricting your calories, but like others have mentioned it wouldn't be sustainable in the long run.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
^
This. Good luck to ya! You've come to the right place to get started. :flowerforyou:0 -
455 lbs.... Suggested calorie intake is 3250 for each day....
Why isn't it recommended that calories get cut to 1200 a day, this should get rid of the weight a lot quicker. Just curious why the recommended calories were that high
Just starting out, so any advice is appreciated.
I started at 500+....and am now 327ish....I am currently eating 3200 calories per day.
Here is the thing, let's say you cut to 1200 today. What do you do when you hit a plateau? Go even further under that? Also, 1200cals wouldn't leave you enough energy to exercise iMO.
At 455 though, you can sustain a larger deficit than average people if you want to get a lot off earlier. Just remember weight loss is a progression.0 -
Because most people who have eaten 3000+ calories a day for years and gained weight won't last from such a drastic cut all of a sudden. They'll end up binge eating either the next day, the end of the week, or a month down the road. Then they'll hate themselves and try again only to repeat the same mistakes.
So much of this ^^
(for the record in my case it wasn't a day/week or month, it was always 4 months that I could last on very low calories).0 -
I may come off as being contradictory here because I normally restrict my calories a lot but calorie restriction is not fun. It has worked for me sure, but it's not easy or sustainable for long periods of time. I find that I can manage a couple of weeks on restriction with plenty of energy and feeling good but I always have to end up taking a day where I overeat, not binge... but just eat whatever I want which ultimately makes me feel guilty when I see the number of calories I ended up with, which ultimately makes me restrict even further the next day and on, and on, and on. I am torn because as I said, it works for me and there are things I like about it. Then again, it's no way to live and I'm struggling with an unhealthy and obsessive relationship to food as a result. Don't go down that path. Do it the right way with the recommended caloric intake and healthy foods, eliminating the crap from your diet e.g., fake sugars, snack foods with no nutritional value, etc.... If you stay on track in the beginning it will come off pretty quickly and then will slow down as you get thinner but don't worry about that now... just get yourself off to a good and healthy start and don't consume yourself with it every day. After a while healthy choices get easier, second nature and you learn the caloric and nutritional contents and values of the foods that you are eating. I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, this is just from my own personal experience. I am trying to lose another 10 lbs (people say I am crazy and should stop and maintain), and I am still restricting (except for today lol), and the 10 lbs isn't going anywhere and I know it's because I am not eating enough calories. Unfortunately I've gotten myself into the pattern of eating way less than what is recommended for healthy weight loss. Don't do that. It is hard to break away from that mind set once you are there. You might here things like "starvation mode" etc, etc... I have learned to ignore the nay-sayers (even though they are right).
Welcome... Just do the right thing based on the information provided. The folks commenting here and the system is accurate and folks here have good advice.
Good luck on your journey!0 -
I am by no means even close to an armchair expert. BUT, my understanding is that the bigger you are the more calories your body needs just to function.
YES. This is definitely accurate. If you're over 400 lb and try to get by on 1200 cal/day it won't magically result in rapid weight loss. That would be nice and all, but it's not how it works.0 -
Find your healthy calorie range to eat, and eat at that calorie range.
Try to restrict yourself all of a sudden, drop down to eating nothing, AND...
You will fail.
It IS a lifestyle change. Find your "healthy" calorie range and eat in the range, and eventually, you will become that healthier person.
Starving yourself and going overboard is not sustainable.
Consider it, eating yourself to weight loss.
It's about the little things, eating better, knowing what and when to eat, manipulating the calories, so to speak.
If you are at 455 lbs, you could probably eat 2500 calories a day and still shed weight like crazy.
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I am by no means even close to an armchair expert. BUT, my understanding is that the bigger you are the more calories your body needs just to function.
YES. This is definitely accurate. If you're over 400 lb and try to get by on 1200 cal/day it won't magically result in rapid weight loss. That would be nice and all, but it's not how it works.
