To those doing very low cals (in the 600 to 1200 range)

psuLemon

Answer me this.....I have had gastric bypass. My surgeon and the dietician have instructed me to eat 700-1000 calories. I usually do 600-800. I walk daily and loss a pound almost every other day. Yes, I take a multi-vit twice a day, Calcium + Vit D three times a day, B-1 and B-12 once a day.

Yes, I have hit platques from time to time but it never lasts for long. I usually up my calories or increase my walking. I am in the best health I have EVER been in.

So eating low calories is expectable...but I would suggest you do it under the supervision of doctor. The first 3 months after surgery I see the surgeon and dietician once a month. After 3 months I see them every 3 months till I am 18 months post op...then it is every 6.

Surgery is a special case, you can't compare your situation to someone without it. It's a whole different ball of wax.

But if it works for a gastric bypass patient why does it not work for anyone else.

To expand on SHBoss, in many cases, WLS doesn't work. How many times do you hear about people losing 100lbs+ doing gastric and then gain it back? It's only "successful" when one learns how to eat. The issue that many of us have with WLS is the amount of lean body mass. And when you lose upto 50% of your weight loss from muscle, for me personally, i wouldn't call that a huge success. Are you healthier today at 100 lbs down, heck yea but unless you learn how to eat, then you will gain it all back at some point. And you will gain it back faster and more likely gain more back. When you lose muscle, you slow down your metabolic rate so it takes a lot less calories to gain back. This is also the same reason diets do NOT work. They are all based on extreme calorie restriction, so you lose a lot of muscle, which is why you gain back so easily.

SHBoss1673

just for the record, my wife is currently going through this. And like many of the people who have confirmed this isn't just a body builder thing, she also cannot lose weight even though she eats very clean, and exercises HARD every day (harder than me, and that's saying something). She was on a 2400 calorie diet after struggling her whole life with her weight. She is currently about 197 and hasn't moved in about a year weight wise. She went up from 1800 calories about 6 months ago, not a pound one way or the other. I suggested she go up and she did (apparently not enough). She was so frustrated that I suggested she go see a registered dietitian, she did, yesterday.

The dietitian (mind you, this is a professional in nutrition with years of experience, thousands of clients, and a college 6 year degree in nutritional science) confirmed the video is accurate (we emailed it to her on Monday, she's awesome by the way), and after having a long conversation with my wife and doing the numbers for her, told her she thinks she's not eating anywhere near enough and suggested she start with 2650 calories to LOSE 1 lb a week, and we go from there. Please note, my wife is not on MFP and doesn't follow the eating exercise calories function, so her base calories are based on TDEE plus average daily exercise, don't ask why she's not on here, it's a separation of church and state thing, we don't want to fight about stuff so I stay out of her weight loss when ever possible, and she stays out of my mentoring.

I'm not just talking out of my *kitten* people, these are real professionals I'm giving you, not some weight loss guru or surgery program out to make a quick buck off desperate people.

Think about this before you comment. I have no stake in this game, I don't gain, or lose if you fail, I make no money off your success or failure. I'm already at my maintenance. My main motivating factor is my wife, and helping others because I love it. I am lucky enough to have a science background and a passion for nutrition, thus I can do my research and read scientific studies and understand all the jargon that they spout. I like passing this information on. If you don't like the results, no problem, but at least show me some science behind your reasoning if you want to debate it.

And no, saying "it doesn't work for me" doesn't cut it. I don't know your situation, I don't know if you've followed a correct path, I don't know your medical conditions, and I don't know if you're even who you say you are. I provide links to professionals and science to back my thoughts up, if you can't do so, then I don't really care about your opinion that much. No offense but unless you have a degree in a nutrition related field, or can provide proof that what you are saying has real merit for the rest of us, I'm not interested.

amy1612

Lol at the people pulling the 'A PhD doesn't mean you know anything' out of the bag. O'rly? You know more than someone who spen at least 3 years exclusively studying that topic? Please. Spare me. In all likelihood the 1200 calories a day wouldn't provide you with the brain function to complete a PhD, so get off your beef horses.

I'm 5ft2, female. I spent a couple of years on 1200 calories,doing crazy *kitten* cardio. Did my body change? Did it hell, and I was tired, a lot.

