< 1000 calories a day....is it really healthy??

amarie35
amarie35 Posts: 333 Member
edited September 25 in Health and Weight Loss
I KNOW that everyone wants to lose weight. But, why choose to do it the unhealthy way? Losing weight takes time. You just can't starve your body for weeks, lose weight, & expect the results to be healthy.

I know that some of you who eat under 1000 calories a day, have had eating disorders and are trying to recover from that. To those, I congratulate. Everytime I see a calorie increase in your diaries, I feel so proud of you. I know @ times, it is a challenge for you to eat, but you do it. You may not eat 1200 calories a day, you may not eat 800, but compared to what you were eating, you are doing awesome. :)

But, to those of you who are eating under 1000 calories because you think it will help you to lose weight faster, you are doing more harm to your body than good. You need @ least 1200 calories a day, more if you are active. Some exercise & burn 700 or more calories a day. And yet, choose to eat so little. If you fall in that catagory, do you honestly think it is healthy? And if so, how is it healthy? Maybe I'm missing out on something.

Please don't think that I'm trying to criticize anyone because I'm not. I am here to support in anyway that I can. I'm just trying to understand the whole concept of eating less than 1000 calories a day.
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Replies

  • krisvtx8777
    krisvtx8777 Posts: 163
    Hey just tell me what to eat, I will have what your having!:wink: You look AMAZING!
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
    The general rule of thumb is 10 calories for every pound. So, if you're trying for 120 lbs., eat 1200. For 130 lbs., eat 1300. Etc. I've seen some ultra-shorties net 900-1000 calories and that's actually okay. If you're 4'10" and aiming for a goal weight of 92 lbs., that's totally healthy.

    But in general, unless someone is in the extreme upper or lower height range, your advice is sound.

    Long-term, extreme calorie deficits above and beyond what MFP has already factored in is the surest way to stall your metabolism and make yourself sick.

    Good luck to all! :smile:
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
    HALLE-FREAKIN-LUJAH :drinker:

    I sometimes have to struggle to get to 1200 especially after a great workout, but I really try. I want my body to be a little smaller too, but also to be healthy. Maybe it's just me, but I get really irritated when I see people (especially a lot of really young women) who are so excited and praise people when they see one of their MFP buddies has been "under goal" for the day and they don't pay attention to the fact that that person is eating MAYBE 1000 cals a day of fast food (pretty much one meal) and then exercising like a fiend on top of that...I worry about their health. (this is the same way I feel when I see people who advocate starvation type quickie diets)
  • hotpickles
    hotpickles Posts: 639 Member
    I'm pretty sure I fell into this category at one point in my life. It was about 11 years ago, and I knew nothing about calories, exercise calories, calories burnt, etc etc. I was working at the time and hanging out with people at work who were constantly on the go - either work-wise or party-wise. Yes, I wanted to lose weight, so I figured this was the way to do it.

    Let me see, a typical day for me was as follows: Breakfast was black coffee. Lunch was raw veggies or a low-fat sub. Snack was an oat cake. Dinner was broccoli and chicken breast. I thought I had it all under control. I was shocked when I wasn't loosing a pound. Not only did I not loose weight, but I gained some terrible acne, which I think was my body's way of rebelling.

    The thing is, I had no idea. No clue at all. I look back at it now and wonder how I could have possibly not known that I wasn't eating enough. It's hard to believe, but it's the honest truth. I just didn't know any better. It was online fitness sites that helped me learn the importance of healthy eating and proper nutrition.
  • hotpickles
    hotpickles Posts: 639 Member
    I'm pretty sure I fell into this category at one point in my life. It was about 11 years ago, and I knew nothing about calories, exercise calories, calories burnt, etc etc. I was working at the time and hanging out with people at work who were constantly on the go - either work-wise or party-wise. Yes, I wanted to lose weight, so I figured this was the way to do it.

