Low Calories, Starvation Mode... keep it accurate

To: foxyv069 : Keep up the great work! You can do it! Yes, you can!

To everyone else:

There's a huge (pardon the pun) difference between people who NEED-- directed by a physician-- to follow a VLCD, and skinny teenagers who think they're too fat and decide to do a VLCD on their own. My heart goes out to the 18 year-old girls, who, at 5'7", think they're obese at 90 lbs. Unless ordered by a physician, they don't need a VLCD. They also don't need MFP like the rest of us. They do need professional counseling, which is not currently available on this forum. Please, don't shoot flaming barbs into my rotund *kitten*. This is in no way meant to insult any young, deathly skinny girls, nor anyone else. If diet-obsessed people are going to use this site inappropriately, we can't stop them, any more than we can stop an alcoholic from drinking. This just isn't the place. We are not the diet police. Frankly, it's not "M.F.P." I have my own diet to worry about. Perhaps the folks who dump mean, nasty, counterproductive, and angry words on the people who NEED to do a VLCD (or Atkins/Paleo/WW, whatever) should have a special topic to post in, so we don't have to waste time reading their disparaging and discouraging remarks. Better yet, they should start their own site.

We have many names: fat, tubby, heavy, chubby, portly, pudgy, fatso, obese (don't forget Butterball), to name a few. They all mean the same thing. And I'll bet that most of us on MFP have been called at least one of them at some point in our lives. Isn't it hard enough just being fat (and now trying to lose weight to get healthy)? Negativity isn't needed here. I'm not saying we should hold hands and sing "Kum Ba Ya" , but give the hurtful crap a break!

If you need to comment on someone's diet, first do the following:

Be happy. Be happy for yourself and your success on your journey to being thinner and healthier, whichever way YOU have chosen to get there.

Be happy for your fellow MFP members as they strive to reach their goals. But remember, although each of us may travel a different road, our destination is the same. And if you can't comment in a nice, non-judgemental, or friendly way, BE QUIET!

(I think I burned 100 cals writing this! No, I'm not Grandpa Munster. I'm a 52 year-old woman, 5' tall, 215 lbs and shrinking!)

Right, i don't know how a lot of people will react to this post but i'm going to post it anyway and hope for no abuse, or minimal abuse.

i am a healthy weight now, but i now try to (unless a celebratory/special event) eat around 800-1000 calories a day, otherwise i start gaining weight. i don't know why but i do, its not even like i sit all day, i walk (quickly) at least 9 hours a week around 3 hours a day, 3 days a week, plus i go running at least twice a week and i go to the gym around 3 times a week. but i still gain weight if i eat any more.

its bloody difficult to eat that amount, but i'd rather do that than go back to how i was. i have low calorie drinks or a cup of tea for breakfast, the same for lunch, sometimes i will eat a salad, and for dinner i cook healthy meals but i only eat around a tennis ball sized portion, the rest is salad.

that is the only way i stay slim, and to be honest i don't even feel that slim. even though i'm a uk size 6 (us size 2) i don't feel skinny, but i trust in my size and am not actively trying to lose weight.

the point i'm trying to make is that not everyone eats a low calorie diet to lose weight quickly, some have to do it for a living.

Right, i don't know how a lot of people will react to this post but i'm going to post it anyway and hope for no abuse, or minimal abuse.

i am a healthy weight now, but i now try to (unless a celebratory/special event) eat around 800-1000 calories a day, otherwise i start gaining weight. i don't know why but i do, its not even like i sit all day, i walk (quickly) at least 9 hours a week around 3 hours a day, 3 days a week, plus i go running at least twice a week and i go to the gym around 3 times a week. but i still gain weight if i eat any more.

its bloody difficult to eat that amount, but i'd rather do that than go back to how i was. i have low calorie drinks or a cup of tea for breakfast, the same for lunch, sometimes i will eat a salad, and for dinner i cook healthy meals but i only eat around a tennis ball sized portion, the rest is salad.

that is the only way i stay slim, and to be honest i don't even feel that slim. even though i'm a uk size 6 (us size 2) i don't feel skinny, but i trust in my size and am not actively trying to lose weight.

the point i'm trying to make is that not everyone eats a low calorie diet to lose weight quickly, some have to do it for a living.

Have you been tested for thyroid issues or PCOS? Or anything else that could be affecting your metabolism. I'm just curious, because I know that low calorie counts (under 1200) can make it hard to meet your bodies nutritional needs.

ive looked up symptoms of those kinds of things before, and i don't really have any, i might go to the doctors, but i just dislike doctors so much!!

