Bummed by 1000 calorie count

khara2012

My life sucks. I recently went to the doctor for a regular old check-up and asked for some diet pills because I have recently started gaining some weight. He told me that for my age and weight I should be consuming 1000 calories a day. I joined myfitnesspal to begin keeping track of my regular calorie count each day and am finding it very difficult to stay within my current calorie goal of 1200 per day...not to mention that eventually I need to get to 1000. I am so sad. Bye-bye my friend Bailey's Irish Cream, bye-bye my friend chicken fried steak and gravy, and bye-bye to my old moto, "There's too much blood in my caffeine stream!" Gone are the days of delicious and creamy hot coffee every hour of the day. I feel like my new life is going to be as boring as washing my hair in the shower. Hello to my new moto, "Lather, rinse, repeat."

Toddrific

Err that seems realllllllly low. Second opinion?

khara2012

Hahaha. I agree!

tigersword

Prime example that doctors aren't dietitians. Definitely get a second opinion as that's ridiculously low.

susanb573

Coffee every hour? Yikes. I think you can still have coffee in your life, just in moderation. Maybe one or two a day? As for calories, 1000 does seem low. I would do two things:

1. Add exercise in because besides making you healthier it allows you more calories.
2. Concentrate of getting a ton of veggies. They fill you up and are low calorie, high nutrient foods.

SueGremlin

You don't have to give up caffeine!

bluemaggie

1000 calories does seem low. The more muscle you have the more calories your body will burn. Also, burning calories while exercising will allow you to consume more calories. For instance if you weigh 130 pounds and are muscular, you may burn 2000 calories in a day as opposed to someone who weighs 130 pounds but is not muscular who may only burn 1500 cal/day. Now, throw in some exercise, and that muscular girl who weighs 130 can consume 2400 cals without gaining weight. So build up those calories and exercise and you'll be able to eat more without gaining.

Tangerine16

You can still have any of these things. They just need to be fitted into your calorie count for the day/week.

It's hard at the beginning not to have something you crave every day, but the longer you eat less, and eat healthily, the less desire you'll have to eat the more unhealthy stuff.

You may find you'll lose quite fast on 1200 cals. I lost 10-11lb in the first month doing this.

Yanicka1

Ekkkk that is low. It would be really nice to go see a nutritionist and have a program adapted to you.

BrideToBe101212

******PLEASE READ!!********

Back in 2006 my doctor told me the SAME thing. I was only 20 at the time, but I weighed about 180 pounds. He said it was healthier for me to lose the weight quickly then to stay like that. The plan I was on was (Eat 1000 calories a day, walk about 5 miles a day). Let me tell you, that ended me up in the emergency room!!! I was passing out almost daily. Regular doctors really are not great at giving out advice like this. A nutritionist or dietician would be better suited.

My suggestions are to make those items treat meals.. (once a week or so) Eat more healthy foods so you can eat more and dont use up your calories so quickly and take a walk each day to gain a few more calories.

How many calories are you eating a day now? More than likely prior to coming onto a site like this, more of us are eating around 2000 without logging foods. If you subtract 500 a day to lose a pound per week, you can still eat 1500 a day.

LorinaLynn

Your doctor needs to get the boot!

You don't have much to lose. Set your MFP goals to one pound a week and eat most of your exercise calories.

I'm about your age and lost weight eating 1.5 to 2 times as much as your doctor is suggesting!

Rabid_Hamster

:laugh:

My life sucks. I recently went to the doctor for a regular old check-up and asked for some diet pills because I have recently started gaining some weight. He told me that for my age and weight I should be consuming 1000 calories a day. I joined myfitnesspal to begin keeping track of my regular calorie count each day and am finding it very difficult to stay within my current calorie goal of 1200 per day...not to mention that eventually I need to get to 1000. I am so sad. Bye-bye my friend Bailey's Irish Cream, bye-bye my friend chicken fried steak and gravy, and bye-bye to my old moto, "There's too much blood in my caffeine stream!" Gone are the days of delicious and creamy hot coffee every hour of the day. I feel like my new life is going to be as boring as washing my hair in the shower. Hello to my new moto, "Lather, rinse, repeat."

First, forget the 1000 calories. Figure out your BMR and consume less than that.
Second, log EVERYTHING you eat.
Third, exercise..
Fourth, drink lots and lots and lots of water. (8+ glasses daily)

If you do this, you'll drop the added pounds and feel better.

