To think eating 1500 cals daily is unsustainable?

[savedbythewell]

And if you disagree, how do you do it?
How do you satisfy your appetite and what weight loss is reasonable monthly, if three stone overweight

I calorie count and try to come in at 1600 but can't stick to that if I eat out or have takeaway or there is something out of the ordinary, like a birthday with cakee etc.

@savedbythewell - I wouldn't reduce cals every day. Miserable and hard to maintain. And your metabolism can get used to it which scuppers weight loss.

I'd eat even less two days a week (800 cals or 1000 cals if you've got a lot to lose, and when you get used to it, then reduce down) and then eat "normally" the other days. So basically the 5:2 diet

This works for me. For the first days of doing it you do feel hungry, but it is one day, then normal again. And after a bit I found my body was fine with it and okay to do. I tend to just not eat breakfast and v small lunch then save up the calories for my eve meal.

But I think people go wrong by thinking "normal" on a 5:2 means you could be going to an all you can eat banquet for the other 5 days and expecting it to work.

You'd still want to be careful on those days and not eat more than the recommended 1800 for women (unless you're really physically active)

And advice re what to eat to get maximum satisfaction and satiety. from minimum calories from other PPs. Generally as little highly processed ready to go type food; as much natural fruit and veg as possible - and you are likely to lose weight.

I try to average between 1500-1800 to maintain weight. To lose I need to be nearer 1200 calories which is a proper effort and slog but once I get into it it's easy enough but not something I'd want to be doing too long-term. But I am a shortarse and have a desk-based job.

It is entirely doable, I cook a lot from scratch and I use the BBC Good Food website who have recipe sections for under 400, 500, 600 calories. Saying that, I don't eat breakfast as I never feel like I need it and lunch will be light - soup (which is super low-cal and very filling) or a salad. Snacks during the day would be low-cal but not necessarily healthy. I buy multipack crisps like Wotsits (my fav) and Curly Wurly bars for a sweet treat at night.

Also I almost never have breakfast. In a very short time you get used to it and can easily go till lunch. Joanna Lumley once said "why wake the sleeping lion"!

An alternative to daily calorie counting is the Fast 800 which is a version of the 5:2, also incorporates the principles of intermittent fasting (a long period overnight without food - that's how I got out of the habit of breakfast).

In a very short time you get used to it and can easily go till lunch.

Not everyone! I absolutely have to have breakfast. I don’t think there’s one way to eat healthily so you don’t gain weight.

1500 is basically dinner for me!

I would feel really knackered on that a day. And how do you make it work with socialising, family life?

It's LOOPY and a recipe for future weight gain and eating disorders. It's barely above starvation calories! The diet industry loves starvation, because of course its totally unsustainable and there's uber financial bonus for people 'falling off the wagon', gaining even more weight (of course you would, if your body thinks its starving! Biology tries to redress the balance!) and jumping into various scams and programmes to 'lose the lbs' blah blah blah. It's the 'weight loss' lies that is perpetuating, and exponentially increasing, the so called 'obesity epidemic'. It's the biggest scam/scandal since medicine shows. The biggest issue is resisting ultra processed foods / bliss point foods that are literally shoved down out throats (almost literally!) constantly. It's a total fucking farce that there's much individual control about it at all. These foods are designed to be addictive, are highly well marketed and are inescabable. Human will power is not that strong nor sustainable. And I say that as someone who has extremely low impulse control (ADHD). Listen to a podcast called 'maintenence phase' and you can see how utterly absurd, abusive and utterly dangerous the diet industry is.

@Autumndays123

Really surprised by this thread but then again perhaps that is why we have so much obesity in the UK. 1500 calories is absolutely achievable (depending on your height and lifestyle). If I ate 1500 calories a day losing weight would be impossible.

Sample:

Breakfast: Omlette with mushroom and fry light (2 eggs) - 160 Cals (approx)

Mid morning: satsuma - 25 cals

Lunch: homemade soup - 300 cals
With slice of bread - additional 100 cals

Afternoon - protein yogurt - 100 cals

Dinner - spag bol/curry/chilli with veg instead of rice/pasta - large portion can easily be done for 700 cals

Pudding/snack - 2 finger kit kat or pack of wotsits etc - 100 cals

Total = 1,485

If you are average ISH height, have an office type job and exercise moderately around 3 days a week and think you'd be 'starving' from that, then you should work on your relationship with food and food choices.

Nailed it really. We've been sold a bit of a lie about how many calories we need, and also that wine/ chocolate/ sugar are necessary to make life bearable somehow. I exercise to get my calorie requirement up, but agree that 1500 calories is easy to do without hunger.

Surely it depends on how old you are? I am 52 and eat about that, though I don't calorie count exactly. 10 years ago I ate much more, but my body needs less in menopause. I walk a lot but have a sedentary job. I am not really into going to the gym.

OP as you can see on here there is a massive range in what calories people need to eat and that depends on their genes, lifestyle, job, stress, metabolism, sleep pattern etc.

If you think 1500 is way too little then you are obviously eating a lot more than that.

So instead of being overwhelmed and restricting yourself so much that you end up failing - which is the cycle we’ve all been in.

Why not work out how many calories you are eating now and then reduce this by 500 - you don’t need to eat less physical food just find alternatives that are lower in calories.

