1000 calories or less a day

AntWrig

I eat between 1200 and 1500 cals a day regularly. I just make sure I get all my nutrients in doing so. Healthy fats. potassium. Vitamins. Fiber. Been dropping fat %, waist, and increasing weights/tone. Im also probably much larger 191lbs atm. Feel pretty damn good once I adjusted to ketones. Jobs physically demanding, too.

Helps if you research a bit and look at foods as more than just high or low cals.

I will say this, though. When i do eat closer to maintenance, My performance increases quicker and I recover faster from workouts.

Maintenance or excess well. Just gets nuts, energy wise But of course, I dont lose any fat... which is the point of the deficit to begin with. When Im done, course ill just adjust my protein to carb/fat ratios to hit maintenance. And eat better foods mm cheerios and oatmeal...

No human should be consuming less than 1500 calories a day. Your metabolism and hormone levels are so out of wack it's not even funny. All this for what? So you can lose weight fast?

Read my post on what happened to me when I underate. I have the number backing me up. Oh and by the way, I was eating on average 2000-2100 calories a day and I still lost muscle.

Get luck with your muscle gaining goals in 2012.

Becky_Boodle

Thank you OP for sharing your story...
it takes a lot for someone to admit and share something like that...
its unfortunate that people decided to have this disagreement on your post
I wish you all the best in your jouney to better yourself

o_delaisse

Thanks everyone for their input

To those who thanked me - you're welcome, I'm glad you found it interesting

To those defending their 1000 cals or less - I get you. Firstly, most obviously, I understand why you defended yourself, because for all I said I wasn't deliberately saying "Don't do it", that was kind of the moral of the story, so I can see why people defended themselves I think one of my main points in this, though, was choice. Someone said they felt fantastic, and if they didn't they wouldn't do it. Well, that is a good attitude, my point though was I had done it for so long I felt I *didn't* have the choice not to go on. Under 1000 cals works for you - ok. But I'm telling you, it ain't working for me. And because I've done it so long, I felt like it was the only option. I am not in a position right now to say, "this isn't working, I'll increase to 1200+". If *you* can do it, shrug it off, say "I can't maintain this any more" (should you ever feel like that), and simply increase then that's a good thing. But it isn't easy for everyone to have that approach.

Not going to comment on the science of it all, I'm not qualified and, as someone else said, my own emotions get in the way. I did jump a little when someone said "I'm not dead", because it mirrored what I said in my original post, but I took the point. I would, however, agree with the guy that said "a calorie isn't a nutrient". I think (with all the confidence of someone who very clearly hasn't got a clue!) that it's all very well to get all your nutrients, but if you haven't got the energy to do anything *with* those nutrients, it might not work so well. But I don't know, I barely understand my own body!

Only thing I would say from some of these posts - be careful when you're talking to someone with an eating disorder - telling them most people underestimate their calories by 20% might not be the way to go. To be honest, it's put the fear of God into me, and for someone who struggles more than I do, it might push them over the edge. I might be getting better managing this whole thing, but even though I feel more positive, I could have done without that information. I appreciate you weren't trying to scare me, but when people write on here about eating disorders, it might do well to remember that particular bit of information might upset people and set them back.

With regards to "feeling full" - personally, I've stopped judging my hunger on feeling full. I don't recognise hunger signs so well any more, but I can say I never feel like I have an empty stomach. A lot of the time I either feel full, or I just feel "non hungry". A while ago I posted on here about high calorie snacks to up my intake - I did that because I am no where near hungry enough to get my calories up with an extra meal. It's why I often have a spoonful of peanut butter - I couldn't eat any more than that right now!

I think one of the keys in all of this is knowing your body. I won't tell the people on here who eat less than 1000 cals that they are "doing it wrong", but I'll tell you I did it wrong. And if you ever feel like you need to increase and you go ahead and increase with no drama, then I'm glad for you

Anyway, I *think* I've responded to most points! Thanks again to everyone who shared their stories

ltlemermaid

Thank you for posting and sharing your story--you are very strong and will make it I'm glad to hear of the positive/healthy changes you are making.

ninerbuff

and some people just want to tear down whatever your diet or lifestyle is because it's not the same as theirs or what they believe in people, to each their own, what works for you is awesome for you and the same for me! peace love and sugar free lollipops! lmao

All diets "work" to lose weight. You'll find many testimonials from successful people who did it. What's hard to find are people who DON'T gain weight back (maybe 20% who successfully completed it won't) after reintroducing non diet food back to their daily regimen.
It's not like I don't have experience in this category. I have DAILY experience with numerous individuals who have had their battles and sitting down and talking with all of them, the story is usually the same. They lost, they restricted, they abstained, they regained, and now they are seeing me.
If you can sustain that way of life, then cudos to you. I would say only about handful of people out of 100 could sustain a diet that restrictive and the point of this site is to provide lifestyle changes that people KNOW that they could do to maintain their achieved goals.
What would be great is to see you here a year later still doing the same.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

LorinaLynn

O_delaisse, thank you so much for your post.

