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Here's what 1000 calories per day can look like.

Have you thought that 1000 calories per day would be miserable? Think again. Here's a link to an article describing it. And just to be clear, I am not suggesting that everybody consume 1000 calories per day. Some of the patients referred to me are prescribed that, but it by no means is for everyone. This is just to illustrate that it may not be what you've thought. https://journal.thriveglobal.com/this-is-what-1-000-calories-looks-like-e8bc84a639fc cThis is what 1000 calories per day can be.This is what 1000 calories per day can be.

I'm a formerly obese person and a Licensed Counselor. I'll be a supportive friend here if you need one.
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168 REPLIES 168

Okay, up until now I've kind of avoided your posts.  The fact that you've lost weight and kept it off is a good thing.  Now, however, I've got to disagree with you.  1000 calories a day is not a sustainable diet for a lot of people, myself included.  I've ended up with serious illnesses twice doing way too much on way too few calories.  On top of this, in my opinion, you're advising way too many fake foods.

 

Breakfast: egg beaters, low-cal bread, fat free cheddar, splenda, fat-free half and half

Lunch:  hot dog, diet coke

Dinner: fake butter spray, packaged mashed potatoes

 

Okay, the packaged mashed potatoes might be relatively real food.  I suspect that it's the 1000 calorie limit that makes you resort to this kind of nutrition.  Glad I've managed to lose a fair amount of food so far eating 2.5x what you suggest.  With this I'd be headed back for medical treatment again.

Anne | Rural Ontario, Canada

Ionic (gifted), Alta HR (gifted), Charge 2, Flex 2, Charge HR, One, Blaze (retired), Trendweight.com,

Down 150 pounds from my top weight (and still going), sharing my experiences here to try and help others.

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Even if it is real food, who wants to live on 1000 a day?  I've been losing well and I eat about 1800 most days.  I enjoy food, I love losing while feeling satisfied and healthy.  

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I quite agree with you @MagsOnTheBeach!

 

I've been working on the new improved me for 124 days. My loss is now at 24kg (53lbs). I have no idea how many calories I consume. I've never counted and I've no intention of ever starting. 

 

I've simply adopted a plan to "eat better, move more". I've embraced the Mediterranean style diet and have hit 10,000 steps on 114/124 days. Some days I've flown by 10,000! I've hit 35,000 twice.

 

I never feel hungry, my food is delicious, nutritious and exciting and the exercise is doing my mental and physical health the power of good. If I'm hungry after exercise, I eat more! That freedom isn't possible with a arbitrary target as low as 1000. 

 

1,000 kcal/day is simply not a sustainable plan. My changes are about a new lifestyle, not simply losing weight quickly before returning to old habits. 

Ultimate Goal: Mens sana in corpore sano
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@A_Lurker wrote:

Okay, up until now I've kind of avoided your posts.  The fact that you've lost weight and kept it off is a good thing.  Now, however, I've got to disagree with you.  1000 calories a day is not a sustainable diet for a lot of people, myself included.  I've ended up with serious illnesses twice doing way too much on way too few calories.  On top of this, in my opinion, you're advising way too many fake foods.

 

Breakfast: egg beaters, low-cal bread, fat free cheddar, splenda, fat-free half and half

Lunch:  hot dog, diet coke

Dinner: fake butter spray, packaged mashed potatoes

 

Okay, the packaged mashed potatoes might be relatively real food.  I suspect that it's the 1000 calorie limit that makes you resort to this kind of nutrition.  Glad I've managed to lose a fair amount of food so far eating 2.5x what you suggest.  With this I'd be headed back for medical treatment again.



However, for many people, 1000 calories is just what their doctor orders!

I'm not implying that 1000 calories is a sustainable diet for anyone, or that people should eat what I've shown. However, 1000 calories is what many people are advised to eat by their doctors to lose weight. My article and the foods in the photo are just an example of what 1000 calories can be. 

Your point on the quality of nutrition is important, but it's all relative. I've been eating these kinds of foods for 30 years, and because of them, I'm in perfect health. If it were not for the way I' eat now, I would not be, not even alive. 

I'm a formerly obese person and a Licensed Counselor. I'll be a supportive friend here if you need one.
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@MagsOnTheBeach wrote:

Even if it is real food, who wants to live on 1000 a day?  I've been losing well and I eat about 1800 most days.  I enjoy food, I love losing while feeling satisfied and healthy.  



