To eat 500 calories a day for 12 weeks

[Summerdays55]

How much weight would I lose

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1211954/Bride-crash-diet-death--eating-just-530-calories-day-11-weeks.html

I've tried every yo-yo crazy diet that exists, the end result? I was fatter than ever (as you cannot sustain them long term and don't address the underlying eating habits).

I joined Slimming World 5 weeks ago, have lost just over a stone by eating healthy, home cooked foods, I've not gone hungry, have more energy than ever and this is something I can sustain long term. I would highly recommend.

I lost 3 stone on a VLC diet last year. So far it's stayed off, in fact I've lost almost another stone since November. That was 600 cals for 3 weeks then as someone else said every 4th week you introduce a healthy meal. I didn't feel / look / smell dreadful and I'm no longer obese

Different things work for different people. I'd tried SW, 5:2, low carbing, but I'm impatient and weak willed and soon gave up

I found the VLCD easy to stick to because the effects were so quick. That's just me. No one could argue that it's good for you, but for me it seems to have worked. It broke my cycle of drinking too much and living off convenience food due to being short of time

I alternate now, mostly use VLCD during the day, a more or less healthy balanced meal in the evenings and weekends off

I want to lose 3 stone.
I've started by eating better Monday to Friday - breakfast, soup for lunch and healthy tea - lots of courgette instead of pasta, or a very small portion of carbs, no chocolate or biscuits. Ten weekend so can eat what I want. Not in a binge way but in a yes I will have a couple of chunks of toblerone or a curry etc but will eat less of the bad stuff then I did before
I'm not counting or weighing anything just trying to make better choices of what I eat (and unfortunately am failing to stop sneaking chocolate and sweets even during the week which I am working on)
Even so I have lost 8lbs in a few weeks and haven't really tried hard. It has spurred me on to try a little harder and quicken the weight loss but I'm trying to make changes that are sustainable long term and knowing that having soup everyday for lunch instead of a big sandwich means I can have roast potatoes on the weekend makes it easier to make that choice.

500 kcal a day is too few. "Starvation mode" where your body hangs on to calories when you start eating again is a myth, but on 500kcal a day you won't be getting enough vitamins, minerals, trace elements or energy to function.

If you really have the willpower to stick to a VLCD then look at the medical diets like Optifast (which is the one you are put on prior to weight loss surgery) which are around 800kcal per day for 12 weeks. The meal replacements are formulated to give you the appropriate amount of nutrition in a very small calorific package. Don't cheat on it though (by eating less than the recommended amount), it won't do you any favours in the long term. Would also recommend (depending on how much weight you want to drop) doing it under some form of supervision.

Exercising helps - even going for a brisk walk every day will up your metabolism for a few hours afterwards.

Low carbing with lean protein, lots of veg, small amount of fruit and dairy (no processed grains, pasta, potatoes, etc) is probably the healthiest way to lose weight long term. It's a much more gradual weight loss though (which is another reason it's healthier) and people tend to give up because they don't see the rapid results to keep them motivated.

You will become very unreasonable very quickly on so few calories I would think.

I find it so much easier to just not eat during the day and eat a normal dinner. I share an orange with DD in the day and have the odd bit of chocolate in the evening. I've tried every diet there is and this is the only one I can stick to. Have been taking a multivitamin when I remember too. Only been doing it about a week.. After the first few days, it's become really easy and I don't get hungry at all through the day now.

Been tracking on my fitness pal and I'm averaging between 500 and 700 a day, though I did go out for a big dinner and ate my valentines chocolates on Sunday so including that day I'm averaging about 900 through the week. But I haven't lost any weight! Is this because of the starvation thingy? It's just that if I eat during the day, that leads into a cycle of eating that I just can't stop.

Scary reading about the damage it can do to your heart aswell. But if I have a cheat day every week so my calories average between 800-900 will this be ok? Will the vitamins stop the hair loss etc or should I try and have an apple or two?

I finally thought I had found a diet that suited me but am a bit worried reading these comments..

You are contemplating a very restricted calorie intake in order to lose weight.

Why on earth don't you just work out a sensible calorie intake that will help you lose weight, and stick to that? If you cannot manage just eating 1300 calories per day (for example) then you are unlikely to be able to stick to 500 calories a day and you will risk making yourself ill.

Hello FedoraThe Explora - calorie requirements vary by age, this will have an impact upon weight-loss. As will what you are eating at night, if it's a bowl of pasta or a Jkt spud, this might well have bearing upon your ability to lose weight. At night blood sugar & blood fats naturally rise, so eating in the evening ie after 7PM can impact weight. This is one of the reasons that there is now a movement to 'tighten the food window' ie eat a later breakfast and have the last meal of the day by 7Pm wherever possible/reasonable.

A week is also not long enough to judge any diet's effectiveness, usually the 1st week sees a lot of water loss.

I'm no nutritionist, but I'd vary your shared orange with other fruit & more importantly veg as these are less calorific (less sugar) & more nutrient rich. Food contains roughage & fibre, vitamin pills don't.

