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

[WilliamAnderson]

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.

[DavidSchneier]

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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.

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I didn't read where it was suggested as a diet. The point was, you can have a "cheat" day, eat some bad food and still not blow your daily calorie budget. Every Sunday night I indulge myself and eat pizza, introducing more complex carbs into my system in one meal than I do all week. The entire payload of my meal is usually about 600 calories, and I still keep under my daily goal of 1,200. I would never recommend pizza as a diet staple, but I could just as easily had a salad at a chain restaurant that was more than double the calories.

[AuroraKat]

For some people, if they want to lose weight, 1000 calories a day is a realistic and safe amount. Clearly, this is not an amount for someone who is active or has a high bmr due to sex, age and/or height. 

Short, sedentary women in the "overweight" BMI category who want to lose weight are dealing with razor-thin calorie deficits. This makes it a very difficult and slow process for them. I will use my friend as an example.

She's 4'10", 35 years old and weighs 130 pounds (BMI - 27). She has been dealing with pretty bad reflux and her doctor recommended that she lose weight. According to https://tdeecalculator.net/ she only needs 1409 calories to maintain her current weight. To lose 0.5 pounds per week, she needs to remove 250 calories per day, so she must consume 1159 per day. As most of us know, it is not easy to maintain such a narrow margin - even if you weigh all your foods diligently. For her, a goal of 1000 per day is much more realistic. If she sticks to her meal plan, she will lose a little less than a pound per week. If she goes a little over her calories some days, it won't totally kill her deficit for the week. This is the reality for some people. She's really struggling and it sucks, but that's what he has to do to lose weight. The 1000 calorie diet was approved by her doctor. 

Having said that, 1000 calories is certainly too little for most people. I would guess that on a Fitbit forum this is especially true because most who invest in a fitness tracker are interested in adding exercise to their lives to break out of the sedentary lifestyle. This is true even for my friend. If she starts exercising, the 1000 calories would be too little. 

[Dave001]

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@WilliamAnderson wrote:

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

Best wishes.

---

Having looked at your website and having had this brief conversation, I'm not in the slightest bit interested in seeking your help.

It seems to me that your "method" is a melting pot of others' work with no reliable evidence to suggest that your way of combining multiple strategies is any more safe, effective or reliable than any other. You come across as more of a "life coach" than a clinician. You certainly seem to be a competent salesman. 

I don't want your snake oil. Thanks, but no thanks. 

[WilliamAnderson]

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@Dave001 wrote:

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@WilliamAndersonwrote:

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

Best wishes.

---

Having looked at your website and having had this brief conversation, I'm not in the slightest bit interested in seeking your help.

It seems to me that your "method" is a melting pot of others' work with no reliable evidence to suggest that your way of combining multiple strategies is any more safe, effective or reliable than any other. You come across as more of a "life coach" than a clinician. You certainly seem to be a competent salesman. 

I don't want your snake oil. Thanks, but no thanks. 

---

@Dave001 I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, 19 years of education, 2 years internships, licensed by the Department of Health, Medical Quality Assurance, specializing in addictions and weight control, respected by medical specialists in weight control nationally. Every competent clinician has been trained by others, learning from others and have their own original discoveries too. I did not ask anything of you. You came here and started making comments. You impress me as one of those Internet trolls. 

[WilliamAnderson]

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@DavidSchneier wrote:

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@MagsOnTheBeachwrote:

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.

---

I didn't read where it was suggested as a diet. The point was, you can have a "cheat" day, eat some bad food and still not blow your daily calorie budget. Every Sunday night I indulge myself and eat pizza, introducing more complex carbs into my system in one meal than I do all week. The entire payload of my meal is usually about 600 calories, and I still keep under my daily goal of 1,200. I would never recommend pizza as a diet staple, but I could just as easily had a salad at a chain restaurant that was more than double the calories.

---

@DavidSchneier - You are on the right track! Denying one's self things you like while on a diet leads to overindulging when the diet is over. You never learn how to work things like pizza in to a habit that keeps you fit. Dieters only learn how to eat pizza in ways that make you gain. I'd avoid the black and white thinking that includes cheating and bad food. It's the rigid diets that cause people to feel like failures when they are not perfect and say "what the heck" and then quit being responsible and trying to eat in a healthy way. It's better to have a reasonable plan and learn how to eat the things you like in ways that keep you fit. 

