My friend is on a 1000 calorie diet

13

Replies

  • Treece68
    Treece68 Posts: 780 Member
    I just read up on VLCD and it says
    "When an individual consumes 1,000 calories per day or less, it has the same effect physiologically as total starvation, i.e., after four to five days the patient's appetite has diminished and is (in most cases) no longer hungry. "
    So you are starving yourself it also says
    " A VLCD is defined medically as a diet of 800 calories per day or less.
    # A VLCD is primarily for severely or morbidly obese individuals who must lose or wish to lose large amounts of weight as rapidly as possible in a safe manner."
    and the person is under constant Doctor supervision and getting vitamin and nutritional supplements
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    You happen to be correct. Not only it is hard to get all the nutrients you need with less than 1,200 calories a day, but the body begins to think it is starving, and your metabolism slows down in order to conserve energy. She will be tired all the time, not want to exercise, and it will make it that much harder for her to lose weight.

    Hmmmm.....want to explain to me how people who have or have had gastric bypass are alive? For a very long time they eat less than 500 kcal a day and most of their lives live on 1000 or less. I don't see these people being hospitalized for their low calorie diets. As long as a low cal diet is doctor and dietitian supervised, it is fine.

    1) Someone who has weight loss surgery generally has at least 100 pounds to lose and their weight is negatively affecting their health. So not only do they have a lot more excess body fat for the body to use as fuel than a cheerleader looking to lose vanity pounds, but the risks involved in the surgery and eating plan outweigh the risks of continuing to be the weight they are.

    2) People I've known who've had WLS are typically only on the extreme calorie restrictions (500-800 calories) for the first few months, and some of that is due to the liquid diet and bland food while the surgery site heals. Of the ones I've asked (one of my friends who's had surgery runs a fb support group), most are eating near 1200 a year out of surgery. They tend to eat less than the general population, though, because the extreme dieting has changed their metabolism.

    3) The most successful ones are meticulous about getting proper nutrition, especially high protein and lots of vitamins. Which is a helluva lot more than I can say about the low calorie diary creeping I've done in this thread.

    4) Even the healthiest among my friends & acquaintanceship who've had WLS have had other health problems associated with the diet. Losing your gall bladder seems really common. Several have been in and out of the hospital. One spent most of the summer with pneumonia thanks to her suppressed immune system. One died right before her 5 year wedding anniversary. :cry:
  • Aquarian
    Aquarian Posts: 1,094 Member
    Has anyone on this thread who's supporting this 1000 calorie diet actually noted the fact that the girl in question also leads a very active lifestyle, therefore she's probably surviving off a lot less than 1000 calories a day orrr...?

    I did. If she is too active, her body will tell her, she will either stop being so active or eat more food. But it is still her life, and not for the OP or for us to decide what's best for her.

    But some people don't necessarily listen to their body though do they? I do understand the whole 'it's her life' thing, but at the same time if I knew my friend was doing something that could cause some harm to them, I'd probably try and step in and offer some kind of help or advice.

    I would, too. And the OP already did. If she pushes any further, she will probably only push her friend away. And that means in the end the OP wouldn't be able to help her if/when her friend decides she needs help.

    The OP asked what /she/ should do. I think she should do nothing in this case.

    As for people not listening to their bodies, the body usually has a way of making the person listen. I know that's how I ended up in this website to begin with! :)
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    But some people don't necessarily listen to their body though do they? I do understand the whole 'it's her life' thing, but at the same time if I knew my friend was doing something that could cause some harm to them, I'd probably try and step in and offer some kind of help or advice.

    Yeah, I was just thinking about the track star in my older brother's graduating class who died from complications from anorexia. It was 1982, and the first I'd heard of eating disorders. Granted, I was only 10 at the time, so for all I know, it was talked about prior, but it seemed to get a lot more attention the following year after Karen Carpenter died. Then there was after school specials and news programs and stuff.
  • gpoliver
    gpoliver Posts: 87 Member
    I just wanted to say that if she is quite short then 1000 calories isn't too ridiculous. With that amount of exercise it is, but being quite short myself I found that on 1200 calories a day I just wasn't losing any weight. I dropped it down to 1000 and the weight started to come off (a pound a week - nothing crazy!). I do eat exercise calories back though so I make sure it is NET 1000 calories. Perhaps you could suggest that to your friend :)

