Anyone on a 1000 calorie diet? need lots of support!!

ATT949

A diet of 1000 net calories per day is considered a "low calorie diet".

Many folks on this site, and thousands of people not on MFP, have had successful weight loss at that calorie level. I followed a diet of 800 to 1k net cals/day and had superb results, so I have some understanding of what it's like to eat that amount of food from personal experience and also through study.

I would recommend that you speak with your doctor and tell your doc that you're going on a 1k diet.

Second, measure your cals accurately. Dieting is rife with error - as much as folks attempt to hit 1200 calories, it's extremely hard to do so. In that you're taking on a low calorie diet, if you're off by, for example, 200 calories per day, that puts you at the low end of a "low calorie diet" and you could end up feeling hungry a lot or easily fatigued.

When I was lost 95 pounds in 7 months, I swapped my carb and protein percentages around in hopes that would reduce hunger. I don't know if that was successful but, in those 7 months, I was hungry only 5 times. Can't say it helped but I have no evidence that it hurt (I've had bloodwork, a stress EKG, VO2 uptake, as well as checkups by two doctors with superb findings)

My fiance runs one of the more than 40 clinics in a national company that's headquartered here in Southern California. They've helped hundreds of thousands of people lose weight in the 42 year history. It's a medically-based program, yes, and it's very successful. I was reading their book over the weekend and, in 1995, they did a review of 6,052 of their patients that had gone through their program and found that the average weight loss was 3.2 pounds per week. That's a staggering figure but that's the kind of results that you can achieve in a low calorie diet.

My diary is open if you care to review it and my stats are here:

http://cbeinfo.net/weight.htm

ATT949

What is VLCDs?

That's a "Very Low Calorie Diet" which is < 800 cals. My understanding is that this type of diet is for folks who are very, very ill due to obesity so they're in a "lose it or die" proposition.

LorinaLynn

1000 calories a day just sounds very extreme for only 50 pounds to lose.... like using a bulldozer to dig a hole to plant some daffodils.

ATT949

People should NOT be judgemental on a post when the person that created this post, are looking for support. If people don't support...they shouldn't even comment! If her body cannot take the 1,000 calorie diet..she would know and I'm sure she would make changes to up the calories. Not every body is the same....

I don't agree with that. Folks here feel strongly about many things and I think it's a good eye opener for a person who's new to the site to get a taste of how the folks on MFP will react to subsequent postings.

As I see it, everyone who posts gets the opportunity to learn something from the people who agree with them and as well as from the folks who don't agree with them.

I'm a firm believer that the proper response to speech that you don't like is NOT to shut down the person talking. The value and applicability of what someone says will be come apparent very quickly.

My tuppence.

Silverkittycat

As I see it, everyone who posts gets the opportunity to learn something from the people who agree with them and as well as from the folks who don't agree with them.

if everyone could just recognize an opportunity when they see one..

Marianeyda

i'm at 1200 calories and sometimes the MFP tell me that im in starvation to eat more!

lizziebeth1028

Sadly there are a lot of Doctors out there that give bad direction and advice for people needing to lose weight. 1000 is too low. Starting at at least 1200 is a much safer, healthier, sustainable plan for the long run. You want to strive to be fit for life...not skinny for a day (so to speak). And why the need for 'rapid' weight loss? In most cases rapid weight loss leads to rapidly gaining it all back.

Health_Gal

I know this will shock a lot of the judgemental people here, but clearly you trust your DR and nutritionist more then anonymous people on the Internet. As with anywhere, there are judgemental people on this site. Don't let that deter you. There are lots of supportive peopple here who are much more tactful than the few naysayers.

Keep in mind, MFP is run by sponsors. Medifast is a low calorie diet and I don't see MFP stepping in and warning about that diet, but guess what, Medifast is a sponsor of this site and you see their advertisements everywhere. Stick with your DR and you won't go wrong. If you try, you will find others in private Groups doing the same or similar plan as you so you don't have to post on public boards to just be ridiculed.

Congratulations on your journey to health and good luck!

Why do you refer to people that are concerned about members eating too few calories as "naysayers?" My Fitness Pal, as well as most doctors and nutritionists, recommend that people that want to lose weight eat at at least 1,200 calories a day for a very good reason -- if you eat fewer calories than that, you can endanger your health.

