Dramatic calorie restriction???

I so agree. On those "cut the calories" types of diets you lose initially and gain it right back again. Have done it so many times - time to learn a real lifestyle! Hope others read this :-)

Thanks so much for this info, when i first started here i didnt really understand the entire calorie stuff. I think however, that people who have a much higher amount to loose, can go 2lbs a week. I just recently found out about this website, but before i didnt count calories, i simply just ate what i thought was right, and what i have learned is right. Watched what i ate, and honestly eat everything but just didnt go overboard and i managed to loose 29lbs so far.

However, when i signed up here i set up my profile to loose minimum of 2 lbs a week because i have a lot of weight to loose, i think 2lbs is reasonable, i didnt exercise a lot before, except occasional take walks, and i had a job where i walked all day long, but i quit my job now i mostly sit on my job.

Now i exercise 5-6 times a week at least 30 minutes, i eat about 1250-1300 calories a day according to my profile which i set up the first time i joined here. I also try to eat my exercise calories that i get, but sometimes i dont get to eat them, like tonight i had about 700 left. I dont want to do it wrong, and i dont want my body to go into starvation mode. So am i doing it right? Should i eat more? I eat 5 times a day, breakfast, lunch dinner and 2 snacks at least. My meals consist mostly of homemade things, yogurt, FRUTIS , VEGGIES, ETC.

If you have any suggestions, please let me know i want to do this right! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

Based on your activity level alone you should eat more than 1200 calories, the amount of calories your body burns is mostly based on your weight and height, so keep in mind that people who weigh more burn more calories, and thus require more calories to maintain a healthy lifestyle than someone who weighs less.

so i really should be eating more?

so how do you suggest that i make my profile to reflect that, and where can i find out what my healthy calorie intake should be?

I worked out...a lot....before the auto accidents that I was involved in. I have always eaten 5 - 6 mini-meals a day....then and now. And I make sure to include some kind of protein with every meal. Cutting calories drastically is not a good way to lose weight....in the long run it's hurting your metabolism and will make it more difficult to maintain a proper weight. I noticed that some MFP members are eating less than 1000 calories a day, a few of them only around 500 - 600 a day. Eating properly (with food and drink that you enjoy in moderation :drinker: ) is definitely the way to go! Slainte!

You asked for our thoughts.... not to disagree with EVERYONE who has posted so far but my thought is - to each his own.
If it works for you, you are getting balanced nutrition via your food and supplements, and you are under the care of a physician, I see no problem whatsoever with a VLCD. There are ways to transition healthily from eating say 800 calories a day to 1500-2000 once you've met your goal without gaining back all your weight. You can also eat a lot on a VLCD if you're making good choices, like apples vs M&Ms.

If you restricted all your foods and lost weight (crash diet-style) but then went right back to eating crap, yeah you'd gain it all back and probably more. A VLCD can actually help you learn to look at food in a better way and determine what foods are worth your time. For example, should I have this coke (140 cals) that won't fill me up, OR a healthy (123 cal) turkey sandwich which will provide nutrients as well as keep me full? It helps you make those smarter choices because you actually care about what you're eating and how long you will feel full from it.

As I'm sure you guessed, I am on a VLCD and I love it. I am stuffed all the time and I exceed my protein and my fiber.
My DOCTOR supervises this plan and I get routine physicals - the last of which actually showed my LBM has improved so, no, I am not losing muscle - at all. I have built muscle and lost 14 lbs and I've been doing this 31 days. My physician (who is a specialist btw) regularly views my MFP diary and is very pleased that I am keeping everything in a good balance (though I could afford to have more iron, but I supplement that and have my whole life being anemic.) Furthermore, I was a weight loss counselor for years as well as a dance instructor, I'm sure nobody cares but that does give me a little bit of a background to draw from. Being an EMT helps as well.

The last thing I would say is this: Nobody should advise anyone on exactly what diet they should be on unless you are their physician and have a clear picture of their entire medical history. I am a fan of the VLCD, but not for everyone. Just like I am a huge fan of protein, but I know increasing your intake of it could be dangerous if you have a history of kidney disease - so unless you are a nephrologist don't recommend that to someone. That's how I look at this whole ugly debate. We can encourage one another and be a support system for one another but we should not conclusively prescribe plans to one another. Should people who do VLCD's, HCG, The Cabbage Soup Diet, The Total Cleanse, Atkins, or ANY OTHER DIET be allowed and encouraged to post on MFP -- ABSOLUTELY. Not only is it our right, but there are other people on MFP who want to learn about these things and form EDUCATED opinions. People are not as stupid as we think they are, and they are allowed to decide what's right for them.

Wow... that was a lot. Sorry for the ramble.

Maggie, I couldn't agree with your last post more. I hope everyone on MFP recognizes that the only way to lose weight for life is to eat better and exercise, that's what it all comes down to. ANYONE who encourages the use of laxatives, diuretics, starvation, or vomiting to induce weight-loss should be flagged by MFP and warned to discontinue the advice which is universally recognized as medically unsafe. There is, like you say, a big difference between that type of speech and medically-supervised plans. MFP is not the answer, without a "heart change" and a true desire to be HEALTHY not just thin, none of us are any better off.

I am proud to be a part of such a positive and supportive community!!!!!!

For those that say they simply can't eat that much, you don't have to eat more in quantity, just higher calorie foods. Instead of fat free cheese, have low fat or full fat. Some olive oil, a handful of almonds, whole eggs instead of egg whites, homemade salad dressing with real ingredients instead of fat free storebought, all these add healthy, nutritionally desirable calories.

And I would definately recommend that anyone at all who plans to eat under their BMR consult with their physician and a nutritionist before doing so.

It amazes me that so many people here are eating so little. When you look at what fitness models and knowledable individuals are eating by comparison, you'd be astounded. Tiny, 105-125 pound women, eating 1600-1900+ calories a day to lose fat.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=127412843

I hear you about wanting to correct unhealthy information. But, really, I think the best thing to do is to focus on giving advice to people who are ready to hear it. Because there aren't very many of us who haven't resorted to things that we know are unhealthy (low calories, over exercise, fasting, pills)...and even though we *knew* it was bad, we thought we would prove to be the exceptions and have it end up well. And we tried them, and failed. And after failure (and possibly failure, and failure, and failure), we were then able to hear the good advice that was floating around. But until we were ready to hear it, no one could tell us anything different.

So, put your energy out there where it can do some good. Odds are, its not that they don't know its wrong, but that they don't care. We've all been there, so we know we changed when we were ready, not because somebody told us too. So, don't waste your time trying to change people who aren't ready to change. Help those who are ready.

Anybody with a calorie deficit of 1000 or more may be losing weight too fast. I haven't come across too many people eating less than 1200 calories. That's the standard that the majority of people live by. However, if a person weighs 300 pounds, they should be taking in more than 1200 calories. Losing weight should be a gradual process, and the individual should learn something about proper nutrition on the journey.