[WilliamAnderson]

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@AuroraKat wrote:

For some people, if they want to lose weight, 1000 calories a day is a realistic and safe amount. Clearly, this is not an amount for someone who is active or has a high bmr due to sex, age and/or height. 

Short, sedentary women in the "overweight" BMI category who want to lose weight are dealing with razor-thin calorie deficits. This makes it a very difficult and slow process for them. I will use my friend as an example.

She's 4'10", 35 years old and weighs 130 pounds (BMI - 27). She has been dealing with pretty bad reflux and her doctor recommended that she lose weight. According to https://tdeecalculator.net/ she only needs 1409 calories to maintain her current weight. To lose 0.5 pounds per week, she needs to remove 250 calories per day, so she must consume 1159 per day. As most of us know, it is not easy to maintain such a narrow margin - even if you weigh all your foods diligently. For her, a goal of 1000 per day is much more realistic. If she sticks to her meal plan, she will lose a little less than a pound per week. If she goes a little over her calories some days, it won't totally kill her deficit for the week. This is the reality for some people. She's really struggling and it sucks, but that's what he has to do to lose weight. The 1000 calorie diet was approved by her doctor. 

Having said that, 1000 calories is certainly too little for most people. I would guess that on a Fitbit forum this is especially true because most who invest in a fitness tracker are interested in adding exercise to their lives to break out of the sedentary lifestyle. This is true even for my friend. If she starts exercising, the 1000 calories would be too little. 

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@AuroraKat - You have a good handle on the facts and on the challenges people face. This is particularly true for people with physical limitations that prevent them from burning lots of calories. You might be surprised to find how many fitbit owners are not exercisers. One of the benefits when clients and patients get their fitbits is finding out that they are not burning calories that they had convinced themselves they were. That helps them to commit to more responsible eating. 

Regarding the fitbit forum, this is unchartered ground for me, but I'm happy to offer help and encouragement to anyone who asks for it. 

[AuroraKat]

@WilliamAnderson I have a degree in Nutritional Sciences. However, I decided to take a different career path after I graduated. I still keep an eye on nutrition research since I have access to my university's library database. Having said that, I would never offer to counsel anyone on the internet because offering diet advice is much more involved than simply collecting an individual's basic demographic information. You would need to collect medical history, look at most recent labs, find out what the person's unique challenges are, etc. etc. Doing anything less than that is irresponsible. I am not sure what you are offering exactly, so this is not directed at you, just my opinion when it comes to dispensing medical advice online. 

[WilliamAnderson]

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@AuroraKat wrote:

@WilliamAnderson I have a degree in Nutritional Sciences. However, I decided to take a different career path after I graduated. I still keep an eye on nutrition research since I have access to my university's library database. Having said that, I would never offer to counsel anyone on the internet because offering diet advice is much more involved than simply collecting an individual's basic demographic information. You would need to collect medical history, look at most recent labs, find out what the person's unique challenges are, etc. etc. Doing anything less than that is irresponsible. I am not sure what you are offering exactly, so this is not directed at you, just my opinion when it comes to dispensing medical advice online. 

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@AuroraKat I agree with you that, while they are becoming popular, Internet counseling and telemedicine are things I am not comfortable with. I am not interested in getting involved in that sort of thing. However, I am a teacher and writer and recovered obese person, and I can offer encouragement and answers to questions people have put to me. I am a featured writer and "Ask the expert" contributor in several publications. I am a bit of a missionary when it comes to reversing the obesity epidemic, so I am happy to do this with no remuneration. 

[Rich_Laue]

Sorry if a doctor orders 1000 calories a day, you better be under the care of the doctor. This is entirely to little to try to exist on without prodesdional help.

BTW the Fitbit comunity is not the place to give professional help. For one thing their is no easy way to confirm a poster is who thet say they are.

Another point is that no doctor would give a perscription without some consultation, this forum is not the place for a private consoltatuon. BTW:I work in the health field and am very aware of patient roghts and have to be recertified every year before being allowed in hospitals, even though i rarely see any patient.

[WilliamAnderson]

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@Rich_Laue wrote:

Sorry if a doctor orders 1000 calories a day, you better be under the care of the doctor. This is entirely to little to try to exist on without prodesdional help.

BTW the Fitbit comunity is not the place to give professional help. For one thing their is no easy way to confirm a poster is who thet say they are.

