ultra low calorie diets - how do you cope

davidmcgowan1987

so ive tried all sorts of diets now, and ive found that if i eat less than 1000 calories a day, i lose weight (dont laugh)

i lose it really well,

but how do you deal with those carb cravings? i dont really get hunger pangs... i trained myself to enjoy those as evidence that im not over eating.

but sometimes i just want nothing more than to demolish a plate of danishes or 3 or 4 large sandwiches.

I just cant get myself past the first few days without giving in and swallowing a few thousand calories in simple sugars.

Madelinew22

good luck! ill enjoy losing weight eating 1700 cals and not have hunger pain

michellekicks

David, you should be able to lose weight eating over 2000 calories daily. Are you under a doctor's supervision? Under 1000 is ridiculously low for a 25 year old man.

I'm a 37 year old 158 lb woman still losing at 2000 calories/day.

You will lose plenty of lean body mass that way - that's the exact opposite of what you want to do.

axialmeow

I learned on here that you'll burn muscle if you eat that little. I am working at trying to eat more now because I was not eating enough. I don't get carb cravings anymore. Maybe have some protein and healthy fats when you get a craving? 1000 cal/day isn't sustainable and you'll just gain the weight back. This is coming from a once 300+lb yo-yo dieter!

Helloitsdan

so ive tried all sorts of diets now, and ive found that if i eat less than 1000 calories a day, i lose weight (dont laugh)

i lose it really well,

but how do you deal with those carb cravings? i dont really get hunger pangs... i trained myself to enjoy those as evidence that im not over eating.

but sometimes i just want nothing more than to demolish a plate of danishes or 3 or 4 large sandwiches.

I just cant get myself past the first few days without giving in and swallowing a few thousand calories in simple sugars.

You are on skinny-fat highway man.
Thats hard to come back from.

PM me and I can get you started or...

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

samantha1242

Im gonna go ahead and say that if you can't get past a couple days without giving in and swallowing a bunch of calories, this probably means your method wont be sustainable for the long haul... and perhaps your body is telling you that you should be swallowing a bunch more calories.

GCLyds

Of course you lose weight fast. You are losing weight fast for the same reason that people who have gastric bypass surgery lose weight fast; you are eating less than 1000 cal a day. Of course you want to eat a plate of 5 sandwiches, you are eating less than 1000 cal per day. It works but its not sustainable. You will rebound and rebound hard. Eat some more and be patient. Plus if you lose weight a little slower, you wont end up with a bunch of saggy skin.

I deal with my carb cravings by eating more carbs. I just budget it in into my food diary.

TheCaren

Unless you have a doctor, reputable nutritonist or registered dietician telling you to eat a thousand calories a day, you aren't eating enough. And the answer to your question for how to avoid carb binges is eat enough so that you don't get that hungry all the time.

bullisnn82

starving isn't the right way to lose weight. You run the risk of being nutrient deficient, angry as a wet cat all the time, and once in a while you might binge like it's ur birthday... Sometimes eating more is better for weight loss - too little is dangerous and torture

davidmcgowan1987

im only going to be doing it for a few weeks at a time, alternating almost starvation with regular (not gluttonous) eating.

the reason being i believe it to be the most natural way to convince your body that food supplies are limited and you should be burning fat,

i also do cardio and strength training to keep up the muscle mass (as if i was still out there hunting for food, but just being unsuccesful) i also switch from meat products to vegetable products to again trick my body into thinking i cant catch anything.

my only problem is that i crave the carbs.

i dont want advice on my diet not being suitable, i have spoken to my doctor and she is ok with it as long as i monitor myself for signs of kidney or liver issues and only for a maximum of 4 weeks at a time.

this way i lose 5-8 lbs per week (based on my last loss) for 4 weeks, then maintain and build strength (during which time i lost a good few inches off my waist) before going back into a fat burning cycle.

i just want to know how to not crave carbs

or if i cant not crave carbs then ill just stay too busy and not eat at all and starve myself 100% for 3 days out of 7

Ready2Rock206

Noooooo.... Starving yourself isn't the way - and you've already proven it doesn't ACTUALLY work since you can't do it more than a day or two at a time.

