Setting target to eat only 800 calories

[800cals]

I have decided to follow Dr Michael Mosley's 8 week sugar diet to lose weight and control my blood sugar. This is a diet with a sound medical basis (just in case anyone thinks it's a fad crash diet!) but it proscribes that you eat only 800 calories each day based on a mediterranean diet, concentrating on low carb meals. I tried to set my target calorie intake on my fitbit zip to 800 so that I could track what I eat, but the app tells me that I have to set a target of between 1000-1500 calories which is not what I require. Is there a way I can override this to enter only 800 calories?

[dragonpupps]

I don't think eating only 800 calories a day is safe. It might actually do more harm to your body than good. Ideally you should just eat at least 1200-1500 calories, and get some exercise in. If you eat some more, but healthy foods, it's okay to have more calories. Everything should be in moderation

[AuroraKat]

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@nutritionnerd wrote:

Since I am licensed nutritionist, I would suggest not doing this. Anything under 1200 calories puts your body into starvation mode, which in return lowers your metabolism and make it harder for you to lose weight.

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If you are going to use credentials to lend credibility to your answer, it's your responsiblity to make sure that your advice is accurate and factual. The above is neither. 

There's nothing magical about 1200 calories. If one eats 1150 calories, the body is not going to suddenly go into starvation mode. The reality is much more complicated than this.

The reason why 1200 is often recommended as the minimum is because most people will not know how to incorporate adequate micronutrient content into amounts less than that. If you follow a 1200 calorie diet and incorporate nutrient-dense and diverse foods, you'll probably get most of your vitamins and minerals. It's a safe number for people who want to go on a diet without professional guidance.

Very low calorie (VLC) diets (600 to 800 calories) are safe and effective for certain populations (morbidly obese and some obese). They are not safe for overweight individuals. However, the following must be considered:

• A doctor must be consulted prior to starting a VLC diet - your labs, organ function status and other parameters will be used to determine if this diet is safe for you
• A nutrition professional will work with you to create a meal plan; expect it to be strict with no wiggle room
• Supplementation will be required - you will not be able to get all the micronutrients you need from food alone on a VLC diet
• You will not follow this diet for more than a few months (as determined by your doctor)

PROS:

• weight comes off very quickly, which is extremely motivating
• those who have difficulty exercising due to their weight will be able to start basic activity sooner

CONS:

• is not to be self-administered, requires visit(s) to the doctor and nutritionist
• not sustainable long-term, both psychologically and physically (see above - can safely be followed for only a couple of months)
• extremely strict - you have to follow your meal plan exactly to make sure you get adequate nutrition
• because weight comes off very quickly, lean body mass will be lost along with fat (this can be partially mitigated with strength training, see below)
• BMR will be temporarily lowered (again, can be partially mitigated by strength training, see below)
• requires supplementation (often meal replacement shakes, especially on the 600 calorie version)
• very difficult to stick to and not very satisfying (this varies from person to person, of course)

OTHER:

• Strength training is highly encouraged during VLC diets. Lean body mass is lost at a higher rate when calories are severely restricted. A well-rounded weight training regimen will counteract some of this loss. Studies do not agree as to how much lean body mass is preserved via strength training during calorie restriction. However, they all agree that it is preserved at least partially. Also, strength training will partially offset a dip in the BMR.

This is a very basic summary of VLC diets. If you feel that you may benefit from a 800 calorie diet, go see your doctor. A book is no substitute. It is a real and safe option for some people and should not be dismissed outright. But, again, a doctor must be consulted before starting. 

[Bella2668]

This is not true I'm a bariatric patient if u are a bariatric patient u eat a much lower calorie diet I'm on a 800 calorie diet because I can not eat like u ..I had 85 percent of my stomach cut out so some people can be on a 800 calorie diet and we should be able to base it on what ever iour body can consume if I ate that much in my diet is not only gain but my stomach would burst

[SunsetRunner]

For a normal person yes, but in this case, doctor approved, so should be ok

[Sithmaith1]

Everyone is different.  I have had a very low metabolic rate the whole of my life.  I have tried eating a 'normal' amount, under supervision, with rapid weight gain.  We all need to determine at what calorific level we maintain our weight, go above that to put weight on and go below that to lose weight.  Even so-called experts can get it wrong.