Another point is that no doctor would give a perscription without some consultation, this forum is not the place for a private consoltatuon. BTW:I work in the health field and am very aware of patient roghts and have to be recertified every year before being allowed in hospitals, even though i rarely see any patient.

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@Rich_Laue - Sorry for the confusion if you think I am offering professional services here. I am not. I am a recovered obese person and a licensed Mental Health Counselor specializing in addictions, eating disorders and weight control and, like other people in support groups, offer to be a supportive friend in discussion to anyone who asks.

The illustration of what 1000 calories can be is not a suggestion that people should eat 1000 calories a day. It is only an illustration to show that it can be quite a bit of food, instead of the deprivation most imagine it to be.  As far as the use of a 1000 calorie per day regimen, I take referrals from physicians, and a prescription of 1000 calories per day is not unusual for mature inactive women of small stature. It is rather common. And it goes without saying that we should all have a good relationship with a primary care physician and have regular check-ups. 

[DavidSchneier]

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@Dave001 wrote:

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@WilliamAnderson wrote:

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

Best wishes.

---

Having looked at your website and having had this brief conversation, I'm not in the slightest bit interested in seeking your help.

It seems to me that your "method" is a melting pot of others' work with no reliable evidence to suggest that your way of combining multiple strategies is any more safe, effective or reliable than any other. You come across as more of a "life coach" than a clinician. You certainly seem to be a competent salesman. 

I don't want your snake oil. Thanks, but no thanks. 

---

I dunno Dave, I must be missing something. William wasn't selling anything, nor advocating a single thing. He offered an example of what 1,000 calories could look like for those who think so low a number is pure drudgery. 

Tonight while grocery shopping I asked my wife which she would prefer, a granola bar or a single Pop Tart; she chose the Pop Tart. As it happened, the Pop Tart was more than 100 calories LESS than the granola bar. Now you can jump on me and point out that the granola bar is a healthier choice, which it may or may not be. But after being wildly successful losing weight via calorie counting these past few months, I wanted to make her realize that such an approach allows for all kinds of interesting food choices. I wasn't suggesting that eating a Pop Tart each day for breakfast was the way to go, only that she could create the necessary calorie deficit to lose weight while eating foods she enjoys.

I believe William was making the same point.

[DavidSchneier]

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@AuroraKat wrote:

For some people, if they want to lose weight, 1000 calories a day is a realistic and safe amount. Clearly, this is not an amount for someone who is active or has a high bmr due to sex, age and/or height. 

Short, sedentary women in the "overweight" BMI category who want to lose weight are dealing with razor-thin calorie deficits. This makes it a very difficult and slow process for them. I will use my friend as an example.

She's 4'10", 35 years old and weighs 130 pounds (BMI - 27). She has been dealing with pretty bad reflux and her doctor recommended that she lose weight. According to https://tdeecalculator.net/ she only needs 1409 calories to maintain her current weight. To lose 0.5 pounds per week, she needs to remove 250 calories per day, so she must consume 1159 per day. As most of us know, it is not easy to maintain such a narrow margin - even if you weigh all your foods diligently. For her, a goal of 1000 per day is much more realistic. If she sticks to her meal plan, she will lose a little less than a pound per week. If she goes a little over her calories some days, it won't totally kill her deficit for the week. This is the reality for some people. She's really struggling and it sucks, but that's what he has to do to lose weight. The 1000 calorie diet was approved by her doctor. 

Having said that, 1000 calories is certainly too little for most people. I would guess that on a Fitbit forum this is especially true because most who invest in a fitness tracker are interested in adding exercise to their lives to break out of the sedentary lifestyle. This is true even for my friend. If she starts exercising, the 1000 calories would be too little. 

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Most people who advocate calorie counting and who have done so successfully tend to target creating a realistic calorie deficit, not setting a specific calorie budget. I budget for 1,500 per day, usually bring it in for under 1,200 and on occasion will top out at around 1,000. I also push to increase my calorie burn rate on those days where I eat a bit more just so I can make my deficit goal. And on the rare occasion, I blow the daily budget, I make it up on subsequent days and instead focus on the weekly budget. My point is, everyone has to figure out which numbers work best for them.

