Are 1000 Calorie diets really bad?
sfty
Posts: 4 Member
Hello All,
So I have been battling this issue for- well pretty much my whole life.
I have always been slender with a good amount of muscle but some recent weight gain has caused a little bit of jiggle in all the wrong areas. I am not a huge meat fan. I like Chicken- that's about it, so I have typically always eaten right around 1000 calories. Not because I am starving myself but I simply can't keep shoving veggies down. I don't feel tired and I exercise regularly but I feel like a diet is useless if you can't adapt it to fit your life in the long run. I think I have noticed that there are two successful ways to diet. For me I have no taste, I just love to mindlessly eat. I could sit down and eat 3 baked zucchinis. So I eat a lot of low cal foods. Other people have cravings, so they learn portion control by eating small amounts with no restrictions of what they can eat. I feel like I have no self control in this sense because obviously I haven't been eating as many carbs like bread and noodles and I love bread and noodles :C
So I have been battling this issue for- well pretty much my whole life.
I have always been slender with a good amount of muscle but some recent weight gain has caused a little bit of jiggle in all the wrong areas. I am not a huge meat fan. I like Chicken- that's about it, so I have typically always eaten right around 1000 calories. Not because I am starving myself but I simply can't keep shoving veggies down. I don't feel tired and I exercise regularly but I feel like a diet is useless if you can't adapt it to fit your life in the long run. I think I have noticed that there are two successful ways to diet. For me I have no taste, I just love to mindlessly eat. I could sit down and eat 3 baked zucchinis. So I eat a lot of low cal foods. Other people have cravings, so they learn portion control by eating small amounts with no restrictions of what they can eat. I feel like I have no self control in this sense because obviously I haven't been eating as many carbs like bread and noodles and I love bread and noodles :C
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Replies
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Yes.0
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Are you bedridden, older, female, and exceptionally short?0
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Any diet needs to contain enough calories to fuel your body so that it doesn't need to breakdown your muscle for fuel and it needs to be varied enough to provide a broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals for your health. 1200 calories for women and 1500 calories for men is the generally recognized limit below which these two things become hard to achieve.
The diet you describe lacks variety and seems to lack dietary fat, which is an essential part of a healthy diet. We don't have your stats, but if you're logging your food accurately then you can use the data you've collected to see whether or not you're hitting some of your daily minimums (things like fat, protein, fiber, calcium, potassium, iron, etc). But generally speaking, 1000-calorie diets are not particularly good.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »Are you bedridden, older, female, and exceptionally short?
This. There are a lot of considerations here, it's not just a black-and-white question. At 4'11, for instance, 1,000 cals may be fine, especially if you work in an office and are mostly sedentary. Anything over 5'1, and that's cutting it a little low. Your exercise is also a factor. You say you workout, but in manageable amounts - so how much are you burning there? And do you eat more if you do? Also - are you meeting your macros and getting plenty of protein and fat in your diet?0 -
The amount of calories you need is something only you and your doctor can figure out.
Assuming you're entirely healthy, 1000 calories is probably not going to be enough to give you what you need energy and nutrient-wise.
I was on a very low-cal diet and they're not easy to maintain. You can get your nutrients, but you have to work at it and you need blood tests to check for deficiencies.
It really is hard to eat 1200 calories a day when you limit yourself to only the healthiest of foods. I know...trust me, I know! Juice is helpful, if you just want some calories without more food in your belly.
Talk the whole thing over with your doctor and see what he has to say.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »Are you bedridden, older, female, and exceptionally short?
LOL at extremely short!0 -
I feel like this post is bait. Sorry if it isn't, but it certainly feels that way.0
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1000 is considered a "very low calorie diet." We cannot advocate or support this kind of diet here unless you're under medical supervision. They will sometimes prescribe VLCD for extremely obese people who are in medical danger at their current weight. If you're not in medical danger, I doubt a doctor would prescribe a VLCD for you.
My suggestion is to buy a digital scale and accurately log your intake. 1200 is low enough for 99.9% of humans to lose weight on. Of course, you do have to be accurate with it to make sure you're not accidentally eating at a level to maintain your weight, instead.
Here's an article that discusses the risks of VLCD. As a young woman, I would expect these are not side effects you're interested in.0 -
1000 is considered a "very low calorie diet." We cannot advocate or support this kind of diet here unless you're under medical supervision. They will sometimes prescribe VLCD for extremely obese people who are in medical danger at their current weight. If you're not in medical danger, I doubt a doctor would prescribe a VLCD for you.
