800-1000 calories?
luv1another
Posts: 13
I am a 44 year old women, I am 165cm (5foot 5inches) and weigh 118kgs (260pounds). I have been losing weight since the end of January but slowed right down to the point I was only losing a few hundred grams or gaining.
I am doing the couch to 5 k treadmill program for exercise and currently at week 7 which for those that haven't heard of it, its a program set out for either real running or running on the treadmill. It starts assuming you dont do exercise or very little and works you up from walking with half minute jogs in between to jogging 30 minutes. Now according to the app I use I am burning about 700 calories when I do my 30 minutes 3 times a week. I also do a walk on Thursdays which is about 250 calories burnt and Tuesday varies depending on my health
Because I wasn't losing much weight I went to the Dr and he did tests and then put me on Duromine 30mg for 30 days. I lost 4kgs from the time he weighed me which was the week before I started taking the pills so 5 weeks. This is the kind of weight I would expect to lose without Duromine.
I had my appointment for him to check on me yesterday, everything was fine as far as blood pressure etc. He then put me on 40mg since the 30mg wasn't doing anything. I then asked him what sort of calories I should be eating as I was eating around 1200calories a day and then got fitness pal and they put me up to 1350 calories so was eating that and eating my exercise calories back. so on the treadmill days I would add the 700calories burnt to how many calories I had to eat. The Doctor told me I should be eating 800-1000 calories for weight loss.
Now according to what I have read and what others tell me that is putting my body into starvation mode...what I need to know does anyone have any experience and would know what amount of calories I should be eating? another site I found said I should be eating 1440 calories. I am very confused and don't know why the dr would tell me to put my body into starvation????/
can anyone help??????????...I am getting to the point where there is so much conflicting information I don't know what to believe or what I should or shouldn't be doing. I am about ready to say stuff it and eat whatever I want as I was never a big eater in the first place. I also have hypothyroidism which I am on thyroxin 150mg a day (one reason I put on so much weight the depo needle is another)
I am doing the couch to 5 k treadmill program for exercise and currently at week 7 which for those that haven't heard of it, its a program set out for either real running or running on the treadmill. It starts assuming you dont do exercise or very little and works you up from walking with half minute jogs in between to jogging 30 minutes. Now according to the app I use I am burning about 700 calories when I do my 30 minutes 3 times a week. I also do a walk on Thursdays which is about 250 calories burnt and Tuesday varies depending on my health
Because I wasn't losing much weight I went to the Dr and he did tests and then put me on Duromine 30mg for 30 days. I lost 4kgs from the time he weighed me which was the week before I started taking the pills so 5 weeks. This is the kind of weight I would expect to lose without Duromine.
I had my appointment for him to check on me yesterday, everything was fine as far as blood pressure etc. He then put me on 40mg since the 30mg wasn't doing anything. I then asked him what sort of calories I should be eating as I was eating around 1200calories a day and then got fitness pal and they put me up to 1350 calories so was eating that and eating my exercise calories back. so on the treadmill days I would add the 700calories burnt to how many calories I had to eat. The Doctor told me I should be eating 800-1000 calories for weight loss.
Now according to what I have read and what others tell me that is putting my body into starvation mode...what I need to know does anyone have any experience and would know what amount of calories I should be eating? another site I found said I should be eating 1440 calories. I am very confused and don't know why the dr would tell me to put my body into starvation????/
can anyone help??????????...I am getting to the point where there is so much conflicting information I don't know what to believe or what I should or shouldn't be doing. I am about ready to say stuff it and eat whatever I want as I was never a big eater in the first place. I also have hypothyroidism which I am on thyroxin 150mg a day (one reason I put on so much weight the depo needle is another)
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Replies
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Listen to your doctor.
You have a large amount of fat stored that will be used by your body for energy. You will not go into the dreaded "starvation mode". You need to get that weight off, it's really dangerous for your general health.
