I reduced to 800 calories a day. Need advice.

G

Guest

Guest
Hello Everyone,

I'm new to this forum and am not sure where or how to begin.
My problem is that I only have been eating 600-800 calories for over two months and am feeling better and worse, at the same time.

So, let me began from the very start.

A little over two months ago I had a strange problem with a bloody nose. I became worried that it might be medically related to me being overweight. To make a very long story short I decided that I need to lose weight because my blood pressure was through the roof. My doc actually said I was having bloody noses from dry weather and not my high blood pressure. I didn’t believe him. That might be my first problem.

Okay. So after I visited the doctor I decided to start eating healthy, so I put myself on a diet. At first the diet was to eat healthy. I was not eliminating much, just not eating fast food and eating "healthier" I did not feel as though that was helping, so I made a drastic change. I decided I would only lose weight if I went to a little under 600 calories a day.

I found these micro meals, some sort of Healthy Choice ones. They are 290 calories each. I started eating two of those a day. One around noon and the other around six. Between each of those I did not have any other food or anything, just water. I did that for about 6 weeks and my friends and family started to notice I was loosing weight "too fast" so; I changed my diet about two weeks ago to eating five times a day. It might seem like a lot but everyone I know disagrees. I wake up and have a cup of cereal and soy milk. Then throughout the day I have carrots (at least a cup or so), an apple, and a banana. Towards the end of the night, for dinner, I have a pretty large chicken breast sliced over a half head of lettuce.

I’m not really sure what point I’m trying to make right now. Basically my family is saying I need to eat more. I have lost nearly 36 lbs in two months, less then two months. I’m afraid to eat now and have a hard time eating what I mentioned above. I’m still really overweight. I weight about 200 lbs. I’m afraid that not eating well is going to take its toll on me. I have been taking vitamins and drinking more water and exercising. Does anyone have any suggestions or help? I need to know what to do or the next step to take. I feel much better now though. So, I guess it’s been worth it.

I still continue to eat less. My brother has forced me to eat a bit more. I have added two boiled eggs to my diet in hopes of adding fat and protein.

Thanks for your help.

I hope it all made some sense.

Thank you,
Marcos
 
I've done what you're doing at one point. I started eating healthy and it wasn't enough. I cut back my calories to 1000 a day then just kept going. At one point I was so afraid to eat that I went 4 days not eating. I was so moody and mean people were getting on me. I'm sure others will say the same thing...this is really not healthy. You may lose weight for a time but this could be ruining your metabolism. When I got scared I was developing an eating disorder and also finally couldn't diet anymore and went back to regular eating I gained back every pounds plus a whole lot more. And the next time I tried to lost weight it was that much harder. I don't know the exact numbers but I'm sure somebody here can help you to figure out based on your activity exactly how much you can safely restrict your calories and there's alot of very good advice if you skim through the forums. But honestly I know for a fact that 600 calories is not enough in the long run this will hurt you more than it will help. I hope my saying this doesn't upset you though, I know how you feel. Keep posting and we're here for you.
 
douknowjello,

I really appreciate your prompt response. It seems like we are/were in the same boat. I'm at that same feeling you described. I'm very afraid to eat, but I'm too stubborn to correct my problems.

I feel like I cannot eat anymore for fear that I might gain weight. I have even started working out. It seems I burn more calories then I take in.

Its a good feeling.

I really appreciate your response and feedback. Its nice to know that people have the same problems I have. Most of my family is perfect in the weight area so they are not much help. Every time I turn to them they think I need a shrink rather then a dietitian.

Thanks again!
 
All the people that are telling you that you need to eat more are right. Sure you are losing weight like crazy right now, but that will not (can not) last forever. Your body will hit a plateau and you will have no cushion from which to cut calories to continue the downward trend. Go here:

That link will take you to a calculator that will tell you how many cals you need to eat a day to acheive a healthy weight loss. It lets you adjust the number of pounds a week, but keep in mind that females should go no lower than 1200 and that number is even higher for men. Nobody can survive on 800 cals a day for the rest of their lives. Naturally when you are eating more cals your weight loss will slow down, but just remind yourself that eating enough cals a day is the ONLY way (baring increased exercise) to continue to lose weight over the long run.

Congrats on the weight you have already lost. You obviously have the will power it takes (pats on the back to you for that, by the way) Now step into a healthy eating pattern and you will continue to see this thing through to the end...and with a much higher rate of maintaining it permanently.
 
OH good I knew somebody would post something more helpful :) And as far as family goes I can relate to that too...surrounded by well meaning skinny people. My mom and grandparents were always on me about my weight and it made it SO much harder. They just made me want to eat more as it was the only thing I had control over. Seriously I think when I still lived at home is when I had the most out of control eating of my life. I struggle still but its so different now. Anyway keep posting so we can cheer you on :) That's what's great about this forum, we're all in it together.
 
*tiffany*,

I appreciate your support and that website. I went to that site and found some good info. I added my weight and stuff to it and according to its calculations I am way under what I should be eating.

I guess I'm afraid to eat. Thats pretty much the truth. I'm not sure how eating low calories will hurt me. It feels like I am always eating. I eat a lot right now. With all the fruit and stuff I bet it totals a couple of pounds of weight. I'm definitely not sure if that counts though.

I will attempt to add a few more calories to my diet and work out harder.

I'm desperate to lose weight.