Right, i don't know how a lot of people will react to this post but i'm going to post it anyway and hope for no abuse, or minimal abuse.

i am a healthy weight now, but i now try to (unless a celebratory/special event) eat around 800-1000 calories a day, otherwise i start gaining weight. i don't know why but i do, its not even like i sit all day, i walk (quickly) at least 9 hours a week around 3 hours a day, 3 days a week, plus i go running at least twice a week and i go to the gym around 3 times a week. but i still gain weight if i eat any more.

its bloody difficult to eat that amount, but i'd rather do that than go back to how i was. i have low calorie drinks or a cup of tea for breakfast, the same for lunch, sometimes i will eat a salad, and for dinner i cook healthy meals but i only eat around a tennis ball sized portion, the rest is salad.

that is the only way i stay slim, and to be honest i don't even feel that slim. even though i'm a uk size 6 (us size 2) i don't feel skinny, but i trust in my size and am not actively trying to lose weight.

the point i'm trying to make is that not everyone eats a low calorie diet to lose weight quickly, some have to do it for a living.

Have you been tested for thyroid issues or PCOS? Or anything else that could be affecting your metabolism. I'm just curious, because I know that low calorie counts (under 1200) can make it hard to meet your bodies nutritional needs.

ive looked up symptoms of those kinds of things before, and i don't really have any, i might go to the doctors, but i just dislike doctors so much!!

Understandable (I don't really like doctors either).

Hypothyroidism seems to be common on my mom's side of the family. My mom has it, her sister has it and my grandma has it. I don't have it, but I get tested every couple of years to make sure. My mom didn't really have any symptoms other than a slower than normal metabolism which of course made it very easy for her to gain weight.

Right, i don't know how a lot of people will react to this post but i'm going to post it anyway and hope for no abuse, or minimal abuse.

i am a healthy weight now, but i now try to (unless a celebratory/special event) eat around 800-1000 calories a day, otherwise i start gaining weight. i don't know why but i do, its not even like i sit all day, i walk (quickly) at least 9 hours a week around 3 hours a day, 3 days a week, plus i go running at least twice a week and i go to the gym around 3 times a week. but i still gain weight if i eat any more.

its bloody difficult to eat that amount, but i'd rather do that than go back to how i was. i have low calorie drinks or a cup of tea for breakfast, the same for lunch, sometimes i will eat a salad, and for dinner i cook healthy meals but i only eat around a tennis ball sized portion, the rest is salad.

that is the only way i stay slim, and to be honest i don't even feel that slim. even though i'm a uk size 6 (us size 2) i don't feel skinny, but i trust in my size and am not actively trying to lose weight.

the point i'm trying to make is that not everyone eats a low calorie diet to lose weight quickly, some have to do it for a living.

How tall are you? If you don't mind me asking!

There's a 3rd option to VLCD or 'the knife' and that's to change eating habits, learn moderation, exercise and realise there are no quick fixes. By doing all this I've gone from morbidly obese to losing 103lbs in a little over a year (54 weeks) and am losing an average of 1.5lbs a week whilst eating 1900 cals a day.

I agree that if a Dr recommends VLCD for a short period of time and its supervised then fine, but if a Dr was then recommending to continue to eat below your BMR (which anyone at over 200lbs, of a normal height range and with no underlying metabolic disorders is doing) if they're eating 1200cals a day I'd be querying how much time they spent studying nutrition & diet.

There's a 3rd option to VLCD or 'the knife' and that's to change eating habits, learn moderation, exercise and realise there are no quick fixes. By doing all this I've gone from morbidly obese to losing 103lbs in a little over a year (54 weeks) and am losing an average of 1.5lbs a week whilst eating 1900 cals a day.

I agree that if a Dr recommends VLCD for a short period of time and its supervised then fine, but if a Dr was then recommending to continue to eat below your BMR (which anyone at over 200lbs, of a normal height range and with no underlying metabolic disorders is doing) if they're eating 1200cals a day I'd be querying how much time they spent studying nutrition & diet.

Excellent point on Dr recommendation.

Is this the general Dr just going for common recommendation they recall and see all the time, relying on their one 6 month course of diet and nutrition?

Or is this a specialist Dr as OP sounds like she had that knew his stuff?

Perhaps that's why I see comments of ones who claim to be Dr supervised sounding like they didn't listen or weren't told much and have no clue about things it seems.

caloric expenditure ..... not starvation mode !!!!!!

People, often times, criticize the VLCD and don't really even know what it is, or more importantly, WHY it is. I don't think you need to be under strict supervision of a doctor to be on a VLCD. I think that's a "safe word" thing to say so that people who have no business on one don't get to thinking it's ok for them. The whole entire point of a VLCD is this, and this alone: the risk of serious injury or death due to obesity is a more immediate concern than the risk of complications due to malnourishment. The other thing that I think a lot of folks don't realize is that VLCD is a temporary thing. You only do it until you get out of the "obese" category and back into the "overweight" category. And then, once you are there, you can't just come off of it like you weren't on it, you have to ween yourself off of it and back on to a regular diet. It was never meant to get you to the peak of health and it has never claimed to be a healthy way to diet. What it does is quickly gets you out of the fire and back into the frying pan, so to speak, so that you can make wise, healthy decisions from there on about becoming healthy and physically fit.