I could have written a lot of it myself. In fact.. I did! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/494091-i-just-don-t-care-anymore

I'm on the other side now. I was an under-eater years ago, stopped and gained weight, and now lost weight in a healthy way. I'm maintaining at around 2100 calories now.

You're at such an exciting time right now... You're going to kick this way of eating and thinking, and feel and look better than you ever could have imagined.

angiebarker

I recently switched (2 weeks ago) to the Primal lifestyle and although my calorie goal on here is 1200 without trying, just by sticking to Primal I find I am around 900 calories almost every day and I feel fantastic - Primal doesn't focus on calories but I track them on here because I like to stay accountable as to what I am eating and have a general clue as to my nutrient breakdown. I think it all depends on your body and lifestyle and what works for you - if I felt deprived or like I was starving myself I would NEVER be able to stick to it. I know that from years and years of experience. it's not about calories it's about overall balance. I'm a nurse practitioner so believe me if I felt like my body wasn't right I'd abort mission on Primal - but so far I never felt better and never fell into an easier lifestyle change for ME.

How you feel doesn't change the laws of science. People in comas are fed more calories than 900. You better start eating now. Oh and it's all about calories. That's like saying, a car is not about gasoline.

read about Primal before you comment - I feel no different at those calories and I am getting plenty of nutrients and no processed crap! you don't need half the calories you think you do - and I work in critical care - people incomes get more calories because they are sick and their bodies are fighting to survive which requires more calories - I have no weakness, dizziness, tiredness, in fact I have never had more energy so thanks but no thanks to more calories! and correct if I'm wrong but these forums are about support and communicating what works for each of us because we're all different - don't preach to me, just communicating what has worked for me - maybe it will make someone interested in Primal who has never heard about it - just happy I finally found something that works for my body and lifestyle hope you have too!

I have heard of primal. I was also anorexic and bulimic for years. I felt great eating under a thousand calories a day though my problem came in when i became too focused on not eating. Primal at least seems like your eating something just remember you need to get the correct vitamins and minerals or you will become sick. good luck

Jambe

Nah man. My hormone levels are even better than when I first began my dieting and exercise 8 months ago when I weighed 150 lbs more. Resting heart rate is low. 42-45 (doc asked how much I exercise Said I should write a book. Haha. I can actually lift more weight now than when I weighed 341. Can run a 5k in 18mins.So. Yeah. Oh and fat loss is pretty steady. Still. Over 1b a week. Fat. Lean mass has been .1 or so. around 90%/10% ratio. Pretty good huh? Oh, i have numbers to back me up too. But I wont bother to post them. But I will say I have them. To make my point stronger~ hee.

About metabolism. There are these things you do called refeeds to combat it. Like I said- read a bit before attempting it. I use these refeed days to maintain/excess and get my levels back on track and schedule them basically on days Where im out or with family eating. The workout after a refeed is always nuts At least 2-3 day period within 14 or so days of 12-1500 cals.
These workouts counter the lbm loss from catabolism . Dont wait too long between refeeds.

Not sure what primal is- but I know what nutrients are. And how much I need. Potassium was the hardest. I had to get a prescription from the doc. Those 100mg from the store just dont cut it. Everything with potassium is either expensive or high in carbs. Some days I dont feel like eating a lb of spinach/brocolli.Yeah im gonna pay for a gallon of unsweetened milk. Every day to hit potassium? Insurance covers these prescription for much less

Oh. Also. Just as an idea. Most people I work with were amazed how fast I changed and how much energy/good mood I had while doing it. Usually people dieting and restricting feel **** or look pretty miserable and are grumpy.
I also know how to transition properly from rfl to maintenance/bulk. So. That helps. Basically just add 1500 cals in fat/carbs. Mostly fat. There was 2months in my 8 months where I just maintained at 220. Too much good **** to eat during xmas and new years and thanksgiving. I can most definitely still eat and cause losses at a buffet

Tldr- My physician says perfect health. Cardio/ Endurance and strength better than ever in my life. Only con seems to be that I sink in the pool now. Baha.

SeasideOasis

Which is exactly why I said that I simply do not agree that all people must stay above 1200 calories. I have eaten like that for several years...in high school. Then I got a boyfriend and we ate out a lot and went to college together. I got up to 234 at my heaviest. Then we broke up and I lost weight.

