Need very strict friends : 1200-1300 calories a day

aylajane

I've lost 40 pounds so far ( going from 165 to almost 125 pounds now) doing 1,100 to 1,300 calories a day. It doesn't work for everyone, but it has worked for me. Good luck!

Basically, you just trained your body to be able to survive on ~1200 calories a day (whereas before, it was probably able to survive - and not gain or lose - on more like 2000 calories a day). In order to accomplish that, your body very likely got rid of a lot of that pesky calorie burning muscle (because it knew there were not going to be enough calories coming in to sustain it, so much more effective to burn off the muscle than fat, which is "cheap" and requires fewer calories to sustain).


The problem is that you have now made your body SO efficient, it does not need more calories. So if/when you go back to eating, say, 1500 calories (which before would have made you LOSE weight slowly since you were burning 2000), it will now think "Hey - thats 300 more than I need... lets hang on to that for future use since we dont know if she will eat tomorrow either!". And you will actually GAIN weight on the same number of calories you used to lose it at.

No.
Her body, or anyone elses for that matter, will not THINK anything. We gain weight if/when we eat above our maintenance. If she sticks to that, she will be just fine. Learn more and then preach.

Wow, creative license, I didnt *literally* mean her body THINKS. Geez! Seriously?

The entire point of the post, if you actually read it through, was that her MAINTENANCE would be lower than it would be if she lost it more slowly. Yes, eating above maintenance is the cause of weight gain - never said otherwise. I said her BMR would be lower, therefore her maintenance would be lower.

TavistockToad

So I checked this TDEE stuff and it's saying 2983 calories per day. That's insane! What, I'm suppose to eat ten pounds of lard a day to reach that level? Even if I workout everyday I would hardly lose any weight and just gain muscle. So the minute I stop working out all that muscle turns to fat right. I was eating at that level without exercise and gained 37lbs so that TDEE is bull.

muscle doesnt 'turn' to fat... muscle is muscle, fat is fat... :noway:

Laurenloveswaffles

So I checked this TDEE stuff and it's saying 2983 calories per day. That's insane! What, I'm suppose to eat ten pounds of lard a day to reach that level? Even if I workout everyday I would hardly lose any weight and just gain muscle. So the minute I stop working out all that muscle turns to fat right. I was eating at that level without exercise and gained 30lbs so that TDEE is bull.

Muscle cannot turn into fat, and fat cannot turn into muscle.

If you were eating at that and gaining weight, then you were eating at a surplus.

TDEE is not bull if you enter the right information. Which means not putting that you workout 6 days a week when you're really a couch potato.

AdaVanderlyle

So the minute I stop working out all that muscle turns to fat right.

Oh it does? Congratulations. You are the first person in the history of mankind that has had that happened to him.

chrs86

OK

AdaVanderlyle

I've lost 40 pounds so far ( going from 165 to almost 125 pounds now) doing 1,100 to 1,300 calories a day. It doesn't work for everyone, but it has worked for me. Good luck!

Basically, you just trained your body to be able to survive on ~1200 calories a day (whereas before, it was probably able to survive - and not gain or lose - on more like 2000 calories a day). In order to accomplish that, your body very likely got rid of a lot of that pesky calorie burning muscle (because it knew there were not going to be enough calories coming in to sustain it, so much more effective to burn off the muscle than fat, which is "cheap" and requires fewer calories to sustain).


The problem is that you have now made your body SO efficient, it does not need more calories. So if/when you go back to eating, say, 1500 calories (which before would have made you LOSE weight slowly since you were burning 2000), it will now think "Hey - thats 300 more than I need... lets hang on to that for future use since we dont know if she will eat tomorrow either!". And you will actually GAIN weight on the same number of calories you used to lose it at.

No.
Her body, or anyone elses for that matter, will not THINK anything. We gain weight if/when we eat above our maintenance. If she sticks to that, she will be just fine. Learn more and then preach.

Wow, creative license, I didnt *literally* mean her body THINKS. Geez! Seriously?

The entire point of the post, if you actually read it through, was that her MAINTENANCE would be lower than it would be if she lost it more slowly. Yes, eating above maintenance is the cause of weight gain - never said otherwise. I said her BMR would be lower, therefore her maintenance would be lower.

I read it. I know what you mean. And again - no. The body does not work that way.

MissHolidayGolightly

So I checked this TDEE stuff and it's saying 2983 calories per day. That's insane! What, I'm suppose to eat ten pounds of lard a day to reach that level? Even if I workout everyday I would hardly lose any weight and just gain muscle. So the minute I stop working out all that muscle turns to fat right. I was eating at that level without exercise and gained 37lbs so that TDEE is bull.

aneary1980

So I checked this TDEE stuff and it's saying 2983 calories per day. That's insane! What, I'm suppose to eat ten pounds of lard a day to reach that level? Even if I workout everyday I would hardly lose any weight and just gain muscle. So the minute I stop working out all that muscle turns to fat right. I was eating at that level without exercise and gained 37lbs so that TDEE is bull.

