1000 calories a day

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Replies

  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
    Slow and steady wins the race. Sometimes being too aggressive right out the gate can lead to a lot of frustration- I would bump up your cals and give it a couple weeks and then reevaluate.
  • echofm1
    echofm1 Posts: 471 Member
    amcook4 wrote: »
    So should I up it to 1200? I wanna lose at least 3 pounds a week

    3 pounds a week is too fast, unless you are severely obese, like a couple hundred pounds to lose. Generally speaking, 2 pounds aw week is the maximum you should shoot for. The weight didn't come on overnight, so you can't expect to lose it overnight. You should up your calories to at least 1200, go through MFP's guidance to figure out where you should be.

    This. I lost 3 pounds a week when I was 340 pounds (I'm also 5'9"). That is a goal that is extremely difficult to manage. Going for a more reasonable goal, like 2 pounds or even 1.5 pounds, will help you maintain this until October and beyond.

    To get a calorie amount for that, simply put your info into MFP and then select the amount you'd like to lose per week. MFP will give you the calories to eat every day. If you exercise, add those calories and eat them, at least some of them. Your deficit is already built into your calorie goal, and cheating yourself of food won't do you any good.
  • KaytiWindham
    KaytiWindham Posts: 30 Member
    Thank you all any advice is great
  • queenbea77
    queenbea77 Posts: 404 Member
    If your DR is saying 1,000 calories a day - you need to find a new DR! It would take more than 1,200 calories for you to just lay in bed each day and breath. I'm more in agreement with boredlimodriver (1,750). Go to the scoobyworkshop.com calculator and see what it gives you. Also check out IIFYM.com calculator to see what number you get there. I did years (and years) of 1,200 calories a day and 1 1/2 to 2 hrs of cardio a day and didn't see any progress...sure lose a few pounds and then gain it back again because your body thinks you are trying to starve it and it is going to hang onto all of the weight you have.
  • You would burn nearly twice that if you were in a coma. Don't starve yourself.
  • echofm1
    echofm1 Posts: 471 Member
    Also, even if you never exercise or even walk around at all, doing a quick estimate it looks like you can lose 2 pounds a week eating about 1500 calories. 1750 calories to lose 1.5 a week.
  • Arliah
    Arliah Posts: 266 Member
    edited January 2015
    @Kaytiwindham Welcome to MFP :) I agree with what has been said here. 3 lbs per week is hard at best, and 1000 calories is way too low.
    I am 5.3, 152lbs right now and eat about 1200 a day. I am losing about 1lbs a week, and being an impatient person, this seems too slow sometimes. But I try to remind myself that losing weight in a healthy manner is a slow process but that the end result will be worth the effort. Good luck, and don't get discouraged!

  • onederbaby
    onederbaby Posts: 23 Member
    I am in the same boat you are in. I desperately want to lose 50 pounds by May. That is what I want, but I know I need to do it the right way. MFP said for my height and weight that 1560 a day is what I need to lose 2 pounds a week. I feel if you do it slow, you are learning a new way to eat which is the best way to do it. Also, I am a heart patient and you will be stressing out your body if you only do 1000 a day. Be safe, remember you have kids that need you. Good luck.
  • Something I did before I started tracking as I got back in shape last March was to track what I ate currently for a week before I started cutting. It gave me a baseline to start from.
  • queenbea77
    queenbea77 Posts: 404 Member
    Just for the heck of it I went to both sites I mentioned in my post and for a ballpark I entered your height as 5'4" & 25 yrs. cuz I needed to enter something (sorry if I insulted you...congrats if I complemented you, LOL). Anyways, the scoobyworkshop site says 2,213 calories and the IIFYM website says 2,160 calories. Of course, it will change according to your actual stats and activity level.
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
    I'm doing 1200+half of exercise calories and I have lost 35 of 70 pounds. It has taken nearly five months to get to this point. I was eating fewer calories than recommended for a while and my nails and hair have suffered for it. I do not recommend this route.

    I am currently losing about 1.5 pounds a week. One thing I did was throw out the idea of a goal date. Dieting can be hard enough without the added pressure!

    You can do this!
  • crownjewel82
    crownjewel82 Posts: 19 Member
    edited January 2015
    A lot of doctors have fat bias so they will recommend ridiculous things to their overweight patients. I had one that wouldn't take my asthma seriously and suggested that I get bariatric surgery every single visit. It took years to find one that takes me seriously. Just to compare, I started at 325 and my doctor asked me to work on losing a pound a month after I'd been seeing him for 2 years already.