I ate 650 calories a day for 8 weeks and lost 50lbs. It was a stupid thing to do. At the time I was really pleased with myself because I couldn't believe I was actually managing to lose weight but now, after a couple months of eating properly, exercising and losing weight at a slower pace, I know it was so the wrong way to go about it. Maybe for a couple of weeks to kick start weightloss and get encouraged if you really struggle with getting started and being motivated but not for longer than that. If at all, really.
I developed really bad gallstone and liver issues, I've been in pain every day since December because of them. I had no energy to exercise so despite the weightloss I was really flabby which felt awful. At the time my skin and hair looked amazing but once it all caught up with me I looked like shit. It wasn't worth it.

Now I eat 500-750 calories less than my TDEE and do 1 hour cardio 4x a week and lift weights. I'm losing around 1.5lbs a week and I feel so so much better.

I'm doing weight watchers and have lost 17 lbs in 5 weeks, I haven't cut anything out, just everything in moderation. No need to starve yourself

Well, if the rapid weightloss causes gallstones then you will probably find yourself losing even more as the excruciating pain will take away your appetite

I've lost 12lbs since 6th January by being careful about what I eat during the week, I think it pans out at about 1100 calories a day. At the weekend I still have wine and dessert and a big breakfast. I'm walking roughly 5 miles a day as well.

500 calories will just have you with a pounding headache and feeling dreadful. You need to exercise as well and need energy to do that.

I've only been doing this for 4 weeks and it's amazing. I see a lot of people who haven't actually tried it are telling you what will happen. I'm already down from a size 18 to a size 14. My collar bones are now visable and i can see my hip bones. This is the best thing i've ever done. And i've tried everything else out there. The reason why it's difficult to stick to a different diet is because you can't see those results as quick as you'd like. With this you do ! It's the best feeling in the world for people around you to notice without you even saying your on a diet. I have no lack of energy either. Black coffee = 0 calories. Green Tea = 0 calories. You won't starve to death. You'd be surprised how much food you can fit on your plate. of corse you'll probably gain weight back if you go back to your normal eating habits that's how you ended up big in the first place. lol It all comes down to the calories. It's a lifestyle change. And no you won't stick to the 500 calorie diet forever but this gives you the motivation to keep going after finally seeing that it is possible to lose weight. You'll learn so much about what you've been putting in your body. For instance did you know one butter tart has like 320 calories? I could eat 6 of those in one sitting! That's almost 2000 calories! Anyways Good Luck

SockAmnesty I did LighterLife and then New You, lost 4 stone and then when I came off it gradually put it on again. Also, I hated not eating real food when I was doing the diet and I was constantly hungry. Never again!!

I am fairly certain that you will not be able to stick to it! If you are overweight then you over-eat. You won't be able to go from in excess of 2000 calories per day to 500. I'd be surprised if you can stick to it for a week to be honest.

I ate 800kcal a day for ten weeks and lost 40lbs. Also, loads of muscle tone and hair.

It's not worth it.

Eating that little means you will lose muscle instead of pure fat. It will be very bad for you and won't lead to proper fat loss. It will also be very difficult and dangerous - lack of nutrients, low blood sugar etc.

How much are you trying to lose? In 12 weeks you could expect to lose a stone, maybe a little more, on a diet of around 1200 calorie per day combined with 30 mins of daily exercise (e.g. Walking vigorously / running / Zumba / calisthenics)

I do so love a shit spouting thread and this is a fantastic one.

We have all the usual suspects of 1) Starvation Mode (brilliant this one!) 2) If you eat less that so many calories you will be very ill (no back up, no justification, no reasoning or research, no explanation of what gives the author of that gem credibility but just a very resound statement!) 3) The minute you eat you will put on loads of weight - the body just grabs the calories - errmmmm no the body restores it's glycogen stores and glycogen weighs 5-8 lb per person so naturally you will put on 6lbs if you eat carbs after a long period off eating carbs - no shock horror stories there!!

There are more and as usual its very amusing :grin:

It is also a zombie. As are most on it.

There is an awful lot of medically incorrect answers in this thread.

If you follow the Blood Sugar Diet (based on a diet developed by Newcastle University Medical School, then tweaked and popularised by Michael Mosley), you will lose weight and not feel hungry on 800 calories a day of very nutrient rich food.

The starvation mode worry is based on a post war study of malnourished army troops and only kicks in after a much longer period of food denial than the 12 week BSD.

You could damage your thyroid and have weight issues for the rest of your life.

That DM article up thread is so sad! That poor woman. I think they’re saying in the article that her heart may have already been compromised due to a defect or just because she’d been obese for a while and it had taken its toll. Still though, it’s such a shame. Trying to lose weight for her wedding “so she wouldn’t be a fat bride” .

Well good luck with that OP. If it's as cold where you are as it is here,at the moment,I would find it impossible. I struggle to keep within 2000 calories a day when it's bitterly cold as the colder it is,the bigger my appetite gets.

Just remembered that when I was seriously ill many years ago (late 1993) I had no appetite and was probably only consuming around 500 calories a day for about 13 weeks. It was mostly in the form of milky drinks aaa I struggled with solid food. Sure I lost weight,about 5 stone (32kgs) in all (thankfully I could afford to lose it) but my hair started falling out,and my skin was awful (dry and flaky) so I wouldn't recommend such a low intake. As I got better and started eating more,my hair stopped falling out and grew again and my skin improved dramatically.