Agreed.0 -
As everyone has stated, you need that many calories to sustain life and be healthy. You also want to be able to step down gradually, if you start out at 1200, you have no where to go from there.
Do not worry, you will not be eating that many for very long. As your weigh goes down, so will the number of calories you need to eat each day.
You will probably lose the first 45 to 50 lbs pretty fast, then things will slow down.
This is not a race, plus, the surgery to cut excess skin off the body when a morbidly obese person looses weight to fast is painful and expensive.
Enjoy it for now, it is not going to last long.0 -
The site recommended 1200 for me. But I am a woman who is 4 foot 11. That is not so unreasonable. The nutritionist actually recommended 1400 so I figure I'm okay if I'm anywhere between 1200 to 1400. The nutritionist also figured out that for me to maintain my weight inside the ideal range, I will need to maintain at around 1450. This was pretty much the same as I found out with any of the online calculators. If you want a really good base number, pick the mid-range of your ideal weight and find out the basic amount of calories to maintain that weight. If you change your eating to that number, when you hit your ideal weight you are already trained to eat to maintain and maintenance should be easier.0
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Wow I really have to say I disagree with a lot of the advice in this thread. I'm not saying 1200 is the magic number but you do not need to be eating 3000 calories for weight unless unless there is simply no way you can satiate your appetite with less (and I'd suggest that's not the case). The notion that you can't go below your BMR is preposterous, especially for someone at 455 pounds, as your body can easily pull the calories it needs from your fat stores. The notion that BMR is some magical line that, if crossed, results in your body shutting down is a myth. Your body doesn't recognize any caloric threshold that corresponds to your BMR. While there is a threshold amount of calories your body can pull from your fat stores, it's no where close to your BMR at 455 pounds.
Also, while someone suggested that if you eat 1200 calories then you can't go any lower when you plateau... I don't think that person understands how the body works. Plateaus are not inevitable, particularly when eating that aggressive of a caloric deficit. While you will see some metabolic slowdown when cutting weight, it's not so drastic that your body will adapt to only needing 1200 calories/day at a weight of hundreds of pounds.YES. This is definitely accurate. If you're over 400 lb and try to get by on 1200 cal/day it won't magically result in rapid weight loss. That would be nice and all, but it's not how it works.
That's absolutely wrong. Yes, it WILL result in rapid weight loss. Is it sustainable? That's up to the individual. But will you lose more weight in the same amount of time on 1200 calories than 3000 calories? You definitely will. To suggest otherwise is preposterous.
So, my advice? Try to find a happy middle ground between 1200 (which is quite low and difficult to maintain without a very rigid diet) and 3000 (which is not nearly aggressive enough for someone 400+ lbs, in my opinion). That number might be 2500 calories if that's what it takes for you to feel satiated and happy with your diet, or it might be 1700 calories if you find you can feel satiated at this amount (tip: look to protein for help with this) and you enjoy seeing the weight come off quickly. Honestly there is no "right answer" and you have a lot of flexibility when it comes to your diet. I'd encourage you to experiment and if you find 1700 calories is too few, don't give up - just adjust your routine and continue on.0 -
I would log in what my 'normal' daily intake of calories would be without MFP program diet. Then you can compare what was your normal day eating like and see how many calories are being cut percentage wise. Maybe you were eating 8,000 calories a day.
Also remember start moving. Diet alone cannot work. Your body needs exercise but start low key. Just walking further by not getting the closest parking space or walk to a mailbox.0 -
The heavier you are, the more you can eat and still lose.455 lbs.... Suggested calorie intake is 3250 for each day....
Why isn't it recommended that calories get cut to 1200 a day, this should get rid of the weight a lot quicker. Just curious why the recommended calories were that high
Just starting out, so any advice is appreciated.
