800 Calories a day?

swaser0816
swaser0816 Posts: 20
in Health and Weight Loss
So if you look at my profile picture you will see that I met David from the Biggest Loser season 14!!! He is working at one of the schools in my district. I was asking him questions about the Biggest Loser and what goes on behind the scenes. He of course told me that Jillian is much nicer on the days that the cameras are not rolling and doesn't use the profanity normally. It wasn't too much of a surprise to hear that I figured some of it was for the camera. He said that was mainly the only thing that was different. He said all the game playing and drama was real.
There was one thing he said that REALLY surprised me...he told me that are only allowed to eat 800 calories a day so they could drop the weight fast. Now I have read many things about weight loss over the years and they always say you are suppose to eat not less than 1200 calories a day. If it was really that unhealthy why would two of the best trainers let their clients do that to themselves?
I read a book by Bob Harper and he did say that he recommends a two weeks introduction phase of only eating 800 calories a day. After the two weeks he wanted you to up the calories to 1200.

What do you think? Would it be that bad if you did it for a short period of time? Two weeks? A month? A few Months? Six months? A year?

I feel like I can only lose weight if I really cut my calorie count but I haven't been doing that because I had an eating disorder when I was younger and I don't want to have issues with my health because I deprived myself when I was younger (weak bones and poor memory, etc.)
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Replies

  • jesusHchris
    jesusHchris Posts: 1,405 Member
    "but I haven't been doing that because I had an eating disorder when I was younger"

    Good. Don't do it. Why would you risk it? It's been proven time and time again that people are losing the weight eating many more calories. Why risk it for some crazy scheme that worked on an obese person for a television show?
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    These people were also monitored by health professionals too though. Eating under 1200 calories, let alone 800 is dangerous territory. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. I wouldn't even do it for a day, let alone short term.

    If you're concerned about your own calorie intake, I suggest you read http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    It's VERY helpful in finding the right amount of calories you need.

    Cutting calories into a huge deficit is not beneficial. Someone else posted about eating 1000 calories, and this was my response:

    1. The recommended minimum for a woman is 1200 calories, 1800 for males. There's a reason for this. Your body needs more than 1000 calories to sustain itself. Yes, you could technically survive on 1000 calories or less, but you’d be extremely malnourished, weak, and sickly.

    2. When you drop your calorie intake that low, your body immediately slows everything down to conserve energy and protect vital organ functions. So even if you are able to drop a few pounds quickly at first, your weight loss will soon stall. Plus, as soon as you go back to a normal calorie intake, you’ll start GAINING weight because now your metabolism is slower than it was before so you can’t eat as many calories and maintain your weight.

    3. By cutting so low, you're setting yourself up for a binge-fest. You’ll feel irritable, stressed, fatigued, and deprived, which immediately makes you start craving food, and guess what happens? BINGE. And then where will you be? Right back to square one or maybe even -2.
  • authormarieskye
    authormarieskye Posts: 64 Member
    Wow that's crazy, definitely something you don't hear them say. I would think with as much working out as they do, they would eat more. Interesting.
  • smwooley
    smwooley Posts: 133 Member
    They're losing weight for a TV show, which means the need results FAST. What they're doing is extremely unhealthy. You can look up actual scientific journals and find that out. The only reason I can think of why Bob Harper would suggest it in his book is because since that's what they do on the show, if he doesn't continue on that thread, people will wonder why they do it on the show. All I can say is don't do it. It's not worth the price you'll pay in your health.
  • percypat
    percypat Posts: 26
    I wouldn't do it. I would think the contestants on those shows are under medical supervision, so it would be ensured they get all their nutrients and people could step in if someone wasn't responding well.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    IXUO5zJ.gif

    Ignore biggest loser. That's TV. It's to sell products. Make small changes, find a modest deficit. Problem solved. Sure, they lose weight.. but I'd love to see their bone density test results, or how long many of those contestants maintain afterwards. Many don't, because they don't learn healthy habits. They're hamsters in a cage, paid to get in the wheel. They do so.. but it doesn't necessarily stick.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I think they do it for ratings, not because it's healthy.

