Is eating strictly 800 calories a day bad for you
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tresterbriana wrote: »It says 1200 daily, most of the food I eat is fiber or protein and I stick to 2 300 calorie meals and banana and grapes to make up the 200. Believe me I want to eat more just afaid ill gain instead of lose just need healthy ideas
If the mfp app tells you 1200, then you will lose weight at that level, just it may or may not be as fast as you want, because if your calorie requirement is already low, it wont go lower than 1200. There's no magic number, you dont gain weight or lose at a certain number unless thats the one correct for YOU. It varies for everyone by their age, and height and current weight.
800 calorie diets are something for supermarket magazine fads, not reality. Its not healthy because any normal adult is going to burn more than that per day just being alive. Generally you should not be going less than 1000, although mfp will never recommend below 1200.
If you regularly eat way too little, then your body will have to start taking it from your body itself- and it wont be just fat stores, it will also come from muscle, including critical muscle.
Really you can just eat normal food, but less of it than what you ate when you gained weight. You make pretty much what you cooked before if you want, just use the recipe calculator to determine a portion size that gives you a reasonable calorie amount, you want 300-350 for your three meals, which gives you room for some snacks, including the fruit you mentioned. It can be helpful to swap out some foods for more complex carb versions to keep the fiber up. Try cooking with less oils/fats/milks to bring down the calories per serving.
Water weight changes on a regular basis, shifting around a couple pounds worth, dont worry so much about the minor daily changes, just the trends over a longer period. Stay under the maintenance amount for your stats and you will lose, it just doesnt happen overnight.
There's so many places on the internet you can look up sample healthy meals you could spend all day looking through them. There's no certain special foods required. Just eat what you like, reasonably balanced (you know not to tell your kids they can eat candy and chips all day, right? so you know that's not right for you either) and look up the calories in the database on mfp, and log it. It will tell you as you go how much more you should eat that day.1 -
tresterbriana wrote: »It says 1200 daily, most of the food I eat is fiber or protein and I stick to 2 300 calorie meals and banana and grapes to make up the 200. Believe me I want to eat more just afaid ill gain instead of lose just need healthy ideas
Maintenance for a 5' tall, sedentary, 20 year old woman who weighs 100 pounds is 1,526 calories.
Are you less than 5' tall?
Are you less than 100 pounds?
Are you elderly?
Are you bedridden?
If no, then you can eat 1200 calories and still lose weight.
Dietary fat is healthy. Dietary fat helps you absorb vitamins (and serves many more bodily functions). 800 calories is a recipe for lean muscle and hair loss. Don't do this to yourself, that's not healthy weight loss.5 -
I'm happy to hear you'll be increasing your intake! Not eating enough food puts you in danger of malnutrition which is something you probably want to avoid.1
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Why not eat some starchy things, bread, potatoes, pasta? These things are not unhealthy and will give you the extra energy you need to get up to your goal. Also fat, as others have mentioned. You can eat whatever you want as long as your track it accurately and stick to your goals.1
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Do you use a food scale, OP?2
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Glad that you are upping your calories. 800 is definitely not sustainable long term.
You've gotten some good advice here, but I agree with nuts, avocado, and coconut oil.
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http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1cerise_noir wrote: »avocado
cheese
full fat dairy
Greek yogurt
ice cream
peanut butter (or other nut butters)
dark chocolate
less lean cuts of meat (including beef, pork, sausage, etc.)
seeds (chia, flax, sunflower, etc.)
nuts
olive oil
coconut oil
butter
beans and lentils
protein shakes, bars, and smoothies
hummus
beef jerky
cornbread
tuna
full calorie condiments
full calorie sauces & dressings
sour cream
guacamole
whole grain pasta
rice
bacon
whole eggs
quinoa
fruit and fruit juices
pretzels
bananas
scones
muffins (bran, blueberry, banana nut, etc.)
potatoes (sweet, red, gold, purple, white, etc.)
dried fruit (raisins, apricots, plums, dates, etc.)
granola
coconut
salmon
edamame
olives
honey
molasses
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How to eat 1200 calories instead of 800?
Add 400 calories to your current plan.
If you're not doing it already, eat enough fat that you can actually use all the vitamins you get with your meals. You could get close to the extra 400 easily with an ounce or two of nuts and adding a tablespoon of olive oil to one of your meals.3 -
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1cerise_noir wrote: »avocado
cheese
full fat dairy
Greek yogurt
ice cream
peanut butter (or other nut butters)
dark chocolate
less lean cuts of meat (including beef, pork, sausage, etc.)
seeds (chia, flax, sunflower, etc.)
nuts
olive oil
coconut oil
butter
beans and lentils
protein shakes, bars, and smoothies
hummus
beef jerky
cornbread
tuna
full calorie condiments
full calorie sauces & dressings
sour cream
guacamole
whole grain pasta
rice
bacon
whole eggs
quinoa
fruit and fruit juices
pretzels
bananas
scones
muffins (bran, blueberry, banana nut, etc.)
