Eating less than 1,200 calories?

I looked at the last 2 days and saw that you are starving yourself for protein and fats. If you include a decent helping at each meal, and add a couple of snacks in the day, you will do much better. Your portion sizes are also pretty small. Balance is the key, and there are many choices, even with limited diets.

You really should go over this with your doctor. They can tell you what you -should- be eating since you have to restrict so much a lot better than we can since they know your situation better.

I agree with this. The only thing we could safely recommend is to increase the portion size of the things you're already eating.

I'll go with the earlier post that you may need to consult a nutritionist about this. I'll try to answer your questions since that's not the answer you're looking for on an internet forum.

1,200 isn't a golden number in MFP; in fact I would suggest you ignore it. You should use a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) calculator. Your BMR plus maybe 10% should be your calorie floor instead of 1,200. It's possible, but very unlikely, depending on your size/weight/age/activity level that you could fall under 1,200 (again, very unlikely).

Your calorie goal should be TDEE - 20% (which should still be a fair amount above your BMR). You can get MFP to adjust your goals by changing your rate of weight loss in your settings.

Moving on, you will still lose weight eating below 1,200 calories. The issue isn't so much weight as it is health in general. You may even experience more rapid weight loss (then plateau, then lose at a slower rate) depending on the precise level of the deficit. Again, this isn't a healthy route but I understand you have other circumstances affecting you.

At starvation levels your body will put the brakes on metabolism to preserve itself. Your body may start to break down lean muscle to make up the energy (calorie) deficit it is experiencing. Your general feeling of wellness may decrease as your energy level drops.

The weight loss projection by MFP follows the general rule that a 3,500 calorie deficit creates 1 pound of fat loss. This is based on a big assumption of consistent behavior (basically, net calories) and doesn't factor in metabolism changes. Is it absolutely correct? No. But it will continue to provide a reasonable estimate, barring any better available method.

As to your diet. I know you want to eat healthier but if you continue to run calorie deficits that low it's going to wreck your health worse than being overweight. I've seen studies arguing underweight is more dangerous than overweight (just that overweight is more endemic in our countries). Looking at your diary, it appears to be more of a lack of appetite from the quantities. Any possibility of hormone issues? I'll take some flak on this but you need to eat more (portions) and perhaps include some *relatively* "crappier foods" (if there aren't other issues). Crazy advice on MFP, I know.

50 grams of steak? Make it a 112-225 gram (4-8 ounce) steak serving. Mashed potatoes instead of green beans. Swap out your breakfast with a hot breakfast or a common kid's cereal. Pasta such as spaghetti with a meat sauce or a bowl of rice (hell, even fried rice if possible). Fat, protein, carbs - they are not bad things you need them. I would almost ignore sugars as you will get those without trying.

Those numbers are just targets and it's okay to go over/under within reason as long as your calories are near the goal at the end of the day. Can you still diet with health issues? I'm sure you can but I don't have all the facts, either.

I would still regard a doctor/nutritionist to be your best bet and worthy of the $$$. Best wishes.

I received some test results recently and it turns out I am intolerant to many different kinds of foods. I can't eat those foods I am intolerant to for at least 3 months. I can't eat gluton, sugar, rice, corn, and several different kinds of fruits and vegetables. I have been off those foods for almost a week and have been trying to eat a lot, but I consistently am getting below 1,000 calories.

My question would be where did you go for your tests?

The `results` seem pretty much OTT.

What were your tests for?

Since your doctor recommended this (and also because I was recently diagnosed with food allergies), my insurance was required to book me an appointment with a dietitian. You could always ask your doctor if you could meet with one, and they could assess your allergies and give you some foods that you could have.

There is no mention of a doctor in the OP`s topic

No, the 5 week prediction is not true.

Would it be a lot more helpful if I wrote down all the things I can eat?

Also, am I damaging my weight loss goal because I am not eating more than 1,200 calories? Can I still lose weight if I eat less? I'm not saying I want to eat less, I am just curious.

what food intolerance do you have? fructose/fructans? something specific?

most food intolerances are carb related. You should be able to get more than adequate calories from adding in proteins and fats and allowable carbs.