I no longer count calories, I eat well, I lift heavy. My body composition has changed more in the past 6 months than it did in 2 years. If people want to eat bugger all and think its a magical fix, go ahead. No-ones demonising you, its just being suggested that you could see the same results by NOT eating that little.

Matt_Wild

Lol at the people pulling the 'A PhD doesn't mean you know anything' out of the bag. O'rly? You know more than someone who spen at least 3 years exclusively studying that topic? Please. Spare me. In all likelihood the 1200 calories a day wouldn't provide you with the brain function to complete a PhD, so get off your beef horses.

I'm 5ft2, female. I spent a couple of years on 1200 calories,doing crazy *kitten* cardio. Did my body change? Did it hell, and I was tired, a lot.

I no longer count calories, I eat well, I lift heavy. My body composition has changed more in the past 6 months than it did in 2 years. If people want to eat bugger all and think its a magical fix, go ahead. No-ones demonising you, its just being suggested that you could see the same results by NOT eating that little.

:drinker:

Those in the know generally say don't do 600-1200 calories.

For those who say my Dr said... every Dr i've had has admitted I know far more about my body, nutrition than them. GP's are just that, GENERAL practitioners. They are not medically skilled in the way of given a detailed diet in the way you'd want.

1200 will NOT kill you. Its not going to make you sick. It WILL for most people make you lean body mass levels drop and you WILL find it MUCH easier to put the weight back on.

Thats why 90% of dieters do within the first year (will grab the studies showing this if you care) will put the weight back on - they go on a diet they cannot sustain and go back to old eating methods for either hunger comfort or both.

Learn to eat at amount that will be sustainable and you will lose the weight and keep it off. Always diet on as many calories as you can, not as few as possible.

It'll be better for you in the long run.

Helloitsdan

Hey!

January is coming!

It's going to snow on MFP with thousands of unique snowflakes!
I expect 1000s of "1200calorie" threads.

For the ones who attempt the "1200calories/day" I expect to see 1000s of threads in say March that start with
"1200cals and not losing!!!"
"1200calores and plateau"
"help!!! Not losing!"

lousoulbody

Bump

HeidiMightyRawr

A great video, thanks!

I don't eat that low, as I lose on 2300-2500 a day. It was still interesting to listen to though

Aries03

Bump

johloz

Answer me this.....I have had gastric bypass. My surgeon and the dietician have instructed me to eat 700-1000 calories. I usually do 600-800. I walk daily and loss a pound almost every other day. Yes, I take a multi-vit twice a day, Calcium + Vit D three times a day, B-1 and B-12 once a day.

Yes, I have hit platques from time to time but it never lasts for long. I usually up my calories or increase my walking. I am in the best health I have EVER been in.

So eating low calories is expectable...but I would suggest you do it under the supervision of doctor. The first 3 months after surgery I see the surgeon and dietician once a month. After 3 months I see them every 3 months till I am 18 months post op...then it is every 6.

Surgery is a special case, you can't compare your situation to someone without it. It's a whole different ball of wax.

But if it works for a gastric bypass patient why does it not work for anyone else.

Whoa whoa whoa.... Chemotherapy works for some cancer patients, does that mean people without cancer should also take it? Of course not.

I am not a body builder. I have a desk job -- I just work out regularly. For me, I will lose weight eating 1500 - 1600 calories per day. Maintenance is around 1900. I'm 5'4 and weigh 130lbs. If I put into MFP that I want to lose 2lbs a week, it won't say "Hey, you don't need to lose weight, and certainly not at that rate," it will just drop my recommended calories down to 1200 a day and tell me how many extra calories to burn during the week. Their calorie calculator is just that -- a calculator. It does not recommend what is best for your body or health, it just tells you mathematically how you can lose the weight you want to.

