Bob Harper's new book--only 800 calories/day?!

res119
res119 Posts: 27
in Food and Nutrition
I am a huge fan of The Biggest Loser--and of course all the trainers--so when my mom came across an article about Bob's new book she forwarded it to me. There was an excerpt from the book which explained that women should eat 800 calories per day, and men 1200. WHAT?!?!?! All these warnings about not going under 1200 for risk of starvation mode, and he's saying cut out 400 MORE calories?! I was shocked. Not sure what his reasoning or explanation is, as I said, it was only a short excerpt. I really trust Bob so I am interested in his reasoning for 800 calories being the right amount. It completely shocked me! What do you guys think about this? Has anyone read his new book already who can elaborate?
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Replies

  • stines72
    stines72 Posts: 853 Member
    i think its a load of crap and unfortunately a lot of people will take his dangerous stupid advice.
  • jogglesngoggles
    jogglesngoggles Posts: 362 Member
    yep! He was on a morning show the other day promoting this "diet"!! He was saying it's safe if you only do it for say 3 weeks to get into a wedding dress or swim suit!! Looks like he's gone the way of the dollar and quick fixes instead of health as well. Sad!
  • stephenszymanski
    stephenszymanski Posts: 114 Member
    That doesn't sound like good advice. I couldn't imagine reducing to 1200 calories as a guy, that would be insane.
  • GODfidence
    GODfidence Posts: 249 Member
    Pshh. Going on an 1800 calorie diet for me just sounds absurd.
    Let alone 800. Reeeeeediculous.
  • JustineMarie21
    JustineMarie21 Posts: 437 Member
    I was shocked by this . He seems kinda hypocitical because he always preeches on never going under 1200 a day. But that being said I kinda understand his method of eating less because its only to loose weight for a certain event, its not long term weight loss. All these diet rules are confusing, who knows what to believe in anymore. Soon there going to say fruits and veggies are bad for us.<--- GMO fruits and veg foods :(
  • ellaloveslove
    ellaloveslove Posts: 166 Member
    Looks like he's gone the way of the dollar and quick fixes instead of health as well. Sad!

    Sad considering what a following he has :/

    Looks like pretty soon all the posts on MFP about 1200 calories a day troubles are about to be replaced by 800 calories a day troubles :ohwell:
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    I used to like him... but he sold out and then some.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    Well, it would be really hard to get in all the nutrients your body needs on 800 cals a day. And no, supplements aren't good enough to make up for it.
  • rosered93
    rosered93 Posts: 69 Member
    I find that particularly odd given that he's such a CrossFit junkie. I'd have thought his new book would be more in line with the high intensity, heavy lifting, heavy fueling thing CrossFit seems to encompass.
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    I used to like him... but he sold out and then some.

    He's been giving idiotic "health tips" for awhile, but this latest book of his is just horrible.
  • btoeps74
    btoeps74 Posts: 167 Member
    I would be in the fetal position sucking my thumb with only1200 calories a day.
  • Lose4HealthNow
    Lose4HealthNow Posts: 2
    Sounds like a recipe for disaster.
  • jennymonster
    jennymonster Posts: 2 Member
    Not sticking up for him per se... However, if you only saw a brief excerpt there might be more to it. For example, I heard he said in his book that he doesn't count fruits and vegetables as calories. So maybe he means 800 calories of just meats, dairy, grains and oils?
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Doesn't he usually train people who are morbidly obese, though?
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    Starvation mode does not happen as easily as people think. It would take over 30 days of water only fasting to go into starvation mode for most people.
  • hausofnichele
    hausofnichele Posts: 531 Member
    I used to like him... but he sold out and then some.

    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ !!!!
  • luckyshilling
    luckyshilling Posts: 229
    Looks like he's gone the way of the dollar and quick fixes instead of health as well. Sad!