    Let me see, a typical day for me was as follows: Breakfast was black coffee. Lunch was raw veggies or a low-fat sub. Snack was an oat cake. Dinner was broccoli and chicken breast. I thought I had it all under control. I was shocked when I wasn't loosing a pound. Not only did I not loose weight, but I gained some terrible acne, which I think was my body's way of rebelling.

    The thing is, I had no idea. No clue at all. I look back at it now and wonder how I could have possibly not known that I wasn't eating enough. It's hard to believe, but it's the honest truth. I just didn't know any better. It was online fitness sites that helped me learn the importance of healthy eating and proper nutrition.
  • amarie35
    amarie35 Posts: 333 Member
    Hey just tell me what to eat, I will have what your having!:wink: You look AMAZING!

    Thank you! =D
  • Frappuzzino
    Frappuzzino Posts: 342 Member
    I get around 1,100 a day, but I can't help it. I don't do it because I want to lose weight. I eat when I'm hungry and I eat low carb, which restricts my calories to some extent but I make sure that I never go hungry.
  • Naomi91
    Naomi91 Posts: 892 Member
    Hey just tell me what to eat, I will have what your having!:wink: You look AMAZING!

    I second that! ;D
  • roma0104
    roma0104 Posts: 2
    It is NOT healthy, eating too close to your BMR will result in a plateau; your body stops burning fat because it thinks there is a famine happening and will burn muscle instead and hold its fat reserves at almost any costs. Never eat less then BMR*1.2 or you will set yourself to fail, if you are within 20 pounds of your goal weight you probably cannot do it through diet modification only, you will have to exercise to make the deficit.
  • Naomi91
    Naomi91 Posts: 892 Member
    I get around 1,100 a day, but I can't help it. I don't do it because I want to lose weight. I eat when I'm hungry and I eat low carb, which restricts my calories to some extent but I make sure that I never go hungry.

    It can be really hard to get all you calories on low carb! Im getting some PB tomorrow as a calorie filler
  • im2spooky4u
    im2spooky4u Posts: 71 Member
    Very well said, thank you for posting this. It drives me nuts when I see people who are trying to lose weight starve themselves. Then they complain later when they gain it all back that they're sick of yo-yo dieting. But sometimes there's just no getting through to people, they keep doing it no matter what they're told.
  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
    I'm on the short end of the scale (5'0), so I do aim for about 1100 cal/day, but try to make sure I eat as many nutrient rich foods as possible, plus a multivitamin and calcium. I also travel and eat out frequently enough that I go over my calorie goals at least 1-2 times per week, so I think it averages out. I never heard the 10 cal/pound theory, but that actually makes sense and fits for me. I don't really lose if I eat a minimum of 1200. I agree though that for most people, they should not be going under 1200.
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
    It is NOT healthy, eating too close to your BMR will result in a plateau; your body stops burning fat because it thinks there is a famine happening and will burn muscle instead and hold its fat reserves at almost any costs. Never eat less then BMR*1.2 or you will set yourself to fail, if you are within 20 pounds of your goal weight you probably cannot do it through diet modification only, you will have to exercise to make the deficit.

    Uhhh...my BMR times 1.2 is equal to maintenance calories. This is not legitimate weight loss advice. Where did you hear this?
  • jhardenbergh
    jhardenbergh Posts: 1,035 Member
    It depends on the situation, I am being monitored by a dr every week, I eat 5 meals a day and am never hungry, I eat about 1000-1100 a day, usually burn between 250-400 calories a day in exercise. My doctor is very happy with the progress. Every couple weeks I ask him if I should eat more and he says stick to the plan. Do you need to? I say I don't really feel hungry, sometimes I am trying to squeeze that last meal in at 10 or 1030. The only time I get hungry is if I eat breakfast earlier than usual say around 6 am, but then not eat lunch til 1130 or 12. I try to eat every 3 1/2 hrs to 4 hrs.
  • jhardenbergh
    jhardenbergh Posts: 1,035 Member
    It depends on the situation, I am being monitored by a dr every week, I eat 5 meals a day and am never hungry, I eat about 1000-1100 a day, usually burn between 250-400 calories a day in exercise. My doctor is very happy with the progress. Every couple weeks I ask him if I should eat more and he says stick to the plan. Do you need to? I say I don't really feel hungry, sometimes I am trying to squeeze that last meal in at 10 or 1030. The only time I get hungry is if I eat breakfast earlier than usual say around 6 am, but then not eat lunch til 1130 or 12. I try to eat every 3 1/2 hrs to 4 hrs.

