Okay, so I finally hit that point where I am no longer hungry as much as I used to and it feels wonderful.... I FEEL WONDERFUL!! Today I am logging less than 1000 calories and mind you I am 298 lbs! How long can I get away with too few calories. I will research and find GOOD ways to up my calories but is it okay to temporarily eat too few until I get a game plan down.??

Lets put it this way - MFP has guidelines that target people who willingly chat about eating below the 1200 calorie mark. So I would like to advise you to be extremely careful on how often you discuss this... Laura_beau and I still have to follow MFP rules and guidelines with this very topic. While you are truly asking for guidance, I will keep this thread open and I would highly suggest you follow some of the suggestions that will come along - including the advice I will share as I am an active working healthcare professional - and I have the blessing of Steven from MFP with what Im about to say.

A direct note to your post, you need to seriously consider talking with either a Primary Care Physician who works in conjunction with a Bariatric Specialist, and/or a Registered Dietician who is trained in Weight loss programs for obese patients. You may very well be ok just doing the 1000 calories, but it is never wise to be doing this without proper medical supervision. (Key: Bariatric Specialists also work with pt's who dont want the surgery)

Low carb intakes that involve all real, natural foods will definitely have an early "Im full" signal. The more complex carbohydrates you do focus on, the better the insulin and sugar levels remain stabilized. However, no one on MFP is an actual licensed Medical Physician who has direct access to your complete health history and medical records, nor do any of us have access to knowing any pre-existing health problems, prescriptions, etc. Even if you shared all of that here, it still wouldnt make a difference where MFP is not a medical resource community, nor do they employ actual medical practitioners.

Eating below the 1200 mark can definitely cause a significant problem down the road - when it becomes the problem varies and differs with each person.

I would highly suggest better meal planning to meet the net 1200 caloric minimum. Like Bakkasan suggested: nuts, avocados, cheese are excellent sources to boost the daily caloric intake with very little impact on the number of carbohydrates taken in. But, I will definitely suggest you be careful with the MFP database as a very large percentage contains inaccurate information, for recording purposes.

CramerNH
Moderator

Goodness, I didn't mean to cause any problems. When I asked, I was only asking if it's okay temporarily, like as a day or two. I guess I will refrain from asking anything anymore. But thanks for your reply. Oh and I DO follow up with my PCP. I work in the ER so I am not completely ignorant when it comes to dieting. I have successfully lost over 30 lbs before joining MFP.

You can delete my post. I wish now I never had asked Thanks again though.

Hold on.... No one said you caused any problems... please.. its ok....
Your original post did not say "temporarily, like as a day or two"...

....thats why I had to post what I did.

No one accused you of being ignorant either.......

Unfortunately MFP has their rules, and Im just simply posting what I had to post...

Because you asked, rather than some folks who 'flash it' if you know what I mean, thats why I kept the thread open... thats a GOOD thing! 8-)

Breathe woman! LOL!!!!

Otherwise Im going to have to do an O2 Home evaluation on you! I do hope you have DME coverage? LOL!!!!!

can i be next, will you do me.

Man... I wish I could eat less. Or do I? Anyway, I like to put coconut oil in my coffee in the morning and I really enjoy eating cheese! Those are are two ways to bulk it up. I'm not a medical person, but I know that I usually unfriend people who consistently eat under 1200 cals. No bueno!

I am glad you didn't succumb to the carbs in the vending machine!! That's great! I know it took me a minute to get in the routine of always having something on hand to eat when in those situations. Nuts are a BFF of mine!

Breathe woman! LOL!!!!

Otherwise Im going to have to do an O2 Home evaluation on you! I do hope you have DME coverage? LOL!!!!!

can i be next, will you do me.

Sorry Kathy - I hear nightmares about healthcare in your neck of the woods - we have our own! LOL!!!!!!

@mstorvik... How do you deal with the carbs in nuts. I had some Planters nutrition nuts this week and they nearly took all my allotted carbs... I am not sure they are worth it for me....I need a good cheapish source for larger quantities of nuts...

only eat almonds and pecans. Not peanuts. The two I eat are higher in fiber. I think in the almonds for a 1/4 cup - 2 net carbs and with pecans a tad bit more. Not all nuts are equal. Although I enjoy peanuts, I steer clear of them because of that. And remember - you subtract fiber from total carbs to get net carbs. have carbs/fiber/fat/protein as my macros I look at everyday. I also eat Almond butter - I like Justin's Almond Butter and buy it on amazon because it's a tad cheaper on there than the grocery store.

kvalmera, the first week I went low carb I found it difficult to consume enough calories. I'm off wheat, sugar, and dairy to see how it works -- and it has been working well for me in a number of areas, including skin, hair, nails, digestion, weight loss, etc. Everyone is different, of course, I'm just happy that it's working for me.

But it's important to keep your calories up to at least 1200 per day. I have found the key is to consume a little more HEALTHY fat per day. Seems counterintuitive, but it works and it has completely eliminated hunger pangs or sugar/carb cravings for me. It also seems to speed the weight loss for me.

At any rate, for several weeks now, I've been drinking coconut milk in the morning and cooking with coconut oil. I try to get in an avocado every couple of days -- HEALTHY fats. And olive oil, of course, for my salads. And I'll have a tablespoon of almond butter with my last meal at night. I've also experimented with coconut manna.

My carbs range from 30g to 60g per day. I try to get in a lot of salad and green veggies. I limit my fruits to the low-sugar berries.

Please eat enough to make sure you don't put your body in starvation mode. That won't help you...I know...I've tried it several times in my life. That has never worked for me.

Good luck on your journey!

Adriana :-)