Sometimes, the doctor orders 1000 calories a day, and it's not unhealthy. And some people eat 1000 one day and 2000 the next on their birthday to have an average of 1500. Some women would gain if they ate more than 1500 calories per day.

I'm a formerly obese person and a Licensed Counselor. I'll be a supportive friend here if you need one.
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@MagsOnTheBeach wrote:

Even if it is real food, who wants to live on 1000 a day?  I've been losing well and I eat about 1800 most days.  I enjoy food, I love losing while feeling satisfied and healthy.  



Sometimes, the doctor orders 1000 calories a day, and it's not unhealthy. And some people eat 1000 one day and 2000 the next on their birthday to have an average of 1500. Some women would gain if they ate more than 1500 calories per day.

I'm a formerly obese person and a Licensed Counselor. I'll be a supportive friend here if you need one.
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@Dave001 wrote:

I quite agree with you @MagsOnTheBeach!

 

I've been working on the new improved me for 124 days. My loss is now at 24kg (53lbs). I have no idea how many calories I consume. I've never counted and I've no intention of ever starting. 

 

I've simply adopted a plan to "eat better, move more". I've embraced the Mediterranean style diet and have hit 10,000 steps on 114/124 days. Some days I've flown by 10,000! I've hit 35,000 twice.

 

I never feel hungry, my food is delicious, nutritious and exciting and the exercise is doing my mental and physical health the power of good. If I'm hungry after exercise, I eat more! That freedom isn't possible with a arbitrary target as low as 1000. 

 

1,000 kcal/day is simply not a sustainable plan. My changes are about a new lifestyle, not simply losing weight quickly before returning to old habits. 


@Dave001 Congrats on your progress! Nothing succeeds like success. I solved my weight problem after 25 years of obesity and campaigns that lost weight only to gain it back when the campaign ended. With my approach that creates new lifetime habits that has me maintaining easily without counting calories or steps, I lost 140 pounds in 1984 without any devices or dues, and I've kept it off for 30 years. 

I'm a formerly obese person and a Licensed Counselor. I'll be a supportive friend here if you need one.
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Yes, but you're not a doctor.  Most (not all) women who would gain weight on 1500 calories a day have damaged metabolisms.  Hate to say it but it could be from years of under-eating.  It could also be from thyroid issues, but 1500 is fairly low maintenance for active women.  My 80+ mother ate close to 2000 calories a day when she weighed around 110-115 pounds.  I say this because at the time I was trying to eat low calories and it fascinated me how much she ate and maintained her weight.  She did no formal exercise, but was (as I used to call her) the queen of NEAT.

Anne | Rural Ontario, Canada

Ionic (gifted), Alta HR (gifted), Charge 2, Flex 2, Charge HR, One, Blaze (retired), Trendweight.com,

Down 150 pounds from my top weight (and still going), sharing my experiences here to try and help others.

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@A_Lurker wrote:

Yes, but you're not a doctor.  Most (not all) women who would gain weight on 1500 calories a day have damaged metabolisms.  Hate to say it but it could be from years of under-eating.  It could also be from thyroid issues, but 1500 is fairly low maintenance for active women.  My 80+ mother ate close to 2000 calories a day when she weighed around 110-115 pounds.  I say this because at the time I was trying to eat low calories and it fascinated me how much she ate and maintained her weight.  She did no formal exercise, but was (as I used to call her) the queen of NEAT.


@A_Lurker No, I'm not a doctor, but most of my clients are referrals from their doctors, who I consult with, and I work with a team of physicians and dietitians in a hospital bariatric program. You simply don't know the science. Women of small stature, particularly mature women who are not athletic, just don't need a lot of calories, and if they eat over 1500, they gain weight. It's not a "damaged metabolism", but the way nature made us, Use the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation to get an accurate estimate of metabolic rates. It accounts for the variables of age, weight, height, gender, and activity with the activity factor used. If those small women average only 100 calories per day more than they burn, they can gain 10 pounds a year. It's not hard for them to become 50 pounds overweight eating too much, and I've seen that happening when they listen to people who are misinformed and gossip with unscientific folklore.

I'm a formerly obese person and a Licensed Counselor. I'll be a supportive friend here if you need one.
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Hi @WilliamAnderson,

 

I've just had a quick look at your website. It seems to be rich in sales speak and narcissism, but poor in providing good quality evidence of your success. 

