[HermersSis]

......

[BoiseShan]

1300 seems so low to me!

I aim for 1600-1750 every day. I'm not losting at a fast rate--usually about two-three pounds a month--but I'm losing and it's been pretty effortless. Can't say that I spend a ton of time exercising, either!

[guamvixen]

At 200 lbs, I ate 1700, when I got lower, I went down to 1400. That's where I am now. And I lost my weight within a year, but I also did a lot of cardio.

[LacieRene]

Usually the people losing 100 pounds in 6 months are those of us who were "super obese". I've lost about 90 pounds in 6 months, but I started off at 342. Also, anything less than 1200 calories throws your system into starvation mode and it clings to all the fat you have...but then it will begin eating your muscles and organs eventually. I eat between 1500-1700 calories a day and consistently lose 2 pounds a week. This is not a quick fix. it probably took you years to gain your weight, so you have to be prepared for it to take some time to lose it. Its a lifestyle change. If you lose it unhealthfully the chances are greater that you will gain it back.

[HadEnough]

I am going to ask you the same thing that someone asked me the other day......what's your hurry? I didn't have a good answer. If you want your chances of it staying off to be higher, you have to take it off slowly (and I don't mean 3# a month). You can lose safely at a rate of 2# a week and the likelihood of you keeping it off, is pretty good.....IF you are committed for the rest of your life. THIS IS FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. Keep your eye on the prize,and the prize is not only getting the weight off, but ultimately keeping it off FOREVER.

[findingfawn]

Honestly, if you do something that is unsustainable, even if you lose every single pound that you want to lose, you will most likely find yourself right back where you started faster than the weight came on in the first place... and according to my dr, 99% of people who lose weight gain it back PLUS 20% more!

I know we all want to get the weight off faster than a lightning strike, but in reality, that just isn't going to happen in a healthy way. You should never go below 1200 calories, it's really hard to get proper nutrition going any lower and like said before the good parts of our body will suffer the consequences.

Right now I'm aiming for between 1200 and 1500 a day, most days average 1350, and really there are more that are closer to 1500 than to 1200. Now I'm only on week 2 since my restart (because guess what, last year I lost 30 pounds in 18 weeks and kaboom I quit counting calories and well in a year I was 6.6 pounds heavier than my start weight and just about to see a whole new "decade" on the scale, I know now that this has to be a lifetime change), but anyway I have lost 5.2 pounds in a week and 2 days.. really fast but probably loads of water weight as well.

You need to decided if you just want to lose the weight to look good or if you really want to be healthy and then choose to make healthy decisions.

[sacha]

Do you want to lose fat and stay healthy - or do you want to lose fat, muscle, and put your health at risk? Because long-term large losses (ie 100lbs in 6 months) is not the healthy category (with the exception of extremely obese people, ie. 400lbs or so, whose weight is the greater health risk).

While 3FC is about weight loss, I don't think anyone here advocates starvation diets. There are some people on medically supervised diets, and there are those who had WLS and cannot eat much at all - however, their lives may have been at serious risk. This is the lesser of the evils.

It's a lot harder to take off than put on. Don't set yourself up for disappointment and BE REALISTIC about these things.

As for those who lose 100lbs in 6 months - ask them how many are still maintaining that 5 years later. You would be surprised to find any, without certain assistance (WLS)

[sail7seassoon]

Because I exercise or at least get 3-6 mile walks in per day and that I'm a server and all I ever do is deliver ranch.... I usually stay around 1900 calories a day to lose. But, YMMV.

AppleBudy

[rockinrobin]

I lost my weight on the *quicker* side, but it wasn't only my calorie level that did it, it was my steadfast ahderence to my plan. Less than a handful of off days and those few off days were less than 500 calories additional. If you ask me, THAT is the key. Consistency, consistency, CONSISTENCY. STICKING with your plan. Through holidays, birthdays, stress, parties, joy, sorrow, boredom, what have you. It's not for everyone, but if you are looking to get the weight off quicker (which I was), it's the way to go.

As for my calorie counts - my very first week was 1000 calories. That's because I was headed for weight loss surgery and they put you on a 1000 calorie diet for two weeks prior to the surgery. After 7 days of sticking to that 1000 calories like glue, (no way was I going to cheat on this diet, if it were to make my surgery easier) I canceled the surgery and went on to devise my own plan.

After those 7 days I immediately upped my calories to about 1600. I quickly took them down to 1400, because I just didn't need them. Then a couple of months in (not sure of the exact time frame) I took it down to 1200. A few months later (or weeks, it's all hazy), I added an additional 300 calories for the weekends - Friday, Saturday & Sunday, usually, that is. Towards the end, I had some 1100 & 1000 calorie days.

But those calories were all very nutritious calories. ZERO garbage.

Also, anything less than 1200 calories throws your system into starvation mode and it clings to all the fat you have...but then it will begin eating your muscles and organs eventually.

This is a false statement. Starvation mode is a very overused term and is most definitely not a given. Provided you eat highly nutritious foods, there is nothing whatsoever wrong with adhering to a lower calorie budget. I've done it. My muscles are quite lovely, thank you very much! My organs, never been better!

For our own protection, we were devised to not only survive on very little calories, but to thrive. Back in the days of creation, food was scarce. So very few calories were needed in order to thrive. That plus we were always on the move. The so-called low calorie requirement was put in place to protect us in times of famine, which was more the norm than the exception. The only problem is that now feast is more the norm than that famine.

