Why eating under 1000 calories is bad --Need help

aerrianna
aerrianna Posts: 20 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
My mom is on MFP, weighs and logs everything, and has hit a plateau. Problem is, she's barely eating 900 calories a day and refuses to listen to me when I say she should be eating at least 1000 a day, if not 1200. I tried looking up some articles but they're all "buy this book!" "eat these foods" "complicated numbers that she wouldn't be able to understand".

Is there any articles that are straight forward and direct about eating at least 1000 calories a day? She's afraid eating more than she already is she'll start eating junk food. I've told her it doesn't matter what she eats as long as she's in a calorie deficit and now she's wondering why she's hit a plateau.

She's 5 feet, 150 lbs, and sedentary.

Replies

  • Traveler120
    Traveler120 Posts: 712 Member
    I'd say don't push her to eat more if she says she's satisfied on what she's eating and is having lots of whole foods like fruits and veggies. Given her height and weight, her BMR is probably close to 1200, so if she's sedentary, it's not surprising that she's hit a plateau on 900. That's only 300 lower and as we all know, it's not hard to miscount or misplace 300 calories.

    What's for certain is that eating more is NOT going to help. If she were my mom, I'd encourage her to start walking or doing some exercise and just focus on minimizing empty calories from fats, oils, junk etc so that even if she goes under 1000, she can still get lots of nutritious and filling foods from fruits, veggies, tubers and other whole foods. The key is high volume, low calorie foods.
  • sashayoung72
    sashayoung72 Posts: 441 Member
    Maybe she's logging without checking the portions correctly, weighing food is really important if you can only have so few calories, there is no room for error. a scale that does grams as well as ounces is what i use all the time. Double check packages for portions, sometimes they can be complicated.
  • blancoms
    blancoms Posts: 165 Member
    Check portions. Weigh them. I'm 5'2" 161lbs with (treated) hypothyroidism and have lost on average over 2 lbs a week the last two months on 1100-1300 calories. I agree with above poster, get up. Tell her to go walking a few times a week. If anything, exercise makes you feel better.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Hi, I am probably a few years older than your mum, 62, but am a shortie, 5'1. I grew an inch in my 20's.

    I lost weight healthily on 1200 calories and ate back 125-175 of my 200 exercise calorie burn.

    Starting weight 130, current weight 100-105. I have been maintaining this weight for over 6 years.

    As well as eating at an appropriate calorie goal, I learnt to appreciate the benefits of exercise. I don't think I will ever say I love it, but I love the benefits I get from it. Perfect health, strong enough, agile enough, mobile enough and with a good enough cardio vascular system to rock climb, pony trek, rappel down cliffs, snorkel with the fish, etc, etc.

    Read through my profile.
    I'm just an ordinary woman that vastly improved her life by eating well on an apropriate deficit, and learning to withstand the rigours of exercise. If you think it will help your mum show it to her.

    Cheers, h.
    Sorry that sounded like a bit of bragging, it was just my story.
  • ReadyWillingEager
    ReadyWillingEager Posts: 56 Member
    Maybe she'd feel more comfortable eating a bit more if she moved a little more!
  • aerrianna
    aerrianna Posts: 20 Member
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    Hi, I am probably a few years older than your mum, 62, but am a shortie, 5'1. I grew an inch in my 20's.

    I lost weight healthily on 1200 calories and ate back 125-175 of my 200 exercise calorie burn.

    Starting weight 130, current weight 100-105. I have been maintaining this weight for over 6 years.

    As well as eating at an appropriate calorie goal, I learnt to appreciate the benefits of exercise. I don't think I will ever say I love it, but I love the benefits I get from it. Perfect health, strong enough, agile enough, mobile enough and with a good enough cardio vascular system to rock climb, pony trek, rappel down cliffs, snorkel with the fish, etc, etc.

    Read through my profile.
    I'm just an ordinary woman that vastly improved her life by eating well on an apropriate deficit, and learning to withstand the rigours of exercise. If you think it will help your mum show it to her.

    Cheers, h.
    Sorry that sounded like a bit of bragging, it was just my story.

    I'll definitely show her this. She doesn't really listen to family so maybe if she sees how it's working for other people it will motivate her more.
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
    @middlehaitch I give you permission to brag a little. Your story is worth it!
  • suziecue20
    suziecue20 Posts: 567 Member
    I'm 67 and a shortie at 5ft. I've lost 36 lbs since last August on 1100-1200 calories a day. CW125 and GW112. I use my exercise bike, go for walks and do a lot of gardening. I have been losing 1lb a week on average, although MFP says I should only be losing 0.5lb a week - weird but I'm not complaining.

    If your mum could start doing some exercise it might help get over the plateau. 900 calories seems low, even for an older shortie and the one thing she should not do is reduce her calories even more.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    krisonkor wrote: »
    I'm at 1000 cals a day and am 5'3" and 150#. Shorter statures don't need as many cals. I've been losing about 1-2 pounds a week w no exercise.
    I agree if she is full then she is good. No starvation mode.

    Yeah and losing 1-2 pounds a week at your weight is extremely unhealthy.