potatoes (sweet, red, gold, purple, white, etc.)
dried fruit (raisins, apricots, plums, dates, etc.)
granola
coconut
salmon
edamame
olives
honey
molasses
Gee, that's such a good list. I wish I'd thought of it.7 -
It's important that you use a digital kitchen scale to weigh your food. That's the only real way to know the amount of calories you consume.3
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tresterbriana wrote: »It says 1200 daily, most of the food I eat is fiber or protein and I stick to two 300 calorie meals and banana and grapes to make up the 200. Believe me I want to eat more just afaid ill gain instead of lose just needhealthy ideas
800 calories a day is not healthy or sustainable. The reason MFP recommends 1200 calories minimum is because one can have difficulty getting all of the nutrients one needs under that amount without doctor's supervision. If you go too low you can become depleted at some point and get very tired. You need enough calories to care for your 5 children. Please take care of yourself.0 -
If you're 4'8", then 800 cal/day is reasonable.
Otherwise, no.
You're probably eating more than you think.
Weigh &/or measure your foods, until you have a good eye for estimating.
Record everything. Make your diary private, but you have to be honest with yourself & have good data.
Include some healthy fats (nuts, avocado, salmon).
Dip your baby carrots in hummus.
You could pretty much have unlimited veggies, close to unlimited fruits, and a serving of whole grain & protein & still lose weight.
Play around with your diary, entering various foods you LIKE & seeing how they come out in calories.
I love peanut butter, but it's got 100 cal/T, so I have some on toast for breakfast instead of 3 thick PBJ sandwiches for dinner.
Make a big pot of vegetable barley soup. Throw in chopped-up leftover pot roast if you feel like it. Or a can of beans. Very healthy, very low-cal.
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Here are some helpful posts. Definitely read sexypants.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819925/the-basics-dont-complicate-it/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/872212/youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/833026/important-posts-to-read/p1
Goal setting, including weight, calories, and macros
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-08-setting-goals-6670450 -
tresterbriana wrote: »Im new to the dieting and afraid to keep gaining, I started the 800 calories a day thing and in total I have lost 10 I need healthy ideas to get up to 1200 calories if 800 is not safe long term I have 5 kids so cooking healthy is sometimes a challenge really really need ideas please
Yes that is far too little for calorie intake and is not safe.1 -
I'm 4'11 and was just put on an 800 calorie a day diet plus prescribed phentermine today by my endroconolgist. If your short like me 800 is ideal to lose weight and 1200 to maintain after you reach your goal. If your average height id say 1200 is the lowest you should go.0
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kelleemayling wrote: »I'm 4'11 and was just put on an 800 calorie a day diet plus prescribed phentermine today by my endroconolgist. If your short like me 800 is ideal to lose weight and 1200 to maintain after you reach your goal. If your average height id say 1200 is the lowest you should go.
800 is not necessarily ideal to lose weight. it depends on your BMR/tdee and your activity level. there are some women here your height who eat more than that and lose weight. what may be ideal for you may not be for others1 -
diannethegeek wrote: »http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1cerise_noir wrote: »avocado
cheese
full fat dairy
Greek yogurt
ice cream
peanut butter (or other nut butters)
dark chocolate
less lean cuts of meat (including beef, pork, sausage, etc.)
seeds (chia, flax, sunflower, etc.)
nuts
olive oil
coconut oil
butter
beans and lentils
protein shakes, bars, and smoothies
hummus
beef jerky
cornbread
tuna
full calorie condiments
full calorie sauces & dressings
sour cream
guacamole
whole grain pasta
rice
bacon
whole eggs
quinoa
fruit and fruit juices
pretzels
bananas
scones
muffins (bran, blueberry, banana nut, etc.)
potatoes (sweet, red, gold, purple, white, etc.)
dried fruit (raisins, apricots, plums, dates, etc.)
granola
coconut
salmon
edamame
olives
honey
molasses
Gee, that's such a good list. I wish I'd thought of it.
You did. It was a quoting error on the posters behalf. I never posted the list or even had anything to do with it, nor did I claim I had anything to do with it @diannethegeek1 -
Yes, and you know that or you wouldn't be asking!0
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Michael Mosley says 800 cals per day is doable but only for 8 weeks. It is called (I think) The Fast Beach Diet. I do his 5:2 way of life and have lost 15kgs. I have 500 cals or less twice a week. I have lapsed now and again and sometimes had as much as 800 cals but I still call that a fast and have on occasions only done one fast a week so my weight loss has been slow. I, like most folk, love food, think food, dream food, find comfort in food grrrrr. But Im getting there thanks to the MFP app0
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Bariatric patients stay on a diet under 800 calories a day for a few months. And "under a doctor's care" could just mean a visit once a month. I'm not commenting one way or another - just thinking out loud.0
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