 

Perhaps you'd be kind enough to provide evidence from peer reviewed academic journals to support your assertions of long term positive outcomes for your clients?

 

Cheers!

Ultimate Goal: Mens sana in corpore sano
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First, I too am not a doctor.

 

Second, I too believe that calorie budgeting is the foundation upon which successful weight management is built. It forces you to understand the payload of everything you consume, monitor your intake and understand how your body works. Every diet and/or nutrition plan that is effective only works because it fundamentally creates a calorie deficit; it's basic math.

 

Third, if you (as some have suggested) have been successful at managing your weight without understanding your caloric intake/burn rate or relying on a related strategy, that's great, but you're an outlier and shouldn't think most people can succeed the same way. I also know people who smoked a pack of cigarettes every day and lived into their 90's, but I'm not sure that's an indicator that it's safe to smoke.

 

Weight Watchers is a reliable program, but built entirely on a simplified calorie counting structure. The paleo diet, the Atkins diet, the (insert name here) diet don't talk about calories, but they direct participants to consume greater quantities of protein which results in lower calories consumed with longer periods of feeling satiated. But all fundamentally rely on creating a calorie deficit.

 

I have watched too many people eat healthily but ignore calories and either maintain or gain weight, all while believing they were doing the right things to lose weight. And while I also believe that part of an effective and sustainable weight management strategy requires good nutrition, tracking and adjusting your calorie intake is the single greatest factor determining results. The one caveat I would offer is that standard formula's don't work for everyone, each person needs to understand their own body and figure out what their own unique numbers are in terms of calories burned.

 

William's point is valid, you can eat anything you want providing you keep to your calorie budget. I also didn't see where he advocated the foods in his picture as a daily choice; it was just a visual aid proving that you don't have to suffer while trying to lose weight. Oh, and I've been keeping to between 1,000-1,200 per day for a few months now (I'm 5'11 and 52 years old) and am never hungry, or lacking energy, so I know it's a realistic number. It's also why I, despite having hypothyroidism, have been able to shed 50 pounds since the beginning of the year.

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@A_Lurker wrote:

Okay, up until now I've kind of avoided your posts.  The fact that you've lost weight and kept it off is a good thing.  Now, however, I've got to disagree with you.  1000 calories a day is not a sustainable diet for a lot of people, myself included.  I've ended up with serious illnesses twice doing way too much on way too few calories.  On top of this, in my opinion, you're advising way too many fake foods.

 

Breakfast: egg beaters, low-cal bread, fat free cheddar, splenda, fat-free half and half

Lunch:  hot dog, diet coke

Dinner: fake butter spray, packaged mashed potatoes

 

Okay, the packaged mashed potatoes might be relatively real food.  I suspect that it's the 1000 calorie limit that makes you resort to this kind of nutrition.  Glad I've managed to lose a fair amount of food so far eating 2.5x what you suggest.  With this I'd be headed back for medical treatment again.


I completely agree with you that no one approach works for everyone. But that also doesn't invalidate William's point. For the vast majority of people trying to lose weight, understanding calories consumed versus calories exhausted is the foundation upon which a successful strategy needs to be built. You can address that via a diet plan or program, but they are all ultimately designed to create a calorie deficit, which is the only way to lose weight.

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@DavidSchneier wrote:

@A_Lurkerwrote:

Okay, up until now I've kind of avoided your posts.  The fact that you've lost weight and kept it off is a good thing.  Now, however, I've got to disagree with you.  1000 calories a day is not a sustainable diet for a lot of people, myself included.  I've ended up with serious illnesses twice doing way too much on way too few calories.  On top of this, in my opinion, you're advising way too many fake foods.

 

Breakfast: egg beaters, low-cal bread, fat free cheddar, splenda, fat-free half and half

Lunch:  hot dog, diet coke

Dinner: fake butter spray, packaged mashed potatoes

 

Okay, the packaged mashed potatoes might be relatively real food.  I suspect that it's the 1000 calorie limit that makes you resort to this kind of nutrition.  Glad I've managed to lose a fair amount of food so far eating 2.5x what you suggest.  With this I'd be headed back for medical treatment again.


I completely agree with you that no one approach works for everyone. But that also doesn't invalidate William's point. For the vast majority of people trying to lose weight, understanding calories consumed versus calories exhausted is the foundation upon which a successful strategy needs to be built. You can address that via a diet plan or program, but they are all ultimately designed to create a calorie deficit, which is the only way to lose weight.



