I've been on a 1000 calorie a day diet for over two years now. I started at 263.5 and now down to 160 lbs. My question is though am I eating enough?! I eat 4 or less grams of fat a day,around 50-75 carbs and 100 or so protein.
Why I am asking though is because I'm getting close to my goal weight and I am still losing as quickly as I did at 263.5...not that losing is bad I just don't want to waste away to nothing. I mean when I get to my goal weight and up my calories am I going to gain weight back? I'm content on eating the 1000 cals a day. I feel very satisfied. I eat three meals and one snack. I'm scared if I up my calories I will gain weight back and might lose control and before I know it be back up to 200 plus.
Any suggestions?
You've been eating 1000 calories a day for 2 years now???? Whoa. That's a looong time to be on that few calories. So then are you losing weight at the rate of 1/2 pound a week? Are you doing any exercise at all? I would think it would be really difficult to get in only 4 grams of fat on 100 grams of protein. How are you managing that? Are you taking any vitamins?
I would definitely try upping my calories. I would start out slowly and weigh every day to see how it goes. Give it a few weeks, time for your body to adjust. I would most definitely add in some healthy fats. Nuts, avocado or a bit of olive oil. 4 grams is really not enough. If you're not exercising, now might be a good time to start or if you are then perhaps increase it a bit. Again, I don't have a clue as to what or what you aren't doing in the way of exericse.
Congratulations on sticking to a very difficult plan for so long. You've done very well.
I'm going to suggest that you find posts by Meg. She is super smart about "maintaining for the formerly obese" and I like her. You will too.
I personally feel that if you're satisfied on 1000 calories and you're getting enough nutrients, then stay at a level you're comfortable with. I try to eat 1200 calories a day, but sometimes it's a little more, sometimes a little less. It's never exact, but I definitely try to stay within a range. I've survived just fine on 1000 calories for a good amount of time and always find it amusing how people freak out over that small of an amount. "OMG! You should never go below 1200!"
Fiddlesticks. Now, if you drop way below that, then yeah, that's not healthy. But I don't think 1000 calories is all that drastic.
However, you sound like you're a little concerned about dropping weight too quickly, so why not try to add in 100 calories at a time to see if the weight loss slows down or levels off a bit. Start by adding 100 extra calories a day. Keep that up for a couple of weeks and keep an eye on your weight and see how that does. You may continue to lose weight, but just at a slower pace. And it's definitely not hard to add 100 calories. Even just a small handful of nuts will do it, plus you'll be getting some good fats.
As for maintaining, that's a tough one. And probably the hardest part of weight loss, in my opinion. Maintenance can be very tricky. My maintenance calories are about 1700. So I assumed that once I hit goal I could raise my cals up a little at a time (I didn't jump to 1700 all in one day) to maintain, because I'm pretty much done losing now. Nope, didn't work, I started gaining again. So I dropped it back again. Was still gaining. I went from 133 to 138. Waaaaaay too close to 140 for my taste. So I eventually worked my way down to see where I could stay and it turns out I can't really eat more than 1200 cals a day or I'll start putting weight back on.
So much for the "upping your calories to maintain" theory. At least in my case. Everyone is different. Some people can get away with upping to maintenance calories without gaining and some can't. But that's okay, I'm so used to eating only 1200 calories a day from doing it so long that I'm comfortable there and really don't have the desire to eat more anyway. It's funny, when I got close to goal I was all excited that I could start eating more food, but then found it really hard to do. I'm so set in my eating pattern that I actually had a hard time attempting to eat more.
So, for me, I maintain at 1200 calories. If I wanted to lose more weight, I'd probably have to drop down to 1000.
I personally think that being on 1000 calories a day for over 2 years is too long for so little. I realize that some people HAVE to go under 1200 to lose the last few pesky pounds at times, but from the way it sounds, you started way lower than you needed to start, and now you are really used to such a low number.
(Most people start out at a higher level, and slowly drop as they lose, and don't go to 1200 or lower until they are near goal.)