    I have been losing on average of 5 lbs/week for the last 12 weeks.
  • Frappuzzino
    Frappuzzino Posts: 342 Member
    It depends on the situation, I am being monitored by a dr every week, I eat 5 meals a day and am never hungry, I eat about 1000-1100 a day, usually burn between 250-400 calories a day in exercise. My doctor is very happy with the progress. Every couple weeks I ask him if I should eat more and he says stick to the plan. Do you need to? I say I don't really feel hungry, sometimes I am trying to squeeze that last meal in at 10 or 1030. The only time I get hungry is if I eat breakfast earlier than usual say around 6 am, but then not eat lunch til 1130 or 12. I try to eat every 3 1/2 hrs to 4 hrs.

    Thank you for your input! Everybody's body is different, so varying by a few hundred calories isn't bad. :)
  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
    Please help me understand how someone says they struggle to eat 1000 or 1200 calories and end up needing to lose weight? I have wondered everytime I see someone write that.
  • nuttmeg44
    nuttmeg44 Posts: 3
    I stick between 1100 - 1200 a day. I have done this for a couple years now and have lost 47 pounds.... not going to stop until I reach my goal
  • funkyspunky871
    funkyspunky871 Posts: 1,675 Member
    Please help me understand how someone says they struggle to eat 1000 or 1200 calories and end up needing to lose weight? I have wondered everytime I see someone write that.

    I've wondered the same. :P
  • katschi
    katschi Posts: 689 Member
    Please help me understand how someone says they struggle to eat 1000 or 1200 calories and end up needing to lose weight? I have wondered everytime I see someone write that.

    It's called denial.
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
    Please help me understand how someone says they struggle to eat 1000 or 1200 calories and end up needing to lose weight? I have wondered everytime I see someone write that.

    I've wondered the same. :P

    I genuinely thought I was under-eating on calories everyday prior to starting MFP. I used to walk around saying "I don't know how I'm fat! I only eat like 700 calories per day! It must be because I only eat once a day and my metabolism is kaput!" ...well, when I really recorded the cals, it was closer to 2500-3000. I was shocked.

    So I think a lot of it is self-delusion and ignorance.

    It's impossible to eat so few calories, long-term, and NOT lose weight. The Minnesota Starvation Experiment and the 1981 Irish republican hunger strikes are just two modern, real-world examples that prove this point.

    That said, some peoples' bodies really are broken, metabolism-wise. But the chances of being one of those people are right about zilch. ;p
  • iawierz
    iawierz Posts: 65
    Please help me understand how someone says they struggle to eat 1000 or 1200 calories and end up needing to lose weight? I have wondered everytime I see someone write that.

    I've wondered the same. :P

    Honestly I hate when people say this. Whining about how they don't know how they are going to get there calories and what they should eat. Do they really not have any idea what to eat???
  • amarie35
    amarie35 Posts: 333 Member
    Please help me understand how someone says they struggle to eat 1000 or 1200 calories and end up needing to lose weight? I have wondered everytime I see someone write that.

    That's a very good point. I have no idea. I guess some just have an EXTREME low metabolism. For instance, my mother in law hardly eats at all, (I eat WAY more than her) but yet she is overweight.
  • amarie35
    amarie35 Posts: 333 Member
    Please help me understand how someone says they struggle to eat 1000 or 1200 calories and end up needing to lose weight? I have wondered everytime I see someone write that.

    I've wondered the same. :P

    Honestly I hate when people say this. Whining about how they don't know how they are going to get there calories and what they should eat. Do they really not have any idea what to eat???

