500 calories diet!! I need opinions.

Hi there, I've been kind of quiet up to this point, although I've been a member for a while now. When I joined MFP I was on low carb, then low calorie for a while. I've done the 500 calorie thing, although a long time ago, and only wound up hurting myself.

My doctor sent me to a nutritionist recently, and I've been on a metabolic recovery program for about a month. It varies a little bit day by day, but I'm eating approximately 1700-1800 calories, 120-150 g protein, 200 g or so carbs, 50 g fat. Sounds like a lot right? I'm going back to my nutritionist on Friday for a weigh in, but judging by my own scale I've lost in the area of 15-16 pounds in one month. Every time I ask my nutritionist if I'll be going down in calories, limiting this, limiting that, she gives me the stink eye BIG time. She says you can not have long term success by starving your body.

I'm a believer now. When I first began going to her I did not believe it. Then I experienced it for myself. I'm not sure how much you want to lose or what your history is with dieting, but if you're anything like me and have tried everything in the book, my advice to you would be to find a good nutritionist and follow her advice. I'm amazed at how easy this is. My only complaint (if it is a complaint at all) is that I feel sometimes like I'm eating TOO much, as if eating has become kind of a second job for me.

Anyway, no more rambling. I wish you nothing but luck in however you do this. We're not all the same by any means, Ijust wanted to let you know what's working for me. I've got a LONG way to go, but I know now that I'll get there.

Angel

I can't figure out your BMR right now because I don't know how tall you are or how much you weigh. Having said that, my guess is it is probably about 1600 calories. BMR is the amount of calories you body needs to simple stay alive. If you were in a coma that is pretty much the number of calories you would burn. This does not include any calories you burn from your daily activity which would be a minimum or 200-300 more calories getting you close to 2000 calories a day. At 500 calories you are almost 1500 calories a day below what you would burn at a fairly sedentary activity level, and more than 1000 below what you need for your body to just stay alive. That is not healthy.

Also, there are minimum amounts of carbohydrates and protein a person needs each day. A woman needs a minimum of 50 grams of protein a day that would be 250 calories right there. You also need a minimum of 130 grams a day of carbohydrates which would come to another 520 calorie giving a total of 770 calories. This doesn't even include the fat you need. An adequate intake of fat would be 12 grams for a woman adding another 108 calories. That gives a grand total of just what is absolutely necessary for you to get the bare minimum of the macro nutrients you need of 878 calories. The likelihood is you would need much more than that. That is the reason 500 calories a day is considered very unhealthy. If a nutritionist endorses this, find an actual registered dietitian, as anyone can call themselves a nutritionist, no education required.

Pre-order your grave marker. Cheers!

i am in college to study these types of things right now, going into the medical profession. what i can tell you about this diet idea is that you will definitely lose weight. you will lose a lot of weight, but the only way to avoid the weight coming back immediately and then some is to continue to consume only 500 calories a day for the rest of your life.

if you stray even one or two days a week, you will gain the weight back. if you do this diet, then even go on another diet consuming as low as 1200 calories a day, which is still pretty low, you will gain all the weight back very quickly and then some.

this is a medical fact.

the human body, when deprived of nutrients, goes into a "starvation mode" where it retains fat and water much more than it would if you were eating more! i have been looking for the easy way to lose all my weight for years now, but in this case, this diet will either make you larger than you were before the diet, or cause you to have a serious nutrient deficiency, if you were to eat like this for the rest of your life.

hope this helps and good luck!

Well yea! she weights as much as I do and the same size as me. Only difference is she lost 25 pounds in 21 days and she is lively and taking vitamins and seeing her nutritionist every 2 weeks. She was my chubby gym buddy for these past few months then loosing all this weight immediate makes me want it. Thats ALL! After reading this thread I m a going to go back to original feeling about this, I am going to cut carbs and maybe try the 17 day diet book.

Is your original feeling about doing it? Or thinking it is a bad idea? I know you posted here on the boards with a mind set on taking it on, but we don't know your original feeling behind it. I hope you do take care of yourself and take things healthy. Cutting carbs is good, but be sure to watch what you are eating total. You do not need to make yourself sick. You can achieve your goal by taking proper care of the situation and taking a healthy route. If you want to talk to someone about this or anything please feel free to add me as a friend and I will attempt to help you, I am not professional at this, but I was in a relationship with a heath nut who was also a medical student. Please, be safe with your body.

I want to do the 500 calories a day diet . Any advice? My friend lost 25 pounds in 21 days. No carbs,sugar,or oil. Her nutrition has her on it. How did she do this? Its the 500 Cal diet with out HCG , Any advice.?

Her nutritionist has her on a 500 cal/day diet?! As a nutritionist myself, I am calling bulls.hit. A lot of people can call themselves a "nutritionist" (people who work at Jenny Craig, gyms, etc.) without actually having any legitimate education in nutrition. To be a certified nutritionist, you need to have at minimum, a Masters Degree in Nutritional Sciences....and ANYBODY with this type of education would NEVER recommend a patient or client go on such a low-caloric diet. A person in a coma or vegetative state that does absolutely NO MOVEMENT in a day still needs a minimum 750 calories a day just to keep all of the internal organs functioning. Nobody with any legitimate education would ever recommend a diet so low in calories that even the basic bodily organs could not function properly on.

I dont understand ! I am witnessing this guys! she is losing it. AND a nutrition recommended it! Technically I am obsessed. As for her metabolism she eats all her meals 8 x A DAY. it seems healthy.

Thank you!

I did the HCG thing and I would be doing it again, only I don't have the money to buy it. I'm one of the lucky ones, I can eat the same thing over and over with out getting bored. I lost 10 pounds in 20 days and kept it off. (until I meet my boyfriend, who's awesome.) but my WHOLE diet stopped for about 2 months..LOL..
I would say go for it!

worst advice ever ^^^ look like other posters have said there is no easy short cuts, just eat right, do the work and the weight will come off.