1000 Calories a Day

Anastacia1119

Using your stats, I figured out your BMR and TDEE. Your BMR is 1421. Your TDEE is 1954. In order to lose weight the right way, you should be eating between 1500 and 1600 calories a day. Not netting less than a 1000. You are severely under eating.

elyelyse

I know someone who did it and she lost 26 pounds in 2 months. then she increased her intake to 1200....I am very ok and i'm not starving at all. i just have better choices in food

so, because you limit your calories to 1000 or under, you have "better" choices in food than someone who eats more? I'd be willing to bet you aren't getting nearly the nutrition you need, you can't possibly be getting enough healthy fats... less does not equal better.

side effects you may not realize that come with very low calorie "diets" and fast weight loss (whether you feel like you are starving or not): hair loss, dry skin, bags under your eyes, brittle nails... and the very worst side effect of too-fast weight loss: YOYO DIETING. Studies show that people who lose weight quickly with extreme dieting are much more likely to put all the weight back on, plus some.

BE PATIENT.

tryinghard71

I'm 5'3 and when I weighed about your weight and I talked to my doctor and told her that I was not losing any weight eating 1200 calories a day (and exercising 5-6 times a week). She informed me that I wouldn't lose eating that amount of calories and that I should eat 1000 a day, even when I exercised. I, too was doing C25K (almost to the 5K by that time) and then running 15-20 miles a week plus strength training 2x/week. I did add some extra calories on days that I exercised, but not much, and never any bread products after 3pm (per doctor's recommendation). I am hypothyroid and it is hard for me to lose weight, but by doing this, I lost 25 lbs. last year.

Everybody is different and those of us that are shorter and/or our bodies work differently are often slammed on here for not eating enough. Do what works for you, but be healthy too. Check in with your doctor and ask for their advice. Eat clean foods, nothing processed in packages or boxes. I ate a lot of salads with protein, chicken and green veggies, or fish and green veggies for dinner. Most of my calories were eaten earlier in the day. Good luck!

I have a hypo thyroid as well. My doctor never told me to eat 1,000 calories a day. She did say you will have to count your calories (suggested MFP) and she also said that if regular people can work out 3 times a week you will have to work out 6 and 50 minutes a day or longer.

ZyheeMoongazer

Cherryblosm3

My point exactly

NormInv

Why did the OP mention 1000 calories in her post when it was not relevant to her question about healthy dinner? Its posts like these that make me question the motive.

skylark94

Who says i'm starving myself??!!

Starvation isn't just about feeling hungry. Starvation is depriving your body of the energy and nutrition it needs to function properly.

I'm 5'4" and currently weigh 129 pounds. I started at 170. I never ate less than 1,200 and actually lost the most fat when I increased to 1,600. I now eat between 1,800 and 2,200 per day and am still losing body fat.

paperpudding

OP I am 5 ft 4 and probably older than you, I am netting 1540 per day and steadily losing weight since mid january, not sure how you got the figure of 1000 - MFP calculates 1540 for me on lightly active.

ctpeace

OP, takeaway should be the following: Probably revisit 1000, do some of those calculations mentioned (but don't feel like you need to absolutely eat 1200, that's such a generalized guide for all women everywhere), people (obviously) get really worked up about this, but it really is a real thing you should look into. I know it seems counter-intuitive to eat more and lose more, and no one's saying eat everything in sight, but consider going up 200cal per day for a week and watching what the scale does. Consider it this way: the worst that will happen is that you'll not lose weight, and you can smugly tell all those know-it-alls they're wrong, or, you may find you lose the same or more. Either way, one week won't make or break your goal! Also, for your real question: I've learned to replace rice/pasta/bread with a massive green salad to go alongside chicken, fish and occasionally steak. Variety has come from creative salads and spices on my protien option. Also, occasionally stir-frying veggies instead of a lettuce salad and/or incorporating home-made soups.

jillybeansalad

Definitely need to rethink the calories. You don't want to end up losing muscle too. Please, don't be afraid to eat. Also, don't base your results on what the scale says. I'm better off at 140 than when I was 120, thanks to my body fat %.

khall86790

is that for 5'4 females?

it's for everyone.
I'm a 5'4 female and I lost 14lbs in 3 months being on 1200 cals. Now I've upped it to almost 1400 cals and I still lose 1lb per week.
Do NOT go below 1200 calories or you'll find it hard to lose and your body is going to store up all the fat as it hits starvation mode. Plus, you are going to be staaaaaarving.
Take it from me, I'm a fellow 5'4 female who has an success without 1000 cals per day. Feel free to add me

rachpetersen

I don't have suggestions, but as short woman I understand why you feel you need to be at 1000. I'll check back to see if anyone has any actual recommendations.

