Can I eat anything to reach my daily 1000 cals?

You're a 39 year old guy and you're trying to keep it to only 1000 calories a day?? Why on earth would you torture yourself this way exactly?

To put it in perspective, I'm a 42 year old woman who eats over 1800 calories a day and I'm losing nicely.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

Read this it might help you and anyone that you will be around, because on a 1000 calorie a day diet they will be miserable dealing with you.

Do you actually have an answer to my question though, or do you just post negative comments?

If your only goal is weight loss, than yes as long as you are in a calorie deficit you will lose weight. Not negative just realistic and 1000 calories a day is not realistic.

I have read a lot on here that you are never suppose to eat less than 1200 a day. Go by the number MFP has set for you. To answer your question about whether you can eat what you want...Yes you can! Some people say they eat ice cream everyday! I still enjoy cookies, cake, etc. just in moderation and it has to fit into my calorie goal and I make sure to drink lots and lots of water. I have went by the goal MFP set for me and I have lost 15 lbs in 2 months. It will take time to come off! Don't think by eating so few calories it will come off quicker because it won't!

Yes and No.

there was a study done by researchers regarding carb vs protein intake with two groups of women. Same # of calorie restriction, same duration, same conditions. Both groups lost the SAME amount of weight; however....

carb group women ended up with noticeably more body fat % than the protein group %. Also, blood works showed that protein group = healthier.

I'm too lazy to link the article but just type it up in google, it's easy to find.

----

Basically, you will lose the same amount of weight regardless of what you eat, but your body composition will differ.

More protein = you'll look leaner

More carb = skinny fat

Yes, my only goal is quick weight-loss in the short term. I was told that to lose weight quick I needed to at least halve my daily calorie intake. (I read that normal man needs 2000 cals a day to maintain weight).

I want to lose 3 stone by end of March, then plan to maintain through more exercise and more sustainable long term calorie intake.

Is this bad information then?

Thanks.

3 Stone (or 42 pounds) in 10 weeks is going to be _really_ hard to pull off. When I started out losing weight, I was shooting for a 1.5 pound a week caloric deficit - I'm a pretty big guy (although a good bit smaller now than I was then), so I was able to maintain that deficit comfortably. I'd suggest trying to lose no more than 2 pounds per week, as you'll be a lot happier in the short term (because you won't be starving) and in the long term (because you'll probably succeed).

Yes, my only goal is quick weight-loss in the short term. I was told that to lose weight quick I needed to at least halve my daily calorie intake. (I read that normal man needs 2000 cals a day to maintain weight).

I want to lose 3 stone by end of March, then plan to maintain through more exercise and more sustainable long term calorie intake.

Is this bad information then?

Thanks.

I'm assuming the statement for "quick weight loss" referred to half of you current intake, not half of what you are supposed to be eating. If you had gained weight, I'd assume you were eating far more than 2000 calories.

That said, it's a horrible way to calculate calories. Many people throw around "don't eat less than 1200 calories", but that's for very small females, and the community overwhelmingly thinks that is too slow.

Very low calorie diets lead to loss of hair, muscle mass, etc. Long term, if you reduce muscle mass, you reduce your calorie burning potential, so over time you have to eat less and less food to lose weight. In addition, your heart is a muscle, and very long term low calorie intake can cause heart problems (it's not uncommon for someone who has been struggling with anorexia for a long time to have a heart attack).

Take a read of the sexy pants link. It is a great link with lots of good advice. While you might have a goal that is short term, you will likely not like how your body looks once you get there if you try this method. And that's if you don't have long stalls where you don't lose any weight at all. It's not a race. You didn't gain it quickly, and it's best to not try to lose it quickly.

So I might be slightly cranky today, I was sick yesterday and ate 1000 calories, and didn't even eat my daily ice cream. On a normal day I eat between 1600-2000 calories a day and have lost a little bit of weight in a year.

Find out what your BMR and TDEE are and set some realistic goals, 42 pounds in 10 weeks not very realistic.

Ah ok, I'm starting to get it now. Thanks. Surely though the less calories you eat, the faster your body burns up its fat stores though to lose weight? If I'm meant to eat 2000 cals a day to stay the same weight, then surely only cutting out 200 as some people suggest to a daily 1800 means I WILL lose weight, but very, very slowly? Am I being thick?
thanks.
M

My maintenace is 2000 calories and I am a 41 year old woman...do you really think the same applies to a 39 year old man???? REally? So yes you are being thick..one for thinking 2000 is the number for everyone to maintain...

A man should eat no less than 1800 calories a day. And if you do that with diet alone you will also lose muscle along with the fat. As well why so much so fast? if it was that important you should have started March 2013...

With less then 50lbs to lose the healthy way is 1lb a week...then closer to goal you lower that to 1/2 a week so a year would have done it.