Firefox7275

Yes that is the way anorexia works. Agree 100% you should not be doing such a low calorie diet without medical supervision, it can be dangerous.

harlanJEN

so ive tried all sorts of diets now, and ive found that if i eat less than 1000 calories a day, i lose weight (dont laugh)

i lose it really well,

but how do you deal with those carb cravings? i dont really get hunger pangs... i trained myself to enjoy those as evidence that im not over eating.

but sometimes i just want nothing more than to demolish a plate of danishes or 3 or 4 large sandwiches.

I just cant get myself past the first few days without giving in and swallowing a few thousand calories in simple sugars.

You are on skinny-fat highway man.
Thats hard to come back from.

PM me and I can get you started or...

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

INDEED. please reconsider your plan. Or respectfully, lack of a reasonable/sustainable plan.

I eat 1800 to lose. I'm currently eating 2200, training heavier and getting smaller. I'm never hungry and don't succumb to "simple sugars" because my body is properly fueled.

Good luck! Educate yourself to WIN at losing

robin52077

Rays_Wife

If you set yourself at a reasonable calorie goal, you won't feel the need to "demolish a plate of danishes or 3 or 4 large sandwiches".

You could be eating 2000 cals a day and steadily losing weight. Set your weight loss goal to "1 pound a week" and see how many calories MFP gives you. It's going to be way more than 1000 calories. Sure, you won't lose "weight" as fast but it will be sustainable and you won't be falling off the track a million times because of your cravings....thus getting you to your goal. FYI, you won't be losing weight as fast because you'll be retaining more of your muscle (LBM) instead of shedding it. You want to lose FAT. Not muscle.

Time and patience is the key.

Please listen to Helloitsdan. He knows his stuff.

marycmeadows

the reason that you're hungry is because you're starving your body. This will not end well.

eat properly - feed your body - high protein, high fiber, 1800-2000 calories a day.

work out.

why starve yourself...... I eat 1600-2000 calories a day (depending on the day) and never feel hungry.

EvilShenanigansTX

so ive tried all sorts of diets now, and ive found that if i eat less than 1000 calories a day, i lose weight (dont laugh)

i lose it really well,

but how do you deal with those carb cravings? i dont really get hunger pangs... i trained myself to enjoy those as evidence that im not over eating.

but sometimes i just want nothing more than to demolish a plate of danishes or 3 or 4 large sandwiches.

I just cant get myself past the first few days without giving in and swallowing a few thousand calories in simple sugars.

You are on skinny-fat highway man.
Thats hard to come back from.

PM me and I can get you started or...

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

^^ This ... trust him, he knows! I follow the road map plan and I am losing steady and I am never hungry.

hiker359

Are they carb cravings or just plain food cravings? My bet is on the latter since 1,000 calories / day isn't something anybody with access to food should try to live on.

davidmcgowan1987

how about you guys look at my join date... for over a year i was religiously eating healthy, and less than 2000 calories, and it did **** all difference..

i starve myself one time, i lose 25 lbs...

look, i asked a specific question, then i specified i dont want to hear your opinions on what is or is not healthy.

bear in mind that my doctor, who has seen my entire medical file, has recommended this diet due to genetic problems of which you lot are unaware.

so either answer my question as asked or politely dont answer at all.

and im not being moody or grouchy, its just that while for you all, those higher lower rate burns work for you. they do not work for me, they didnt work for me when i followed the weight watchers diet, they didnt work on a calorie controlled, nurse supervised, eat what your told and nothing else do not deviate diet.

this works.

i asked for help

you all but shot me down for daring.

its not one rule for all you know.

MyM0wM0w

Unless you're under like 4'8 (which of course is possible) you should be able to eat more than 1K calories and lost weight...even if you spend all day just laying on the couch.....

If you've truly tried giving 1500-1800 calories a shot for 2 or 3 months and not lost anything it's time to see a DR and have him do a blood test. Something is going on.

Cranktastic

What's the rush?



you say you "do well"


but do you really? My definition of wellness is probably much different.