[SunsetRunner]

Can't find the link, but the 1200/1500 minimum calories is based on a study from many years ago

times change, our bodies change, it is like saying that back in the old ages, cavemen needed to eat minimum 1500 calories just like now and 1000 years later they will still need to eat minimum 1500 calories

if I sat and did nothing all day except watch tv and ate 1500 calories everyday, I would end up huge and very overweight

start at 1200/1500 and then adjust accordingly to what your body needs

[EmjayH]

You want a bigger calorie deficient then increase it at the gym. Don't starve ur self. You'll only cause more problems long term 

[Demaxx1]

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No no no.  Will you people stop spouting this garbage??

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This isn't garbage! All you have done is come on here and in 3 post put down people. Post which are correct. If you read any research on losing weight healthy. They say for women the least you should eat is 1200 calories a day. If you workout you can eat more.

You told a nutritionist to do research. I think you should do some research. If you cannot add something constructive to the post, then don't post.

Maybe your just cranky because you are not eating enough!

[SunsetRunner]

https://www.quora.com/Is-starvation-mode-a-myth

[Nicolala]

I think this is such an emotive topic, so many are so vehement that there is only one way, the old way and no amount of real life evidence to the contrary will dissuade that opinion.  That's OK, I know what worked for me and others close to me.  

It is a successful way to lose weight and get healthy, it is GP backed, it is backed by research, it is safe, it is used for people with diabetes and often rids them of that diabetes.

if people prefer not to, they don't have to try it.  It's all up to the individual.

[SunsetRunner]

1200 is just an average just like 1500 is just an average for males

to say every female needs to eat 1200 and every male needs to eat 1500 to stay alive is just stupid as that is presuming that every females/males body is exactly the same and requires the same minimum amount of calories to stay alive

If all female needs to eat 1200 kcal to stay alive, does that mean a 1 year old female baby needs to eat at least 1200kcal to stay alive just like a 30 year old and a 60 year old? Or a healthy female needs the same amount as an unhealthy female?

if I ate 1500 a day without exercising because that is what the so called experts say what is needed stay alive, then I would gain weight, I know this because when I first started using MFP, I started gaining weight at 1500, what? use a fitbit/exercise to lose weight? Isn't 1500 the magical number to maintain weight?

should I listen to a so called expert that knows nothing about me or my body or should I listen to my doctor and nurse who has access to my full medical records etc?

every persons body is different thus the requirements are different thus the minimum requirements are different

[Demaxx1]

@SunsetRunner

What do you do sleep in a freezer 24/7, to get a metabolism that slow?

[elderwanda]

I'm not wytey, but personally I burn about 1500 in a day if I'm completely sedentary.  Typically I'm fairly active, and get about 10k steps, and burn about 1900, but I've been kind of sick lately and spent Tuesday napping and lounging around, and my Fitbit says I burned 1476 that day.  (I'm 49, female, 138 pounds, 31.7% BF.)   I can occasionally burn 2000 if I'm crazy-active all day, but I don't really have that kind of energy.  

My mom is in her late 70's and 4' 10", and she seems to eat about 1300 calories a day from what I've observed.  She's well over 200 pounds, but very little of it is muscle mass, so it's basically impossible for her to lose weight (or even keep from gaining), because her calorie requirement is so low she can't really eat at a deficit.  