    That said, if he's intending to monitor your progress closely doctors will recommend a VLC diet (1200 cals/day or less) just to start with or as a precursor to gastric bypass. But usually they make it clear that it's a short term diet.
  • beastmode_kitty
    beastmode_kitty Posts: 844 Member
    1000 calories is not safe!! You are fueling your body enough. You need at least 1200 or more to keep it going! Figure out your BMR and TDEE and eat between there
  • drdwngfan
    drdwngfan Posts: 33 Member
    Maybe a better thought process would be "I am going to lose .5-2 lbs per week, change my eating habits and be more active, my weight will adjust over time." No time limits or hard weight loss limits. It took a while to add the weight, it will take time to remove it properly. The goal is to lose the weight and learn new eating habits so the weight stays off. You can do it !!!!
  • LavenderLeaves
    LavenderLeaves Posts: 195 Member
    Most GPs are woefully ignorant on actual nutrition, and the fact your doctor recommends a 1k calorie diet without telling you to consult a registered dietitian first worries me about this doctor. Doctors typically can receive as little as one hour of nutritional training during medical school. People who are on 1k calorie diets typically are being checked in with DAILY by medical practitioners to make sure they are doing it properly - or in the hospital doing it with 24/7 supervision.

    Everyone else in this thread pretty much nailed it - keep a safe goal in mind, and this is something you want to change for the rest of your life, not just try for a few months, give up because eating 1k calories a day is incredibly difficult, and then end up gaining back weight. This is a lifestyle change. We're overweight because we eat too much food, and we need to learn how to see food normally and not overeat it. This is something that can be learned!

    If you have the ability to do so, I would really suggest seeing a registered dietician, tell them your goals, and I would get an end date for your weight loss out of your head. While I understand you want to drop it ASAP, long-term weight loss just tends to always be as a result of solid, lifestyle changes as opposed to getting the weight off as soon as possible.
  • SUSIQ25679
    SUSIQ25679 Posts: 4 Member
    Your goals are unrealistic and you are setting yourself up for failure. Have your doctor refer you to a nutritionist or registered dietitian to determine a realistic and sustainable plan.
  • kyta32
    kyta32 Posts: 670 Member
    I've been losing 3-4 pounds a week since July last year. I think it may be slowing down, now I've gone from 296 to 181. I find it is a real challenge to keep my calories down to 1000/day (and so mostly I don't). I take a multivitamin, because I'm concerned about meeting my micros. MFP will not recommend under 1200 calories a day, and will get rid of posts that promote rapid or unsafe methods of weight loss.

    Did your Dr. recommend 3 pounds a week? If so, your Dr. can advise you on how best to avoid the possible side effects of rapid weight loss, like getting enough protein and eating very healthy to avoid malnutrition, and avoiding refined sugar and white flour, including Omega 3 and 6 oils, and getting regular exercise to reduce your risk of gallstones. Best wishes :)
  • samanthambecker
    samanthambecker Posts: 2 Member
    I'm looking to lose around 70 pounds as well, but in the past I've learned that I give up if I realize at any time I won't reach my goal at a certain time that I had originally wanted to lose it by. This time I've decided to try my hardest and not give up and if the time comes and I don't have the weight off. At least I am healthier and I'm sure I will be much happier. After spending the last 3-4 years trying to lose weight and then failing and giving up because there was a tiny hiccup in the way, I've realized I just need to keep going even if I'm sick for a few weeks, or I have an injury. You can always work around these things and find other ways to inspire yourself.

    If you aim to lose 1.5 to 2 pounds a week you can have 60-80 pounds off by October 26th. I wouldn't try to do it any faster than that. I am currently on a 1200 calorie diet and to be honest, most days I go over, even when all my meals and snacks are super healthy. That being said, I try not to punish myself for this and move on to the next day, starting fresh and not dwelling on the mistakes I made the previous day.

    I know that I would never be able to eat anything under 1200 and I only aim to eat 1200 on a particular day if I know I won't be exercising. I also believe that if I did eat 1300-1400 I would still lose so going over a bit doesn't discourage me too much. As long as I don't go too far with it I'm happy as I try to consider 1200 the lowest I should go.

    I always factor in extra calories(around half of what I burn) if I workout so I can fuel my body adequately enough so I don't over do it and get so tired I have to give up.

    Good luck!
  • LavenderLeaves
    LavenderLeaves Posts: 195 Member
    SUSIQ25679 wrote: »
    Your goals are unrealistic and you are setting yourself up for failure. Have your doctor refer you to a nutritionist or registered dietitian to determine a realistic and sustainable plan.

    A registered dietician. Literally anyone can claim to be a nutritionist.