 @DavidSchneier , you have a great understanding of the science and what I posted. My photo was to illustrate what 1000 calories can be, and 1000 calories is what some people are prescribed to lose weight. It certainly would not be a sustainable amount to maintain weight, as some misunderstood. 

The objective of my approach is to develop habits that become automatic and unconscious, the individual creating a pattern that fits their lifestyle and food preferences, something they can live with rather than diet that will come to an end. The training does begin with a lot of work learning the caloric loads of the food the person wants to live with and patterns and portions to accomplish their goal, but the target is habit, not a lifetime of counting and balancing calories. I have not kept a food log for 30 years. I have habits that keep me healthy.

I'm a formerly obese person and a Licensed Counselor. I'll be a supportive friend here if you need one.
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@MagsOnTheBeach wrote:

Even if it is real food, who wants to live on 1000 a day?  I've been losing well and I eat about 1800 most days.  I enjoy food, I love losing while feeling satisfied and healthy.  


@MagsOnTheBeach - I am not suggesting that everyone live on 1000 calories per day. 1000 calories per day is what some people are prescribed, by their physicians, to lose weight, not live on indefinitely. The photo is an example of what 1000 calories can be, and 1000 per day is what some people, mature inactive women of small stature, are routinely prescribed to lose weight. You are fortunate not to be like them! They'd gain a lot on 1800 calories per day!

I'm a formerly obese person and a Licensed Counselor. I'll be a supportive friend here if you need one.
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I'm just curious WilliamAnderson why you wouldn't just take advantage of the Fitbit's readings and instruct for a 1000 calorie deficit instead? I believe that's what the 1000 calorie diet was supposed to create anyways- a 1000 calorie deficit assuming the person needed 2000 calories a day to maintain. 

 

The difference is that with the fitbit you can be more certain that someone is eating appropriately for their activity level. 

 

I was surprised to find out that I'm a pretty active person. I've believed it now and then, but, usually I've believed the dialog that fat people are told their entire lives; that I'm lazy and that's why I'm fat. All I've ever heard is that I don't move around as much as thin people. Well, even on days where I don't add extra activity I hit 10,000 steps. I had a much thinner friend who was telling me last night that she's finally hitting 5000 steps. When I told her that I aim for 10,000 she told me my fitbit must be faulty. When I told her I've lost 10 lbs in 5 weeks eating around 2000 calories per day, she told me my scale was broken. 

 

Your 1000 calorie diet would probably be appropriate for my thinner friend to lose that last 15 lbs if she wants to continue being nearly completely sedentary; BUT, it would be better if she increased her activity instead for overall health. At her current activity level and weight, your 1000 calorie diet is probably only about a 700 calorie deficit.

 

I think that this line of thought is what has sabotaged a huge portion of my life. I did that 1000 calorie diet in my teen years. I was miserable for most of my teen years trying to follow that diet. I would succeed for a couple weeks, then be so moody and ravenous that I would give up and binge. I had no friends because I was so volatile. My family didn't even want to spend time with me. Fast forward to just a couple years ago, I did an 800 calorie diet with an exercise program as recommended by a doctor to prevent diabetes. (I will point out that my blood sugar was totally normal in multiple labs before attempting this lunacy and there was no indication I would develop diabetes other than my weight.) I lasted about 2 months and lost 25 lbs. But, then I started waking up with severe nausea. I almost lost my job because my doctor couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, so I couldn't go on FMLA and had to try to keep going to work while vomiting several times per day. The only things wrong with my labs was borderline low albumin (not low enough to treat) and a vitamin D deficiency despite being on prenatal vitamins. Anything that wasn't carbs made me vomit. I chewed a whole pack of ginger gum every single day and the only things I could keep down were popcorn, crackers and some types of bread. I used a bottle of Pepto every week.   

 

I thought for sure I had terminal cancer and had a couple tests (ultrasounds) to look for colon and stomach cancer because that's what my symptoms resembled. 

 

I quit my 800 calorie diet, because I was having all these cancer tests and figured a dying person doesn't have to worry about dieting anymore. 

 

My symptoms gradually decreased with a normal diet. But, it was probably around 6 months before I wasn't nauseous everyday. It was almost a year before I could eat normally. My doctors never found anything wrong with me but lowered albumin and vitamin D deficiency. 