Lastly, and this is a personal preference, plan your meals so that you can have some of the things you enjoy. You'll just hate it otherwise and not want to maintain this change. Make room for the things you love. It may mean just having a little less of it, when you do, like not eating a chicken fried steak the size of a bus steering wheel. (I am in Texas, after all)

csingleton80

I would totally go with a second opinion, one from a nutritionist, 1000 calories a day is SUPER low!!

sometimes_blondie

You can still have any of these things. They just need to be fitted into your calorie count for the day/week.

It's hard at the beginning not to have something you crave every day, but the longer you eat less, and eat healthily, the less desire you'll have to eat the more unhealthy stuff.

You may find you'll lose quite fast on 1200 cals. I lost 10-11lb in the first month doing this.

^^This! If I had to entirely give up foods I loved, I couldn't succeed. Eventually you learn how to sneak them in, guilt-free and without sabotaging your success. Yesterday, I knew we would be taking the kids out for ice cream, so I did some extra cardio so I wouldn't feel like Debbie Downer without any ice cream. (I gave half of mine to my husband!)

Rilke

1000 calories a day is of course too low. But I also disagree with Lord007, who suggested eating below your BMR. Both bad advice.

You should be eating *at least* your BMR.

On the other hand, coffee every hour is not a good idea either. Time to break that addiction.

peacefulsong

That really sounds unreasonably low. Do you exercise? If so, that sounds even more unreasonably low. Not to mention unsustainable in the long term, especially as you're already having trouble meeting a 1200 calorie goal. As others have suggested, maybe you should see a nutritionist and work out something that will work for you and be healthy and sustainable.

ngarrett75

Consult a dietitian.

Di3012

My life sucks. I recently went to the doctor for a regular old check-up and asked for some diet pills because I have recently started gaining some weight. He told me that for my age and weight I should be consuming 1000 calories a day. I joined myfitnesspal to begin keeping track of my regular calorie count each day and am finding it very difficult to stay within my current calorie goal of 1200 per day...not to mention that eventually I need to get to 1000. I am so sad. Bye-bye my friend Bailey's Irish Cream, bye-bye my friend chicken fried steak and gravy, and bye-bye to my old moto, "There's too much blood in my caffeine stream!" Gone are the days of delicious and creamy hot coffee every hour of the day. I feel like my new life is going to be as boring as washing my hair in the shower. Hello to my new moto, "Lather, rinse, repeat."

Cut out Baileys (it is ridiculously high in calories for what it is), grill stuff instead of fry (that cuts calories enormously). YOu do not have to cut out caffeine, but think twice about cream, it is ridiculously high in calories - did I already say that - oh yes I did.

Rethink your eating and drinking. You can still have alcohol, but not in abundance. You can still have steak, but do not fry it - actually don't fry anything, grilling does the job and does not tot up your daily calories allowance nowhere near as much.

It all depends on your priorities I guess, overweight or not

khara2012

I bet I was at 2000 calories a day before I started logging my food. You may be right about the calorie reduction. I have lost 3 pounds so far in a little over 2 weeks and have gone over 1200 calories at least 3 or 4 days. I'm gonna' try to do my walking in the morning on the weekends (those are my bad days) and just do what I can during the week. My day is so busy I don't really get around to walking until 7 or so at night. I would rather get my metabolism going a little earlier in the day, if you know what I mean.

khara2012

Thanks for the advice! I'm a Texas girl, too, so you know I'm not cuttin' out my chicken fried steak!

ForeverIrish

And exactly what did this doctor look like from a calorie control perspective? It seems that many of these people are in dire need of a dietician themselves.

I once went to a doctor in my early 20's to have a septoplasty. The doctor came in with dirt under his fingernails and closely resembled Chet from the movie "Weird Science" after Kelly LeBroc got a hold of him. He looked at my nose and said he could fix my septum, and as an added bonus, he'd remove what he thought was a bump from the top. He said, "We'll make you look just like Michael Jackson!"

I ran. I did not walk.

khara2012

Coffee every hour? Yikes. I think you can still have coffee in your life, just in moderation. Maybe one or two a day? As for calories, 1000 does seem low. I would do two things:

1. Add exercise in because besides making you healthier it allows you more calories.
2. Concentrate of getting a ton of veggies. They fill you up and are low calorie, high nutrient foods.