My suggestion is to buy a digital scale and accurately log your intake. 1200 is low enough for 99.9% of humans to lose weight on. Of course, you do have to be accurate with it to make sure you're not accidentally eating at a level to maintain your weight, instead.
Here's an article that discusses the risks of VLCD. As a young woman, I would expect these are not side effects you're interested in.
This^^^
I would not be a happy camper on 1,000 calories.0 -
Why the recent weight gain? This is often an issue with very low calorie or very restrictive diets. These diets in no way reflect any sense of normalcy. So the dieter learns nothing that helps for maintenance (or binges) and gains the weight back.
You need a well rounded diet....proteins, fat and carbs. Moderate carbs if you have medical issues. Plug your stats into MFP ......(22 pounds to go)....select a weekly weight loss goal of no more than 1 pound a week. There are lots of protein sources that aren't meat. Beans, legumes, tofu, dairy, eggs.
There really aren't any shortcuts. Fast weight loss often sacrifices lean muscle loss. You might lose pounds.....but still have the jiggle when you're at goal.0 -
1000 is considered a "very low calorie diet."
I didn't realise it was a regional thing! In the UK a VLCD is less than 800 calories.
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/very-low-calorie-diets.aspx
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CurlyCockney wrote: »1000 is considered a "very low calorie diet."
I didn't realise it was a regional thing! In the UK a VLCD is less than 800 calories.
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/very-low-calorie-diets.aspx
OP only has 22 pounds to lose. Very low calorie diets (1200 is MFPs minimum anyway) don't apply.
She's obviously not under medical supervision (no medical weight loss shakes mentioned) ...her diet apprears to be low carb AND low fat.
Her BMR would be 1318 if she were 5' tall.....even at 1318 she would be losing weight.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/0 -
ManiacalLaugh wrote: »DeguelloTex wrote: »Are you bedridden, older, female, and exceptionally short?
This. There are a lot of considerations here, it's not just a black-and-white question. At 4'11, for instance, 1,000 cals may be fine, especially if you work in an office and are mostly sedentary. Anything over 5'1, and that's cutting it a little low. Your exercise is also a factor. You say you workout, but in manageable amounts - so how much are you burning there? And do you eat more if you do? Also - are you meeting your macros and getting plenty of protein and fat in your diet?
Ah!!!! I always wondered if the rule that everyone needs 1200 cals was true.
Don't get me wrong though - anything lower than 1200 should really be for the exceptional individual. Like I said, if a woman is even close to average height, or really gets in any beneficial activity at all, they should be aiming for 1200 at minimum.0 -
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1000 calories is not a "very low calorie" diet. It's low-calorie.1000 is considered a "very low calorie diet." We cannot advocate or support this kind of diet here unless you're under medical supervision. They will sometimes prescribe VLCD for extremely obese people who are in medical danger at their current weight. If you're not in medical danger, I doubt a doctor would prescribe a VLCD for you.
My suggestion is to buy a digital scale and accurately log your intake. 1200 is low enough for 99.9% of humans to lose weight on. Of course, you do have to be accurate with it to make sure you're not accidentally eating at a level to maintain your weight, instead.
Here's an article that discusses the risks of VLCD. As a young woman, I would expect these are not side effects you're interested in.
At 800 you hit "very low calorie."
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According to OP's profile the recent weight gain is due to quitting smoking, so first of all, good for you! That is not an easy thing to do and weight gain is a common side affect. Let your body adjust a bit. Be more active and try to eat a wider variety of nutrient-dense foods. I agree with the others who suggest more protein and fat.0
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Thank you for the correction. I just figured that for the OP 1000 calories would not be considered a sustainable amount for health. And it would not be wise for her to continue to follow this unless under the care of a doctor. I understand why you're differentiating between a LCD and a VLCD. But I know I'm not the expert on her situation, so thanks again.
1000 calories is not a "very low calorie" diet. It's low-calorie.1000 is considered a "very low calorie diet." We cannot advocate or support this kind of diet here unless you're under medical supervision. They will sometimes prescribe VLCD for extremely obese people who are in medical danger at their current weight. If you're not in medical danger, I doubt a doctor would prescribe a VLCD for you.
My suggestion is to buy a digital scale and accurately log your intake. 1200 is low enough for 99.9% of humans to lose weight on. Of course, you do have to be accurate with it to make sure you're not accidentally eating at a level to maintain your weight, instead.