Listen to your doctor.0 -
First, congrats on your weight loss to date and for making it to week 7 of the C25K program. Looking at your post, I would say 700 calories burned for a 30 minute run is WAY too many, regardless of what the treadmill says. I would back that down considerably or not even log it at all if you aren't losing weight. As far as only eating 800-1000 calories a day, I don't think that is nearly enough for your current size. I would do at least 1200, probably more, because I am 160lbs and eating 1200 calories a day (BTW my doctor also told me I could go down to 1000 calories/day if I wanted - but I don't think that is realistic long term). I would stick with what myfitness pal recommends of 1350, sounds about right, and on days you run only add 200 or so and see if that works. Good luck to you!!!
P.S. There is a book called "The Petite Advantage Diet" that is geared for those of us on the shorter side (I'm 5'4"), it has tons of great tips in it.0 -
I am 163cm and currently 103 Kilo's I started out at 113.2. If I were you I would go to this web page
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/
I would then go to this web page
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
I would eat what the chart at the very bottom of the page tells you to.
It is what I have been doing and I consistently lose weight. I will lose for 3 weeks then I not for a week. That is what has been happening for the past month or so.
Currently I am allowed 2151 calories a day. As I lose that amount will go down. You can look for the group eat more to weigh less if you want as well.
I would never go that low on calories personally. I don't think I would be very pleasant to live with if I did.
I am not losing fast but I am losing. I am trying to retrain myself and the way I look at food. SO honestly I don't care if it take me 2 years to hit my goal. At least at the end of the road I will have taught myself the proper way to eat for my body,
Jackie0 -
Listen to your doctor.
I wouldn't listen to that doctor!
He is clueless, Duromine has been banned in most countries especially in Europe because of it's long list of dangerous side effects, but it seems doctors in Australia give it out freely to their patients!
A doctor who gives out these type of appetite suppressants and suggest eating as low as 800 cals hasn't got much idea about nutrition.
When I discovered I had diabetes a few years ago I went to see a qualified nutritionist and dietition who gave me far better advice than a doctor could give me.0 -
Starvation mode is an extremely long process (as in multiple months - years) of way less than 1000 calories/day. If people went into "starvation mode" by eating 900 calories/day for a month there would be no such thing as an anorexic or someone starving to death.0
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700 calories is too high an estimate for exercise. Maybe do as one poster stated and eat 1300-1450 without adding exercise calories. Forget the dumbo doc, if you do not feed the engine you will not lose the weight.0
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You are about my size, I'm about an inch taller. 800-1000 calories sounds WAY too low. It sounds to me like you are possibly overestimating what kind of calories you are burning. Apps and such aren't always going to be accurate. Maybe you could look into getting a heart rate monitor so that you can make sure what you are counting as calories burned is as accurate as possible before you reduce your calories so dramatically.0
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FIRE HIM!!!!
No one should be eating below their BMR, unless you want to loose bone and muscle along with fat.
Please read this blog by a member of Eat More To Weigh Less, it has some great links too:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/lillebanon/view/my-take-on-eating-more-to-weigh-less-254554
No reason to eat (die) on a very low calorie diet (VLCD)! After all, your not going to keep eating 800-1000 calories a day for the rest of your life, are you?
Best wishes for a healthier you!0 -
Your weight loss has slowed because of the way that your body has responded to eating too few calories. To lose weight, your body has to be working full throttle. On days that you do not work out, you are not at much of a deficit. On days that you are working out, you are at a severe deficit. I am no doctor, but I do know that the body will try to survive. One way is to slow down the use of its "fuel".
Also, unless your doctor is a nutritionist, he probably doesn't know what he is talking about. My 7 yr old son eats more than 800 calories a day for maintenance.