    Sad considering what a following he has :/

    Looks like pretty soon all the posts on MFP about 1200 calories a day troubles are about to be replaced by 800 calories a day troubles :ohwell:

    OMG....NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!:sad:
  • keem88
    keem88 Posts: 1,689 Member
    Not sticking up for him per se... However, if you only saw a brief excerpt there might be more to it. For example, I heard he said in his book that he doesn't count fruits and vegetables as calories. So maybe he means 800 calories of just meats, dairy, grains and oils?

    i was thinking this as well, that maybe it only counts other foods then fruits and veggies are "free"
    sounds like the hsgd. oh boy :ohwell:
  • Mr_Bad_Example
    Mr_Bad_Example Posts: 2,403 Member
    I would be in the fetal position sucking my thumb with only1200 calories a day.

    You could probably get 1200 calories just from sucking your thumb. Don't worry, it's Bob Harper Approved!
  • Natihilator
    Natihilator Posts: 1,778 Member
    I find that particularly odd given that he's such a CrossFit junkie. I'd have thought his new book would be more in line with the high intensity, heavy lifting, heavy fueling thing CrossFit seems to encompass.

    Something tells me Crossfitters aren't his target audience. At all.
  • hdkerr
    hdkerr Posts: 145 Member
    I read one of his books (not the newest one, but the one about "Skinny Rules") and he said across the board all women should eat 1200/day. So when I started on here and they (MFP) recommended 1200 I didn't see a problem with it.

    But when I started to hang around the message boards and listen to some posts--aka In Place of a Road Map: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937712-in-place-of-a-road-map-ver-3-0 I started to realize 1200 was stupid. Since I've upped my calories I have never been happier and I'm still losing weight.

    Here's the interview from the Today show if you wanna see what he had to say. Apparently you don't count the calories from vegetables and no carbs after your breakfast. http://www.today.com/video/today/51619342#51619342
  • MissFitee
    MissFitee Posts: 106 Member
    Eating a VLCD for a set period is no problem for most people, especially the morbidly obese. Alot of people will find the motivation and strength to continue once they see those first pounds melting away. There are many ways to go from point A to point B. This is just one of them. As you get closer to your goal and the weight loss slows down, it's a good idea to start eating a more realistic amount of food rather than starving yourself for a long period of time..
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    Not sticking up for him per se... However, if you only saw a brief excerpt there might be more to it. For example, I heard he said in his book that he doesn't count fruits and vegetables as calories. So maybe he means 800 calories of just meats, dairy, grains and oils?

    i was thinking this as well, that maybe it only counts other foods then fruits and veggies are "free"
    sounds like the hsgd. oh boy :ohwell:

    I never could understand how come he says vegetables are "free" foods. This man has never seen me put vegetables away. I have been known to eat six servings or more of vegetables in a sitting.
  • gr8pillock
    gr8pillock Posts: 374 Member
    Starvation mode does not happen as easily as people think. It would take over 30 days of water only fasting to go into starvation mode for most people.

    This.

    And fasting/caloric restriction has health benefits beyond weight loss, when done within certain parameters. The myth of starvation mode and the power people give it has always confused me.

    If his diet says to stick with 800 long term, I would be surprised. Short term isn't as unreasonable, but even still... I am surprised.
  • Tercob
    Tercob Posts: 151 Member
    bump for later
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
    Considering that he showed people improper kettle bell swings on his DVD and when other people called him out on it he didn't give a _____.
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    Starvation mode does not happen as easily as people think. It would take over 30 days of water only fasting to go into starvation mode for most people.

    30 days of no food huh? I think that might be an over-estimation!
  • ashleynicoleb
    ashleynicoleb Posts: 376 Member
    Looks like he's definitely succumbed to society's obsession for fad diets. Not sustainable.
  • LosingMyMarbles
    LosingMyMarbles Posts: 168 Member
    He was on Dr Oz this afternoon. I only watched to see what Bob had to say. Not impressed. I just unfollowed him on Facebook because all he does is post about Quaker Oats.
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
    BURN IT WITH FIRE

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