1000 calories or less diet

SirBen81

If you feel fine eating 900 calories and you have enough energy to workout and get through the day then just keep on doing what you're doing. I wouldn't worry about your body going into starvation mode and "canabalising" itself because it's a very slow process and is nothing you'll drop dead from.

geetabean

Hey Sara! I think that the typical "dieting" mentality is to eat as little as possible and you'll lose weight.....and you might actually lose weight, at least for a little while. If you're anything like me though, you don't want to be on a "diet" but want to be healthy and eat nutritionally! At least that is what I get from reading your thread.

Your body WILL function on 1000 calories, but at some point you are going to want to eat more than that, and as soon as you do, your body will start packing whatever weight you've lost (and then some) back on. So, the idea is to eat as healthy as possible while still losing weight so that you don't have to deny yourself things you like and your body gets all the nutrients it needs to keep you going. And you mentioned previously in this thread that you were used to eating whatever you wanted, mostly fast food.....if that is the case then you were consuming at least 500 calories a meal (probably more than that) so it stands to reason that your body is more than capable of taking in over 1000 calories a day. You just have to learn what to add to your meal to make it well rounded and balance out your cals.

I think the first thing to do is go to this site: http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

Fill out the info and get your BMR. You really shouldn't be eating below your BMR....I eat about 100-200 calories ABOVE my BMR daily and then add my exercise calories when necessary.

The next thing I would do is make out a rough plan for the week of what you are going to eat. It's much easier to get in the foods you need when you plan ahead. Try making a point of having protein, fat and carbohydrates at EACH meal. I looked through your food diary and honestly, not much on there resembled real food. Chips, cereal, Lean Cuisine, diet soda.....not much there that isn't highly processed.....I think those things are totally fine once in a while, but they really shouldn't make up the majority of your diet. There is hardly any nutrition in them. Go to the store and buy as much fresh veggies and fruit as you can afford. If you're picky, buy the veggies that you like and can tolerate and maybe once a week buy a veggie that you don't really like and try out a new recipe and see if you can get used to it. I used to hate mushrooms and zucchini but I just decided I was going to eat them anyway and now I really like both! Buy starches with whole grains....pasta, tortillas, bread. But ground turkey instead of beef, and fish is a great addition to your diet....I eat tilapia a couple times a week. Try and eat 3 full meals and 2 substantial snacks a day here are some ideas:

Breakfast:
scramble eggs up with your favorite veggies. I like mine with spinach, orange bell pepper, mushrooms, kalamata olives and a little shredded cheese. Have a yogurt or a slice of dry toast. Have a cup of melon or a banana. Mix it up. Natural oatmeal is also really good and there are tons of things you can have mix in with it.

Lunch:
make a turkey sandwich, a piece of fruit and some carrot sticks. My favorite lunch is a spinach and lettuce salad with veggies on it, a piece of tilapia and 1/2 cup brown rice. Make a big bath of brown rice that will last a few days. Have a wrap made on a whole grain tortilla. One piece of fruit for lunch is not enough to sustain your body and you need something else to balance out the sugars from it. Have a cup of yogurt too.

Dinner:
There are so many websites out there that have great ideas for lower calorie dinners. Make some whole grain pasta with chicken and broccoli with a low sugar tomato sauce. Make a cheese and chicken quesadilla with a whole grain tortilla, have a loaded salad. There are some great threads on MFP that show you pictures of what people are eating....if nothing else it can give you some inspiration.

I think that eating more while still losing weight is a hard concept to wrap your head around because that is the opposite of what we've always been told, and it seems counter productive. But honestly, it's true! Our bodies need a certain amount of fuel to help keep things running smoothly (this is your BMR) and while you can be successful eating way less than that, why would you want to? Food is good! It's a lot of fun to eat and it makes up a large part of our lives. Why cut back so strictly when you can lose even more weight eating a lot more food and a lot more often?

And as far as having my food diary private.....I'm not a big fan of strangers entering my personal space uninvited. If you want, we can be friends you can see whatever you'd like! I wish you the best of luck with your weight loss! )

hanna6774

how do you think you got fat in the first place?? overeating!!!! so please dont complain about eating too little. if eating too little was the problem, why would any of us be on this site in the first place??????

Totally! I think a lot of fat people overestimate exercise / underestimate eating. I had a very overweight friend who swore she didn't eat junk. She house sat for me and I saw all the junk food wrappers

ya- a lot of fat people do that. what a crap statement.

This fat prson understands where OP is coming from because when I'm in diet mode I mentally do not want to eat-- I'm out of my "fat people" mode of eating mentality.

those darn fat people-- they just can't figure out how to eat and exercise.

LMAO!!!!! If only it was that easy - darn, I thought I hid those wrappers!

chachita7

I understand that everyone will tell you that everyone is different.... If I would have gone in to your diary and seen that you are eating high protein foods I would have seen where your fullness is coming from but that is not the case...

if you start treating this as healthy habits rather than a diet you will find it easier to create habits which are healthier for you. I agree with those who have recommended you start adding things like peanut butter and things with higher calorie content... A banana for lunch is just not enough.... each meal should be balanced.

Though you wouldn't go in starvation mode, you are surely cutting lots of necessary nutrients from your body.