oh, its not a requirement at all. Sorry, I did forget you mentioned that. Because I have PCOS and I was above 40% BMI, and I refused surgery, my doctor also recommended medications for my hypothalamus, in addition to metformin for my hormone imbalance (insulin resistance). However, that is about when I tried to go chemical/toxin free in my life and I refused the meds. I am a pain in the *kitten*, I know. lol. I was not intending to reset it, quite simply bc I knew nothing about it. I just did a diet that was suggested to me by him, and was referred to a nutritionist/dietician. I was placed on a low cal diet that apparently had much thought and research behind it. I dropped about 30+ lbs in a very short period. I was not supposed to just go off it, but, like I said, Im a pain in the *kitten*... and I started slacking on regular visits to the doc and eventually just went back to eating what I was before the diet. Somehow, the diet alone caused it to reset, although I still have pcos and hormone imbalances, I managed to keep that 30+lbs off regardless what and how much I ate. It was like when I was at 265. If I lost a pound or two by dieting myself, I would eventually gain it back, just like if I ate like a cow, my body would regulate itself back to that weight. My new regulated weight is about 233. I cant explain the science behind it, but I dont argue it. Eventually, I hope to rid of everything that PCOS and bad diet have done to me and my body.

I'm going to guess that your body is comfortable eating at maintenance for the weight now (233) just as it was comfortable eating maintenance for 265 at one point. I do understand that. The highest I ever saw on a scale was 235 about 15 years ago, at a doctor's office of course because I did not own a scale for much of my life. I likely was at that weight for a few years due to my clothes fitting the same for a time period. When I started having uncomfortable upper back pain I was diagnosed with gall bladder problems (2 stones detected by ultra-sound) and like you I did not want surgery or drugs so took my doctor's advice to cut back on "fatty foods", especially deep fried foods and soups where fatty meats were cooked in the liquid without cooling and removing fat before eating. This lifestyle change eliminated the gall bladder discomfort and also resulted in about a 10 pound weight loss which I maintained without any effort -- so I figure I was eating at maintenance for 225 for the past decade, more or less. There may have been times I went up or down a few pounds but since I never weighed myself until last August I was not aware of it.

I've noticed that much of the trade-off I've done with calories since finding and using the MFP calorie deficit plan, is replacing processed/refined carbs with complex carbs and increasing my protein intake. Obviously I've also decreased my calorie amount too because I'm losing weight week after week. Interestingly, to me, is that I had convinced myself before starting on this weight loss journey to better health that as I was getting older my body didn't need as much protein. I now think maybe that was bunk.

Oh, brother. Most people who are on a VLCD are on it to stay alive, not to look svelte in a bikini in two weeks! I'm not talking about people who get nagged by their doctors because they have 20 pounds to lose. I'm talking about extremely overweight people who often have to drop serious weight immediately. The luxury of a 1400-calorie diet is just not an option for them at this point. Once they are out of the "danger zone", a higher-calorie plan can be implemented until maintenance is reached. Is that so hard to understand? Also, different doctors have different opinions and levels of nutritional education as it applies to the overweight. But all doctors (I hope) have the same basic concern: they don't want their patients to die. Thus, the need for a VLCD for some people.

The OP has not advertised nor recommended her diet to others. She told us what SHE is doing to lose weight and get healthy. It's HER story. If someone posts that they are doing well by following a doctor-supervised diet that requires them to eat their shoes* for dinner, good for them! Unless they are advertising or recommending the diet, it's no harm, no foul. If you're dumb and decide to try it for yourself without asking your doctor, that's your problem. We all need to be responsible for ourselves. If you're intelligent enough to realize you need to lose weight, if you were able to use a computer to find this site, register as a member, and read the posts, you should be intelligent enough to know that what works for one person may not work for you.


*nutritional data varies depending on size and style-- see database

If a person posts that they're doing a VLCD and losing lots of weight they are promoting it. That's the way the community guidelines are written and that's the way they are enforced.

Like I said earlier, I think the OP is going about it the way it should be done if one is going to do it. But I still think MFP is correct not to allow the promotion of VLCDs on the boards.

And yes, if a person posts that they're on a shoe-based doctor supervised diet I'm going to tell them to get a second opinion.

I eat 800-900 calories a day and have since November 2013. I am trying to lose some weight, I have lost some but have hit a stand still and am quite hungry. Am I doing something wrong? My RNY doctor told me to keep my calories around 800 for losing weight and work up to 1000 for maintaince. Any one else a RNYer?

Yes, that's very wrong. Here, read this and follow the instructions:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

My problem is the woman on the first page who has 18lbs to lose who saw this post as a validation for the VLCD she wants to do. My biggest problem with posts like this is that you put tons of qualifiers on it: short term, have a lot of weight to lose, recommended by doctor, closely followed by a doctor. However, many people skip all that and read what they want. Of course, they skip all the posts about people with success at higher calories too, so I'm not sure there is much of a way to get through to those people anyways.

OP: congrats on your progress and keeping the weight off once you switched to a more moderate diet. Good luck with the rest of your loss.