I can empathise as I have fructose/fructan malabsorption and also can't have sugar polyols. It took me ages to adjust because I was vegetarian at the time. No more

There is no reason why you cannot be eating however many kcals you need during each day.

Focus on the foods you CAN eat, not the foods you can't.

My BMR is 1616 and my TDEE is about 2,500. I guess this means I should eat around 1,800 to 2,000 calories a day? Haha this may be hard. I can't have any gluten like wheat and oats; no sugar; no rice; no chicken; no MSG or preservatives (so nothing processed), and various fruits and vegetables.

I am about 15 pounds away from my goal. I know I will have a much harder time now because I am close to my ideal weight. Is there anything I need to do differently because I am so close? Also, I have been eating a lot of carbs in my diet. Will that stunt my weight loss, or does it even matter? And will eating red meat like steak all the time be bad for my health and also hurt me in my weight loss?

First, I'm sorry to hear about your condition. I hope things change for the better. I'll help any way I can.

BMR/TDEE

Correct, you should target 1,800-2,000. A little over or under isn't an issue as these are all based on some level of estimation. Stay above BMR but below TDEE to continue to lose weight. As you can now tell with your own homework, the 1,200 calorie figure isn't applicable to your situation.

It is unlikely that you will need to do anything different as you get closer to your target weight. It tends to get harder the more weight you lose, however. As your weight drops so will your TDEE/BMR figures (weight is part of the computations). Your TDEE will also change if your activity level changes (more/less exercise and other strenuous activities).

WEIGHT LOSS

Carbs will *not* stunt your weight loss. In the simplest terms, weight loss is almost entirely due to eating less calories than your TDEE.

Net calories < TDEE = Weight Loss

Seriously, it can be made that simple. It can also be made incredibly complex depending on how much you want to micro-manage or if you have more extreme goals (like getting "ripped"). But the complexity is mostly for health, not weight reasons.

Since your dilemma involves insufficient calories I suggest you find an efficient way to get there (calorie goal). Obviously, that goes with consideration of your food restrictions. It doesn't matter if you get to your calorie goal via carbs, protein, or fat (aka Macro-nutrients) for the very short-term. Once you've found a reasonable way to get to your calorie goal (at least above BMR) , then worry about managing and balancing your macro-nutrients.

HEALTH

In other words, don't let yourself starve because that's what falling below the BMR is doing. Once you've got a grip on keeping yourself fed (calories) then start to make yourself healthy (nutrients). You will need carbs, fat, and protein in proper amounts to stay healthy. Later, manage micro-nutrients (Google).

FOOD

Make a trip to your organic/health food section. Maybe make a field trip to a Whole Foods type grocery. As you can tell, a lot of people can relate to your food restrictions (although, not necessarily the condition).

Gluten-free products are very common as this isn't an entirely uncommon issue (see Celiac disease). Check the health food isle of your grocery store. You already found Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free Oats. You can also try Gluten-Free Rice Krispies. Google "gluten-free diet" for a lot of great resources.

Note that unprocessed rice is normally gluten-free.

Sugar. Depends on the specific allergy/issue. Sucrose? Fructose? Glucose? Sugar substitutes not based on sugar such as nutra-sweet or sweet-n-low may work if sucrose is an issue. I would be wary about Splenda/sucralose since it's actually based on real sugar if that's the case. Stevia is a maybe/maybe not and may be a concern if fructose is a problem.

MSG and preservatives. Health food shopping either in a whole food type grocery or careful shopping in a regular grocery.

Seek out items with higher calories for now to get to your calorie goal. Steak has fat and protein. Cereal has carbs, fiber, and many other nutrients. It can be done. Input questions you have into Google such as "What can I eat that is Gluten free?".

Hopefully, this gives you a starting point. Good luck.

I wonder if it's possible to just eliminate like half of the foods I'm intolerant to for 3 months and then eliminate the other half? Do any of you know anything about this kind of thing?

You're in uncharted territory for yourself. You know how you're feeling better than anyone else. Considering these items appear to be intolerances, rather than allergies, I don't see any reason you can't feel your way through it.

Not all intolerances are equal and the best method may very well be some trial and error. You may be able to cope with some intolerances. Eliminating the items that appear to give you the most trouble as a priority seems reasonable.

You've made it this far, after all.