The 1200 calorie minimum on MFP is a guide, not a rule.

5'4" is not short, it is average, and 1000 calories a day is ridiculous if you are exercising as much as she is. I am only 5'2" and I eat 1500-2000 calories every day, never less than 1500 and I am losing an average of 1.7lbs/week...decent loss
you can't make muscle if you are not fuelling the process that makes the muscle (exercise), and you can't lose fat if you don't have muscle...the more muscle you have the more fat you burn...you will just lose weight from muscle mass that way which is not good

cwolfman13

So at 28 years old, 5'4" and 155 lbs, exercising 3 hours (light) per week, you're burning an average of 1950 calories per day.
Losing 25 lbs in 2 months is unreasonable for you. Even if you succeed, you will need an even lower goal weight because you'll probably lose about 5-7 lbs of muscle in the process.

Try eating 120g protein daily with a total calorie intake of 1600. You should lose about a pound every 10 days in a healthy manner.

Or do about 1500 on rest days and 1700 on C25k days.

OP....this is excellent advice right here.

1,200 is minimum if you are absolutely sedentary, and even then, it's borderline for many women. Most people aren't as sedentary as they think for one, and for another, if you're doing a C25K program, you need to fuel that activity...running can be pretty brutal on the body. Without adequate calorie intake, you risk injury and don't have the ability to to repair. At 1,000 calories per day (I'm assuming you're planning on grossing that, not netting)...you're pretty much just going to shut your metabolism down due to such a drastic calorie deficit.

Follow the above advice. Also, as mentioned, set a more reasonable goal...weight loss isn't linear and it takes time. You don't actually lose exactly xx Lbs per week...you have weeks with good loses...then nothing...then hormones kick in or water or whatever and you put on a couple. Thinking you're just going to dump all your weight by the end of June is far too aggressive of a goal and will only lead to disappointment...as well as the loss of a great deal of muscle rather than fat.

cwolfman13

I don't have suggestions, but as short woman I understand why you feel you need to be at 1000. I'll check back to see if anyone has any actual recommendations.

The 1200 calorie minimum on MFP is a guide, not a rule.

There have actually been a ton of good recommendations; I see now that this thread has devolved into a, "you don't agree with me or support me, so you're all mean and cyber bullies thread." Seems to often be the case with these women who starve themselves threads...good advice is given and ignored, and everyone is just "mean" for speaking truth.

Hbazzell

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013


1000 caloies a day is what an infant eats.

mfpcopine

I don't have suggestions, but as short woman I understand why you feel you need to be at 1000. I'll check back to see if anyone has any actual recommendations.

The 1200 calorie minimum on MFP is a guide, not a rule.

There have actually been a ton of good recommendations; I see now that this thread has devolved into a, "you don't agree with me or support me, so you're all mean and cyber bullies thread." Seems to often be the case with these women who starve themselves threads...good advice is given and ignored, and everyone is just "mean" for speaking truth.

Good God, just listen to yourself. The stupidity quotient has gotten a bit high on this thread. For your information, I'm healthy, and have never been overweight, and you are uninformed.

liittlesparrow

If she wants to eat 1000 a day, she'll do it. No one is going to stop her >_>

I don't see why everyone on this site seems to worship food, like it's the best thing ever. Eat to live, not live to eat. Not everyone wants to eat 1600 calories a day.

mfpcopine

If she wants to eat 1000 a day, she'll do it. No one is going to stop her >_>

I don't see why everyone on this site seems to worship food, like it's the best thing ever. Eat to live, not live to eat. Not everyone wants to eat 1600 calories a day.

Assuming the calories come from healthy food, the issue is not one of health, but of sustainability. There’s no such thing as starvation mode.

At least I tried to respond to her request for information, which is not unreasonable. No wonder so many of you became overweight, have stayed overweight, and have to keep repeating this process. A diet of 1000 is not for everyone, but for a woman her size with her deadline it's not crazy.

knopka1

To lose weight you need to be healthy. 1000 calories a day is not healthy. you should change your lifestyle and not try to lose weight short term, because once you start eating more you`ll gain your weight right back. you are putting your body at a huge deficit of calories, can`t really function properly. I`m sure if you start eating healthy you will fee and perform better. Good luck!