JSP2374's post is on the money.0 -
I will not be so quick as to say not to listen to your doctor; however, I WOULD by all means get a second opinion on this one. My bet is though he/she will tell you to eat more-- at least 1200 cal.0
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Congrats on your C25k program!!!!! This is a major accomplishment! I am assuming that your doctor is a general practitioner, not a specialist. With the kind of effort you are putting into your weight loss you need to see better results. It is time to see a dietician or nutritionist, this is their specialty. This should be a lifestyle change and eating 800 - 100 calories a day is not something that you can maintain and may lead you to binge. At least it would to me and that is not somewhere you want to go.0
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Your weight loss has slowed because of the way that your body has responded to eating too few calories. To lose weight, your body has to be working full throttle. On days that you do not work out, you are not at much of a deficit. On days that you are working out, you are at a severe deficit. I am no doctor, but I do know that the body will try to survive. One way is to slow down the use of its "fuel".
Also, unless your doctor is a nutritionist, he probably doesn't know what he is talking about. My 7 yr old son eats more than 800 calories a day for maintenance.
JSP2374's post is on the money.
Bump! I would either go get a 2nd opinion or go see a nutritionist or both. Those cal's seem WAY too low. Also don't forget any muscle you might be gaining with strength training. And remember slower progress is better for your body although we love to see fast results
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Get a second opinion outside your general practitioner (I am assuming they are your regular doctor). Normal docs are not specialists in everything. Hence, general practitioner.
I would see a specialist if I were you and see what they say. Try a nutritionist with experience with your health problems (e.g. hypothyroid). Perhaps try to find a person with a Masters in Nutrition as well as a medical related degree, such as an MD or even an RN. 0 -
800-1000 sounds way too low. I am 5'3" and about 245 pounds and my maintenance, according to this site, is 2,150 (I listed my activity level as sedentary, but I'm probably closer to lightly active because I'm supposed to eat 1,200 a week to lose about 2 lbs a week, but I've lost at least that much each week by eating 1,450 each day -- Just can't seem to get it together to eat less than that.)
Meanwhile, I agree with the others who say the calorie burn estimate is way high. I'm guessing your burn is probably closer to 350-400 max. I burn about 250 walking on the treadmill for 30-35 minutes at 3 mph with a few inclines thrown in.
You may want to do a little more research and find what works for you.
Just re-read your post and realized you mentioned hypothyroidism. Is it possible you need to have those levels checked and the meds adjusted? Good luck!0 -
I would say you should be eating 1000 calories plus your exercise points.0
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Get a second opinion.0
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Is this a Doctor or a Nutrition Specialist?
Doctors take maybe 3 classes about nutrition in college.
Get an opinion from someone in the nutrition field.0 -
Serioulys how many of you have a degree in medicine or nutrition!!!!!! Wtf.
Do yourself a favor and google starvation mode, get yourself educated .0 -
Starvation mode is an extremely long process (as in multiple months - years) of way less than 1000 calories/day. If people went into "starvation mode" by eating 900 calories/day for a month there would be no such thing as an anorexic or someone starving to death.
QFT0 -
id say Get an HRM 700 is WAY high for that. I know its running but that is high for even outside (which is usually higher)
Also I personally would get a new doctor if I had a doctor tell me to eat so little. im 5'5" and eat 1640 (when i dont exercise and dont eat back cals which i almost always do when i exercise but I have a polar HRM)
Also eat all cals CLEAN if i stay in my cals but eat crappy foods i dont lose AND i bloat :-)
and water. i only drink water and it is awesome! it flushes out my system so much better than other junk. once or twice a week ill have something else (propel zero or something like that) to switch it up a bit. good luck to you! add me if ya need a friend0 -
What Drs believed to be true years ago is being proven inaccurate and new research is always showing advancements...I found after going to my Dr, then a nutritionist, then researching that info, that there are a lot of beliefs in dieting that are no longer true but people are really stuck in the past and are having a hard time moving on...10 years from now this wont be the case as with any new medical advancement. I would talk to a highly recommended nutritionist in your area and then follow that advice...but eating below the 1200 cal intake may not be bad advice but since everyone is different there isnt any way for anyone on these boards to tell you what they think, especially if they arent Drs in the first place....dont fire your Dr...since they are usually right, but taking pills to lose the weight will only mean the weight will come back when you are done if your not very careful so I think your best bet s to see a nutrisionist. Have you had your Thyroid checked...it is a leading cause to lack o weight loss or struggle there in as well, and its a simple blood test. 0
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thanks everyone...
