Is this a good idea?

245

Replies

  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    So Op drops the question here what you all think.
    Everybody says bad idea
    OP start defending the idea and will go ahead with her plan


    Next subject/post please.
  • Chrysalid2014
    Chrysalid2014 Posts: 1,038 Member
    No, this sounds like a bad plan. Not only do you set yourself up for a sort of eat/punish cycle, which is not healthy, but you're also setting yourself up for a host of side effects. Lean muscle loss, brittle bones, vitamin deficiencies, hair loss, brittle nails, bad skin, etc.

    Why? It's perfectly possible to meet one's nutritional requirements on 1200 calories if nutrient dense foods are chosen and no calories are wasted on alcohol or other junk.

    There's no guarantee about how much weight will be lost in any individual case, of course, but I think you're drastically exaggerating the possible side-effects, particularly as the OP is talking about doing this for just three months.

    I agree with you about the eat/punish cycle, if that's indeed what OP meant, but I've seen plenty of people posting on these forums saying their main motivation for exercise is to give them extra calories to eat.

  • skeo
    skeo Posts: 471 Member
    You gained 30 pounds in a year, and want to lose it in 11 weeks...over the course of a year, yeah 30lbs to lose is possible, that's roughly 2.5lbs a month. There's no need to rush weight loss, slow and steady by way of balanced eating and an exercise regiment is the way to go.
  • Unknown
    edited May 2015
    This content has been removed.
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,771 Member
    edited May 2015
    apeyboo wrote: »
    To be in my healthy weight for my height I could lose 50 pounds. I'm just trying to lose the 30 that I gained my freshman year of college. I gained 30 pounds in one year so I'm pretty sure I could lose 30 pounds and it not have any harsh effect on my body. I'm 5'6 and 180 pounds. I'm pretty sedentary most of the time.

    I'm 5'6" and weighed 180 mid-November. My current weight is 144. I rarely go below 1400-1500 calories and still lose. I recommend fixing your sedentary issue. Fitness goals are fun and sustain you through the times when the scale doesn't move. Please stop looking at exercise as punishment and start looking for things that will get you the body you want/are enjoyable to you.

    Edit: My BMI is 23.2. Anything below 24.9 (or 155 lbs) is considered healthy for this height.
  • manders_b
    manders_b Posts: 44 Member
    OP, I'm a 5'3 sedentary female, and I eat at least 1200 calories per day. I had a 27 lb loss as my goal, and I average around 1lb per week. Is it possible to do what you're suggesting? Maybe, but the loss will be a mix of water, muscle and fat and you'll feel awful doing it. I have eaten 1000 on some days and I feel TERRIBLE. It took you a year to put on that weight, and it's not going to come off overnight without some really un-sexy side effects like hair loss, fainting and irritability.

    Instead maybe keep your 30 lb loss as a goal weight, and use MFP to get there without a tight time constraint. Or set a more realistic goal for August, like be down one jeans size or lose 10 lbs.
  • pollypocket1021
    pollypocket1021 Posts: 533 Member
    aimeerace wrote: »
    It's a great idea.

    If you're an actual Hobbit. If not no. Not a good idea in the slightest.

    What self respecting hobbit would do this???

    I am half hobbit, and therefore I have coffee, breakfast, brunch, elevensies, lunch, tea, snack, dinner, supper, and dessert.

    Hobbits know how to eat.
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    Yes! It's a great idea! You will lose so much muscle, hair, and keratin (that means fingernails) that you'll be super-light in no time! You'll look smashing, a veritable skeleton with ashen, blotchy skin and sunken eyes. All your friends will want to know how you did it -- was it meth? Did you suffer a tremendous, devastating loss? Are you on the new Consumption Diet? Only you will know the secret!
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    apeyboo wrote: »
    Hello, so I'm wanting to try a new thing. My goal is to consume about 1000 to 1200 calories daily. If I go over 1200 calories I have to workout for an hour. Would this be a good way to get back into the habit of eating better and exercising? Also I'm trying to lose about 30 pounds before the end of August. Could I do that with this plan?
    apeyboo wrote: »
    To be in my healthy weight for my height I could lose 50 pounds. I'm just trying to lose the 30 that I gained my freshman year of college. I gained 30 pounds in one year so I'm pretty sure I could lose 30 pounds and it not have any harsh effect on my body. I'm 5'6 and 180 pounds. I'm pretty sedentary most of the time.

    You can lose 30 pounds and not have a harsh effect on your body ... just not by the end of August. If you want to lose weight in a healthy manner, prepare to take your time. If you want to do ridiculous things like punish yourself for reaching the minimum recommended intake levels for an adult female, expect to get called out on it.