Many of the women I see on here eating 1200 cals per day or less are usually somewhere around my height and weight. 1200 calories per day is just not enough for our stats. And not to sound like an a**hole, but I usually have a better physique than them, so maybe they should take that into consideration.

chanstriste13

just for the record, my wife is currently going through this. And like many of the people who have confirmed this isn't just a body builder thing, she also cannot lose weight even though she eats very clean, and exercises HARD every day (harder than me, and that's saying something). She was on a 2400 calorie diet after struggling her whole life with her weight. She is currently about 197 and hasn't moved in about a year weight wise. She went up from 1800 calories about 6 months ago, not a pound one way or the other. I suggested she go up and she did (apparently not enough). She was so frustrated that I suggested she go see a registered dietitian, she did, yesterday.

wowza - this sounds like me! i lost about 20 pounds easy-peasy, but then just quit. still worked out and ate well, generally between 1600 and 2000 calories per day, but i just froze up - right around 197 for me, too. well, after a year of this i fell of the bandwagon for several months - luckily i haven't put on much weight (maybe a pound or two), but i feel like i'm getting soft. so now i'm back in the game, but i'm not working out like i was - only about four days a week for an hour vs. five days a week for 90+ minutes (cardio and weight training), so mabye if i keep my calories up i that range with the decreased workout regimen, i'll see some results.

but at this point, even if i'm not losing weight, i'd rather keep my muskels, so hopefully i won't fall off for so long again! thanks for all this!

Dave198lbs

the solution to all this is very easy.

Tell MFP to quit advising all these people that 1200 is their caloric goal.

snowbike

bump for later

stephdeeable

Hey!

January is coming!

It's going to snow on MFP with thousands of unique snowflakes!

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

kpnuts23

watch this blog, I implore you. it's everything I've been preaching for the last 5 years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHHzie6XRGk

I get this SHBoss.... Ive been here a month longer than you and appreciate what your saying...

Keep it up :-D x

Ras_py

Do you think 1200 calories will preserve your current muscle mass?

I didn't have much muscle mass to begin with. I hurt my back in the middle of dieting and therefore didn't work out other than cardio since June, so I probably did not preserve it. Not ideal, but I don't think that I irrevocably damaged myself by losing weight this way. Also, mfp actually recommends a 1200 calorie diet. I don't think they would recommend something that's going to be damaging.

So you want to get fat more easily, yes?

Its as simple as this. Put it this way, this is my other half Yo Lazarov:



She DIETS on 1600 calories and for 2 days out of every 8 has around 2500 calories. Why would you want to eat less and have poorer results?

Just trying to help you. Its not an attack, its a genuine question to help you improve your dieting and get the results you may wish to achieve.

LOL i knew you couldn't go a post without trying to pimp this pic hahahahaha

Ditchy69

Hey,

So i put in my height ect into MFP and it said I should eat 1200cals a day without exercising. Now when I go to the gym I tend to try and burn off 500 on treadmil (well usually 300-500) and do weights after.

It credits me with 500 cals to eat. Reading through I get the impression that even though it recommended that I eat 1200..I should maybe increase it to 1500?

jcrowfoot

bump

Matt_Wild

Do you think 1200 calories will preserve your current muscle mass?

I didn't have much muscle mass to begin with. I hurt my back in the middle of dieting and therefore didn't work out other than cardio since June, so I probably did not preserve it. Not ideal, but I don't think that I irrevocably damaged myself by losing weight this way. Also, mfp actually recommends a 1200 calorie diet. I don't think they would recommend something that's going to be damaging.

So you want to get fat more easily, yes?

Its as simple as this. Put it this way, this is my other half Yo Lazarov:



She DIETS on 1600 calories and for 2 days out of every 8 has around 2500 calories. Why would you want to eat less and have poorer results?

Just trying to help you. Its not an attack, its a genuine question to help you improve your dieting and get the results you may wish to achieve.

LOL i knew you couldn't go a post without trying to pimp this pic hahahahaha

Because its a fact and a huge number of women want her figure. The number of messages I get asking for her diet and routine tell me this. Simple fact!

Dave198lbs

Hey,

So i put in my height ect into MFP and it said I should eat 1200cals a day without exercising. Now when I go to the gym I tend to try and burn off 500 on treadmil (well usually 300-500) and do weights after.

It credits me with 500 cals to eat. Reading through I get the impression that even though it recommended that I eat 1200..I should maybe increase it to 1500?

the suggested amount to eat is NET calories

xSakura

I always have between 1250 - 1300cal a day, and I struggle to go over that. Being small (I'm 4'11") I don't think that's a problem. I rarely get hungry, and if I do, I drink water or snack on fruit.

I have gone under 1200 in the past (I was having a rough time, break up and family problems) and I admit I felt like rubbish and haven't gone below 1200 since, but I feel I'm doing fine on around 1250. Each to their own!