I am doing IP with alternates and I've done tons of research on the plan and products (and I REALLY appreciate this forum, btw!) I've been mirroring my husbands diet (with IP and a coach). Question is: How many calories are too few? I recognize that too restricted will put my body in starvation mode and I'll lose less weight, but I don't know how many calories I actually NEED to eat.
I drink a shake for breakfast, have a packet for lunch, eat 4 cups of veggies per day, 8 oz of protein and a bar for snack. Total calories are approx 850-900 per day according to Myfitnesspal. I used to eat a couple hard boiled eggs at 10 and 2 (ish when I was hungry), but I just don't get hungry much anymore.
I've lost 21 pounds with 30 to go and I'm losing but in spurts. Some weeks I lose less than a pound and some as much as 4...I'd like to maximize those 4 lb weeks, lol!
I am doing IP with alternates and I've done tons of research on the plan and products (and I REALLY appreciate this forum, btw!) I've been mirroring my husbands diet (with IP and a coach). Question is: How many calories are too few? I recognize that too restricted will put my body in starvation mode and I'll lose less weight, but I don't know how many calories I actually NEED to eat.
I drink a shake for breakfast, have a packet for lunch, eat 4 cups of veggies per day, 8 oz of protein and a bar for snack. Total calories are approx 850-900 per day according to Myfitnesspal. I used to eat a couple hard boiled eggs at 10 and 2 (ish when I was hungry), but I just don't get hungry much anymore.
I've lost 21 pounds with 30 to go and I'm losing but in spurts. Some weeks I lose less than a pound and some as much as 4...I'd like to maximize those 4 lb weeks, lol!
It sounds like you are spot on!
And weight loss kinda happens in spurts. All is well...
750-900 calories a day. While you may be losing quite well. In the long run, I don't feel you can maintain that long term. Along with that, there is no way on that amount of calories your body is getting the nutrition it needs.
Think about it! As women as we age, we need to be mindful of our nutrition, exercise, and osteoporosis, bone density and so on.
That low amount of calories will never support long term health! Let alone, maintaining the loss. And what about, sticking to that each and every day forever.
We need to strive for a balance between, loss, maintaining and keep our long term health in mind!
750-900 calories a day. While you may be losing quite well. In the long run, I don't feel you can maintain that long term. Along with that, there is no way on that amount of calories your body is getting the nutrition it needs.
Think about it! As women as we age, we need to be mindful of our nutrition, exercise, and osteoporosis, bone density and so on.
That low amount of calories will never support long term health! Let alone, maintaining the loss. And what about, sticking to that each and every day forever.
We need to strive for a balance between, loss, maintaining and keep our long term health in mind!
This comment is from someone who does not know the Ideal Protein plan
Obviously the weight loss plan is different than the maintenance plan by design
This comment is from someone who does not know the Ideal Protein plan
Obviously the weight loss plan is different than the maintenance plan by design
Agree...and also the fact that many of us have had and or are under medical supervision and blessing with this...in addition to not giving any credence to the science and fact this is a protein sparing protocol, which for the most part...other diets are not.
Agree...and also the fact that many of us have had and or are under medical supervision and blessing with this...in addition to not giving any credence to the science and fact this is a protein sparing protocol, which for the most part...other diets are not.
Agreed...plus, if we are "balanced", aren't we just maintaining? Balance means things are in line: what goes in, comes out equally, hence the term balanced. While I can't wait to be balanced, right now I need to be unbalanced to lose the weight I need to in order to be healthy.
If anyone was going to hit "starvation mode" on this diet, it was going to be me. When starvation mode happens, your BMR rapidly drops to "close the gap" on greatly reduced caloric intake -- which stalls weight loss (in theory at least).
My starting weight was 326 lbs and I'm 6'3" tall so my basal metabolic rate was higher than probably 95% of most IP dieters at 2,228 calories per day.
My calorie intake on IP is about 950 calories. So I was running a deficit of about 1,278 calories per day. So I am a great canary in the coal mine on "starvation mode".
The result for me, on 100% IP with no cheating ... NO PLATEAUS!
My body has stayed in steady state burn mode for almost 3 months on a very restricted caloric intake.
And it's interesting but I have NEVER been on a diet with such low and restricted calories at less than 1000. Most of my other diets, my caloric intake was between 1200 and 1400 calories per day. The results from that experiment is my weight loss has been not only much more rapid with the lower caloric intake on the Ideal Protein Diet -- but my losses much more steady and predictable.
The KEY thing IMHO is DO NOT CHEAT!!!
(I do recall reading from one of our posters that starvation mode was actually a myth -- no idea personally about that)
Last edited by Avalon1957; 10-16-2013 at 01:15 PM.
If anyone was going to hit "starvation mode" on this diet, it was going to be me. When starvation mode happens, your BMR rapidly drops to "close the gap" on greatly reduced caloric intake -- which stalls weight loss.
My starting weight was 326 lbs and I'm 6'3" tall so my basal metabolic rate was higher than probably 95% of most IP dieters at 2,228 calories per day.
My calorie intake on IP is about 950 calories. So I was running a deficit of about 1,278 calories per day. So I am a great canary in the coal mine on "starvation mode".
The result for me, on 100% IP with no cheating ... NO PLATEAUS!
My body has stayed in steady state burn mode for almost 3 months on a very restricted caloric intake.
And it's interesting but I have NEVER been on a diet with such low and restricted calories at less than 1000. Most of my other diets, my caloric intake was between 1200 and 1400 calories per day. The results from that experiment is my weight loss has been not only much more rapid with the lower caloric intake -- but the losses much more steady and predictable.
The KEY thing IMHO is DO NOT CHEAT!!!
(I do recall reading from one of our posters that starvation mode was actually a myth -- no idea personally about that)
Avalon and I are both good examples of how this diet works and we are polar opposites ...!!! (Except we both ascribe to NO CHEATING!!) My average losses (even initially was just under 3 lbs/week) were not dramatic numbers since my BMR is obviously lower, and while I hate to say the "O" word...sad but true...I am OLDER...!! But even with height and age challenges my losses were steady for over 7 months! I hit no stalls or plateaus and as one would imagine the loss per week did slow (just a little over 2lbs/week) after about 4 months...but I never had a week with a "0" loss on the scale. And the inches kept coming off at a faster rate in fact once the scale slowed. My recent pattern holding steady for over 6 weeks was deliberate ...but am losing slowly again now. It's less than a pound a week, but I'm so close to where I should be...its just fine. Was shooting for a BMI of 22, and I am close.
Too few calories??