If you are really eating around 500 cals a day you are really eating too little.

Muscle does not turn to fat.

Also muscle is alot smaller than fat ie 1lb of muscle takes up less space than 1lb of fat.

Muscle is the first thing your body will burn unless you work out and eat well.

Muscle also burns around 50 cals a day just by being there. fat doesn't do that.

Why would you stop working out? To be healthy surely exercise should become part of your life not just while you are losing weight?

hbrittingham

You can totally lose 20 pounds in 10 weeks with daily exercise and diet. People on here bashing this are trolls, overweight, or don't even have real pics. I lost 25 pounds last year in 2 months so it is possible. I wouldn't recomen staying at that calorie level once you lose the weight though. Try uping it a little when you make your goal and weigh yourself daily to see what's the right amount of cals you need to maintain.

I haven't seen anyone on here "bashing" her goal. Either way, it doesn't make their opinion any less valid. There's ALOT of people on here who have lost alot of weight who will give you the same answer. Yes, some people may be able to do it. But for most people, losing a little bit of weight (10-20lbs) too fast will usually be gained back, plus some. And that's based on experience from alot of people. I'm having no problem losing about 2lbs a week because I have a lot to lose, but I know that the closer I get to my goal, the slower it will come off.

I understand that it would be harder the bigger you are and the more weight you have to lose. If your relatively in shape with 20-30lbs to lose it's different. Also as you lose weight your body can function and maintain at a lower calorie level. Good luck.

You actually have that backwards. The more weight you need to lose, the easier it is to lose it at a faster pace. Once you get close to your goal, the weight loss slows. When your goal is "underweight", it becomes much more difficult to lose the closer you get, especially if you are aiming for 2 lbs a week.

Laurenloveswaffles

OK so what happens to that muscle you gained if you stop working out? It's just disappears right? Theres no point in talking to you people.

Uh what? It doesn't disappear. You literally would not be able to move if all your muscles just poofed away because you didn't workout.

How about researching some stuff before getting so butthurt?

AdaVanderlyle

OK so what happens to that muscle you gained if you stop working out? It's just disappears right? Theres no point in talking to you people.

Uh what? It doesn't disappear. You literally would not be able to move if all your muscles just poofed away because you didn't workout.

How about researching some stuff before getting so butthurt?

lalepro80

I don't agree.

aylajane

I've lost 40 pounds so far ( going from 165 to almost 125 pounds now) doing 1,100 to 1,300 calories a day. It doesn't work for everyone, but it has worked for me. Good luck!

Basically, you just trained your body to be able to survive on ~1200 calories a day (whereas before, it was probably able to survive - and not gain or lose - on more like 2000 calories a day). In order to accomplish that, your body very likely got rid of a lot of that pesky calorie burning muscle (because it knew there were not going to be enough calories coming in to sustain it, so much more effective to burn off the muscle than fat, which is "cheap" and requires fewer calories to sustain).


The problem is that you have now made your body SO efficient, it does not need more calories. So if/when you go back to eating, say, 1500 calories (which before would have made you LOSE weight slowly since you were burning 2000), it will now think "Hey - thats 300 more than I need... lets hang on to that for future use since we dont know if she will eat tomorrow either!". And you will actually GAIN weight on the same number of calories you used to lose it at.

No.
Her body, or anyone elses for that matter, will not THINK anything. We gain weight if/when we eat above our maintenance. If she sticks to that, she will be just fine. Learn more and then preach.

Wow, creative license, I didnt *literally* mean her body THINKS. Geez! Seriously?

The entire point of the post, if you actually read it through, was that her MAINTENANCE would be lower than it would be if she lost it more slowly. Yes, eating above maintenance is the cause of weight gain - never said otherwise. I said her BMR would be lower, therefore her maintenance would be lower.

I read it. I know what you mean. And again - no. The body does not work that way.

Ok, explain it to me. BMR does not change? If you eat at a surpressed level for an extended period, your BMR will remain the same? If your BMR starts out at, say 1500 calories a day, and you consistently eat 1200 calories a day, you will *indefinitely* lose weight at the same rate? After 3 months? A year? two years? If that were true, 1200 calories would cause death after a certain amount of time... The definition of your BMR is the amount of calories needed to sustain your vital organs (if you were in a coma) and *current* muscle level. At some point then, if you never ate over 1200, your vital organs would suffer serious consequences if they continued burning 1500 calories every day in spite of not getting that as intake. By burning off muscle, you reduce your BMR... but still, those vital organs still need something.

jmv7117

I have been on a 1000 calorie a day for almost 2 years.
I am not on a diet, that is my new life style.
Your goal is very do-able!
I say go for it!

Says anyone with an eating disorder....

No. So much no.