yes I had my thyroid checked along with other stuff before the Dr put me on duromine...the level of thyroid was slightly high but the dr said as long as I am feeling fine to stay at that level and we will do another check in 6 months.
maybe a nutritionist is the way to go...not sure if there is one in town though but I will find out0 -
do you mean 700 calories in total for the week for your C25K sessions, rather than per session.
Most people burn around 100 calories per mile, so 700 seems ok for all 3 sessions assuming you did just over 2 miles aech session, but is way too high for one single session.0 -
Another vote here for not listening to the treadmill on calories burned. During a 45 minute c25k session I would burn around 400 according to my hrm. This is doubling that estimate for you and could be a major factor. I would try keeping your calorie goal the same for now, but don't eat back the exercise calories, or maybe only add 1-200 extra when you work out, to make sure you're not in fact eating too much.
I would also consider getting a second opinion on the nutrition front. Because you have hypothyroidism I think it's even more important to make sure you've got everything in the right balance. Unfortunately, that, coupled with eeeevil depo, isn't going to help. Are you still on the depo? This is one thing that you *could* change - I lost 1 1/2 stones when I came off the depo after 7 years on it. Never again lol!
Also, peeps here can give you some pointers on what you're eating if you open your diary up - we could perhaps help you to make adjustments in your food choices that would help :flowerforyou:0 -
I am using an iphone app called pedometer to measure calories burned for just the run part on the treadmill I am registering around 5kms or just over with the walking. warm up and cool down I don't add that I turn the pedometer on when I start to run and turn off when the run part is over...the last run was 5.2kms and I burned 657 cals according to this. my last walk was 3.3 kms outside and burned 289 calories.
Breakfast
a sachet of porridge around 150 calories depending on the brand
lactose free skim milk 250ml 90 calories
1 tbsp personalised protein powder by Herbalife 20 calories
and 1 serve of Herbalife shake mix added to porridge which is 100 calories
total for breakfast = 360 calories
Saturdays we have 1 homemade pancake usually half quinoa flour half normal flour which is less than 100 calories
Snack
Herbalife protein bar 134 calories, usually(Can vary depending on mood)
Lunch
250ml lactose free skim milk 90 calories
Herbalife shake mix 100 calories
personalised protein powder 20 calories
total 210 calories
Snack
ranges from 2 boiled eggs, a handful of unsalted roasted almonds, pistachio's, cranberries a protein bar depending on my mood and whats available but usually under 200 calories and more often under 100 calories
Dinner
varies a lot but something like meat and vegies, chicken and Quinoa salad, slow cooker, spagetti bolgognese, stirfry with chicken or other meat, sushi
it also varies in calories.
sometimes we will have air popped popcorn with a little salt or a piece of fruit or some nuts an hour or two after dinner
weekends we do have a couple drinks...I do log these
also Mon, Wednesday and Friday I burn around 700 calories jogging on the treadmill (according to pedometer) (this was less a few weeks ago as we have been working up to jogging)
Tuesdays I do half an hour walking on the treadmill or occasionally depending on how my heels are (I have heel spurs) I may not do anything
Thursdays we walk to the video shop which is about 294 calories burned
Saturdays we also sometimes walk to the video shop again its about 3kms so around 290 calories0 -
I am 163cm and currently 103 Kilo's I started out at 113.2. If I were you I would go to this web page
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/
I would then go to this web page
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
I would eat what the chart at the very bottom of the page tells you to.
