1000 calorie diet

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If I eat 1000cals for 5 days a week and then for 2 I average around 2000cals would I still be losing weight? I exercise 5 days a week for an hour. I have been eating 1300 cals a day on the five days but with going way over maintenance twice a week at 2000 it's damaging all my progress. The last time I can remember getting real results is when I was eating 1000cals every day.

I'm 5'2.5 and weigh 118lbs.

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  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    eating 1000 for 5 days followed by 2000 for two days is no different than 1285 for 7 days. It's all math. Add up calorie total for the week, divide by 7 and that's your daily average intake.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    I have been doing that and I'm down 16kg. 1000-1200 a day for 5 days and 2000-2500 for 2.

    Stopping it now, only because I've given up drinking and now don't need those extra cals on the weekend, though I will still be lighter during the week with more on the weekend. Our bodies don't reset at midnight and restart the count, so long as you aren't undereating over an extended period of time, you should be fine.
  • noaddedsugarx
    noaddedsugarx Posts: 169 Member
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    eating 1000 for 5 days followed by 2000 for two days is no different than 1285 for 7 days. It's all math. Add up calorie total for the week, divide by 7 and that's your daily average intake.

    Thanks for clearing that one up for me.. I'm rubbish at Math these days. Looks like I'll be eating less through the week to compensate for weekends haha
  • noaddedsugarx
    noaddedsugarx Posts: 169 Member
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    I have been doing that and I'm down 16kg. 1000-1200 a day for 5 days and 2000-2500 for 2.

    Stopping it now, only because I've given up drinking and now don't need those extra cals on the weekend, though I will still be lighter during the week with more on the weekend. Our bodies don't reset at midnight and restart the count, so long as you aren't undereating over an extended period of time, you should be fine.

    Thanks! I'm definitely gonna try it. Everyone preaches that you shouldn't eat below 1200 but I know it isn't realistic for me to eat below 2000 a day on the weekends so I'm gonna have to make up for it by reducing my calories through the week somehow.
  • SapiensPisces
    SapiensPisces Posts: 992 Member
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    eating 1000 for 5 days followed by 2000 for two days is no different than 1285 for 7 days. It's all math. Add up calorie total for the week, divide by 7 and that's your daily average intake.

    Thanks for clearing that one up for me.. I'm rubbish at Math these days. Looks like I'll be eating less through the week to compensate for weekends haha

    I kinda do this naturally (eat less during the week then more on the weekends).

    If you plan it well, you should be fine, but I will say that the lowest I ever go on the weekdays is 1400 calories, and that's only when I know I'm going to pigging out on weekends. Normally, I'm at 1500-1700 on weekdays. 1000 makes me weak and tired and unable to function well, and even 1400 on active days does that. You should just see how you feel and go from there. If you start to feel weak, tired, or anything of the sort, up your weekday calorie intake.
  • astroophys
    astroophys Posts: 175 Member
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    Yeah, I see absolutely no problem with this. I do weekly averages also.
  • noaddedsugarx
    noaddedsugarx Posts: 169 Member
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    eating 1000 for 5 days followed by 2000 for two days is no different than 1285 for 7 days. It's all math. Add up calorie total for the week, divide by 7 and that's your daily average intake.

    Thanks for clearing that one up for me.. I'm rubbish at Math these days. Looks like I'll be eating less through the week to compensate for weekends haha

    I kinda do this naturally (eat less during the week then more on the weekends).

    If you plan it well, you should be fine, but I will say that the lowest I ever go on the weekdays is 1400 calories, and that's only when I know I'm going to pigging out on weekends. Normally, I'm at 1500-1700 on weekdays. 1000 makes me weak and tired and unable to function well, and even 1400 on active days does that. You should just see how you feel and go from there. If you start to feel weak, tired, or anything of the sort, up your weekday calorie intake.