Here's an article that discusses the risks of VLCD. As a young woman, I would expect these are not side effects you're interested in.
At 800 you hit "very low calorie."
For everyone reading this, please note 1000 would be a VLCD for some people.
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Not always, but in your case it doesn't sound like it would be a good idea, and I'd not do it without a good medical reason (like a huge amount of weight to lose) and medical supervision or, of course, if I were tiny and older (and I'm 5'3 and 45, so hardly a huge young person).
I can't figure out from your opening post why you are wanting to do 1000 calories.0 -
Regardless of whether or not you like meat, 1000 calories a very low and not a particularly safe amount to be eating per day. Your body is like a car - you'd fill your car up with fuel before starting a long journey else you'll run into complications and eventually breakdown. Your body works the same way - You need to fuel it sufficiently for it to run to the best of it's ability and 1000 calories, even for a petite woman - is not enough and won't get you very far.
I don't like meat either, I don't even really like chicken very much - but I eat 1500 calories per day and still lose weight. I eat a lot of granola, natural yoghurt, eggs and fish - Meat isn't the be all and end all. You can find some really awesome alternatives that are just as yummy and just as fulfilling. But you need to be eating a sensible amount for your basic health needs.0 -
I'm older and 5'2". I log 900 to 1100 cals. Im guessing coffee creamer adds 100. Anyway i
I'm losing 2 lbs a week. That's safe rate. I pay more attention to loss rate. There's not a surefire way to log every calorie accurately.
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If this helps with perspective, I just had a gastric bypass conversion and I still eat 1,100-1,400 calories a day. I was expected to eat 700-800 my first few weeks after surgery. It would be pretty crazy for someone to try to maintain that forever, unless (like other people said) there are "rare" circumstances.
This isn't scientific at all (TDE and whatever else are better ways to determine how many calories you need) but my doctor once gave me a general rule of eating your healthy/ideal weight x10. If you are short and a healthy weight for your body is like 110, fine. Eat 1,100 calories. If you're 5'6 like me, 140 or 150 is a pretty healthy weight, and you might eat 1,400 or 1,500 calories.0 -
If this helps with perspective, I just had a gastric bypass conversion and I still eat 1,100-1,400 calories a day. I was expected to eat 700-800 my first few weeks after surgery. It would be pretty crazy for someone to try to maintain that forever, unless (like other people said) there are "rare" circumstances.
This isn't scientific at all (TDE and whatever else are better ways to determine how many calories you need) but my doctor once gave me a general rule of eating your healthy/ideal weight x10. If you are short and a healthy weight for your body is like 110, fine. Eat 1,100 calories. If you're 5'6 like me, 140 or 150 is a pretty healthy weight, and you might eat 1,400 or 1,500 calories.
I hate those formulas, since they don't account for activity. I'm 125 with a goal of 118, but I wouldn't do well on 1200 and can lose on much, much more.0 -
Hello All,
So I have been battling this issue for- well pretty much my whole life.
I have always been slender with a good amount of muscle but some recent weight gain has caused a little bit of jiggle in all the wrong areas. I am not a huge meat fan. I like Chicken- that's about it, so I have typically always eaten right around 1000 calories. Not because I am starving myself but I simply can't keep shoving veggies down. I don't feel tired and I exercise regularly but I feel like a diet is useless if you can't adapt it to fit your life in the long run. I think I have noticed that there are two successful ways to diet. For me I have no taste, I just love to mindlessly eat. I could sit down and eat 3 baked zucchinis. So I eat a lot of low cal foods. Other people have cravings, so they learn portion control by eating small amounts with no restrictions of what they can eat. I feel like I have no self control in this sense because obviously I haven't been eating as many carbs like bread and noodles and I love bread and noodles :C
Yes, 1000 calories is considred a very low calorie diet. 1200 is the least amount recommended for women, but eating more and still loseing weight while staying in a deficit is ideal.
If you have gained weight, you did not do so on 1,000 calories or less. You ate above maintenance if you gained.
If you are currnetly eating 1,000 calories to lose weight, you need to eat more to properly fuel your body and to get all your nutrients you need.
Slow and easy is the name of the game because it's more sustainable in the long run.
If you are not overeight even after gaining a few pounds, you might look into body recomp.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »Are you bedridden, older, female, and exceptionally short?
OP, unless any of these things apply to you, you didn't gain 20 lbs by eating 1000 calories a day.
You're eating more than you think you are.
Do you use a food scale?
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