It is what I have been doing and I consistently lose weight. I will lose for 3 weeks then I not for a week. That is what has been happening for the past month or so.
Currently I am allowed 2151 calories a day. As I lose that amount will go down. You can look for the group eat more to weigh less if you want as well.
I would never go that low on calories personally. I don't think I would be very pleasant to live with if I did.
I am not losing fast but I am losing. I am trying to retrain myself and the way I look at food. SO honestly I don't care if it take me 2 years to hit my goal. At least at the end of the road I will have taught myself the proper way to eat for my body,
Jackie
^^this!!!^^ I am also losing slow and steadily this way.
Eating this way means your exercise is already accounted for so not so important to know your burn - although I do wear a hrm & eat back if I do extra or have a high burn.
I also recommend checking out the eat more to weigh less group : )0 -
Your weight loss has slowed because of the way that your body has responded to eating too few calories. To lose weight, your body has to be working full throttle. On days that you do not work out, you are not at much of a deficit. On days that you are working out, you are at a severe deficit. I am no doctor, but I do know that the body will try to survive. One way is to slow down the use of its "fuel".
Also, unless your doctor is a nutritionist, he probably doesn't know what he is talking about. My 7 yr old son eats more than 800 calories a day for maintenance.
JSP2374's post is on the money.
Bump! I would either go get a 2nd opinion or go see a nutritionist or both. Those cal's seem WAY too low. Also don't forget any muscle you might be gaining with strength training. And remember slower progress is better for your body although we love to see fast results
My 2 year old son needs more than 800 calories a day!0 -
WHY do people think that 700+ calories for a PT session is too high???
I easily burn 600+ cal on sessions (using a HRM, weight 190 lb) - just because YOU don't burn that much it does not mean that others dont!
I did a 5k race today in 33 min and burnt 645 cal because i pushed myself and my heart rate to 160-170 the whole way round0 -
I had the same question for my doctor when I started using MFP. My doctor also recommended 800-1000 calories for weight loss. He said that essentially, if you eat the extra calories you earn from the exercise all you are doing is maintaining the weight when the goal is to lose it. In order tro lose the weight safely 800-1000 is the optimal daily consumption. MFP will always say you are consuming too few calories even if you only come in 1 calorie under their calculated projections so I would not worry too much about that. As someone else posted, your body has fat stores that it will work off of, so starvation mode at this point is not a factor. I know of others that give themselves a "cheat day" during the week, usually Saturday or Sunday an hat seems to help keep them on track. You also need to keep in mind that from time to time your body will hit a plateau and the weight loss will stagnate for a period of time. It usually lasts no more than two weeks for me, as my body accustoms itself to the new weight and dimensions. Don't get discouraged and just keep doing what you are doing and the weight will come off at a safe pace.
When I started my journey a year ago, I weighed in at 289 lbs, I am now currently 152 lbs. Good luck on your journey!!!0 -
I had the same question for my doctor when I started using MFP. My doctor also recommended 800-1000 calories for weight loss. He said that essentially, if you eat the extra calories you earn from the exercise all you are doing is maintaining the weight when the goal is to lose it. In order tro lose the weight safely 800-1000 is the optimal daily consumption. MFP will always say you are consuming too few calories even if you only come in 1 calorie under their calculated projections so I would not worry too much about that. As someone else posted, your body has fat stores that it will work off of, so starvation mode at this point is not a factor. I know of others that give themselves a "cheat day" during the week, usually Saturday or Sunday an hat seems to help keep them on track. You also need to keep in mind that from time to time your body will hit a plateau and the weight loss will stagnate for a period of time. It usually lasts no more than two weeks for me, as my body accustoms itself to the new weight and dimensions. Don't get discouraged and just keep doing what you are doing and the weight will come off at a safe pace.
^^^^This.....glad to know there is someone else out there who feels the way I do....and whose body works the way mine does. 0
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