800 calories a day?

Not in my dorm. I live in a box and the only thing my dorm has is a communal bathroom)
and at least a cup a day (I don't usually count it and its usually skim or one percent so I really eat 900 cals a day)

You should log anything that has calories. It's the only way to know for sure what you're taking in. That's what got me starting to lose weight....being mindful of everything that goes in my body.

honestly I work through the dinner shifts and have class during lunch so I pretty much on my own and I so don't have any money lol
at work I try to eat some turkey on wheat
and I drink lots of milk.
DO you guys think the 800 cal plan is dangerous I am only going to do it to lose ten pounds then I will be at my goal weight and go back to maintence cals which I can usually pull about 1500 off

I hope you really do go back up-- unfortunately I've seen lots of people who just continued to restrict until they were at 400 cals per day. When you do increase do it gradually and give your body time to adjust so that you won't gain your weight back overnight.

ETA: the best way to boost your metabolism is through exercise. If you're restricting calories for a slower metabolism you usually end up slowing it more. Just FYI before you decide.

^^This...can you get some exercise in to boost your metabolism so that you can eat at least 1200??

OK HEADLINER! DO NOT BE RUDE OR YELL AT ME..

Ok so here is the deal I am not losing weight on 1200 calories a day. I know my body and I have a very slow metabolism. So therefore I am going to be starting a diet of 800 calories. I am a broke college student with only a microwave to cook in. I try to eat as healthy as I can but usually I get crap like mac and cheese or cup o noodles....Now my question if I am limiting to myself to 800 and everyone thinks I should eat at least 1200 why? I mean all I am going to do is eat more of the junky stuff. and do I really need to eat more of that?

With that being said if anyone has any HELPFUL suggestions on how to get all the nutrients I need to keep my body healthy (vitamins or something) I would appreciate being told. Thanks and be polite folks

as someone who used to have an eating disorder, I urge you not to do this..I started by decreasing for just two weeks..yes u lose, but you will throw your body into starvation mode and ultimately gain..I understand the lack of funds..but try to buy frozen veggies, lean proteins, and healthy food..it can be done on a budget. ..

instead of going to 800, try 1200 but with sodium under 2000, more water and whole grains, veggies and protein...it's better for u in the long run..

Chances are, your body thinks it's starving and is slowing down your metabolism further so it can survive. There are lots of ways to save money, like making your own soup at home on the weekend and having it for lunch all week, but if you have a slow metabolism the best thing you can do is eat more often, like every 3 or 4 hours. Break what you are eating into smaller portions and eat more frequently, rather than cutting out more calories. There are lots of cheap, good foods out there too, like oat bran. You can buy it in bulk and make it like instant oatmeal in the microwave in the morning. Add a little milk and cinnamon - yum.

If you're not losing on 1200, you might not be getting the nutrients your body needs, or you might need to consume more. Once you drop below 1200, it's difficult to get the nutrients in. Your body needs energy to run on, especially if you're working out. I'd say try RAISING your calorie intake first and see what happens. Most of the time, weight will fluctuate up a little first, and then you begin losing steadily again. The jump from 800 to 1500 will cause another bought of weight gain, not only because of the calorie difference, but because the body will have to reset the way it uses those calories.

@Debs She's a young adult why are you being so harsh? She needs direction and love. We're all here for help!

When you don't eat 1000 calories at least a day that puts your body into starvation mode. You definitely don't want this because you won't lose weight at all. You body will do the complete opposite and will store everything you eat because you are eating so little. I would recommend eating all the vitamins and minerals you can get. Also you can just about include everything else in to your diet. Also if you do work I would keep track of how much you work and if your burning calories throughout the day such as standing or walking around a lot. So if you burned 500 calories throughout the day and you ate 1200 calories that means 1200-500=700 calories. You are eating under and that's whats happening. So if your extremely poor, which I know how that feels I would change up what your buying. Sodium causes your weight to fluctuate around 2-4 lbs so if you ate a lot of sodium one day then the next day you would be full of water.

First of all Maruchan or Top Ramen noodles are awesome!!! The problem with them is the amount of sodium they contain so when you make them I would dump out a majority or the broth or just use less of the seasoning packet when cooking them.

Second canned soup is great!!! Once again problem with it is the sodium contains so be wary of them. They contain protein though so that helps a lot.

Bread!!! Bread is awesome most wheat (real wheat). some breads also contain iron. Iron is a must is a woman's diet. This shouldn't be the only thing you get iron from.

Multi-Vitamins!! They are great but, don't just rely on them for all of your nutrients (vitamins,minerals, etc).

If you really have any questions just ask I took a nutrition class last semester at my college and it taught me a lot also I've lost 51 lbs., So I know it works.

You will not lose weight on noodles and mac. The sodium in those bad boys will have a reverse effect, and cause you to GAIN weight.. water weight. If you're only going to eat 800 cals, it would be in your best interest to get as much nutrient-rich food as possible. You need fruit and veg, grains- bread, rice, beans, etc., yogurt (greek is a power house), nuts, etc. Get a cheap, small slow cooker and make pots of rice and beans- it's a complete protein, and insanely cheap if you make it from dried beans.

Also.. childrens Flintstone vitamins are actually a cheap, and good source of vites.

Youll slow the metabolism more and start hurting your vital organs.

If you are around 5'3" and working out 3 times a week you burn about 2200 calories a day so you should be losing weight at 1600 calorie deficit.

If you think 1200 calories is a failure wait till you eat 800 calories for a week.
Most people wont want to be around you.
Truth!

I'd suggest maybe cutting your calories, but not to 800. Maybe try 1,000 first and see how that goes? I have a friend who is about the same height/weight as you and she cut to 600 at one point. As soon as she began eating her maintenance calories she began gaining weight again because cutting her calories to that point actually further slowed her metabolism. If your maintenance calories are 1,500, then cutting down to 1,000 would put you at a deficit of 3,500 calories/1 lb. a week.

I also think since you mentioned drinking so much milk maybe you could mix in something with more nutrients like Instant Breakfast or something similar to that. It would add calories, but it would add much needed nutrients that your diet is missing, especially since you're a busy college student.