    If a person is obese they can get away with a bigger deficit but they should be monitored by a physician and a registered dietician to make sure they're getting adequate nutrition and that their heart is okay, among other things.

    You are not obese and since you have a history of disordered eating I'd think that you wouldn't want to go down that road. It will likely further damage your metabolism, not to mention the damage you could do to yourself psychologically. Just be patient and do this the healthy way.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    IXUO5zJ.gif

    Ignore biggest loser. That's TV. It's to sell products. Make small changes, find a modest deficit. Problem solved. Sure, they lose weight.. but I'd love to see their bone density test results, or how long many of those contestants maintain afterwards. Many don't, because they don't learn healthy habits. They're hamsters in a cage, paid to get in the wheel. They do so.. but it doesn't necessarily stick.

    :heart:

    Nice gif!
  • S0nsh1ne
    S0nsh1ne Posts: 218 Member
    Yeah listen to her she obviously knows of what she speaks - great weight loss!!!
    IXUO5zJ.gif

    Ignore biggest loser. That's TV. It's to sell products. Make small changes, find a modest deficit. Problem solved. Sure, they lose weight.. but I'd love to see their bone density test results, or how long many of those contestants maintain afterwards. Many don't, because they don't learn healthy habits. They're hamsters in a cage, paid to get in the wheel. They do so.. but it doesn't necessarily stick.
  • mumtoonegirl
    mumtoonegirl Posts: 586 Member
    this is what makes me mental actually about the show (even though I did watch the whole season last year) is the food. I remember one episode they came back from one of the 2 hour workouts and they talk to them about nutrition and bring out a frickin can of soup. Seriously??? Where the crap is the fuel for your body.

    That is not only unhealthy it is flat out dangerous.
  • Kindone
    Kindone Posts: 138 Member
    By the same token, I could go on a different reality tv show and compete against other women in a catty way to vie for the affection of one man who is able to fool around with each woman competing... and hope that this might turn into my forever guy = marriage. TV is insane and eating 800 calories while being shouted at by Jillian Michaels to work harder is equally as insane as hoping to find my soul mate on The Bachelor.

    I am not meaning this in a snarky way :) Please just eat lots of food at a moderate deficit the healthy way.
  • jennyct10
    jennyct10 Posts: 15 Member
    Has anyone heard of the rotation diet? It was developed at a university clinic, and the developer claims you will not hurt yourself by limiting the days you have a low intake to 3. I have been in a deficit for a month and lost 2 but gained it back. I cannot do this indefinitely, nor do I want to.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Yeah listen to him he obviously knows of what she speaks - great weight loss!!!
    I appreciate the nod, but my ticker isn't really as much of a success story for me as a reminder of how good I was at being a big sloppy fat-*kitten* without any control.

    My loss would compare to someone from the biggest loser, and while I'm proud of it... I'm just as proud of my friends on here that are losing their 10 lbs.. or 8... or gaining. It's all about the process. Problem is, the biggest loser isn't a realistic situation. These folks QUIT THEIR LIVES to go starve themselves for a chance to win a million bucks.. or whatever the check is made out for. They do well. They have decent cookbooks and other products, but the entire thing about the show is just shameful. Hell, this past season, they had people UPSET that they only lost 11 lbs in a weeks time. Something is very, very unhealthy.. and very wrong about that.

    I will take the high five for the gif though.

    ETA: also... her?
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    Has anyone heard of the rotation diet? It was developed at a university clinic, and the developer claims you will not hurt yourself by limiting the days you have a low intake to 3. I have been in a deficit for a month and lost 2 but gained it back. I cannot do this indefinitely, nor do I want to.

    You mean 5:2? It's a calorie deficit, just with the numbers reshuffled.

