Is 1000 calories too low for someone who cannot exercise?

Hello,
I am 5'2 and weigh 123--I want to lose 10lbs and it seems that no matter what I try I can't lose. It doesn't help that I cannot exercise for a while so is 1000 calories to low? Any feedback would be appreciated.

Replies

  • I say to do 1,200 calories with no exercise... if you go below 1,200 your body is going into starvation mode
  • BackTatJIM
    BackTatJIM Posts: 1,140 Member
    1,000 calories is to low for a 10 yr old girl who doesn't get out of bed all day .... eat more, just eat healthy food !
  • Cupcakejen
    Cupcakejen Posts: 12 Member
    OK, I will try 1200 for the first week and see what happens. I want to lose 1 lb a week bc I have a trip in 6 weeks and want to be at least 6lbs down.
  • kestrel359
    kestrel359 Posts: 342 Member
    you need to calculate your BMR and stay above that. 1000 is probably to low for someone your height
  • Pixi_Rex
    Pixi_Rex Posts: 1,676 Member
    yes
  • Cupcakejen
    Cupcakejen Posts: 12 Member
    I tried cutting out all processed food from my diet 2 weeks ago, gave up bread and starches and only ate fruits, raw nuts and veggies and I still did not lose 1 pound!!!! It is so frustarting!!
  • selig0730
    selig0730 Posts: 509 Member
    why cant you exercise even 20 minutes walk a day will help...and eat around 1400 calories a day ...losing weight is a marathon not a sprint so dont kill yourself with doing less calories per day
  • Cupcakejen
    Cupcakejen Posts: 12 Member
    I broke my leg so I cannot walk anywhere :-(
  • Ktewson
    Ktewson Posts: 10 Member
    my 24 pound 2-year-old eats 1000 calories a day. You need more than that to get enough nutrition, even if it means you don't lose weight quickly or at all.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    OK, I will try 1200 for the first week and see what happens. I want to lose 1 lb a week bc I have a trip in 6 weeks and want to be at least 6lbs down.

    Honestly, and I know this isn't what you want to hear, but you'd be better off aiming for a half pound a week, especially since you can't exercise. And seeing your more recent post, with a broken bone, you really REALLY want your nutrition to be great so you heal better and faster. Healing trumps losing a couple pounds before your trip.

    When you have very little weight to lose, as you do, the body doesn't want to give it up. It's like trying to get a squirrel to eat from your hand... you have to coax it gently. Big sudden movements scare the squirrel away, and big sudden calorie deficits make your body say, "What the hell is going on? Is there a famine? Why didn't anyone tell me!?"
  • nz_deevaa
    nz_deevaa Posts: 12,209 Member
    1000 cals when recovering from a broken leg is madness. IMHO.
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    OK, I will try 1200 for the first week and see what happens. I want to lose 1 lb a week bc I have a trip in 6 weeks and want to be at least 6lbs down.

    Honestly, and I know this isn't what you want to hear, but you'd be better off aiming for a half pound a week, especially since you can't exercise. And seeing your more recent post, with a broken bone, you really REALLY want your nutrition to be great so you heal better and faster. Healing trumps losing a couple pounds before your trip.

    When you have very little weight to lose, as you do, the body doesn't want to give it up. It's like trying to get a squirrel to eat from your hand... you have to coax it gently. Big sudden movements scare the squirrel away, and big sudden calorie deficits make your body say, "What the hell is going on? Is there a famine? Why didn't anyone tell me!?"

    This! Every word!!
  • tanyar23
    tanyar23 Posts: 47 Member
    I'm going to say that as someone who is also short, that I think that different people have metabolisms that vary. When I do 1200, it doesn't have that large of an impact. My current BMR is 1208 calories per day according to MFP.. Add in a sedentary job, like I have and I don't know how effective that is. If you don't see results with 1200, change it up.
  • mistyladidah
    mistyladidah Posts: 210 Member
    There's a tool on here for calculating your BMR (which is an estimate of what you may need in a coma). Plugging in your stats gave me 1216 cal. That's the LEAST you should eat. If you are really sedentary (sounds like you are), then don't eat a ton more, but still a bit more.

    These things take time, so cutting out a crapload of stuff for a couple weeks does not give you a clue about what your body really needs or wants. It also doesn't give it time to figure stuff out and lose any fat.

    When did you break your leg? Shock can do crazy stuff, so losing weight may not even be something you should force your body into right now. Maybe instead you can focus on eating healthy things that help your bones knit so there is less long term damage to your leg.
  • OK, I will try 1200 for the first week and see what happens. I want to lose 1 lb a week bc I have a trip in 6 weeks and want to be at least 6lbs down.

    1 pound a week at your current weight is probably a bit fast considering you can't workout. A 500 calorie deficit is rather difficult even if you are exercising so without exercise it's going to be REALLY REALLY hard to have that kind of loss.
  • tanyar23
    tanyar23 Posts: 47 Member
    OK, I will try 1200 for the first week and see what happens. I want to lose 1 lb a week bc I have a trip in 6 weeks and want to be at least 6lbs down.

    Honestly, and I know this isn't what you want to hear, but you'd be better off aiming for a half pound a week, especially since you can't exercise. And seeing your more recent post, with a broken bone, you really REALLY want your nutrition to be great so you heal better and faster. Healing trumps losing a couple pounds before your trip.