My point is, that back in high school, I wasn't actively trying to keep my calories under 900. It just happened. I ate the same thing everyday because it was what I liked, what I could afford, and I didn't feel bad back then. Not physically. But it wasn't very healthy food. It was pre-packaged, over salted and high in fat, if not calories.

I was very self concious though. at the beginning of highshcool at at about 5'4" I weighed 214 and never was able to shake the idea of myself as being "heavy".

Did you 'track' in high school? I know I sure as heck didn't. I've ready what you said and couldnt disagree with you more. Do you realize how many calories are in half of those bags of chips and other 'high school' foods? I think you need to stop comparing yourself to the 'high school' you and start getting yourself to the 'adult you'.

Children and adults need DIFFERENT things. How you workout also makes a HUGE difference in what the body needs. I've started lifting more in the last few weeks. If I dont get enough protein, I feel like hell. When I was younger, I could live off of pizza and pasta without gaining an ounce.

I ALSO gained weight sticking to a 1200 calorie diet. 10 pounds last year. I started eating 2400 calories and lifting and have lost three and look better than I did at 1200 already....Proof is in the putting and mu muscle tone is amazing and beautiful. Maybe I wont have the flattest stomach in the land, but I'll be toned and healthy as my weight goes down.

o_delaisse

Thanks for the info re. re-feeds, very interesting and something I'll keep in mind

Sapporo

Look into CRON...

It's not about the calories but the nutrition!

Calories is the energy used in the food, but what about nutrient dense food? I tell you what, most of these veggies bought in packs, most of these meats you buy aren't even close to how much nutrients they had in them 10 or 15yrs ago, let alone 100!

It's quite easy to maintain under 1000 if you try CRON...

And you won't ever feel hungry, and you will be perfectly fine.

On other hand, sure, what your describing is what happens in malnutrition. That happens when you don't eat a lot AND don't get the nutrients you need. Calories is NOT a nutrient, it's what we measure the energy in food by. People live on fruitarian diets and are fine! And that is going to be a lot less calories than what normally should be having, but it works!

And as an EDIT: Look how much nutrition courses have actually changed since like 20/30yrs ago... Not much at all... Our food has become worst, we are gaining weight more and more because of the bad quality of food we now get, but still use outdated nutrition training courses. Before anyone complains, I got a team of personal trainers who help me for my races, doctors and medical and they all say what I'm doing is fine as it is working and my blood work/VO2 max etc are improving and/or maintaining within healthy parameters.

So no, I won't buy into this calories matter bull. A team of medical specialists, sports nutritionalists and trainers can't be wrong compared to someone who is just studying the field only now.

I followed CRON blogs a few years ago and the people eat 1000-1400 calories per day, forever, instead of just short term. Most the girls eat about 1400 a day, some lower. The average person is supposed to eat 2000 calories per day, CR people eat less than that but not under 1000. I'm sick of seeing people say HEY WHAT ABOUT CRON when people mention eating below 1000 calories as a way of life. Just NO, stop the misinformation.

caroleslaststand

Perhaps. It's also a cold hard fact that the majority of people, even with measuring underestimate their calories by approximately 20%. Look it up. I'm sure you'll find it somewhere.

I ate junk in highschool, but I kept my calorie count low....800 calories approximately, per day. I was also on Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers and followed their diets for several months to a "t' and gained. So who's right?

If you're logging your food and letting the website do all the math, I doubt that the margin of error is as high as 20%. It's when you're totally in charge of figuring it out for yourself that error will definitely figure in. This whole debate between people who are hung up on starving themselves and those who want to save them from future grief is like watching a train headed for a wreck while people watch from the sidelines helplessly (they aren't going to listen to us, so we have to let them learn on their own). I'm older than most of you and well educated and yes, it is all true. Work out and EAT nutrition dense food - it's more about the quality of food and calories burned. I completely understand how it can be hard to eat all the calories and I don't get obsessive about hitting the max. I still find it amazing that I can eat 2,000+ calories a day and still lose weight, but it is true AND I am only 5 feet tall.

IF you have trouble letting go of the urge to starve on a low calorie diet, please see a therapist. You may need help with a tendency toward Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I've had to live with this my whole life and recognize that it often leads me astray trying to cling to perfection and extreme behaviors that I think will allow me to be perfect. I've lost in excess of 100 lb twice (160lb the first time). No matter how successful I've been whenever I lost weight I always gain it back and more and I did always lose the weight by undereating. The 160lb loss happened with a lot of healthy eating and exercise, but the lack of calories just destroyed me over the years and and half it took to lose 160lbs. I too ate about 1000 calories a day.

caroleslaststand

Perhaps. It's also a cold hard fact that the majority of people, even with measuring underestimate their calories by approximately 20%. Look it up. I'm sure you'll find it somewhere.