To lose weight you need a calorie deficet...the bigger the deficet the faster you lose weight, without exercise and adequate protien you lose muscle with the fat, and to top it all off you wont like what you see when you are at scale weight goal...you will be soft and squishy. And if you decide you want to exercise to build an ever bigger deficet you will be weak because you are not fueling your work outs.

So you have a choice...eat at a big huge deficet, lose lots of weight fast, be squishy and then probably gain it all back (wrong way) if you can maintain this for even 1month

or

Eat at a reasonable deficet, eat enough protien, add in resistence training, lose about 1lb a week, maybe never reach scale goal weight but love what you see in the mirror and be strong and healthy and probably not gain it back because you did it in a healthy manner..unless of course you start eating too much food again. But after 1 year of hard work and dedication ....you think you would do that..

Ah ok, I'm starting to get it now. Thanks. Surely though the less calories you eat, the faster your body burns up its fat stores though to lose weight? If I'm meant to eat 2000 cals a day to stay the same weight, then surely only cutting out 200 as some people suggest to a daily 1800 means I WILL lose weight, but very, very slowly? Am I being thick?
thanks.
M

So, you're begging the question, here. My guess is that you're probably eating more than 2000 calories a day, since it's pretty easy to do if you're not careful. 500 calories per day of deficit equates to 1 pound per week of weight loss, if I recall correctly. (Just checked - the standard wisdom is that 3500 calories = 1 pound of body fat).

If I were you, I'd start out by logging how much I was eating now, just to get an idea of my caloric intake. Then, I'd eliminate the low-hanging fruit. Like sugared soft drinks and bacon shakes - I mean, actually eating low-hanging fruit is probably fine. You'll probably find yourself making healthier choices just due to having to log them.

MyFitnessPal does a pretty good job recommending a calorie intake for you, at least if you're of about average height and male. I gather the recommendations for smallish women can be somewhat on the low side - very rarely, someone will get a 1200 calorie/day recommended allotment and will ask advice on sticking to it. Even more occasionally, people on the forums will offer advice in those cases along the lines of what you've been seeing here.

When I started out, I figured I'd be sticking with it for a while, so I didn't worry too much about losing weight quickly. It's probably not a bad idea to start slowly if you want to succeed in the long term.

Do a cleanse, brah. You'll poop out all your weight and don't have to worry about cals. Then you can eat kale & cauliflower to maintain forever.

Yes, my only goal is quick weight-loss in the short term. I was told that to lose weight quick I needed to at least halve my daily calorie intake. (I read that normal man needs 2000 cals a day to maintain weight).

I want to lose 3 stone by end of March, then plan to maintain through more exercise and more sustainable long term calorie intake.

Is this bad information then?

Thanks.

Yes it's bad information.

Calories to maintain, gain and lose weight are based in each person. You can't go by an average - where are you against average? You can only guess, which won't be accurate. The sexy pants thread will show you how to figure out the calories to gain/lose/maintain weight specific to you.

Losing weight in the short term is very bad for you and you wouldn't be able to drop that much really quickly anyway. Not without surgery.

You can't guess at how many calories you need then arbitrarily cut that in half. Losing 42 pounds in a couple of months by starving yourself is a terribly bad and dangerous idea.

First of all, any "short-term" weight loss isn't going to be as healthy as a steady, longer-term weight loss. Your calorie is far under what any male should have, in fact, a woman needs to eat at least 1200 calories per day to be sure her body doesn't enter starvation mode, so I'm sure a male needs to eat at LEAST 1500-1600 for the same. You don't want to drastically cut your calories they way you think you should - your body will think you're starving it, and therefore hold onto any calories and fat that it can because it doesn't know when the next time you're actually going to eat the amount of calories you should to keep your body functioning properly. You will experience fatigue and low energy levels and if you're not taking a multivitamin, a loss of nutrients. So first thing's first - up your calorie intake, and opt for a healthier and longer term diet that you're more likely to stick to anyways.

I do believe you're making a good decision by cutting way back on the booze - alcohol and other high sugar, high calorie drinks are just empty calories - they won't satisfy you and you'll end up gaining weight even if you're not eating nearly as much as you should. If you are planning to save your drinking for Saturdays, a good tip is to drink a full glass of water for every drink that you have. Limit yourself.

Low-calorie food options include leafy greens, most vegetables, fruits such as apples, berries, melon, etc and lean proteins like fish and chicken. Higher calorie foods include bananas, olive oil, nut butters, dairy, red meat, avocado, etc - you do NEED some of these high calorie foods because some of these foods contain healthy fats which yes, your body NEEDS. Also have some grains such as brown rice and quinoa on the side.

Please make realistic, healthy choices for yourself - this short-term weight loss goal of 1000 calories is not only extremely unhealthy but very difficult to stick to.