Is 900 cals a day okay or not?

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  • goatg
    goatg Posts: 1,399 Member
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    I’m sure many people here will say no but so much of this is personal (current weight, age, muscle density, metabolism, daily activity level, etc).

    I’d say, I’d you feel weak, lightheaded, irritable, very hungry, increase a few hundred and try to walk a little more. If you feel fine and supplement for nutrients, go for it.
  • goatg
    goatg Posts: 1,399 Member
    edited May 2020
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    .
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
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    You will probably be consuming dedicated body tissue in addition to fat at 900 calories. But, as noted above, the best warning sign is confusion, weakness and lethargy. If none of these persist, a brief period of a balanced diet of 900 calories (weeks or months not years or decades) will probably not hurt you.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,037 Member
    edited May 2020
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    mjbnj0001 wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    mjbnj0001 wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    ...

    ... old (64)...

    Oh no, no ... not "old," please! I'm 65.

    "Creaky," sure. "Broken in," of course. "Mature," well, maybe. "Seasoned," I'll buy that. LOL.

    My body, my word. YMMV. :flowerforyou: I'm proud to be old, strong, active, energetic, capable.

    There's (stealing another MFPers term) a "tyranny of low expectations" in our culture around the idea of "old", and I hate that.

    IMO "Old" is pretty excellent. Consider the actual alternative for an individual: It isn't "young", it's "dead", something that's completely vivid to me as a stage III cancer survivor and cancer widow (and he was only 45 at the time).

    Apologies for the digression, OP! :drinker:

    My apologies to both. I was making a little light/humor of the remarks, and also wasn't trying to hijack the thread. @annpt77, sorry, I had forgotten your history (you've mentioned it from time to time elsewhere). I agree on the "tyranny of low expectations" and such. In my own life, I have my own assortment of med issues -- mostly age- and lifestyle-derived, and have been happy and partially successful in turning back or holding still some of the onrush of the clock to improve my life. My daughters don't like it when I call myself, "the old guy," because they aren't seeing it as much anymore//they think it is a "defeatist" remark.
    (snip nice smiling image, for length)

    Can't speak for OP, but no worries from me: We can be friends. :flowerforyou: Reply also intended in a light way, even if a bit flag-wave-y. I admit, it's one of my favorite flags. ;) (I like to push back when people treat "old" as a synonym for "decrepit" or heading there. :lol: )
  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 694 Member
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    As well as the health issues already discussed, I would be miserable and grumpy. It's very difficult to maintain focus and motivation when hungry.

    If I were to try to maintain such a thing for any length of time I would end up divorced and unemployed. So there's that to consider.
  • natajane
    natajane Posts: 295 Member
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    I read a book recently published by a UK doctor in which he had looked at all kind of real and proper controlled scientific studies, and that book recommended 800 cals for weight loss to reverse diabetes and lose fat quickly - but ONLY on a temporary basis and along side being monitored by a doctor. Like a quick shed of fat. It did make it clear though that it wasn't something that should be part of normal life, it was for 8 weeks only. After the 8 weeks it recommended only eating at that low level twice a week, like intermittant fasting.

    So how about 5 days a week, you throw some nuts and seeds into your diet? Two big handfuls would give you like 200-300 calories, and they're just so good for you in every way. That would get you to a more healthy 1200 calories easily.
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
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    Only if obese, prescribed by a physician and being monitored frequently by him/her. It’s almost impossible to get proper nutrition at such a low calorie intake over an extended period of time.
  • nogymhero
    nogymhero Posts: 24 Member
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    natajane wrote: »
    I read a book recently published by a UK doctor in which he had looked at all kind of real and proper controlled scientific studies, and that book recommended 800 cals for weight loss to reverse diabetes and lose fat quickly - but ONLY on a temporary basis and along side being monitored by a doctor. Like a quick shed of fat. It did make it clear though that it wasn't something that should be part of normal life, it was for 8 weeks only. After the 8 weeks it recommended only eating at that low level twice a week, like intermittant fasting.

    So how about 5 days a week, you throw some nuts and seeds into your diet? Two big handfuls would give you like 200-300 calories, and they're just so good for you in every way. That would get you to a more healthy 1200 calories easily.

    That would be a medically supervised diet and they are likely injecting vitamins and minerals to ensure proper nutrition. There is a crash diet in Canada called Dr. Bernstein's and potassium, in particular, is a huge problem and needs to be supplements, and clients received biweekly B12 shots. What you are describing sounds like a medical prescription and should only be followed under a doctor's supervision. It's not so much the calories but the nutrients that are the issue when you severely restrict calories. If it was merely a matter of energy then there have been studies that demonstrate that people can go for long periods of time with little or no food, it's just not healthy from a nutritional standpoint.

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