    Also 5'3" isn't short by any means. You're severely undereating and probably not the best person to listen to.


    OP, older people who don't exercise don't need that many calories, plus I highly doubt she's weighing her food so she's probably eating more than she thinks anyway... I wouldn't really sweat it.
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    krisonkor wrote: »
    I'm at 1000 cals a day and am 5'3" and 150#. Shorter statures don't need as many cals. I've been losing about 1-2 pounds a week w no exercise.
    I agree if she is full then she is good. No starvation mode.

    Yeah and losing 1-2 pounds a week at your weight is extremely unhealthy.

    Also 5'3" isn't short by any means. You're severely undereating and probably not the best person to listen to.


    OP, older people who don't exercise don't need that many calories, plus I highly doubt she's weighing her food so she's probably eating more than she thinks anyway... I wouldn't really sweat it.

    I'm not one for rapid weight loss, but I'm going to counter this a tiny bit. The rule of thumb around here is two pounds per week if you have 50+ pounds to lose, but another general rule is that one can safely lose 1% of their bodyweight per week. For that person, it would be 1.5 pounds per week. I am also 5'3" and I started at 139 and I was dropping 2 pounds per week until I hit 120 or so, then 1 pound per week until 115 or so, then I slowed it down to half a pound per week. The only difference is that I exercise every day. At 5'3" and 150 pounds, losing one pound per week isn't necessarily unhealthy, but eating 1000 calories per day to get there is.

    As for the OP, I'm willing to bet your mother is eating a lot more than she thinks. My mother is 5'2" and has the same issue. She "barely" eats, but she's sitting pretty at 5'2" and 180 pounds. Now the new method is replacing two meals per day with protein shakes for a weight loss "boost". I've been successful but she won't listen to me about any of it. Counting calories is "too hard" and I've only been successful because of my "fast metabolism". Sometimes you just have to pick your battles and let mom do what she wants.
  • aerrianna
    aerrianna Posts: 20 Member
    synacious wrote: »
    As for the OP, I'm willing to bet your mother is eating a lot more than she thinks. My mother is 5'2" and has the same issue. She "barely" eats, but she's sitting pretty at 5'2" and 180 pounds. Now the new method is replacing two meals per day with protein shakes for a weight loss "boost". I've been successful but she won't listen to me about any of it. Counting calories is "too hard" and I've only been successful because of my "fast metabolism". Sometimes you just have to pick your battles and let mom do what she wants.
    sashayoung72 wrote: »
    Maybe she's logging without checking the portions correctly, weighing food is really important if you can only have so few calories, there is no room for error. a scale that does grams as well as ounces is what i use all the time. Double check packages for portions, sometimes they can be complicated.

    She has a slimfast for breakfast and lunch and weighs her supper. She's weighing correctly because I weigh the same food so we can always double check. The weather should be getting warmer soon so she'll be out walking more.
    suziecue20 wrote: »
    I'm 67 and a shortie at 5ft. I've lost 36 lbs since last August on 1100-1200 calories a day. CW125 and GW112. I use my exercise bike, go for walks and do a lot of gardening. I have been losing 1lb a week on average, although MFP says I should only be losing 0.5lb a week - weird but I'm not complaining.

    If your mum could start doing some exercise it might help get over the plateau. 900 calories seems low, even for an older shortie and the one thing she should not do is reduce her calories even more.
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    Read through my profile.
    I'm just an ordinary woman that vastly improved her life by eating well on an apropriate deficit, and learning to withstand the rigours of exercise. If you think it will help your mum show it to her.

    Cheers, h.
    Sorry that sounded like a bit of bragging, it was just my story.

    I'll get her to add both of you as friends. A support group of people more around her age group might help better than listening to her young daughter.

    Otherwise, I'll back off other than trying to get her to walk more. I just don't want her to get disappointed and quit. Her son, my brother, is getting married in May and I know she wants to feel better about herself for the wedding.
  • suziecue20
    suziecue20 Posts: 567 Member

    suziecue20 wrote: »
    I'm 67 and a shortie at 5ft. I've lost 36 lbs since last August on 1100-1200 calories a day. CW125 and GW112. I use my exercise bike, go for walks and do a lot of gardening. I have been losing 1lb a week on average, although MFP says I should only be losing 0.5lb a week - weird but I'm not complaining.

    If your mum could start doing some exercise it might help get over the plateau. 900 calories seems low, even for an older shortie and the one thing she should not do is reduce her calories even more.
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    Read through my profile.
    I'm just an ordinary woman that vastly improved her life by eating well on an apropriate deficit, and learning to withstand the rigours of exercise. If you think it will help your mum show it to her.

    Cheers, h.
    Sorry that sounded like a bit of bragging, it was just my story.

    I'll get her to add both of you as friends. A support group of people more around her age group might help better than listening to her young daughter.

    Otherwise, I'll back off other than trying to get her to walk more. I just don't want her to get disappointed and quit. Her son, my brother, is getting married in May and I know she wants to feel better about herself for the wedding.
    [/quote]


    :):)

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