    I wouldn't take health or diet advice from a reality show. Not the best source of information.
  • LassoOfTruth
    LassoOfTruth Posts: 735 Member
    Please, never eat below 1200.

    Figure out your BMR, TDEE and work from there.

    <3
  • hungryhobbit1
    hungryhobbit1 Posts: 259 Member
    I don't care for The Biggest Loser, generally. Weight loss really ought not to be a competition, it should be about what is healthiest for the individual. If you want to watch one of those shows I think "Extreme Weight Loss" is better because it's just one individual on a tailor made program, and they often make changes mid stream to compensate for health issues or disordered eating, should they come up.

    But more importantly, it's all just tv. Unless you are under 4 foot 10 you are setting yourself up for hair loss and terrible mood swings if you eat that little.
  • JulesAlloggio
    JulesAlloggio Posts: 480 Member
    This doesn't surprise me, I also read that some of the contestants develop eating disorders in order to "lose" big numbers.

    After learning about this, I stopped watching the show. This was of course a few years ago...now I just don't have time for tv shows.
  • Kindone
    Kindone Posts: 138 Member
    Unless you are under 4 foot 10 you are setting yourself up for hair loss and terrible mood swings if you eat that little.

    I am 4 foot 10 and I eat 1600 calories a day and lose weight moderately. I could never ever eat 800 calories a day.
  • marysidneyherbert
    marysidneyherbert Posts: 69
    It's a shame. With the platform and audience they have, they could have used it to promote healthy, sensible habits and really help people. As it is, they are not just harming the people on the show, but also harming many viewers who assume that Jillian and Bob know what they are talking about.
  • ccnjc4e
    ccnjc4e Posts: 142 Member
    They were allowed to eat 800 calories a day? Or they net 800 a day?
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    They were allowed to eat 800 calories a day? Or they net 800 a day?
    would it matter? at that point, I can't imagine netting vs eating 800 calories is gonna be beneficial either way.
  • shaggydaddy
    shaggydaddy Posts: 40
    800 Calories a day? No Thanks!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Another reason to never watch tBL.
  • JDHINAZ
    JDHINAZ Posts: 641 Member
    Personally, I get dizzy when I eat below 1400. Stumbling into walls and having the lights go out because I'm not eating enough is no fun. Ok, the first couple times it was kinda fun, but after that, NO FUN!
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    They were allowed to eat 800 calories a day? Or they net 800 a day?

    If I had a guess, I'd guess it's 800 gross and that they are netting negative numbers. MFP seems somewhat unique on the whole "eating back your exercise calories" front.
  • swaser0816
    swaser0816 Posts: 20
    They were allowed to eat 800 calories a day? Or they net 800 a day?

    They were only suppose to eat 800 calories a day :(
  • swaser0816
    swaser0816 Posts: 20
    Personally, I get dizzy when I eat below 1400. Stumbling into walls and having the lights go out because I'm not eating enough is no fun. Ok, the first couple times it was kinda fun, but after that, NO FUN!

    Had you been drinking too? LOL just kidding I would like to see that though for entertainment of course :)
  • swaser0816
    swaser0816 Posts: 20
    IXUO5zJ.gif

    Ignore biggest loser. That's TV. It's to sell products. Make small changes, find a modest deficit. Problem solved. Sure, they lose weight.. but I'd love to see their bone density test results, or how long many of those contestants maintain afterwards. Many don't, because they don't learn healthy habits. They're hamsters in a cage, paid to get in the wheel. They do so.. but it doesn't necessarily stick.

    Thanks for the comment and the post my husband and I got a big kick out of the head shaking
  • Sarah0866
    Sarah0866 Posts: 291 Member
    I wouldn't recommend doing so, if for no other reason than the fact that it is unnecessary...focus on eating clean and eating controlled portions.
  • vanderlogt1712
    vanderlogt1712 Posts: 7
    bump

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