    I know. I wish I had that problem every now and then. I have NO problems eating. I think their body just gets use to eating so little, that they never get hungry.
  • lodro
    lodro Posts: 982 Member
    I KNOW that everyone wants to lose weight. But, why choose to do it the unhealthy way? Losing weight takes time. You just can't starve your body for weeks, lose weight, & expect the results to be healthy.

    I know that some of you who eat under 1000 calories a day, have had eating disorders and are trying to recover from that. To those, I congratulate. Everytime I see a calorie increase in your diaries, I feel so proud of you. I know @ times, it is a challenge for you to eat, but you do it. You may not eat 1200 calories a day, you may not eat 800, but compared to what you were eating, you are doing awesome. :)

    But, to those of you who are eating under 1000 calories because you think it will help you to lose weight faster, you are doing more harm to your body than good. You need @ least 1200 calories a day, more if you are active. Some exercise & burn 700 or more calories a day. And yet, choose to eat so little. If you fall in that catagory, do you honestly think it is healthy? And if so, how is it healthy? Maybe I'm missing out on something.

    Please don't think that I'm trying to criticize anyone because I'm not. I am here to support in anyway that I can. I'm just trying to understand the whole concept of eating less than 1000 calories a day.

    Not everyone here wants to lose weight. I don't, and I eat around 1000 calories a day, sometimes a little more, sometimes less, but always well under 1200. I would say I eat about 50% - 60% of my daily calorie expenditure. This is because I'm practicing calorie restriction for health reasons, and am part of a study researching its effect on certain markers to do with glucose and insulin.

    You're not here to criticize? So don't. People are tracking their food for all kinds of reasons. For me the concept is simple: better health. Of course, within those 1000 Calories, I darn well make sure I'm getting optimal nutrition.

    http://www.scientificpsychic.com/health/crondiet.html
  • NikkisNewStart
    NikkisNewStart Posts: 1,075 Member
    Why do you care? Seriously... I do not understand all the banter back and forth about what others are or are not doing. Focus on yourself... I do, and it is working out pretty well. I hope your journey is going great for you as well... but I would never go back and forth "not criticizing" others for their own choices... I have my own life to worry about.
  • kartunes
    kartunes Posts: 46
    For some reason, I always end up eating less than 1200 calories, but I'm definitely not hungry.
    I'll snack on fruits whenever I am hungry, but I'm always still lower than my target...
  • suzycreamcheese
    suzycreamcheese Posts: 1,766 Member
    Maybe it's just me, but I get really irritated when I see people (especially a lot of really young women) who are so excited and praise people when they see one of their MFP buddies has been "under goal" for the day and they don't pay attention to the fact that that person is eating MAYBE 1000 cals a day of fast food (pretty much one meal) and then exercising like a fiend on top of that...I worry about their health. (this is the same way I feel when I see people who advocate starvation type quickie diets)

    I agree, and as someone who has struggled with an ED, and will probably never be properly over it (its LOADS better since i started MFP, because i have found this a much much more effective way to control my weight than my ED ever was), but there are a few people on my friends list who i think must be so triggering to some people
  • elliecolorado
    elliecolorado Posts: 1,040
    Please help me understand how someone says they struggle to eat 1000 or 1200 calories and end up needing to lose weight? I have wondered everytime I see someone write that.

    Many days I struggle to eat 1000 - 1200 calories. No, it wasn't hard to eat that when I was eating primarily junk food and take out which is why I ended up needing to lose weight(well that and not exercising). But eating healthy foods it can be a struggle to get in that number of calories. Most of the people I have talked to here don't eat that few calories because they are trying to starve themselves (I know there are some who are), they eat that few calories because they are eating a lot of fruits and veggies and healthy foods that have very few calories.
  • T_William
    T_William Posts: 147 Member
    Please help me understand how someone says they struggle to eat 1000 or 1200 calories and end up needing to lose weight? I have wondered everytime I see someone write that.

    Ive seen a few TV shows where people claim to be doing this then when monitered by the tv crew and they actually wrote down in a diary soon as they ate and what cals they were often on 2k+
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