You can then add gentle exercise like walking which reduces your appetite and helps you burn more calories.

@PurpleDaisies

In a very short time you get used to it and can easily go till lunch.

Not everyone! I absolutely have to have breakfast. I don’t think there’s one way to eat healthily so you don’t gain weight.

Well I would have said that ten years ago - maybe it changes with age (which makes sense, as we need fewer calories as we get older). But agreed, there's not "one way". There's just suggestions that may or may not help the OP

I couldn't do it. When I was going to the gym and running 3-4 times a week I ate whatever I wanted and was a toned size 8-10. Definitely ate a lot more than 1500 a day!!! Now I hardly do any exercise and eat less but I'm flabby and unfit size 12-14 (which I know isn't that big of course) but generally feel abit rubbish and have back pain due to being weak. In summary I need to get back in the gym but it's hard with 2 little ones!!!

@northernruth

Also I almost never have breakfast. In a very short time you get used to it and can easily go till lunch. Joanna Lumley once said "why wake the sleeping lion"!

An alternative to daily calorie counting is the Fast 800 which is a version of the 5:2, also incorporates the principles of intermittent fasting (a long period overnight without food - that's how I got out of the habit of breakfast).

The fast 800 requires you to count calories, otherwise you wouldnt know that you were only eating 800 cals

I try and keep my max at about 2000 cals that includes high cardio exercise and weights. Any more than that I would be putting on weight. I'm 57, weigh 59kg, size 8-10.
So yes, if you have 3 stone to loose you will have get your cal count down to 1500. Just keep a food record for a week and you will soon see on how your cals add up with lots of empty calories that can easily be cut down on.
There is plenty of good, healthy diet advice out there...if you co looking for it.

I average out at about 1800 a day. I don't drink anything other than water, mostly because I'm prone to kidney stones but also because I'd rather eat my calories than drink them tbh, if I don't have coke I can have a little chocolate if I feel like it .

I make sure I have breakfast, lunch and dinner and try very hard not to snack between meals, I've cut out meat, a fair bit of dairy and fizzy drinks, I still have treats on occasion. Denial doesn't work well for me. Tell me I can't have something and I'll tie myself in knots to get it, particularly when it comes to food. I have a lot of weight to lose (approx 100kg) and I need to do it as sustainably as possible so the whole thing is a work in progress always open to change as if it's making me miserable, I'm more likely to binge. 1500 would be a very 'good' day for me but not one I'd like to be doing consistently.

It wouldn't be sustainable to me.

My TDEE is 1350 so if I ate 1500 calories every day I would gradually get fatter and fatter.

I don't watch my diet so and don't change weight so assume I eat 1350 a day on average. Whatever it is it feels ample.

I did 1500 a day for 9 months and lost 2.5st for my wedding. I'm only 5"1.

It totally depends on your weight, height and your goals? I eat around 1550 as that’s my deficit amount, my maintenance calories are about 1800.

If you can lose weight on more than 1500 calories then do that for sure! :)

I find 1550 perfectly doable, even with around 6 gym sessions a week which sometimes make me hungrier, knowing why I’m doing it (my physique and fitness goals) helps keep me on track. Protein is my saviour, it’s the most satiating macronutrient so I prioritise it over carbs/fats and protein dense meals keep me fuller for longer.

I do Intermittent fasting, hot water with lemon, or tea with 2tsp full fat milk for breakfast. Low fat milk will take the body out of ketosis so bizarrely a high fat option is better than the low fat. My other two meals are low glycaemic so the calories matter less than they would for someone eating low fat/ processed food, because the body doesn’t store the calories as fat as easily. It really isn’t as simple as calories in / calories out.

My baseline calorie use for an inactive day would be around 1150. I work out five to six times a week, a combination of HIIT, or a 5K run with hills, or a 40 minute strength/weights or functional fitness, and still never exceed 1800 calories‘burned’ unless I’m doing something crazy like dancing for a couple of hours at a concert. I think the 2000 calorie per day guidance for the average woman is rubbish.

As to controlling hunger, I eat high protein, high fat, high fibre, and avoid potatoes, white flour, pasta etc,

This whole thread is just such a sad read.

Can you imagine how much time women waste throughout their lives fretting over this stuff? About how many calories are in a bloody Kit Kat?

If you want to improve your relationship with your body, step back from the diet industry. The vast majority of people who lose weight will put it back on again, and then some.

Your life’s purpose is not weight loss. There are a lot of people making a lot of money from you hating your bodies.

When I was losing weight I ate around 1200. It was doable but there was no wiggle room for anything unhealthy. Now I’m maintaining i eat between 1600 and 2000 depending on how much exercise I do. Now I have more muscle I seem to be able to eat more.

[quote lameasahorse]@northernruth we don't need fewer calories as we age. Just most people become less active without realising it.[/quote]
Ah that's interesting. I would say I'm more active but then maybe I eat (or drink!) more than I did when younger. Anyway the main point is to work out your needs and live within them. Like most of life, I guess....

I try and stick to 1200 when dieting
I can do it if I cut out alcohol and all snacks
Aiming to lose a steady 2lb a week

Fasting has a lot more health benefits than simple less it’s also not starving yourself.