800-1000 calories a day

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This may be a record for how many of the same thread there have been in 12 hours.

pathetic isn't it?

Hi BlueOrchidMoon First congratulations on your big loss! You are doing great.

So when you were losing weight the "healthy" way as you put it, what were your calories like? I definitely have a general opinion but can't really give you specifics unless you can tell us exactly what you were doing before the drastic calorie cut. Also what was your exercise routine like vs. what it is now since you have implemented this VLCD?

My general opinion is no I don't think anything below 1200 is good for you even at a higher weight. You are putting yourself at risk for a lot of things such as malnutrition, hair loss, gall stones, loose skin, and muscle loss. Not to mention you are setting yourself up for binging by restricting yourself so much which will result in a quick regain of weight.

What has worked best for me and a lot of other people on MFP is eating 15%-30% less than your TDEE (maintenance calories). This creates a safe deficit that is a lot more sustainable than what you are currently doing. I've been where you are many times, and trust me when I say it doesn't work. I think you could go as high as -30% off TDEE given your weight. For example, my sedentary TDEE is 2400 calories/day. So I eat anywhere between 1700-1900 to create a safe deficit and I lose weight easily without too much deprivation. (For reference, I am 270 pounds and 5'7 tall.). When I exercise, I eat more and still maintain a healthy deficit. Now since you are heavier than me and exercise a ton, your TDEE would be even higher and your calorie goal should be even higher than mine.

Somewhere along the line, you have to realize that you use calorie reduction for weight loss, and exercise for good health. I do believe you are under eating and over exercising. So in summary I think you should eat more like I said, and cut down the exercise especially the cardio. Strength train 3x per week, moderate cardio 2-3x/week. You don't need to kill yourself to lose weight. You really don't.

Now I really hope you don't think my response was rude. I was just trying to be honest and helpful. I feel for you, I know what it is like to just want this weight off NOW. I know it's cliche, but slow and steady really does win the race. Good luck and stay safe :flowerforyou:

Well.. I will say that a low calorie diet for a short term in a healthy person isn't' entirely bad. But you've got to keep it short term and you've got to get back to the proper levels afterwards. I cut out all added sugar, all processed food, all junk and lost 7 pounds. I'm eating more then I was and it's way less calories then before. Probably would be more but I caved to hibachi and beer (who wouldn't?!?!?) I needed to confuse my body and I found myself grazing on M&Ms and pastries at work. So I had to do something before I put all the weight back on. The result was weight loss that i know I will keep off because i'm eating all the foods I actually like and kicking the sugar addiction to the curb. I really have to try and think about my food choices to keep the calories above 1200. At the end of the week I change my diet up again, so hopefully it wont' be so hard to get and keep the calories up.