Trial and error is the best way to find the right calorie requirement for each of us.

[pamepinto28]

Sounds like you are looking for a quick fix, or maricle weightloss. There isnt one. You must be willing to work hard and take the time your body needs. Every single one of us here wants to lose as quickly as possible, If it were possible to lose all our weight in just a few months we'd all be skinny already. The complete truth it's going to take a while. How long? nobody can tell you. We are each very different and our bodies react very differently. Some of us can lose 2 lbs per week at 1500 cals and someone else at the same weight may only lose 1lb per week. Pick a # such as 1700 cals. Try it for two weeks. If your not losing 2lbs a week drop the # to 1400 or so. Keep doing it until you find your sweet spot. Its great that you are so motivated but you must also think positive and think healthy. I wish you the very best of luck on a healthy weightloss journey

[elisaannh]

Don't start out too low. As you lose weight, your calories will need to be lowered for the same consistent loss.

My Thoughts:

Calories are too individual to give a number out. Calorie needs depend on age, activity level, nutritional needs.....one number doesn't fit all.

Eat high quality.

Be flexible, adaptable and stop thinking in terms of black and white.

Plateaus will happen. Expect them and work to find a new answer instead of getting frustrated.

Losing weight too fast will leave you saggy, baggy and even looking haggard. Skin needs time to recoup.

800 calories is grueling, no matter what you eat. I lost 120 pounds when I was younger, by a 900 calorie diet, in just under a year. I was thin, lost a lot of hair, had dry skin, and was on the verge of bingeing every single moment. I was HUNGRY.

I am older, it's taking much longer to lose, but the thing is, TIME is going to pass whether you like it or not. Had I not started and STAYED on my diet a year ago, I would not be where I am now. Just do it, day and after day and you will eventually get there.

[Nola Celeste]

The thing about weight loss is that, barring unforeseen illnesses or some new medical miracle, you will be dealing with it in some fashion for the next five years. And the next ten. And the twenty after that. Either you will be monitoring your food intake and keeping active to maintain your weight loss or you'll have regained weight and will be trying to lose again. That's a cold reality not only for those of us who have extra weight, but for much of the industrialized world.

I totally get that you want rapid weight loss. Who wouldn't? But we can only control what goes into our bodies, not how quickly they want to drop the pounds. There may be a week in which you lose only half a pound--or maybe nothing at all if that's what your body decides to do that week. When that happens, the only thing that's going to keep you on your plan is having a plan you can live with in the first place. The results on the scale won't always be there to keep you motivated, so your plan has to be one that fits you.

I'd been on 800 calories some years ago. I lost weight super-fast for three weeks, but...well, I'm here now and trying to lose weight, so that should tell you how well that worked out for me.

"Slow" isn't the opposite of "successful." It's still success. You might find something that is both doable and fast (I've lost 8 pounds in 17 days on 1500 calories a day plus exercise and feel like I could do this forever), but nothing is going to stay consistently fast throughout your weight loss. I firmly believe it's more important to devise a plan you can live with if you hope to transition from weight loss to maintenance in the long term.

[Janda27]

Back in January, I went on a 500 calorie diet. I lost 21 pounds in 30 days... and, I gained it all back a few months later. Diets like that are never a good idea.

[pammi2003]

According to your ticker, you weigh 255. And 1300 calories is WAY too low for weight. For me to lose 2 lbs a week right now, I would have to eat 1300 calories. That is even too low for me, so 1450 is a perfect number for me. Plus I exercise pretty intensely.

I took the liberty in calculating your daily calorie needs for weight loss using www.freedieting.com and these are the number it came up with. I don't know your age or exercise level so I put 21 for your age and that you work out 3 times a week. You can always change that information.
Maintenance: 2647 Calories/day
Fat Loss: 2117 Calories/day
Extreme Fat Loss: 2040 Calories/day

Never ever go below 1200 calories!

Good luck on your weight loss journey!

[Shmead]

I say this with all due respect, but if you are gaining weight on 1300 calories a day at 250+ lbs, you are either 1) very ill 2) 80 years old or 3) miscounting.

Miscounting is shockingly easy to do. There are three main ways--one is simply mis-estimating. If you don't weigh most of your food and measure the rest, you're eating more than you think, possibly a lot more. The second is mis-remembering. This is also shockingly easy to do. If you aren't recording everything you eat--on paper or on the computer, you are likely eating more than you realize. The third way is only counting good days, and misunderstanding how much of an impact the occasional cheat day.

For example, day someone is on a 900/day diet. They are STARVING all the time. All they can think about it food. They are suffering for weight loss. But once a week they have a "cheat day". Well, if they eat an extra 3500 calories on that cheat day--which is easy--they are really averaging 1400 calories a day. But it feels like 900 because 90% of the time they are starving like 900. So that person will report "I lose slowly on 900 calories".

If you are weighing and measuring your food and recording everything and still gaining weight on 1300 @ 250+, go see a doctor.

As for me, I lost 135 lbs in 14 months. I averaged about 1600/day, with a higher start (when I weighed more) and a higher finish (when my exercise was pretty intense). I never went below 1500 calories for any length of time. I was VERY VERY steady. Few days where I went over, and those were carefully planned and made up for. And I never missed exercise--I exercised twice a day for most of it, and probably missed fewer than 5 sessions total, and only one full day.