[SunsetRunner]

Wake up, watch the morning news, shopping, usual house work, cook, shower, walking/jogging

like I said, everyone is different, my dad is around 5'4" because of his physical health, he sits and watch tv all day and sleep, except when he drives us out to town etc, yet he only eats around 1000kcal, if he was to eat 1500kcal, he would pile on the lbs, by only eating 1000kcal he is maintaining his weight

or my brother in law who is around 6'3" I'm sure he needs more than 1500 minimum

with myself, due health issues I can not work, thus kind of like my dad, except that I go out more, exercise more and minus the driving as I had to surrender my license

the 1500kcal is based on a normal person and by working exercising they should be able to eat more, so in theory, both my dad and me should be eating 1500kcal to maintain weight, yet he is around 1000kcal and I am around 1200, according to mfp, with my height and age and setting it to not active, I need around 2100 to maintain that weight, not a chance, if I at that much I would pile on the lbs, so if I ate 1500, according to mfp I should lose weight not gain weight

lets take yesterday, I was resting all day except when we went out shopping and did around 5500steps, I ate 1323cals and gained weight this morning

so the comment about sleeping in a freezer is just daft, a 5' male needs less than 6' male, even if you were to take a bunch of males that are 5'7" and had them sit all day doing nothing for example, they would all need different amounts of calories as each body is different, even if you were to take twins, they would still be different

[SunsetRunner]

Are you a doctor or specialist? No

all you are doing is repeating people what others have said, told you

For someone who is physically unable to exercise due to physical disabilities, the only way for them to lose weight is to eat leas than 1500, or are you saying that they should eat that so called magically 1500 and someone overcome their physical disability and do some exercise?

lets take my dad, we are currently looking for a electric wheel chair for him, raised a conservatory for him to sleep in because it hurts too much for him to walk normally never up and down steps

if he was to eat 1500 a day he would pile on the pounds, he is nearly 70, his requirements is different to say a 17 year old sat on their backside all day watching tv

[Demaxx1]

One does not have to be a Doctor to recognize BS. You have already shot down a nutritionist! I will not stand and at least not let someone know that the diet they have chosen may be harmful to their health. Just about every fad diet out there claims to have a Doctors backing or research behind them. That does not mean they are safe.

A brisk walk can burn 200-400 calories. That is why we use a mixture of nutrition and exercise. If I sit on my butt all day and do nothing, I burn between 2000 and 2200 calories. I am not 17, I am 51 years old.

I will say I am sorry about your fathers condition, and wish him well. It has not been to long ago That we went through some of the same things with my father-in-law. I know how hard that can be, and my thoughts will be with you.

[Sithmaith1]

Remember the fitbit works on Calorie requirements for an average person.  Most of us, by definition, will have faster or slower metabolic rates.  The trick is to find out where each of us is on that scale and work from there. 

[Demaxx1]

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@Sithmaith1 wrote:

Remember the fitbit works on Calorie requirements for an average person.  Most of us, by definition, will have faster or slower metabolic rates.  The trick is to find out where each of us is on that scale and work from there. 

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I agree! There is a scale, and we need to see where we fit. Also as we get older our metabolic rate slows. But diets that take you into starvation slows the metabolism as body starts protecting itself. What we all want is for each other is to be healthy,and fit.

[SunsetRunner]

I am 40 this year, if I ate the so called minimum 1500 calories sat down watching tv all day I would gain weight, if walked to tesco and back which would be a 30 min walk, I would still gain weight

if I ate your 2000-2200 i would gain weight quickly and more than likely become obese again

or are you telling me that I am dreaming the weight gain?

so where is the BS

what is BS is all you people preaching that you need to eat the magical 1200/1500 and think that every single person needs to eat that amount minimum

just because you burn x amount and require x amount, that does not mean everyone needs the same x amount

if I ate what mfp tells me to eat to maintain my weight I would gain weight rapidly or are you saying that I am dreaming/lying

or are you saying that someone that is 150lbs needs to eat the same minimum amount of calories as someone that is severely obese at 600lbs? Or say an athelete to maintain their weight?

as for fad diets, did I mention them? Nope, did I say they were safe? Nope

like the other thread, say what you want, it is just going to go round in circles so I am just going to unsubscribe, believe what you want, but I know what works for me, my family and friends and the people around me

[SunsetRunner]

Without knowing anything about me, my health, body etc, you presumed that I slept in a freezer 24/7

so you think that I should have the average metabolism

maybe you should stop and think before you reply