Captain_Tightpants

Most of the "naysayers" and "judgmental" posts on here are coming from a position of concern for the health of the OP, and/or a desire to help her achieve long term suatainable success as opposed to a rapid VLC diet that will invariably fall into the old 90% failure rate category.

If a kid tries to smoke a cigarrette and an adult tells them off for doing so because it could damage thier health, that's not judgmental or negative, it's honest legitimate concern. :noway:

At the very least the OP should be smart enough to discuss the concern brought up her with her Dr.

killagb

Most of the "naysayers" and "judgmental" posts on here are coming from a position of concern for the health of the OP, and/or a desire to help her achieve long term suatainable success as opposed to a rapid VLC diet that will invariably fall into the old 90% failure rate category.

If a kid tries to smoke a cigarrette and an adult tells them off for doing so because it could damage thier health, that's not judgmental or negative, it's honest legitimate concern. :noway:

At the very least the OP should be smart enough to discuss the concern brought up her with her Dr.

Or consider a second and/or third opinion...

Coyla

I think some of us who've been on MFP for awhile get a little snarky because we see these posts all the time. And this kind of mindset is why so many people fail at losing weight. From my experiences, the people I've known who approached dieting in this way had a 100% fail rate. They gave up faster than anyone else, gained every pound back, and are still carrying that extra weight.

We want you to succeed, not shoot yourself in the foot on your first day.

susannamarie

I think some of us who've been on MFP for awhile get a little snarky because we see these posts all the time. And this kind of mindset is why so many people fail at losing weight. From my experiences, the people I've known who approached dieting in this way had a 100% fail rate. They gave up faster than anyone else, gained every pound back, and are still carrying that extra weight.

We want you to succeed, not shoot yourself in the foot on your first day.

Yes. Although it's worth remembering that to every new person, their question is new. Kindness will probably go farther than snark in explaining ... snark is easily mistaken for "Those meanies are just jealous of my impending success."

stevenleagle

Like you, I used to think there was a quick way to lose weight.

Obviously there are a lot of responses to wade through with lots of comments.

My own personal philosophy on this topic is this:

1. MFP recommends that calories do not fall under 1200. Therefore I would want a good reason why I would go any lower. For example, are you a very short person? Do you have a doctor's/dietician's clearance to go lower? Personally, I just followed MFP's recommendation for a modest weight loss.
2. Creating a healthy lifestyle (and losing weight) is not a race.
3. Far better to take your time and make small, gradual but effective changes that you can live with.
4. Gradual changes means learning about your eating habits, making changes AND introducing more movement (including exercise) in your lfe.
5. Don't just look at losing weight - as others have mentioned, you want to preserve lean muscle mass and lose fat.
6. Aim to improve your fitness. Set small manageable goals.
7. Aim to increase your strength. Weight training is very effective in building (or at least preserving) muscle while losing body fat.
8. I personally subscribe to a theory of zigzagging my calories. Eg I eat relatively low calories most of the week (but not under 1200 except on very, very rare occasions) and allow myself to eat a lot more on occasions. Everyone needs to have a treat now and then or be able to eat significantly more on a special occasion. "Spiking" calories once a week keeps your body guessing.
9. The weekly average is more important than the day to day counts.

Spend some time reading many of the great threads on this web site BEFORE plunging into restrictive, fad based dieting. The best results are yielded by those who understand that permanent lifestyle changes are required, not temporary quick fixes. Imho.

_Sally_

Dear Posters,

I'm locking this thread as I think it has strayed from the OP's original intent.

For those who haven't read the whole thread (and understand that the OP is under doctor supervision), it may come across as a possible violation of MFP Community Guideline: 3. No Promotion of Unsafe Weight-Loss Techniques or Eating Disorders and is at risk of getting overheated, as people feel very strongly about this topic.

You can read the guidelines in full here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/welcome/guidelines.

For those who are under a medically supervised low calorie diet, I would recommend joining or starting a Group within MFP specifically for those who are on a similar journey, as this topic is generally not well suited for the main forums.

With Respect,
_Sally_
MFP Forum Moderator