I ate junk in highschool, but I kept my calorie count low....800 calories approximately, per day. I was also on Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers and followed their diets for several months to a "t' and gained. So who's right?

If you're logging your food and letting the website do all the math, I doubt that the margin of error is as high as 20%. It's when you're totally in charge of figuring it out for yourself that error will definitely figure in. This whole debate between people who are hung up on starving themselves and those who want to save them from future grief is like watching a train headed for a wreck while people watch from the sidelines helplessly (they aren't going to listen to us, so we have to let them learn on their own). I'm older than most of you and well educated and yes, it is all true. Work out and EAT nutrition dense food - it's more about the quality of food and calories burned. I completely understand how it can be hard to eat all the calories and I don't get obsessive about hitting the max. I still find it amazing that I can eat 2,000+ calories a day and still lose weight, but it is true AND I am only 5 feet tall.

IF you have trouble letting go of the urge to starve on a low calorie diet, please see a therapist. You may need help with a tendency toward Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I've had to live with this my whole life and recognize that it often leads me astray trying to cling to perfection and extreme behaviors that I think will allow me to be perfect. I've lost in excess of 100 lb twice (160lb the first time). No matter how successful I've been whenever I lost weight I always gain it back and more and I did always lose the weight by undereating. The 160lb loss happened with a lot of healthy eating and exercise, but the lack of calories just destroyed me over the years and and half it took to lose 160lbs. I too ate about 1000 calories a day.

I forgot to mention that I am now faced with the need to drop about 200 lb. - when you're five feet tall that's 2 extra people. two...

ahipsher

Thanks for your post.

I completely understand about the binge eating and feeling the need to starve yourself in the days after.
I really struggled with bulimia for years, and it stemmed from this need to stay under a certain calorie goal. Like you, I shot for about 1,000 calories a day. Anytime I went over, I REALLY went over. I would eat everything in sight until I felt uncomfortably full, and then I would be consumed with an overwhelming guilt for what I saw as gluttonous behavior.
So I would go to the bathroom, turn on the vent and the shower head so my roommates wouldn't hear me, and I would purge. The food inside of me felt "evil," and I had to get it out.
But I wasn't thin while I was at my worst - far from it. I was about 50lbs heavier because I wasn't exercising, and because of the cycle of starvation, binge, purge, my body was in full survival mode and held onto each and every calorie I ate.

I'm better now. I've gotten help. I have a very loving and supportive family.
Oh, and I'm a healthy weight now too.

And like you, my muscle tone is also abysmal. ):

hararayne

Perhaps. It's also a cold hard fact that the majority of people, even with measuring underestimate their calories by approximately 20%. Look it up. I'm sure you'll find it somewhere.

I ate junk in highschool, but I kept my calorie count low....800 calories approximately, per day. I was also on Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers and followed their diets for several months to a "t' and gained. So who's right?

Hey there.

Wanna know why you gained on 800 calories a day? Why you gain every time you eat a normal diet of 1500 calories?

Read this:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

I didn't gain on 800. On 800 calories a day (approx) I lost weight. I lost well over 30 lbs.

slkehl

Thank you for sharing!

70davis

bump

Tattoos_and_Tea

Thank you SO much for this post. I too was eating under 1000 calories a day (typically 800 calories a day) as I thought that reducing my food intake would make me lose weight, which it did but not in a healthy way. Since upping my calories I have discovered I have more energy, i'm not as cold and, strangly enough, I actually have an appetite. I had convinced myself that bad things would happen and that I would gain weight if I ate over 1000 calories a day but you know what, it hasnt, eating 1200 calories a day has changed my life for the better. Your post is inspirational hun. Thank you for sharing your story x

iuew

i did 900 a day for a big chunk of the largest part of my weight loss. i wouldn't recommend it. i lost fat and muscle, and it took me a couple years to get back to the point where my metabolism was decent.

i get the sentiment of the post, though. once you do something, you feel like that is where the bar is set and that you have to keep hitting the post. it has kind of happened with me when it comes to cardio on the weekends. i feel like i am slacking if i don't do as many minutes as the weekend before. since i do eat a little extra on those days, i suppose it's not that serious of a problem. but if something else comes up and i can't get the time in, i feel guilty.

anyway, for the weight loss part of the diet, i'd probably go at least 1,200 (or more, depending on your height / weight / etc.) lose the weight at a reasonable pace, and with exercise.

o_delaisse

I must say, I worry about my metabolism. It can't be good, so I'm pretty freaked that I'll be gaining soon. Will just have to see, I suppose...