    Sure I will definitely see how I feel. I used to be totally fine on a 1000cal a day diet but then I read loads of stuff about how I should be eating more and increased my calories.. not even taking into account my indulgent weekends. I'm quite short so I think I'd be fine on 1000cals a day.. So annoyed my girlfriend's taller than me so can eat more - wish I was blessed with inches!
  • tapirfrog
    tapirfrog Posts: 616 Member
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    The problem is, if you eat very few calories, you probably aren't getting all the nutrients you need to stay healthy long-term. I agree 100% with the idea of balancing out high days with several low days ... but if you go really really low, how are you going to get enough calcium and protein and potassium and vitamin B? One of the side effects of not getting enough vitamins is, your hair can fall out. (Another side effect is death, but I assume you'd start eating before then.)

    One multivitamin probably isn't going to cover everything you need. That's why they say very low calorie diets should be undertaken only with a doctor's supervision -- so s/he can make sure you're not leaching calcium out of your own teeth and bones to keep your heart beating.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    The problem is, if you eat very few calories, you probably aren't getting all the nutrients you need to stay healthy long-term. I agree 100% with the idea of balancing out high days with several low days ... but if you go really really low, how are you going to get enough calcium and protein and potassium and vitamin B? One of the side effects of not getting enough vitamins is, your hair can fall out. (Another side effect is death, but I assume you'd start eating before then.)

    One multivitamin probably isn't going to cover everything you need. That's why they say very low calorie diets should be undertaken only with a doctor's supervision -- so s/he can make sure you're not leaching calcium out of your own teeth and bones to keep your heart beating.

    That's true if she was staying VLCD all the time, but a weekly average of a decent number isn't problematic.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,072 Member
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    But tapir frog, OP is not eating a VLCD - she is eating a daily average of 1275.
  • noaddedsugarx
    noaddedsugarx Posts: 169 Member
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    Thanks everyone for your help. I definitely feel happy with reducing my calories to less than average at 1000 cals through the week to compensate for eating more at the weekend. I would rather save my cals because it's more realistic for me doing that than being good every single day. Gotta have a blowout sometime so I'd rather do it this way!
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
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    You say you are 5'2" and 118lbs? What are you trying to lose? You are already at an extremely point on weight. You really think you're fat and need to lose weight? I'm asking because if that is how you see yourself then I'm concerned for you and think you may need to speak to a professional.

    I'm hoping that what is going on is that you see flabby areas that make you think you need to lose weight when what you probably need is to lift weights and build up your muscles so you can lose fat and look leaner. One can be spot on with their weight and still have more body fat and no muscle definition. It's called being "skinny fat" You need to lift weights, eat better with healthy non-boxed, non-prepackaged meats, vegetables, fruits and fewer carbs. By losing the fat and building the muscle you become stronger and leaner but will still be around your current weight. You will look thinner and that is what is important.
  • noaddedsugarx
    noaddedsugarx Posts: 169 Member
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    You say you are 5'2" and 118lbs? What are you trying to lose? You are already at an extremely point on weight. You really think you're fat and need to lose weight? I'm asking because if that is how you see yourself then I'm concerned for you and think you may need to speak to a professional.

    I'm hoping that what is going on is that you see flabby areas that make you think you need to lose weight when what you probably need is to lift weights and build up your muscles so you can lose fat and look leaner. One can be spot on with their weight and still have more body fat and no muscle definition. It's called being "skinny fat" You need to lift weights, eat better with healthy non-boxed, non-prepackaged meats, vegetables, fruits and fewer carbs. By losing the fat and building the muscle you become stronger and leaner but will still be around your current weight. You will look thinner and that is what is important.

    Well my weight keeps bouncing about from 110-118lbs. I don't think I'm fat at the moment but my stomach area is ridiculously flabby to the point where I can grab inches of it.. maybe where I'm going wrong is trying to lose weight? I guess I just automatically thought losing weight would reduce flab.. but think I probably fall in this skinny fat category..
  • SapiensPisces
    SapiensPisces Posts: 992 Member
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    You might benefit from a recomp more than weight loss..

    Read through this.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • mandimahoney5
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    It takes 3500 calories to make a pound. So if you burn 3500 more calories in the week than you ate, you should loose a pound that week. This also works in reverse. If you eat 3500 more calories than you burn you will gain a pound.

    i eat roughly 1200-1400 calories a day. According to my fitbit I burn 2300 - 2600 calories a day.

    so I end up loosing 1lb every 4-5 days depending on how active I have been.