    Now see I had the oppositie response... I started at 1000 calories a day, as net calories, and had to up it to 1200 net a day to still feel energentic and full . I am losing about 1.5 lbs a week on that. My Doctor told me it was because I am building more muscle mass.... I would imagine a fit young lady with great muscle tone such as a cheerleader would not benefit from a 1000 calorie diet.... BUT I am obese, so there is that... =)
  • vienna26
    vienna26 Posts: 115 Member
    To the op

    I was set to 1200 cals a day at first but through seeing forums like this i was worried it was too low and didnt want to be setting myself up for a fall in the long run, i decided to calculate my TDEE which i did this gave me 1900 cals ive taken 20% off that number for now.

    Maybe ask her how shes worked her TDEE to be 1000 cals??? And suggest she goes on Fat2fitradio.com to use the tools to recalulate her numbers.

    If she doesnt want to then unfortunatley theres not alot that you can do, youve tried and i would just leave her to do it her way sometimes people have to learn from their mistakes before they are ready to listen, just be there for her when she needs you!!
  • HolyPeas
    HolyPeas Posts: 71
    I wouldnt concern yourself with what other people do. the body is not as fragile as you may think. If she is not underweight she'll more than likely be fine.
  • Charlayray
    Charlayray Posts: 66 Member
    1000 is too low. She isn't even obese.

    So by your own opinion, 1k calories is too low. That's hardly going to convince anyone to get off a 1k calorie diet.

    Umm no 1000 is to low. Especially if she is a cheerleader that is seriously low. Where will she get her energy from?

    But I do agree with the other posts, not much you can do but be the role model! She will see if your jumping and flipping with a breeze and she if feeling dizzy that something is wrong. Give it some time. or just eat in front of her and offer some food to her.
  • Shayztar
    Shayztar Posts: 415 Member
    To the OP:

    Don't say anything. If I've learned ANYTHING over the last year re: health and diets, being a voice of reason to people who have their mind set is useless.

    I watch people on VLCD fail and fail and complain and get sick and fail.

    She wants to lose vanity weight. She might lose what she wants. She might lose it fast. She will gain it back. Welcome to the world of yo-yo dieting. This is probably not new to her.

    Say nothing. There is no point.

    General question: Isn't dieting and/or calorie counting fairly commonplace in competitive cheer-leading? Like ballet or gymnastics?
  • JessigirlJb
    JessigirlJb Posts: 656
    I kick my *kitten* with my p90x work outs and mfp gives me 1200 a day.. and i feel great.. maybe 1000 is fine for her and her body
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    I do 1000 calories a day and love it! I don't need to eat anymore than that. We're all on a diet to lose weight right? Not fill our tummies. Go hard or go home is what I say.
    nope......I am here to be healthy so I will eat my 1500-2000 calories a day. I kinda like being able to lift one and a half time my body weight.
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
    To the OP:

    Don't say anything. If I've learned ANYTHING over the last year re: health and diets, being a voice of reason to people who have their mind set is useless.

    I watch people on VLCD fail and fail and complain and get sick and fail.

    She wants to lose vanity weight. She might lose what she wants. She might lose it fast. She will gain it back. Welcome to the world of yo-yo dieting. This is probably not new to her.

    Say nothing. There is no point.

    General question: Isn't dieting and/or calorie counting fairly commonplace in competitive cheer-leading? Like ballet or gymnastics?

    I disagree because they are in competitive cheerleading. It's a safety issue for the entire team.

    Competitive cheerleading isn't just individual gymnastics and dance routines. It's pyramids, tossing each other across the stage, etc. Every team member has to be capable of physically supporting the other team members.

    What happens when "undereating girl" feels shaky and the pyramid collapses? Or God forbid she is catching you when you're thrown across the stage and she passes out instead?
  • lwagnitz
    lwagnitz Posts: 1,321 Member
    Flat out tell her she's stupid and she's only going to hurt herself. I used to be in cheer so I know how physically demanding it is. She's going to get really sick and feel really weak. That not only puts her at a risk, but your team as well.
  • nekoxvampyx
    nekoxvampyx Posts: 163
    your friend is killing her self. you body NEEDS at least 1200 calories to keep its self running, if you starve your self your body starts eating away your muscle mass and guess which muscle we need to live? the HEART. If the heart fails then all her hard working out will be for nothing cause she'll be dead. -.- so tell your friend to screw her brain on right and lose weight the right way.
  • nekoxvampyx
    nekoxvampyx Posts: 163
    also the more you work out the more you need to eat. -.- your muscles need protein to repair themselves.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    Statistically speaking, the TDEE of a moderately active female (3-5 exercise days) at 5'3" and 130 lbs is in the neighborhood of 2000 calories. So by eating 1000 calories, she sets the dietary deficit at 1000 calories - 50% below maintenance. The key variable here is how much exercise is she doing each day to further the deficit.

