Is too few calories possible???

Try it for a few months then say you feel ok on 1000 cals a day. :frown:

I've been at it for 2 months and don't eat more than 1200. Feel good. losing weight, blood pressure down, skin and hair look good, brain function is high, and full of energy. gastric Bypass patients don't usually eat much more than 1000 and probably eat a lot less than that. (not that i've had gastric bypass, but I have friends who have).

10 years ago, I lost around 100 lbs in a year by eating 900-1100 calories per day.

I've been eating under my cals for awhile,I have experienced a lot of weight loss and i am still keeping it off!

The idea that your body's metabolism will slow down to such an extend that you will not lose weight on a large caloric deficit is complete myth. Some people can make it seem like a reasonable assumption citing metabolic processes, and hormone functions but the real world result is that eating less makes you lose weight. If you are overweight, you do not need to worry about "starvation mode"

But the myth keeps getting posted day after day

True Story:

My mom, who has a very physically demanding job, started eating one meal a day. For 6 months to a year, she lost lost lost. She went from a size 18 to a size 12 She is 5'7 and was down to 180lbs. Now, another year later, she hasn't changed anything, still demanding job, same eating habits, and she is back up to a size 16, and 204lbs. So, yes, you will loose, and eventually, after your body is getting enough nutrients it will take whatever you put into it and store it as fat, and you will gain.

Unless you are with your mother 24/7, we don't really know if that's a true story. Not that I think you or your mother is lying, but study after study demonstrates that most people underestimate what they eat or forget items if they aren't tracking them. I'm very conscious of what I eat, and I find that if I don't log at the beginning and follow that plan, I will be tracking and thinking I'm done and then doh! Remember. Doh! Remember that too. Tomorrow--doh! Forgot that yesterday! This is also why I take the anecdotal evidence cited earlier in this thread about metabolic slowdown with a big chunk of rock salt.

Women also lose muscle mass as they age unless they take specific steps through exercise to prevent that. That can lead to gaining weight on the same calories. But your mother is likely not producing 25 lbs of fat from one meal a day, unless that meal is quite substantial, because before that can go to fat, her organs need to work. I'd be interested to see what her hormones, including stress hormones, are up to if she is truly eating as she says.

That said, eat enough. Too few is possible from a few perspectives, including micro and macros. Some people can eat enough to support their bodies on 1200. Some can't. I don't need as many calories as someone who weighs 100-200 lbs than me, so why would we eat the same number of calories? I believe the 1200 number is a good rough estimate, to account for micronutrients at least. But we should remember--people can be obese and malnourished. Someone eating 1,800 calories is not necessarily doing better in the micro or macro nutrient department than someone on 1200.

I've never experienced starvation mode at 1200 calories. (To be fair, take that anecdotal bit with a big chunk of rock salt.) I'm not suffering or miserable. I believe that it's not a good number for everyone, but it is so often automatically assumed to be wrong here, even without any information about the person in question.

True Story:

My mom, who has a very physically demanding job, started eating one meal a day. For 6 months to a year, she lost lost lost. She went from a size 18 to a size 12 She is 5'7 and was down to 180lbs. Now, another year later, she hasn't changed anything, still demanding job, same eating habits, and she is back up to a size 16, and 204lbs. So, yes, you will loose, and eventually, after your body is getting enough nutrients it will take whatever you put into it and store it as fat, and you will gain.

Unless you are with your mother 24/7, we don't really know if that's a true story. Not that I think you or your mother is lying, but study after study demonstrates that most people underestimate what they eat or forget items if they aren't tracking them. I'm very conscious of what I eat, and I find that if I don't log at the beginning and follow that plan, I will be tracking and thinking I'm done and then doh! Remember. Doh! Remember that too. Tomorrow--doh! Forgot that yesterday! This is also why I take the anecdotal evidence cited earlier in this thread about metabolic slowdown with a big chunk of rock salt.

Women also lose muscle mass as they age unless they take specific steps through exercise to prevent that. That can lead to gaining weight on the same calories. But your mother is likely not producing 25 lbs of fat from one meal a day, unless that meal is quite substantial, because before that can go to fat, her organs need to work. I'd be interested to see what her hormones, including stress hormones, are up to if she is truly eating as she says.

That said, eat enough. Too few is possible from a few perspectives, including micro and macros. Some people can eat enough to support their bodies on 1200. Some can't. I don't need as many calories as someone who weighs 100-200 lbs than me, so why would we eat the same number of calories? I believe the 1200 number is a good rough estimate, to account for micronutrients at least. But we should remember--people can be obese and malnourished. Someone eating 1,800 calories is not necessarily doing better in the micro or macro nutrient department than someone on 1200.

I've never experienced starvation mode at 1200 calories. (To be fair, take that anecdotal bit with a big chunk of rock salt.) I'm not suffering or miserable. I believe that it's not a good number for everyone, but it is so often automatically assumed to be wrong here, even without any information about the person in question.

Purely an observation I have made. I wasn't attacking, I didn't specify calories, not really sure why you decided to tell me I am all wrong. There is no magic number. If the OP is that worried about it she can talk to a dietician or her doctor.

Very low calorie diets should be medically supervised. It can be dangerous. I think you would be more successful if you regard this as a lifestyle change though. You cant and shouldn't try to live on a low calorie diet for the rest of your life. You can live happily ever after making reasonable choices..and living normally.

You need adequate nutrition to maintain bodily functions at optimum levels. Too few calories possible? Absolutely... Can you still lose weight at 1000 calorie diet... certainly... However, the weight you may be losing will be the weight associated with your lean mass... not what you want to lose... I am currently about 233 lbs... Several years ago, I went on a strict diet and ate like 750-1200 cals per day... The result? I lost weight quickly (and regained it quickly too).... I wore a medium shirt and a size 34 pant... I was also 170 lbs... Right now? I weigh 233 and my clothes? size 34 (loose fit) and large shirt (because my shoulders are not comfortable in a medium.... Hmmmm difference? Muscle/lean mass. A cubic inch of muscle is much heavier than a cubic inch of fat. Maintain a really low calorie diet and you will likely lose weight pretty fast... but if you do it a bit more sensibly and eat a little more with good protein stores, I think you will like your eventual results quite a bit better....

Oh look, it's this thread again....

When I eat at or over 1000 calories, I feel too full and overall uncomfortable. I'm not starving myself either. I eat a hearty breakfast and a decent lunch and dinner. I'm rarely hungry.

Do you like fluffy things and pink too? How super awesome you are just stuffed on 1000 cals!! It's a wonder you have any fat anyway when you eat so little. Don't promote your muscle eating bad habits. If you must starve yourself please keep it to yourself.