I decided to lose weight because I thought I was ill from being too fat. Now my friends and family are telling me I will die from not eating enough. Haha. There is no winning.

thanks!

douknowjello,

how is your weight going?

you mentioned that you struggled with it, have you gained some back?
we have very similar stories.
 
Desperation only leads to disappointment...

You didn't gain the weight overngiht - you aren't going to lose it overnight.

YOu need to take a sane, sensible and healthy approach to lose weight so that 1, 2, 4, 5 years from now you're still at your goal weight.
 
Marcos, Hey! Nice to see you starting a journal. I'll toss out some advice if you're open to it. :) It sounds to me like you went from extreme to extreme, eating way too much to eating way too little. You need to find a happy medium. I think the reason most people yo-yo diet is because they select a diet that they can only handle for a few weeks or months... then its back to thier old ways. I believe the only TRUE way to make it work is to change your lifestyle. Diet by definition is what we eat, so technically someone could be on a McD's diet. You should find a healthy sensable diet that works for you. I had done the yo-yo diet thing with Atkins, South Beach, etc but it was all stuff I couldnt stick with after I lost some weight. My eating habbits now are healthy and balanced. What worked for me is changing to whole wheat/whole grain carbs, lean meats (turkey, chicken, fish), eggs, nuts, fruits, veggies (low GI and low starch), and low fat dairy. I guess the point is that there is no 1 perfect diet for everyone. You have to find what works for you. It should be healthy and balanced, and a way of eating you could continue for the rest of your life.

When I started a few months ago, my scale wouldnt even read my weight. It would just stare up at me with ERR. That ment I was over 350lbs. I realized it was time for me to make a lifestyle change or else I was doomed to this cycle of drop 50-60lbs, gain it back, drop it again, etc. I am now down to 309, I think I've lost about 45lbs. I no longer care for soda, candy, fried foods, high saturated fat foods, etc. I now drink about 2 gal of water a day and usually hit anywhere from 1800-2400 calories. A steady slow weight loss is the way to go... it will last. You can't expect what years of unhealthy eating added on to drop off in just a few weeks/months of healthy eating.

Find a healthy diet you can stick to forever. Eventually you'll get into the gym, or even just work out by taking more walks, maybe end up jogging or running one day. It all happens just one day at a time :).
 
Oh yea Marcus, I have struggled my whole life. If you click on my name it'll take you to my profile and from there you can see threads I've posted. If you go to the one in "before and after" I have pics up and you can see my weight as it went up and up. I guess I was on a diet as early as 3 or 4 years old. I started getting chubby and my mom put me on atkins. Honestly no child that young should be on a diet and from then on I always thought I was fat, even when my weight wasn't as much as I thought. There's a pic there when I was 14 and under 140lbs...I thought I was huge. After that picture was taken life got alot more stressful with family and other stuff going on and I started gaining mad weight then trying to diet. My parents ate out ALOT and that didn't help. By the time I graduated I had yo-yoed up and down until I was at 220.

Then after a back injury as a nurses aid I was put on a medication that warned not for obese I found out later and I ballooned up to 280 in 3 months. It wasn't until I finally creeped up to 300 that I finally got desperate like I was telling you and just stopped eating at first. I was off for the summer from my job at the county schools and usually I did in home care on call but my car was broke down. I had no food in the house but I could have called somebody and gone shopping, I didn't want to. I ate cup of soup that summer and top ramen if at all...there were days I did not eat. It wasn't that I was telling myself I was going to...I was just that depressed. Well I lost 40lbs that way and when summer was over and I had to leave my house again I was encouraged enough to keep trying to lose weight and then I started eating healthier.

I decided the reason diets didn't work is people gained weight when they went off them so I'd just go on one diet and if I got sick of it I'd go on another. I was able to lose about another 30lbs that way then my weight hit a screeching hault. I kept cutting back calories...it did not help. I increased exercise....by then I was working out and doing cardio an hour in the morning, during my lunch break, an hour after work. I just kept pushing and pushing until the point I was afraid to put food in my mouth and would go days at a time again and not eat. I seriously thought I was in control but I realize now the fear was. End result was I somehow managed to keep at this for almost another year and only lost 20lbs during that time. I met my husband and got comfortable and just could not diet anymore and gained it all back plus more.

Now that I look back I realize I was not eating enough and my body was holding onto every pound. I hope me telling you my story helps. I know what it's like to be determined to do anything to lose the weight and have more willpower to than anyone can imagine. I also know the experience of what happens if the weight loss isn't balanced...that year of struggle was one of the most painful in my life. To do everything you know to do and not be able to lose weight made me think my body would never let me and I was stuck like that forever.

Anyway currently I'm doing good :) I was diagnosed with insulin resistance last year so I'm doing low carb. Everyone is different so I'm not suggesting that's what you should do...it just happens to be the best diet for me with trying to balance out my sugars and fight cravings. I'm down 20lbs from my highest weight of 348lbs....I have a long way to go and I'm sure more weight loss stalls to hurdle through but I'm getting there! And so can you :D I'm very glad you found this forum :grouphug: And I'm adding you to my buddylist on here, hope you don't mind.

Oh one more thing, there's a journal section if you haven't seen it yet where you can keep a daily journal of how you're doing and what you eat. Alot of great people on here leave some awesome feedback that I find very helpful. Plus it gives you something to look at while your making adjustments. If you need any help with anything just say the word. I'm learning this forum myself but everyone is great about explaining stuff.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top