    Pick one.
  • kristydi
    kristydi Posts: 781 Member
    edited May 2015
    apeyboo wrote: »
    To be in my healthy weight for my height I could lose 50 pounds. I'm just trying to lose the 30 that I gained my freshman year of college. I gained 30 pounds in one year so I'm pretty sure I could lose 30 pounds and it not have any harsh effect on my body. I'm 5'6 and 180 pounds. I'm pretty sedentary most of the time.
    apeyboo wrote: »
    Hello, so I'm wanting to try a new thing. My goal is to consume about 1000 to 1200 calories daily. If I go over 1200 calories I have to workout for an hour. Would this be a good way to get back into the habit of eating better and exercising? Also I'm trying to lose about 30 pounds before the end of August. Could I do that with this plan?

    You took a year to gain those 30 pounds. It is not healthy to try to lose it in just over 3 months. There are no prizes for losing the weight the fastest and there are some less than pleasant consequences. Slow down and eat enough calories to create a reasonable deficit and don't use exercise as punishment.

    I'm shorter and older than you (5'4" and 36) and I've lost 40 pounds never eating less than 1500 a day. These extreme and reckless measures are unnecessary and set you up for failure at best and an unhealthy, disordered relationship with food at worst.
  • forgtmenot
    forgtmenot Posts: 860 Member
    edited May 2015
    You shouldn't try to lose it too fast. When you eat too few calories your body starts to burn through more muscle than it normally would while losing weight. So then once you lose it you won't look fit, you'll be flabby with little muscle. Also, it is unlikely you'll be able to stick to that restrictive of a diet long enough to lose 30 lbs. You will likely get burnt out and start feeling starved and exhausted from a lack of food, then you'll give up and eat all the things.

    Better to do this in a healthy manner that you can maintain.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    No, this sounds like a bad plan. Not only do you set yourself up for a sort of eat/punish cycle, which is not healthy, but you're also setting yourself up for a host of side effects. Lean muscle loss, brittle bones, vitamin deficiencies, hair loss, brittle nails, bad skin, etc.

    Why? It's perfectly possible to meet one's nutritional requirements on 1200 calories if nutrient dense foods are chosen and no calories are wasted on alcohol or other junk.

    There's no guarantee about how much weight will be lost in any individual case, of course, but I think you're drastically exaggerating the possible side-effects, particularly as the OP is talking about doing this for just three months.

    I agree with you about the eat/punish cycle, if that's indeed what OP meant, but I've seen plenty of people posting on these forums saying their main motivation for exercise is to give them extra calories to eat.

    The OP's post doesn't indicate she wants to exercise to eat more. If she exceeds 1200 calories, that would trigger an hour of exercise according to her first post. Nothing in her two posts reads like a person looking to net 1200 calories on nutrient dense foods ... it reads like a person wanting to eat around 1000 calories (gross), then punish herself if she reaches the recommended minimum.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    apeyboo wrote: »
    To be in my healthy weight for my height I could lose 50 pounds. I'm just trying to lose the 30 that I gained my freshman year of college. I gained 30 pounds in one year so I'm pretty sure I could lose 30 pounds and it not have any harsh effect on my body. I'm 5'6 and 180 pounds. I'm pretty sedentary most of the time.

    "Pretty sure"?

    Well, since you've got everything figured out, why did you even ask for opinions?


    You should really educate yourself. "Pretty sure" isn't scientifically proven or medically sound...
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    Exercise shouldn't be a punishment. People are more likely to stick with an activity if they enjoy it and see short term benefits from from it.
  • CatHunterFit
    CatHunterFit Posts: 194 Member
    apeyboo wrote: »
    To be in my healthy weight for my height I could lose 50 pounds. I'm just trying to lose the 30 that I gained my freshman year of college. I gained 30 pounds in one year so I'm pretty sure I could lose 30 pounds and it not have any harsh effect on my body. I'm 5'6 and 180 pounds. I'm pretty sedentary most of the time.

    Lose the weight the smart way with good nutrition and exercise you enjoy. Gradual weight loss is key to keeping it off long term, which I'm guessing is your goal.

  • mwebster01
    mwebster01 Posts: 111 Member
    edited May 2015
    apeyboo wrote: »
    Hello, so I'm wanting to try a new thing. My goal is to consume about 1000 to 1200 calories daily. If I go over 1200 calories I have to workout for an hour. Would this be a good way to get back into the habit of eating better and exercising? Also I'm trying to lose about 30 pounds before the end of August. Could I do that with this plan?
    make a workout schedule,like cardio 5 x a week,and strength training 3 x a week.
    losing that much weight that fast will only make you gain it back.your goal should be to lose no more than two lbs a week.
  • jorinya
    jorinya Posts: 933 Member
    Workouts should be fun. Seeing how you grow stronger from week to week. They are hard work but worth it. I look forward to my workout because its time for just me. Time to see what I can do. I don't punish myself. I enjoy myself.
  • WillowMoondancer
    WillowMoondancer Posts: 15 Member
    You need to eat at least 1200 calories.
  • snowflakesav
    snowflakesav Posts: 649 Member
    I don't feel that you will successful with that approach to exercise. I do think that 1200 calories a day on average is a good place to start. If you go over one day try to get on track the next day. Find a bunch of activities that you like. Window shopping, walking the dog, gardening, dancing, and exercise class with friends...etc.. Think in terms of how much you move in a day.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,224 Member
    That's a terrible idea.
  • LegendOfErin
    LegendOfErin Posts: 18 Member
    Why would someone flag my post? I don't understand. I lost 90 lbs and consecutively lost 10 lbs a month. There was nothing wrong with my post.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    Why would someone flag my post? I don't understand. I lost 90 lbs and consecutively lost 10 lbs a month. There was nothing wrong with my post.