She's 62 years old. Give her a break. If it works for her, then let her do it. No reason to bash it.

Yesterday that poster consumed 4 grams of protein. Her muscles, including her vital organs, must be wasting by the day if her diary is accurate.

This is precisely why diaries should be kept closed! It's none of your business until such time that she asks for help.

OP, 1,200 to 1,300 calories per day is quite doable especially eating Paleo or clean. I do think that a 2 lb per week weight loss goal is too aggressive for you since you are already within your healthy range trying to lose 20 lb. I understand where you are coming from because I started at the high end of my healthy range. I had an average weight loss of .9 lb per week to get to my original weight goal of ideal for my range. The closer you get to your weight goal, the slower the weight comes off because you aren't burning as many calories as you were when you were heavier. I have since decided to go closer to the low end of my healthy range so am losing but at a very slow rate with a goal of .5 lb per week so am at the 1,200 to 1.300 calories per day.

Good luck on your weight loss journey :flowerforyou:

TavistockToad

OK so what happens to that muscle you gained if you stop working out? It's just disappears right? Theres no point in talking to you people.

how exactly do you think muscle 'disappears'? If you stop working out all together you'll lose some strength but it would take a long time and a hefty calorie deficit (like trying to lose 2lb a week when you're already a healthy weight) to burn muscle.

dbmata

So I checked this TDEE stuff and it's saying 2983 calories per day. That's insane! What, I'm suppose to eat ten pounds of lard a day to reach that level? Even if I workout everyday I would hardly lose any weight and just gain muscle. So the minute I stop working out all that muscle turns to fat right. I was eating at that level without exercise and gained 30lbs so that TDEE is bull.

Muscle cannot turn into fat.

He just ninja edited his post away... but man, this is the silliest thing I've read all morning. Sadly, it's early yet, so there may be more gems coming.

TavistockToad

OK so what happens to that muscle you gained if you stop working out? It's just disappears right? Theres no point in talking to you people.

Uh what? It doesn't disappear. You literally would not be able to move if all your muscles just poofed away because you didn't workout.

How about researching some stuff before getting so butthurt?

:laugh: :flowerforyou:

dbmata

OK so what happens to that muscle you gained if you stop working out? It's just disappears right? Theres no point in talking to you people.

You might want to google the term "atrophy", or in this case, what you're asking about is muscular atrophy.

It's also not quite what you think.

Laurenloveswaffles

So I checked this TDEE stuff and it's saying 2983 calories per day. That's insane! What, I'm suppose to eat ten pounds of lard a day to reach that level? Even if I workout everyday I would hardly lose any weight and just gain muscle. So the minute I stop working out all that muscle turns to fat right. I was eating at that level without exercise and gained 30lbs so that TDEE is bull.

Muscle cannot turn into fat.

He just ninja edited his post away... but man, this is the silliest thing I've read all morning. Sadly, it's early yet, so there may be more gems coming.

These gems help me pass time at work. Bring em on! :drinker:

jasonmh630

You can totally lose 20 pounds in 10 weeks with daily exercise and diet. People on here bashing this are trolls, overweight, or don't even have real pics. I lost 25 pounds last year in 2 months so it is possible. I wouldn't recomen staying at that calorie level once you lose the weight though. Try uping it a little when you make your goal and weigh yourself daily to see what's the right amount of cals you need to maintain.

I haven't seen anyone on here "bashing" her goal. Either way, it doesn't make their opinion any less valid. There's ALOT of people on here who have lost alot of weight who will give you the same answer. Yes, some people may be able to do it. But for most people, losing a little bit of weight (10-20lbs) too fast will usually be gained back, plus some. And that's based on experience from alot of people. I'm having no problem losing about 2lbs a week because I have a lot to lose, but I know that the closer I get to my goal, the slower it will come off.

I understand that it would be harder the bigger you are and the more weight you have to lose. If your relatively in shape with 20-30lbs to lose it's different. Also as you lose weight your body can function and maintain at a lower calorie level. Good luck.

No offense, sir... But I think you may have misinterpreted what I said. The more weight someone has to lose, the easier it is to lose large amounts per week. I lost 11 pounds (mostly excess water) the first week of changing my eating habits alone.

Now, let's hypothetically say that I'm already at 180lbs (near healthy weight for my height and build). Obviously, my maintenance calories would be lower (about 2000-2100 TDEE) versus what they are now (about 2500-2600). If I wanted to lose another 20lbs, that TDEE number drops to around 2000/day once I reach that 160 goal (about a 1900-2000 TDEE). If I kept my current deficit of about 700-800 cals per day at that point, that would put me at around 1200 cals per day digested... which is not nearly enough for me to get proper nutrition and energy. My question is why not eat a little more (around 1400-1500 cals per day), still lose weight, and fell more energized and satisfied? Point is, an 800 cal deficit is not sustainable for someone who's already at a healthy weight.