Thoughts on eating 800 calories a day?
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Thoughts, I wouldn't make it one day. Not even doing 5:2 method sadly.0
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If you are eating 800 calories one or two days a week, and using the saved calories to eat more on the remaining days, that can be an effective strategy, often called 5:2 intermittent fasting. It's generally safe as long as your weekly calorie total is not an overly aggressive deficit. Some people might still have a problem eating that low even for one day, especially anyone with blood sugar issues, so YMMV. Eating too little one day would cause me to overeat like a lunatic the next, but it works for some people's appetite.
Eating 800 cals every day is not safe and should only be done under a doctor's guidance in an extreme situation. It still has it's dangers, which is why you would need to be monitored by a doctor to ensure any dangers are caught early. It would no doubt also require supplementation (again, doctor prescribed) to avoid malnutrition. In general, it's a great way to swap one unhealthy situation (excess fat, obesity related diseases) for another (malnutrition, muscle wasting, hormonal issues, EDs).3 -
Low calorie diets long term are a problem for your metabolism. Women especially who can create hormonal imbalances and thyroid problems. If you are on a deprivation diet to lose weight, it will only set you up for failure and the inevitable yo-yo cycle.6
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It is pretty amazing how the human body works. And i'll say it again, not everyone is the same. Sounds like a pretty tough program for most people. Those of us that live in countries where food is readily available are so trained to just eat when and where we want that even missing a day of food makes us want to eat our spouses...per some of the previous posters...funny but goes to show really how much eating is really a mental thing for us now. We don't eat to survive we just eat and its habit. Where am i going with this? I don't know, but it sure made me think...4
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kshama2001 wrote: »ravenclawskinnyllama1 wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »jdragonfly2 wrote: »Actually, it’s been proven that 800 a day is a very successful and motivating way to lose weight and improve health. Check out Michael Mosley’s Fast 800, all the info is there. I am doing it and it’s great.
Isn't VLCD promotion against community guidelines?
What’s VLCD?
Very low calorie diet. Against the TOS.
What's TOS?
This is why I don't go on forums. People don't use words and then just expect you to know what they mean.
I agree it would have been more helpful if the words Community Guidelines were used and a link provided. So here you go: https://myfitnesspal.com/welcome/guidelines
The relevant guideline is # 6.
Community Guidelines are also referenced in a sticky in the Getting Started forum. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10041081/welcome-to-the-myfitnesspal-community#latest
A tip for better foruming experiences - read stickies and get the lay of the land before posting.
Hard to link on mobile phones and that term is broadly used so I don't see the difference.3 -
800 calories a day is the reason I have brittle bone disease, nails that peel off in layers and I'm fighting to keep my teeth at the age of 40
They shouldn't be allowed to promote that17 -
kshama2001 wrote: »
That happens a lot throughout MFP I think0 -
DON'T
That's my thought. Unless you want to end up like Karen Carpenter. (Man, am I showing my age with that reference.)1 -
jdragonfly2 wrote: »Actually, it’s been proven that 800 a day is a very successful and motivating way to lose weight and improve health. Check out Michael Mosley’s Fast 800, all the info is there. I am doing it and it’s great.
Aaah - Michael Mosley's "diet of the month".......yeah, I'm sure he's making a ton of money. Mosely doesn't actual Prove anything in his multiple diet books. Look closer, there aren't scientific studies. Just he said, she said.
OP - do you want to lower your body fat %, or do you just want a certain number on the scale? Because a very aggressive weight loss plan will help you lose lots of lean muscle mass.
Very low calorie diets are only recommended for the very obese (they don't lose muscle initially) and are medically supervised with vitamin injections (more effective than pills) and check-ups.
Please when your hair starts to fall out, take that as a sign you aren't eating enough. This is a dangerous practice.4 -
Don't0
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duskyjewel wrote: »DON'T
That's my thought. Unless you want to end up like Karen Carpenter. (Man, am I showing my age with that reference.)
I'd laugh at this, but I know exactly what and who you are talking about .......3 -
Going under your calorie goal is ok to do on the odd day here and there but 800 every day is just downright dangerous unless under medical supervision for a specific medical reason and for a limited time.
The winner of the fat loss race is the person who can eat the most and still lose the weight.
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I don't have a problem with 800 calories as part of a 5:2 style plan, but a careful reading of that article has him suggesting that people consume that low an intake on a steady daily basis for a couple of weeks or months as an introductory diet phase.
That would be a big NOPE.
I don't know. I'm a big fan of the idea of habit and sustainability being the cornerstones of weigh loss efforts. I like that he mentions Med-style type eating with large amounts of non-starchy veggies, low carbs, and portion control as a means of controlling calories. That would work great for weight loss, and the habit of eating a lot of veggies is a good one. I think 5:2-style dieting makes an easy transition to maintenance because you simply stop doing the 800 calorie day when you reach goal weight.