 

Do I know for sure that my 800 calorie a day diet caused all that drama? No. I absolutely don't know that. But, I would say that I'm pretty suspicious that it was the trigger for whatever went wrong. While I was on that 800 calorie diet, I had a very active warehouse job and walked between 12-15 miles 6 days a week. In other words, I was burning about 4050 calories per day which means I had a serious deficit of 3,250 calories per day on days that I didn't do anything else. Most days, I also went for a 3 mile walk with my daughter or a 5 mile walk with my mom. The only reason I only lost 25 lbs instead of even more is that I was having trouble sticking with it after just a month. I would end up eating 1200 instead of 800 and then try to compensate by eating less the next day which only triggered eating more the following day. It was an awful strain on my marriage, my friendships and my employment and I believe it made me chronically ill for almost a year after. 

 

I just don't understand why anyone would recommend a blanket 'one size fits all' diet on a website where nearly everyone has a device that lets them personalize their nutrition to be more individually appropriate. 

 

I've had my Fitbit exactly 5 weeks, I've lost 10 lbs with my 1000 calorie a day deficit (which hasn't been perfect because I had an anniversary in there and also found out that some prepared food I was eating didn't have accurate calorie counts.) But, I have felt great the entire time and it is the easiest I've ever lost weight.

 

If Fitbit would have been around in my teen years, I feel that I would have had a completely different life. 

 

 

 

 

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@Dave001 wrote:

Hi @WilliamAnderson,

 

I've just had a quick look at your website. It seems to be rich in sales speak and narcissism, but poor in providing good quality evidence of your success. 

 

Perhaps you'd be kind enough to provide evidence from peer reviewed academic journals to support your assertions of long term positive outcomes for your clients?

 

Cheers!


@Dave001 Sorry you did not like my information. The articles listed at the bottom left of the webpage are filled with good useful factual information, and yes, I am not bashful about encouraging people to learn how to change their behavior and get healthier, and saying the knowledge I teach can help them. A little narcissism can be a good thing!

My method is an eclectic approach that depends on evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy, self-hypnosis, covert behavior modification and creation of caloric deficits, to name a few components. The scientific literature is filled with peer reviewed research showing the effectiveness of all of that. If you look at the Amazon page for my book, you'll see that the forward is written by endocrinologist Mark Lupo, M.D.m past president of the Academy of Thyroidologists, and there are many reviews showing that the information has helped people. 

I'm happy to help anyone who asks, but if you are not interested in help from me, that's OK too.

Best wishes.

I'm a formerly obese person and a Licensed Counselor. I'll be a supportive friend here if you need one.
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@JenniferinFL wrote:

 

Your 1000 calorie diet would probably be appropriate for my thinner friend to lose that last 15 lbs if she wants to continue being nearly completely sedentary; BUT, it would be better if she increased her activity instead for overall health. At her current activity level and weight, your 1000 calorie diet is probably only about a 700 calorie deficit.

I just don't understand why anyone would recommend a blanket 'one size fits all' diet on a website where nearly everyone has a device that lets them personalize their nutrition to be more individually appropriate. 

 

 

 

 

 


@JenniferinFL - You misunderstand. I am not recommending a one-size-fits-all diet. I do not even recommend diets. I was illustrating what 1000 calories can be, which is an amount many doctors prescribe for mature women of small stature to lose weight. Many patients referred to me would gain weight at over 1500 calories per day.

My work involves training people to develop habits, regardless of their individual differences, that create the right calorie deficit for a nice steady loss and then maintaining, so that it becomes unconscious and automatic. 

Many of my clients use fitbit. There is no problem with that.

I'm a formerly obese person and a Licensed Counselor. I'll be a supportive friend here if you need one.
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I guess it bothers me that it is not a balanced diet - no dairy, no fruit, few real ingredients.  The vegetables are pretty limited, no whole grains.  It's not sustainable over time, it is really just another diet.

 

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@MagsOnTheBeach wrote:

I guess it bothers me that it is not a balanced diet - no dairy, no fruit, few real ingredients.  The vegetables are pretty limited, no whole grains.  It's not sustainable over time, it is really just another diet.

 


@MagsOnTheBeach It's not a diet. It's a picture of some food that adds up to 1000 calories. 

I'm a formerly obese person and a Licensed Counselor. I'll be a supportive friend here if you need one.
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