There is a lot of talk on the boards about "starvation mode" and all that if you go below 1200. I don't recommend going a lot lower than that personally, BUT it has nothing to do with starvation mode. It has to do with general nutrition, or the lack thereof. At 1200 calories a day, it is VERY hard to get in all the vitamins, protein, fiber, minerals, etc. unless you really plan everything out...and even harder (or impossible) if you go lower than that. If you must go lower, it definitely shouldn't be below 1000 at all.
What concerns me the most, is that you have been so low for so long...and you mentioned 4 grams of fat PER DAY???? That is extremely low. How is your skin and hair? The reason I am asking, is because being too low fat for too long will cause the skin to dry out, and the hair to become weak and brittle. (Ever notice how some extreme female bodybuilders or anorexics have thin, brittle, broken hair?)
A good guidline for fat is 30% of you calories. (Some here eat more than that, though.) A fat gram roughly has 9 calories, so if you are only getting 4 grams a day, you are only getting 36 calories out of that 1000 in fat. It isn't enough. If you are uncomfortable going up in calories at this time, then I at least urge you to up the fat percentage in your diet. (Fat does NOT make you fat, excess calories eaten/less calories burned does, and fat is necessary for the body.)
At 1000 calories a day, 30% would be approximately 30 grams a day.
Also, I DO encourage maintainers to up their calorie intake once they reach goal, BUT it must be done carefully. Finding a maintenance calorie level is individual to each person. If you have been eating 1000 for ages, and you jump to 1500 a day, you are going to gain. Try eating 1050 for the next 2 weeks, and see what happens. If you lose, or maintain, then up it to 1100 a day for a few weeks. You do this until you find the level where you don't lose anymore...but where you maintain your loss instead.
The thing is, yes, you can be content on 1000, 1200, 1500 or whatever your calorie level is. You can assimilate yourself over time and shrink your stomach, and be content on 600-700 a day, too...but you are being starved of nutrients in the process.
To answer a few of your questions...I've been eating turkey slices that contain no fat but high numbers of protein and lots of boneless, skinless, chicken tenders ( 3 in a serving) has 0.5 cals and 26 protein. My egg substitutes are also high in protein and have no fat. I eat celery and no fat sour cream also. That's how I keep my fat intake down so low with high protein.
Also, there were months that I quit eating like I should and went back to junk food therefore I have lost alot more than 1/2 pound a week. If I stick to my 1000 cals a day I generally lose anywhere from 2 to 6 pounds a week depending on my exercise. I don't exercise too often unless I hit a plateau. I have a 2 year old child running around like a maniac so I don't get a chance unless she naps.
I'm guessing I have a very slow metabolism because if I eat more than 1200 cals a day I gain weight and if I eat 1000 a day I lose and lose quickly. I have one cheat meal a week usually on Fridays after my weekly weigh in.
I really wish I could exercise more because I do have alot of skin and flab probably due to not exercising.
About the staying on a 1000 cal diet for along time and having brittle hair and dry skin well thats true. My hair is turning to hay and my skin needs constant lotion. So what to do ...have dry skin and hair or be fat?! I guess I have a lot of obsticles to overcome. I also still feel like that fat girl! What's up with that?
You don't have to suffer from the dry skin and brittle hair, that is what I was trying to convey to you.
Your skin and hair are brittle because you are only eating about 4 grams of fat per day...which is way to low of a percentage for your calorie level. That needs to be brought up.
Also, like I was saying before, when you bring your calorie level up, do it SLOWLY. If you jump from 1000 a day to 1200 or 1500, you WILL see a gain, especially if you weigh in more than once a week.
My advice is this:
~Bring up youf fat level first. Stick with the 1000 calories per day for NOW, and slowly bring up your fat grams. 4 grams a day for 2 years has caused some damage, and I am sure that it is beyond the hair/skin, that is just the outward symptoms showing. Aim for about 10 grams a day for the next couple weeks, then 15 grams a day for the next couple of weeks, and then 20. (I am recommending this to be done slowly, to avoid degestive/bathroom upset.) After a few months of this, you should start seeing some improvement in the skin and hair-but it will take a while.