    Yet your ticker says 12 pounds lost of 100 planned. Ten pounds per month is far too aggressive for the OP with the amount she has to lose. Losing that much for her would require losing muscle mass.
  • LegendOfErin
    LegendOfErin Posts: 18 Member
    Why would someone flag my post? I don't understand. I lost 90 lbs and consecutively lost 10 lbs a month. There was nothing wrong with my post.

    Yet your ticker says 12 pounds lost of 100 planned. Ten pounds per month is far too aggressive for the OP with the amount she has to lose. Losing that much for her would require losing muscle mass.


    So people can't lose weight in the past? I lost 90 lbs in the past, went from 220 lbs to 130 lbs.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,224 Member
    OP, why bother wasting everyones time with this question if you were going to ignore the responses? You wouldn't have asked the question in the first place if you were 100% convinced that it was a good idea, so the resounding 'no' ought to have meant something...
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    Why would someone flag my post? I don't understand. I lost 90 lbs and consecutively lost 10 lbs a month. There was nothing wrong with my post.

    Yet your ticker says 12 pounds lost of 100 planned. Ten pounds per month is far too aggressive for the OP with the amount she has to lose. Losing that much for her would require losing muscle mass.


    So people can't lose weight in the past? I lost 90 lbs in the past, went from 220 lbs to 130 lbs.

    Your ticker says that you have lost 12 from a goal of 100 pounds. That 100 is after the 90 you already lost? That makes no sense.
  • LegendOfErin
    LegendOfErin Posts: 18 Member
    Why would someone flag my post? I don't understand. I lost 90 lbs and consecutively lost 10 lbs a month. There was nothing wrong with my post.

    Yet your ticker says 12 pounds lost of 100 planned. Ten pounds per month is far too aggressive for the OP with the amount she has to lose. Losing that much for her would require losing muscle mass.


    So people can't lose weight in the past? I lost 90 lbs in the past, went from 220 lbs to 130 lbs.

    Your ticker says that you have lost 12 from a goal of 100 pounds. That 100 is after the 90 you already lost? That makes no sense.

    I had another account in 2012. I guess people only can lose weight on one account and solely on MyFitnessPal. And I guess people never gain back their weight. Do you need my life story? lol
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    Weight loss is basic math. 30 pounds is 105,000 calories (1 lb = 3500 calories). So, the end of August is approximately 15 weeks away (if I counted correctly...could be 16, but we'll do the math for 15). That means you'd need to cut 105,000 / 15 weeks = 7000 per week, or 1000 calories per day. That means you need to eat 1000 calories less than you burn. What is your TDEE? If you're sedentary, then it's probably not high enough to sustain a 1000 calorie deficit every day for 15 weeks.

    Besides the sheer difficulty of keeping such a large calorie deficit, you might also want to think about the potential side effects of eating such a low calorie diet: muscle loss (the heart is a muscle), which in turn will lower your metabolism (muscle burns calories; when you lose muscle, you don't burn as many calories). Another very common side effect is gallstones. They're quite painful and potentially dangerous, and the only way to resolve them is to have your gallbladder surgically removed. Also, losing fast can cause loose skin which would have to be surgically removed. 30 lbs may not be a large enough loss to have that effect...but it might. Especially since you would be losing some of the underlying muscle tone underneath the skin.

    I hope you'll reconsider such an ill-advised plan.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    Well, okay. but if you lost 90 pounds and gained it all back, maybe you should question your own advice. We are trying to recommend sustainable weight loss here.
  • LegendOfErin
    LegendOfErin Posts: 18 Member
    Well, okay. but if you lost 90 pounds and gained it all back, maybe you should question your own advice. We are trying to recommend sustainable weight loss here.

    I never gave advice. I simply stated an opinion about 10 lbs per month. Gaining it all back is because I stopped tracking my calories daily and got back into my old habits. I guess you do want my life story.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    apeyboo wrote: »
    Hello, so I'm wanting to try a new thing. My goal is to consume about 1000 to 1200 calories daily. If I go over 1200 calories I have to workout for an hour. Would this be a good way to get back into the habit of eating better and exercising? Also I'm trying to lose about 30 pounds before the end of August. Could I do that with this plan?

    Well, no, this kind of behavior and thinking is not a good thing. It's disordered because it sounds like you punish yourself if you eat over a certain amount, and it also sounds like you are consuming way too few calories. I suggest speaking with a therapist.

    I notice you have 44 pounds to lose. I think 30 pounds by the end of August is pretty aggressive. Why not set your goals up to lose a pound a week and just take it from there?
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