    I've posted this in another thread but I'll do it here...

    This is a study with regularly menstruating women who engaged in 15 cal x lean body mass in kg of cardio at 70% VO2 max for 5 days. There were four groups, each consuming 45, 10, 20 or 30 cal x lean body mass in kg x 5 days, respectively. It was discovered that if women consumed less than 30 cal x lean body mass in kg x 5 days, while creating a default exercise deficit of 15 cal x lean body mass in kg per day for 5 days, they had high risk of experiencing disruption in LH pulsatiltiy and ovarian function.

    Here is an example: 130 lbs; LBM of 45.5 kg (100 lbs); TDEE 2000 calories.

    15 cal x 45.5 LBM kg = 682 cardio calories x 5 days = 3409 cardio calories in 5 days.

    30 cal x 45.5 LBM kg x 5 days = 6825 total calories eaten in 5 days (1365 calories per day).

    5 Day breakdown
    TDEE 2000 (x5) = 10000
    (6825 - 3409) divided by 10000 = Threshold
    3416 (net) / 10000 = 64% deficit below TDEE (x5) of 10000

    Daily breakdown
    2000 - 1365 = 635 deficit from eating less
    635 + 682 (exercise) = sum deficit of 1317
    2000 - 1317 = 683 net
    683 / 2000 = 66% deficit below TDEE of 2000

    Thus, if this woman who has a 5 day TDEE of 10000 calories, eats 6825 calories over 5 days and does 3409 calories of cardio over 5 days, resulting in an energy availability (net) of 3416 calories, she reaches the threshold. The study states she will not experience disruption at or above that number, but the likelihood occurs if she goes below an energy availability (net) of 3416 calories over 5 days.

    Here is the study:
    http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/88/1/297.full
  • aftergypsies
    aftergypsies Posts: 248 Member
    When I first started my "lifestyle change" I ate really low cal and worked out about 45 mins a day. I lost weight fast and I wasn't really even that hungry after working out and eating so little. Now though, I run about 3miles every other day and I couldn't eat that low cal if I wanted too. I am starving and eating like a fiend all day. Haha.

    I don't think for someone as active as your friend it's wise to eat that much with working out. If she didn't work out at all that would be different, imo.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    Why not suggest MFP to her (after asking that this thread get deleted?) Just tell her, "I hear you want to lose weight. I am worried about how little you are eating to do that. Would you be willing to give this website's plan a try for a week and see how you feel?"
  • sarelijoh
    sarelijoh Posts: 1
    You could encourage her to speak to a nutritionist, dietician, etc. If she is in cheer leading that is a very active sport, so she probably does need more than 1,000 on the days she is practicing cheering.

    I usually eat about 1,000 calories a day, give or take. I don't really consider it a diet. I mean I splurge sometimes of course, but in general, thats what I do. I jog, but not daily. I have a desk job. I'm not super active, so that amount works for me.

    I know I'm not starving/killing/hurting myself. I'm not going to end up in the hospital. I've gradually lost weight doing this, but not to an extreme. Maybe 6lbs in a month or so..

    If I eat more, 1500/day plus, I will be overweight. I'm 5' 2'', I'm 30, I just can't eat that much without consequences. I feel better when I eat like this.

    But, that's just me.
  • RyanWilson1993
    RyanWilson1993 Posts: 409 Member
    Tell her that shes burning through muscle tissue on that low of a intake
  • Crying_In_Color
    Crying_In_Color Posts: 246 Member
    FIRST off, I have been an athlete all my life, I know first hand that if this person is doing what she is describing she is not eating enough to compensate for her workouts. If your body is burning close to 1000 calories a day with the work outs, what is left over ?!

    Stored energy which is commonly referred to as fats.

    SECOND, I have a friend that ended up in the hospital from eating the same way (athletic, 145 lbs, 5'3) eating roughly 1100 per day (even with her workouts and practices).