I think the coffee thing came from my days as a barista. Old delicious habits are hard to break!

choose2bfree

Ok, so... yes I am new MFP, but not new to sites such as this. I did skim pretty fast, but I didn’t see where you said what the profile you completed when you joined told you? Neither did I see where anyone suggested you do that….soooooo…. DO IT if you haven’t. I'm 5'10", sedentary and weigh 273. YIKES!!! The calculation on MFP suggested 1650 calories per day. That is dead on with the suggestion given to me on Friday by an MD at a medical weight management clinic. They do bariatric surgery as well as helping people the old fashioned way.

MaryBowen27

I bet I was at 2000 calories a day before I started logging my food. You may be right about the calorie reduction. I have lost 3 pounds so far in a little over 2 weeks and have gone over 1200 calories at least 3 or 4 days. I'm gonna' try to do my walking in the morning on the weekends (those are my bad days) and just do what I can during the week. My day is so busy I don't really get around to walking until 7 or so at night. I would rather get my metabolism going a little earlier in the day, if you know what I mean.

I would continue doing what you're doing and pretend you didn't hear 1000 Cals a day, that is ridiculously low, by any standards and will work against you and likely slow your metabolism. I would use the my fitness pal suggestion and take that with a grain of salt. I think MFP gives more reasonable, liveable numbers.

peacefulsong

And exactly what did this doctor look like from a calorie control perspective? It seems that many of these people are in dire need of a dietician themselves.

I once went to a doctor in my early 20's to have a septoplasty. The doctor came in with dirt under his fingernails and closely resembled Chet from the movie "Weird Science" after Kelly LeBroc got a hold of him. He looked at my nose and said he could fix my septum, and as an added bonus, he'd remove what he thought was a bump from the top. He said, "We'll make you look just like Michael Jackson!"

I ran. I did not walk.

:laugh: I don't know how long ago this happened, but I don't think looking like Michael Jackson was something anyone would want any time in the last 10 or 15 years of his life at least...

cherrieruns

you need a new doc.. The deduction that at your age and weight = 1000 cal a day is horrible. get a new doc.

gregp2012

You look great, baby!

Katbaran

I agree with everyone who said to see a dietician or nutritionist. 1,000 a day is too low. There are diets out there that go that low and lower but they are strictly monitored by medical personnel. Don't tear your body down and get sick! The only other thing I can say is to stay at what MFP rec's--1200 and add exercise to get a few more calories. Your body NEEDS energy to exercise and maintain your systems. Yes, you need to take in less than you burn but you cannot burn more than you take in!

Do this the smart and safe way. Do not hurt yourself! Good nutrition is just as important as cutting calories and exercise.

martdian0512

I think 1000 calories is too low too. I am 43 and am on 1250 -I went from 145 to 135 in a month. Most days I am under my goal if I go for walks or work out (gives you extra calories to consume). So yeah a second opinion is a good idea. Good luck!
PS I think you should keep the Bailey's as a weekly treat.

100over

You've only got 40 lbs to lose....1,000 cals a day is ridiculous. I'm on 1250 a day and I find that difficult to be on. I'm usually 200 or so over but they're healthy cals and I'm still losing weight. I'm 5'4" and 42 yrs old.
I hear ya on the coffee thing....I drank on average 6-8 cups a day, no sugar, but lots of half and half. It's not just my weight that changed that last week, but I was diagnosed with LPR which is a severe form of acid reflux and has burnt the lining of my throat and voicebox. The biggest things I was told to avoid was fat and cofffee. Well, sorry but coffee just wasn't happening, so I made the horrible decision to use skim milk instead of cream. I used to hate people like me and wonder how they even enjoyed their coffee with skim milk.....baahhhh. What I've done is set my coffee make to mild instead of strong, use less coffee per pot, and then the skim milk doesn't tast too bad. I admit it's not as pleasurable, so I'm down to about 3 cups a day but at least I can move in the morning and act human - lol.
Good luck and be sensible. Don't starve yourself otherwise you'll just gain it right back :-)

lisakyle_11

You don't have to give up caffeine!

word. and why would you if you really LOVE coffee? maybe cut out some of the 'creaminess' but you can still have coffee imo (unless you have an underlying health condition).