Has anyone maintained 'low calories', long term?

[Watchkeys]

Inspired by the low carb thread asking the same question. I wonder who has stuck to a 'low calorie' diet, and kept the weight off. If so, how? If not, what went wrong?

Yes. We can deal with a deficit in other ways than weight loss, especially one that small.

Yes, for about 30 years as I had anorexia and almost died. Thankfully, I'm on the road to recovery.

I would say that a calorie deficit is the best way to lose weight and there is some science to it in that its 500 kcal below what you were previously eating. There's also a metabolic base rate where some people really don't need 2000 kcal a day. I still find it a huge amount of food.

If you eat x3 500kcal meals a day, water, no snack you'd be well on your way. 500kcal looks in basic terms like 1 McDonalds hamburger and small fries.

early days for me, I got to goal about 4 months ago, having lost 5 stone so not sure 4 months can be considered long term but I am being careful what I eat, and try and just have 3 normal meals with lots of protein and veg, and then stop eating at 6pm until breakfast at 8am, I beleive it was late night snacking that messed me up before so hopefuly this will keep me where I am, plus I have thrown away all my large clothes, a year ago I was in size 24, I am now size 10, so if they start to feel tight I will no to cut back as cant afford a new wardrobe :)

@HairyKitty

Yes but it's not easy or clear to create a deficit, and it's very easy to create malnourishment rather than fat loss. And how a certain amount of deficit affects you won't be the same way as it affects me. The calorie:fat calculation is a very very rough estimate. It's an average, and most of us aren't average.

You can't calculate it so definitively as you have, because for lots of people, what you said will be wrong by quite a large margin.

I eat between 1,400 - 1,500 a day. I log it all in mfp.

I don't do that to loose weight though, just not to gain any. I try to hit my macros every day too.

I’ve maintained a bmi of around 21-22 for most of my adult life and lost weight after pregnancies by having a good awareness of daily calorie intake. I find it very flexible and easy because I can eat what I want but just adjust for a lighter day if I’ve had a pizza and wine the day before.

I eat lots of fruit & veg and as I’m getting older I find that getting a larger proportion of my daily calories from protein is important.

I am quite active so eat quite a bit and it has never felt like deprivation, more like regulation.