    Don't know much about your friend and her exact diet so I can't comment on that. I can make up a true scary story though. Almost half of the adult Americans are obese and are at risk of type 2 diabetes and could end up getting their leg amputated. I personally think my story is scarier as it affects a much larger population and involves losing limbs.

    As far as solid evidence, there are countless articles and websites promoting healthy weight loss, any fitness plan would not restrict someone to that unless there is a medical reason. Even MFP will set someone at a 1200 minimum (which is still too low for most people).

    Healthy is a general term. There is no set definition of healthy eating in nutritional journals.

    I also don't see any solid arguments from you either, other than calling me and another poster out on our "fear mongering" post.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/194142-risks-of-a-low-calorie-diet/

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/278787-risks-of-losing-fat-fast/?utm_source=undefined_R1

    The only real risks such as heart diseases and irregular heart beats from those articles are talking about a VLC-diets. Those are diets under 800 calories and not the 1k diets, as defined in your very own article. Even if it was true a VLC-diet, it can be manageable if done properly. Link below for an example of someone who did a true VLC-Diet and lived to tell the tale.
    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121060001&page=1

    I don't like you and so I think we shall be friends.
  • victoria4321
    victoria4321 Posts: 1,719 Member
    Give her some Caltine bars and tell her it makes you lose weight crazy fast!
  • schondell
    schondell Posts: 556 Member
    1000 calories a day is not bad for her. People greatly overestimate the amount of calories they need to function in a day. Instead of looking at it in terms of calories, look at in terms of food, is she eating well?
  • schondell
    schondell Posts: 556 Member
    Give her some Caltine bars and tell her it makes you lose weight crazy fast!

    Kady, stop.
  • tootertay
    tootertay Posts: 1
    I also just started a 1,000 calorie diet and it's not so bad. It hurts a bit at first because you're hungry, but it fades and doesn't really affect you!!! :)
  • Blmarlborough
    Blmarlborough Posts: 28
    Well it depends. If she has a decent amount of body fat, then thats fine. The body has fat for a reason. It needs to be used in times of famines, whether self induced or not. However, if shes a twig, then that is bad. Once reaching 5% ish body fat, her body will not be able to break down any fat, and her body will break down proteins for glucose, instead of ketones from fats, leading to the catabolization of her lean tissue and she will die. So yeaaaah. How them Celtics guys? Hah just kidding. They're doing terrible this season.
  • nikilis
    nikilis Posts: 2,305 Member
    Threads like this remind me how the majority of people here really have no idea, and shouldn't comment. this is a total farce.

    3p7t7b.jpg

    I would get into this but theres too many of you and you are all so, so wrong. i've reached the point where I'm quite happy to let you all crap out your internal organs.
  • Rays_Wife
    Rays_Wife Posts: 1,173 Member
    Threads like this remind me how the majority of people here really have no idea, and shouldn't comment. this is a total farce.

    3p7t7b.jpg

    I would get into this but theres too many of you and you are all so, so wrong. i've reached the point where I'm quite happy to let you all crap out your internal organs.

    crawled.jpg
  • nikilis
    nikilis Posts: 2,305 Member
    Threads like this remind me how the majority of people here really have no idea, and shouldn't comment. this is a total farce.

    3p7t7b.jpg

    I would get into this but theres too many of you and you are all so, so wrong. i've reached the point where I'm quite happy to let you all crap out your internal organs.

    crawled.jpg

    YEAH-BUT-Y-U-MAD.jpg
  • JennW130
    JennW130 Posts: 460 Member
    Nothing. You can't do anything. I know someone eating 900 calories a day (and I know for sure she needs more than this, I've run the calculations, but whatever) and nothing I say will trump her DOCTOR'S recommendation.. The same doctor that put her on Phentermine and 20g of carbs a day. She's losing weight like crazy. But she said herself that she's done this before (and gained it all back).

    Just like there's nothing you can do to tell someone who is morbidly obese that they need to lose weight. Or tell an anorexic person that they need to eat.

    psshh. thats nothing! Get this. I had a friend have a doctor prescribe her some type of diet pill and told her to eat only once a day, 500 calories. 2 months later she had lost no weight and she asked the doctor why, and the dr just told her "i guess your that 1% that cant lose weight that way" I told her about MFP. I dont know if she ever joined though

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