would this be madness to continue with? Weight loss

[daisyblooms]

I recently had to have a hysterectomy, I am only 30 and childless so it was devastating for me. I've still not overcome the emotional side of it and not sure if I ever will.

Anyways, it was six weeks ago and since then i've hardly eaten. Mainly due to lack of appetite but also due to pain as well. I'm managing around 850 calories a day. Previously was on about 2000.

The positive thing is, i've gone from 13st 13 to 12 7 in those six weeks and I'm losing weight quite quickly, 3 pound or so a week. Would it be madness to continue? I'm taking vitamins, having a lot of protein (not many carbs) and I feel alright within myself and not hungry. I drink 3 litres of water a day and have dairy/milk/cheese.

I was guessing i'll plateau at some point or reach starvation mode, but actually that hasn't happened as of yet and my friend who is a nurse has said starvation mode is actually a myth.

Forgot to mention I am 5ft 4 so quite short-ish!

Michael Mosely does an 800 calories per day diet. The Blood sugar one I think. Maybe have a look at that to make sure you are eating well. Rather than just not eating.

and I’m really sorry you had to have a hysterectomy. I can imagine it was very hard to come to terms with.

Starvation mode is a myth as your friend states, otherwise holocaust camps would have been full of overweight people.

What is a healthy weight for your height? I would just be concerned that long term this could lead to an eating disorder, particularly due to your emotional vulnerability atm from having the hysterectomy

Healthy BMI is anywhere from 7st 7 (no way) to 10st 10, i'd like to be around 9.7/10 stone

Starvation mode is not a real thing.

Anorexia and bulimia are, though. I've had them both, intermittently, for nearly 30 years. Would not recommend.

I would work out your BMR (the calorie amount you need for your body to function at rest) and as a minimum try and hit this, otherwise you are looking at losing muscle. If you arent eating enough you will probably be very tired and feeling the cold a lot, it's because your body is struggling and its unwise to put it under strain for too long

As mentioned upthread, Michael Mosley has a programme where you eat 800 calories a day for 12 weeks. I forget the science but you could look into it to put your mind at rest that this hopefully won’t harm you.

That's on the low side for sure, as previous poster said I'd aim for the low side of what you need.

Keeping it as much protein based and healthy as you can.

The one part I would certainly want to profit from is that you probably feel fuller quicker now, of course you could push through that, but provided you're giving your body enough nourishment to do what you need and remain healthy I think sticking to smaller portions is a good thing.

Bear in mind that this won’t be helping your body heal from the surgery, that’s a big operation. And I’d agree with previous posters that you’re going to be at risk of developing some unhealthy coping mechanisms after something so traumatic.

I think it’s a bad idea to continue as you are. If you decide to carry on, it would be wiser to follow a a balanced diet plan and gradually build up your intake.

Have you spoken to any professionals about it? The trauma, and the weight loss?

Michael Mosley is a complete quack. Steer well clear of his nonsense.

I'm guessing with your weight "goals" above you're 5.5. I am also 5'5 and eat quite well on 1200-1300 calories a day. I would give that a go as you will still lose weight but maybe 1-2lb instead of 3

Absolutely.

so sorry to hear about your hysterectomy. Must be a lot to come to terms with and very traumatic. Have you been offered any support?

Its understandable your appetite has been effected but it’s also not a healthy and sustainable way to approach weight loss.

It might be best to see if you can get some support to help with the healing process, like others have said you don’t want to adopt any unhealthy coping mechanisms.

You may not agree with his 800 cal fast stuff but he's not a quack. He is a real doctor and pretty well respected scientifically from what I hear from scientist friends.

What about the qualifications, and the widely held respect?

Why should we believe that you know better?

Sounds like the slippery slope to an eating disorder

OP, think about nourishment, rather than calories. We all have enough body fat to provide us with calories for a while. If you don't put food in, your body will use your fat. That's what fat is for. It's a clever evolutionary function to get us through food shortages.

Don't get malnourished though. Eat the right things, even if in smaller portions.

Are you still in pain? 6 weeks post hysterectomy you shouldn’t be in that much pain. Why such low calories? Are you trying to punish yourself?

HangOnToYourself Holocaust camps are not full of overweight people because they're generally eating very little. Starvation mode happens when you've been on a very strict diet then start eating normally again. It's definitely a thing because I know many people who have put on lots of weight after dieting

This sounds like a very bad coping mechanism to use to deal with your hysterectomy. I agree that it’s a fast track to an eating disorder.

I did an 800cal a day diet (Lighter Life) for about 6 months, lost more than 5st and it was all great until my hair started falling out. It really didn't help me long term, I gained all that weight back and then some after slipping back into old habits again.

that isn't "starvation mode", that's eating rubbish again.

His wife very conveniently has written an 800 cal recipe book in line with his advice for a start. But basic common sense dictates that his advice is borderline dangerous, many overweight/obese people need far more than the average 2000/2500 cals suggested due to their size. They often need upwards of 3000 cals to support basic body functions. It's very different than someone who is a size 10/12 dropping down to 800 cals (although still not great). Everyone has different calorie needs depending on age, weight, height, activity level etc. Anyone suggest a calorie allowance as one size fits all is a quack.

So sorry you have had to have such significant surgery. Very tough.

Between 1 and 2 lbs a week is a healthy and sustainable weight loss. Your body needs to heal, and you will need more energy once you regain all to your physical mobility after surgery.

Make sure you include fresh fruit and veg, too.

You have done what is often the hard bit of starting a healthy eating routine: letting your appetite adjust to more reasonable portion sizes.

Just eat healthy meals and foods in modest portions, don’t do mindless snacking, keep alcohol to under 4 days a week, up your exercise once you are fit enough, and you will feel great (healthy plus proud of yourself) and continue to lose weight.

Starvation mode is 'sort of' a myth, in that it's used to suggest that people who skip breakfast will magically gain weight through some undiscovered physics.

However, after long term calorie restriction, your body metabolism does adapt to eliminate unnecessary processes and reduce your overall calorie expenditure, lack of energy overall will mean you move less and lose fitness, your body weight lowers meaning you need fewer cals overall, and eventually you will burn your metabolically active lean muscle mass, further lowering your BMR. Meaning that if you ever stop restricting and go back to how you used to eat, you will put significant weight on as your body no longer needs that many calories.

Basically, only severely restrict if you're happy to do it forever.