But is that sustainable? For some people, maybe. Personally, a life without potatoes or chocolate isn't want I want to live.
The other, larger issue I have with low calorie diets is that I think that everyone who is able and so inclined should become as active as possible while losing weight since being active makes maintenance easier. If you aren't already active when you start dieting, developing the habit of exercise isn't easy when you're only consuming 800 calories unless you really enjoy feeling light-headed and lethargic.11 -
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amandakesslers wrote: »I think these crash diets are really dangerous. 800 calories is just about half of what the average person needs and you run the risk of sending your body into starvation mode. Big no from me on this one.
Starvation mode doesn't exist. Low calorie diets should be done with doctors supervision in my opinion.8 -
amandakesslers wrote: »I think these crash diets are really dangerous. 800 calories is just about half of what the average person needs and you run the risk of sending your body into starvation mode. Big no from me on this one.
For the lurkers and new people--"starvation mode" doesn't exist. There are many threads on the topic.10 -
JustaJoe00 wrote: »not everyone is the same.
...but according to the NIH even a two-year-old needs a minimum of 1000 calories per day to be healthy so not a whole lot of variation.
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I think that for many people 800kcal a day creates a way too aggressive deficit, and it's hard to get everything your body needs on such a limited diet... I think it has its uses, but is not for everyone, and shouldn't be attempted unless advised by a doctor..
I've had days where I just didn't feel hungry so didn't eat dinner or didn't eat back my exercise calories and ended up with net 800, but doing that long term just makes me feel constantly tired and cold (and I'm a short, not very active woman) - I've done it in the past before I knew better and it just wasn't sustainable, plus it lead to yo-yo dieting4 -
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I was just watching a BBC documentary yesterday called "The Big Crash Diet Experiment" Not sure if its available on youtube etc. I was a well made documentary where they sent 4 or 5 people on a 800 calorie diet for 9 weeks. They were all monitored my health personell, and they did a series of tests to see how the crash diet affected their health.
Everyone had a massive positive health improvement for problems they had because of their weight.
As for the crash diet itelf, I would not recommend it to anyone unless they are seriously overweight, and even then they should comsult with their doctor. Most people dont need a crash diet or any diet for that matter (unless health related)
Those who have lost their weight and kept it off, have all made life changing eating and/or exercise habits that they knew they could keep for the rest of their remaning life.
TLDR: Unless you make changes that you can keep for the rest of your life, you will fail.
(imho of course)
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Mosley is just trying to turbo charge his bank account by publishing yet another fad diet book. The only difference being that on your "fast" days you are allowed 800 calories instead of the 500 he insisted was necessary in his old 5:2 book.
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This isn't suggesting 800 calories per day every day. It's the 5:2 IF where you eat 800 calories on your fast day and maintenance on the rest. That's actually an increase over the normal 5:2 recommended 500-600 calories on fast days. This isn't new or that extreme at all. And many people report a lot of success doing 5:2. (I really liked it when I did it)0
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Thanks everyone
I won’t be pursuing this!! 6 -
snowflake954 wrote: »amandakesslers wrote: »I think these crash diets are really dangerous. 800 calories is just about half of what the average person needs and you run the risk of sending your body into starvation mode. Big no from me on this one.
For the lurkers and new people--"starvation mode" doesn't exist. There are many threads on the topic.
Common sense tells you starvation mode is a myth, if it wasn't millions of people would never have starved to death.6 -
It'll probably work until the endless hunger breaks you and you end up going back to old habits.
Slow and steady wins the race.0 -
suziecue25 wrote: »snowflake954 wrote: »amandakesslers wrote: »I think these crash diets are really dangerous. 800 calories is just about half of what the average person needs and you run the risk of sending your body into starvation mode. Big no from me on this one.
For the lurkers and new people--"starvation mode" doesn't exist. There are many threads on the topic.
Common sense tells you starvation mode is a myth, if it wasn't millions of people would never have starved to death.
Sadly common sense is in short supply, especially with dieting.2 -
suziecue25 wrote: »He was interviewed on ITV morning news programme yesterday and was saying to do the 800 cal a day for a week, a month or a few months but not really long term.
Edit:they also showed what 800 cals of food looks like -
Breakfast = 2 boiled eggs
Lunch = grilled salmon, broccoli, green beans
Dinner = A bowl of thick soup
I think I could get more food out of 800 cals personally.
That looks like one meal rather than a whole day!3 -
JeromeBarry1 wrote: »This got me curious enough to check my Reports and see what my net calories were.
In the past week my net calories have been below 800 each day.
Over the past 90 days, my net calories have been higher than 800 most days.
The only thing I'm doing different lately is having a little fat in my morning coffee rather than a 400 calorie breakfast.
Comparing my haphazard experience to the advocacy in the OP, it seems that I've been doing it already.
Rather you eat more than 800 calories and them what you burned (TDEE) made your NET 800. He is talking about 800 total.0
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