~When you get to goal weight, go SLOW with the calorie upping, like stated above. Eat 1050 for a few weeks instead of 1000, then eat 1100 for a few weeks after that. You have to get your body used to eating more SLOWLY. This is basically the "stabilization" portion of your weight loss journey-finding the place that is maintenance for YOU. Go slow.
Thanks alot! I've been really stressed over getting back to "normal" eating. I have no idea what i'm doing..lol. To be honest, I never thought I would make it this far. I assumed you lost weight, hit goal weight, and then went back to life as normal. WRONG! I'm thinking this is going to be something I'm going to have to deal with the rest of my life. I either eat really healthy or really crappy. There is no happy medium with me. I will take your advice though and up the fat grams. I actually ate a little more fat yesterday, probably not the norm, but I'm working on it. Anyways, I actually lost weight! I am finally in the 150's. Maybe my body will now let go of the few pounds I have to lose if I start eating a little more fat. Sounds crazy but it just might work..lol. We'll see.
Have you considered using an online calculator to find out what kind of calorie intake a person of your height and goal weight should eat? Here's one... http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/dee You'd have to subtract calories from it if you're less active as I think it defaults to a person who gets daily exercise and/or works a job that doesn't involve hours of sitting. I'm sure you could find other calculators as well. None of them will be 100% right for you, but it may give you a place to start.
You sound like you could benefit from poking around the maintainers' forum here -- there are people maintaining weight losses. First rule of maintenance is that maintenance looks like weight loss -- only usually with a little more food! There are definitely tricks to adjusting!
It sounds like you can't really sustain what you're doing and be healthy. You might want to also talked to a registered dietician and get some good feedback there.
Thanks alot! I've been really stressed over getting back to "normal" eating. I have no idea what i'm doing..lol. To be honest, I never thought I would make it this far. I assumed you lost weight, hit goal weight, and then went back to life as normal. WRONG! I'm thinking this is going to be something I'm going to have to deal with the rest of my life. I either eat really healthy or really crappy. There is no happy medium with me. I will take your advice though and up the fat grams. I actually ate a little more fat yesterday, probably not the norm, but I'm working on it. Anyways, I actually lost weight! I am finally in the 150's. Maybe my body will now let go of the few pounds I have to lose if I start eating a little more fat. Sounds crazy but it just might work..lol. We'll see.
I agree that maintenance is something you have to do the rest of your life. We are not going to be like the people who have never had food addictions or weight problems, and never have to worry about it. We will always have to. I am glad to hear that you upped the fat a little bit. Just work on that, and take a peek into the maintainers forum. Once you are at goal, it just takes a while to see what maintenance level is for you personally.
Honestly, I don't believe that you should go by the calorie calculators for this, especially in maintenance. They are always very innaccurate for many of us, including myself. I find that it is much easier to slowly change my calories (up or down, depending on if I am trying to lose or maintain) and go by what my body is telling me.
You are doing wonderful, and I am so glad that you came here. Even when you reach goal, please keep posting here in calorie counters!
Well aphil I took off from my dieting and the little bit of exercising I was doing all last week. I didn't over eat at all. I ate "normal" food without measuring it. Of course it killed me to not write in my food journal or look at the nutritional content. I made it and now I know what i'm made of. I did gain a pound back, but I needed a break, not from eating healthy, but from stressing over eating and exercise. I know what to do from now on when I hit a plateau also. After my week was over I went back to my healthy foods, measuring, and reporting in my journal , and I lost 3 pounds in the past 2 days.
Also, I am now eating 7-11 grams of fat a day. I know it doesn't sound like a far cry from 4, but it took alot for me to get this weight off and I don't want to put any back on. I'm going to work my way up to 20 and thats probably the highest i'll go for now. I've been losing and gaining back the past four pounds and it's driving me crazy. I have been exercising my rear off!! Are the last 10 pounds always this hard to get rid of?
Definately up the fat. My mom went on a diet and deprived herself of fat and her hair actually started falling OUT. Once she upped her fat though, it stopped.
Am I eating enough?