I cna' timagine if you're eating enough to weigh 455 pounds that you will be able to stick to 1,200 right off the bat. That's a HUGE decrease. You'll give up pretty quickly if you try that.0 -
I never ate under 2500 calories a day and the majority of my weight loss was done eating over 3000 calories a day... I never was a believer in the running larger deficits because you are over weight and can withstand it.. Set yourself up with a modest deficit to lose a couple pounds a week and get moving.... Best of Luck0
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that for healthy weight loss, that way you loose slow and you have time to build muscle and it gives your body time to adjust..it takes calories for us to breath0
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NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! When I was on 1200, I lost a few pounds right away then stalled. It was hard for me to be full on that number so my binging got out of control. Thus putting my weight loss goals even further away. Now I NET about 1400-1600, sometimes more. Today I will probably net around 1900. I eat ANYTHING I want as long as I log and it fits within my calorie budget and I try to hit my protein and fiber macros too. Today is a spike day so my diary looks way out of whack, but thats kinda the 90/10 way of thinking!!! Today is my 10% bad kind of day
I dont feel guilty when I eat "bad" foods. I dont fear food anymore. I exercise (intentional, not mopping the floor and saying I exercised) 30-40 minutes a day, and try to get in my water!!! That is all I have changed. The number one key in my opinion is PATIENCE!!!!!!! Its going to take some time, but who cares?!! If you are losing, you are immediately getting healthier and the rest will follow!!! 0 -
Wow I really have to say I disagree with a lot of the advice in this thread. I'm not saying 1200 is the magic number but you do not need to be eating 3000 calories for weight unless unless there is simply no way you can satiate your appetite with less (and I'd suggest that's not the case). The notion that you can't go below your BMR is preposterous, especially for someone at 455 pounds, as your body can easily pull the calories it needs from your fat stores. The notion that BMR is some magical line that, if crossed, results in your body shutting down is a myth. Your body doesn't recognize any caloric threshold that corresponds to your BMR. While there is a threshold amount of calories your body can pull from your fat stores, it's no where close to your BMR at 455 pounds.
Also, while someone suggested that if you eat 1200 calories then you can't go any lower when you plateau... I don't think that person understands how the body works. Plateaus are not inevitable, particularly when eating that aggressive of a caloric deficit. While you will see some metabolic slowdown when cutting weight, it's not so drastic that your body will adapt to only needing 1200 calories/day at a weight of hundreds of pounds.YES. This is definitely accurate. If you're over 400 lb and try to get by on 1200 cal/day it won't magically result in rapid weight loss. That would be nice and all, but it's not how it works.
That's absolutely wrong. Yes, it WILL result in rapid weight loss. Is it sustainable? That's up to the individual. But will you lose more weight in the same amount of time on 1200 calories than 3000 calories? You definitely will. To suggest otherwise is preposterous.
So, my advice? Try to find a happy middle ground between 1200 (which is quite low and difficult to maintain without a very rigid diet) and 3000 (which is not nearly aggressive enough for someone 400+ lbs, in my opinion). That number might be 2500 calories if that's what it takes for you to feel satiated and happy with your diet, or it might be 1700 calories if you find you can feel satiated at this amount (tip: look to protein for help with this) and you enjoy seeing the weight come off quickly. Honestly there is no "right answer" and you have a lot of flexibility when it comes to your diet. I'd encourage you to experiment and if you find 1700 calories is too few, don't give up - just adjust your routine and continue on.
Please ignore this advice, it is terrible. 1700 per day will come sooner than you think. I do not think people fully understand the importance of being able to live life and enjoy it while losing weight.
I repeat, you do not want to lose so fast that you will have pounds and pounds of excess skin to cut off of your body. It does happen when someone that is morbidly obese loses weight to fast.
YOU WILL LOSE AT 3000 PER DAY!0 -
Because 1200 would be absurdly low for you, OP. I weight considerably less, and I still wouldn't eat as low as 1200, unless I was sick.0
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