[EmjayH]

I'm pretty certain I couldn't function on 1000 calories a day lol. My family would disown me my mood swings would be so bad

[DavidSchneier]

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@EmjayH wrote:

I'm pretty certain I couldn't function on 1000 calories a day lol. My family would disown me my mood swings would be so bad

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That's actually really smart of you to know that. So for you to successfully lose weight by tracking calories, you would either need to lose at a slower rate (which is great, but our species tends to prefer instant gratification) or increase how many calories your body burns in order to create a meaningful deficit.

No one, and I mean NO ONE, should suffer or expose themselves to health risks in order to lose weight.  All of us need to figure out what works for us and stick to the plan.

[Rich_Laue]

I have to agree with @DavidSchneier, the human being is not a mass produce article, in that we are all individuals. To say 1000 calories a day is wgat should be eaten without looking at the persons lifestyle is rubbish. 

For example, when I was taking care of 19 hourses i could eat 12 pancakes, 8 ozs of meat for breakfast, 12 ozs of pasta for lunch along with 12 ozs of vegetables and more meat. For dinner a big salad and 3-4 quarts of home made soup. My weight went from 170 to 135, and no amount of eating could make it go up. BTW that was when i was 50 years old, i had weighed 135 when graduating high school.

After leaving the farm, even with limiting my food tye weight went up to 185, i bought a fitbit to encourage movement and made my portions smalker, also usually limiting to one helping. In 6 months lost 20 pounds. In a year down to 155

[Esya]

The more often I read this post, the more I feel most people are saying the same thing. We just come at it from a different perspective which I think is due to a lack of context in the opening post. Where I think @WilliamAnderson just wanted to show what 1000 calories could look like for the group of small women who only have a small margin to work with to lose weight, when you read the post you ofcourse read it with your own experience in mind. However, nowhere does he say this works for everyone or even the majority of people. But I also feel that when people say that it is too little food, they don't have everyone in mind. They mean it would be too little for themselves and the majority of people. This shows how important context in a post is and I do feel that the opening post is lacking that.

I have seen heated discussions about too little food a few times now and it is almost like 2 camps (sides of the argument) are facing each other and feeling the other is totally wrong. I am happy this post took a different turn eventually. We all have our best intentions so wanting to explain why the other is wrong we might dig ourselves into our trenches. Communication in text is limited and challenging. These are a few things I always try to remember myself:

1. No personal attacks needed

2. The other person has most likely the best intentions, just like yourself

3. Try to find out why you disagree, most often it is a difference in perspective

I come here to take part in and trying to contribute to a positive and constructive community. Please leave personal attacks at the virtual door, we are all adults and it is ok to disagree. There are ways to put your point across without having a go at the other person.

This post might totally not be needed, but I so felt like sharing this and I am happy it is off my chest.

[alexag]

If I create a 1000 deficit, I would be eating less than 1000 calories per day - just to put your argument in perspective.

[WilliamAnderson]

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@alexag wrote:

If I create a 1000 deficit, I would be eating less than 1000 calories per day - just to put your argument in perspective.

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I'm not sure what your point is, as there is no suggestion to create a 1000 calorie deficit per day in my article.

[alexag]

Sorry, that wasn't to you. It was to the naysaying lady who said "why not just use the fitbit tech to create a 1000 deficit"- I was trying to explain to her that, for many people including myself, a 1000 deficit would mean eating less than 1000 calories which would negate her argument that 1000 calories are not enough.

Sorry for the confusion, really no good at these online forums, working on it!

[WilliamAnderson]

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@alexag wrote:

Sorry, that wasn't to you. It was to the naysaying lady who said "why not just use the fitbit tech to create a 1000 deficit"- I was trying to explain to her that, for many people including myself, a 1000 deficit would mean eating less than 1000 calories which would negate her argument that 1000 calories are not enough.

Sorry for the confusion, really no good at these online forums, working on it!

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No problem. Thanks for filling me in. You are so right. Internet forums can be very confusing and counterproductive.

If you have read my book or taken the program, there is a free FB support group for people who are following it and helping each other at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1420736314691413/ It's been very supportive, without all the arguing. Fun too.

Regarding the need to "undereat", as I call it, eating under 1000 calories per day average for a long period of time is not advisable even when it is a nutritious 1000. Unfortunately, some people of small stature will gain weight on over 1400 calories per day average, so learning how to keep your caloric intake way below that in America is a challenge. Our breakfasts alone at Denny's can be over that! Some salads at restaurants can be almost 2000! And that's for only one meal of the day, not counting the other two, drinks and snacks! But success is doable when you know how, actually very enjoyable.

Best wishes!