    When you have very little weight to lose, as you do, the body doesn't want to give it up. It's like trying to get a squirrel to eat from your hand... you have to coax it gently. Big sudden movements scare the squirrel away, and big sudden calorie deficits make your body say, "What the hell is going on? Is there a famine? Why didn't anyone tell me!?"

    This! Every word!!

    Actually, reading over your post and seeing you're recovering from an injury, I agree with the wisdom of the above poster.
  • bradwwood
    bradwwood Posts: 371 Member
    Stop looking for an instant fix and setting unrealistic goals for yourself.

    Some folks might even snicker that you are concerned about six pounds, but that aside, what has been said about such a small amount holds true. I've seen post after post from people struggling with the last ten pounds of their journey.

    Listen to what the folks here have to say, pick an approach, and stick with it. Trying something for a week or two then switching because you didn't get the expected results is a fools errand.
  • barbaramitchell101
    barbaramitchell101 Posts: 360 Member
    I would add protein...if you don't want the extra fat by eating meat, then try a protein drink....I am eating at various levels of calories, eating "dense nutrient foods", but I do not lose unless I'm under what MFP suggests (I am 4 ft 11) and have a sedentary job...I also can't eat raw vegies, and may have celiac or other intolerances....I always make sure I take a GOOD multivitamin..to fill in anywhere where I am not eating what I should...I have lost a total of 35 lbs so far in the last 2 years...not a lot, but it is coming off slowly...
  • I'm almost exactly your stats...If I can't exercise I don't lose. :( I've tried everything from 200 calories a day to Alternate Day fasting to HCG (ugh). This is over the course of two years & my self esteem has suffered hugely from trying everything and it ALWAYS failing. I'd say your best bet is to accept yourself for who & how you are until youve healed & can go slow & steady. I've finally come to terms with having a small deficit & expecting to lose much more slowly. I feel much better about myself & i'm seeing results finally.

    That being said, if your BMR is around 1200 if you just eat 1200 I'm sure there would be abotu a 250 deficit a day & you'd still lose weight.

    Also I'm pretty sure the metabolism of someone who is recovering from an injury or illness is naturally elevated from your system trying to recover needing additinoal energy sources. So I'd focus on the miracle of bone regrowth. :)
  • Cupcakejen
    Cupcakejen Posts: 12 Member
    Thank you everyone for you advice, I greatly appreciate all of it!!!! Lots of great feedback :-)
  • cara4fit
    cara4fit Posts: 111 Member
    "1000 cals when recovering from a broken leg is madness. IMHO."

    I totally agree. You see, when recovering from a broken bone, injury, or surgery, for a few weeks, one's body can actually require somewhat MORE than one's maintenance level, simply because it's got a real job to do with healing up. Anywhere from 15-20% more in fact. A lot of internal work and energy go to healing, even if one is not able to exercise very much, or at all. It's a lot of work for the body to repair a broken bone, or heal up from any other assault on the body.
    So for now, rather than being too attached to weight loss, I'd focus on really good nutrition and be sure to eat ENOUGH. 1000 calories is not going to be enough - your healing will be slowed in fact if you don't eat enough good food. Your protein needs are greater, for one thing, so I'd up that a bit, eat other fresh wholesome foods, and not get into those dates with Ben & Jerry because one might be feeling sorry for oneself(that last being really easy to do with an injury that sidelines one).
    I know this from personal experience with a knee injury 2 years ago that sidelined me for a time. Even though I was not able to exercise for awhile, I lost a bit of weight during those first few weeks, even with eating my normal diet and not aiming for weight loss as such. However, after that initial healing period(5-8 weeks)that temporary metabolic boost does go down and one should be careful with eating. Still, not as low as 1000 calories though. It depends on your size for one thing and since you don't have much weight to lose, it might take longer anyway because the body often doesn't want to give up those last few pounds very readily. After those first few weeks, I got onto a really good rehab program working very hard, and I actually gained that weight back. However, I was in much better shape due to the muscle gain over a 6 month period.
    Anyhow, best of luck and speedy healing as possible for you with your leg!:) Healing, not weight loss as such is your priority right now, along with rehab when that comes along.
  • Bob314159
    Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
    If your doctor permits it, try pushing yourself upstairs with you back facing down towards the stairs and using one leg and two arms to push up a step then sit and repeat. Then come down the same way and repeat till you cannot do more. I did that for 3 months when I had a badly broken leg that had surgery. It didn't make the weight go off, but it stopped me gaining, when I was unable to walk or use crutches.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    To lend support to the above statement... I had a stress fracture last winter and had to take time off from exercise. I *could* do upper body seated strength training and biking, but I didn't do much at all. And I stopped logging my food... I didn't binge, but I didn't care if I went over or under. And I self-medicated with Butterfingers. I played a lot of video games. I figured, worst case scenario, I might gain one pound a week by eating more and moving less, and I was ok with that. In about six weeks' time, I gained one whole pound. And when I was able to start exercising again, it was gone in a week.

    Also remember, if you're on crutches, that's a big calorie burn in itself.
  • Unless you're in bed all day...it's FAR too low. Calculate your BMR and eat at least that. Your BMR is what your body needs to breathe, keep your heat beating etc without moving at all. You're going to be up and about at least a bit (even just sitting up!) and therefore you need to be eating at least that amount to stay healthy and not plateau.